TOPIC: Whats your expectations for the season?

Its good to see the players coming out and saying promotion is the aim and all that but if we didn't surely people wouldnt see it as a failed season?

For me i would like to make a proper challenge for play-offs. if it means we just miss out and i feel its been an all round better season than last then i would see that as a decent season, not too bothered about cup runs this year but would be nice to get a good away day out of one of them.

Obviously there is still a few more players to come through the door which may change it.

What do you see as a 'failed/poor' season? and whats your expections for this side? .

I hope they stop this messing about at the back .Passing across the back then booting up field bypassing midfield aint good to watch.The signings seem ok we will see when the season starts .

Yeah, forget the cups this year. Enjoyed the cup runs last year but low on the priority list.
Some signings sound good, some uninspiring ones.
I think getting promoted is a successful season, anything less is a failure.
Was happy enough last season as thought we turned things round, not an easy thing to do.
I am expecting us to be in the top 8, but we will need to strengthen mid-season if we are to get promoted, or we will just drift away like last season.

Anything less than promotion would be failure.

Well after watching the Euros and the quality of passing/final ball , I am full if hope for an entertaining promotion campaign..... Yeah really !?

182blue wrote:
Yeah but the cash is handy the cups generate

Missing out on play offs would be a decent season?

I hope Keith's ambitions are slightly higher.

I would say we'd be looking at top three.

My hope as we seem to have a good budget is that we finish in the top 7 with us dipping in and out of the top 3. My fear is that we will look good going forward but the defence will let us down and teams will learn to play against us- still time to put that right though so here is hoping

Certainly looks like at least a play off team (on paper).
Big worry is so many new players to integrate - most (not all) teams tend to be built up over a few seasons.
This feels like a start again team.
May be this applies more to the higher leagues than League 2.

With what we have at the moment, we can make the playoffs.

At the moment there are too many teams stronger than us for us to go up automatic. Defensively we're not good enough for that.

However a couple more signings including a quality centre back and then I think we could be in a position to challenge.

I'm just taking into account we're not the only team to strengthen this year. but as most teams its how well they/we can gel

People seem to be forgetting how shite this division really is and to be stuck in it is embarrassing thanks to the horseman. Top three finish and to do well in the Cups as winning breeds confidence.

Oh and to beat a B Team 15-0 infront of a crowd of 26.

It's hard to see the team finishing top 7 when for reasons well stated, the home atmosphere is embarrassingly flat.

Promotion.

players released such as Thompson, Balanta, Hery have been replaced with much better options.

We've brought in goals, assists and width in Adams, Devitt and Miller
We've added strength in CM with Penn & Jones which is important as it was pretty clear Kennedy was running on fumes by end of last season
In defence the continuity of having Ellis in from the start is great

I think there will be a lot of competition for places, last season I think we would have made playoffs if not for the floods and probably also distraction of cup runs (some awful defeats the weekends following the cup games). We've added leaders and experience, and apart from maybe Grainier and Gillespie there is a lot of competition for places.

CarlisleWhite wrote:
I do agree but at the minute our back 5 looks as if it's unchanged plus Joyce and Kennedy in midfield and Jabo and Wyke upfront. I doubt they'll all start but there is still a nucleus, im hopeful of a very good season. Suppose we'll have to see who the other players that he's lined up are. You'd think there'd be a GK RB CD still to come at least.

To the thread title, Getting rid of Nixon and Co.....

Top 3. Nothing less. Talk of happy with Top 7 is defeatist for me, we should've been last season if we didn't mess about with selections and drop points.

On paper, we've made some good signings, let's hope they knit together and kick on...

Promotion will do me, some very good signing's up to present, well pleased.hopefully more to come.

Definitely promotion, one way or another. I've put my bet on.

By expectations i did mean the least you would take out of the season and not be disappointed. But if a lot of you would see not getting promoted as an unsuccessful season then fair enough.

Realistically top 7 is where we should be with this squad. I still think there are at least 3 teams with stronger teams/squads so in my opinion automatic promotion would be an over achievement, however I think we can put up a serious challenge.

crunchblue wrote:
Be imterested to know who the 3 clubs are CB ?

NORTHERNSOUL wrote:
Orient & Portsmouth are two.

Portsmouth, Doncaster and Leyton Orient. I think Orient with Dean Cox and Jay Simpson have the best 2 players in the division.

Luton also look strong with the 2 Oxford lads signing, but probably on a par with us. Likewise Plymouth and possibly Cambridge.

I do think we can challenge the top 3, particularly now we've signed a decent centre back. But I don't think it would be a monumental underachievement if this squad finished say 5th or 6th.

crunchblue wrote:
Well i dont rate Cambridge and Plymouth clearly have problems given all the players whove left.

Doncaster i think will take time to bed in. Orient arent stable ownership wise etc and Pompy well what can you say if they were desperate to go up with their gates why dont the sign championship standard players to ensure it ?

Think about our squad there are players whove been seen as good signings who some weeks arent even going to make the bench. How many of the players we released have even managed to find new clubs never mind being seen as signings which means our squad this year will be massively improved which should mean massive improvement on 10th place.

Bedding in shouldn't be a problem for us as Curle doesn't base his plans around a settled team but picks a side/ chooses tactics to win each individual game.

Anything but top 3 would be failure to me and Curley Keith by the sounds of what hes been telling prospective signings.