What are your REALISTIC expectations for the new season

[Guest Deleted member]

A week tomorrow the new season kicks off - what are your realistic expectations and why?

 

Personally, with the influx of huge money this year from the Premiership, and with clubs like Villa, Wolves and Birmingham added to the already strong division - sadly I don't see us finishing in the play off positions this year UNLESS we significantly strengthen our defensive options.

 

I really hope I'm wrong. It frustrates the hell out of me that every season for the last 3 years we have reached October without really knowing our best 11.

[Guest Ash76]

I've learnt to have no expectations so not to end up disappointed.

 

Hope, that's the future 

[Morepork]

Anything but that question, ask again when the window closes. 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Morepork

[Blue and white]

A quality CB and good attacking tactics then there is no reason why we can't be top 2.

 

Same tactics as last season, shoehorning players into the team. Then we will be looking for a new manager by Christmas.

 

Its shitor bust for Carlos this season, he will be under pressure from the off, there is massive expectation this year and he has to deliver. He will be a legend or unemployed by the end of it.

[Dick_Turpin]

I'm looking at 8th - I don't think we'll be significantly better but others will be.

 

But I am a natural pessimist and the beauty of football is that it's so unpredictable - not many thought Reading and Huddersfield would have made the play-off final last year. 

[owlZfan84]

I fully expect us to still concede silly goals from crosses.

 

Oh, and not take our chances. Of course.

[Jim]

I still think we'll finish in the Top 2. Granted we need to strengthen at centre-half but Lees and Loovens are proven at this level. Continuity and stability will help and there's a big chance that signing's that flopped last season in some fans eyes can be hugely influential this season.

[Owls_fan_since_1983]

First finish above Leeds, Barnsley and Sheffield United,      got to aim for the top two,    

[alanharper]

I think we'll be in a dogfight to make the playoffs.  Sadly I don't see us being top two even though we do have the quality and depth (apart from CB obviously!) to do so, I fear a repeat of last season's negative and overly cautious tactics will undo us again.  We'll probably loan a decent PL winger again, then never use him.

[OxonOwl]

I expect to be in the playoffs again. I expect to be challenging for the top two. 

 

Is this realistic? How should I know?

 

My thoughts are that though there are teams with money and new shiny players, we have a settled squad and we don't know our best 11 because you can swap many players in and out and not weaken the team. I believe Carlos will have learned something from last year and it may not be obvious he has learned.

 

 

[areNOTwhatTHEYseem]

As long as our stability works in our favour and we can stay largely injury free (particularly at the back whilst we await reinforcements), I reckon top six is a realistic expectation at present. I'd be pretty disappointed with anything less. The fact that our squad already know each other and have a manager who's worked with them for a while now should hopefully see us hit the ground running. If we can get Rhodes and Hooper off the mark early doors, we could be away.

 

Whether or not we can challenge for the top two remains to be seen. Let's be honest - we have no idea how the other teams are going to fare: their new recruits could gel instantly, or they could struggle to form an effective unit and languish in mid-table.

[matthefish2002]

We should surely expect top 6 minimum and anything less then promotion will be seen as a disappointment by many Wednesdayites.

I don't think we signed players like Jordan Rhodes and fat new contracts all round to the main players to finish mid table.

 

[Mid Wicket]

We have not bought a lot of new players that need to gel, if we are lucky and don't lose key players through injury we should start well and that could give us impetus to challenge top 2. Come you OWLS WAWAW

[Corneliusreeve]

So many variables, it's far too difficult to predict. 

 

Expect the worse anything else is a bonus. 

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Corneliusreeve

[gurujuan]

As things stand, 6th - 10th With all the expected new signings, especially as we are clearly looking at quality, top five, and maybe, with a bit of luck, top two

[Caicos Owl]

Fully confident we will be challenging for top 2 IF we recruit 1 or 2 good, solid defenders i.e. better than what we already have not just cover.

[flo]

We're going up. 

[lincolnowl]

Top 10. 

 

Same deficiencies failed to be addressed. AGAIN. 

[striker]

Compete for top 6.  

 

Had we done some transfer business, the 4 or 5 initially mentioned covering the squad weaknesses we can all see, could have been top 2 contenders.

 

Another season of could have been, unfortunately. Would be delighted to be proved wrong though.

[thewookieisdown]

Form should be similar to the final two thirds of last season ie roughly post the home defeat to Ipswich on 5 Nov, in my view our worst home performance these past two years. 

 

Don't see why that shouldn't be acheivable.  I think during that period we were a wee bit unlucky with our injuries, Hooper in particular, but also Lee, and to an extent Lees, Abdi, Hutchinson; Boyd is potentially an excellent signing; an in general while we had strong form from mid-Nov, we were at our strongest at the end of the season.  Add in a bit of gelling and extra experience.

 

If we can indeed produce at that level, then we will be easily into the play offs, and have a chance of top two.