Right then, the parade's done, the new kits been unveiled... let's start to look ahead....

wolfie said:

we might have to settle for the Europa League for the following season.

Click to expand...

Bold Seagull said:

Not sure it will be any different will it? What makes you say it will be stronger?

Click to expand...

Kinky Gerbils said:

Sunderland are absolutely woeful

Boro don't attack

Hull started the season as a shambles

Brighton/Newcastle/Another will be better than those 3

Plus Swansea and Palace have proper managers now.

Click to expand...

Kalimantan Gull said:

I'd love to think we'll stay up, with the togetherness and so on, but its going to be very hard. I'm trying to think of three teams that on this season's record are going to be worse than us, and its tricky. The play-off winners one would hope will go down, although Wednesday might fancy themselves to spend a lot, Reading too. Then what? Palace just seem too resilient under Allardyce, ditto Bournemouth under Howe, Burnley under Dyche. Newcastle, Saints, West Brom, West Ham, Leicester will be fine. So we've got Swansea, who seem to be finding a new lease of life under Clement but a lot depends on their recruitment, and then Watford and Stoke who perhaps are both due a downturn.

That's only a scant look, and any of those secure clubs could just do a panic sacking of Hughes or Dyche and consign them to their fate, or Leicester could see a big sell-off of their stars this summer, nevertheless, not too many teams out there that are obvious cases to struggle. It will really be down to us playing as well as we can with confidence, and utlimately, Knockaert.

Click to expand...

hans kraay fan club said:

Form is a fickle mistress. The suggestion that Dyche's Burnley or Howe's Bournemouth are somehow rock solid is fanciful.

Either could easily finish bottom next season, as could any of 6 or 7 clubs (ourselves obviously amongst them).

Click to expand...

Kinky Gerbils said:

Sunderland are absolutely woeful

Boro don't attack

Hull started the season as a shambles

Brighton/Newcastle/Another will be better than those 3

Plus Swansea and Palace have proper managers now.

Click to expand...

Bold Seagull said:

You wouldn't have known all this at the start, the season unfolded. Next season will unfold too. You might be right, but I don't think you can say it's going to be any harder / easier just yet.

Click to expand...

Bold Seagull said:

You wouldn't have known all this at the start, the season unfolded. Next season will unfold too. You might be right, but I don't think you can say it's going to be any harder / easier just yet.

Click to expand...

Stat Brother said:

I think that's the problem, the fact that so many teams would appear to be at a 'just above relegation' level.
All of those teams will begin next season from a position of comparative strength, when compared to The Albion, and the play off winner.

Yep.


Very true, although the deadest of deadwood has been cleared out.
It didn't take too much hindsight to predict the relegated teams.
Being charitable I guess 'Boro could have gone either way, at the start of the season, but that didn't last long.



I've never really given much thought to the advantage of being promoted early, but I've kind of realised it's actually pretty massive.
Around Europe there's been so much football played, and still on going, since Wigan.
Having Albion scouts at multiple meaningful games, certain of next seasons status, has got to be a huge benefit.

Click to expand...

hans kraay fan club said:

Only three of twenty teams go down. Even discounting the seven who are *certain* to stay up, that still means only three of thirteen are going down. You'd expect every team to be odds on to stay up, surely?

Click to expand...

Kinky Gerbils said:

Sunderland are absolutely woeful

Boro don't attack

Hull started the season as a shambles

Brighton/Newcastle/Another will be better than those 3

Plus Swansea and Palace have proper managers now.

Click to expand...

Icy Gull said:

I just pray we don't turn into a team that tries to sit on leads in the Premier League, I want it to be fun, even if we end up coming back down again. We need to follow Bournemouth's example and try and score more than we concede.

Click to expand...

Stat Brother said:

How many once all the deadwood, like Skalak, Norwood, Hemed, Baldock, Murphy etc, have been offloaded?

Click to expand...

BLOCK F said:

Looking back, I thought we were doomed for an immediate return to Division 2 during our first season in the old Division 1 all those years ago...............until we signed a certain Peter Suddaby who made his debut on 17th November 1979 away to Notts Forest and we won 1-0. Never looked back after that.
Sign him up, just in case!

Click to expand...

BLOCK F said:

Looking back, I thought we were doomed for an immediate return to Division 2 during our first season in the old Division 1 all those years ago...............until we signed a certain Peter Suddaby who made his debut on 17th November 1979 away to Notts Forest and we won 1-0. Never looked back after that.
Sign him up, just in case!

Click to expand...

Kinky Gerbils said:

I think most people looked at the Sunderland/hull squad and thought relegation, the same for Hull after the start.

I can't see a cannon fodder team next season.

Click to expand...

AmexRuislip said:

View attachment 85399
View attachment 85400
View attachment 85401
View attachment 85402

I like it very much
It says 'Brighton & Hove Albion have arrived'
With a loud shout of 'We are Premier League'

Click to expand...

Kinky Gerbils said:

I think most people looked at the Sunderland/hull squad and thought relegation, the same for Hull after the start.

I can't see a cannon fodder team next season.

Click to expand...