I'm more than likely going to be laughed at for this thread. Are we really in that bad of a position? I'm looking at our team and thinking, a few players brought in to strengthen the team, mainly defence and we are looking like potentially the strongest out of the three relegated teams. Players like Billy Jones, I expect to be really strong in this league and I think the early signs from Simon Grayson are very encouraging. If our team can look something like this, with a few good squad players in there to beef out the squad, we might actually be on for a promotion push. I expect us to have one of the strongest midfields in this division and I'm a strong believer in that is where games are won and lost. I think that we will lose Kone and Lens. I'm hopeful that we'll keep Khazri. ----------------- Mannone --------------- Jones - Bodj - Youngster - Galloway --------------- Cattermole ------------- ---------- Rodwell -- N'Dong -------- New player ------------------- Khazri ------------- New Forward ------------ With Watmore and McNair to return as the season progresses, they will definitely strengthen us and excel at this level. Maja I don't think he is ready to be our main striker for the full season, but I still see him playing a big part for us. I've put 'youngster' as a centre back as that could be anybody from Beadling, Ledger or Browning. I'd like to see us strengthen there though and I'm willing to give Bodj a try at this level. All in all, I dont actually think we are a million miles away. Tin foil hat on, fire away!
I don't think you're far wrong mate - a starting 11 with players like Khazri and Ndong would tear the league up,agreed. Injuries are a massive thing though, we're going to be playing 2 times every week sometimes 3 times in 6/7 days - that requires a squad of probably 20-25 seniors and youngsters to bulk it out up to 30-35 players. For what it's worth I don't think Khazri, Lens and Kone will be with us so that's another 3 seniors we need to get in. Still think there's a lot to do in the Transfer Market.
Some of the "experts" are predicting we'll do a Leeds and fall straight through the Championship - I don't think we'll be as bad as that but until such time as we sort out the defence then I can't see us being anything more than mid-table. I still have massive issues with Bodj but he may well come good but we do need another beast along side him a Huth type character. Kone will be off shortly so its not him and all the others seem a bit lightweight at the minute. Our key priority is to stop conceding so many goals and we don't seem to have cracked that yet - elsewhere on the pitch I think we will be competitive and have room for optimism
16/1 is a class price for us to win the league. I think we do very well. Even if we lose kone, lens and khazri. Replace them with mcgeady, gradel and buy some decent forward we be fine.
I'll guess the starting 11 for the first game. Mannone, Jones, oshea, pappy, Galloway, catts, rodwell, ndong, mcgeady then Iam stuck
I am desperate for Khazri to stay. If Kone is to go then do it asap and get a couple of centre halfs in. Need a couple of strikers but I am really looking forward to the season.
I think well be OK but my worry is the same as last season, strikers or the lack of them at the moment. Plenty of time for that to change and if we get two or three and use Maja & Asoro as sparingly as their inexperience allows then I've great faith in our new manager getting us top ten or there about.
First team you suggest there (provided the striker is decent) should be top 10 easily and probably top 4. The issue you have, and I'm not convinced that this will be fixed is strength in depth. Once you have injuries (and the games come thick and fast - another 8 league games plus an earlier start in the league cup) I think you are likely to be affected more severely than some of the other clubs. As such I think you will go on good and bad runs over the course of the season in which pundits will question the team and manager, but realistically it is to be expected. With who you currently have I see you as between mid-table and possible play-offs, but there's a lot can happen with transfers yet!
Well if the debt after Pickford is 85m, or if Pickford's fee is going on new players which would put it back to 110 either way our debt is greater than the Parachute payments and there not loads of money to come in from player sales now. So yeah, we're not in a great position given if we don't shift the debt or get promoted in the next 3 seasons we're standard in a league with debt and nowhere near the income to manage it and no budget to push for promotion. As for the team this season. Too soon to say for me. I don't know much about the new signings, don't know who is still to leave or who is to come in but I'd hope we'll be comfortably safe this season given the bids we're supposedly putting in. Don't what truth there is in the 6m for Mcgeady and 8m for Snodgrass. But not knowing who's in line to leave and come in it's still very hard to say. Also I'm not the most familiar with this league so I'm not really in a position to compare to most squads in this league. But I think it's safe to say we're going to have one of the most lightweight squads in this league which is going to be a problem if we retain internationals or hit more injury problems. We've got some good u23 players but we may have to wait for a bit for the bulk of them getting up to Championship stanadard, especially physically. Think a slow start could be on the cards. But there's valid reasons all over the shop again for that so lets hope we remain supportive and bear those reasons in mind, like an influx of youth coming in, our delayed start ect. Still don't think we're in good place like overall.
I think we will finish mid table, any higher and its a bonus. Too many tough teams in this division with a bucket load more games to play as well. I can see us getting a few players in on deadline day when the premiership teams have sorted themselves out and are happy to get rid of their excesses.
Players who fail at "big" Premiership clubs and "step down a level" are expensive risks in my opinion, and often come with baggage, ie Moyes type signings, I hope to see a change of direction at the club with Grayson in charge. Its a big job he has taken on but he has started well imo.
He's going nowhere cause there's nobody who'll take on 60k per week wages for him. That's the reality, so there's naff all we could do even if we wanted to.
