Do you think we will finish in the top 6 this season?

[Triggaaar]

No. We'll go on a mesmerising run of form from now, but then not win any of the last 10, dropping out of the play-offs

Are you stuck in last year?

 

[Camicus]

Heart says yes head says no so can I have a maybe?

 

[SeagullSongs]

Are you stuck in last year?

Along with the team, yes

This season has been virtually identical to the last one!

 

[Hotchilidog]

I have reluctantly voted no in this poll. I will revise my opinion when we actually start to put teams and win games that we control, as opposed to being the league's draw specialists.

I think we are putting together a very squad, and I am very much enjoying the growing influence and confidence of the Spanish contingent. We desparately need to fill those defensive holes in the squad to really look like contenders for promotion in my view. I concur with those who say we look a decent bet for next season. I think exciting times are ahead.

 

[dwayne]

We have had good enough players all season.... Still not sure we have the belief yet, we just can't close games out or win convincingly. It's so frustrating and I think we will finish 10th.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Just outside. It is feasible we will be in the play-offs but I think we are too inconsistent to recover the lost ground and retain that challenge.

However we are so much better (i.e. better players, better set-up, better individual quality, more resilient) than last season and there are fewer shortcomings to address that I can only feel delight at where we have got to.

And should we finish 10th again - anyone who thinks we have not progressed has a few screws loose.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

We have had good enough players all season.... Still not sure we have the belief yet, we just can't close games out or win convincingly. It's so frustrating and I think we will finish 10th.

This. We SHOULD be higher than we are with the players we have. All to play for still but I reckon 7/8th which is progress from last year.

 

[Triggaaar]

Along with the team, yes

This season has been virtually identical to the last one!

I know, I was thinking that as I typed

 

[Bozza]

It's curious how so many people are highlighting defensive strengthening when we have the 2nd best defensive record in the division, behind only Leicester.

In contrast, Hull are the only team above us with a less potent attack.

 

[kevo]

Play offs definitely. I think Cardiff are too far ahead, Leicester and Watford are both on good runs so would need Reading type run to get automatic.

Agree about those three. Hull, Palace and Boro are all catchable though imho - we are better than all of those teams, especially now we have Ulloa and with Vicente back in the squad.

 

[Hotchilidog]

It's curious how so many people are highlighting defensive strengthening when we have the 2nd best defensive record in the division, behind only Leicester.

In contrast, Hull are the only team above us with a less potent attack.

The problem we have in defence is depth. We have been fortunate to have had a settled lineup thus far, but injuries to bruno and greer, coupled with uncertainty over dunk's future means that good cover is now thin on the ground. The issues up front are now less of a worry with the arrival of Ulloa, the re-emergence of Barnes, and I think most importantly the Orlandi and Spanish Dave show taking over the midfield in recent weeks.

 

[trueblue]

Now that we've got a natural finisher to top off our chances, yes.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Feeling a lot more optimistic now we've seen Ulloa play (lets hope he plays like he did against Arsenal every week) but still think we'll miss out just, good basis on making a go of it next season though.

 

[Dan The Man]

Voted no, but I would love it, I say love it if we were top 6. Voted no because even though everyone says what good football we are playing (which we are), I think we have had too many draws and we wont finish top 6 if we continue to keep drawing or losing games that we know we can win and should have won.

However, it is certainly possible if we put a run together...hope I'm wrong and we are in play-offs...but I think promotion to PL this season would be a huge step with current squad...

 

[Bozza]

The problem we have in defence is depth. We have been fortunate to have had a settled lineup thus far, but injuries to bruno and greer, coupled with uncertainty over dunk's future means that good cover is now thin on the ground. The issues up front are now less of a worry with the arrival of Ulloa, the re-emergence of Barnes, and I think most importantly the Orlandi and Spanish Dave show taking over the midfield in recent weeks.

Maybe.

However, I think many see us as drawing a number of games due to weakness at the back when it's not really been the case at all. It's been our inability to convert chances that has meant that the goals we've conceded have had such an impact upon our points tally. In many games we should have been out of sight and any late goals conceded would be nothing more than consolation efforts.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It's curious how so many people are highlighting defensive strengthening when we have the 2nd best defensive record in the division, behind only Leicester.

In contrast, Hull are the only team above us with a less potent attack.

While that's true, I think most of the clean sheets were kept in the first couple of months of the season, were they not (I could be imagining that). I think we've started to concede a few more as the season's gone on, and perhaps that's where we might be perceiving the odd deficiency.

Or maybe I'm just getting too far ahead of myself and imagining how Greer & El Abd might do in the Premier League

 

[bristolseagull]

Tough call, im in the no camp.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Maybe.

However, I think many see us as drawing a number of games due to weakness at the back when it's not really been the case at all. It's been our inability to convert chances that has meant that the goals we've conceded have had such an impact upon our points tally. In many games we should have been out of sight and any late goals conceded would be nothing more than consolation efforts.

That's probably a very good point.

Smart arse.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

If the question is "with the SQUAD we have should we be in the top 6?"

Yes all day long. And literally a point or two off automatic IMHO.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

If the question is "with the SQUAD we have should we be in the top 6?"

Yes all day long. And literally a point or two off automatic IMHO.

Don't you think there are seven or eight other teams who think that about their teams though?

Cardiff must do, Middlesbrough, Leicester, Hull. Then you have the likes of Blackburn, Blackpool and Bolton, all with recent PL experience and relatively untrimmed squads from their time there. None of these are close to the play offs currently but all must have thought they'd be up there with the squads they have. Birmingham, Wolves.

Then you've got teams who are up and around the play offs who would realistically not have expected to be: Watford, perhaps, Millwall (before they lost Wood) and the Unspeakables. Now they're up there, they're expecting to stay there.

Yes, we have expectations, but no more than a number of other clubs.