I think that the key this season is to sort the general balance of the squad out, get a style of play embedded into the club after it lost all identity and direction over the last 18 months, sort out the general support structure (coaches, backroom staff) and then hopefully push on with increasing speed once the basics are in place. I see this season and the next couple of windows after this one as building blocks. There are a bunch of players OOC in a year who are on a lot of money between them, and once they can be moved out and replaced on the back of a year of laying the groundwork, I think we’ll be in a great spot.
We might move faster than that - the league looks pretty weak on paper so far and we might click very quickly and be able to take advantage of that - and that would be great. I won’t expect it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s possible. Personally I would see a top ten finish with a clear plan being implemented over the course of the season as a positive return, so if Manning can go beyond that then hey, that’s brilliant. I’m sure he and the players will have loftier expectations than top ten, as they should, so let’s see. But I would consider that a solid platform after the absolute chaos that ripped through the club and nearly sent us to L2.
We need a left back and another forward to get the balance sorted (ideally two forwards if someone can be moved on to make room), which I’m sure will happen in the next few weeks, and then once the gaps are filled the quality can be addressed across all positions moving forward.
I think that people might need to be a little patient, or at least be open to the possibility.
