Not far away now is it ! Expectatations for us - Improved points total. I'll happily predict we'll come top 10 this time around, but I wouldn't like to say where. We did last season, and I see no reason for us to not this time. First summer since the Royle days of not 1000000 in and 1000000 out gives us half a chance too I feel! I think our style of play may please people more too. Stewart could go either way on the wing, but he's the kind of player we need and people want at our club. I think Bournemouth could surprise people. Blackpool - W T F !
I look at our squad and it really doesn't inspire me, there's alot of very average players in there. I'd like to think Hewitt will come into his own this season and I'd like to see someone give Skuse a kick up the backside to up his game. I think we'll be top 10 again but have to say I'm not overly optimistic we'll make the playoffs, this league has got tougher this season and we've just lost our best and most creative player, so we haven't really improved the squad yet not measurably anyway, think it'll be more of the same next season which isn't neccessarily to be frowned upon considering our budget and the players we have.
Will McG be fit enough to start the season? Will he be the player he was up to being injured? With no other credible striker goals could be hard to come by without a fully fit McG. Ive no worries about the defence but mid field still looks very ordinary, so a top 10 finish is possible but nearer 10th than top 6.
Relegated 3 are spending big - Fulham have spent £11 million for just one player! Cardiff have blown over £ 8 million too. Forest have just spent very well in signing Michael Mancienne for £1 million, very good defender and a good freebie from Barca. Watford have signed Vydra and the gang on loan back, they are going to be problematical and right up there too. Brighton/ Wigan both have good sides and Bournemouth have spent well! Blackburn have just renewed Jordan Rhodes deal ( apparently £40,000 a week the last one so assuming this new one is bigger ) on a new long deal! Assuming he'd only stay in this league if they were going to sign a few up...... Then there's Reading, who clearly have a decent side and Bournemouth are adding well in key areas. Obviously there will be a surprise package too, a side with momentum, Wolves or Charlton perhaps!? It's just so damn difficult for us to compete. We all have these expectations of us doing well, and I'm pleased enough with the signings so far. But we're clearly 3 or 4 QUALITY players off being able to get play offs at the minute. We're up against squads spending an absolute fortune in fees and wages, it cannot be easy for Mick and the gang to snap up who they wish.
Target - playoffs Expectations - 7th Best player - didsy Flop - barty Top two - cardiff wigan Playoffs - bournemouth, scum, florist, fulham Relegated- blackpool, weeds, brentford
Target: We should be ambitious enough to target a top-six finish, and hopefully keep in for the fight until the end of the season. Expectation: With the current budget and playing squad, another top-half finish would be a good season, I'll go for 11th. Flop: Bartosz Bialkowski - Don't mean to pick on a new player, but I can't see him dislodging Gerken. Best player: Tommy Smith seems to improve after every season, so I'll go for him. In my opinion, he is one of the best centre-backs in the division and I can sadly see him leaving in the near future if he continues his impressive form.
Unfortunately i'm going to be my usual negative self, purely by what i see in front of me today (hopefully Mick and the team will change my perception over the next few weeks) As PTC says, our squad really is uninspiring. Yes, we have bought two young english wingers, but they are still very much unproven, and very inexperienced (but both with great potential) Our target should always be to better the previous season, so a play off place should be what we are aiming for. Realistically though, i think we will have a very mediocre season, not trubling the top six, but also steering clear of relegation. Our best players will again be our two centre halves (whoever he plays) and our biggest flops will be our forwards. The biggest problem i see, is that all the so called top teams have a genuine goalscorer in their team, where as we don't. We have Didsy, who performed well last season before the injury, but in my opinion is not a genuine centre forward, and then we have Murphy, who will chip in with a few, but i think his best days are behind him. Marriott, i still don't think is genuinely good enough for this division - from what i've seen so far he looks to be a L1 player. As for Nouble and Taylor, it's a big shame, but they really are not good enough for our team if we want to progress. That said, the team proved me wrong last season, so hopefully they can do so again - but i think we really need to invest in a quality striker if we want to get in the play offs.
...but Warky, he's absolutely right. Last season was a classic case of "The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts" - we are a team full of average players. If you disagree, then please enlighten us as to who is above-average.
We're certainly quality down on probably 12- 17 of the sides in this league. On ability alone, we should come 15-20. However, we have a cracking manager and a team of good working players. We have a TEAM, unlike other sides in this division too. We also have decent continuouty of players. If we could add a bit of class I think top 6 will certainly happen this season. However, that's the IF.
You miss the point! Our key strength is that the team is far greater than the sum of its parts and that's why there has been significant improvement since Mick arrived. You can rightly argue that we have had better players on paper at least under Jewell and Keane but they didn't play as a team! Just look at what Costa Rica achieved at the World Cup as an example. Mick has instilled the team ethic and has selected players that know and understand their jobs in the system. We don't need any fancy dans coming in and upsetting the apple cart!
Expectation should be an improvement on last season, so really we have to be aiming at playoffs at least. Personally i think we will end up about 13th, which aint good enough imo!! Saying that, there is still time to bring in a few decent players that could change everything. Biggest flop would have to be............ Nah not gonna say it, you all know my thoughts. Biggest success Nouble, he cant get no worse so must start to improve!! Good to see Nugetts!!
I said it last season, don't recall it before now. Most seasons I could actually name my favourite player but this one, noone really excites me. It's nice to see we are building a team rather than a collection of players as we did under previous managers but it would be nice if once in a while Mick went for a player who had a bit more quality about them. As I've said repeatedly if Mick had decided to work with more talented players he could've acheived alot more in his career
Top o' the morning to you all...what a marvellous spell of weather eh? Lots of lovely cricket...not!! Oh, our beloved game starts soon, just hope its a shade cooler for the dear boys! I shall always try to be optimistic about our new season's, but I am really struggling this time. Some hopeful but unproven signings who could do the business, but its a big but...if you know what I mean! McG is not fit yet...no star quality striker who will knock in 12-120 goals for us, but we do have more young takent...so its maybe for me. If we get off to a cracking start, blood the newbies...get that vital confidence going, and with our now trade mark tough to beat defence, who knows? Hope to see you up there soon...Warky owes me at least 3 pints for failing to turn up, oh no its Greene King!!
...er um...120 goals would be bloody amazing! Target 20! Expect 9-12....but from who!? Will the midfield be scoring loads?!
I would say that this season will probably follow a similar path to last season: Target - Play Offs Expectation - 8th (among the contenders for majority of the season) Flop - remain positive but I doubt Tabb will see much game time this term as he is beginning to decline in the late throws of his career Best player/surprise - Wordsworth (a season without injuries and opportunity to impress in a midfield that needs a playmaker - even notching a few goals) I am expecting to see at least another 2, possibly 3 players come in on loan late in the transfer window. My hope is that one of those is a striker with a bit of pace, one thing we lack is someone to stretch teams with pace in behind and give us options off the bench
I totally agree, and i believe we all feel the same. I also agree that MM has built a fantastic tight knit group, of players that are all willing to work hard, and we do have excellent team spirit (for the first time in many a year) BUT, in my opinion, that can only take you so far. Teams need that little bit of extra magic, someone who can turn the game when it's not going our way - and unfortunately we don't have that (yet) - although Henshall and/or Stewart could prove me wrong there. To win games, you need to firstly tighten your defence (check - MM has done that), then you need to create chances, and then then have someone to put them away - as i've said, we don't have neither, and thats going to be our achilles heel. But, as i write this, i do read on TWTD that we have two unknown strikers on trial, so at least MM has targetted that position as our next signing.
