Where will we finish?

[pauliewalnuts]

I'll put money on QPR coming in the bottom 6.

I'm very surprised by them.

Mega rich owners, promoted, you'd expect them to spend big, but it has been quite the opposite.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

I think Everton will finish above us but then we will be in a group of teams that are close together, Fulham, Bolton, WBA, Stoke and Sunderland.

[KRS]

Our saving grace this season is that there are so many other shite teams that will be worse than us.

Going for a miserable 12th.

edit: slightly more realistic.

[PeterWithesShin]

The consensus already is that we are in the same group as Bolton, Fulham and Albion. How fast a decline has it been for us!

[Toronto Villa]

Our saving grace this season is that there are so many other shite teams that will be worse than us.

Going for a miserable 14th.

you say so many, yet by suggesting 14th you're also there's only 6 teams worse. Doesn't make sense.

[pauliewalnuts]

The way I see it there are several groups.

Man U, Chelsea, Man City, Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal - top six

Us, Everton, Sunderland, Albion, Newcastle, Bolton, Blackburn, Fulham, Stoke, Wolves - the middle ten

Swansea, Norwich, QPR, Wigan - bottom four

Within that middle ten, I think we'll very likely finish behind Everton (better team), Sunderland (more squad depth), Fulham, Bolton  and Stoke.

That puts us in 12th. However, I think we're also going to suffer because we have a few people currently pencilled in as "starters" who are far too random and unpredictable for my liking. it'd be nice to see Ireland get back on track, but he was rubbish at Man City for a year, came here, was mental and rubbish, went to Newcastle, was mental and rubbish, and came back here again. It's not really being pessimistic to suspect he might turn out to still be mental.

Warnock is one who, while not being mental, may be re-instated, but - lest we forget - was utterly shit for months on end before his flip-out.

Then we're depending on players like Delph (unknown quantity), Petrov (if he struggled to manage 60 minutes last season, how many will he manage this season?), and Dunne and Collins, one of whom managed to stay fat and half arsed almost the whole of last season, and the other managed to get into a fight with the coaching staff.

Far too much flimsiness and crossed fingers for my liking, and for that reason I reckon we'll struggle in our mini-league.

It beggars belief, really, to think that five years in, it has come to this. Such a shame.

[Greg N'Ash]

Pretty hard to judge really. If we have a bad start i reckon come january re-inforcements will be brought in either under AM or someone else so we could end up higher than this squad looks capable of.  Without injuries and some players improving on last season i'd say 12th. To me it looks a very average side

God i'm good..

[asgpaul]

Opted for 8th....., not sure whether that's an optimistic 8th mind...!!

[PeterWithesShin]

Who the fuck put us as champions? I want some of whatever he or she has been smoking!

[KRS]

Our saving grace this season is that there are so many other shite teams that will be worse than us.

Going for a miserable 14th.

you say so many, yet by suggesting 14th you're also there's only 6 teams worse. Doesn't make sense.

Good point TV. Just spent all of 30 seconds doing a spreadsheet so make that a miserable 12th...8 teams shitter than us.

[Californian Villain]

I think 12th....but the truth is, finishing anywhere in the range 8th to 14th means another forgettable season.

[pauliewalnuts]

Pretty hard to judge really. If we have a bad start i reckon come january re-inforcements will be brought in either under AM or someone else so we could end up higher than this squad looks capable of.  Without injuries and some players improving on last season i'd say 12th. To me it looks a very average side

That's the irony of it all.

If we do really poorly in the first half of the season, Randy will probably end up having to put his hand in his pocket big-style to dig us out of it (see last January) (although, having been told that was just the Milner money, it now transpires it was also the Ashley Young money).

[Toronto Villa]

The consensus already is that we are in the same group as Bolton, Fulham and Albion. How fast a decline has it been for us!

I disagree with that. Despite a bollocks season, we should have won handily at Bolton who were doing well at the time, and gave away 3 leads against Fulham, and led at Albion before losing. Tighten those defensive displays I don't think those teams are as good as us.

I think there's an obvious 5 teams better than us. Liverpool have spent a lot of money, but they have to gel together. Pre-season's been horrendous for them, and if they don't get off to a good start there will be a lot of pressure on Kenny. Everton will start like shit as ever, and you have to think there's only so much Moyes can do with that squad without investment. He'll still find a way to challenge us for 7th. Bruce signed a lot of very average players at Sunderland. Fulham and Stoke will be distracted by the Europa, as will Spurs. It does take a toll on the domestic campaign.

I don't think things are as bad as some are making out. I certainly don't see any of the squads beyond Liverpool who I see as 6th best as that intimidating.

[dave.woodhall]

The consensus already is that we are in the same group as Bolton, Fulham and Albion. How fast a decline has it been for us!

The most popular votes are seventh and eighth. That;s hardly a concensus sticking us with the three above.

[TaxDodger]

9th.