Next season yes or no?

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Harry's Game

Harry's Game

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Will we have a team capable of finishing in the top two? a lot seem to be thinking we are certs next season especially after the run of 10 wins, but I worry that possibly three key members of this team are not going to be here next season, Maguire, Brayford, Coady, all of which will need replacing and that's before we start looking for the two 15 plus goals a season
Strikers we need.

I think next season we should be there or there abouts in terms play off material, it will be a major failure if we aren't at least challenging for one of those spots, however top two? Not so sure.
 

Play off material?? Pah! We will win the League with 100 points and 100 goals .... HMS Pish The League is setting out under full sail from August.
 
You should always look to improve on the previous season, especially if you're in the same league. Lets see where we finish then make an assessment.

Agree with you on the player front!

Not only will the loans go back and some of the likes of Harry potentially leaving, we also have the below contract situations to sort out:

Expiring:
Hill
Howard
Flynn
Kennedy
Harris
Johns

Expiring but a years option:
Miller
Porter

Providing no contracts are renewed and no one is sold and options are taken on Miller and Porter, the squad will look thus:

GK
Long
Willis

DF
Maguire
Collins
McGinty

MF
Doyle
McGinn
Scougall
Murphy
Brandy
Cuvelier
McFadzean (unsure if Out of Contract)
Whitehouse (unsure if Out of Contract)

ST
Porter
Miller
Baxter
Taylor
Eyre
De Girolamo

I expect renewals to be offered to Flynn, Howard, Kennedy and Harris. I think Hill will be let go as Clough likes to use the young boys and Kennedy has been more involved.

There's the youngsters, Khan, Hodder and Dimaio as well, who've been bench warmers this season.

I've assumed options will be taken on Miller and Porter, but Clough may decide to start fresh up front, depending on resources available to him.

whatever happens, I think we're in for an interesting summer. I'm sure Clough and his scouts are already working on things!
 
If people expect any manager to be capable of taking a team from next to bottom to finishing in the automatic promotion spots just 18 months later, they want their heads testing.

I feel I am constantly reminding Blades fans using the phrase 'inflated expectations' of what is currently happening. Absolutely, I expect us to be in the top 8 next season, and really we should be finishing in the top 6 with the right additions. However, I do not foresee us having the infamous 'HMS piss the league' setting off in August. Clough has a real re-building job on his hands, and as they say, slowly slowly catchy monkey. I will be disappointed if we can't finish in the playoffs next season, but not at all disappointed for not getting automatically promoted. We need a manager to last more than a can of deodorant for a change!
 
Harry's Game said:
Will we have a team capable of finishing in the top two? a lot seem to be thinking we are certs next season especially after the run of 10 wins, but I worry that possibly three key members of this team are not going to be here next season, Maguire, Brayford, Coady, all of which will need replacing and that's before we start looking for the two 15 plus goals a season
Strikers we need.

I think next season we should be there or there abouts in terms play off material, it will be a major failure if we aren't at least challenging for one of those spots, however top two? Not so sure.
Click to expand...

IMO it is important that pre season Nigel is given a free hand to bring in players able to play the way he wants them to and, also
who we keep and let go.
IMO there is too much uncertainty, too many unknown factors to predict what will happen .If the Prince and Nigel could persuade at least one of the players you mention to stay HG, I would share your optimism.
 
I don't imagine Clough came here to admire the scenery. Nigel's been very clear about this season, to steady the club and assess our strengths and weakenesses. As the OP suggested, we could be missing a few significant players, so replacing them would be difficult, but not impossible if Clough's eye for a player is anything to go by. Come the beginning of next season I assume we'll have in place a team/squad that will challenge for promotion. We certainly do need two forwards who compliment one another, whose threat will also create space for the midfield to exploit too.

I watched Coventry's Wilson recently, like shit off a shovel, and the better player of the pairing he had with Clarke. He's been mentioned a few times on here, but he looks like a man on fire, and Coventry don't have the potential to create chances in the way we do. Seems all that was missing on Saturday was the killer instinct up front and we'd have returned to Sheffield with 3 points.

I'd advise everyone to keep their feet firmly on the ground as we aren't guaranteed of anything. The best we can hope for is that Clough gets the backing of the Prince, and is allowed to bring in those players he thinks will improve our chances of that promotion challenge at the end of the season.
 
I think play offs is about right. I don't think it is needed (or possible) to buy two 15 goal plus strikers, one should do fine. I hope all out of contract are offered new deals, bar Johns who I have no opinion on. I only think we need 2/3 additions if players aren't sold and loans are kept (if not Brayford then Freeman). A lot depends on whether Miller, Taylor, Brandy and the others out on loan are shipped out, because if they are and loans leave then we're looking at more like 5/6. If it was 3 I'd like a striker, a back up winger (preferably versatile midfielder) and a versatile defender (similar to Hill).
 
I think deffinatly we can finish top two next season, if you look who's going to be leaving and entering league 1 at the end of season. Then surely we will be and should be confident of being one of the three or four that can fight for the top two places..
 
If we had the current squad and manager from the start of the season maybe we would by now be challenging for automatic promotion, who knows. The other consideration is which 7 teams will be leaving league 1 and who will replace them. I don't see any particularly scary prospects but then who would have foreseen Rotherhams season.
 
SotonBlade said:
You should always look to improve on the previous season, especially if you're in the same league. Lets see where we finish then make an assessment.
Click to expand...

We haven't had much success with that in recent years.

2008-09: 3rd (Championship)
2009-10: 8th (Championship)
2010-11: 22nd (Championship)
2011-12: 3rd (League One)
2012-13: 5th (League One)
2013-14: 5th > (League One)

If we finish lower next season than we do this, we'll break the club record for consecutively worse finishes.
 
yuley82 said:
I think deffinatly we can finish top two next season, if you look who's going to be leaving and entering league 1 at the end of season.
Click to expand...

I do have an issue with this, and feel it's quite condescending. People look at the attendances of the clubs around us and think that we will automatically have a better team because we hae bigger attendances. Look at Yeovil last year, or orient this year. For that matter, we were sat below every team in this division over a period around christmas. If we want to get out of this division we need to treat these clubs as equals and peers. Let's say Barnsley, Yeovil and charlton come down, they will be relegated with championship squads, hence a better squad than ours. We need serious improvement from our mid-table squad to get to the top of this division.
 
blader said:
If people expect any manager to be capable of taking a team from next to bottom to finishing in the automatic promotion spots just 18 months later, they want their heads testing.
Click to expand...

Surely your final position iin May is how you judge a season

we have finished , 3rd 5th and probably top ten again or even squeak 6th

so its not leaping from bottom really is it , just had a bloody awful start
top 2 is not such a leap for a team constantly finishes in the top 10, and aquires a better manager and in theory has some backing this time
 
blader said:
If people expect any manager to be capable of taking a team from next to bottom to finishing in the automatic promotion spots just 18 months later, they want their heads testing.
Click to expand...

Roy Keane did it in 8 months. Iain Dowie achieved the same result in 5 months.
 

blade too long said:
Surely your final position iin May is how you judge a season

we have finished , 3rd 5th and probably top ten again or even squeak 6th

so its not leaping from bottom really is it , just had a bloody awful start
top 2 is not such a leap for a team constantly finishes in the top 10, and aquires a better manager and in theory has some backing this time
Click to expand...

PeterNdlovu081 said:
Roy Keane did it in 8 months. Iain Dowie achieved the same result in 5 months.
Click to expand...

It's important to note I use the word expect. I'm not saying he can't, but to expect top 2 is ludicrous IMO. I have faith in Clough that he is capable of building a team to take us up next season, but I fear that if he doesn't achieve that some fans will turn on him, which would be unfair.
 
PeterNdlovu081 said:
We haven't had much success with that in recent years.

2008-09: 3rd (Championship)
2009-10: 8th (Championship)
2010-11: 22nd (Championship)
2011-12: 3rd (League One)
2012-13: 5th (League One)
2013-14: 5th > (League One)

If we finish lower next season than we do this, we'll break the club record for consecutively worse finishes.
Click to expand...

Hence my suggestion for next season :D
 
PeterNdlovu081 said:
We haven't had much success with that in recent years.

2008-09: 3rd (Championship)
2009-10: 8th (Championship)
2010-11: 22nd (Championship)
2011-12: 3rd (League One)
2012-13: 5th (League One)
2013-14: 5th > (League One)

If we finish lower next season than we do this, we'll break the club record for consecutively worse finishes.
Click to expand...

due a good one then arent we, law of averages
 
another factor is we might be in Europe next season. not guaranteed, but a good chance.

Any player who is looking around League 1 or possibly the lower echelons of the championship will want a piece of that. strong end to this season will show that we're a club on the up and people are going to want to play for us. just need to choose the right ones.
 
Could United be pushing for the top 2 next season? yes, of course we could we seem to have decent backing from the board to purchase any player Clough thinks would strengthen the team, not to mention Clough himself that has worked wonders for this club, and I have every confidence under his leadership we can go on to greater and better things. Personally though I feel a top 6 finish next year is probably the most likely outcome.

But we wont know where the hell the club could potentially finish next season until the campaign starts, that's when we can start making judgements, and even then we cant assume anything, as this season highlights, a few good/bad results and the picture looks completely different.

Something I would like to highlight though, is a major factor (as is with most campaigns) is how the new clubs adapt. Who would have thought Rotherham would be where they are? or Bristol City for that matter. And not to forget, except for the top 5 in this division, the league is very poor this year they have walked it and I can see whoever loses the play off final will be next years champions.

So really, what I want to say is....who knows? We may have an even worse start next year than we did this, even though I doubt Clough would stand for that without a few heads rolling.
 
I get sick of hearing lets get in the top 6 every footballing campaign,fcuk top 6 ,what has that ever done for us.
I disagree with bladers comments about just because we have bigger attendances we are going to be the better team,i for one dont think that but i do think we have underachieved big time in this division and its about time the board did something about it and stop saying we have not got the funds because we all know we have,and im not talkin about the prince here , the money this club has brought in just from transfers over the last 10 years has been very good to say the least especially for a LEAGUE 1 TEAM WITH PREMIERSHIP FANS
oh and by the way answer to the post is yes we SHOULD have a team to challenge for top two,fcuk top 6
 
Don't think theres an answer to the question.

If Maguire, Coady and Brayford aren't here then the squad is relegation battle looking until replacements come in.
If they somehow all stay and we sign 2 decent strikers, the squad is possible top 2 material but the play offs probably more realistic.

The likely scenario is they all aren't here, so it's all down to how they're replaced. Nobody knows who they will get
replaced by, so it's impossible to know how good the team will be.
 
It's entirely possible that Brayford & Coady won't be with us next season but who - a few months ago - had even heard of them? Same with Scougs.

I think NC has an eye for talent (goalscorer excepted...) and will bring adequate replacements in when required.
 
I am an "half empty" kinda guy, and firmly believe in "one game at a time", but my expectations for next season is CHAMPIONS, and anything less will be a gross disappointment.

I believe that we have an excellent manager, whom I hope will stay at this club a long time, and I believe that we have a strong finacial backing, and I just hope that the two can come together and get us out of this dreadful league, sooner rather than later.
 
Sheff de party said:
another factor is we might be in Europe next season. not guaranteed, but a good chance.

Any player who is looking around League 1 or possibly the lower echelons of the championship will want a piece of that. strong end to this season will show that we're a club on the up and people are going to want to play for us. just need to choose the right ones.
Click to expand...

If we do qualify for Europe, we'll go out at the qualifying stage. We might get four games.

I don't see why hoping for a top two position next season is unreasonable. As Clough's ideas have settled and his squad has started to take shape we've been consistently around the top of the form table. As noted above: all we need is a right back (Freeman) and a centre forward (maybe Alex Niemley from Man City - he's out of contract and at 23 needs to find a club for regular first team football).
 

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