Interesting thread... Haven't participated yet, but am about too ;-)
I don't get the accusations of people being negative before a ball is kicked - I'd imagine they are the same people who felt negative before the balls stopped being kicked last season (of which I was one), so it's not really a fair point.
I think we have signed fairly well this close season, although perhaps a little poncily giving our means. We have settled for second or third best in most areas which is disappointing, and we have really not addressed the defence as well as I would have hoped, but there is no denying we have a potentially exciting squad more than capable, with the rub of the green, of shaking up the top four...
However... The doubts still remain about the manager, whether a ball has been kicked or not and regardless of who our money has been able to attract. We had to listen to 'it's only a friendly for fuck's sake' all the way through pre-season as our defence looked awful yet we have prevaricated and pissed about flirting with a slightly above average defender for months now and it still remains unresolved on the eve of the season.
I have a horrible feeling we will be set up not to lose on Saturday with very little ambition to do more than get a point on the board and a hope we can sneak more. One up front, and that one being Craig fucking Bellamy.
I agree with the title of the original post. For the money we have spent it will be hugely disappointing to see us start with Bellamy upfront alone and Dunne at centre half, which looks like it could well be the case.
Really do hope I am wrong, and that as someone said to me on here a few weeks ago, I will have changed my opinion on Hughes by Christmas. I would like nothing more than for the current manager to be the one for us and lead us on for a glorious decade, I'm just not seeing many/any signs of that being the case.
Sure this will mobilise the HDF into action but so what? It's my opinion and will remain so until Hughes does something to change it.
I expect I will have changed my opinion on Hughes by Christmas, but suspect it will change from concern that he is not good enough for us to not caring about how he's getting on at Hull (or wherever) in his new job.
(all that said I will be screaming my lungs out in support of the lads on Saturday, same as I always do)