Battered by Brentford in the play offs? Midtable with Millwall? Champions above Charlton?? I reckon we will beat Brighton in the second to last game and then go up automatically! What do you think??
With Beppe mid table; without: play offs or better Sorry to be negative but I just don't rate the man - I wanted him gone when we lost the last four games last year. I hope soooooo much to be proved wrong as I don't expect him to be replaced until it is too late.
I have the same thought Leo. Beppe seems like a nice guy but I am not convinced of his man management capabilities.
With the squad we have got it should be almost impossible not to mount some sort of challenge but to me Beppe is just not a winner and does not make his team winners - I can hardly believe I am not more optimistic. Come on Beppe - prove me wrong.
Like you Leo, I hate to be negative, but it's mid table at best for the Journeyman. Also, like you Leo, I really, really hope I'm wrong. Either way...COYH
Sorry, but I am with Leo on this. I believe he was brought in as a quick fix to replace GFZ simply because he was available and was known to the Pozzos. I also really hope that he proves me wrong as I like the guy and his efforts to learn English fill me with admiration. Mid-table I guess, but just who would we turn to if he were moved on? I don't think the end of last season is much of a yardstick however as the players knew they had blown it and just gave up. Still however it pans out it should be fun!
I differ from you guys, I don't think our manager is a 'nice' guy, I think he is passionate man with aggressive tendencies and a bit old school in the way he motivates and man-manages players. These days that style rarely works - Ferguson being the last of a kind, he had respect though and power as well as one of the biggest clubs in the world; none of which Beppe has. I still say he will make it work and we will be promoted. How can you fail when we have the 2 best midfielders in the league and the 2 best strikers in the league? Our defence is not shoddy and if there is one thing Beppe brought last season is stability in defence and if we can repeat that home form with clean sheets we will be fine - just don't expect a mountain of goals and keep the anticipation to a minimum until Xmas
I just hope we don't concede late goals and if Deeney stays then the League is our Oyster. Reading various websites and listening to the Radio today, we weren't even mentioned. Good news, less pressure from external parties really.
I like Beppe for the same reasons as Chris13 - and to be honest I rate him too. I like the fact we now have a strong squad with lots of challenges for places as I feel this'll make the players put in more effort. I'm a little worried about Vydra as he didn't cut it at WBA and I wonder if his time with us was a flash in the pan - but i hope I'm wrong. For me we'll be challenging for a top 6 place and hopefully automatic promotion. We'll start tomorrow with a good win and another next weekend in Norwich when Yelltoyou jr will be attending his first away match (much to the consternation of his Mum).
I think the Pozzo's have got a good squad together, most of whom were at the pre season training so I think they mean business about challenging for the Prem this season. I don't think Beppe would be here if they felt he wasn't the man for the job but if the results don't come then he will get his P45 sharpish although like a lot of you I like his passion and honesty. Top 6 for me.
I have the same fears as you, Yello, about Vydra. He had a good half season two years ago. My feeling for the season is that we will start slowly and then come right after Christmas - with or without BS. I have a sense that there is over confidence or a lack of a team at the moment, just a collection of very good individuals. But what do I know? We could start with a 6-0 win tomorrow and improve from there.
We have a top 2 team with a manager who is not communicating well with them. Its a problem that needs sorting. If the rumours are true, he was almost replaced at the end of last season. If that's the case the Pozzos aren't sure about him. I agree re Vydra and I think we will be singing the praises of Ighalo this season if he's given a chance. Let's hope Sannino finds a way to get his point across. COYH!!
Much may depend on developing a defensive set up which is not prone to error and loss of concentration. We ought to be able to score goals.
Have we almost got too many players again? Sannino talked about the usual rotation which only works if everyone is settle but not sure some players will enjoy playing one game then not the next. Vydra for example - he didn't look very happy last week out wide.
Like others have mentioned (and also looking at the article from the Bolton paper on the other thread) it looks like no-one gives us much of a chance. I think most of us are happy to go under the radar. Stop those late goals, keep Troy and we could have 40+ goals between him and Vydra alone. With Abdi and Tozser running the midfield and Dyer and Anya's pace, I think we have a great chance. I'm going for 2nd, 3rd or 4th.
Top four. Beppe knows how to win promotion, he has done so several times albeit not in England. However there is every bit as much pressure on the squad to perform this season as last. On paper it's a fantastic squad. We'll see how good it is on the pitch in the coming weeks.
It's interesting what people on here have been saying. On the FL preview show, the SkyBet odds showed us 14/1 to win the title, having been 22/1 when they opened the market and we were 5/1 to get promoted. Keith Andrews being on that show was useful as he gave a bit of insight into Beppe. Apparently, in the canteen at the training ground he's genial and calm but once training starts, he's very passionate but can be a bit too forceful when trying to get his ideas across. To be fair to BS, KA did say that may be due to him learning the language during the summer when he wasn't in that situation. I would like to see BS do the post-match interviews this season, not AC.
I am my usual over-confident self at the start of the season and predict a top two finish. Mind you I had the same feeling at this time last year and look what happened. I can safely predict a winning start though - as I have not yet renewed my Hornets Player subscription and we always seem to do well when I don't tune in.
Strange that you need to - my subscription renews automatically unless I ask for it to be cancelled...
