It depends on whether Luiz, Nakamba and Sanson can improve a bit next season. If they can we'd probably be looking at an upgrade on McGinn, a winger and another striker, then a couple of squad defenders.
I thought we would be mid table but I did not expect us to be flirting with a top 6 place. The recent run of form has put paid to that. We still manage to look like last seasons team at times. A realistic expectation Is to get past some of the rotten performances we still manage turn out, the most recent was The Blades.We are a long way behind the established Top 6 to 8 clubs who have years of accumulated TV money.The big challenge we will continue to face is losing Jack because I think that would be a huge blow to our aspirations of challenging at the top of the league.
Champions League qualification will not be a requirement or an expectation next season, nor should it be. Progress will be expected I'd imagine, but right now, a top half finish next season would still be positive. We have to remember that sustained success is what we're after and we need to build it as these things always take time. Remember where we were two years ago (Championship), 5 years (bottom of Premier League) and even 10 years ago we finished 9th with 48 points. The year before 09/10 we finished 6th with 64 points, I'd like us to aim for that again this season, given the start we've hadWe've been pretty crap for a decade, so now to expect us to finish Champions League already would be pushing it.
Quote from: Drummond on March 08, 2021, 12:23:53 PMChampions League qualification will not be a requirement or an expectation next season, nor should it be. Progress will be expected I'd imagine, but right now, a top half finish next season would still be positive. We have to remember that sustained success is what we're after and we need to build it as these things always take time. Remember where we were two years ago (Championship), 5 years (bottom of Premier League) and even 10 years ago we finished 9th with 48 points. The year before 09/10 we finished 6th with 64 points, I'd like us to aim for that again this season, given the start we've hadWe've been pretty crap for a decade, so now to expect us to finish Champions League already would be pushing it.You’re right I think it might be pushing it but I do think our owners are very very ambitiousMaybe even more than we realiseWe have been where we were because we’ve had dog shit managers for a long timeThe problem is for too many years we put up with average and the downright rubbishWe’ve excused it and gone along with it and accepted itWe should have been straight up out of the championship the first year in trying we spent more money than any other club in that division by milesbut we were there for three seasons in the end which was ridiculouswe all gave ourselves pats on the back when we stayed up on the last day last seasonBut in reality we were piss poor for a lot of the seasonI thought we underachieved and we should never have been relying on other results in the last gameBut we were and we got away with it so fairplayBut now we are judging where we can go on how shit we’ve been in the pastIt’s got to stopI’ve said a million times we are the biggest team in the Midlands It’s not even debatableWe have the second richest owners in the premiershipWe have one of the best players in the world who we must keepMid table finishes with the size of this club and the investment will not be good enough next seasonand it shouldn’t be good enoughWe have got to raise the bar and stop wallowing at where we’ve come from in the last few years and start looking at where we’re going
The challenge Dean Smith will always have with these owners is proving to them he is the right man to help them reach their ambitions for us. So far, so good as he’s pretty checked every box. Given how this season has gone to date, and assuming things don’t fall of the cliff and we finish in the bottom half, he’s rightly earned the chance at leading us next year. But every multi million £ investment; on the team or in the club the pressure intensifies on getting the results right. Hopefully Dean keeps up with it all, but if he doesn’t I’m sure he’s only too aware that Villa fan and likeable guy or not, he’ll be gone.