I'm not sure what I've supposed to have read? Current Saints player believes it will be a tough season but we can expect a respectable league position? Anything other than relegation is respectable surely.
Perhaps not, but after all the ups and down it would be a result. P.s. I think we'll finish higher than that.
I'd prefer 15th or 16th, because the odds are lower that we'd be facing a final-game judgment day, but 17th will do.
I wouldn't. 14th upwards I would take. The reason for this is that there are quite a few teams who are ****. Burnley, West Brom, Villa, Swansea, Sunderland and at the moment Leicester and QPR are all very very average sides, by PL standard. Now I expect Leicester and QPR to significantly improve their squads but Saints should really be finishing above all of those teams.
I would be pleased with a respectable mid-table finish like 11th-13th and I think we can definitely achieve it.
I think we are still good enough for 12th-8th... But we'll know a lot better after the first ten games, eh? Might be revising downward at that point. Can't imagine revising up!
Given our early fixtures, I'm less concerned with how we cope defensively, than I am going forward. Yes we need another top CB, and yes it would be good to get him in before the season starts, but what we need to remember is that, other than Bertrand, those likely to be selected, to fill the back 8 places, have been together for at least 1 season, so "the need to gel" shouldn't be an issue. We also need to remember that Yoshida, after a shaky introduction to the team, and after a decent run of games, actually formed a decent partnership with Fonte. Not as good as Fonte and Lovren, but then, they didn't have Wanyama in front of them, protecting them. Going forward we are, very obviously, lightweight, but again "the need to gel" has been reduced by Pelle and Tadic having spent a few weeks with the squad. Yes it will be a tough season, but no reason to write off the early games, yet. Although Liverhampton might be a few weeks too soon.
I hope you lot are right, but I just don't understand how anyone can predict top half finish. We have lost five very good players. If a couple of new guys come in and do a good job that still doesn't put us in an overly strong position. We will be in a relegation fight, if we survive we may well come out the other side a bit stronger, but it will be a fight for survival. I can't think of a team losing five key players let alone all the other change that it brings with it. But, it'll be more fun than a nailed on 8th with a tw@t in charge.
And you've not even mentioned Hull, Stoke, Palace & West Ham who are well organised but far from spectacular. It will be very congested again. We have lost that comfort we had over the other teams, but I think we're still good enough to keep our heads above water and have a reasonably drama free season. I actually think the season itself will prove to be less stressful than this summer.
I am ever the optimist and I keep having visions of Tadic squaring it to Pelle in the dying seconds at Anfield to snatch a win. It's a sign !
I'm concerned that we all think we'll be **** for our first load of fixtures, yet looking at them, those are the ones we need to pick up points in. If we drop away because we've not yet gelled, then we have some tough games, true panic and wet sheets will be plentiful.
Yeah, that's my concern, that we'll drop points early while the squad is coming together, then get hit by the freight train that is our December schedule. Similar to last year, it seems likely that there'll be plenty of not-very-good clubs in the mix...could come down to which sides are capable of putting together a month or two of sustained quality at some stage and bank enough points that they can happily turn back into a puddle of suck thereafter.
