Should we be scared? - Season 02-03 Preview - Part One

Last updated : 27 July 2002 By Site Staff
Jack
Will you be injured?
Notts County notched up a 15-1 win over Newquay in their pre-season game. Notts County play Crewe at Gresty Road for our first home game of the new season and hopes are high - most fans can't see a team who we can't beat.

Lets start with Cardiff, we played them in the FA Cup(all be it two years ago) and we beat them, since no doubt they have improved a great deal - but so have we. Ashton was only just coming onto the scene, Hulse was still getting use to life as a pro and half our team isn't here anymore. We seem to have a better team now than when we went up in 1997 - strange isn't it.
The one reason why Cardiff could and probably will beat us is their fans - i say no more. Pos: 3rd

Next are Barnsley, nothing special but the bookies and other div 2 fans believe that because they once played top flight football they will be a strong side - WRONG. They were the worst team i have seen at Gresty Road since being promoted. They won't be a strong team as you can't improve a poor team with no money and straight after being relegated. Plus hearing hearing their manager slag off every single one of his players live on BBC Radio - morale can't be great... can it? Pos: 9th

Port Vale being our rivals we generally don't have a nice word to say about each other but they're a strong side but with a sh*te chairman who can't help the team. They seem to play poor for the first half of the season then enter championship form for the second part, i can see these bein more than local rivals - title rivals maybe?Pos: 4th

Plymouth tipped for the play-offs by many, they've only just come up from the 3rd and i suppose they could have a season like Brighton and Rotherham and enter the dizzy heights of division one - or could do what we do and fail two times in a row in the play-offs. We'll be favourites to win when we play them but i wouldn't put it past them to do the double over us. Pos: 7th