Are you optimistic for the season?

[brownie4583]

Are you optimistic for the season ahead?
I feel with the investment of the Murphy transfer funds in 2 or 3 good additions we will have a good,strong squad to challenge for promotion.
We definitely have good attacking options and Done to come back,a few to move on, and we should be up there come next May.
2 midfielders and another 2 defenders should do it.

 

[Rodley]

Too early for me to say yet. After 10 games if we're in and around the top 4 and in spitting distance of the automatics I think we'll have a chance.

Plenty of ups and downs yet! It's about not getting too down during the bad results and not too cocky when we put together a few wins.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Yes.

100%

Categorically.

You know where I stand

UTB

 

[blade too long]

where we are in October is the guide
be able to asdsess it then

 

[Fulwood Blade]

simple answer:

8 days ago = no
1 day ago = yes

we have started to address a 12 month old defensive issue and it looked much better yesterday.

More work to do, but optimistic?......yes, because Adkins has looked and addressed the problem early. it might not be the final solution but it is a good start.

People in football say the 1st league game is the last pre-season friendly - lets look at it exactly that way.

UTB

 

[Jon K]

Agree fully with the comment above, think with a couple of additions we should be thereabouts, but I have been wrong before!

 

[away ends always empty.]

I liked the look of the team yesterday, we invited them on too much but dealt with it ok, and we broke very well and looked a threat every time we did .plus there was goog height in the team .so fairly optimistic.

 

[Tyler Durden]

I still can't weigh it up.

Yesterday's performance was the old United, battling for every ball, pushing to get goals and determined to keep them out. Plus some of our build up play was very impressive, especially on the counter.

BUT

I just can't help worrying that we made some mistakes that a decent team would have punished. We were a bit naive in midfield at times and gave possession away far too easily for my liking. Plus Mark Howard did better than he should've had to yesterday.

Very happy with yesterday overall but still a work in progress.

 

[dublin 10 blade]

I'm optimistic before every season starts ,
Then it all goes rapidly down hill once we start playing footy,
However this year , with the manager we have , yeah baby yeah , Us and Wigan , for autos ,

 

[Barney]

Too early to judge yet.

Where we are in Nov/Dec time will give a better indication as to where we'll finish up.

 

[Kenilworth]

I'm ambidextrous about it

 

[Darthblade]

Are you optimistic for the season ahead?
I feel with the investment of the Murphy transfer funds in 2 or 3 good additions we will have a good,strong squad to challenge for promotion.
We definitely have good attacking options and Done to come back,a few to move on, and we should be up there come next May.
2 midfielders and another 2 defenders should do it.

Not as much as I hoped I would be .....

We have what looks like a decent CH in Edgar, who looks commanding & composed but we still need another CH to play with him.
If whispering Bob is still 4 / 6 week away from playing then we need a LB on loan.
If Wallace cant play 90 mins we need a big, strong playmaker because Baxter showed again yesterday how ineffective he is in this agricultural League
Scougal was a waste of a shirt so we need a RW
Its probably only fair to give Billy Sharpe a bit longer for an assessment as he hasn't received much service yet due to the lack of wingers / width
We need a GK and send George Long out on season loan to get experience at communicating and commanding his area.
We have sold our most attacking flair player, who was inconsistent, however did weigh in with goals and assists and his replacement is definitely NOT Woolford

In short ..... I think we are currently a 4th to 8th place squad; maybe better when Brayford, Done & Coutts come back, but we cannot afford to wait that long to stake our claim for promotion.
UTB & FTP

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

simple answer:

8 days ago = no
1 day ago = yes

we have started to address a 12 month old defensive issue and it looked much better yesterday.

More work to do, but optimistic?......yes, because Adkins has looked and addressed the problem early. it might not be the final solution but it is a good start.

People in football say the 1st league game is the last pre-season friendly - lets look at it exactly that way.

UTB

Adkins would still be optimistic he we got hammered 5-0 . Why , because he knows he as the knowledge and backing of the board to fix it .

We are work in progress , but the deja vu feeling is going .

Not optimistic but cautious, and glad the glaring problems are finally being addressed .

Lets see how we go on at Peterborough , Tuesday night . Actually looking forward to that one , and working on the boring , one game at a time scenario .

We needed that win yesterday , for more than just the 3 points.

UTB

 

[Celtic Blade]

I have never trusted a gaffer at the Lane like I trust NA. He will build something special here, just give him the full backing.

 

[sheffielder]

I understand we are work in progress, however we could do with getting results to keep the confidence growing. If we could nick Tuesday an Saturday's game that would be 3 from 4 without hitting the ground running. Would also give our transfer targets confidence to drop down.

 

[BushBlade]

I have never trusted a gaffer at the Lane like I trust NA. He will build something special here, just give him the full backing.

I felt the same about Bassett and, to be fair, Warnock. I had enough faith in Clough to have given him more time but I don't think we could realistically get anyone better than Adkins.

 

[blade.i.am]

Quite simply, yes. We cannot fail again. We have the right manager and a squad, when at full strength and with some additions, will be more than capable of finishing in the top 2.

 

[Celtic Blade]

I felt the same about Bassett and, to be fair, Warnock. I had enough faith in Clough to have given him more time but I don't think we could realistically get anyone better than Adkins.

I was only a toddler in the Bassett era, I grew up in the Warnock era and sometimes used to scratch my head at some of his decisions and he often let his 'brand' get in the way of the football. Clough started off great but became delusional, stuck to his guns even when he was wrong and carried on making mistakes instead of admitting he was wrong.

Onto Adkins, in the last 10 years he is one of the most successful English managers around and after a bad spell at a souless club like Reading, he didn't stick to his ways, he went on numerous coaching courses and went out to America to study how Baseball teams prepare for games. That tells me all you need to know about the bloke, he has a winning pedigree, knows the football league, he's adaptable, enthusiastic, seems a great listener and an even better speaker. I trust the guy with my football club

 

[Woodwardfan]

It will take a month or so to judge it.

A midfield 4 of Scougall, Baxter, Basham and Adams will take us nowhere but that's going to change obviously.

Defence? Less of a concern to me frankly.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

If we can just get on a good run, it's amazing what that would do to team spirit, morale and (dare I say it) even players' energy levels.

 

[pommpey]

Still think there are glaring weaknesses in the squad that need addressing.

We have massive inconsistency in the net with one expereinced goalkeeper who is error prone and a diddums young un who was once a great prospect but now is bobbbins because we are all on his back, apparently. We seemingly still have what could be an imposing central midfielder who fails to dominate and put his foot on the middle of the park play. Around him we have a clutch of small-in-stature ball winners who really have failed to convince and can get involved, but only in certain games when the opposition let's them. That aint good enough I am afraid. At the back we seemingly have a centre back who might know what he is on about and another who isn't getting any younger or any better. I think we will just about manage to the left and right even if we use McEveley where he is meant to be. We've flogged a gifted winger who makes most oppositions shit their pants at times and has goals in him and his possible replacement (if he isn't sold) looks the part. On the other wing there are definite weaknesses in Flynn and whoever draws the short straw to fit in there. Up front I think Sharp, Sammon, Done and whoever can cause damage. But its the winning and keeping possession and breaking up opposition play where I feel we may become unstuck. We are four players - and good players, not Barry Oddnobs - away from challenging for automatic so I hope Adkins has his eye on at least three this side of the TW closing and banking on another one in January as teams shift stuff about and higher league players figure they aren't part of their team's plans.

If you ask me if I am optimistic - no, I am not. Ask me at the end of the TW (and if we have two or three more wins under our belt) and I might change that but we need to shift shit out still and refresh the lack of talent to get up and (I keep saying this) stay up.

pommpey

 

[pommpey]

Quite simply, yes. We cannot fail again. We have the right manager and a squad, when at full strength and with some additions, will be more than capable of finishing in the top 2.

Did you write this last year blade.i.am?



pommpey

 

[blade.i.am]

Did you write this last year blade.i.am?



pommpey

I write this every year

 

[metalblade]

I was until we as usual sold our best player, now ask me again at the end of the month. If we use the cash to bring in 3-4 good players then yes I'd be optimistic but when do United ever do that, nothing is ever planned our actions in the transfer market are usually reactions.

 

[Bartleby]

I'm optimistic. Was down like everyone after Gillingham, high as a kite for a while after Chessie game (as much about the effort that was put in as the result - after the talk of missing testicles the week before, they had definitely regained those, esp back 4) and now I've levelled out. We're definitely still a work in progress and if we don't win at the Posh tomorrow I won't be thinking it's the end of the world (unless it is another total capitulation and I can't see that happening now) .