What are your expectations for this season?

[bn1&bn3 Albion]

To be fighting for playoffs up until the final game.

 

[DavePage]

another nine months of wishing that i was there

 

[hitony]

I think if we are there or thereabouts in the play offs we will have done well and probably on course for where we want / need to be.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Sealing the title at Leeds.

 

[Guy Crouchback]

I have been watching the highlights of your club's games last season
and it seems that, with Tomasz Kuszczak between the posts, playoffs
should be your minimum aim.

 

[Knotty]

No expectations, but high hopes laced with a lot of realism.

We'll make signings to improve the squad but other clubs will do that too! Some good teams have been relegated and promoted into our division so just to maintain our finishing position of last season will be a good effort.

An outside chance of the play-offs is my opinion.

 

[T soprano]

Champions , we will crush them . Cms will get 25 goals , Vicente will be world class , Buckley will be fitter & stronger , lua lua will be turning them inside out down the wing , Calderon will be rampaging down the flanks , kuszsaczk will be flying through the air , Greer & al abd solid in defence , bridcutt breaking play up & spraying balls left right & centre , noone dazzling runs through the heart of opposition defences , & JFC will become our own jack wilshire, plus a few more signings we are going up I say we are going up

 

[Albion_Dave]

10th place again with 6 points from Palace & i'd be a very happy chappy.

 

[maltaseagull]

Last year, given our recent record in the Championship, I would have taken survival but hoped for a lower mid table finish. I was really chuffed with the way we were in the playoff frame until the last few games and accepted we didn't have enough about us in the run in.

This year though, with the signing of possibly the best keeper since Peter Grummitt ( I discount Corrigan as he was in decline when he came here) and what looks like the signing of Vicente I think I'll be disappointed if we don't make the playoffs, especially as I think we are going to sign quite a few more quality players , either on a season long loans or permanent before long.

Just a good season flirting with the playoffs will suit me fine but I now expect us to be contenders for promotion at least, via the playoffs.

Am I getting carried away?? I cannot be alone in being even more excited than I was last season.....can i?

I know that this division has loads of quality teams and more than few with massive parachute payments, so maybe I am getting carried away, but hey it's pre-season

Avoiding relegation 1st and then maybe play offs? Would be good to see us really go for it at the end of the season rather than the tailing off seen in the last 2

 

[leigull]

At the moment with the current squad as it is, I think we'd drop a few places on last year, maybe 12th-14th. It's very unlikely we'll have the amazing start we did last season that put us at the top so early on. But there's still so much time left to add players to the squad.

A new left back, centre midfielder warrior, Vicente and a striker and I'd change it to being in and around the last couple of playoff spots, with our luck with regards injuries and suspensions deciding if we finish top 6 or just outside.

One thing I really do hope, is that our discipline improves vastly.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I will be delighted with mid-table. Second season means we are not a surprise to anyone, and there seems to be bigger clubs in the division this time around. I hope we are higher, but I expect and will be happy with mid-table.

 

[k2bluesky]

From what I saw (at home) the problem with the run in wasn't our goalkeeper (Brez) but our lack of attacking bite, while I appreciate Gus didn't want to lose games, hence the heavy emphasis on midfield and defensive play, we really need to start going out to win games, especially at home rather than hoping for a last minute winner (although that did work fairly well last season).
You can bet we won't be getting a fantastic start again this year, as teams know our style, so I think anything around the play-offs will be good, unless we attract some very good attacking midfielder(s) and change our style to be a bit more aggressive.

 

[Commander]

Definitely an improvement on last year. I think finishing outside the play-offs (unless we miss out on goal difference or it's very, very close) would be a failure.

I went for 12th last year, this season I'm going for 4th. This is assuming we make some decent signings and get Vicente back, which I think we will.

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

10th place again with 6 points from Palace & i'd be a very happy chappy.

that's the kiddie!

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Last year, given our recent record in the Championship, I would have taken survival but hoped for a lower mid table finish. I was really chuffed with the way we were in the playoff frame until the last few games and accepted we didn't have enough about us in the run in.

This year though, with the signing of possibly the best keeper since Peter Grummitt ( I discount Corrigan as he was in decline when he came here) and what looks like the signing of Vicente I think I'll be disappointed if we don't make the playoffs, especially as I think we are going to sign quite a few more quality players , either on a season long loans or permanent before long.

Just a good season flirting with the playoffs will suit me fine but I now expect us to be contenders for promotion at least, via the playoffs.

Am I getting carried away?? I cannot be alone in being even more excited than I was last season.....can i?

I know that this division has loads of quality teams and more than few with massive parachute payments, so maybe I am getting carried away, but hey it's pre-season

Agree with most of that, of course we've yet to know what our full squad is, but assuming we get at least a couple more good new faces in, top half should be nail-on, I would be "hoping" for a play-off place - which I wasn't expecting last year. There or thereabouts will do, it's going to be a tough division - possibly harder than last year.

 

[LamieRobertson]

At the moment with the current squad as it is, I think we'd drop a few places on last year, maybe 12th-14th. It's very unlikely we'll have the amazing start we did last season that put us at the top so early on. But there's still so much time left to add players to the squad.

A new left back, centre midfielder warrior, Vicente and a striker and I'd change it to being in and around the last couple of playoff spots, with our luck with regards injuries and suspensions deciding if we finish top 6 or just outside.

One thing I really do hope, is that our discipline improves vastly.

i think u will find that our disciplinary record did improve in 2nd half of season (from memory

 

[WATFORD zero]

10th place again with 6 points from Palace & i'd be a very happy chappy.

 

[shaolinpunk]

Top 8

 

[Rugrat]

From what I saw (at home) the problem with the run in wasn't our goalkeeper (Brez) but our lack of attacking bite, while I appreciate Gus didn't want to lose games, hence the heavy emphasis on midfield and defensive play, we really need to start going out to win games, especially at home rather than hoping for a last minute winner (although that did work fairly well last season).
You can bet we won't be getting a fantastic start again this year, as teams know our style, so I think anything around the play-offs will be good, unless we attract some very good attacking midfielder(s) and change our style to be a bit more aggressive.

Bingo! Agree entirely. I'd add that once Vicente found his feet, everything was going through him and I was amazed at how he still managed to carve out opportunities despite all the attention on him. If we can get him a chum to play alongside and slightly behind and make us less reliant on him and less predictable to the oppo I reckon we could be in with a big shout.

We need a LB but once he's got that if Gus were to spend the rest of every penny remaining on one of these I reckon we can realistically look to challenge

 

[Norman Potting]

I have been watching the highlights of your club's games last season
and it seems that, with Tomasz Kuszczak between the posts, playoffs
should be your minimum aim.

An Evelyn Waugh inspired poster on NSC, whatever next?

My expectations, or rather hopes, are the obvious one of good season and playoffs or better. I also hope to get to more games and convertin the oldest Potting offspring to the cause. Potting minor was converted after the 1-1 draw v Middlesborough and is already keen to go again, there is also talk of replica shirts, Christmas Party and being a mascot at a match!