Last season was an odd one for us, for a couple of reasons. First off, the position we finally finished in was very unflattering. We finished in 10th, but it was really tight right up to the end. We were only mathematically out of the top 6 race with a couple of games to go, and if we had merely 4 more points (as in, we turned 2 draws into wins) we'd have been 7th and 2 points off the play-offs. So actually we probably did better than our 10th place finish suggests. Either way, a newly promoted side gaining a top half finish after 6 seasons in the division below is a great result. I agree with sentiments further up the thread about the momentum from the title win, of course that helped us in the first half of the season. But even though we dropped off after November, we shouldn't see that as a failure. With some very thin margins moved slightly, we'd have gained a few places. C'est la vie.
Another thing to consider is the quality at the top of the table was unreal - Wolves, Cardiff and Fulham all pissed the league and played Premier League quality throughout the season. We had absolutely no chance of matching that, neither did a lot of the other "established" Championship sides. It'll be very different this year, the quality of the clubs coming down from the Premier League is poor and I think they'll all struggle. I'd fancy a big team like Middlesbrough or Derby to win it,(Villa if they can sort their ownership/financial quagmire out) or even a more leftfield choice like Bristol City, Preston or Brentford over the relegated sides. In any case, it'll be a much more competitive league, you'll probably only need around 85-90 points to win it, and top 6 should be acheiveable with 75 points. We got 69 (Oi Oi!) last season, so it's not much of a stretch for us to make it.
Our signings have been fairly good so far, but they aren't title-winning quality. I think we're off the pace for top 2 this season and also probably top 6. I'd expect a slight improvement, probably 8th or 9th. Use this season as a foothold to move up and challenge for top 6 next season. In Tufty we trust.