Roger Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Okay dalek I know will be 17th staying up on goal difference and hoddle taking over mid season. But the rest of you what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 We've already done this thread. It's still on the front page. http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?56880-Expectations-for-the-season#.V7Sm75grLIU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted 17 August, 2016 Author Share Posted 17 August, 2016 You mean bare minimum? I'd understand an 8th or 9th, we're due a slight decline regardless. But I'd be disappointed if we didn't have a run in any cups. Europe is hard, quarter finals would be amazing. Just getting out the group would be good. Would settle for beating a club like Milan and a few memorable nights Yes bare minimum mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted 17 August, 2016 Author Share Posted 17 August, 2016 We've already done this thread. Sorry don't read every post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Sorry don't read every post. Sounds like a ban to me... Forum rules, number 2 on the list: DO check that a topic you want to start hasn't already been posted - saintsweb is very busy, so it may have slipped off the first page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Like every season midtable and a good cup run. More than that is a bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted 17 August, 2016 Author Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Sounds like a ban to me... Forum rules, number 2 on the list: DO check that a topic you want to start hasn't already been posted - saintsweb is very busy, so it may have slipped off the first page. Get a life mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lighthouse Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Like every season midtable and a good cup run. More than that is a bonus. Pretty much agree with this. Top half and into the knockouts in Europe would be decent. Domestic cups are more of a lottery. Losing a semi against Port Vale would be far more disappointing than being knocked out at Old Trafford in R3. Depends entirely on the draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Get a life mate. Learn the rules or get out, I sez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom & Gerry Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 5th - would be very acceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpsaint Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 A decent cup run and a mid table to 6th place finish would be acceptable in most fans eyes I reckon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Get a life mate. Psssst. If you want to look "hard" and "condescending" then it's "pal" now not "mate". Unless your a West Ham fan, they seem to call everyone mate all the time, used to be geez, but now mate. Odd that. Anyhoo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Losing a semi against Port Vale would be far more disappointing We've all been there. Right up for it. Nice moist "Port Vale" right there. It's go time! Oh wait what's this? No. No no no. Not now. ****. Come on. Urgh. Ok that's better, half way there. In we go. Ok think about it. **** it. No, please no. Balls. Lost the semi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalek2003 Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Okay dalek I know will be 17th staying up on goal difference and hoddle taking over mid season. But the rest of you what do you think? Listen, at the end of the day most people would accept staying up as acceptable. Relegation would be hard but not a disaster as I think the board are unlikely to put us in a position where we have spent too heavily to stay up. IMO we are 'chancing' it this season, with the view of just staying up as being acceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dellboysaint Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 I am not convinced that we have been ambitious enough in transfers to cope with our Thursday/Sunday routine. A season of struggle with a dull manager beckons sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Block34 Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Listen, at the end of the day most people would accept staying up as acceptable. Relegation would be hard but not a disaster as I think the board are unlikely to put us in a position where we have spent too heavily to stay up. IMO we are 'chancing' it this season, with the view of just staying up as being acceptable. Same as with Dalek really (am I really saying this?) and same as for every year, 17th = acceptable, owt better a bonus, 18th or lower = bøllocks, ah well, Championship was well fun last time around. Not the end of the world. Still getting over no having to fight against relegation since promotion. Last 3 yrs have been brill but each season is a new one, so, 40pts pls M Puel (and if you can do that by January that would be MOST acceptable) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simo Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 I think the question should be "What would be an unacceptable season this year?" ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnersaint Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Okay dalek I know will be 17th staying up on goal difference and hoddle taking over mid season. But the rest of you what do you think? Bedwetters, trolls and attention seeking posters to feckin do one! That would be an acceptable season for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heisenberg Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 I would like the club to match or better last seasons table finish. A decent cup run or run in Europe would also be great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beowulf Posted 17 August, 2016 Share Posted 17 August, 2016 Survival, we have no strength in depth and will struggle to score goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rut Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Any ex-pat will answer the same. Just stay in the f***** top flight. World wide TV coverage of the Prem is excellent. Below that - it is sketchy. Ask any Newcastle or Villa fan what they thought would be acceptable last year. I bet they assumed 'higher than Leicester' as a gimme. Sure some teams are better than others but as was proved last season - anyone can win it & anyone can go down. Acceptable = staying up. That'll do for starters... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_Tony Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 12th place minimum combined with any of the following; league cup final, FA cup semi final or Europa quarter final. Everton finished around 11th a couple of seasons ago but had a good Europa run and played their strongest team on thursdays. I would be happier for us to do this; finishing top 6/7 will be too difficult this year, I think we will lose a fair few league games if we stay in Europe. Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalek2003 Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Any ex-pat will answer the same. Just stay in the f***** top flight. World wide TV coverage of the Prem is excellent. Below that - it is sketchy. Ask any Newcastle or Villa fan what they thought would be acceptable last year. I bet they assumed 'higher than Leicester' as a gimme. Sure some teams are better than others but as was proved last season - anyone can win it & anyone can go down. Acceptable = staying up. That'll do for starters... A lot of very sensible fans feel the same. The silent and realistic majority. I don't blame some fans for their lofty ambitions for the club. Their enthusiasm gets the better of their judgement. However, to call supporters who have more realistic ambitions as 'bedwetters' and trolls is insulting to the silent majority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish fingers Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 12th or above in the league, Europa league knock out stage, decent domestic cup run and our kids beating the skates at Wembley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish fingers Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 I am not convinced that we have been ambitious enough in transfers to cope with our Thursday/Sunday routine. A season of struggle with a dull manager beckons sadly. Who gives a flying f**k if he is dull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelman Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Who gives a flying f**k if he is dull. I've said it elsewhere, but this season - one that I have looked forward to less than any other - has been so over hyped by Sky/BT and the personalities of the managers has been elevated to ridiculous levels, that I sometimes wonder whether some of our fans blindly buy into the hype about managers, squads constructed with hundreds of millions of pounds, etc etc and are devoid of pragmatism and reality. As for over-hyping of managers, I find Mourinho quite extraordinary. His time at Chelsea last season seems to have been expunged from the history books. But CP might well come across as being dull in interviews, but that is overly judgemental. He showed plenty of passion when we scored (not quite Klopp like), seems animated in training and so long as he produces results, I would concur with fish fingers' sentiments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 12th is the lowest I would go before I started to worry about the long term view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGTL Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 As a club we have chronically underachieved throughout our history, winning one poxy thing of any note. So until that changes, I want a cup win. And yes you can go on about Wigan or someone else, but I don't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_Ash Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Top half in the league Get out of group stages in the Europa A quarter final in one of the domestic cups. Be fairly happy with that, not ecstatic. Would love a cup final. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpweySaint Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Not being in a relegation dog fight, Being competitive in our Euro group (making it out of the group stages would be a plus), A decent cup run (preferably FA), Seeing JWP, Targett and/or Reed kicking on a gear, Blood a few promising youngsters (personally would like to see Hesketh, Jones and maybe Olomola get some first team action). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltonaggro Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Top ten, good run in Europe and the domestic cups (a win to drive us forward is well overdue). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyd Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 A little bit of ambition is needed, Mid table is a step back. Top 6 with a cup run is progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint86 Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Are people seriously worrying about relegation?!?!?!? The team is good, but once again the board have gone for making an excessive profit rather than focusing on developing the team. Acceptable levels of performance should be made based on last season. We are the 2nd best form team in the premier league in 2016 and achieved our best ever prem finish for the 3rd consecutive season with a young and developing squad. If not for clattenburk at leicester away last season we could very well be the top form team and in the champions league this season as a summary of just how good we were last year... Since then, the board got rid of Koeman (and this is exactly what happened no matter how they want to paint it - reed didn't like him and got offered £5m to get rid of him), and sold Mane, wanyama and pelle. We've banked a very tidy transfer profit, record tv monies and have the prospect of European prize and tv monies this season. Against that backdrop we've signed 2 young players and not replaced a single first team position. The fans acknowledge this, as shown by not a single person predicting us to even match last seasons finish. As fans go, we are a very tolerant and accepting bunch; glad that we have a team to support and happy as long as we play good attacking footy and develop players..... But.... The board have made a serious mistake in my honest opinion if they think it will sit well making very tidy profits whilst weakening the team. All the while banging on about smashing the glass ceiling and reaching champions league whilst milking the fans for their ticket monies and £50 shirts etc - its okay though, we've given opposition fans ticket discounts... Based on the fact that we are the 2nd best form team of 2016 and have cash to spend.... The fans really should be telling the board exactly what we think if we finish lower than the last 3 seasons... Not acceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eelpie Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 10th or 11th place would be commendable, considering we have lost Mane and therefore lack the potent striking force that he (and Pele) brought to the team, Wanyama's physical midfield presence, and of course there may be some exhaustion from two Europa matches a week. So 12th would be my minimum place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulrich van Gobbel Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 A top 10 finish. Qualification into Europa League knockout stages. A strong run in the FA or League Cup - semi finals. And some memorable performances like Arsenal 4-0, Liverpool 3-2 from last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalek2003 Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Are people seriously worrying about relegation?!?!?!? The team is good, but once again the board have gone for making an excessive profit rather than focusing on developing the team. Acceptable levels of performance should be made based on last season. We are the 2nd best form team in the premier league in 2016 and achieved our best ever prem finish for the 3rd consecutive season with a young and developing squad. If not for clattenburk at leicester away last season we could very well be the top form team and in the champions league this season as a summary of just how good we were last year... Since then, the board got rid of Koeman (and this is exactly what happened no matter how they want to paint it - reed didn't like him and got offered £5m to get rid of him), and sold Mane, wanyama and pelle. We've banked a very tidy transfer profit, record tv monies and have the prospect of European prize and tv monies this season. Against that backdrop we've signed 2 young players and not replaced a single first team position. The fans acknowledge this, as shown by not a single person predicting us to even match last seasons finish. As fans go, we are a very tolerant and accepting bunch; glad that we have a team to support and happy as long as we play good attacking footy and develop players..... But.... The board have made a serious mistake in my honest opinion if they think it will sit well making very tidy profits whilst weakening the team. All the while banging on about smashing the glass ceiling and reaching champions league whilst milking the fans for their ticket monies and £50 shirts etc - its okay though, we've given opposition fans ticket discounts... Based on the fact that we are the 2nd best form team of 2016 and have cash to spend.... The fans really should be telling the board exactly what we think if we finish lower than the last 3 seasons... Not acceptable. I am sure that the Board and many fans would find it more than acceptable to finish mid table or lower mid table. If the club makes a tidy profit then it is a good business model. SFC will not take chances on its sustainability and if the worst happens, we get relegated, we should be able to ride it out and build a new young team that we can sell on for a good profit. BTW, we will get relegated at some point, we are that sort of club. So, preparing fro this inevitable event is good planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beowulf Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 I am sure that the Board and many fans would find it more than acceptable to finish mid table or lower mid table. If the club makes a tidy profit then it is a good business model. SFC will not take chances on its sustainability and if the worst happens, we get relegated, we should be able to ride it out and build a new young team that we can sell on for a good profit. BTW, we will get relegated at some point, we are that sort of club. So, preparing fro this inevitable event is good planning. I'd rather invest for the future than prepare for the inevitable. We have just been given a huge amount of money from tv rights and transfers(again)and while other clubs have been using this to strengthen their squads we have done what? I have said it before and I will say it again, we are going to struggle with the squad as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan The Flames Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 I've said it elsewhere, but this season - one that I have looked forward to less than any other - has been so over hyped by Sky/BT and the personalities of the managers has been elevated to ridiculous levels, that I sometimes wonder whether some of our fans blindly buy into the hype about managers, squads constructed with hundreds of millions of pounds, etc etc and are devoid of pragmatism and reality. As for over-hyping of managers, I find Mourinho quite extraordinary. His time at Chelsea last season seems to have been expunged from the history books. But CP might well come across as being dull in interviews, but that is overly judgemental. He showed plenty of passion when we scored (not quite Klopp like), seems animated in training and so long as he produces results, I would concur with fish fingers' sentiments. Football to many today is as much about the peripheral things as it is about the football. The kit, the sponsor, the size of the ground, the managers style, closed season friendly locations, transfers, wages, the ceo, the chairman, the programme, the beer choice. I mean I care and are interested in these things, but people get so angry about them as though the worth of the club is reflected in them. As said a millions times, its the league table and cup performances that are important followed by our style of play. We've had some brilliant years but it doesn't seem enough for some people. They go on about ambition but what they really mean is they want the club to go for big players on big wages for the enjoyment that alone brings, regardless of the fact that we haven't done that and still achieved great things. People want us to emulate the big clubs so they can hold their own with all the plastic big club fans they know regardless of the fact that other clubs have tried that and are now struggling to get back in to the prem. We have had some brilliant times in recent years and have European group football to enjoy. I'm over the moon John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 I'm a bit more than realistic in saying that finishing lower than 5th would be a bad season ! As if we're not used to it by now .....another new manager, top players leaving, new players arriving ....a new attacking formation, the mystical " gelling " process might take some time to come to fruition, so for my part.....anything higher than 10th would be fine....and a good Cup run in one of the competitions would be a bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lallana's Left Peg Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Mid-table, a decent run in Europe, and a decent run in one of the domestic cups (that does not end because we played a weaker team). My only concern is what that then means for some of our better players leaving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guan 2.0 Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 I'd accept 10th and a cup run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Mid-table, a decent run in Europe, and a decent run in one of the domestic cups (that does not end because we played a weaker team). My only concern is what that then means for some of our better players leaving. Most of the players who left /did not stay came on bargain deals and we made a profit on the sale, but Mane and Pelle came from relative obscurity and did well. Their success and the step up with a higher salary scale is a natural progression in their career. Pelle hit the jackpot with his Chinese deal, and we didn't do badly for someone of his age bought for £9 million....with 1 year left on contract. Although we lost Mane, who can say that £34 million was a bad deal considering we paid £12 mill.? ..despite managerial changes....we just got better and better with every season. It's ridiculous to suggest that we can't ever improve more on that - even if it takes another season or two, but only time will tell..... ......however..... it will be fun to see if Pogba really is £80 million better than any of our players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 We won the Cup in 1976 and done nothing much in the last forty years a couple of relegations three promotions a couple of cup Finals the JPT Trophy win so I am not expecting much really. We are just an average PL team with average PL fans who expect too much but lets face it compared with the thousands of football teams in the country we are probably in to the top dozen or so our players are not that bad so lets not complain too much when they dont perform that well sometimes and make mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Top 10 and a good cup run. Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalek2003 Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 We won the Cup in 1976 and done nothing much in the last forty years a couple of relegations three promotions a couple of cup Finals the JPT Trophy win so I am not expecting much really. We are just an average PL team with average PL fans who expect too much but lets face it compared with the thousands of football teams in the country we are probably in to the top dozen or so our players are not that bad so lets not complain too much when they dont perform that well sometimes and make mistakes. I agree. I am just grateful that Saints are in the top league. However, imagine how it must feel to support Bournemouth after all those years in Leagues 3 & 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Top 10 and a good cup run. Done. + dusted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScepticalStan Posted 18 August, 2016 Share Posted 18 August, 2016 Top 10 and win more than we lose is always a good yardstick. The fact that we're not a 'big' club doesn't mean that we ought to expect below clubs with a clearly worse array of talent than we have. Most of the 'realistic' brigade that complain about being accused of being 'bedwetters' were encouraging us to brace for underachievement last season as much as they were in this, and therefore its simply become a case of boy-who-cried-wolf. Our squad for the past three seasons has been very obviously more talented than (at least), half the league. That is not in dispute. There was no reason not to justifiably expect 13/14, 14/15 and 15/16 Southampton not to finish above the likes of Villa and Newcastle despite both clubs being bigger than us. I'm perfectly willing to accept that we can't take for granted having a better squad than all but 9 other teams in England as a permanent state of being, but I'm completely unwilling to accept why exactly we ought to have not demanded the high standards delivered by the squads we were lucky enough to have throughout the past three seasons as an extent of that. Put it this way; how does the fact that we've won only one measly FA cup in our history & generally been a small-ish club mean that a team with a first XI of... Boruc Clyne - Lovren - Fonte - Shaw Schneiderlin - Davis - Wanyama Lallana - Lambert - Rodriguez or Forster Cedric - Van Dijk - Fonte - Bertrand Wanyama - Davis - Mane Long - Pelle - Tadic ... should not be expected to finish comfortably in the top half? Because at the end of the day, regardless of how we do this year, this thread comes up every single season. Do I expect Saints to grow to a club with a fanbase that fills a 50k stadium and regularly qualifies for the Champions League? No. Do I expect the above two teams to beat, and finish above the likes of West Brom, Stoke and Crystal Palace? Of course I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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