Where do you think we’ll finish? Almost ideal team (on paper)

[smallfulhamman]

Given the recent signings I have to say I think we are 2/3 away from having the ideal team to start the season.

Cav, Knock and Mitro could be the best trio in the championship going forward - Mitro has looked off the pace but we all know his abilities when on form.

The midfield partnership of Kmac Stefjo and TC is a proven stable midfield. And with Anguissa hopefully coming in and showing us more of his flashes of brilliance is exciting. I will admit Kmac has seemed a bit slow recently and we could do with an upgrade/back up ( I dream of Chambrrs coming back to fill this hole  :033: )

The defence is I think is what we're all concerned about - Any proven RCB would probably make us all sleep easier at night and I'm hopeful we'll get one before the window closes. RB personally I think Christie will be up to it despite his doubters - I just hope he doesn't get thrown off by his recent criticism


The bench is probably the third best in the Championship, and funnily enough I'd expect a 2nd spot finish given the strength of the current team barring any injuries over the season. However, given that there's always a few surprises and games aren't won by having individuals.

I'd predict a 4th place finish with a play off final again.

What finish do you expect and would you be happy with reaching the play offs or do you expect more?

[St Eve]

A right back, center back and keep Sess and we will finish first

[The Rational Fan]

Ideal First Team on Paper, but far from an ideal 2nd XI, same as last season. Let's hope this years first teams do better than TFM at RB, Chambers at RCB (great at DM) and Anguiisa at DM (great at CM) because the backups will struggle to deliver for the whole season again .

According to player valuations on transfermarkt, we will easily finish first without injuries, but our 2nd XI is weaker than 14 other first teams and its also weaker than four second XIs. The same analysis last year would have said our 1st team back four of TFM, Chambers, Mawson and Bryan well should be good; but if the 2nd XI back four of Christie, Odoi, Ream and MLM plays we would be in trouble, the analysis was correct. This season the front four of Cairney, Knockaert, Mitro and Calv should be great but if are second XI front four feature as much as second XI back four last year, i'd give us no chance.

Ideally, the second XI needs a RCB, LB, AM and FW, that would raise our 2nd XI to be better than half the Championship first XIs, almost guaranting success like ManCity do. Of course, i doubt we have enough money for two whole teams unless Sessegnon gets £45m.

[filham]

I think there may be more happenings in the transfer window so we are not yet certain how we will be lining up.
Ask the same question this time next month and we will all have a better idea.

[Two Ton Ted]

As it stands 3rd - 10th, depending on Mitrovic not getting injured.

I still think we need a first choice keeper, a right back ,a centre half and a back up to Mitrovic.

[Twig]

As things stand 6th. Strengthen the defence and get a cover in one or two areas - 1st.

[S.F.Sorrow]

Our defence isn't good enough, we're lacking depth (poor backup for Cairney/Mitro) and a lot will depend on how Anguissa will perform at DM. With our current squad I predict 7th.

But I still hope we will get the necessary reinforcements to challenge for automatic promotion. We're very close to having a great team but not quite strong enough for promotion yet IMO.

[Skatzoffc]

At present, top 6 but not top 2 for me.

Mawson will not last the season without injury (but I hope he does obv).
MLM, imo, is the 2nd XI player. We need a RCB to partner Mawson. As 2nd X1 MLM is fine.
Mitro will need cover during this long season. But, with the attacking midfield/wing options we have, I think a lot of goals will come from them in a similar way to the promotion team of 2017/18.

A decent PL quality CB to partner Mawson and we can get top 2 imo.
Obviously we would have more able team to go into PL, and survive, next season as well.
COYW!

[Statto]

As things stand 6th. Strengthen the defence and get a cover in one or two areas - 1st.

Roughly agree

That's with the caveat the Anguissa stays. If he goes that will bother me because we will be either far too thin in central midfield, or slipping into the usual pattern of scrambling around to fill multiple spots in the spine of the starting XI (DM and CB) with no pre-season left

[toshes mate]

The squad, IMHO, is, as it stands, in need of a terrifically capable coaching team with ability to badger players to be better than many will feel they are, and, even if we were to get the players that most people rightly say are needed to be a top two team, I still believe the coaching team is the thing that makes the difference.  SP is the main man and it matters not whether other people believe he is the right person for the job because it is his belief in his whole team that matters.  A few indefinable little things that I noticed with SJ have appeared with SP too, and whilst they never add up to much away from team performances on the day, they point to how he thinks about football as a game that is played out in minds as well as bodies. 

If SP translates all that he knows and has learned as successfully as his former head coach did then we may do better this season than any of has a right to expect.  I hope he does just that but I am not going to let any expectation rule how I think we should view such a success - it will be one of those miracles that sometimes happen in life and SJ will be proud of him too.

[FFC1987]

Keep Anguissa, Ryan leaves, and we add one CB and a few squad fringe players and I see this team getting automatic promotion.

[General]

Our defence and midfield was based in prime performances from kmac, Johansen and cairney. And then our wingbacks.

Sessegnon will be missed whilst Mitro was superhuman when he came to us.

A season has passed so who knows how these players mentalities have changed and general physical abilities.

Ideal world.

Mitro is firing on all cylinders accompanied by cavaleiro and knockaert.. sessegnon stays.

Midfield three - Zambo, Cairney and Johansen
Defence... Mawson and MLM I see as better than Odoi and ream.

But we need more depth up front and also more depth across our back five. Christie was backup last time we were in the vhampionship and whilst Bryan comes with good pedigree I don't feel extremely confident in any of the back five.

[Camel Club]

As others have already said I really don't think we're too far away from having both a team and a squad that could win this league.

I'm not as negative as others regarding the right back position (although I understand their concerns) but we do need a centre back to partner Mawson who could marshall our defence. If we could get somebody in like Gary Cahill (I think his future remains uncertain) I think we would be a very difficult team to beat at this level.

[Syd Cupp]

I would like to think play offs.

[JimOG]

2/3 additions and I think we'd be in the automatic promotion places

[MJG]

Right now (saying Frank and Sess leave) I'm 50/50 on making playoffs even though we SHOULD make them.
I dont see us having enough at this time to make top 2.

We need at least a RCB and now another CM of quality before even thinking of 2nd let alone 6th or better,.

[FFC1987]

Right now (saying Frank and Sess leave) I'm 50/50 on making playoffs even though we SHOULD make them.
I dont see us having enough at this time to make top 2.

We need at least a RCB and now another CM of quality before even thinking of 2nd let alone 6th or better,.

Don't disagree with this. I put a lot of faith in keeping Anguissa and thought he'd dominate most teams for us.....going for a midfield 3 of Setf Jo, KMac and Cairney, I feel we'll struggle.

[Statto]

If Anguissa leaves then I'd revise my prediction down to 4th-8th, or worse.

Biggest current concerns are
(1) having to integrate a new CB who'll almost certainly be signed on deadline day and may (given TK's form) be crap and/or injured, and
(2) having hardly any injury cover in central midfield.

If Anguissa goes both those concerns double immediately - an additional player to sign/intergrate and even less cover in midfield.

I knew this window was looking too good to be true for that numpty TK 

[FFC1987]

If Anguissa leaves then I'd revise my prediction down to 4th-8th, or worse.

Biggest current concerns are
(1) having to integrate a new CB who'll almost certainly be signed on deadline day and may (given TK's form) be crap and/or injured, and
(2) having hardly any injury cover in central midfield.

If Anguissa goes both those concerns double immediately - an additional player to sign/intergrate and even less cover in midfield.

I knew this window was looking too good to be true for that numpty TK 

Current squad less Sess and Anguissa and no additions, i'm saying with very good form, 3-5, but most likely 6-10....sorry I just don't see massive success with StefJo/KMac/Cairney in middle.

[David I]

Think you are underestimating the other teams in a tough league. In-spite of the addition of Cav and Knockoneout i think we will miss out on play off places so im going with 8th to 16th