Wolves, WBA plus Play-Off Winners.

[TRon]

I would think even without strengthening the squad significantly this bunch of players have shown enough mental strength to finish ahead of at least three other teams next season.

[Ronaldo]

Mental strength is great, but with the current squad I just can't see where the goals will come from.

[TRon]

Mental strength is great, but with the current squad I just can't see where the goals will come from.

 

Carroll will get a few, Lovenkrands, Barton, Shola and Nolan have all scored goals at a higher level. We are only talking about enough goals to avoid relegation so we won't need to score shitloads..and we WILL strengthen the squad in any case.

[Ronaldo]

Carroll has 3, Lovenkrands the same amount, Shola will perhaps get you 7 in the league at best and Nolan was averaging 3 in his last 3 premier league seasons.

 

People need to get real, the current squad would have to overachieve in order to finish 14th-17th.

[Incognito]

I'm still waiting for Fulham to drop!!

[Guest sittingontheball]

Carroll has 3, Lovenkrands the same amount, Shola will perhaps get you 7 in the league at best and Nolan was averaging 3 in his last 3 premier league seasons.

 

In fairness, Carroll hardly played last season. He's also started taking chances he would have missed earlier this season. You're right about the others though.

 

I reckon most teams in the Prem are going backwards as their debts catch up with them. We are going back with a weaker squad than we went down with, but it is into a weaker division. If we used this as a reason for complacency, it will cost us and we could well go down again.  However, I do think things are getting easier for promoted teams, to say nothing of a promoted team with a big fanbase coming off a season like ours.

[Shayno]

Wolves have a bit of steel, moreso than us. I'll be surprised if we get more than a point off them next season.

Jeez, Mr Doom and Gloom much

[stozo]

Wolves, WBA, Play-Off Winners, Wigan, Bolton and West Ham. They will all be fighting it out with us and then add in teams like Fulham, Stoke, Blackburn, Sunderland and Birmingham who could have an off year and get dragged down into it as well. All in all the Premier League has a lot of crap clubs and therefore plenty of chances for us to stay up.

[Cajun]

Weren't Carroll's 3 in about 7 starts and lovens in about 10? Plus Carroll has improved this season.

 

I am not saying we don't need someone else but if we are rolling off stats they need some perspective.

 

I think Carroll could play a big part next season and surprise a few like he has this.

[SteveMc]

I've got a feeling it is about to hit the fan at Brum. In the last 10 days Seymour Pierce's court injunction thingy has come out, that board member bloke left this week, Big 'eck has been bemoaning only having 10m squid to spend this summer when he was promised more and they can't afford to make Benitez's move permanent.  Watch this space methinks.

[Guest BooBoo]

Benitez hasn't exactly set the world alight has he?

[Guest neesy111]

birmingham will struggle next year imo

[merlin]

How anyone can start saying we have a good chance of staying up because the likes of Wigan are in the Prem, I do not know.

I watched both their games in the past week against Arsenal and W.Ham, and they played well in both of them. They are a better footballing side than we are and much quicker at getting the ball through midfield(notice I said THROUGH it and not OVER it...).

 

We are going to have to step up the pace of the game by at least 25% and improve the accuracy of passing when we go into the Prem if we are to stay out of trouble, and we won't do it with this squad at present.

 

If we make the right signings we can do it, esp with the 'new team' factor which will be present when we first go up...as has been said, it will be interesting to see if Brum maintain their place next season.

 

[Foluwashola]

If Blackpool somehow manage to get up thats definitely one place taken.

 

Wolves are a decent side but we should be able to finish ahead of West Brom/Wigan at least. Have no worries that we won't stay up next season.

[Pilko]

Ronaldo:

 

Carroll hardly played last season, so his 3 goals came in maybe 7 or 8 starts. Lovenkrands was also played left wing half of the time so its slightly harsh to pan his 3 goals when he maybe started 6 or 7 games as a striker (you're always telling us that he should be upfront or not on the pitch at all). As you say, Shola will probably get 7 or 8 goals in the league too. Let us forget Best and assume Ranger will be a fringe player or loaned out.

 

I also think Nolan has confidence back in front of goal (and will likely get games supporting the striker away from home) and Barton will get goals if he gets a run in the team. Routledge's poor goalscoring record has not really followed him here as he has three or four already, and Jonas has finally broken his duck too.

 

Added to that, we will strengthen in the summer, and as someone said, you don't need a shitload of goals to stay up.

[Guest Heneage]

Wolves have a bit of steel, moreso than us. I'll be surprised if we get more than a point off them next season.

Jeez, Mr Doom and Gloom much

I just hope that like last season our summer doesn't go the way Ronaldo predicts meaning we out perform his expectations.

[Jayson]

Shola, Carroll, Loven, Nolan, Guti & Routledge will tear apart the prem.

[JH]

Shola, Carroll, Loven, Nolan, Guti & Routledge will tear apart the prem.

 

He probably would. Jonas on the other hand...

[Ronaldo]

Shola, Carroll, Loven, Nolan, Guti & Routledge will tear apart the prem.

 

[Crumpy Gunt]

If SAFC lose Bent to either a big bid or a serious injury they will be down at the bottom.

[Neil]

Yep, CG. It's good to see him doing so well but for Sunderland, it's not particularly healthy to have such a high proportion of their goals coming from one man.

 

But they won't care, they're 10th. Although 'top of a generally mediocre/shite group of teams' seems more accurate.

[Yorkie]

The Premier League's getting worse and the bottom half will continue to slip away from the Euro chasing pack next season. Three significant upgrades to the starting line-up and maintain the team spirit, we'll be absolutely fine. I think we'll be comfortable next season tbh.

 

Also, whilst we're on meaningless omens n stuff - the team we liken ourselves to the most (Reading, 106 points) - went up and had an absolutely stonking season in their first year. Pretty sure they finished around ninth or something. They just didn't add well enough to their squad to maintain it, and ultimately went down in pretty quick time.

[JH]

If we bring in a proper striker who can score goals in the PL, a quick creative midfielder and a decent RB, we'll stay up.

[merlin]

If we bring in a proper striker who can score goals in the PL, a quick creative midfielder and a decent RB, we'll stay up.

 

Yep - this.

[Yorkie]

If we bring in a proper striker who can score goals in the PL, a quick creative midfielder and a decent RB, we'll stay up.

 

Yep, they being the 'three significant upgrades' i touched upon in my post. Darren Bent (amongst several others down the years) has proven that a goalscorer can keep you up. It needs to be our absolute priority in the summer and i really hope we don't take a gamble with either an unknown, or a 'maybe man' - like Doyle or something. It's one of the reasons why i'm in the minority when i say Robbie Keane would be a good signing. He's a proven goalscorer.