Your Expectations for this Season?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Well we're nearly there folks,another Season of the famous 'Owd Blue 'n' White as our 150th Birthday edges closer and closer.

What are your honest expectations after last Seasons exciting but ultimately fruitless campaign...is there any realistic scope for improvement as our two main Strikers were allowed to walk into the Sunset for sweet FA?.

Barring a major aquisition soon Im afraid to say we have been failed once again by our much derided (and rightly so) Owners,where is the ambition from them for a concerted promotion push,where/what is their expectation and belief in what we have here at Ewood?.One fear for me remains and that is for every Season we stay in this league it becomes harder and harder to get promotion.It appears we are gambling on un -knowns and rough Academy Diamonds.

Hope Im wrong but my opinion is we are going to regress as the quality lost up front will prove to be a huge hammer blow.A mid-table finish is on the cards for me personally and that will be a bitter pill to swallow.

Be honest,will regression be acceptable to you?...you reap what you sow.

Edited July 8, 2023 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[roversfan99]

The target has to be to better last season, otherwise there's no point banging on about a project ad nauseum.

Whether it will happen, not at all convinced. So soon into pre season, business to be done, in and out, both here and elsewhere. Could be a stronger division this year. 3 big clubs coming down. Unsure how the teams above/around us will fare, Coventry have lost Gyokeres but have gained Simms and likely will add more, Sunderland have lost Diallo but have Stewart to come back, Boro seem busy in the market but have lost Archer/Giles, so lots of uncertainty.

Just have to hope that we are stronger collectively. If Kaminski goes, we are then weaker in net. If we can get Batth over the line, the defence looks stronger, especially with Rankin Costello an upgrade on Brittain, if he plays there. Hopefully Tronstad and a full season of Adam Wharton can really improve the midfield, the big question mark is up top. We are miles weaker on an already low scoring attack, so all depends who comes in. Ennis looks a curious one, hope he doesn't spend most of the season on the treatment table, and Sigurdsson is a big unknown.

[rigger]

Automatic promotion.

[roverandout]

If we get a striker.  I'd like Cameron archer, then top 6

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Too soon to say but we are truly desperate for a striker.

[Oldgregg86]

Up to now I’d say 8-10th with a goal scorer , some inventive loans and luck on the injury front of fancy us for 6th

edit. Also depends what happens with the keeper situation 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Oldgregg86

[Exiled_Rover]

My honest expectations are a Playoffs finish with us pushing for automatic promotion. 

I was very pleased with the progress we made last year under JDT - we could be talking about PL football this season if we'd got a semi-decent striker over the line in January, we were that close with the rag-tag squad our previous manager left behind. 

I've been pleasantly surprised by the early transfer business we've done so far - the three we've brought in significantly improve our squad. In order to meet my expectations, however, we need 3-4 more (2 of which have to be for the attack) starting quality players, which I suspect will require sales to fund. The squad has quite a bit of deadwood so I'm hopeful they can be shipped out for a fee.

If we don't make those signings then we'll finish mid table as we simply won't score enough goals again. Hopefully Broughton finishes what he's started this summer. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Exiled_Rover

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I've been pleasantly surprised by the early transfer business we've done so far - the three we've brought in significantly improve our squad. 

Based on what evidence Exiled?

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Based on what evidence Exiled?

Based on the fact:

• Niall Ennis has 30 senior career goals and 18 assists. Vale and Leonard (combined) have scored 3. Their fans were disappointed to see him leave ("oh he's tripled his wages!").
• Sondre Tronstad was integral to a Vitesse team that qualified for Europe. He was in some Eredivisie teams of the year that season. He has played for his country and their fans were sad to see him leave. 
• Arnór Sigurdsson has 31 senior goals, 17 assists and would be playing Champions League football for CSKA Moscow if Russia hadn't invaded Ukraine. He's an Icelandic international who has scored at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid.

When was the last time we could say that about summer signings in their mid-20s?

As I said, we still need 3-4 more - evidently so does the manager. Ideally I'd love a RB (backup), a ST (starter) and a RW (starter) and for S. Wharton to buck his ideas up. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Exiled_Rover

[J*B]

Right now we won’t score anywhere near enough goals to be a threat to the top six. More to follow. 

[Miller11]

It all depends on our remaining transfer business.

Buy a good centre forward and keep Adam Wharton and JRC and there’s no reason we can’t get promoted.

[Upside Down]

We'll win the league by 12 points minimum 😎

[Ossydave]

As things stand, I'd expect us to finish around 12th.

If we sign a decent striker 6th is possible, it's that simple for me.

I'm happy with our defensive options with no further additions but if Batth comes in I guess it brings that experience. 

Midfield I'm OK with too really, providing Tronstad turns out to be solid.

I still maintain our main striker will be a prem loan though so we may be left waiting. Raya's price will no doubt come down now, they need to sell really and options are reducing. I don't believe for one minute Wharton will be sold. Kaminski or Travis, maybe. Money's too tight to mention.....

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

10 hours ago, J*B said:

Right now we won’t score anywhere near enough goals to be a threat to the top six. More to follow. 

We don’t make enough chances to score enough goals. Especially with the blunt instruments we have up front at the moment. We made two chances for Gally yesterday and he fluffed them both.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Wheelton Blue]

9 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

We don’t make enough chances to score enough goals. Especially with the blunt instruments we have up front at the moment. We made two chances for Gally yesterday and he fluffed them both.

That's my opinion. We don't get the ball into the final third anywhere near quick enough, let alone create enough chances to score from.

Plenty of justfiable talk on here of needing more fire power, but that's only any good if you get the ball to them sharply.

[CambridgeRover]

As of right now, mid table. If we get some attacking players, maybe in the range 5th-8th 

Edited July 9, 2023 by CambridgeRover

[philipl]

Automatic promotion.

Fits with the three year project.

JDT has said he expects us to progress so that is play-offs at least. 

Ben had a stinker second half of the season while Dack and Ayala were bit part contributors. Morton was better than many give him credit for but is not a loss of something special like Elliott was. Yes we miss them but it is not like the departures of the previous summer when the core of the team virtually had to be replaced.

Last year's young squad has become this year's players with 50 games under their belts while Adam Wharton and Ash Phillips are almost certainly not only going to be claiming starting places at Rovers but emerging as stars in the division. No reason why the likes of JRC, Carter, Hyams, Buckley, Dolan and Szmodics shouldn't kick on and the three signings made so far look to have the potential to provide significant progressions.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, Wheelton Blue said:

That's my opinion. We don't get the ball into the final third anywhere near quick enough, let alone create enough chances to score from.

Plenty of justfiable talk on here of needing more fire power, but that's only any good if you get the ball to them sharply.

We’re really obvious  in our play. So predictable and easy to play against. As you say we don’t move the ball quickly enough. We are content to play in front of teams all the time and rarely get up the sides of our opponents. When we do it’s taken us so long that our opponents are all back in position. Our set pieces are a bad joke. When did we last score from a direct free kick ? 
Until these things changes - we’re just treading water. 

Edited July 9, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Exiled_Rover]

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

We don’t make enough chances to score enough goals. Especially with the blunt instruments we have up front at the moment. We made two chances for Gally yesterday and he fluffed them both.

Undav would have easily scored 10 in half a season if we'd got him in January.

You've just highlighted the problem there - our current strikers couldn't score in a brothel. 

[doctorryan]

15 hours ago, Upside Down said:

We'll win the league by 12 points minimum 😎

20 hours ago, rigger said:

Automatic promotion.

Don't forget the Cup Double!.....with the dingle berries going down at the same time.

[MarkBRFC]

At the moment I don't think we'll be finishing anywhere near the top 6.

Need at least 2 more players across the front 3 for me, then another defender and someone who can operate in the 10 position.

Get them and lose nobody then I think we'll be looking at it but I still wouldn't be putting money on actually finishing there.

The league will be stronger this season than last.

[rigger]

34 minutes ago, doctorryan said:

Don't forget the Cup Double!.....with the dingle berries going down at the same time.

Now you're fantasising. As Meatloaf said, Two out of three aint bad.

Edited July 9, 2023 by rigger

[doctorryan]

OK 'loaf: Which Cup?

[DeeCee]

Two half decent strikers in and top three.

[chaddyrovers]

If we sign 2 more 2 strikers plus attacking right attacking player before the deadline and improve the quality of the overall squad we will get top 6 IMO. 

If we don't sign a 15 goals plus striker we won't get top 6. 

JDT got us to 7th last season without 15 plus goals striker