How

[joely22]

You boys reckon you'll do this season?

Personally, I think you'll do really well. I think Clemence is possibly the best signing so far in the Championship so far and Campbell will certainly get you some goals. I think you need a big striker to get out of this division and other than de Vries, I dont think you have one. I heard de Vries has done pretty well in pre-season, whether he's the answer or not, I dont know but I think someone like Stevie Howard would be brilliant for you lot.

In Martin Allen, you have a top young manager that will be in the Premiership in the next three or four years whether it be with you or another side. He's much like Billy Davies in the fact that he's a very talented young manager and although both approaches are pretty old school they do seem to work.

Personally, if I was a City fan I'd be disappointed with anything below a 10th place finish.

Thoughts?

Cheers, Joel

[Tommeh]

Nice to hear positive comments from a derby fan.

Many go along the lines of - Imbarrasement of the midlands, rubbish new manager, Milan will drop before we're in the prem and so on so thanks for a bit of realism and positivity.

Anyway I think top 10 will be the aim, and I also think we'll challenge the top 6 so who knows. Your right De vries has been good in pre season and a big man is required and I personally think he can do it despite all the critisism in the past.

Also agree with what you said about clemence, he was brilliant against Pompey and also seems to have taken a bit of responsibility for the players and talk on the pitch. Something thats been painfully missing for too many years.

[dandannieldanok]

I think we will always have the continuing outside hope of play-offs but fall predicatably short 9th-12th. Here's hoping we don't.

[Simi]

You boys reckon you'll do this season?

Personally, I think you'll do really well. I think Clemence is possibly the best signing so far in the Championship so far and Campbell will certainly get you some goals. I think you need a big striker to get out of this division and other than de Vries, I dont think you have one. I heard de Vries has done pretty well in pre-season, whether he's the answer or not, I dont know but I think someone like Stevie Howard would be brilliant for you lot.

In Martin Allen, you have a top young manager that will be in the Premiership in the next three or four years whether it be with you or another side. He's much like Billy Davies in the fact that he's a very talented young manager and although both approaches are pretty old school they do seem to work.

Personally, if I was a City fan I'd be disappointed with anything below a 10th place finish.

Thoughts?

Cheers, Joel

Top 10 finish is very realistic for us this season after what we have endured over the past two seasons or so. With Milan at the helm now we certainly wont be mugged of by anyone. Any losers will be straight out the door if they cross either Milan or Allen, I'm sure of that.

I hope you're right about Allen mate, he's definitely come across with the right attitude so far and hopefully that will reflect when we start to look at the results.

I think Milan would also see anything below 10th as a failure this season. This division is very tough but he is a man with very high expectations.

[joely22]

Nice to hear positive comments from a derby fan.

Many go along the lines of - Imbarrasement of the midlands, rubbish new manager, Milan will drop before we're in the prem and so on so thanks for a bit of realism and positivity.

Anyway I think top 10 will be the aim, and I also think we'll challenge the top 6 so who knows. Your right De vries has been good in pre season and a big man is required and I personally think he can do it despite all the critisism in the past.

Also agree with what you said about clemence, he was brilliant against Pompey and also seems to have taken a bit of responsibility for the players and talk on the pitch. Something thats been painfully missing for too many years.

Sounds good though. New board etc. 15,000 season tickets sold is it? Or so I hear? So I take it you're all looking forward to the new season. Everything thats happened to you in the past few months has been what we had this time last year. Its all very exciting although most of us only expected to finish mid table but didnt expect anything close to what we actually got!

Thing is because we had such low or average expectations last season, everything that happened seemed to be brilliant! Worrying thing is if you have such high expectations then anything below those will feel like a failure so to be fair, although I would expect you to finish in the top half of the table, use this season as a rebuilding season. You might end u lucky like us and have an absolute blinder but chances are slim.

Good luck

[joely22]

Top 10 finish is very realistic for us this season after what we have endured over the past two seasons or so. With Milan at the helm now we certainly wont be mugged of by anyone. Any losers will be straight out the door if they cross either Milan or Allen, I'm sure of that.

I hope you're right about Allen mate, he's definitely come across with the right attitude so far and hopefully that will reflect when we start to look at the results.

I think Milan would also see anything below 10th as a failure this season. This division is very tough but he is a man with very high expectations.

Exactly right chap. Just dont expect too much, you gotta remember that there are teams like Southampton and Preston who will be up there and thats without including the teams who have come down. There are some very strong sides coming down and theres sides who finished in a similar position as you who will be expecting the same as what you do. Norwich for example.

Nice sig by the way! Who made that!?

[Tommeh]

Sounds good though. New board etc. 15,000 season tickets sold is it? Or so I hear? So I take it you're all looking forward to the new season. Everything thats happened to you in the past few months has been what we had this time last year. Its all very exciting although most of us only expected to finish mid table but didnt expect anything close to what we actually got!

Thing is because we had such low or average expectations last season, everything that happened seemed to be brilliant! Worrying thing is if you have such high expectations then anything below those will feel like a failure so to be fair, although I would expect you to finish in the top half of the table, use this season as a rebuilding season. You might end u lucky like us and have an absolute blinder but chances are slim.

Good luck

Think its 13,000 st's but the way many fans are if we're winnig they'll turn up. so we should get 25,000 + most weeks.

Expectations is a big thing, tbh this season just to travel to games away and home and feel optamistic will be an improvement as last season I always seemed to be travelling in hope.

But like you say as you did it last season theres no reason why we can't this. Also IMO your team wasnt strenghtened as much as ours in the summer and it was at Janurary when you saw your league position and showed good ambition by sigining 3 or 4 to really push you up, I think we'll be the same.

[Simi]

Sounds good though. New board etc. 15,000 season tickets sold is it? Or so I hear? So I take it you're all looking forward to the new season. Everything thats happened to you in the past few months has been what we had this time last year. Its all very exciting although most of us only expected to finish mid table but didnt expect anything close to what we actually got!

Thing is because we had such low or average expectations last season, everything that happened seemed to be brilliant! Worrying thing is if you have such high expectations then anything below those will feel like a failure so to be fair, although I would expect you to finish in the top half of the table, use this season as a rebuilding season. You might end u lucky like us and have an absolute blinder but chances are slim.

Good luck

The chances of us having a blinder are very slim I should think. Year after year this division keeps on getting stronger and with the amount of money being thrown around it doesn't make recruiting players any easier.

Exactly right chap. Just dont expect too much, you gotta remember that there are teams like Southampton and Preston who will be up there and thats without including the teams who have come down. There are some very strong sides coming down and theres sides who finished in a similar position as you who will be expecting the same as what you do. Norwich for example.

Nice sig by the way! Who made that!?

I think with your lot taking Earnshaw away from Norwich they may struggle a little next year, but there is definitely around 8/9 teams that will all be aiming for those play off spots.

RE the sig at the bottom was made by a mate of mine, good lad, shame he sh*gs sheep.

[joely22]

Think its 13,000 st's but the way many fans are if we're winnig they'll turn up. so we should get 25,000 + most weeks.

Expectations is a big thing, tbh this season just to travel to games away and home and feel optamistic will be an improvement as last season I always seemed to be travelling in hope.

But like you say as you did it last season theres no reason why we can't this. Also IMO your team wasnt strenghtened as much as ours in the summer and it was at Janurary when you saw your league position and showed good ambition by sigining 3 or 4 to really push you up, I think we'll be the same.

Yeah exactly. We had one striker when Bill came in. I'm trying to think of the players we signed before August:

Bywater, Leacock, Camara, Oakley, Ryan Smith, Lupoli and Bob Malcolm.

I'm pretty sure that's it.

Then we signed David Jones around November time and then in came:

Mears, McEveley, Jones (permanent), Fagan, Teale, Macken and Pearson.

So about seven in each window.

Is a tough division to get out of but it's the ugly football that gets you out of it. Thats why almost every other clubs fans dont seem to think we were good enough to go up but at the end of the day, we won our matches and although we played ugly football, we're in the Premiership and £60 million better off! Other teams can say all they like now but Im sure they'd love to be in our position now!

Anything can happen in that division, anyone can beat anyone. At the end of the day, win matches and there's only one place you can go!

[joely22]

The chances of us having a blinder are very slim I should think. Year after year this division keeps on getting stronger and with the amount of money being thrown around it doesn't make recruiting players any easier.

I think with your lot taking Earnshaw away from Norwich they may struggle a little next year, but there is definitely around 8/9 teams that will all be aiming for those play off spots.

RE the sig at the bottom was made by a mate of mine, good lad, shame he sh*gs sheep.

Ahaha! It is a shame yes!

Thing is, you're a side spending the money. We spent money last season and look at us now.

[Simi]

Yeah exactly. We had one striker when Bill came in. I'm trying to think of the players we signed before August:

Bywater, Leacock, Camara, Oakley, Ryan Smith, Lupoli and Bob Malcolm.

I'm pretty sure that's it.

Then we signed David Jones around November time and then in came:

Mears, McEveley, Jones (permanent), Fagan, Teale, Macken and Pearson.

So about seven in each window.

Is a tough division to get out of but it's the ugly football that gets you out of it. Thats why almost every other clubs fans dont seem to think we were good enough to go up but at the end of the day, we won our matches and although we played ugly football, we're in the Premiership and £60 million better off! Other teams can say all they like now but Im sure they'd love to be in our position now!

Anything can happen in that division, anyone can beat anyone. At the end of the day, win matches and there's only one place you can go!

You've hit the nail of the head there pal.

Ugly football gets results in this division, no doubt about that, but it can be done both ways I think.

A few MK Dons fans have been on here saying Allen likes to play hoof ball to a big target man which would solve a lot of confusion as to why De Vries has played so much over pre season.

If it gets us to the promise land, then I suppose we cannot complain.

[Rossatron]

8th

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

After the summer signing frezy I'd expect us to beat the Covs and Norwiches of the division, and other mid table teams who have decent squad but not ones pushing for promotion (Sheff Weds etc). To be honest I think that the three relegated teams, Wolves and Preston will be our biggest threats to play-off hopes.

West Brom had a decent squad but they've sold their best players, thus making them shite.

[MPH]

I hope people dont expect too much too soon from us at the start of this season. We can hope for a fast start, but expecting it is somthing different...

we have a new manager, a new chairman, new coaching set up ( and nice new flower beds! ) and x amount of new players... still undecided of course. eveyrthing is new.

With all the changes - there is only so much gelling together you can get by playing friendlies and running up and down a training pitch. The real test comes when the whilstle blows... the thousands of fans are chanting, ect...

I wouldnt be suprised if it took until october before we really started to see them playing together as a team... sure we will pick up some wins and draws but it takes time for people to know each others little moves, where they run, ect... and we really have had a lot of changes recently...

top 10 by the end of the season? i think we will do very well second half of the season.. top 8 for me!!!!!!

[He's not bald]

I hope people dont expect too much too soon from us at the start of this season. We can hope for a fast start, but expecting it is somthing different...

we have a new manager, a new chairman, new coaching set up ( and nice new flower beds! ) and x amount of new players... still undecided of course. eveyrthing is new.

With all the changes - there is only so much gelling together you can get by playing friendlies and running up and down a training pitch. The real test comes when the whilstle blows... the thousands of fans are chanting, ect...

I wouldnt be suprised if it took until october before we really started to see them playing together as a team... sure we will pick up some wins and draws but it takes time for people to know each others little moves, where they run, ect... and we really have had a lot of changes recently...

top 10 by the end of the season? i think we will do very well second half of the season.. top 8 for me!!!!!!

Not a chance...but we will improve on the last few seasons!

[Ultra]

You still have the geriatric Dion in defence!

Sorry but I think you'll be bottom half again this season - and certainly nowhere near the playoffs.

[Guest NCFC R BETTER THAN U THINK]

You still have the geriatric Dion in defence!

Sorry but I think you'll be bottom half again this season - and certainly nowhere near the playoffs.

realistically, dion will be lucky to make it onto the bench for a game this year, and come on, look at the wolves team from last year, they managed to get into the play offs..

i probably am being a touch optimistic..

[BartonFox]

We'll be better than last season and we won't lose without spilling blood, our own or the oppositions.

A play-off run You never know in this division but I just can't see it we are crap between the sticks and have no left hand side to speak of other than our answer to Gareth Bale, and he's f'cked his fixators by all accounts.

Just going to sit back and enjoy watching a passionate LCFC side again. Next season the expectations rise

[Milky]

Derby have bid 5 million for Southampton's Kenwyne Jones! fook me the market is ridiculas.

[dandannieldanok]

Derby have bid 5 million for Southampton's Kenwyne Jones! fook me the market is ridiculas.

I laughed at Sunderland for Chopra but if this goes through I'll take it all back.

[Stinkenzo]

Derby have bid 5 million for Southampton's Kenwyne Jones! fook me the market is ridiculas.

Just saw that myself, i lol'd

[Fez of Mahrez]

You lot signed Howard before the season too didn't you?

[joely22]

Derby have bid 5 million for Southampton's Kenwyne Jones! fook me the market is ridiculas.

An absolute joke. Not too happy about that at all.

We've been reported to the FA aswell!

[joely22]

You lot signed Howard before the season too didn't you?

Yeah we did. Him along with Oakley and Bywater, probably the best signing. Exactly the type of player you need to get out of this division. You'd love him or a player similar to him with you now, especially for hold-up play and defending set-pieces. You might not like him, but in your side, you'd love him.

[lildave3]

Yeah we did. Him along with Oakley and Bywater, probably the best signing. Exactly the type of player you need to get out of this division. You'd love him or a player similar to him with you now, especially for hold-up play and defending set-pieces. You might not like him, but in your side, you'd love him.

That's an understatement, I can't stand him.