Underdogs?????

Am i missing something here but every website i look at doesnt give us a chance this season when clearly weve bought the best players in the league! Everyone seems to rate Sheef Wed when form what i can make out theyve signed no one outstanding and one of ours form last season who let go.
Oh well doesnt matter when were top come may

 

FourFourTwo has us down as finishing 18th?!

After the disgrace of the latter half of 2010/11, and the exciting pre-season thus far, I literally have no idea what to expect this season; and I doubt even after Saturday we'll know...

For me I can see promotion or relegation - I can't really imagine an in between... And I'm an optomist by trade

But it ain't gonna be dull that's for sure!

 

It would go down as one hell of a flop if we finish outside the top64, if they come together and CP has what it takes then we will be one/two most of the 2nd half of the season.

Cafc have been given every chance this time around, it really is their for the taking the way i see it.

 

Unfortunately having the best players on the pitch doesn’t always mean you're the best team in the league...

Don't get me wrong, if everything clicks into place and the players have had time to gel as a unit (early signs are good), I really can’t see us being too far away with what we’ve got at our disposal.

The only big concern for me is… When we hit a sticky patch at some point in the season… Do we have the experienced old heads in the squad to drag us through…?

 

That was probably the thinking behind signing Andy Hughes. You make a fair point, other than him it's quite a young squad, or first team at least.

With the players we have top 6 is an absolute minimum.

 

From what I can tell, Hughes seems to be an un-fit has-been, but I'll reserve all judgement til I see him play.

Sheffield Wednesday have (from memory) seen about 10 of their players leave and signed about 4 (Semedo and Prutton [from relegated Swindon] included).

Pretty much everybody on this forum believes we have what it takes to get auto-promotion if not going up as Champions, and as for going through a sticky-patch, those of us who attended the Millwall game would have seen that every time we conceded a goal, Charlton put even more pressure on and went straight on the attack - something thats been sadly missing every year for 5 years.

 

Yeah - but you still lost though!....the secret is to score more than you let in!

 

Funny guy, considering your lot struggled against a League One team and let in three goals against them (one of which in the first few minutes) [one week away from the season starting] you haven't got much to boast or laugh about Wouldn't be suprised to see you in a relegation battle following such a shocking performance. Quality signings by the way...Racon and Henderson

 

[video=youtube;Gw09tAcNB0Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw09tAcNB0Q[/video]

Happy to be a underdog. Think any League One manager will dispute that tags for us though...

 

I still don't see how these players are the best players in League 1. The best ones we had were in the 2009/10 season and don't think these are as good. In what way are they better than say Huddersfield or the other teams who missed being promoted last season.

 

JJ, Hollands, Stephens/Alonso, Green beats Bailey(on left), Racon, Semedo, Sam

BWP and Hayes have the edge on Burton and Mooney/Akpo for me.

As for defence, I'd probably have a fully fit Youga and definitely Frazer in the squad. I'm going to reserve judgement on Taylor and Morro for a few games. Takes a bit of time to build a defensive understanding. Still think/hope they will become rock solid for us.

 

Bailey and Sam both superior to all those midfielders, that's also why they're playing in a higher league.

 

Lloyd Sam has done nothing since about November
Bailey is doing alright but didn't score a single goal for Middlesborough last year.

Danny Green and Stephens turned down Championship interest to sign for us, so by that logic, would they both be better players had they not signed for us?

 

Isn't that due to injury with Sam, both him and Bailey have slotted back into Championship football with ease. I don't see this current team finishing higher than the class of 09/10.

 

Bar Bailey, I agree with you Super...

Bailey was absolute magic for us. Would love to have him back...!!

 

Red Flag, I wasn't aware of an injury, I had thought he just faded out as he always did with us after a few months. I think Baileys lack of goals has come from Boro playing him in a more defensive-midfielder role, a shame really because in a three centre-mid role, the team can benefit greatly both from his tackling ability and his eye for goal.

 

Odds and sods. Who cares about our odds next season. The less attention we attract and the more other teams think that we will be an easy 3 points, then the better. We will do our talking on the pitch, score bags of goals, win loads of points and get promoted. League 1 teams, bookmakers and pundits beware....the Addicks are coming to prove you all wrong!!

C O Y R

 

This side has far more quality than that of two years ago. I would only want to see Bailey and Burton back. Deon would have been a great foil for BWP.

Powell will learn from his mistakes and have this side primed up for his big vision.

I think Parky would have got last year's class into the top 6 at the least - but this year's class is better!

Kerpowell has got the right idea, so why all the doom-mongering? The big start is but a few days away and we should all be excited and upbeat.

Millwall will struggle this year and only stay up due to Jackett's skill as a manager. Who knows, he may even leave should a good offer come along?

Now cheer up! COYR!

 

Bailey on the left- and to say Bailey took to Championship football with boro is a MASSIVE oversight. He was panned for the first few months of the season.

That said, I loved him for us. Knew his brother from the pub he ran in Sydenham and know that NB loved it here. Sam- liked him, but Green is a better player

 

Happy to be the underestimated underdog. Its not the biased pundits like Claridge and co that you should look to for comment but the bookies. They will take a decision on how we play by October and I doubt if we will be able to make the money by then because I for one believe the odds will be shortening.

Fred lag - you are the perpetual pessimist and can't see any good that has been achieved in the rebuilding of the squad. I agree that Lloyd Sam and Bailey were good and that Lloyd was injured and then couldn't reclaim his place int he Leeds squad, but in the pre-season match against Newcastle I believe he was one of those who helped Leeds win. Bailey was wonderful in a team that played the way that Parkinson wanted but maybe not the way CP wants. It is my belief and I may well be proved wrong, that CP has put together a team that can pass build from the back and make incisive strikes against L1 opposition who will hoof it out of defence back to us. Our possession stats will be interesting to see because you cant score if you don't have the ball. Against what was impressive opposition in the form of Den Bosch who also play this type of game we more than held our own.

Like the Kasabian track SC should get them to play it before the match.