Okay so over pre-season I've seen plenty of threads/comments saying "top half will be a good season" or words to that effect.
Now call me deluded, ridiculously optimistic or just plain ambitious but for me we need to be aiming for top 7 and above. In our squad we have:
Krul, Debuchy, Colo, Yanga-Mbiwa, Steven Taylor, Santon, Tiote, Anita, Sissoko, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Cisse, Remy and possibly Gouffran.
Fourteen players there that I'd say would get in to 80%-90% of the teams outside of the top six. In reserve we then have youngsters such as Dummett, Bigi, Haidara and Campbell all of whom have the potential to become good quality premier league players. If you then take in to account a seasoned pro like Jonas who will be/is effective if used sparingly and in the right games (think of Ji-Sung Park at Man Utd) and also add Marveaux in to the mix and I fail to see how top 10 is the aim???
Should we also sign another striker as it widely reported and confirmed by Pardew then we'll have a pool of 21 players that in my opinion should be able to achieve top half with ease.
I've read some comments saying City will smash us and the game is a write off?! Why though? We aren't a newly promoted team, we've got no injuries other than Remy and there's no fatigue as it's the first game of a new season and we've had just as much preparation as City to get our players match fit.
Yes we may well lose, but to talk as if receiving a hammering is okay just because it's City is a crazy attitude to have in my opinion. It's almost like some of us are trying so hard to not be labeled as 'deluded' that we've now gone too far in the opposite direction and are now afraid to be ambitious, the very thing our owner is accused of on a near daily basis.
Yes we haven't spent much (if anything at all) but we have a very good squad of players and once another striker is over the now infamous line it's time for us to set targets that are difficult to achieve (top six) instead of those that should be easily achieved (top half).
Now call me deluded, ridiculously optimistic or just plain ambitious but for me we need to be aiming for top 7 and above. In our squad we have:
Krul, Debuchy, Colo, Yanga-Mbiwa, Steven Taylor, Santon, Tiote, Anita, Sissoko, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Cisse, Remy and possibly Gouffran.
Fourteen players there that I'd say would get in to 80%-90% of the teams outside of the top six. In reserve we then have youngsters such as Dummett, Bigi, Haidara and Campbell all of whom have the potential to become good quality premier league players. If you then take in to account a seasoned pro like Jonas who will be/is effective if used sparingly and in the right games (think of Ji-Sung Park at Man Utd) and also add Marveaux in to the mix and I fail to see how top 10 is the aim???
Should we also sign another striker as it widely reported and confirmed by Pardew then we'll have a pool of 21 players that in my opinion should be able to achieve top half with ease.
I've read some comments saying City will smash us and the game is a write off?! Why though? We aren't a newly promoted team, we've got no injuries other than Remy and there's no fatigue as it's the first game of a new season and we've had just as much preparation as City to get our players match fit.
Yes we may well lose, but to talk as if receiving a hammering is okay just because it's City is a crazy attitude to have in my opinion. It's almost like some of us are trying so hard to not be labeled as 'deluded' that we've now gone too far in the opposite direction and are now afraid to be ambitious, the very thing our owner is accused of on a near daily basis.
Yes we haven't spent much (if anything at all) but we have a very good squad of players and once another striker is over the now infamous line it's time for us to set targets that are difficult to achieve (top six) instead of those that should be easily achieved (top half).
