Lowest expectation since 14/15 season?

[Dusic]

For me this coming season requires a downward shift in expectations from the fans versus what we have latterly become customed to i.e aiming for top 10.

 

When we started the first season under Koeman many were worried after the mass exodus of the summer and the loss of Pochettino, some would probably have taken 17th before a ball was kicked. Thankfully it didnt turn out like that due to smart recruitment and still being left with quality players like Wanyama, Schneiderlin and Clyne. The type of quality we don't really have now.

 

I think this coming season the first aim should be survival. If we end up pushing higher then great, but initially that has to be the main goal. Reasons being:

 

- Squad is largely similar to one that was very nearly (and probably deserved to be) relegated. Whilst Pellegrino was clearly a shambles, the squad is now very average when you go through name by name. Hence few other sides wanting our first XI players.

 

- Attack is largely based around the same players who have struggled for a while and is one of the least talented in the division with probably no player likely to hit 10 goals and only a few 5. We sold our most creative attacker. At best we are level with last year attack wise. Hard to see us scoring many goals.

 

- Signings seem ok individually, although none are proven players who you would be confident will be big successes.

 

- Defence remains extremely weak centrally (up there with what will be the worst in the PL) and we only have one right back.

 

- Manager is solid, but there are doubts about his ability to organise a defence and his 3 at the back was a shambles at Stoke.

 

- Usually you look at promoted sides as relegation candidates but both Fulham and Wolves have surely bought well enough that their quality plus their momentum will keep them up, which will make the bottom half stronger

 

- We probably won't have any cash to spend in January and even if we do our January windows are usually pathetic.

[Batman]

we will do well to stay up.

poor transfer window all in really

[angelman]

Love this forum and threads like this. You get the inevitable replies from the likes of Batman, which sadly are far far too predictable. Well done Batman - right on cue. No doubt the usual lot will come trotting along with equally dour predictions.

[Batman]

Love this forum and threads like this. You get the inevitable replies from the likes of Batman, which sadly are far far too predictable. Well done Batman - right on cue. No doubt the usual lot will come trotting along with equally dour predictions.

 

what are your thoughts for the season?

[angelman]

My thoughts? I have trust in the manager to get the team playing properly. The team will be the greater than the sum of its parts. You may well end up being right, but **** me, the season hasn't even started yet and you already trot out your overly negative ballocks.

 

But ultimately, it's all rather pointless as we're not in it to win it. So I don't really mind so long as I am entertained. Probably my last year with a ST as I can't really see the point of being in a competition that you have little to no chance of winning.

[Heisenberg]

Just here to make up the numbers

 

Hopefully 3 worse teams than us and if so we can make up the numbers in the Premier league again next season.

 

Basically just hold on until Goa, Kat, Reed, Ralph and Wilson F-off and genuine hope can start again.

[OttawaSaint]

In before Dalek suggests 17th and then says how brave he is and how he was pilloried for years and that all along he was correct.

[Micky]

I quite like the way that last season everybody appeared to be of the opinion that our squad was far too good for us to go down, and any half decent manager would easily see us mid table. We now have a half decent manager and yet many have us down for relegation before a ball is kicked. Which is it?

 

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[OttawaSaint]

I quite like the way that last season everybody appeared to be of the opinion that our squad was far too good for us to go down, and any half decent manager would easily see us mid table. We now have a half decent manager and yet many have us down for relegation before a ball is kicked. Which is it?

 

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Oops. Same dummies who said Pelle was **** and then later that he was the greatest. Same dummies that were saying 3 at the back and are now calling for 4 at the back. No trolls on here, no siree...

[Lukee]

Reckon we'll do a lot better than what people are predicting. The squad is not lacking quality it's lacking form. Austin and Gabbiadini are quality players that are lacking goals and form (though have both had decent preseasons, especially Gabbi). Elyounoussi and Armstrong are both quality signings. Hojbjerg, Lemina and Romeu all capable of creating a solid midfield. Cedric and Bertrand are experienced quality. Yoshida has grown to be a quality centre back, Vestegaard has the potential to be as well. If we're lacking good players anywhere it's at centre back not up front.

We need a run of games and people will see that when players are in form, the team plays better. Shocker that. People slated Pelle, Mane and Tadic when they were rubbish too, but now reckon they're quality that the board has 'asset-stripped' from us, but the current squad has no quality? Not true.

 

Top 10.

[JxgrSaint]

I quite like the way that last season everybody appeared to be of the opinion that our squad was far too good for us to go down, and any half decent manager would easily see us mid table. We now have a half decent manager and yet many have us down for relegation before a ball is kicked. Which is it?

 

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Whilst this is true it also is not true any more. The 3 teams that went down last year were definitely worse than us - yes.

 

Now though, both Wolves and Fulham have better teams and more exciting managers than we do; West Ham have sorted their life out and got some good players in. Basically everyone has strengthened a lot from last year.

 

Who is definitely worse than us now? Cardiff, Huddersfield, Newcastle once Rafa leaves, Brighton maybe, Bournemouth maybe? Not a lot of scope for cock ups needed on paper to leave us in a bad position...

[angelman]

Why are their managers more exciting than ours? If ours repeats what he did at Blackburn, City, Fulham and Stoke (first 3 seasons) would you be happy with that?

[Toon Saint]

Realistically, I think it will take a couple more transfer windows to fix some of the mistakes of the past two seasons and to ship the deadwood out. Hopefully the outfield signings we have made this summer will improve the first XI rather than just bloat out the squad. Gunn also appears to be a promising talent by all accounts.

 

I think we’ve made a decent start to the squad overhaul but was hoping for at least one striker, so I guess I’m left feeling slightly underwhelmed. 10th to 14th would certainly do me fine.

 

 

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[DuncanRG]

I thought the predictions of relegation in 14/15 were daft. Now? I don't think anyone's certain but I'd still be surprised.

[OttawaSaint]

Realistically, I think it will take a couple more transfer windows to fix some of the mistakes of the past two seasons and to ship the deadwood out. Hopefully the outfield signings we have made this summer will improve the first XI rather than just bloat out the squad. Gunn also appears to be a promising talent by all accounts.

 

I think we’ve made a decent start to the squad overhaul but was hoping for at least one striker, so I guess I’m left feeling slightly underwhelmed. 10th to 14th would certainly do me fine.

 

 

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Spot on!

 

A bit of patience is needed.

[hypochondriac]

My thoughts? I have trust in the manager to get the team playing properly. The team will be the greater than the sum of its parts. You may well end up being right, but **** me, the season hasn't even started yet and you already trot out your overly negative ballocks.

 

But ultimately, it's all rather pointless as we're not in it to win it. So I don't really mind so long as I am entertained. Probably my last year with a ST as I can't really see the point of being in a competition that you have little to no chance of winning.

 

Tbf you would have dismissed any similar sort of predictions last year as "overly negative ballocks" and it was probably our worst season performance wise since our relegation to league one so it's not particularly surprising that some people would hold that opinion m

[angelman]

In all honesty, if I had overly worried about it, I would have seen a CB trying to leave and shafting us in the process. A CM/AM devoid of much charisma and a manager who was a huge risk given that his CV consisted of taking a small team in La Liga to 9th place. But I take a more pragmatic approach. I put my faith in the club, not least as my opinion and thoughts count for zip, as they are better qualified than me. They make some decisions that don't work out, but that happens all the time in all industries. If I was better at the job than them, then I suspect I would be working in the football industry. The difference between this season and last seems to be that we don't have van Dijk nor an untested manager. Also I tentatively say we now have an owner who wants to be here.

[Fan The Flames]

If the OPs expectation last year was higher and we were dog****e all season and nearly went down then maybe he should learn to not trust his analysis.

[aintforever]

Staying up would be a successful season this year IMO, think we really lack a goal threat unless we sign someone tomorrow.

[Raging Bull]

F**k me you lot really are a bunch of tarts.

 

We’ll be mid table and looking to build on it next season. We’ll be fine.

[GarrettIvo]

Reckon we'll do a lot better than what people are predicting. The squad is not lacking quality it's lacking form. Austin and Gabbiadini are quality players that are lacking goals and form (though have both had decent preseasons, especially Gabbi). Elyounoussi and Armstrong are both quality signings. Hojbjerg, Lemina and Romeu all capable of creating a solid midfield. Cedric and Bertrand are experienced quality. Yoshida has grown to be a quality centre back, Vestegaard has the potential to be as well. If we're lacking good players anywhere it's at centre back not up front.

We need a run of games and people will see that when players are in form, the team plays better. Shocker that. People slated Pelle, Mane and Tadic when they were rubbish too, but now reckon they're quality that the board has 'asset-stripped' from us, but the current squad has no quality? Not true.

 

Top 10.

 

Charlie will ping a hammy midway through the Saturday's 1st half, and Gabbiadini will continue to make excellent runs to good spots, only for the rest of the team to ignore him.

 

And Shane Long will continue to be Shane Long.

 

Here's hoping Gallagher blossoms.

[Appy]

Last season was lower.

[Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd]

we will do well to stay up.

poor transfer window all in really

 

Inclined to agree. Don't really see any value in the £50m we've spent. Another close season where I look at the business done by our closest rivals and wonder why we're still ****ing around hoping to get lucky with players who've never played at Premiership level. Would have preferred Gibson to Vestergaard and Ghezzal instead of Ely.

To top it all I've a horrible feeling we'll let Targett or JWP go and then spunk £20m on Ings on deadline day when we should really go for Welbeck if we're going to spend that sort of money.

[Greenridge]

Last season was lower.

 

Were you not excited at the prospect of the exciting football that Les told us Pellegrini would bring?

[Pamplemousse]

Hughes is a canny manager, we won't be going down under him.

[notnowcato]

On the positive side we are cracking value at 7/1 to be relegated.

[Forester]

Difficult one to call. Squad is no worse than last year, and we finished well under Hughes. But on the other side we have major questions re what is our best formation let alone starting line up. I think we will be lower mid table, so small steps improvement but that does mean at some point we will flirt with the drop zone and question is how Board deal with that in terms of Hughes

[Saint IQ]

I'll just get this in before Hughes has an awful start to the season. I really wanted us to get in Fulham's manager Slaviša Jokanović. Think he will do well with Fulham from the signings they've made, looked very good in their unbeaten run last season. Fulham's first 11 looks better than ours atm

[Saint IQ]

I'll just get this in before Hughes has an awful start to the season. I really wanted us to get in Fulham's manager Slaviša Jokanović. Think he will do well with Fulham from the signings they've made, looked very good in their unbeaten run last season. Fulham's first 11 looks better than ours atm

 

As Puels replacement.

[spyinthesky]

On the positive side we are cracking value at 7/1 to be relegated.

 

We were 20/1 this time last year

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Cracking thread just glad there are some sensible posters left amongst the doomsters..

 

Mid table is my guess, all of us bar the top six are here to make up the numbers, unfortunately that`s the reality...

[angelman]

And Shane Long will continue to be Shane Long..

 

I expect this will be a good year for Long. Then again I have had this expectation every year!!! I look back to his purple patch... What was it - Pelle getting injured? He stepped up then, so he can do it!!

 

Football is about unrealistic expectations. Long is one of those with me.

[tajjuk]

Does this forum advertise specifically to draw in the whiniest of Saints fans? Cos the amount on here seems disproportionate, or are all football club forums just attracting the negative whiners?

 

4 signings in, all of which are positive for me and were done early to integrate with the team, no major outs aside Tadic which is no great loss IMO, no forced outs, seemingly no tantrum players around, most of the dead wood gone and hopefully some of our younger players will now be given the opportunity to show what they can do.

 

Not sure how that can be viewed as a bad window? We have a new dominating centre-half, a potential goal scoring centre-mid, a new winger and now have two very good keepers. The squad under performed last year, it is now better as well so if Hughes can get them performing more at their level (which he seemed to do end of the season) then mid table should be easily achievable.

 

'On paper' signings mean very little so people gushing pathetically at other clubs signings need to realise that you need to meld a team that works well together, look at last year West Ham and Everton made a lot of signings, but it didn't work so well for them so let the teams actually play some games before you completely right them off.

[angelman]

I agree tajjuk. To me, our season revolves around the manager's ability to get the squad playing as it should. We all know about last season and MP's inability to do that, and to a certain extent CP's the season before. I saw enough at the back end of last season to suggest that MH can. The new signings have addressed certain issues we had, and I hope most that the CM will actually score some goals, as we have lacked that since Lallana left.

 

There is too much feeling that what we have isn't good enough and ALWAYS wanting something new. I look at some of the signings that other clubs have made for £15-25m from Spain, Portugal etc and wonder why people think that they are automatically going to be successful. Just because they cost a lot, does not mean that they are going to be good. We know that from our own experience. I mentioned on another thread, the point that Peter Coates raised about Bournemouth. They signed 2 players for £40m from smallish Spanish clubs, that 2 years before cost a combined £1.5m. Is that what people want us to do? Splash £20m on someone we have never heard about in the hope that he might be OK? Repeat the Carrillo exercise? It may be underwhelming for many, but I am far happier spending £7m on Armstrong than Wet Spams £40m on whoever, and think that it might turn out to be one of the best signings of the window. Nothing like a bit of optimism!

[S-Clarke]

Does this forum advertise specifically to draw in the whiniest of Saints fans? Cos the amount on here seems disproportionate, or are all football club forums just attracting the negative whiners?

 

4 signings in, all of which are positive for me and were done early to integrate with the team, no major outs aside Tadic which is no great loss IMO, no forced outs, seemingly no tantrum players around, most of the dead wood gone and hopefully some of our younger players will now be given the opportunity to show what they can do.

 

Not sure how that can be viewed as a bad window? We have a new dominating centre-half, a potential goal scoring centre-mid, a new winger and now have two very good keepers. The squad under performed last year, it is now better as well so if Hughes can get them performing more at their level (which he seemed to do end of the season) then mid table should be easily achievable.

 

'On paper' signings mean very little so people gushing pathetically at other clubs signings need to realise that you need to meld a team that works well together, look at last year West Ham and Everton made a lot of signings, but it didn't work so well for them so let the teams actually play some games before you completely right them off.

 

The 4 signings we made are positive for sure, we got them done early. My main gripe is our forward options though.

 

In recent years we always seem to leave an area or two completely devoid of quality. This summer it's been up front.

 

I cannot bring myself to be positive at the thought of Long, Austin and Gabbiadini as our main striking options. There is not enough goals in that front line, that was proven last year and the year before (when we sold Mane and Pelle). The club seem oblivious to that though.

 

Our midfield is a bit mish-mash, we're lacking real quality in there (need Lemina or Hoj to actually step up this year). The central defence unfortunately looks very, very slow. Our failure to score will put so much pressure on our CB's.....as per previous years.

Edited 9 August, 2018 by S-Clarke

[Unbelievable Jeff]

My expectations are less than 14/15. I fully expect us to go down.

[angelman]

My expectations are less than 14/15. I fully expect us to go down.

 

My expectations of you were that I fully expected you to say that.

[K,Billy's supersound]

Another long slog ahead. Strikers are not good enough imo defence alone can't win enough points. Looking at 15th and making up the numbers but would not be surprised if we went down. For me the last 2 seasons transfer dealings on a whole been poor.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

My expectations of you were that I fully expected you to say that.

 

Well, that makes sense - I have outlined that and would be inconsistent if I didn't.

[Saint Garrett]

Another long slog ahead. Strikers are not good enough imo defence alone can't win enough points. Looking at 15th and making up the numbers but would not be surprised if we went down. For me the last 2 seasons transfer dealings on a whole been poor.

 

Agree - staying up would be a good result this season I feel for the players we have, but a failure on recruitment for the club.

[View From The Top]

F**k me you lot really are a bunch of tarts.

 

We’ll be mid table and looking to build on it next season. We’ll be fine.

 

Totally this.

 

Fu_cking bunch of fannies whinging and crying with entitlement because we've not magic'd up a 20 a season striker.

 

It's been a good window, could have been better if we'd sold as opposed to loan and got rid of FF but that will be remedied over time. We've a solid squad and will have a solid if unspectacular season.

[hypochondriac]

Totally this.

 

Fu_cking bunch of fannies whinging and crying with entitlement because we've not magic'd up a 20 a season striker.

 

It's been a good window, could have been better if we'd sold as opposed to loan and got rid of FF but that will be remedied over time. We've a solid squad and will have a solid if unspectacular season.

Doesn't sound like the other itk k Billy agrees with you there. Is he a fanny who wingers and cries?

[Dusic]

For balance, our lineup versus QPR in Sept 2014 (the game Pelle scored the overhead kick), shortly after the Aug deadline in the 2014/15 season:

 

---------------------------Forster--------------------------

 

Clyne------Fonte-----Alderweireld----Bertrand

 

------------Schneiderlin-----Wanyama---------------

----------------------------Davis----------------------------

 

Mane-----------------------------------------------Tadic

 

---------------------------Pelle------------------------------

 

 

For me, none of our current players (excluding the three who played in this lineup) would get in that team.

 

Telling IMO and in hindsight mad to have been worried about that season!

 

The back 6 ****s on what we have now and the front 3 miles superior. It looks a proper PL side, with a good mix of pace, power and technical quality.

 

For Hughes to keep this current side well clear of a relegation battle in a 12th - 14th position would be as good as Koeman getting 7th and 6th with these players IMO.

[Raging Bull]

Doesn't sound like the other itk k Billy agrees with you there. Is he a fanny who wingers and cries?

 

No, just don’t think he’s correct.

 

If Gabbi and sick note get enough support we’ll score goals. We improved massively in the short time sparky had at the end of last season and we’ll continue to play in his form this season.

 

If I were a betting man I’d put money of Armstrong making quite a difference to us going forward, too.

[Toon Saint]

For balance, our lineup versus QPR in Sept 2014 (the game Pelle scored the overhead kick), shortly after the Aug deadline in the 2014/15 season:

 

---------------------------Forster--------------------------

 

Clyne------Fonte-----Alderweireld----Bertrand

 

------------Schneiderlin-----Wanyama---------------

----------------------------Davis----------------------------

 

Mane-----------------------------------------------Tadic

 

---------------------------Pelle------------------------------

 

 

For me, none of our current players (excluding the three who played in this lineup) would get in that team.

 

Telling IMO and in hindsight mad to have been worried about that season!

 

The back 6 ****s on what we have now and the front 3 miles superior. It looks a proper PL side, with a good mix of pace, power and technical quality.

 

For Hughes to keep this current side well clear of a relegation battle in a 12th - 14th position would be as good as Koeman getting 7th and 6th with these players IMO.

 

I get your point about the overall quality of the squad being eroded over the last few seasons but it’s a bit premature to judge whether the likes of Elyounoussi, Armstrong or Vestergaard would make that team or not.

 

Maybe with hindsight we will also judge this to have been a decent window.

 

 

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