Morning all! Now the WC is over and we've all calmed down a bit over transfers I thought I'd get peoples forecasts over what Saints will do in the coming season whiich is now only just over a month away. I know there will still be a few comings and goings but whats your gut instinct. Personally I've been very impressed with what I've read and seen so far from Ron. I see no reason why we should do any worse than last season and when you look at the number of games last season we dominated and didnt win there is every prospect of bettering 8th. Yes I know I'm always optimistic but I'll say 6th or 7th with hopefully a couple of very good cup runs. What do we all think?
I'm sadly not to optimistic for the coming season, my mood may change over the coming weeks but I think we will struggle. For me a disappointing 12th.
To early to tell. But at this point, with this team (Shaw, Lambert, Lallana, Pochettino out, Tadić, Pelle, Koeman in), I'd say 12-14th place.
I am an optimist too Lamballana, however as we sit now, the squad is short on quality in depth (as it was last season) and we need some good signings in quickly. My big concern is how quickly the squad can settle and gel... it is going to be a testing time for the first few months as new players and personalities get to know each other, along with new coaching staff and still the question marks over a couple of players staying or going. Better to predict come 31st August.
Not going to make a prediction, but I'll be happy with there or thereabouts as last year, with a cup win on show.
Top 10. I've been saying that none of the teams behind us look like catching us based on their summer activity so far, but now it looks like Palace may press us. And just like I said last summer: FA Cup please!
This is a difficult one Lammy.....Especially if we do not know who stays and who goes. Not to mention those that join us in the near future. If pushed based on what we have at this moment I would argue probably 12th to 10th. However I reserve the right to change my opinion as the comings and goings conclude.
With key players gone from an already thin squad, and new signings needing to adapt, I think we'll struggle next season. I would happily settle for mid table. Almost every team that finished below us last season looked like getting drawn into a relegation battle at some point, and if we can avoid that I'd say we were doing well. That said, I'm already very impressed with our new manager, more so than I was with his predecessor. It's only my impression, but whilst both Pochettino and Koeman are obviously charismatic individuals, Ronald seems to have a lot more integrity and gravitas behind the facade. I think, long term, we'll go far with this bloke, whereas I'm not sure how much further we could have gone under Pochettino.
Somewhere between 14th and 17th, this season is basically a complete write off for me. I think we will bring in another 6-8 players and they will need this season to settle and get used to playing together and (depending how many come from abroad) get used to a new league/country. Not to mention the coaching staff who I have massive reservations about, hopefully they will prove me wrong, but they too will need time to adapt and influence their own style onto the squad.
That's the spirit. Nothing wrong with high expectations. I'll go for 6th and a bit of silverware along the way. I think the squad will be just as strong if not stronger than last year and I believe we have a better coaching team now. I'm prepared to be disappointed of course but that's genuinely what I predict.
I think top 10 will do for me, or even 12th. I know we still have the majority of players (so far!) in our squad that have had two seasons of Premier League experience which is good and means we shouldn't struggle too much. Staying well clear of the relegation zone and a decent cup run will do for me.
Anything better than 17th! I see us as in a game of Snakes and Ladders, at the bottom of a snake (apparently sponsored by the Daily Mirror) at the moment, about to move forward and hopefully find a decent size ladder.
