I think some people need to RAISE their expectations of next season

[kevtherev]

Why does everyone keep saying it's going to be a harder league next season? If it was the current bottom three of Wolves/Blackburn/Bolton, they are no better than the three that came down last season. As for those coming up, for Charlton read us. The two Sheffield clubs are not going to do a Southampton. If West Ham stay down, why should they be any better next season and as for the other sides who have recently been in the prem, they will all have to reduce wages etc....I just don't buy it that the league will be harder...But I suppose it's good to get your excuses in early lol.

 

[sparkie]

Well every team should be going for promotion every year ... kinda seems pointless otherwise and I for one really don't go for the "building" stuff. It may be a reason why we, or indeed anyone doesn't get promoted, but it's not something any half ambitious Manager/Club should declare before a ball is kicked as a reason why they are likely to fail.

I absolutely agree we need to do better next year although I'm not sure if better just means improving on 10th but that would be a start. Play offs would be brilliant

To be honest just saying that if we finish 9th next season, it's an improvement, seems a little hollow.

I prefer to look at it that we just missed out on the playoffs this year, so an improvement would be to qualify for them next year.

 

[kevtherev]

Another person to completely miss the point. I'm not saying doing worse isn't a bad thing. I'm just saying that we overachieved in the early part of the season and need to get in quality players as early as possible to give them time to gel as a team. Just because we were challenging for the play offs this season does not mean we will be challenging for them next season, but that is the aim.

It's just as well we overachieved as you put it, early on. Because if we hadn't we would be looking forward to trips to Shrewsbury and Gillingham and playing in front of 12,000 at the Amex, based on the last 13 games.

 

[stss30]

It's just as well we overachieved as you put it, early on. Because if we hadn't we would be looking forward to trips to Shrewsbury and Gillingham and playing in front of 12,000 at the Amex, based on the last 13 games.

I agree. I think we'd have been in a bit of trouble if it wasn't for our blistering start to the season. I just worry how the 'new fans' will react if we don't get off to a good start next season.

 

[Beach Hut]

I agree. I think we'd have been in a bit of trouble if it wasn't for our blistering start to the season. I just worry how the 'new fans' will react if we don't get off to a good start next season.

Hopefully they might leave

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

As a direct response to the other thread talking about lowering expectations, below are my reasons why this is defnintely not the right way to go.

All this talk of lowering expectations is absolute nonsense.

The only way to possibly improve at anything ever in the world ever is to achieve what you can, and then do everything in your power to better yourself the next time you do that thing.

This applies to running marathons, running businesses, running the NHS or running Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club.

I would absolutely hate to be somebody who just thinks "well this is my lot in life, I need to be realistic and not strive for anything better"

FFS how would the majority of you feel if Tony and Gus came out in a press conference and said "well next season we are just going to try and not do worse than we did last season; however we expect we will as football is tough. The fans need to lower their expectations"

People would be in uproar about this, and rightly so.

Get a grip people, we need to to better next season than we did this season, or next season is an abject failure. Simple as that.

Spot on. A lot of people still have this " small club " mentality and frankly it's a bit embarrasing.

 

[stss30]

Spot on. A lot of people still have this " small club " mentality and frankly it's a bit embarrasing.

Ok, you're right. Top 2 at least or it will be a disaster.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Ok, you're right. Top 2 at least or it will be a disaster.

You seem to have a trend of quoting things that people did not actually say.

 

[00snook]

I just worry how the 'new fans' will react if we don't get off to a good start next season.

Why do you give a shit how the "new fans" react, when we have so many super fans like you and [MENTION=38]Beach Hut[/MENTION] to keep us going

 

[00snook]

Ok, you're right. Top 2 at least or it will be a disaster.

Yes thats exactly what US and I are getting at.

Well done sir.

 

[sparkie]

Ok, you're right. Top 2 at least or it will be a disaster.

Not a disaster, but to aim for top 2 is exactly what we should be targetting. To aim for 6th place and scraping into the playoffs gives no margin to just miss out.

 

[Muzzy]

I have to agree with the op and Kev... Anything lower than 10th place next season will not be a success.... A top 6 finish at the very least is what we should all be striving for surely?

This will depend on TB's purse strings and Gus's ability in the transfer merry go round obviously! If we were to go into next season with the current squad then that will tell it's own story, but I can't see that being the case.

We have done extremely well with pretty much a league 1 squad, but we all know that we are lacking the personnel to match Gus's ambitions.

So it's over to you Mr Tony Bloom, for you're next move! We are all waiting with anticipation.

 

[vegster]

An old company if mine would award pay rises on the basis of 10-80-10. The workings being that 10% of staff exceed themselves and deserve more cash while 80% did what was expected and got the standard pay rise. The bottom 10% got no pay rise and a kick up the arse.

In football its pretty similar, a few teams will do well and push on, a few will struggle all season and get relegated while the other 80% will do mediocrity. Let's just try to play stylish winning football and see where it takes us ?

 

[Rugrat]

To be honest just saying that if we finish 9th next season, it's an improvement, seems a little hollow.

I prefer to look at it that we just missed out on the playoffs this year, so an improvement would be to qualify for them next year.

Yeah .. didn't make the point well ... was trying to say finishing better than 10th (e.g. 9th) doesn't necessarily represent improvement. What I really want to see is more consistency in our performances (and along the lines of Stains, Ipswich, Derby games) and to be creating and putting away more chances. If we do that then we just have to finish better, and quite likely in the play offs.

That's when Gus really demonstrates his abilities for me too

 

[00snook]

Yeah .. didn't make the point well ... was trying to say finishing better than 10th (e.g. 9th) doesn't necessarily represent improvement. What I really want to see is more consistency in our performances (and along the lines of Stains, Ipswich, Derby games) and to be creating and putting away more chances. If we do that then we just have to finish better, and quite likely in the play offs.

That's when Gus really demonstrates his abilities for me too

Well said.

Next season will prove if Gus is the manager he thinks he is

 

[kevtherev]

Hopefully they might leave

I can't agree with this. New fans, jcl's and even the once a season armchairs are all welcome. They pay their money and rightly or wrongly deserve there say. Unless of course as you say, they can all do one. Then we can have our hardcore 6,500 back and any dreams anyone has will be dashed forever. In fact i'm sure some people would love this. Forget the new seats, shut down the west stand to save on staff and lets go back to being a little nothing club again.

 

[stss30]

You seem to have a trend of quoting things that people did not actually say.

I was fairly obviously being sarcastic

 

[Rugrat]

Not necessarily.

1) The league will be a lot harder next year, so although we're a better team than we are this year, there are more teams that are better than us

2) Instead of trying to build a team that will get promotion immediately (extremely hard, expensive and prone to failure), we build a team that take a while to settle and to gel into our style, but once they do then we challenge for promotion in a much better position with players that know how we play. This might take a couple of years, but, in my opinion, more likely to succeed.

No disrespect but I don't buy this "harder next year" argument. Nor do I think we can hang around and build ... it simply doesn't work like that ... look at big teams (bigger and more established than us) that have been (so called) building in the Champs and ended up in L1 (Charlton, Shefield (both) Leeds, Stains, Norwich, Hudd's - it's endless) Take your chance when you can, if you come back down you're still in better shape than 2 seasons ago. Blackpool are a good example and they very nearly stayed up

 

[stss30]

Why do you give a shit how the "new fans" react, when we have so many super fans like you and [MENTION=38]Beach Hut[/MENTION] to keep us going

What are you on about?

 

[Beach Hut]

Why do you give a shit how the "new fans" react, when we have so many super fans like you and [MENTION=38]Beach Hut[/MENTION] to keep us going

I worry as they sit behind me and believe me have massive expectations