We are looking fine. There have been some very good performances through the pre season and especially in training and we continue to make sure that we do the right things. We have prepared well and we are ready for Grimsby.

Of course we go into the season with optimism but as I keep saying there has to be realism. When you look at some of the squads that are being assembled, looking at Bradford City, at Shrewsbury and Chesterfield. I think that the rest of us could jump into a level playing field. There are some big budget teams knocking around this league.
In terms of fitness we are better equipped now if I am being honest than we were last year at this time. As a squad we are 10% fitter than we were and it is important that we maintain that because of the tempo that we want to play at. We are really encouraged with that and are really looking forward to the season.
In terms of the mental state of the squad and any possible hangover from the Play off defeat I cannot gauge that yet. The lads all assure me that they want to do well and mentally I do think that they are strong. The vital thing is that we have to improve individually and collectively and that is what I will be advocating all season long. You have to improve if you want to be successful and if you want longevity in your careers.
Things have got progressively better for us. When we took over we were 2^nd bottom and this got mentioned over the weekend by a big manager, Sam Allardyce. He said that people forget where we have come from, myself, Dave and the squad. Now the expectation is for us to go and win the league and that I'd false. People like Sam have been telling us to savour what we have achieved over that period of time. Now though we have to be ready to go again and if spot anybody who is not as ambitious as we are then they will miss out on the opportunity that we are going to create for them. It is important that you can re-stimulate yourself to go again and you become successful by learning from your experiences and become a better person and a better player or manager. Alex Ferguson is asking the same of his players-can they regroup and go again? Can they improve? It is an immense challenge for them but it is the same for us albeit on a different level
Will the players rest on their laurels after having one tremendous season? Can they go again? Do they have the same desire? Mentally after losing a Play off final it can disengage you and if we spot any that we do have room to improve the squad. Myself and Dave can definitely hold our own in the transfer market and if we have to, and we have done it quite often, recreate a new squad, then we will do. We do know where we possibly have weaknesses and where we have great strengths. A big strength for us has always been the collective effort and though it is difficult to assess how the lads are going to react to last season they are very good football players and they look ready.