Your expectations for the coming Season...

[wanderingrover]

Although improbable, it's not impossible that 2/3 of Magloire, Butterworth, Samuel, Davenport and Buckley could become regulars before long. Some of these guys were borderline good enough to get in the team that finished 15th last season, but are they good enough to get in last season's team that's potentially had a few new signings added to it?

(side note: Maybe that's the context we need to understand our lack of signings so far...I have noted Mowbray's comments about how the youngsters boosted the stats on the Austria trip and read that as him being pleasantly surprised by what they had to offer. Could a Magloire potentially be better than a Pat Bauer? Could a Davenport potentially be better than a Bradley Johnson?)

As for my expectations, I see us improving as the season progresses after an average start and tough opening fixtures. I believe we'll be in the top half at Christmas and hope we learn from last year's experience of that particular period. I'd be surprised if we finished the season lower than 12th, but would be equally surprised if we finished top 6. 

[RevidgeBlue]

Depends entirely on signings yet to come which may or may not be made.

New CB /CM/ main striker and no sale of Dack/Raya/Lenihan  and TM uses the youngsters then top 10 might be a possibility.

If we went with the current squad and TM persists with the likes of Williams/Mulgrew/Bennett/Evans/Smallwood/Graham etc I'd expect us to be relegated or to be involved in a relegation dogfight and narrowly escape at best.

[Gone to seed]

If things continue in the way they appear to be shaping up, with little sign of incoming quality in the areas we all know we desperately need to improve (repeated ad nauseam in many other threads, so not going to spell out here) then I am concerned we are setting ourselves up in the words of the old adage; Failing to plan is planning to fail.

I've said it before, but I'm not sure what the point of being an also ran in professional football actually is. If we believe we can compete and achieve some success, then we need to organise and set up accordingly. If we (and I am including all stakeholders at the club in this) don't believe there is any realistic prospect of success, then perhaps it is time to shut up shop and go do something more productive instead. I mean, what is the point in aiming for mediocrity?

Time for some guile and guts from those holding the keys to the Blue and White citadel. Shit now, or forever get off the pot.

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Spot on post that WIR..a club of our stature should be looking much higher than just making up the numbers in this league.

We demand more.

[Bigdoggsteel]

16 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Depends entirely on signings yet to come which may or may not be made.

New CB /CM/ main striker and no sale of Dack/Raya/Lenihan  and TM uses the youngsters then top 10 might be a possibility.

If we went with the current squad and TM persists with the likes of Williams/Mulgrew/Bennett/Evans/Smallwood/Graham etc I'd expect us to be relegated or to be involved in a relegation dogfight and narrowly escape at best.

He dropped Mulgrew. Smallwood lost his place mid season and Graham was player of the year. 

What youngsters do you want used and where? 

[Husky]

To be perfectly honest it fills me with turgid dread.

I have a feeling we'll be revisiting the days of Grounhog Gaz with some fans expressing disapproval and the happy clappers saying that it's great we've got stability (i.e. - no ambition).

There's always 2020-21 though. Onwards and upwards!

[47er]

Same. Advancing at glacier speed to the Premier League holds no attraction for me!

[joey_big_nose]

On balance we are at best standing still at the moment. Get 2 quality defenders and a striker and we will have reasons to be optimistic, but at the moment we are looking down the table, not up.

Edit - that said Championship is such a mad league I don't really think anyone can have any decent expectation of what will happen until around October.

Edited July 5, 2019 by joey_big_nose

[Stuart]

6 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

On balance we are at best standing still at the moment. Get 2 quality defenders and a striker and we will have reasons to be optimistic, but at the moment we are looking down the table, not up.

Edit - that said Championship is such a mad league I don't really think anyone can have any decent expectation of what will happen until around October.

We’ve replaced Conway and Rodwell so far. These two were the least priority in my view.

We need to replace Mulgrew, Reed, Graham, and its looking like Raya.

Loads to do.

There isn’t yet any “reason to be optimistic”. Right now my season ticket feels more like a loyalty card than an entertainment pass.

[joey_big_nose]

2 hours ago, Stuart said:

We’ve replaced Conway and Rodwell so far. These two were the least priority in my view.

We need to replace Mulgrew, Reed, Graham, and its looking like Raya.

Loads to do.

There isn’t yet any “reason to be optimistic”. Right now my season ticket feels more like a loyalty card than an entertainment pass.

I'd quibble and say we definitely don't need any more centre mids, so no Reed replacement. Agree with you elsewhere though. 

[islander200]

2 hours ago, Stuart said:

We’ve replaced Conway and Rodwell so far. These two were the least priority in my view.

We need to replace Mulgrew, Reed, Graham, and its looking like Raya.

Loads to do.

There isn’t yet any “reason to be optimistic”. Right now my season ticket feels more like a loyalty card than an entertainment pass.

Johnson played a big role for Derby last season, definitely another season at least in his legs, he is a significant improvement on our midfield in my opinion.

Reed is good player but Mowbray didn't use him properly.He rarely started in the centre

[Sparks Rover]

We have to get another left footed defender, preferably a centre half who is 6'4 and loves heading it. We also need a right back, a proper one.  Nyambe doesn't seem to be in Tony's first team and Bennett will start there in my opinion.   

[Norbert Rassragr]

We need to unearth another Hendry for this division. And a keeper if Raya is off.

[47er]

9 hours ago, Stuart said:

We’ve replaced Conway and Rodwell so far. These two were the least priority in my view.

We need to replace Mulgrew, Reed, Graham, and its looking like Raya.

Loads to do.

There isn’t yet any “reason to be optimistic”. Right now my season ticket feels more like a loyalty card than an entertainment pass.

I really don't get it. The weaknesses in defence stick out like a sore thumb. We all know it, even the manager saw it towards the end of last season.

Now he seems to think it was all Raya's fault and that will be solved by signing Newcastle's 4th choice.!

Repeat---I don't get it.

[AllRoverAsia]

Just now, 47er said:

I really don't get it. The weaknesses in defence stick out like a sore thumb. We all know it, even the manager saw it towards the end of last season.

Now he seems to think it was all Raya's fault and that will be solved by signing Newcastle's 4th choice.!

Repeat---I don't get it.

More recently our Managers said a new passing style will relieve pressure on our defence on the basis apparently that if the oppo doesn't have the ball they can't score. My PT and Football teacher at School about 55 years ago was more tactically aware.

Raya, although I did not rate him that much myself, has been made the scapegoat and treated badly by Mowbray.

[Husky]

21 hours ago, 47er said:

Same. Advancing at glacier speed to the Premier League holds no attraction for me!

Having to go to that shithole Burnley in place of lovely Luton sure would suck!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Anyone else feel we are scraping the Barrel and its all on the cheap with Venkys?

Where is the drive and investment to get us out of this league? are they actually aware of the riches that awaits them in the Prem?

CALLING PUNE!....ANYONE THERE?

[rigger]

Promotion

[AllRoverAsia]

Downing in for a playoff push:

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/july/here-to-help-rovers-play-off-push/

It's on the Rovers site so must be true.

Save any "what else do you expect him to say"

[Gary C]

Mid table is the likely finishing point for us. However if we get Gallagher like the press believe this weekend. A steady goalkeeper and some championship quality defenders we may fo better

[bluebruce]

I wasn't willing to answer this until the window was done. At this point we are still waiting on whether Mulgrew is off or not, but I think it's still time for me to give my prediction.

I expect us to finish somewhere in the 10th to 14th bracket. I'm not going to name an exact position, that sort of thing can hinge very easily on a single fluke result.

Obviously lots of things can affect the season in general, including the sheer vagaries of fate. But there are still large question marks over a number of things that could see us finish better than that bracket or worse.

Will TM play the right players in the right positions or continue failing to learn?

Will Mowbray keep his job regardless of results and runs?

If he is fired, how good will the replacement be?

If Mulgrew does go, are we going to get another CB in on a free, as our cover is very limited there?

Will the new players perform as we expect them to, or better, or worse? I think Walton is really key in this regard as our options to replace him if he does poorly are shocking.

Will we strengthen at all in January, or piss about like last year?

Will the highly promising youngsters be given their chance and kick on when they are?

There are other questions that come to mind, but these are the most important ones I can think of right now. There is a rumour tonight that Mulgrew and Mowbray kicked off this morning and it has potentially unsettled the dressing room, that could have an impact too (good or bad, as I think some need a kick up the arse).

I wouldn't be amazed if we finish 2 higher or lower than I predicted, so 8th to 16th, but anything more than that either way would surprise me a lot at this point. Pending the answers to some of those questions above, of course. Based on what I've seen and heard so far, I'd snap your hand off for a 10th place finish. Which is a great shame, as with a better window addressing our real issues properly, we could have been strong playoff contenders. But I don't think we have enough for that level of consistency at all. I also think we have too much to go down.

Not that it would be the first time we've said that and gone down.

[bluebruce]

Have to say, I believe I've had the last 3 seasons predictions pretty much spot on at about this stage of the year. I don't know whether I posted them all each year, but I definitely predicted we would go down the year we did. I predicted we would go straight back up (I think I even said in 2nd place). I predicted broadly mid-table last season too. I don't recall what if any actual positions I said for it, but 15th is in the middle third of a 24-team league. I think I was expecting 2 or 3 spots higher, ish, but like I said that kind of stuff can change very easily based on almost any unanticipated event or mid-match fluke. Mid table is generally quite crammed with not much space points-wise between clubs.

Hope I'm wrong in a good way this time!

Edited August 9, 2019 by bluebruce

[Sparks Rover]

Unless things pick up quickly I think we will be lucky to stay up.

[Norbert Rassragr]

There should be enough firepower to keep us up, but any improvement on last season is not going to happen with our appalling defence. Lots of 3-2 scores and so on.

[DeeCee]

Think I said 14th last season, go for that again, providing TA is any good and Charlie is out of the squad.