Guest Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 5 minutes ago, B block said: Sold our three best players or as good as, brought in replacements who need to be as good? Big gamble. I think we we be in a relegation dog fight Gambling bringing in goalscorers from the div below a gamble that could send us and them back there. We will be all at sea for a few months I think and our newbies and gelling will be blamed, probably get to xmas window in bottom half then we will fine tune and drop even further. More chance of going down rather than up, the result of us shopping at poundland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olé Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 Bottom half 13th-18th ish. As others have said, much harder division this season with a lot of very good teams and managers - Forest opening day is a great example, can't think of a worse start for us, a recent peer who'll we be expected to get a result against, but them with a lot of decent spending and Karanka in charge who knows this division - very tough. I like our recruitment this summer but I do see a lot of it as more of a bet on stability than any more feast and famine. In other words some experience, players who know the division, those who know the manager and the area, mentally stronger, less brittle, but fewer players with the potential to play to a really high standard on their day. We'll probably have the odd big game over a top side but I expect us to be a win some lose some side, broadly in line with quality of the opposition - no more boom and bust runs, there's half a dozen sides we should be consistently better than but I don't see us competing this season. If we bring on a few of the younger players and establish a new settled side, that'll be about the level. I do think we'll start the season badly, not sure why, just a hunch we have a level of competition that will result in adjusting the starting eleven a lot until we've tried a few things. If last season LJ was forced into a settled side by injury, I see this more as a throwback to the season before where we found ways to get all our different signings into certain games but never settled. Brownhill and O'Dowda are the wildcards for me. If both can step up a level again as they did last season - particularly Brownhill - then the energy and drive out of midfield could carry the team if we do the basics right elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Hitler Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 This thread is crying out for a poll. I will go tenth again like last season's prediction; I think we're going to be harder to beat but also score less goals without Bobby and Flint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numbeast Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 We have lost good players in Flint, Reid and Magnússon, but we've also brought in some vital Championship experience along with a couple of exciting prospects from the leagues below us. We have finally got competition at right back and good cover on the wings. Last season'scup run as exceptional and I don't see that happening again this term. Without that and with luck without the injuries we had I'd hope to be around the same position we ended the season in. Up front we still have Fammy and with the addition of Weimann and Eisa we have, potentially replaced Bobby. We know we're looking at a new keeper so for me the only place we are lacking is midfield ut even then we have Brownhill and Paterson. The only thing I am worried about is losing Joe without time to replace him. All in all I hope to be in or around the top ten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B block Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 1 minute ago, Bri Stool City said: Gambling bringing in goalscorers from the div below a gamble that could send us and them back there. We will be all at sea for a few months I think and our newbies and gelling will be blamed, probably get to xmas window in bottom half then we will fine tune and drop even further. More chance of going down rather than up, the result of us shopping at poundland. Exactly that, granted comparisons are difficult but if Man City flogged de Bruyne and Kompany and bought two good championship players, let’s say bobby Reid and flint, would the bookies be shortening their odds ... don’t think so, can’t understand the optimism to be honest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 7 minutes ago, Monkeh said: with the money he's spent? I think he will demand it Do you mean this summer or in general? Because that assumes we operate in a vacuum..which couldn't be further from the truth. Some sides are weaker, some are stronger, no real basket cases financially in terms of relegation from PL... Now if we'd said sod it, we're financially okay and kept Reid and Flint- plus signed one or 2 less, bit more in the way of stability and crucially learn tactical lessons I would tip us to push quite well for top 6. However the amount of churn? Just can't see an improvement of up tp top 8 IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 Given the turnaround of players and particularly the loss of key players, does this realistically go down as a transition season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcolebristol Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 2 minutes ago, Olé said: Brownhill and O'Dowda are the wildcards for me. If both can step up a level again as they did last season - particularly Brownhill - then the energy and drive out of midfield could carry the team if we do the basics right elsewhere. Agreed, I think these 2 are pretty key. I hope they cement their first team spots with solid, consistent performances. Korey Smith & Pack had few bad games last season, I hope we can say the same about these 2. An even wilder wildcard for me is Taylor. I just have an inkling that he may find some form this season. Not as our top scorer, but contribute with 10-12 goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 10 minutes ago, bengalcub said: Money he’s spent ? Swear we’ve made more than we have spent .... he's spent over 100 million on city, I'm pretty sure we've made nowhere near that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 Hope followed by disappointment, followed by hope again then disappointment ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin_unreliant Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 22 minutes ago, Mtimmy11 said: Not having a pop but why are we having a transition period,why haven't we built on last season's squad and gone for the playoffs or better this year I think we will be in a permanent transition as we intentionally sell our most valuable assets each season to cover/reduce running costs. 18th if we're lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 3 minutes ago, B block said: Exactly that, granted comparisons are difficult but if Man City flogged de Bruyne and Kompany and bought two good championship players, let’s say bobby Reid and flint, would the bookies be shortening their odds ... don’t think so, can’t understand the optimism to be honest I look at our div and apart from maybe Bolton, Rotherham cant see many that I would bet that we will beat, even those 2 it wouldn't be certain. There are some tough games coming starting with the first one, will we be ready...we will soon see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 2 minutes ago, Major Isewater said: Hope followed by disappointment, followed by hope again then disappointment ... In one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 Lets look on the bright side, I think the club have been very clever in getting some value into Flint and Reid. Make no mistake frequent player movement is a must in modern day football. One has to evolve to continually improve so by selling a 20 goal striker & our iconic talisman we have brought in improved quality. It remains to be seen whether Weimann or Watkins will replace Bobby and whether Webster will be just as influential as Flinty but what I would say is Weimann has played at big clubs before so should know the score, Watkins was abrasive & devastating at Barnsley & its been mentioned that Webster plays like John Stones. We seem to have a better balance especially with Jack Hunt at right back. It is easy to continually look over the fence as to who may be the next signing but no one has mentioned what we already have in young talent coming through. So I look with interest at the likes of Taylor Moore and the like and would not be surprised to see one or two in and around the first team. Despite the increased strength of the Championship this year I would expect us to be playing the same free flowing high tempo football as pre Christmas last season and I am expecting to be in and around the playoffs come the end of the season if not higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengalcub Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 So forest comes around whats are starting line up ? It’s all still abit up in air for me ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-T Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 I can see us finishing somewhere around middle of the bottom half. It’s a transitional season for some and hopefully a step up from others. So I’m not expecting a lot, it has to be said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olé Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 49 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said: I just hope as a fanbase we don’t fall into the trap of seeing anything other than an increase in league position as a failure. Think you might need to have a word with SL on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoystonFoote'snephew Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 42 minutes ago, bengalcub said: Going to be really tough this season if we stay away from the relegation places all season we will have done well , I don’t think it’s pessimism it’s realism we have lost two of our best players Flint , Reid and not replaced with the same quality . on the plus side we finally signed a rb so at least we have some cover there . I’m not necessarily going to argue that Flint and Reid weren’t two of our better players (although the season before last if we’d been offered £300k for Bobby most would have said take it and many would have driven him there), but we can’t possibly say yet that we haven’t replaced them with the same quality. I believe Webster may turn out to be a better defender than Flint who, for all his cult status and commitment to the cause, was fallible all too often in a back 4 that conceded goals too easily. The reason his stock was so high had as much to do with his goal scoring prowess than his defending. Up front could be exciting. Weimann and Eisa may have to prove themselves, but who honestly saw Reid as a striker. With the wingers at our disposal, and perhaps more advanced roles for Paterson or Brownhill, we should be able to provide sufficient ammunition to fire enough goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
core321 Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 1 hour ago, JBFC II said: Honestly I have completely no idea. This is a transition period for the club so nobody knows how this season is going to go. If it clicks we'll be mid table, if not we are likely to go down... Why is it a transition period? City should be aiming for promotion, or at least the playoffs after messing it up last season. 1 hour ago, Dickie Rookes Peak said: I think SL expects a top six finish Does he? This season? Mark Ashton said they didn't plan for promotion last season, so this season must be it? Can't see it by losing key players and taking gambles on new signings. I see a very difficult season and a relegation fight. I see a opposite season to last, City finishing bottom half with a turn around in results in the last few months on the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFC_Dan Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 Same as last year really. I think we've got a top half side, but there has been a fair bit of churn in the playing staff which is bound to have an impact. There will be many other strong sides in the division but I still feel like City are a club moving forward, even if others are doing so more quickly. The departures (so far) have been good ones and give the management a chance to further reshape the team in the direction they want to take it. The arrivals have been fairly promising, though we're definitely weak at left back and goalkeeper. I expect a mid-table finish with some good football and a couple of memorable games, ideally with a nice cup run again. I'd like to see progress on last season in addressing the mental side of things. I don't mind if we don't win every game but I'd like to see us win every game in which we take the lead, especially if it's a lead of 2 or more goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillred Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 1 hour ago, BRISTOL86 said: IMO Top 10 is a sensible aim. It’s an incredibly competitive league in which realistically around 20 teams are capable of a top 6 finish. And 20 into 6 don’t go! I just hope as a fanbase we don’t fall into the trap of seeing anything other than an increase in league position as a failure. It’s natural we want to finish higher every year, especially now it’s become a trend under the current management, but it’s a big ask with the financial disparity between those who have recently been in the premier league and those who have not. like Sunderland, can go the other way as well, having more money is no guarantee of success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
where's the joy Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 sign a top notch goalie and play joe bryan in midfield, and we will get into the playoffs. lose Joe Bryan and keep Frankie as No1 and we will disappoint. the spine of the team will always determine the strength Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downendcity Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 1 hour ago, bengalcub said: Going to be really tough this season if we stay away from the relegation places all season we will have done well , I don’t think it’s pessimism it’s realism we have lost two of our best players Flint , Reid and not replaced with the same quality . on the plus side we finally signed a rb so at least we have some cover there . At this level, there is not going to be a like for like replacement for the Bobby Reid we saw lasts season, but the £10m received will help us strengthen more widely and that could be of beer overall benefit. Flint is an interesting one. On the one hand he had become a legend and especially with his goals. However, had our defence not been so porous we might not have needed so many goals just to scrape draws. It might just be that Hunt and Webster will give us a stronger and more stable defence, less prone to capitulate when under pressure and a little more capable of game managing winning positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillred Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 46 minutes ago, Bri Stool City said: Gambling bringing in goalscorers from the div below a gamble that could send us and them back there. We will be all at sea for a few months I think and our newbies and gelling will be blamed, probably get to xmas window in bottom half then we will fine tune and drop even further. More chance of going down rather than up, the result of us shopping at poundland. that's millionpoundland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downendcity Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 37 minutes ago, bengalcub said: So forest comes around whats are starting line up ? It’s all still abit up in air for me ... Expect the ball to played much more on the ground this season BC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRISTOL86 Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 31 minutes ago, Olé said: Think you might need to have a word with SL on that one. You think he’s expecting top six? Whilst I think long term that has to be the aim, and whilst I am actually pleased with our transfer business in a quiet way....I don’t think anything we’ve done this summer screams ‘serious promotion contenders’, unless there are some aces well and truly up some sleeves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecretSam Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 Mid-table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRISTOL86 Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 17 minutes ago, pillred said: like Sunderland, can go the other way as well, having more money is no guarantee of success. Oh yeah absolutely. I’m not in favour of throwing large amounts of cash at ‘names’ , quite the opposite. But IMO we are not yet a Derby or a Boro who (should) have that ‘not making the playoffs is a failure’ mentality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Robbo Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 Lower than this season. And a reverse too. I think we'll start poorly and maybe turn things around by the end of season. That may not be with LJ. Just my hunch.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUSSEL85 Posted July 24, 2018 Report Share Posted July 24, 2018 15th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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