Not sure if there has been a similar thread yet but I’ll start: I think we will struggle defensively and have potentially committed suicide by waving goodbye to Pinnock and Lindsay. I don’t think it makes sound commercial sense to have done this and we have recklessly risked our championship status in selling them. I think it will take a good 15/20 games for the defenders to get together and the championship can be fairly unforgiving. Consequently, there is a lot of pressure on our forward line and midfielders to outscore the opposition. We have made some positive signings, particularly Mallik Wilks and I have faith in McGeehan and Mowatt to do well in the championship, possibly Bahre too. We have goals in Woodrow and Moore. I think Moore will make the step up this time. I think we have a really good coaching team and I have faith in them to work some magic to keep us up, just about. I think there will be a huge temptation to revert to a more defensive formation after some early beatings but I hope they resist that and keep the faith in positive approach we saw last year. I think we will finish 18th, which I would be reasonably happy with.
Yup, it's about as broad as it's long with regard to Lindsay and Pinnock. You could say make them stay, honour their contracts and then walk away for nothing, and if they did that, it might help keep us up, and guarantee a solidarity payment and another season of championship revenue. We could also keep them, let them leave for nothing later and still go straight back down. It is what it is really. As much as we like to take them to our hearts, they are still employees and have had their heads turned by bigger wages elsewhere. Positive thing out of this is we got back to the championship before they went, so are guaranteed at least a season of improved turnover. Bottom 6.
12th. Historically this style of play has had success in this division. However, I do think it might need some patience in the first month or so but once it all clicks and Daniel knows his first 11 I believe this team could be successful.
22nd. Think we will go straight back down unfortunately. Can’t fault the players we have and no doubt some will go on and be sold in a year or two, but I think they will be found out at this level until I hey have a couple of years under their belts. Unless we do get some experience in before the deadline.
1st. Anything else is not acceptable. If we get that position I win £20k. If we finish above Luton I win £20. I believe i’ll Walk away with £20,020. No danger.
If the squad remains as is I think we'll do very well to avoid relegation and probably won't. Luton are one of the teams we're hoping to finish above. They finished above us last season and as my opinion is we're much weaker defensively than we were last season I'm not sure how that is going to happen. From an attacking point of view I'm not sure our best team is any better than it was last season. That's not a criticism, we had a good attacking unit. We've now got far more options than we had rather than a significant improvement in quality of the best we can put out. That should bring us more goals than it would have over a season, but I don't think that will be enough to overcome the inexperience of the defence. Having said all that, I think just two or three more good signings in key positions with the qualities we currently lack could see us comfortably in midtable. I don't think what we need would necessarily be expensive signings either: a midfielder who can sit in front of the defence, a left back with pace, a centre half with experience of the Championship who can organise. These aren't big money blue riband signings. Solid pros who we should be able to afford
I’m going to start by saying I hope I’m wrong. Lots of new signings, no experience at this level and a new centre half pairing. Lots against us, especially at the start of the season when the team are getting to know each other. If we are down the bottom early on lots of pressure and it will be tough to get out. I think anything above 22nd will be success.
I remember last time the defence was awful and everyone wanted a experienced centre half we brought in matt mills everyone was excited and praising the signing until we watched him play. The turning speed of a double decker bus. A centre half with experience of the championship who will benefit our side most likely will be expensive.
I expect 22nd but with a couple of key signings we could scrape out if the bottom 3. A left back with pace and a defensive centre mid might see us stay up.
I'd be happy to survive and build for next season which I think is very achievable. I don't expect any points next week v fulham and I expect the board to go into meltdown after the game. 18th place
I can see that Jay, and don’t get me wrong, i’ve always thought giving your defence away for ten Bob was idiocy. Fair enough, if players want to go but getting effectively a blackie’s egg and a couple of conkers boils my piss. However, it’s much too early to get the collywobbles. None of us know which players might shine in this Division. When we came up last time I was pretty sure that Winnall and Scowen would struggle. As it turned out, they were both outstanding. I suspect we’ll see something similar this time. As I said in another thread, I think we’ll know by the end of October how the season will pan out. Excepting any Jan fire sales of course.
Matt Mills hardly played. The last one I really remember was the loan signing of Kevin Long. It transformed our season. Suddenly we had someone who could organise and show Mawson how to take what was taught on the training field into the game. The team and Mawson himself never looked back - bottom of the league to promotion and a £5 million centre half
Matt mills did play when we 1st signed him he was awful and a total liability and for that reason didnt play much. Yeah the loan signing of a experienced player would be good but to bring a experienced championship centre half in who would benefit the squad would cost alot not just in transfer fees but wages aswell brentford have just bought pinnock with only 9 championship starts to his name for 3million. Brighton paid 3.5 million for the center half from Pompey who has never played higher than league one.
14th. Three years ago, some fans were complaining we'd struggle on our return to the Championship. They pointed out we had a weaker team, due to losing our loan players (Fletcher, Brownhill, Isgrove, Toney, Chapman) and having no Championship experience in the squad, apart from White & Hammill. It appears I'm reading a similar sort of thing again.