Season expectations 2017-18

[CT]

Well, the bookies have us as favourites and they're not often wrong......

I expect top two.

Realistically at the moment, I think it will be the same as last season. Mid table.

[Matt Collins]

The defence was a problem last season: we made lots of mistakes (good example being Leeds away - we were even in that game till Gollini fucked up).

There is an argument that having a strong back 4 plus Jedinak and keeper frees up the rest. But little evidence so far

[oswald funkletrumpet]

Well, the bookies have us as favourites and they're not often wrong......

I expect top two.

Realistically at the moment, I think it will be the same as last season. Mid table.

Apart from last season when newcastle were favourites and us and norwich second favourites

[Tony Erdington]

we'll win more than we lose.

[exigo]

A decent manager, given that squad, should romp this league. So mid-table it is then.

[manic-road]

I expect to reach the play offs, it's a lottery then.

[CT Villan]

Promotion via playoffs with a hope for auto promotion.

Neither will happen though if Bruce continues to play Lansbury and Hourihane as deeper-lying midfielders, they play similar roles for me and only one of them should be on the pitch and about 20 yards further up it too.

[Cliftonville Villain]

Share the view we should be romping this league, but all my earlier confidence in Bruce getting the best out of this squad had gone. Clueless. So, same pattern and position as last season. They'll leave it too late to sack him so another season wasted. I get that Tony means well, but think he's learning that our window of opportunity is fast closing. If we don't get out of the shit this year, and this league is shit, we'll not be back for a long time.

[Rudy65]

11-15th under Bruce. Automatic promotion? Dream on.

Agreed.  He will be gone by xmas. I feel worse about our prospects than 12 months ago

[LeeB]

We'll either piss it or he'll be gone by October with us flailing. I honestly have no idea which it will be.

[SoccerHQ]

Automatic promotion.

More realistic is top 6 but I really don't want to take our chances in the play offs. Even at this level I could see us freezing at Wembley again.

I never thought at any point last season we'd go up. Simply too much to do and just a massive adaptation to our first season in the second division in 30 years.

This year there are no excuses. We have to be up in the top pack of teams from the first few weeks otherwise Steve Bruce won't be our manager for much longer and he certainly knows that.

[Meanwood Villa]

Zero confidence and zero expectation. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

11-15th under Bruce. Automatic promotion? Dream on.

Agreed.  He will be gone by xmas. I feel worse about our prospects than 12 months ago

I feel the same

If bruce has a poor run at the start of the season and gets the push then the merry go round starts again

We must go up this season as the parachute money is only 13 million is season 3 compared to the 65 odd million we got in the prem so the good dr will need very deep pockets

[preston28]

I think we will get automatic promotion. I can't back that statement up with any solid reasoning but it's a gut feeling it will all click into place next season.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Win it. Really given who we are and how much Xia has spent that has to be our expectation.