We headed into the Premiership underwhelmed by our summer signings and here we are again.

Last year it was to some degree explained by a strategy to avoid spend and bust based on our chances of survival. Some would say that was sensible, others that it was self fulfilling. The outcome was that we were close to survival but not close enough. What might have been?
Players and agents might also have been less than enthusiastic about joining us given the above.

This season our strategy is supposedly promotion and as things stand we are still short of strikers who we are confident will score goals and of a creative midfielder known to be good enough to do the job at this level.

I suspect some players and agents remain less than enthusiastic about joining us. They don’t see us as forerunners and
aside from having their own views on Marmite NW know that his time is limited. I understand that the mercenary won’t care about that but they are not necessarily the players that we want.

I had hoped for a new manager this season to create a new momentum, a new drive. I understood the club sticking with NW and see the sense in doing so.

But todate I don’t get the feeling that we are going into this season with the momentum that will achieve promotion or even challenge for it. I hope I am wrong.

Will clubs view playing us an easier task than Fulham and Huddersfield or say Leeds and Derby? I think they will.

Ultimately the points on the board will answer most questions.