Yet another season where the Magpies used up all of their luck to escape relegation at the final stage by the very skin of their teeth. They clearly must have done a pact with the devil at some stage to annually avoid the drop to the Conference despite my very best wishes!

Notts finished in 21st position last season, though there was never any real danger of them dropping into the relegation spots. They did enough in the first half of the season to ensure that they stayed well away from the likes of Mansfield and Wrexham, and then coasted the rest of the season out safe in the knowledge that they'd done their job for the season.

However, finishing on 48 points is very much relying on other sides rather than doing the job themselves, so is hardly the ingredients to a successful season.

Past history would suggest that this will be McParland's last season in charge at Meadow Lane, as his appointment made him their eighth manager in just six seasons when taking over from Steve Thompson in October of last year.

McParland came to the club having recently been made redundant by neighbours Notts Forest, where he had been a coach. He'd had a spell as Caretaker Manager at the City Ground, where he scooped a manager of the month award after winning six straight games and was considered unlucky not to have been given the job on a permanent basis.

Since coming to County, his fortunes have been mixed. Obviously, he's inherited somebody else's squad so it was a case of making do with what he had, but there was precious little evidence to suggest that he was capable of making a go of things.

Form slumped after an initial decent start, and before they beat us towards the end of March, they'd won just two games - both against Chester - in eighteen matches, and when they crashed 4-2 at Spotland in April, that was the first time they'd scored two goals in a game since 8th December. Exciting times at Meadow Lane eh?

Anyway, this is meant to be the optimistic section of the prediction. At the very least, McParland has done something about the lack of goals and has signed someone with a proven track record at this level in the form of Jamie Forrester. Not matter what else we might write about this signing elsewhere in this prediction, he was a striker who got 14 goals at this level last season, and any team in the division would love to get hold of one of them.

For all of their lack of scoring, one thing going for them was a very tight defence. The signing of Michael Johnson should ensure that the status quo is maintained. They did not concede many goals at all, They let in less than promoted sides did last year, so surely that's something to build on.

So if you make signings to ensure that you improve on your failings, and continue on your strong points isn't that what is needed for success?

I've read of Notts County supporters doing their annual "we'll get it right next season" bit around the interweb. No other set of supporters seem to forget about the entire season as soon as the season finishes, and think that a couple of key signings are the sole difference between a finish of 21st and 3rd. Bless.

They seem to neglect that everything about the club shows they are a club in decline. What would concern me most if I was a supporter of Notts County is the willingness the club have shown to accept that this once proud club now sees itself rivalling Accrington Stanley and Dagenham. Sacking a manager once a year only acts to protect a board who have the ultimate responsibility for the fortunes of a football club.

Anyway, we digress.

McParland might have been busy in the transfer market but how many of them could you really rely on when it comes down to it? There's a host of under performers and aging players which has never been a good recipe at this level. Chuck them into a side which has already proved itself to be the 21st worst side in the division, and you'll get the County board ready to sack McParland to protect themselves again.

I don't blame McParland for the signings, because any manager who believes he deserves to be a manager will always look upon players of this type as the sort that he can turn round. But many have been there before and failed, so why will McParland be any different?

21st - Conference Contenders

The new signings have bags of potential. There is no debate about that. But many of them have gone from club to club to club, and heard supporters say that "if we can get the best out of ........." over and over again. When was the last player you saw at this level suddenly turn things around after a few seasons of underperforming?

The new signings may well have potential, but that potential is also a potential to drag the club down. Signing one under performer is a luxury. Signing a few is a risk which could see them infect the rest of the squad with their lack of work ethic.

You have to ask why the likes of Hamshaw, Nowland and Forrester have not done themselves justice in recent years? Maybe its a bit harsh in Forrester's case, but he's just seemed a bit hit and miss in recent times, and at 34 you wonder whether he's got the stomach for a fight at a club which has proven over the past few years that it's going nowhere. After all, could anyone really look upon his switch from Lincoln to Notts County and say it was for footballing reasons?

I know it'll upset a few of the messageboard traditionalists when we say that we don't think County will go down. The points deductions elsewhere will see to that, as will the problems of much worse sides. Add to that, the under performers I've slated above will have the occasional great day where it comes together.

But the County cycle will continue, they'll survive, think everything will be much better next season, then sack the manager in about November 2009.