I fully expect Warnock to annoy the hell out of everyone and get Crystal Palace back into the Premier League next season, just so he can have a go at everyone again.
As a Manchester City supporter I’m a total pessimist and reckon we’ll be lucky to finish in the top 10.
The pre-season form has been poor and its beginning to look like the lack of activity in the transfer field is due to Thakasin realising he’s not going to get his assets unfrozen now that his supposed mates had his wife banged up for 3 years on live TV.
Bristol City to have a season the opposite of their last one, with a terrible run of form in the first half leaving them flirting with the relegation zone at Christmas, before a terrific recovery sees them just miss out on a play-off place.
Man U will have a harder fight than last year to retain the Prem, with Arsenal and Liverpool being more consistent, but I think they can make it a hat-trick of titles.
His money remains frozen, his wife got banged up, and even Hughes admits that ‘new investors’ are being sought. You don’t have to be a pessimist to think that ‘Money Still Frozen’ + ‘Wife Banged Up unexpectedly’ + New Investors Sought + Conspicuous Lack of Transfer Activity = Big Problems Looming.
Especially now that transfer prices have gotten bloody ridiculous. We need a good left back, probably two midfielders and a striker just to keep pace with the field. Conservatively that’s £30 million.
This is City - we can screw anything up, even being bought by rich foreign criminals.
I’m a Spurs supporter, but I have no clue how they’ll do this season because of all the new faces.
Ramos’ formations make no sense to me (where’s the midfield ball-winner?), but he knows a lot more about tatics than me and seems to be getting results pre-season. I guess it depends on whether the team can gel together immediately or we get our 10th “season of transition as part of the 5 year plan” in a row.
I tried. But then I watched the utterly pathetic showing in the Hamburg friendly and the toothless flailing that was the 2-0 victory over some Faroes village team.
Maybe they’ll do something against Milan to change my mind but I’ve seen nothing to suggest we’re going to do anything more than start like we finished last season.
As an Ipswich fan, I’m resigned to pragmatism. 8th place is my guess, after spending most of the season in the top six. An embarassing defeat in the league cup and an early FA Cup exit are also part of the normal routine.
[QUOTE=tagos]
I tried. But then I watched the utterly pathetic showing in the Hamburg friendly and the toothless flailing that was the 2-0 victory over some Faroes village team.
In all honesty friendlies mean bugger all, as for the Faroes game you have to admit that their goalie had possibly the best game he’ll ever have.
We did have 36 shots ON target and but for the 11 man defence we’d have scored a hatfull.
I think Everton could have a tough season ahead, don’t know too many Blues who are optimistic.
of signings required to improve = 5
of signings required to tread water = 3
of signings actually made = -1
We probably have the smallest squad in Europe right about now. Feelings of melancholy and despair are pretty standard for this time of year though. What is making the gloom unusually thick is the off-pitch activity, an account of which I won’t bore you all with. Suffice to say I like supporting a team who have not yet whored themselves out to a foreign pimp-master, and who play in a ramshackle, falling down stadium in a bleak part of town that is nonetheless the best place to watch a game of football in England. All this may soon change
On the bright side, the last time things appeared this bad was in 2004 when we finished 17th, sold Rooney and looked like a disillusioned pub side in pre-season. We then got bent over by Arsenal at home first game IIRC. A miraculous turnaround saw us finish 4th.
Splitting the difference and being realistic: Very good manager + very good defence + 1 proven goal scorer means top half finish. Lack of both strength and creativity in midfield + tiny squad will stop us being competitive with the better teams.
