=== League One 23/24 Title Race Starts Now ===

Having missed out on promotion by a whisker, with a now stable club and clued up recruitment team we have to be in the best position we’ve been in for some time to make a bid for a league title next season.

We know we’ll lose people, but every team does, I don’t doubt we won’t have planned for this already and with our recruitment now back to being data driven and having done so well this past season, I’m confident we can replace anyone we lose

Add on to that we now have a far more settled preseason ahead of us compared to last time and that we’ve ended with momentum

Look who’s left in league one, Bolton had several on loan in their regular line up all now recalled, Peterborough are selling their top goal scorer. Derby are probably the standout threat as they will have the biggest budget, but they are no where near us at the moment.

2 of the biggest spenders in Ipswich and Wednesday have gone, they are being replaced with a point deducted Wigan who aren’t paying player wages, Reading who are in a right mess and Blackpool who’s budget won’t be too dissimilar to ours but who will most likely have to sell like we do when going down

So cheer up, start looking forward to next season, this clubs on the up. We’ve a real chance to witness a Barnsley side become league champions for the first time in our lifetimes and who knows what will follow, this years championship play off final was between two recent L1 champions, why not us in a few years.

Keep the faith, everything about the club is positive from top to bottom, it’s not over, it’s only just begun

You Reds

 

We're also willing to use the loan market properly again now. A couple of decent season long loans could make all the difference.

 

we also have Conor Mccarthy and Matty Wolfe returning from injury back with the squad.

 

A fully fit Matty Wolfe would have been coming on off the bench today, if we can get him in the form he was in at the end of last season we’ve a decent player there

 

We are currently between 8/1 and 10/1 for next seasons title, which is decent

Fixture list released in 23 days, pre season starts in what 4 weeks? Honestly we will start the season on form, a high points tally in that first month and momentum will do the rest. I’m certain we’ll break our record highest points tally

 

We're going to lose players. My guess would be Collins, Mads, Styles and maybe Williams.
I think we can replace those. What worries me is we need a striker and I can't see an obvious solution on that front. I checked the top scorers in the lower leagues at clubs we might be able to shop at last week and they're nearly all well into their thirties.
We missed our window of opportunity with Alfie May last summer. He'd had one good season but people were saying it was a flash in the pan. He's gone on and got 20 this season.
A few years back we may still have had the finances to make a realistic bid for him or someone like him. Currently we don't I'm afraid.

 

There’s a few within our reach I think we could be looking at.

Alfie May is affordable I reckon
Cole Stockton is on a free
Sam Smith at Cambridge would be a good shout
Aaron Collins at Bristol Rovers

Then there the loan market and also sure the club will be looking up Scotland.

 

Two lads at Exeter as well would have thought in our budget range

 

Commendably optimistic, but until we see how many of the personnel representing us yesterday are still here come August it's impossible to form a realistic view of our prospects. At least the bridge is nearing completion!

 

Not convinced they/them could do a job for us.

 

In duff we trust totally agree with the original post too, it hurts today and tomorrows another day, the players we lose go with my blessing #oncearedalwaysared, they gave everything yesterday left sweat on the shirt now lets smash league one next season

 

Don't think Exeter sell cheap. Held out for 1.5 million from Brentford for Ollie Watkins years back. Thier contracted players will be out of our budget

Ps thought both Exeter and Lincoln had some decent players tho.. both sides impressed

 

We should be targeting winning the league next season. If Duff stays I think we’ll do it.

I think we’ve started layering our squad again now. If Connell leaves, we might still have 5 good CM options in the squad.

Andersen would need replacing. Hopefully we sign Bobby Thomas.

We do need a striker or two though. Norwood and Cole are good but we need a killer forward to win the league

 

We do need a killer forward, not just for this season but long term if the aim is to go up and stay up and push on I’d say our forward department is the weakest in terms of quality in depth, someone decent on a 3 year deal would do nicely.

I think Shaw will replace Tedic, who knows he might turn out to be a handful after a full preseason, but a 20 goal striker would be the cherry on the cake

 

And Jasper Moon to come back from loan!

 

Do you not think we've suffered enough in the last 24 hours?

 

I think we are all programmed that way as reds, expect disappointment, it’s a good defence mechanism to prepare for the worst, I’m usually the same but I just can’t see that happening, I don’t think Duff will go, someone will come for him but either the club or he will knock it back, Duff leaving after 1 year goes against everything in his career choices thus far, I just can’t see it happening and should the worst happen our approach to appointing managers has changed, the process last time of looking for British experience of a similar pressing style worked a treat, they took their time but god did they get it right, IF he goes it’ll be the same process

Of all the players Anderson is the only one I don’t think we can replace like for like, we only have him because we came down with him, I doubt we could get someone that good at this level (mind you we managed to find Connell). Even with Anderson gone I still think we’ll have an excellent defence next season, more so if Duff is still here.

 

Plus, They want to be a Fisherthem, according to a recent inerview.