Hopes & expectations for 2024/25 Season

[Dave]

Newcastle fancied more than us? Hmm... maybe. I assume they're comfortably ahead of us in the 2024 calendar year PL table. Still find it odd that they were/are prepared to sell yer man with the pale skin and pointy ears to Liverpool, like he's possibly their best player and others have been offloaded for PSR.

The Champions League distraction as Risso says, but also:

We finished eight points ahead of them, in our best season since the 90s, and the narrative is that they had a worse season than they / people were expecting. They've got Tonali back in two weeks and I think that lots of people would look at the sales of Diaby and Luiz and their replacements and think that we've made our first eleven worse rather than better. (and they could well be right).

Is that difference worth eight points over a season? Could easily be.

[Dogtanian]

The thing about football is that it's possible to come to massive conclusions based on absolutely nothing.

In my experience, very few football fans know anything in depth about other clubs, and a lot don't know that much about the goings on at their own.

Nobody knows what's going to happen and it's all part of the fun.

[edgysatsuma89]

Phil McNulty has us finishing 4th. Now I’m worried.

'Ah shit' was what went through my head when I saw it.

[eamonn]

Yeah but if he said 9th we'd be calling him a cvnt. Didn't he tip us last season? Warnock (Stephen, not Colin) had us down for top four after getting turned-on after seeing us training in pre-season.

[edgysatsuma89]

I don't think he's a ******, I just think he's useless.

[PaulWinch again]

It feels odd to me that lots of pundits/commentators are predicting us to finish top 4. I’m hoping it’s my inherent pessimism that’s making me think it’ll be really tough for us.

[Demitri_C]

Newcastle i think are definitely going to have a better season this year i think

[Accent Guy]

I read an article on one site, I think I maybe Sky or Football365, and of 30 journalists, just 2 predicted us to be top 4 whilst 8 predicted Newcastle would be. West Ham got 1 vote too.

Personally I still think 6th to 8th is where we will finish. The top 4 will revert back to the usual suspects. Not a surprise given their constant spending power dwarfs ours. They can't, won't and dont stay shit for long.

[cdward]

I preferred it when nobody was noticing us.

The popular opinion seems to be that Newcastle will swap places with us, good, let them have the pressure, while we enjoy the CL.

Unpopular opinion, i think Newcastle will struggle and Howe will get the bullet.
Man U and Spurs will keep improving, we'll be in the top six at GW32, then it's all to play for.

Hope - for a good cup run, to a final.
Expect - disappointment again.

[AV82EC]

League - Top 6
League Cup - 3rd Round
FA Cup - 5th Round
Champions League - Round of 16

[Richard]

League - Top 6
League Cup - 3rd Round
FA Cup - 5th Round
Champions League - Round of 16

That's exactly what I've just predicted when discussing with my son.

[jon collett]

It feels odd to me that lots of pundits/commentators are predicting us to finish top 4. I’m hoping it’s my inherent pessimism that’s making me think it’ll be really tough for us.

I think we are better informed than they are.

From most I spoke to in Dortmund and what I read on here expectations arent too great this season and we’re starting with a slightly worse starting XI than last year unless something changes soon!

[Dave]

It feels odd to me that lots of pundits/commentators are predicting us to finish top 4. I’m hoping it’s my inherent pessimism that’s making me think it’ll be really tough for us.

It's just recency bias. I'd bet that if you look at the same people this time last year, they'd probably have had Newcastle in there.

[Smithy]

I'm not sure I buy this "first 11 is worse than the one we ended last season with".  We played without Kamara for several months, so that's not changing.  The only change is Dougie, who was brilliant for us, but was also not quite as brilliant without Kamara next to him. 

We do need to find a Dougie/Kamara style axis for the middle of midfield, the one that helped get us the chance of going top at Christmas.  And one might emerge, but it's not like we'd be starting that pair if Dougie had stayed.  We'd be starting the version of Dougie who played from Feb to the end of the season (still good, but not the brilliant version from the first half of the season) - that's an easier player to replace.

I also think Diaby's loss will be mitigated by the return of JJ to the 11, who was brilliant pre-injury.

[Demitri_C]

I'm not sure I buy this "first 11 is worse than the one we ended last season with".  We played without Kamara for several months, so that's not changing.  The only change is Dougie, who was brilliant for us, but was also not quite as brilliant without Kamara next to him. 

We do need to find a Dougie/Kamara style axis for the middle of midfield, the one that helped get us the chance of going top at Christmas.  And one might emerge, but it's not like we'd be starting that pair if Dougie had stayed.  We'd be starting the version of Dougie who played from Feb to the end of the season (still good, but not the brilliant version from the first half of the season) - that's an easier player to replace.

I also think Diaby's loss will be mitigated by the return of JJ to the 11, who was brilliant pre-injury.

I think we are looking worse as a offensive side compared to last season. However i think we look better in defence and have more squad options. So we have improved in those areas.

I think luiz and diaby are going to be big misses. I already felt in some pre season games we were missing getting the ball forward quicker than we were last year.  Diabys work rate was exceptional.

As for dougie he is like a complete cm for me. Can do it all. Hard to find those types. I will greatly miss dougie 😔