General What are your expectations for the season ahead?

[TheYolker]

Survive relegation.
Anything beyond 21st and in the cup is a bonus

 

[isibuko]

Added a poll now

 

[Yellowblood]

If Des can get the team playing the system he wants then I think we will be alright. I do think we need a few more options up top. Any injury or loss of confidence with Harris will leave us with few alternatives.

 

[holdsteady]

In that scenario, I couldn't care less about making friends. Want us to establish ourselves in the Championship.

When we were at this level for most of the nineties of a struggling manager lost to us they got sacked, quite looking forward to being the little side that everyone looks down on again, be nice to be the ones causing the upsets and getting up peoples noses after the conference years of that being in reverse.

 

[Basham Wonderland]

You can tell Kip has voted because we've got one for "relegated"

 

[Steve Gilbert]

I personally think we will surprise a fair few teams and finish clear of the drop. We have done well so far in the transfer window and made some excellent signings with a mixture of championship experience, signing some of the better players from lower down and also signed raw/unknown talent.

My main hope this season is that the commercial part of the club catches up with playing side and starts acting like a championship club. I would say though, that is more in hope than actually thinking it will happen.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

A thoroughly enjoyable season with at least 16 League wins as we finish comfortably mid-table.

Really solid home form, scoring well engineered goals and regularly getting results with sub-40% possession. Unearthing two or three big talents in the process.

A few away wins, including a couple of 'I was there' type victories at top half sides in front of sell-out away ends - one of which being West Brom.

Also, a less impressive away victory (in terms of opposition) but even better all-round away day more locally - could be a London club, but instead I'll go with two late goals to come from behind at Ashton Gate (with 2,500 yellows belting out 'who the f"*ck is Liam Manning' at full time).

A League Cup Quarter Final. 5th Round FA Cup.

And an end to any patronising nonsense about Oxford United at this level.

 

[MJB]

You can tell Kip has voted because we've got one for "relegated"

That was Benson’s lurker account.

He meant to vote for Champions but gets confused by the layout of any website which doesn’t have a huge banner image taking up two thirds of the page.

 

[dabigfella]

If we sign a couple of decent forwards then comfortably avoiding relegation. If we dont, then certain relegation

 

[Twiggy85]

I would be amazed if we were not in a relegation battle - so in terms of expectation I expect a battle against relegation and hope we can finish above the line

 

[WE Yellow]

I think we’ll be amongst 8 or 9 teams with relegation troubles throughout, it’s very hard to call the 3 which will go down, which may be to our benefit but may also see us left chasing at key times. One thing I’m confident about is our ability to stay in games and if needed, grind out a result. The concerns are mainly over if we are clinical enough when dominating games, I do like our signings on the whole but slightly worried about the lack of goals we have from our wings, despite how reliant we are on them to suit our system, I don’t see Placheta, Ebiowei, Phillips and Dale adding too much firepower but have been proven wrong before.

Hard to truly call it before we’ve kicked a ball in anger, but my feeling is anywhere between 18th and 22nd. I’d snap your hand off for a final day survival.

 

[greatunclekip]

I know what I’m setting myself up for with this, but at the moment it’s relegation.

Not enough up to or in defence in terms of Champ experience or cutting edge up front.

People forget Cov and Bristol City last season- that’s the level and I’m not sure we are significantly stronger?

We were outstanding in the final two months of the season but have lost the player largely responsible for that to a rival, and have brought in several good league 1 players. Prior to that we were a middle of the road League 1 team.

Players like Vaulks and Phillips give hope.

The lack of striker is genuinely utterly staggering.

We look undercooked if the Palermo friendly is anything to go by.

As always, hope to be proved wrong!

 

[EastStandKieran]

I think we will finish anywhere between 16th-24th

I think we will lose som games heavily by 5,6 goals but I also think we will win some games that nobody gives a hope of winning

I think not many teams will enjoy playing against us especially at the shitpit

As fans we need to be 100% every game especially at home we really need to be that 12th man this season

I’m hoping we sign a quality centre back and a couple of strikers get the wingers sorted out

But mostly I can’t bloody wait for it

 

[Gregortheox]

15th to 18th is my gut feeling.

Based on our tenacity so far in the transfer market, I would expect 3 or 4 more key signings…a right back who can play centrally, another winger and a striker?

I feel the the options we have in the centre of the park will give us a fighting chance in most games and between Cam, Vaulks, sibbley, Tyler, Ruben, Malcolm, Placenta, Phillips, El miz, dale and Harris, we have players who can effect games.

 

[Osei Yaw]

We're light up front and at centre back, although I trust that we're looking to rectify both of those issues.

I can see us surprising a few, especially those teams that want to move the ball round at the back a lot. I worry about us against teams that want to get the ball in behind us quickly, we currently have a lack of pace in defence at the moment and that's something that Championship level players could easily exploit.

Either way, it's exciting and I trust in Buckingham and the squad he's built. We may pick up the odd heavy defeat, but I can't see us throwing the towel in.

 

[Joey]

I think we've got a great chance at staying up, there are usually crisis clubs and Blackburn, Preston and Wayne Rooney's Plymouth look like they could struggle. There's certainly something to be said for being well run and getting what you can out of what you have and letting others implode around you and I think we look like we should be pretty organised and have everyone on the same hymn sheet. I think talk of top half is incredibly ambitious, Ipswich went straight through but had a much, much better squad in League One than we did, I also think both Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth were starting from ahead of where we are and both struggled, although Wednesday seem a clown show off the pitch and were very good under Rohl. There will be a big step up and times where we get outclassed but I'm hoping we have enough about us to finish around 18th, I's snap your hand off for 21st though if offered now.

That said this is based on us signing at least one more striker and I'd like to see an upgrade at centre back too. I wouldn't call our business so far spectacular but it is solid, exciting and pretty aggressive, we have to be clever and try and pick players on the way up with a smattering of experience such as Vaulks and Phillips. If the window was closed then I'd have us to go down as I don't think we'll get enough goals as it stands and I don't have full faith defensively. Assuming we fix these issues then I'd be confident and depending on who we bring in we could make it more comfortable.

It always seems a long time between seasons and I'm absolutely buzzing for Saturday.

 

[Leysboy]

I think we've got a great chance at staying up, there are usually crisis clubs and Blackburn, Preston and Wayne Rooney's Plymouth look like they could struggle. There's certainly something to be said for being well run and getting what you can out of what you have and letting others implode around you and I think we look like we should be pretty organised and have everyone on the same hymn sheet. I think talk of top half is incredibly ambitious, Ipswich went straight through but had a much, much better squad in League One than we did, I also think both Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth were starting from ahead of where we are and both struggled, although Wednesday seem a clown show off the pitch and were very good under Rohl. There will be a big step up and times where we get outclassed but I'm hoping we have enough about us to finish around 18th, I's snap your hand off for 21st though if offered now.

That said this is based on us signing at least one more striker and I'd like to see an upgrade at centre back too. I wouldn't call our business so far spectacular but it is solid, exciting and pretty aggressive, we have to be clever and try and pick players on the way up with a smattering of experience such as Vaulks and Phillips. If the window was closed then I'd have us to go down as I don't think we'll get enough goals as it stands and I don't have full faith defensively. Assuming we fix these issues then I'd be confident and depending on who we bring in we could make it more comfortable.

It always seems a long time between seasons and I'm absolutely buzzing for Saturday.

To add to those crisis clubs, I think Millwall, and Watford could be in for a long hard season. Plus Pompey, and Derby, and I don’t think Stoke have finished in the top half once since coming down from the premier lge.

I agree it’s a great opportunity for the football club to stay up, and build upon a decent season. I think 18th would be a marvellous achievement, and entirely possible.

We’ve had a strong window, and there is more to come. I’m extremely optimistic about the season ahead.

 

[OxRox]

If things don't go our way I hope Des and the players don't get the abuse dished out by some "supporters" earlier this year.
COYY

 

[theWizard]

I believe the steady norm of arriving at the Kassam and asking friends in the stands if we win 3-0 or 2-0 are gone.... for this season at least.

We will have a mixed bag this season. Draws will feel like wins and wins will be utterly amazing. Decent loses may at times be welcome?????

I think being well run, togetherness and some alright results will see us beat relegation

 

[Gregortheox]

I think the key for us is making sure we can win the ball a bit higher up. That will require us not sitting too deep - so another centre back with pace is welcome please.
Where we place our last defensive line will definitely allow Cam, Vaulks and co to win the scrap for the second balls. Defend too deep and it will be shooting practice I'm afraid.