Realistic expectations
All "Ifs and buts " but we could face 50 odd games or so, depending on Euro and domestic cup runs. Antonio's tissue hamstrings won't last that long and there'll be other injuries along the way. There will hopefully be re-enforcements but what is a realistic season? I can't see top 6 again. Top 8 perhaps and a cup run? I would love us to lift some type of silverware
Comments
All dependant on the squad growing with the right signings!
Will obviously be influenced by injuries and any additions from now to the end of the window (plus Jan)
I'd say top 10 in the table out of the groups of the Europa Would be good and realistic, a cup run is easy to say on paper but reality is quite difficult to do so don't think it's realistic to assume we can get to a final (luck is often requried)
I'd like to see some youth players stake a claim, hopefully Johnson can step up as can Coventry. Also wouldn't mind seeing more of Alese, Oxo-Flex and Ekwah around the first team throughout
The cups are so hard to predict due to the luck of the draw.
I do think the big four of City, Chelsea, United and Liverpool are going to look streets ahead of the rest this season. I think City will be the best team but may drop silly points and Chelsea or United may be the more ruthless.
Spurs could be the real story and drop down the table out of the top 10 and Palace could struggle with the change from Hodgson to Vieara
I think a good season for me, albeit it may not help us longer term in terms of keeping players like Rice, is a season where we seem capable of pushing towards the top 8. I wouldn’t call top 10 a success if we spend all season near the bottom & then have a 5 game blast where we shoot up the table last minute. I think we need to be showing consistent performance levels & pushing towards that top 8 group all season.
That doesn’t mean that should we finish bottom half or fight relegation, Moyes should go. Other factors need to be considered like Cup games. I am not fussed about finishing 16th if we win the FA Cup. But I want the club to be ambitious & not settle for mid table. I think we need to get to a stage soon where 10th is a disappointing season, but clearly it’s actually a very solid one. Do I expect 6th again? No. I think unless we play the U23s in Europe, 6th is going to be very hard to emulate, but we do need to aim for that & not be thinking ‘no chance because of the squad size’.
We need 5 quality additions imo (CB, CF, AM/RW, DM and LB/LWB), and we'll be lucky to get 2 of those with maybe a bit of a punt on a 3rd, otherwise we'll struggle to compete on any front. I've got very low expectations of this season unless we strengthen before the end of the window, although hopefully we'll have just enough to stay up.
……. in saying that I’ll be very unhappy if we don’t sign a couple of quality pkayers this month!🤪
I prefer to watch my football from an optimistic point of view. We're going to do well, no relegation again and exciting games to come. There will be duds but overall i expect a good season with European football.
Thoroughly enjoyed last season, almost reaching top 4, but ultimately securing Europa qualification and finishing 6th was an outstanding acheivement. (Although a real shame not to be able to see any of it live
Really hoping this year to consolidate as a proper upper half side that competes and tries to push on.
With the extra games due to Europa - with a squad which we havent been able to increase as much as we'd like, I'd be happy with a top half league finish, with a real effort in the Europa and in at least one of the domestic cups.
Would accept 14th upwards if we really had success in Europa and a domestic cup (ie reaching finals or winning something).
Really don't want to be anywhere near relegation worries.
Would be great to be competing for top 6 again.
COYI!!
Memory suggests Jorderz is not the worst. Not the best, obviously. But not the worst