Whizzer's manager Billy Whizz writes exclusively for the Wonderboys blogs on his hopes for Season 24
I wish you all a warm welcome to the rollercoaster that is a Trophy Manager season, as we prepare for Season 24, our 4th in Division 5. Last time round, much was promised, but a devastating run left us languishing in 9th position. We hope the break of games for a week or two will help us forget the demons we had during that run, and we can focus on starting the season in a positive manner against Bohos B.
I believe the club has managed to pull of a real coup in the close season by signing Whizzer. While he may not have the youthful energy of Khalid Shehata, he brings plenty of experience, something that his predecessor didn't have - and that is no dig at Khalid. I truly believe that our defensive side of things should now be stronger, although there is much work to do. The defence has been put under a lot of scrutiny during recent seasons, and it remains far from perfect, but we're hoping our goals conceded will be less with Whizzer between the sticks. We are looking to improve the defence by perhaps bringing a new face in, but like all these things, they take time, and we are not prepared to spend the club's cash recklessly. If there is nobody out there that we feel can improve our team, and offers value for money, then we will not make a purchase. I apologise if that is not the answer that supporters are looking for, but we're all in this together
We will be aiming for promotion this year, and we hope our experiences from last season will help us, but there is a lot of good competition in the league this year. The two teams that went up last season were comfortably the strongest, meaning this year there are lots of 'good' teams, but none that are 'outstanding'. I would say that at this stage, we are outsiders for promotion, but if we get a good start, then there's no reason why we shouldn't be in with a shout. It's very hard to predict pre-season, and all managers will have a clearer idea about where their teams lie after a few games. While some teams will be going hell for leather for promotion, the chairman and I believe our policy of considerable investment in youth players will stand us in the best stead in the long term. When you see a team with little facilities, few youngsters, and a small stadium, and they beat us, I urge you to think where the two teams will be in 3, 4 or 5 seasons time. Football is a long term game, and while some teams will doubtless achieve 'flash in the pan' success, sometimes it can be the relatively slow burners that win the race - after all, wouldn't fans love to see a local Wonderboys supporting youth player develop into a key first team squad member, rather than aging imports brought in for a season or two? I know which I would prefer, and that is the aim.
Up the Whizzers,
Billy Whizz - Billy Whizz's Wonderboys first team manager