What are your expectations for this season? (with poll)

[genome]

Now that the manager is settling in, and we have started to see the squad take shape and the kind of signings that we will be making, what do you think are our realistic expectations for the club this coming season and what would constitute a good season for us, taking into account our resources and other clubs?

Any improvement on last year? Top half minimum? Any expectations at all for anything more than that?

I am starting to get a good vibe from the club again. I am certain I felt that last year too at this stage however, so I am wary. I think expectations should be managed and that it's important for us to be patient with both the manager and the players. The negative and impatient vibe around the club after Clarke was sacked really quite spoiled my enjoyment of supporting the club, and I hope that won't happen again this season.

I expect we will improve, but not enough to get us into the top ten.

[From Despair To Where?]

Somewhere between 12th and 15th with maybe a minor flirtation with relegation, but being competitive against all comers. which will be a vast improvement on the last 2 years.

[Lower West]

12th would be a good season. Going to take time to find a balanced team. Not all the signings are going to work out.

If the team is willing to put into a decent shift I'll happily travel to watch them.

[tidus_mi2]

oxf*rd it, I like what I'm seeing and going optimistically with a play off position.

[CountryRoyal]

I think it will be more of the same. For all of the talk of bringing in established championship players who know the league we only have Swift who mildly fills this criteria, and he's young and inexperienced.

Whilst I'm far more optimistic than I was a few weeks ago I worry about how the players will adapt. I'm excited to see how Stam does and I've certainly warmed to the idea of him in charge but its important we stick by him and try and build some continuity and consistency. Despite the Thai's encouraging soundbite from the other week, I fear a string of bad results and or performances and we will be in the same boat we've fund ourselves in depressingly frequently over the last few seasons.

[Top Flight]

There is no substitute for hard work.

That is where our sexy foreign signings fell miles short last season.

If there is a huge, Middlesboro amount of effort and hard work to match the sexiness then things will be looking up.

[Extended-Phenotype]

I'm with genome - getting a kinda good vibe. The signings being made are my type of signings. Okay, no bank breakers or 'on the radar' names but long term, young, cost effective, hungry promise with a future ahead of them. Much prefer that to your has-beens, old duffers and short term loans.

I also like the fact the players are coming in quickly, seemingly from far and wide, suggesting a bit of nous, effort, study and connections. It was tiring watching Reading just sign players from the team we beat in the FA cup or some name player who ended up on a bench at a slightly higher club.

It feels like some proper thought and scouting is going on for a change. A shape is coming together and you feel these players could have something to offer. OK, they could of course all turn out to be utter scat but the mood feels up, the manager gives off a confidence and authority we've not seen for years and this really does feel like a fresh start rather than a club patching up the gaps and running with the same problems at its core.

Can't wait to see what they can do and looking forward to see who might come in next. Could be a fun season where we beat expectations rather than miss them.

[linkenholtroyal]

It's a bit early to tell really, if we can find a 20 goal a season striker and some full back cover it may well be play offs. With current squad 12th-13th at a push, we seem to be bringing in lots of creativity but that is only any good if you have someone to hit it in the back of the net

[Top Flight]

These creative players also need to track back and put in their fair share of defensive work.

Piazon and Ola John were creative but we kept on losing. Stam needs the tough defensive types more than the sexy creative players in my opinion.

[Sutekh]

Be positive and everyone should get behind the team and help them achieve. Not saying we'll get promotion by a long chalk but that's where we should ALL be aiming next season.

[Winston Smith]

have a positive feel. somewhere between 10-13th I reckon

[One8Seven1*]

Still expecting mid-table but I'd be very disappointed with less than that. This is a relatively new team and they need and deserve time to gel. I think we may flirt with the play-offs but fall short come April. But you never know in this league.

[George_]

Mid table would be positive and a step in the right direction. Under Stam this is a work in progress that needs 2 or 3 seasons to reach its potential. I just want to see a team that cares about the Club, not leaving anything on the pitch after a game. The connection between fans and the players/Club is pretty dented after the last couple of seasons but a bit of progress next season would go a long way to repair that.

[Muskrat]

Haven't felt so optimistic since before the start of the 1998-99 season. Oh hang on...

[Forbury Lion]

I expect improvements as the season progresses instead of things deteriorating as has been the case in recent seasons

I expect the manager to still be here at the end of the season

I expect the team we finish the season with to be strong enough to challenge for the playoffs the following season.

I expect us to win more home games than we lose

Where we finish is largely irrelevant compared to how strongly we finish. Anywhere above relegation will do, playoffs and promotion are likely out of reach but would obviously be most welcome. It's a re-building year.

[wingnut]

I reckon we'll start slowly as the new signings take a little while to settle in. They'll hit their stride in September and we'll start to look a decent side.
The wheels tho, will start to come off sometime around the beginning of November after a bit of an away pasting.
By January we'll be properly gash and won't be able to string 3 consistent results or performances together and how easily we avoid relegation will depend on how good we were at the beginning of the season, in the end finishing about 20th.

[Royal Badgeman]

Top Half will be progress. New players bed in and the makings of a good squad. A boos with a plan B will help too. Quietly confident!

[From Despair To Where?]

Plan B is motivational booing.

[andrew1957]

I thought we were nailed on for relegation but some of the signings look promising. But it is very hard for a revamped team to do well in the Championship in their first season (tough division) and so I am going for 15th. To me that would be real progress under the circumstances.

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

If you are a board who is enacting the policy of sacking managers then the expectations have to be high.

But realistically, we seem to be following the same model as Cardiff - i.e. absolutely bang average.