Season Predictions

4th probably. I think that will be enough for the owners, with progress shown and a plan in place
FA cup - nowhere. I can see that being a bit of a pain in the ass for Pep if we beat West Spam. We love the FA cup as fans, especially those over 40, but I dont think administrators see it that way
I really think the champions league is the major goal of our clubs hierarchy and we will get to a semi or perhaps the final
 
Father Paul said:
A bit negative we should get fourth assuming a strong finish to the season.
Can't see us doing much in Europe all involvement here is likely to do is force
a premature exit from the FA Cup much like last season.
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I can see the scum finished above us.
So 5th in league but.....
I.think we will win champs league
 
Exeter Blue I am here said:
Waste of time trying to predict the cups cos so much always depends on the draws. Don't think we'll finish any higher than 6th in the league though. Not enough physicality up through the spine of the team, a semi permanently injured leader, lack of quality striking options for a 55 game season, any number of midfielders and defenders ill equipped to play the 'passing out from the back and pressing up top' game the manager wants, and based on yesterday we're gonna be playing catch up from the off. If we can keep Kompany, Gundogan, KDB, Fernandinho, Sane and Kun fit then we may crack the top 4, but in honesty I can't see us finishing above Liverpool, the rags, Arsenal, Spurs or Chelsea. Long term and with another summer transfer window under his belt, Pep has the ability to drag us back up to the top, but this season looks like a learning curve to me
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This just about nailed it. Needless to say we haven't kept Kompany and Gundogan fit and our cup draws have been stinkers.
 
manimanc said:
Above the rags as per usual.
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All the FArce, PiGMOL and PL stops are out to confound you, manimanc. If the season continues to May in a similar vein to what we have seen so far, then CFC players, MANUre Swamp Donkeys and the Arse Tarqins will be scoring goals when they should be in the middle of a three match ban, whilst MCFC, and others, will be scrabbling around to field sufficiently strong sides to scab a point or two.
 
Dave Ewing's Back 'eader said:
All the FArce, PiGMOL and PL stops are out to confound you, manimanc. If the season continues to May in a similar vein to what we have seen so far, then CFC players, MANUre Swamp Donkeys and the Arse Tarqins will be scoring goals when they should be in the middle of a three match ban, whilst MCFC, and others, will be scrabbling around to field sufficiently strong sides to scab a point or two.
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I know what you mean mate but it's been going on for so long that it's just second nature now. They can get all the dodgy decisions they like but we'll still be above them come May. I'll stick my neck out and say we'll win the league. It'll be tough but we'll do it, pep has experimented these past few weeks and I think he knows we haven't got the players for three at the back. We get vinnie back and keep him fit and we've got a new centre back kind of , Fernandinho and kun return and we stick to a back four then watch us go. I got no worries .
 
Second behind Chelsea, Champions league semi finals. FA Cup winners that is also very optimistic.
 
Rammy Blue said:
Your crystal ball was working well mate....
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The pre-season prediction notwithstanding, my biggest surprise is that Pep has been so surprised (if you see what I mean) by the robust nature of the Premier League. The man himself at least has the excuse of never having managed in England before and he did try to buy another centre half in the shape of Laporte, but as we were stockpiling young slightly built midfielders at considerable expense whilst eschewing the full back positions and the dearth of physicality up front and in the engine room, it's perhaps a surprise that Txixi, who'd had plenty of first hand experience of what English football was all about, didn't tip him the wink as to what to expect. Or maybe he did?!

Klopp had similar problems in his first 6 months at Candlepool in that whilst his manic press worked well against those opponents (and City in particular) prepared to try and play the ball out, they came unstuck repeatedly against teams with big powerful counterattacking players, who just hoofed it downfield and outpaced and outmuscled their defenders, ie Newcastle - Cisse, Sissoko, Wijnaldum; Palace - Zaha, Sakho; West Ham - Sako, Valencia, etc etc.....in short the exact same problem City have now. Lukaku, Costa, Hazard, Wickham, Llorente, Vardy, and even those who didn't score against us like Josh King and Sam Vokes, have all gone one on one with City's last defender and either beaten them with relative ease or held the ball up to then facilitate others to do so.

The sheer quality of some of our attacking players is such (as it was under Pellegrini) that we'll probably see off virtually everybody in the bottom half of the table, but as per last season I expect virtually nothing against those in the top half. The only decent side we've beaten in the Prem in recent memory are the rag mannequins and even they've improved immeasurably since that encounter. I don't see that changing this season, because even though Pep has now publicly acknowledged that we will concentrate on winning the 2nd phase ball (ie after the opposition have hoofed it downfield), we've assembled a group of attacking midfield players ill equipped for that purpose. Next season with a big powerful centre half (or two), a couple of mobile full backs and a Fernandinho clone all hopefully onboard (and Clichy, Sagna, Kolarov, Otamendi and Fernando, all heading for the exit), we might see a resurgence, but until then perhaps not so clever
 
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