I'm definitely not going to any pre-season friendlies.

Don't read anything at all into the result tonight. I am nervous about our chances once the season starts for real though.

We are miles away from where we need to be.

Ball and Proctor are I think quite good players, but are they better than Izzy Brown and Danny Ward? I don't see who is going to get us goals. JCH and Proctor have had plenty of games in League 1 and their track records suggest they might get ten apiece if they both play every game. Moore and Yates both have plenty to learn yet.

Who will score the goals from midfield that Adeyemi managed in a poor side?

O'Donnell is ok in goal but not convincing, and Price is no sort of competition or back up for him.

Full backs have been a problem for a long time and still are. We have solved the problem of having a young, inexperienced, raw right back by adding another one. We paid decent money for Purrington only to find that he is apparently no better than Mattock.

My guess is that the back four at Fleetwood will be Mattock, Wood, Ajayi and Emmanuel. Does that look solid?

Not sure that Potter is anything more than a straight replacement for Smallwood. We still lack athleticism in midfield. Freckligton sadly isn't quite the player he was last time we were in this division.

Big question marks about whether Taylor and Forde are up to it.

I want us to do well but I really don't see how that is going to happen. We should be told how much we actually got for Danny Ward and how much if any of it is or was available to improve the team. We do not have a proven goalscorer and will still be leaky at the back, which isn't a good recipe. The starting line up at Fleetwood will be no better than the team that got a near record low number of points last season and got stuffed at home by Oxford and Morecambe.

I hope I am wrong but I don't see any cause for optimism. Beating non-league opposition pre-season can't paper over the cracks. I think it is a case of 'Emperors New Clothes'. The manager and chairman insist we have everything in place, have a competitive budget etc etc but I can't look at what is on the pitch (where it matters) and buy into the positivity.

I feel disloyal saying these things but that is as I see it. I think we will do well to finish above the bottom eight or so. Just my opinion. Sorry.

Smiler - my thread is the result of being able to wipe last season's hard-drive clean and a case of eternal optimism borne of years of following this club! But seriously, I do recall last year's pre-season games and the early league cup game, particularly Kelvin Wilson's first touch which was a mis-kick in his own box. He went on to even greater things! The quality of the starting XI last night compared to some of the pretenders from early last season (Forster-Caskey, Allan, Kelly etc, etc) was significantly better. Plus we still have Proctor and Williams to return from injury. Nothing can be worse than last season and I see no reason to believe that this group of players can't achieve an 'enjoyable' season, at the very least.

I simply cannot believe the love in that some on here have with Clarke Harris. His contribution against the Blades was pathetic, quite frankly he gave the side nothing. On that showing he is a million miles away from the starting line up. It pains me to say this but he will end up playing non league football if he is not careful.
Last night was a chance for him to force is way in to the team, he should have been busting a gut to show Warne what he can do, sadly he failed miserably. He needs to get his head straight, if he was a quarter as good as he thinks he is he would be a great player for us. Does the boy have talent? undoubtedly but it is high time he began to show it on a consistent basis, otherwise I fear for his career.