Is 24/25 Season Realistically Possible?

[Tomo]

Throughout this season, I have maintained my prediction of us finishing between 12th and 14th. Friends and Family in our 'Robins Mad WhatsApp Group' were panicking especially around November and December with some questioning whether Nige should be 'terminated' and a few of the lads had nicknamed him 1 Point Pearson. 

I continued to support Nige. We now sit in 13th position and are safe from relegation. Nige is at 1.3 points per game as it stands.

Boro Monday...Interestingly, they have only lost 1 less game than us and sit pretty in 4th place.... And Blackburn in 6th have lost 2 more games than us. Even ex premiership Norwich in 7th place have lost the same amount of games as us, so had we turned 4 of our draws into wins, we would be in and around the play offs... 

I predict 8th to 10th position next season and 24/25 could be our promotion year if Pearson is given the time to complete the rebuild? 

Thoughts? Am I deluded?

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Tomo

[MarcusX]

Think of how many points we threw away late in games too, Blackpool immediately springs to mind.

We're not a million miles away being contenders. I'm hoping a good summer, and some better luck with injuries and we'll be looking at the top 10

[Lanterne Rouge]

7 minutes ago, MarcusX said:

Think of how many points we threw away late in games too, Blackpool immediately springs to mind.

We're not a million miles away being contenders. I'm hoping a good summer, and some better luck with injuries and we'll be looking at the top 10

If we`d beaten say, Blackpool away and Reading home. we`d be on 56 points - the same as Baggies who Sky were saying yesterday had an outside chance of the play offs.

Fine margins.

[Port Said Red]

8 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

If we`d beaten say, Blackpool away and Reading home. we`d be on 56 points - the same as Baggies who Sky were saying yesterday had an outside chance of the play offs.

Fine margins.

It's not like Sky to talk up teams who's games they are about to show is it?

Are we writing off 23/24 already then? I think a lot depends on two potentially connected things in the summer. Whether we sell the crown jewels, and how we recruit. I have more faith in the latter than I have had since the days of Terry Cooper, the options we can go for are obviously dependant on the former.

[Tomo]

1 minute ago, Port Said Red said:

It's not like Sky to talk up teams who's games they are about to show is it?

Are we writing off 23/24 already then? I think a lot depends on two potentially connected things in the summer. Whether we sell the crown jewels, and how we recruit. I have more faith in the latter than I have had since the days of Terry Cooper, the options we can go for are obviously dependant on the former.

Not completely writing off 23/24. I would love the dream to happen next season but I do think we will still be short and the clubs coming down will have more quality than the 3 that go up this sesson. I have good vibes about progressing in 23/24 so predict an 8th to 10th season. 

The dream the following year 'could' be more achievable

[Pezo]

I think we would need too much to change between now and then, the quality across the squad would need to be better and deeper to pick a year. We're more likely to go up through a fluke season like when Blackpool did it but that would require winning the playoffs and that would be a big change in itself for us.

[Port Said Red]

2 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Not completely writing off 23/24. I would love the dream to happen next season but I do think we will still be short and the clubs coming down will have more quality than the 3 that go up this sesson. I have good vibes about progressing in 23/24 so predict an 8th to 10th season. 

The dream the following year 'could' be more achievable

I appreciate your point, but as you yourself have pointed out, in the Championship the difference between where we are now and 6th place is 3 wins. Personally I feel that anything less than that is not an improvement and would actually seem like a wasted season.

[Charlie BCFC]

9 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

It's not like Sky to talk up teams who's games they are about to show is it?

Are we writing off 23/24 already then? I think a lot depends on two potentially connected things in the summer. Whether we sell the crown jewels, and how we recruit. I have more faith in the latter than I have had since the days of Terry Cooper, the options we can go for are obviously dependant on the former.

9 points off and we still have to play the top 3, I think we’ve left it too late. No reason why we can’t go for top half though which I’d be happy with 

[Port Said Red]

17 minutes ago, Charlie BCFC said:

9 points off and we still have to play the top 3, I think we’ve left it too late. No reason why we can’t go for top half though which I’d be happy with 

23/24 is next season.

[The Bard]

35 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

If we`d beaten say, Blackpool away and Reading home. we`d be on 56 points - the same as Baggies who Sky were saying yesterday had an outside chance of the play offs.

Fine margins.

'Who Sky were saying'

Obviously picked them for some live games....

[big dosser]

i feel we are building something and next season with a injury free squad and a few added additions hopefully we can make a challenge. I still think we need a strong leader on the pitch something we have been missing over the years.

[shelts]

We’ve been unlucky with injuries, pretty sure most clubs could say the same , I believe something is happening at our club . Slowly but surely . At times I doubted the plan and what was being served up on the pitch . I see a way forward , patterns of play and a strategy in the transfer market . I stand corrected . I see us improving our league position next season . 

[Roe]

Impossible to predict next season let alone the season after. There are just too many variables. 

As already mentioned we could've reasonably been in the top 6 this season with just a few differences in results and maybe some luck with penalties, injuries, etc.

[Bris Red]

Can definitely see us having an improved season next year, not sure if we will quite have enough to sustain a promotion push but you really never know at this level.
 

The summer recruitment is crucial. With the sale of Scott it’s going to be the first summer since 2019 that the purse strings are going to be relaxed somewhat - which is an exciting prospect as we now finally have a manager and recruitment team who know what they are doing in regards to signing players to fit a system and style of play. 
Keep key players fit for the vast majority of next season and add a few additions and we could surprise people.

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

After 40 matches the table doesn't lie and we are where we deserve to be. Yes we can point to bad luck and poor decisions by players and officials but so no doubt can every other team in the league. As the old saying goes 'if Ifs and Ands were Pots and Pans there'd be no need for Tinkers'. 

With regard to next season it will as ever hinge on our summer recruitment (whether we sell Scott or not) and staying free from injury. With set up we have now I'm hopeful for improvement but hope is all I can offer. There are no guarantees 

[The Bard]

Rather than focusing on position, focus on points.  Last season we got 55 points. This season 52 with 7 games left - you'd hope for at least 60. Pre-season I thought 65 was achievable. 

Next season we need to be targeting 70 points which would mean we'd be in the play off conversation but on the periphery like Coventry, Preston and Sunderland are this season. 

 

 

 

[Davefevs]

6 games left

[Bristol Rob]

Another thing to consider is the strength (or otherwise) of the teams that get relegated and their chances of bouncing straight back or if they are a basket case club that can't use the parachute payments to rebuild and are desperately trying to stay in business. 

 

[Midred]

1 hour ago, Roe said:

Impossible to predict next season let alone the season after. There are just too many variables. 

As already mentioned we could've reasonably been in the top 6 this season with just a few differences in results and maybe some luck with penalties, injuries, etc.

Do you include the officials in the "variables"?

[ExiledAjax]

2 hours ago, Tomo said:

I predict 8th to 10th position next season and 24/25 could be our promotion year if Pearson is given the time to complete the rebuild? 

Thoughts? Am I deluded?

I think next season (assuming a good transfer window) we could be on for high 60s pointswise, a GD of +10 or so, and therefore a top ten finish which with a bit of luck could turn into top 6.

Then yeh I reckon in 24/25 we push. We could have players like Vyner, Sykes, Pring, Conway coming into prime years. FFP worries should be low, and we should be able to drive on in that season.

Whether that's under Pearson...I'm not sure. If I'm honest I think it might be an idea to let him see his contract through to the end of next season, and then bring in a planned successor for 24/25. Don't ask me for a name but I'd hope we could identify a manager with a system and a tactical plan to push us to that next level.

[Tomo]

3 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

I think next season (assuming a good transfer window) we could be on for high 60s pointswise, a GD of +10 or so, and therefore a top ten finish which with a bit of luck could turn into top 6.

Then yeh I reckon in 24/25 we push. We could have players like Vyner, Sykes, Pring, Conway coming into prime years. FFP worries should be low, and we should be able to drive on in that season.

Whether that's under Pearson...I'm not sure. If I'm honest I think it might be an idea to let him see his contract through to the end of next season, and then bring in a planned successor for 24/25. Don't ask me for a name but I'd hope we could identify a manager with a system and a tactical plan to push us to that next level.

Interesting view on replacing Pearson. I think he would be the best candidate in view of his previous promotion credentials, especially if he's built the squad for that push. Respect your thoughts though. 

[Midred]

8 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

I think next season (assuming a good transfer window) we could be on for high 60s pointswise, a GD of +10 or so, and therefore a top ten finish which with a bit of luck could turn into top 6.

Then yeh I reckon in 24/25 we push. We could have players like Vyner, Sykes, Pring, Conway coming into prime years. FFP worries should be low, and we should be able to drive on in that season.

Whether that's under Pearson...I'm not sure. If I'm honest I think it might be an idea to let him see his contract through to the end of next season, and then bring in a planned successor for 24/25. Don't ask me for a name but I'd hope we could identify a manager with a system and a tactical plan to push us to that next level.

Ranieri ?

[ExiledAjax]

8 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Interesting view on replacing Pearson. I think he would be the best candidate in view of his previous promotion credentials, especially if he's built the squad for that push. Respect your thoughts though. 

Thoughts come from a few places. 

Firstly, would Pearson want to extend? He's older, he's done his job well, he may want to sail off into the sunset knowing he did want was asked and he did it well. I don't know.

Secondly, I'd quite like us to try changing managers when the club's in a good place, and there's a positive reason for it. We see so often in football that change is reactive, and clubs wait for a crisis to change. Why not try a proactive, positive change? 

Finally, Pearson may have promotion on his CV, but that doesn't in anyway guarantee it happening again. 

[1960maaan]

23 minutes ago, Midred said:

Do you include the officials in the "variables"?

They don't tend to vary, they're always shit ! 

[eardun]

2025-26 for me. A nice symmetry with that too - exactly 50 years since we last did it and it would be 11 consecutive seasons at this level before promotion; same as in 1976. 

[Red-Robbo]

22 minutes ago, Midred said:

Do you include the officials in the "variables"?

 

I think the biggest variable is injuries. You establish a settled side, start to get some results, then injuries mean you have to experiment, which can lead to poor results as the team transitions to new personnel, and then when it settles down again you get new injuries/suspensions and a new set of headaches.

 

[Midred]

Just now, 1960maaan said:

They don't tend to vary, they're always shit ! 

The officials had alot to do with turning some of our draws into losses and wins into draws!

[Midred]

1 minute ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

I think the biggest variable is injuries. You establish a settled side, start to get some results, then injuries mean you have to experiment, which can lead to poor results as the team transitions to new personnel, and then when it settles down again you get new injuries/suspensions and a new set of headaches.

 

I can remember a few seasons ago where players were injured or suspended and a new sucessful team shape emerged. The injured/suspended player was shoehorned back into the team and it all fell apart!

[And Its Smith]

Every team can point to injuries and points lost from late conceded goals I expect.  I would say that play off expectations next season is too high.  For that to happen would be an incredible achievement. The 24/25 season is more realistic.  I’m sure we would all take 25/26 though if being guaranteed it now.  Need to be patient.  

[Davefevs]

24/25 we will be trying to retain our status in the PL!!!!