[Albion] If...

[Silverhatch]

Just had my fiver @200/1. Easy money

 

[BadFish]

I can't see Liverpool dropping back
Arsenal will surely sign a striker
City will probably spend and sort their shit out.

Newcastle and Chelsea be there or there abouts. Spurs and Man U* will also sort themselves out.

Europa League next year will be a big ask. An outside chance of sneaking a Champions League place.

Winning a Cup would be brilliant though.

Winning the league?

No.

*joking I am, Man U are f***ed

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I can't see Liverpool dropping back
Arsenal will surely sign a striker
City will probably spend and sort their shit out.

Newcastle and Chelsea be there or there abouts. Spurs and Man U* will also sort themselves out.

Europa League next year will be a big ask. An outside chance of sneaking a Champions League place.

Winning a Cup would be brilliant though.

Winning the league?

No.

*joking I am, Man U are f***ed

Of all the many reasons why we won't win the League, Arsenal winning it instead isn't something I've considered.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Genuine question.

If Baleba and Mitoma were convinced to stay (and not simply tied to their contracts), and JP is adequately replaced, could we actually challenge for the title?

I am aware that might sound hilarious to some (especially visiting supporters) but when you look at that squad, we've got decent cover almost everywhere. We have just finished 8th, a few avoidable dropped points outside the Champions League places.

Normally the question I'd have asked is whether we could challenge the champions league places, but if Liverpool sans TAA drop back to the pack, there really isn't much difference.

Yes, why not?

 

[BadFish]

Of all the many reasons why we won't win the League, Arsenal winning it instead isn't something I've considered.

They might come third?

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

They might come third?

Oh, comfortably.

 

[Eeyore]

Leicester is the reference, had a better defence and 20+ goal striker. fix that and we could be contention.

Leicester City won the title in a year where all the random stars aligned. They weren't even the best team in the league, which makes it all the more unexplainable. Just about every major contender was in transition. Interestingly, this year was similar with Liverpool coming through.

What this suggest to me is that next year will be much harder. Every side below us has a claim to suggest they will be much better next time round. This explains why the promoted teams struggle so much. The starting point is further behind.

 

[Balders]

"IF" being the operative word. So "if" the sides who finished above us this season all get struck down with numerous, multiple injuries and illness for the majority of next season, then the answer is obviously "YES"

 

[Flounce]

Keep Mitoma, Baleba and JPVH as well as new signings in defence I say YES, with the proviso that just when it’s in our grasp, we are absolutely guaranteed to choke, probably in the final game against one of the three relegation teams at the Amex


Our bench with a mostly fit squad is up there with the best. Game changing in fact.

I did open this thread thinking it was about the Lindsay Anderson film though

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Leicester City won the title in a year where all the random stars aligned. They weren't even the best team in the league, which makes it all the more unexplainable. Just about every major contender was in transition. Interestingly, this year was similar with Liverpool coming through.

What this suggest to me is that next year will be much harder. Every side below us has a claim to suggest they will be much better next time round. This explains why the promoted teams struggle so much. The starting point is further behind.

To be fair, Leicester must have been the best team in the league, otherwise they wouldn't have won it quite comfortably in the end. I can buy that the table can lie by a few points here and there, but not by 10 points at the end of the season. Their nearest challengers ended up finishing 3rd.

Similarly with Liverpool this season, you don't finish that far ahead without being better than the other teams.

But otherwise I agree, we can't just look at our squad and say "if we keep everybody and add a couple we'll be much better", because all the teams can say that.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Genuine question.

If Baleba and Mitoma were convinced to stay (and not simply tied to their contracts), and JP is adequately replaced, could we actually challenge for the title?

I am aware that might sound hilarious to some (especially visiting supporters) but when you look at that squad, we've got decent cover almost everywhere. We have just finished 8th, a few avoidable dropped points outside the Champions League places.

Normally the question I'd have asked is whether we could challenge the champions league places, but if Liverpool sans TAA drop back to the pack, there really isn't much difference.

No

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Yes we can if....

We keep key players fit
We work out how to edge dull low block games
We tighten up at the back
We save a few penalties
Liverpool, arsenal, Chelsea and city all have very poor seasons

 

[jessiejames]

With the European games for those clubs to deal with, I think Top 10 and a Cup.

 

[Official Old Man]

I watched Baleba drift past a few Spurs players before knocking a perfect ball to Mitoma, who then beat two players before passing a great ball into the box.
I stood still and thought 'that was just pure class'.
We keep them, avoid too many injuries, and top 6 is possible.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Wouldn’t need to buy better defenders and a 20+ goals a season strker if we can just buy enough refs.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I think we could challenge for the title in the sense that Villa did last season and Forest sort of did this season - i.e. be in the conversation in January. But as we see with the clubs that made the CL this season, those last ten games are where the massive clubs always come through.

 

[martin tyler]

In theory yes but unlikely. I suspect the gap at the top will be smaller but not because of Liverpool dropping back.
They won the league as they created and scored more than anyone else and seem likely to spend big on a 3/4 players and if anything their attack could be better than this years.
Arsenal you would assume will sign a striker, LM and a CM and will be strong.
City will also spend big although they look the most vulnerable of the 3 at the moment.
Chelsea who knows what they will spend especially now in the CL.

Most these managers seem to suggest they want smaller squads as well. Injuries, how far they go in other competitions ect will also dictate a lot. City and Chelsea will have a smaller break than most at the start of the season and it could be a long season for both.

Without Europe we could have a very solid season. Defensively we would need to be a lot more solid especially away. Never say never but realistically unlikely. Would think 5-9th somewhere

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

To be fair, Leicester must have been the best team in the league, otherwise they wouldn't have won it quite comfortably in the end. I can buy that the table can lie by a few points here and there, but not by 10 points at the end of the season. Their nearest challengers ended up finishing 3rd.

Similarly with Liverpool this season, you don't finish that far ahead without being better than the other teams.

But otherwise I agree, we can't just look at our squad and say "if we keep everybody and add a couple we'll be much better", because all the teams can say that.

I think City were the best team in the league but decided to announce in January that they were sacking Pellegrini and hiring Guardiola in the summer. And their form fell off a cliff.

 

[Easy 10]

Until we can figure out a way of beating bottom 3 junk at the Amex, we can forget it.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I think City were the best team in the league but decided to announce in January that they were sacking Pellegrini and hiring Guardiola in the summer. And their form fell off a cliff.

They had a good start to the season but had fallen behind by Christmas.

Maybe they'd have picked back up again in other circumstances, but that's their problem. You're not the best team in the league if you finish 4th, 15 points behind the winners.