Expectations for new season

[DuncanRG]

I expect our 'current crop' to improve. Rodriguez especially will be an important player but Lallana, Yoshida, Shaw, Ramirez, even Lambert are capable of performing better.

 

And we'll sign someone as well, don't worry.

[jasonb]

As of today we have signed an SPL player, and a bloke from the French league and who most Lyon fans think is pony. 13th/14th I would say.

 

This about sums up my gut feeling too. I think we need a fast striker to seriously improve us. I'd take Defoe in a heart beat, despite some reservations I've read on here.

[westofshannonsaint]

10th - I'm getting used to continuous improvement & expect it to continue.

 

The current squad is better than 12 months ago. Back then premiership experience was vital 'round here. Now the only 2 players in the 25 man squad without PL time are new signings, brought in at a cost of £20m & the youth have already 'stepped up'

 

Back then, our double promotion winner manager's job was already in doubt. Now, our new Manager already has the vital PL experience, learned English, a full pre-season with a settled squad & (imo) has a mutual man crush going on with NC. Did I read somewhere that MP had a better PPG average than NA last season?

 

If we are as lucky this season with injuries and suspensions I would hope for a Swansea type season. At the very least I expect a better start to this season than last.

[saintbob40]

We will likely start with Morgan and VW in the centre. It will take about 3 games for our fans to realize this doesnt work (as we are not a second ball team but in fact a team that plays a cultured short passing game and these two players are too similar) It will take about 8 games for MP and NC to work out they have tried to fix something that wasn't broken and put Cork back in. How badly we do in these opening games will depend on how we have fixed the real deficiencies in the team. That is the centre backs and having a credible alternative to Rickie Lambert ( who disappeared in a number of games last year where he was faced with strong and quick CBs). A much easier start to the season may also give us a false sense of security. Personally I am uneasy with this Summers business(so far) and could see us in a similar position to last year by Christmas.

[NickG]

http://forums.liverpoolfc.com/threads/341755-Southampton-watch/?page=2

 

Interesting read.

 

 

My thoughts

 

We will play brilliantly at times followed by team not turning up, age of squad will bring inconsistency.

 

If had to guess finish would go for 8th but wouldn't be stunned if higher or a fair bit lower due to inconsistency. Reasons higher than last season;

 

1) defence. In last 30 games only 7 teams let in less goals. After establishing (Yoshida and Boruc) we have added CB.

2) Age of side. It is reasonable to expect Clyne, Shaw, Yoshida, Schneiderlin, Ramirez, JayRod to still be improving.

3) manager - stability, positive pre season, unity.

4) most season performed as top 8 side apart from start. 30 games - top 8. Albeit last 6 bottom 3.

5) added what look like good quality additions.

6) last season Stoke 2 points, Everton 1, west ham 1, Sunderland 1, QPR 3, - can imagine Wanayama signing reaction to rerurns like these.

7) already said about young players but think Jay Rod, Ramirez and Shaw could have big seasons for us - maybe not all three.

[Charlie Wayman]

I guess we'll be in or around the relegation zone all year - second season syndrome - and found wanting in creating goals as we were last year when the pressure was on and we desperately needed to win games. Not many clubs seem able to avoid this type of slump in their fortunes and the only explanation can be that all the pumped-up hype and expectations of pre-season (usually arising from the relief of surviving their first season) is misplaced introspection. As they say, "We need to get out more" - a quite valid observation as much of pre-season is internally focused (navel gazing) with most external excursions - like playing Spanish 4th Division clubs - intended to boost morale and the sense of team togetherness.

 

What must be remembered is that all our rivals are doing exactly the same thing as us and 'progressing' in their own minds in equal measure. Nothing that I can see so far definitely makes us a better team than last year and our transfer activity success has never been stellar.

[CB Fry]

The argument that you use with anyone who has the audacity to have a different opinion to yourself.

 

No. Just you. Just you peddling fake opinions.

 

Well, there are others but they don't bother me as they have a degree of wit/creativity. Pretending you think we have yo-yo strategy (oh, how we laughed) five posts a day every day all season has none of that and is witless and pointless.

 

Good luck with your troll comedy this year. Really, good luck.

[Dalek2003]

No. Just you. Just you peddling fake opinions.

 

Well, there are others but they don't bother me as they have a degree of wit/creativity. Pretending you think we have yo-yo strategy (oh, how we laughed) five posts a day every day all season has none of that and is witless and pointless.

 

Good luck with your troll comedy this year. Really, good luck.

 

Glad you find it so entertaining CB FRY. Keep on posting yourself and one day someone might take you seriously and more to the point, you might allow someone to have another opinion, oh great one !

[Forester]

I personally would be delighted with us climbing one place each season over the next 5 years - not sure that type of slow progress will please NC but to my mind it would be sustainable success and if accompanied by stadium expansion would be in our long-term interests.

 

If you buy-in to the fact that we will be mid-table, as per my prediction, then we should be prepared for it appearing at one point during the season that we are in a relegation battle. Its kind of unavoidable unless you are a top half team that at some point a loss of form sees you looking over the shoulder. This will be the key point for us - trust NC will back MP when this happens and keep the stability there.

[CB Fry]

I personally would be delighted with us climbing one place each season over the next 5 years - not sure that type of slow progress will please NC but to my mind it would be sustainable success and if accompanied by stadium expansion would be in our long-term interests.

 

If you buy-in to the fact that we will be mid-table, as per my prediction, then we should be prepared for it appearing at one point during the season that we are in a relegation battle. Its kind of unavoidable unless you are a top half team that at some point a loss of form sees you looking over the shoulder. This will be the key point for us - trust NC will back MP when this happens and keep the stability there.

 

Sorry. Too sensible.

 

You do realise that winning the league is possible possible possible possible? Champions League is possible possible possible?

 

The very idea that finishing mid table every year would be pretty bloody good is utterly sneered at as the kind of thing pathetic clubs like WBA would aim for. Not Euromegaclubs like Saints. Champions League, bare minimum. After all, it's possible.

 

You need to shape up to fit in round here.

 

PS: Mid table (8-15th) every year would be perfect for me. Absolutely perfect.

[Wes Tender]

I also think without another couple of quality additions to the squad we will struggle next season. Think we will stay up but won't finish any higher than last season. We are currently lacking the extra quality we need going forward to finish top ten imo

 

We seem to be wasting all our time on seemingly unachievable transfer targets like Damieo, Osvaldo and Banega. Hopefully NC will make me eat my words but I am getting concerned that now the rumours are linking us with a whole load of dross no better than what we have already got.

 

Have we missed out on our main targets? Feeling a lot less confident about the new season all the time we haven't addressed our striker and winger problems especially when all our rivals like Norwich,Swansea and Sunderland have seriously strengthened.

 

Still plenty of time but we want to hit the ground running with our winnable opening fixtures hence why I want the striker and winger in very soon to have time to bed in with the squad and not be transfer deadline arrivals

 

We've already had a couple of additions to the squad, but it seems that you don't think that they've improved us. And we are after further additions too. Whether targets like Damiao, Osvaldo and Banega are unachievable remains to be seen, but they are an indication of the quality we seek to sign.

 

The rumours that link us with a whole lot of dross? The clue is in the word "rumours". Unscrupulous agents and clueless journos are quite good at spreading rumours for their own agendas.

 

So some rivals have made signings that you believe have seriously strengthened their teams? That remains to be seen, in the same way that we will have to wait to see whether our own signings will strengthen us. Are those players they have signed of the calibre of the ones we have signed, or are looking to sign? I don't think so personally. But as you say, there is plenty enough time to make further signings and the time to judge our prospects for next season is when the transfer window closes. Yes, ideally they will have had some time to bed in to our way of playing, but I'd personally prefer to wait to get the right players than sign lesser players earlier.

[Dalek2003]

Sorry. Too sensible.

 

You do realise that winning the league is possible possible possible possible? Champions League is possible possible possible?

 

The very idea that finishing mid table every year would be pretty bloody good is utterly sneered at as the kind of thing pathetic clubs like WBA would aim for. Not Euromegaclubs like Saints. Champions League, bare minimum. After all, it's possible.

 

You need to shape up to fit in round here.

 

PS: Mid table (8-15th) every year would be perfect for me. Absolutely perfect.

 

Actually agree with this. Keep it up.

[Wes Tender]

I personally would be delighted with us climbing one place each season over the next 5 years - not sure that type of slow progress will please NC but to my mind it would be sustainable success and if accompanied by stadium expansion would be in our long-term interests.

 

If you buy-in to the fact that we will be mid-table, as per my prediction, then we should be prepared for it appearing at one point during the season that we are in a relegation battle. Its kind of unavoidable unless you are a top half team that at some point a loss of form sees you looking over the shoulder. This will be the key point for us - trust NC will back MP when this happens and keep the stability there.

 

Considering that last season only three additional points would have had us 11th, 5 points 10th and 8 points 8th, you bet Cortese wouldn't be happy with advancing a place a season over the next five years having spent a considerable sum on improving the squad. The big points gap last season was between 8th and 7th, so if the season is as tight as it was last, I see no particular reason for us closing that gap towards 8th, provided that we get in a decent striker and further strengthen the defence.

[Dalek2003]

Considering that last season only three additional points would have had us 11th, 5 points 10th and 8 points 8th, you bet Cortese wouldn't be happy with advancing a place a season over the next five years having spent a considerable sum on improving the squad. The big points gap last season was between 8th and 7th, so if the season is as tight as it was last, I see no particular reason for us closing that gap towards 8th, provided that we get in a decent striker and further strengthen the defence.

 

Equally, how many points were we clear of 18th and relegation ?

[Doctoroncall]

I personally would be delighted with us climbing one place each season over the next 5 years - not sure that type of slow progress will please NC but to my mind it would be sustainable success and if accompanied by stadium expansion would be in our long-term interests.

 

If you buy-in to the fact that we will be mid-table, as per my prediction, then we should be prepared for it appearing at one point during the season that we are in a relegation battle. Its kind of unavoidable unless you are a top half team that at some point a loss of form sees you looking over the shoulder. This will be the key point for us - trust NC will back MP when this happens and keep the stability there.

 

I like the idea of progress season on season but feel the next couple of seasons can be done at a quicker pace, especially when considering what the club has done in the past three seasons.

 

I think the current ceiling for us and similar clubs is 7th/8th place. Unless we have stability in the squad i.e. no key players leave, the odd quality addition, the younger players develop and the standard of academy players improve - more Luke Shaws than Ben Reeves. Then I don't see that we will get beyond that level.

 

Edit: Also, with a nice run of fixtures we have at the beginning of the season, if we are in the relegation zone, I'd be dissappointed (I'm thinking West Ham last season).

Edited 26 July, 2013 by Doctoroncall

[Wes Tender]

Equally, how many points were we clear of 18th and relegation ?

 

The title of the thread is Expectations for new season. I've given some idea of mine with a proviso of us signing a decent striker and further strengthening of the defence. If your opinion is that we'll struggle to avoid relegation, then good for you. Didn't you think that last year too? At least you're consistent in your pessimism.

[Dalek2003]

The title of the thread is Expectations for new season. I've given some idea of mine with a proviso of us signing a decent striker and further strengthening of the defence. If your opinion is that we'll struggle to avoid relegation, then good for you. Didn't you think that last year too? At least you're consistent in your pessimism.

 

That is my opnion. I think we will struggle to avoid relegation.

[Saint Garrett]

That is my opnion. I think we will struggle to avoid relegation.

 

Shock.

[alpine_saint]

That is my opnion. I think we will struggle to avoid relegation.

 

Come on, Dalek. You are not serious. I hedging my bets a bit at the moment, but I reckon we could 8th - 14th depending on our final transfer activity. This may well change once the real games start, but its a bit premature to predict relegation.

[Saint Garrett]

Come on, Dalek. You are not serious. I hedging my bets a bit at the moment, but I reckon we could 8th - 14th depending on our final transfer activity. This may well change once the real games start, but its a bit premature to predict relegation.

 

Even Alpine has got the positive bug !!!

 

FWIW, I fully expect us to stay up without too much of a problem, especially when we should be starting well with the fixtures we have. If we manage to bring in Osvaldo/Damiao/other top striker, then we really should be looking at 10th as a minimum.

[Chewy]

My expectation is that we will be in the middle third of the league. I think the top 6 are a given, I think the 3 promoted sides with stoke, villa, Sunderland and Newcastle will fight out the relegation spots, and Everton will join the rest of us in the middle. My hope is we will be near the top of that group, 7th or 8th, and I'd be a touch disappointed if we couldn't finish higher than 2 from Fulham, Norwich, west brom and west ham in that group, so 11th is my minimum target.

[hutch]

The concensus of the bookies on oddschecker is that we will be behind the usual suspects, including Everton and Newcastle, nutting it out with Wham for 9^th and 10^th, with us around 6/4 for a top ten finish. I don't think they're far wrong.