[Football] Anyone else really looking forward to next season?

[Bry Nylon]

The important thing is to keep expectations realistic and not get carried away...

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Outside the bottom 3 next season will still be success for clubs like us

Absolutely correct, avoiding relegation season on season is a success in itself. We are little old Brighton, and still punching way above our weight as far as I'm concerned.

It always makes me smile wryly, when people start talking about breaking into Europe within the next few years.

 

[vagabond]

Two home wins and another bottom 5/6 fight ain't really the stuff of "looking forward" in great excitement. As ever, might change if we do some signings that have the potential to break us out of this cycle

Where should a Brighton team finish in the PL do you think?

 

[Dolph Ins]

As prople have said, I agree Sanchez is a key change. Comparing the first and last 12 games so far

12 2 4 6 15 21 -6 10

12 4 4 4 11 9 +2 16

OK I haven't compared how difficult the teams we played are but that's still a huge difference in the goals against column. If that is repeated over 38 games (and we can improve goals for!!!!) then I agree we could have a great season. I love August and the optimism.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We all ALWAYS look forward to the new season. Fresh start, blank canvas, new kit, sunny beery pre-season friendlies with mates. Keeps us coming back for more and hopefully always will do. Football eh?

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Two home wins and another bottom 5/6 fight ain't really the stuff of "looking forward" in great excitement. As ever, might change if we do some signings that have the potential to break us out of this cycle

 

[London Irish]

Where should a Brighton team finish in the PL do you think?

Why should what West Ham have done this year be so beyond our ambitions? But ok if it is, what about what Leeds have done in 10th? Or are Leeds now so huge a club beyond our reach? OK scratch that, can we match Palace in 13th? A finish near there might represent some measure of progress. Why do fans think a constant bottom 5 is us doing great? Any intelligent responses please rather than the usual superfan droning about just loving relegation struggles

 

[um bongo molongo]

Ask me again at end August as it largely depends on our summer transfers. We don’t need major surgery, but we do need to shift on A LOT of expensive (in salary terms) deadwood (deadwood harsh on some perhaps but not others - and none of these has played a significant part this year):
- Ali J
- Propper
- Locadia
- Andone
- Bernardo
- Duffy
- Ryan
- Izquierdo

I also fully expect Bissouma to be sold as he should be at a ESL club. So then it depends what we get in. An out and out #9 striker clearly priority #1, I’d argue a LWB #2, and maybe an inverted winger with pace as #3 (we lack pace). But let’s be honest, if we replaced all of the above with Edouard or Abraham we’d have a better squad even if we got no one else.

But ain’t going to be easy to do that in this environment.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The important thing is to keep expectations realistic and not get carried away...

View attachment 136034

Pah! The future's bright, the future's googling Europa League teams you never heard of. Or maybe we could just Do A Burnley and draw Aberdeen. Or a meringue?

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Ask me again at end August as it largely depends on our summer transfers. We don’t need major surgery, but we do need to shift on A LOT of expensive (in salary terms) deadwood (deadwood harsh on some perhaps but not others - and none of these has played a significant part this year):
- Ali J
- Propper
- Locadia
- Andone
- Bernardo
- Duffy
- Ryan
- Izquierdo

I also fully expect Bissouma to be sold as he should be at a ESL club. So then it depends what we get in. An out and out #9 striker clearly priority #1, I’d argue a LWB #2, and maybe an inverted winger with pace as #3 (we lack pace). But let’s be honest, if we replaced all of the above with Edouard or Abraham we’d have a better squad even if we got no one else.

But ain’t going to be easy to do that in this environment.

I've a feeling you are going to be very disappointed come the end of August.

 

[vagabond]

Why should what West Ham have done this year be so beyond our ambitions? But ok if it is, what about what Leeds have done in 10th? Or are Leeds now so huge a club beyond our reach? OK scratch that, can we match Palace in 13th? A finish near there might represent some measure of progress. Why do fans think a constant bottom 5 is us doing great? Any intelligent responses please rather than the usual superfan droning about just loving relegation struggles

No that’s fine I give you credit for answering the question many don’t [emoji106]

So you expect 13th up.

We may still finish around there and I expect us to get a club records points total again.... so your minimum expectations may be met. Yay?

 

[vagabond]

Ask me again at end August as it largely depends on our summer transfers. We don’t need major surgery, but we do need to shift on A LOT of expensive (in salary terms) deadwood (deadwood harsh on some perhaps but not others - and none of these has played a significant part this year):
- Ali J
- Propper
- Locadia
- Andone
- Bernardo
- Duffy
- Ryan
- Izquierdo

I also fully expect Bissouma to be sold as he should be at a ESL club. So then it depends what we get in. An out and out #9 striker clearly priority #1, I’d argue a LWB #2, and maybe an inverted winger with pace as #3 (we lack pace). But let’s be honest, if we replaced all of the above with Edouard or Abraham we’d have a better squad even if we got no one else.

But ain’t going to be easy to do that in this environment.

I look forward to seeing the club taxi AJ and Locadia around Europe again trying to get a buyer [emoji23]

 

[Gazwag]

I think I said the same thing coming back on the train from Wolves last season and probably the season before

All I was saying on the train home from Wolves last season was FFS that's another connection missed as well slowly headed down the tracks getting later and later

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

I remain convinced that IF we stay up this season, we will never be in this position again.
We will be comfortably mid table.
This is of course just MY opinion and my opinion is not wrong, although people may disagree with it.

 

[vagabond]

We all ALWAYS look forward to the new season. Fresh start, blank canvas, new kit, sunny beery pre-season friendlies with mates. Keeps us coming back for more and hopefully always will do. Football eh?

Oh you can’t wait to have a good moan

How many games will it last until you start politely enquiring about the merits of Potters CV? [emoji38]

 

[Wozza]

Looking forward to seeing what we do with the £100m+ gained from selling Bissouma, White, Lamptey and Sanchez...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Why should what West Ham have done this year be so beyond our ambitions? But ok if it is, what about what Leeds have done in 10th? Or are Leeds now so huge a club beyond our reach? OK scratch that, can we match Palace in 13th? A finish near there might represent some measure of progress. Why do fans think a constant bottom 5 is us doing great? Any intelligent responses please rather than the usual superfan droning about just loving relegation struggles

This. There's always huge amounts of apologists on here saying why it's impossible that we could ever do what, say, West Ham or Leeds somehow manage to do with a a seeming minimum of effort in a single season. Or do something as simple as signing the next Ollie Watkins for the going rate who will only cost 50% more the following season. These are simple, relatively straightforward issues to address. Instead we're asked to believe in a long term goal of Top Ten. That's a bit of a pitiful incremental wishlist 'if I'm being honest'. Far more likely to fall by the wayside due to lack of investment in critical areas.

Oh well. Don't really care on a personal level at which level we play 'going forward'. Sort of care about Tony Bloom blowing his massive investment through lack of investment in credible strikers tho. And no it's not my money. Not my investment at stake either

And... RELAX

 

[blue-shifted]

WBA are the biggest threat and have a game in hand on us.

That said , Looking forward to just getting back to it next season.

I think we may push on but then I've thought that every year the last few.

Outside the bottom 3 next season will still be success for clubs like us

Does our 10 point buffer plus the 26 superior goal difference not give you any cause for optimism in our fight to the death with West Brom?

 

[Weststander]

I look forward to seeing the club taxi AJ and Locadia around Europe again trying to get a buyer [emoji23]

When does hopeless Locadia’s contract end?

 

[London Irish]

No that’s fine I give you credit for answering the question many don’t [emoji106]

So you expect 13th up.

We may still finish around there and I expect us to get a club records points total again.... so your minimum expectations may be met. Yay?

Yep we might, let's see. Obviously 13th would be some measure of progress but I'd compare us to Southampton right now, who have mostly kept out of trouble better than us this season but their fans are not getting carried away with what they've done, it's a bit more of a grounded sense of where they are than some of the stuff I read about us on here I think