Our realistic target for the new season.

[itbrvilla]

14th-17th. Squad is short of experience and proven quality. Having young exciting unknown players is great if they turn out good but can't see them making such a difference that we'll be that much higher in the table especially when our rivals are strengthening also.

From February onwards, I would say we were certainly top ten team. We have strengthened and not lost any players.

This is what I've had to keep pointing out to fans of other teams who I speak to. They have basically wrote us off for next season, we won't get much better, young team blah blah blah.

1st half of the season, very poor, 2nd half the team showed character and were much better. We won all the must win games and gave a good account of ourselves at Old Trafford, The Emirates, Goodison etc... there's definitely a lot to be positive about and no reason to think we can't finish upwards of 12th, Lambert has put his own stamp on the team now.

let's see where we are after our difficult start and how quickly we can start getting results.

[Clampy]

I think mid-table or just above would be acceptable for a lot of fans.

[Legion]

Top half, good football, a decent cup run and a few clean sheets would be nice...and not to panic after the first 3 games.

This for me aswell.

[peter w]

Better thanlast season and a few clean sheets.

[garyshawsknee]

Not shitting myself in April would be a nice bonus,and finishing above the Tesco bags.

[not3bad]

I'm the only person who voted "qualify for Europe", so I am obviously correct.

[danlanza]

I'm the only person who voted "qualify for Europe", so I am obviously correct.

Oh no you are not and oh yes you are.

[Salsa Party Animal]

Me think we will be 7th-8th in the league and perhaps a FA cup win as well. That would be great.

[Yossarian]

A target should be qualify for europe. I would accept mid-table. I would view another relegation scrap as a failure.

[Lastfootstamper]

Having just secured the services of one of the soon-to-be hottest footballing talents on the planet for another twelve months, I think aiming for mid-table "stability" is a bit underwhelming. And would it really be progress? Viewing last season as a whole, and accounting for final placing, perhaps. Taking the latter part of the season in isolation, from when things started to click, then definitely not, imo. Had results gone slightly differently on the final day of last season, we could've finished deprived of a top-half finish purely by goal-difference.
It all hinges on the defence. We will score goals, lots of goals, lots of great goals. More than enough to cancel out what goes on at the other end. Whether they can do it in the games that truly count for something is anybody's guess.
But I like to imagine great things for this team. So I think 7th is attainable (best of the rest of the rest? That's us, easily).
Despite our back line's best efforts, a GD of around +15 should be comfortably achievable.
Our year for The Cup, obviously. Just someone let the players know!
And the League Cup's spent an awfully long time now wandering the rest of this land.
We may well end up next May with nothing AGAIN, but I don't think it'll be for the want of trying. All guns blazing on all fronts. I can't wait!!

[Lastfootstamper]

I'm the only person who voted "qualify for Europe", so I am obviously correct.

Oh no you are not and oh yes you are.

Foregone conclusion following our Cup win, innit.

[danlanza]

I'm the only person who voted "qualify for Europe", so I am obviously correct.

Oh no you are not and oh yes you are.

Foregone conclusion following our Cup win, innit.

Absolutely.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Anything less than 8th and I'll be disappointed.

Have a look at the sides outside the top 7 and tell me who should/will finish above us?

[SoccerHQ]

It's a fair point. West Brom finished 8th on 50 points I think so if that's the par score you're talking about another 9 points from what we had last season which shouldn't be too difficult given the horrendous period we had from December 23rd.

[Chipsticks]

Safely in mid table with a potential to push for Europe if we can carry on the momentum from the end of last season. On a side note, If we do make into the Europa League, I want us to give it a real big go and try and win the thing, not a repeat of the Moscow debacle.