StriderHiryu Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 Whilst I think it is possible to become a club in that bracket, we first have to reliably get 7th every season first, like Everton used to do. There are plenty of other clubs who have the same aspirations and all of those clubs have on paper the resources to do it too; West Ham, Everton, Wolves, Watford. I think we are better run as a club and have better players than all of those teams, and yet the difference between all of the clubs points wise is almost negligible and it's Watford and Wolves that are one game away from Wembley, not us. There is no guarantee even with continued investment that we will be better than those clubs yet alone challenge the teams above us. There is a huge gap between 6th and 7th in the table which shows you the difficulty of the task for all involved. Of the teams most likely to drop I'd go for either Arsenal or Tottenham. The new Spurs stadium could lead to a long period of conservative spending from them if the Arsenal example is anything to go by and you can't help but feel that if another big name player goes then a whole raft of them will. They lost Kyle Walker already but I could see Eriksen, Alli or Son going at some point too. As for Arsenal, their owner seems more interested in the revenues it brings in rather than performing on the pitch so despite them having a good setup and academy I think they could be overhauled as I don't think their current squad is that good, nor are their up and coming players that special.
Ted Maul Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 We've got the potential to have the odd season here or there where we finish in the top 6 but we've got no chance of replacing someone consistently.
stripeyfox Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 22 minutes ago, Fox92 said: Can't see him staying there longer. Absolutely no evidence to support this, just my theory. That's usually plenty good enough on here!
don_danbury Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 can't see it happening really. but if it was to happen then chelsea are in a bit of a mess. their team is bang average if you take kante and hazard out. i suppose spurs if everyone goes wrong in the summer(poch goes and a few players follow). something could go wrong too with ole being appointed and if pogba leaves.
Stadt Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 We’re not even as good as what Spurs were 5-10 years ago consistently finishing 5-7th and yet some of the delusional folks on here think we’re gonna be better all of a sudden when Eriksen leaves
Guest Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 3 hours ago, urban fox said: we are all agreed that we should be pushing for a place in the top six over the next couple of seasons No we aren't
oadby.fox Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 1 hour ago, Ric Flair said: Absolutely no idea, the PL is constantly getting stronger but the top 6 remain untouched really. To get back amongst it and then back it up for a few years after will take a huge operation but we are probably the team to do it out of anyone. We have a team with a massive amount of potential and a manager who improves young players, I think top 6 is a real possibility however daunting it seems. The real question is, can we break in to the top 6 next season if we were to finish 7th this season and get in to the Europa League qualifying stages, 6 qualifying games before and just after the start of the season is relentless, we will pretty much play 3 games a week every week at a time where we need to trim the squad due to finances. We best have some real quality coming through the U18's and U23's. Yeah achieving top 6 next season would be a big ask in my opinion, with or without the added fixture congestion of the Europa League. We will definitely need to bring in a few players to replace those leaving this Summer but if we got into the Europa league would things really be so bad fixture wise - especially if we prioritise it over the domestic cups? You could imagine a backline involving Ward, Amartey, Soyuncu/Benkovic/Morgan, + new LB/Elder, then Hamza + Mendy in midfield with Ghezzal, Diabate (the forgotton man) or Albrighton the options out wide and with Kelechi upfront (or ideally his replacement) and a youth player. Okay it's not the best lineup but there could be enough quality and experience in there to get us through the early stages of the competition. Of course, as a second-string it'd be better if we sign a couple of cheaper 'prospect' type players or older squad filler on lower wages but it could be enough with a bit of quality on the bench to bring on if we are struggling. Obviously playing on a Thursday sucks regardless but I think there is some cause for optimism.
Sol thewall Bamba Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 A lot of arrogance in this thread. Why do people think we have some kind of right to break into the top 6? Do you not think Watford and Wolves are having the same conversations? We're not the only "ambitious" club in the league lads.
The Horse's Mouth Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 This is a conversation too early, BRodge hasn't been here long and he needs to be bedded in properly before we can have a realistic idea of where we can end up. Especially with our merry go round since Pearson
49er Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 The last three seasons for us have been a real mess. Dreadful signings, and effectively wasting two years of Mahrez and three of Vardy. A great opportunity spurned to break into the top six, at a time when the likes of Man Utd and Arsenal have been struggling. Despite all of this, we could still finish in the top seven, which shows how average the Premier League is. With some astute signings in the summer (Tielemans, top notch centre forward and a winger), with Barnes coming to the fore and Gray proving at long last that he can make a real impact at this level, we can break into the top six. Apart from Auabemyang, I don't really rate Arsenal. Chelsea may be in a period of flux. Time will tell whether OGS is the 'chosen one' for Man Utd - I'm pleased that they went for him instead of a well established, top notch Manager like Allegri. As for Spurs, good side that they are, they seem reliant on Kane and Eriksen. How long will they hand around in a team that fails to win anything? If they go, where does that leave them.
nnfox Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 Hard to imagine replacing any of the top 6. More likely, in my opinion, that the current top 6 lock out will become a top 7 lock out and there's no reason why we can't be part of that. It'll be tough though because Everton, West Ham and even Wolves can have legitimate similar ambitions. We are well placed though, with a talented young squad and solid infrastructure. All the pieces are in place, we just need to embrace the potential. Failing to live up to that would be a source of massive of regret.
Captain... Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 1 hour ago, Nicolo Barella said: You mean you can see us long-term displacing one of Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool?....... Maybe for a single season, but Man Utd is the biggest global brand in sport. This whole thread is an optimistic shambles, unless I've read it wrong and people are talking about an unsustained push for a Top 6 spot instead of consistently finishing there. To be honest it won’t be down to us if one of the current big 6 drops out. It will be down to their own mismanagement and failings. Hence my point about how how we should focus on a realistic target of 65 points and being the best of the rest putting the pressure on the big 6 knowing if they slip up there is a team on their heels. Where we finish in the table is not totally down to us. What is down to us is how many points we get. A team could realistically make it a big 7 but I don’t think it’ll be us, one of the big 6 could go into meltdown, that is where we need to be positioned to take advantage.
Captain... Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 17 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said: A lot of arrogance in this thread. Why do people think we have some kind of right to break into the top 6? Do you not think Watford and Wolves are having the same conversations? We're not the only "ambitious" club in the league lads. They should be one way to break the top 6 dominance is to have more teams not scared of Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge etc but enough pressure on them and you soon get a top 3 or top 2.
Nicolo Barella Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 57 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said: Whilst I think it is possible to become a club in that bracket, we first have to reliably get 7th every season first, like Everton used to do. There are plenty of other clubs who have the same aspirations and all of those clubs have on paper the resources to do it too; West Ham, Everton, Wolves, Watford. I think we are better run as a club and have better players than all of those teams, and yet the difference between all of the clubs points wise is almost negligible and it's Watford and Wolves that are one game away from Wembley, not us. There is no guarantee even with continued investment that we will be better than those clubs yet alone challenge the teams above us. There is a huge gap between 6th and 7th in the table which shows you the difficulty of the task for all involved. Of the teams most likely to drop I'd go for either Arsenal or Tottenham. The new Spurs stadium could lead to a long period of conservative spending from them if the Arsenal example is anything to go by and you can't help but feel that if another big name player goes then a whole raft of them will. They lost Kyle Walker already but I could see Eriksen, Alli or Son going at some point too. As for Arsenal, their owner seems more interested in the revenues it brings in rather than performing on the pitch so despite them having a good setup and academy I think they could be overhauled as I don't think their current squad is that good, nor are their up and coming players that special. I think Wolves and Watford are both excellently run clubs tbf to them.
Ric Flair Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 38 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said: A lot of arrogance in this thread. Why do people think we have some kind of right to break into the top 6? Do you not think Watford and Wolves are having the same conversations? We're not the only "ambitious" club in the league lads. I don't read it as arrogance, I read it as fans being biased about the club they support which you will always get. Wolves, Watford etc have every right to think the same and they may be just as equipped as us and we will no doubt dismiss it just as them and other club will dismiss our ambition. The difference is we've already re-written the rule book on the order of the PL and we have the best young squad in the league, we now have a manager to match and it gives us the best possible chance of progressing. I still think it will be hugely difficult though, the marginal gains for clubs like us is minimal in league position when against the juggernauts of the top 6 but it isn't impossible.
That_Dude Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 37 minutes ago, Captain... said: To be honest it won’t be down to us if one of the current big 6 drops out. It will be down to their own mismanagement and failings. Hence my point about how how we should focus on a realistic target of 65 points and being the best of the rest putting the pressure on the big 6 knowing if they slip up there is a team on their heels. Where we finish in the table is not totally down to us. What is down to us is how many points we get. A team could realistically make it a big 7 but I don’t think it’ll be us, one of the big 6 could go into meltdown, that is where we need to be positioned to take advantage. For all their mismanaging and misfiring, there's still a 16 points gap between the top 6 and the rest (with Chelsea still having a game to play). Arsenal will come back stronger next year, Spurs are in a tight spot because of their stadium, but will have no other choice than investing this summer if they want to stay competitive. Chelsea for all their woes will still be fighting for the top 4 next season, same for MU (yes ManU) and let's not talk about Liverpool or ManCity which are currently untouchable. Absolutely but Watford, Everton and Wolves have also a say in the matter and they are realistically our direct opponents against which we should focus. The odd 6th one season is possible, but consistently? Not a chance in hell in the current state, and that's assuming we'll keep Tielemans, sign a real alternative to Vardy as well as a quality right winger. These talks about breaking into the top 6 in the next seasons make me wonder wether fans are actually aware of the real value of our squad or just massively underestimating what it takes to consistently be at the top. Or both.
Nicolo Barella Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 39 minutes ago, That_Dude said: For all their mismanaging and misfiring, there's still a 16 points gap between the top 6 and the rest (with Chelsea still having a game to play). Arsenal will come back stronger next year, Spurs are in a tight spot because of their stadium, but will have no other choice than investing this summer if they want to stay competitive. Chelsea for all their woes will still be fighting for the top 4 next season, same for MU (yes ManU) and let's not talk about Liverpool or ManCity which are currently untouchable. Absolutely but Watford, Everton and Wolves have also a say in the matter and they are realistically our direct opponents against which we should focus. The odd 6th one season is possible, but consistently? Not a chance in hell in the current state, and that's assuming we'll keep Tielemans, sign a real alternative to Vardy as well as a quality right winger. These talks about breaking into the top 6 in the next seasons make me wonder wether fans are actually aware of the real value of our squad or just massively underestimating what it takes to consistently be at the top. Or both. I think it's the second. The only way any club could come close, I think, is if the entire mid-table learns how to play against them like Wolves have this year, consistently. That would open chances for other clubs to try for CL. Just one club going it alone however...
coolhandfox Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 Win 3 in a row, who are we replacing in the top six........ One step at a time.
Clever Fox Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 The top 3 are a given, after that the next 3 places are up for grabs. I expected Spurs to drop down to mid table this season and to be fair they haven't. i think that's more to do with the form of Song who has scored some great goals. very likely that Eriksen is going, and a I've been told that Poch is definitely off in the Summer. Apparently the deal is done just waiting to sign at the end of season. Arsenal seem to be stock pulling cash for a real assault on the league. Though I'm not sure they trust their current manager to spend it. Chelsea are in a bit of a mess at the minute, so they could struggle next season. We need to cement our top 10 position first, and given our current squad we're well on our way to doing that, with a few additions. The team most likely to challenge us is Wolves, a decent Manager and a good team. a cup final if they get their is likely to boost confidence for next season. But who knows, maybe someone else will do a Leicester and smash the cartel.
Captain... Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 1 hour ago, That_Dude said: For all their mismanaging and misfiring, there's still a 16 points gap between the top 6 and the rest (with Chelsea still having a game to play). Arsenal will come back stronger next year, Spurs are in a tight spot because of their stadium, but will have no other choice than investing this summer if they want to stay competitive. Chelsea for all their woes will still be fighting for the top 4 next season, same for MU (yes ManU) and let's not talk about Liverpool or ManCity which are currently untouchable. Absolutely but Watford, Everton and Wolves have also a say in the matter and they are realistically our direct opponents against which we should focus. The odd 6th one season is possible, but consistently? Not a chance in hell in the current state, and that's assuming we'll keep Tielemans, sign a real alternative to Vardy as well as a quality right winger. These talks about breaking into the top 6 in the next seasons make me wonder wether fans are actually aware of the real value of our squad or just massively underestimating what it takes to consistently be at the top. Or both. I agree with pretty much everything you’ve said and you hit upon 2 reasons the top 6 are probably going to maintain the status quo. One is Chelsea and United have had a poor half a season Chelsea second half, United first half yet the are still well clear of the rest. There are still too many teams who are just happy to not get thrashed against a big 6 side. This is the myth that needs to be punctured to break the top 6 and you saw it against United when the fear factor was gone and when everyone worked out to stop Chelsea you just mark Jorginho. The other problem is our direct rivals will also need to be taking points off a top 6 side which means for us to break into the top 6 we need stronger teams around us which means we are more likely to drop points to Watford, Everton, Wolves etc. The only thing I’ll disagree with is Liverpool are untouchable. They’ve been very good this season, but only finished 4th last season and look vulnerable to injuries/departures. They’ve only really been in the big x for a few years.
knitro Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 2 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said: A lot of arrogance in this thread. Why do people think we have some kind of right to break into the top 6? Do you not think Watford and Wolves are having the same conversations? We're not the only "ambitious" club in the league lads. This misses the mark wildly. I don't think anyone is declaring it a right - rather looking ahead at the path forward and with where our club's stated ambition intends to go, what is the likely scenario which sees it happen? In order for Leicester to rise, someone has to fall - asking who it's going to be and why isn't arrogance... I'm sure Watford, Everton, Palace, Wolves, et all have the same conversations - the answer to the OP question would be equally interesting to their fans as well.
Ric Flair Posted 2 April 2019 Posted 2 April 2019 41 minutes ago, Nicolo Barella said: I think it's the second. The only way any club could come close, I think, is if the entire mid-table learns how to play against them like Wolves have this year, consistently. That would open chances for other clubs to try for CL. Just one club going it alone however... We have done ok against better sides this season under Puel. We are now dispatching those stubborn mediocre/dross teams that we struggled with under Puel. It'll be interesting to see Rodgers tactics vs the elite clubs as if he has any criticism thrown at him over the years it's his inability to be more pragmatic when required which Puel was a natural at. We might get exposed against the better sides and picked off. Will be an interesting final 3 games to the season as an indicator of this.
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