[Albion] What The Forecasters Say

[el punal]

I’ve just been having a gander at early table predictions for next season. It seems that most have us finishing anywhere from 10th to 12th. Not bad, I suppose, but does that reflect that we punched above weight last season to achieve 9th place?

My feeling is that 2022/23 will be a defining year. Being positive, I reckon we’ll push on and claim a European spot - 7th would be a wonderful target. On the other hand, being pragmatic, I can also see other clubs overtaking us purely on their status and spending - Aston Villa and Newcastle as examples.

One thing that is great to look forward to is the amount of young talent that we now have at our disposal and ready to take on the mantle as first team players. So regardless of our final placing I reckon exciting times are in store for us fans over the next year. I can’t wait.

 

[Questions]

I’ll make my predictions when the fixtures are out……. When is that btw ?

 

[Silverhatch]

I could only get 20 to 1 for a top 4 finish

 

[Peteinblack]

I’ve just been having a gander at early table predictions for next season. It seems that most have us finishing anywhere from 10th to 12th. Not bad, I suppose, but does that reflect that we punched above weight last season to achieve 9th place?

My feeling is that 2022/23 will be a defining year. Being positive, I reckon we’ll push on and claim a European spot - 7th would be a wonderful target. On the other hand, being pragmatic, I can also see other clubs overtaking us purely on their status and spending - Aston Villa and Newcastle as examples.

One thing that is great to look forward to is the amount of young talent that we now have at our disposal and ready to take on the mantle as first team players. So regardless of our final placing I reckon exciting times are in store for us fans over the next year. I can’t wait.

I'll make my predictions when I see how many more of our star players are sold during July. Biss we knew would be gone, but if Cucurella and Trossard also go, I can see us struggling next season.

Expecting our up-and-coming younger players and returning loanees to be instant and like-for-like replacements seems a helluva big ask. Might be too much expectation on them, so this might be a treading water kind of season why these potential future stars acclimatise to regular PL football.

 

[Brok]

We didn't punch above our weight last season. We played bloody good football.

 

[Swansman]

Top 10 again would be excellent.

More likely to be relegated than to be in the top 7 IMO. The next step is very difficult.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

We’ll have an even younger team probably this season and 10-12th sounds about right. No need for incomings or outgoings but more of those could obviously change that.

 

[tigertim68]

I’ve just been having a gander at early table predictions for next season. It seems that most have us finishing anywhere from 10th to 12th. Not bad, I suppose, but does that reflect that we punched above weight last season to achieve 9th place?

My feeling is that 2022/23 will be a defining year. Being positive, I reckon we’ll push on and claim a European spot - 7th would be a wonderful target. On the other hand, being pragmatic, I can also see other clubs overtaking us purely on their status and spending - Aston Villa and Newcastle as examples.

One thing that is great to look forward to is the amount of young talent that we now have at our disposal and ready to take on the mantle as first team players. So regardless of our final placing I reckon exciting times are in store for us fans over the next year. I can’t wait.

I thought you were talking about the weather

 

[Frutos]

Another Top 10 finish would represent a very good season IMO, maybe a with a decent cup run or two?

 

[GT49er]

We'll do well to match last season's position. Wouldn't rule it out, but a big ask. Don't expect any big money buys coming in* - although of course the players we buy in for development these days would have been club record signings five and more years ago! For me it will be exciting seeing how the younger players, returning loanees etc., get on - and who goes out on loan and where to.

* If Cucu goes, I could see us possibly spending a bit on a left sided defender/LWB. Sadly, I doubt it could possibly be a direct, like-for-like replacement.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I reckon there will be a few pundits predicting we do badly. You know, the ones who's knowledge of us is based on a cursory glance of incomings and outgoings.

Fighting it out in a crowded mid table with Wolves, Leicester and Villa and 3 or 4 others the most likely again.

Steady year on year improving and growing the club is where we are now

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Scoring goals is still our Achilles heel.

Despite our more circumspect attitude to shooting last season, our xG still indicates we should have scored at least 7 more goals than our shooting delivered. Couple that with the fact we only scored 42 goals in total, and it's clear we haven't yet solved that problem. Maybe Undav will be the answer.

Defensively, selling Bissouma might leave a dent in the squad, but looking at the results for the matches he missed last season,

3 loses
8 draws
1 win

I'm pretty confident well manage just fine without him. Especially when you consider 2 of those loses were against Man City.

At the moment things look ok and mid table looks about our level. But with the general level of experience in our young squad improving all the time and enough cash in the bank to spring a surprise in the transfer market, I fancy a tilt at a European spot is a realistic target.

 

[lawros left foot]

I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but I think don’t think we played well at the beginning of last season. We were awful,first half against Burnley, Watford were worse than us,it was a stroll, Brentford were unlucky to get beaten,Everton deserved their win,
We were lucky against Leicester, then we went on the run where we couldn’t win, 11 games, wasn’t it?
A great result against Brentford, and a well deserved draw against Chelsea, and a stunning away win at Goodson, and a routine win against Watford. Then,5 straight defeats, and although for several we were unlucky, we weren’t outrageously unlucky. After the draw with Norwich, we were absolutely brilliant, except the City game, but then , it was City.
So if you look back over the whole season, without blue and white tinted specs, there’s a lot we could possibly improve on.

Those 2 runs totalling 16 games where we couldn’t win, can , hopefully be consigned to last season, and we won’t repeat it.

BTW, I was never Potter out.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but I think don’t think we played well at the beginning of last season. We were awful,first half against Burnley, Watford were worse than us,it was a stroll, Brentford were unlucky to get beaten,Everton deserved their win,
We were lucky against Leicester, then we went on the run where we couldn’t win, 11 games, wasn’t it?
A great result against Brentford, and a well deserved draw against Chelsea, and a stunning away win at Goodson, and a routine win against Watford. Then,5 straight defeats, and although for several we were unlucky, we weren’t outrageously unlucky. After the draw with Norwich, we were absolutely brilliant, except the City game, but then , it was City.
So if you look back over the whole season, without blue and white tinted specs, there’s a lot we could possibly improve on.

Those 2 runs totalling 16 games where we couldn’t win, can , hopefully be consigned to last season, and we won’t repeat it.

BTW, I was never Potter out.

Fair comments in my view.

Consistency of performance far from bad, but you couldn't say there's no opportunity to improve.

 

[Stat Brother]

I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but I think don’t think we played well at the beginning of last season. We were awful,first half against Burnley, Watford were worse than us,it was a stroll, Brentford were unlucky to get beaten,Everton deserved their win,
We were lucky against Leicester, then we went on the run where we couldn’t win, 11 games, wasn’t it?
A great result against Brentford, and a well deserved draw against Chelsea, and a stunning away win at Goodson, and a routine win against Watford. Then,5 straight defeats, and although for several we were unlucky, we weren’t outrageously unlucky. After the draw with Norwich, we were absolutely brilliant, except the City game, but then , it was City.
So if you look back over the whole season, without blue and white tinted specs, there’s a lot we could possibly improve on.

Those 2 runs totalling 16 games where we couldn’t win, can , hopefully be consigned to last season, and we won’t repeat it.

BTW, I was never Potter out.

Burn the traitor.


(You're right btw)

 

[Perkino]

We had two bad runs during the season of no wins in 11 and 6 defeats in a row. Coupled with a home record that contained 12 goals in the first 17 games and only beating two of the sides in the bottom half of the table at the Amex.
We also missed more penalties than any other side and were involved in more draws than anyone else whilst scoring less goals than 15 other sides.

During the season we didn't beat at any point: Norwich, Leeds, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Southampton, Crystal Palace who all finished in the bottom half. We also had the team booed off the pitch and the manager asking the fans not to shout at the strikers.

Somehow all these ingredients made for our best ever season in the Premier League, It doesn't seem too difficult to improve on those stats. This early into the summer with the departure of Bissouma a slight drop in places seems fair