Expectations for next season?

[Jewells]

Expectations for next season?
What really as fans, are our expections next season in what will be a very difficult league, do you think top half or bottom? Can we compete with the spending of teams coming down from the Prem and teams like Ipswich with thier millions to spend, could, and will we finish above them? I just think a year of consolidation is really what we should be hoping for then build on from there.

Morning Mark

 

[SockMonster]

Mid table most likely I think. Tough division. Really depends of course on how current players adapt and who we bring in. The "five year plan" would suggest 1/2 of years consolidation and then promotion.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I'm reserving judgement pending what happens with Murray and Bennett, and who, if anyone, replaces them.

Those two are so important, there is no point attempting to predict anything until we know what's going on.

 

[Icy Gull]

I look at the teams in the Championship and immediately surviving looks like an achievement. Fortunately we have people in charge with much bigger aspirations than that I think. But yeah, right now I'd settle for a continuation of the way we have been playing football and avoiding relegation.

 

[Return of the Rev]

avoid relegation at the moment could change with new signings though

 

[Marshy]

Be bloody delighted with lower mid table and continue the good football.

 

[patchamalbion]

well we're signing Owen so top 2

 

[Daffy Duck]

A bit of mid-table obscurity would suit me just fine.
Although I have a feeling that if we get off to a good start, we could do rather well.
Just don't think we'll struggle as much this time just to stay up.

 

[Tooting Gull]

You think survival, then you look at Norwich, Leeds and Millwall from last season and what they've done, and you think that with our momentum and some investment we have to be hoping for mid-table. Millwall, especially, only came up through the play-offs and did not spend much last summer. They were a bit lucky with injuries though, having a thin squad and if Morison had got crocked that would have hit them very hard.

 

[APACHE]

Mid table with a cup run.

 

[Da Man Clay]

Surivial for me. We've got a helluva lot of building to do. The side we currently have would very much struggle at that higher level. We need about 6 quality players in the summer and i'm just not sure we'll get them.

 

[Scotty Mac]

there will be three worse teams than us in that league of that i am sure, think with a good year and the right investment/replacements we could be upper mid table

 

[Hotchilidog]

All depends on the incoming players and whether they can take us up a level. I would be confident that the current squad (including Murray and Bennett) would be good enough to stay up but not really finish any higher than mid table. To realistically challenge for a decent top half spot we do need new quality players.

I have every faith in Bloom and Poyet's ability to prepare properly for the coming season and I am looking forward to an interesting close season.

 

[Simster]

I'm still hopeful of a top six finish. I think we have a decent squad albeit untried at this level, but with three or four key players we could be a force to be reckoned with.

 

[clippedgull]

Current Squad..bottom 6

Improved Squad..mid table or better

 

[Icy Gull]

I'm still hopeful of a top six finish. I think we have a decent squad albeit untried at this level, but with three or four key players we could be a force to be reckoned with.

I'm gonna be interested to see how Gus changes this sit on the lead and do the bare minimum tactic for the last 25 mins. Better strikers would have crucified us on occasions this season, those better strikers are in the league we are in now. No way will we be able to take our foot off the gas and conserve energy like we did this season...imo

 

[Tricky Dicky]

It's very difficult to tell until we have some idea of what we and everyone else is going to do in the xfer market - we don't know for sure who's going to be in the division yet, but ...... survival is the first target (as always), but my gut feeling is that we will spend enough to be comfortable in the divison without spending silly money either on xfers or wages - if I was being sensible, I would think somewhere just below the half way point would be a good finish, being optimistic, above halfway. Can't realistically see a top 6 finish, but who knows.

 

[hastings]

Expectations for next season?
What really as fans, are our expections next season in what will be a very difficult league, do you think top half or bottom? Can we compete with the spending of teams coming down from the Prem and teams like Ipswich with thier millions to spend, could, and will we finish above them? I just think a year of consolidation is really what we should be hoping for then build on from there.

Morning Mark

This hopefully. A drunken £50 bet with an Ipswich fan that this will be the case is my incentive.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

I always believe that you need to make progress under your current manager and that must be both on and off the field...That will obviously be staying-up so, as long as we are not relegated I will be happy with that.

I think the first target is to ensure that we are mathematically safe then look forwards and see where we can finish from there.

Now, these views are subject to change as at the start of this season I would have taken a top-half finish but as soon we hit top-spot is was all about staying there and winning the league...

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Rustington BHA

 

[Simster]

Worth bearing in mind that we beat two middle table Champ sides with ease this season. I think next season will be stronger - Southampton and ourselves have collectively more resources than Scunthorpe and Sheff Utd, although QPR/Norwich are probably comparible to West Ham. However, we have a decent budget, a quality manager who will attract decent players (esp loan players) and a real feel-good factor.

Top 6 is surely the target (and what I can envisage happening), but a mid table finish is perhaps what most will expect. But Swansea, Cardiff and Reading are all similar sized clubs and have managed it...