We'll both be top 10. City will retain the title, just from Chelsea. Going down will be Reading, Wigan & one of QPR, Norwich or Saints. I hope Norwich & Saints pull through, but I think losing Lambert is mammouth. In Lalland, Sharp & Lambert, Saints could have just enough to eek out a few wins and shade it.
I think the bottom 3 will be Norwich Swansea Reading Both Swansea and Norwich were getting found out now and both have lost their managers and i think the managers who come in have a very hard job. For all Reading were champions I think they'll be the weakest of the promoted sides and simply don't have the players to stay up.
Tbh, I would label Sunderland the best of the rest for next season. I don't think they'd be part of the so called top 8, but they'd be the best outside that. That's what I thought we would be, around mid season. Not in the top 6, but the best outside that. But who knows? Maybe Sunderland will be in the mix with Liverpool and Everton. We can't tell.
We need 2 strikers Tash, and the right 2 strikers. If we get them, we'll be a canny side, if we get them plus Manu Fernandes and a decent left back, we'll be a very good side. We don't sign the right 4-5, we'll labour between 10-12th, but we have a fair bit of talent in the side.
If you don't sign the right players I think you'll be lower than that, but If you do sign the right players, I think you can threaten the top 8, perhaps even the top 6, but It will be hard for you. However, you don't have European concerns, so you maybe able to pip Liverpool to a top 7/8 place. I dunno. You seemed ****ing fantastic when O'neill first took over at Sunderland, but you seemed to drift off a bit towards the end of the season. Tbh, this sounds a lot like the Bruce era. Some portions of the season you'd be flying and pushing for the top 6/7, and sometimes you'd be battling to keep a hold of a top 12-14 place, and not be far off a relegation scrap. For your sake, you'd be hoping that O'neill could be a little more consistent. Sometimes under Bruce you'd look immense, then you'd drift off. But with O'neill, I'm sorry to say, you took the same trend. You looked great, then you looked average. Good luck lads.
Other than what I've highlighted I agree. I don't think youse can even think about challenging top 7 or 8 after yet another season of overhaul (if indeed that is what happens). The season after next, who knows. I think other than that our predictions are pretty close, although with Hulk, Hazard, Marin and anyone else they sign, Chelsea have a better team than City and I can see them retaining Champions League and winning the Prem.
Well you are saying chelsea will. OK they are buying better players than us but they are going for the title, we just want top 10 and pref top 8. No one in their right mind could have forcast your season last year, not even the most optimistic toon fan could have, but it happened, so if you can do it, not sure why we cant, not saying we will but you saying we wont but yet you will still finish 6th, is crazy talk imho.
Wasn't having a go mate This statement is in direct contradiction to your 'Chelsea are champions' line though. That's a fact.
Chelsea have a squad that still (off the top of my head, there are surely more) have 7 or 8 regular starters that have won a title with Chelsea. Bringing in new players ON TOP of that experience is a totally different scenario imo. Also, what do you mean by "crazy talk"? The NUFC squad have proven they are capable of a top 6 finish. Of course, there is no reason you CAN'T do well next year, but just because NUFC shocked everyone by over achieving last year, doesn't mean it is suddenly rational to start predicting that anyone can do it. Why don't we just predict a Champions League push by West Brom, after all, NUFC did it so why shouldn't they? Nor was I mate However, (see above).
Well why cant they not? And pretty sure Man City had an overhaul or 10 in the past few years. and it hasnt done them any harm.
Unquestionably, Chelsea is an overhaul mate. NEW RB NEW DM Marin Hazard Hulk NEW FW That's 6 first XI players, most likely. They have also lost Drogba, their big game player, and Kalou, a well used squad player. That's an overhaul, but I also think they will be magnificent next season. It does contradict what you said though marra. Our 'overhaul' is likely to be 1 LB, one RM and 2 FW. Any extra additions will be more than likely squad players. Most teams would bring in 4-5 a season by natural progression. As Steve says, City's overhaul didn't go too badly wrong...
