Season expectations 2017-18

[LeeB]

Hi eastie.

[ASHTONVILLA]

I voted top 2, although it could easily be midtable.

A lot depends on how Bruce sets us up, how fit and motivated the team is, and if we have any semblance of tactics when we start the season. Not hugely confident that Bruce is the man to do any of that properly, but lets hope he does. That squad should be winning this league at a canter.

[eamonn]

Chessie!!

[UK Redsox]

Chessie!!

Charlie is a better nickname

[brian green]

Anything but Man.

[gpbarr]

Top 6 minimum, top 2 ideally, Champions unlikely

[Ads]

At home;

Johnstone

Taylor
Terry
Chester
Bree

Adomah
Lansbury
Hourihane
Elmo

Hogan
Kodjia

Away:

Johnstone

Taylor
Terry
Chester
Bree

Hourihane
Whelan
Lansbury

Kodjia
Hogan
Adomah

[brian green]

Agree with that but I think McCormack could come to his senses and make a good up front partner for Johnny Danger.  I think McCormack might be the Joker in the pack.

[SoccerHQ]

Really don't see Whelan coming here to be a squad player, he started plenty of games at Stoke last season so I fully expect him to be a regular home and away and ahead of Jedinak in the pecking order.

[Gareth]

I remember an old Oldham acquaintance of mine who said that he quite liked Villa until we played them when last in the second division. he said that he thought we were a footballing side but we were just a big team that kicked teams off the park. If that gets us up then good.

Gage, Evans, Keown Thompson and McInally could all look after themselves, but I wouldn't call any of them cloggers. And I certainly wouldn't call the Gray twins in midfield cloggers.

the line up

Nigel Spink

Kevin Gage
Martin Keown
Steve Sims
Bernard Gallacher

Paul Birch
Andy Blair
Mark Lillis
Mark Walters

Warren Aspinall
Alan McInally

correct, none of them were cloggers.
We just used to frighten the opposition because they were the ugliest collective bunch of feckers ever to take to football pitch.

I would say that our three most attacking players Walters, Aspinall and McInally had boy band good looks compared to the mid eighties Newcastle front three of of Peter Beardsley, George Reilly and Joe Allon. If someone could magic up their pictures from the Panini album around '85-'86 I think everyone will agree.

You'd have to balance it out with Gary Micklewhite looking like he was wearing lipstick in the same albums :-)

[Matt Collins]

Really don't see Whelan coming here to be a squad player, he started plenty of games at Stoke last season so I fully expect him to be a regular home and away and ahead of Jedinak in the pecking order.

The Mail reckon Bruce loves Jedinak and will play 352 with them both. But I tend to agree for the reasons you say - especially at home. If we do play 352 I wouldn't be surprise to see Jedinak in the middle of the back three when Terry isn't available

[SoccerHQ]

He hasn't played yet in pre season so I doubt he'd make the Hull game. He missed a chunk over January last season and our results instantly dipped.

I see nothing wrong with Whelan-Hourihane and giving Lansbury proper licence to get forward into the box. That should be the midfield template at home.

We could do with another wide option tbh especially one who chips in with goals as our current options aren't convincing.

[Matt Collins]

Agreed that makes sense

Though not certain we'll play with a midfield three however so it might be Lansbury OR hourihane

[brian green]

I don't think we will finish more than a few places higher than last season but I am confident that with the incoming players the games will be less boring and the whole season more entertaining than last.  It will be a platform for the big push that will come in 18/19.

[SoccerHQ]

This year has to be the big push.

Likes of Chester and Kodjia will be sold if we don't go up next season.