So just one automatic promotion place to play for then!

[Alfie54 83]

Benitez signed a new three year contract, means Better players will stay and he will bring in top players

[King Klose 0]

And Di Matteo to Villa 😳

[Lessingham Canary 108]

Don''t take it as read, that squad could be in for a shock when they start next season, i reckon he will need wholesale changes if the toon are to do as predicted.

[Horse Renoir 1]

Remember when ex-Bayern manager Felix Magath was going to pi55 the championship with an established PL team? ....Oh no wait.

We really should be the favourites next year with the almost unfair amount of promotion experience in our squad and management team. I do expect us to be fighting Newcastle and a few other clubs hard for those two automatic places, but to suggest that keeping a manager who has never managed in this physical, fast paced, tiring, grinding league is going to automatically guarantee them a top two place is laughable.

[norfolkngood 1,174]

i reckon he will need wholesale changes if the toon are to do as predicted.

and what a good experienced manager to build a team !!

he would not of signed unless he had a lot of money to get back up so

now aston villa have got a good manager new owner fresh money

we have a manger who still doesn''t know his best 11

no style or play no system not a great transfer record

its not going to be as easy as many think it will be next season !

[Herman 11,136]

I don''t think that anyone believes it will be easy next season, and if they do they really should go and do something else with their lives.

[FenwayFrank 2,717]

Newcastle are a team full of namby pamby Frenchmen who would hate the idea of playing Rotherham away on a cold Tuesday in January. Let''s see who they sign before we give up and start playing for second place

[Guest]

Yeah, our manager doesn''t know his best 11, but does have a 70% win ratio (and a previous promotion) from the Championship in his first season managing in it.

Out of interest, where have you seen Norwich fans suggesting it will be easy next season?

[GJP 79]

You have got to expect Newcastle to finish in the top 2.

AN now has a tougher job than when he took over.

[AJ 1,359]

Newcastle aren''t going to walk the league just because he''s in charge. Does he have championship experience?

[GJP 79]

No but neither did Alex Neil.

Benitez has won the Champions League, Liga, UEFA Cup and Europa league and various other bits.

He hasn''t done all that because he isn''t a top manager. Plus he''s going to have the pick of the best players who would be prepared to play in the Championship.

9 out of 10, if not 10 out of 10 players would choose Rafa and Newcastle over AN and Norwich.

[Donkey dangler 0]

For a minute, I thought you were about to tell us that the Binners were saying they are nailed on certainties for promotion next season. Mind you how many seasons have they been thinking that?

[Donkey dangler 0]

[quote user="GJP"]No but neither did Alex Neil.

Benitez has won the Champions League, Liga, UEFA Cup and Europa league and various other bits.

He hasn''t done all that because he isn''t a top manager. Plus he''s going to have the pick of the best players who would be prepared to play in the Championship.

9 out of 10, if not 10 out of 10 players would choose Rafa and Newcastle over AN and Norwich.[/quote]

Will they like it when the going gets tough?

[king canary 8,758]

I do wonder about how much work Newcastle''s squad will need though- is someone like Sissoko or Wijnaldum really going to hang around for the Championship? How easily will Championship defenders be able to goad Mitrovic?

I could see quite a few of their bigger names leaving and they''ve got quite a few questionable characters in the dressing room that Benetiz couldn''t get going until too late.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

It''s a major positive for the Toon.

Serious things are happening at Villa Park.

Apparently we need to wait until after the Euros before we come back to life.

Dur!

[Cantiaci Canary 610]

Whether Benitez stayed or not they were always going to be right up there.

Just be glad that Boro and Burnley are up ... they could have been sharp thorns too.

[cornish sam 1,040]

So that''s Ashley ignoring FFP again, I hope it ends horribly for that gobshite of a man...

One question is nagging at me though, why did he sign a new contract? He signed a 3 year contract with the option of a break at the end of the season. What has Ashley had to throw at him to make him stay?

[cornish sam 1,040]

Wow, you can''t call someone a gobsh1te on here... Ok, well bellend then.

[westcoastcanary 173]

The stronger the Championship, the more there is to relish in the coming season. Likewise, the more top managers joining Championship teams, the better the football we can expect to be watching. Great prospect. [Y]

[It's Character Forming 1,204]

Wow, I really hope Newcastle are as complacent about their chances as the OP.  The Champs is a really tough league and to win it, you have to play a totally different way to being a team in the bottom third of the Prem.  Lots of Prem players find it difficult.  They''ve signed a manager with no experience of the league.

 

My reaction is the same as when they signed Benitez - plenty of posters on here thought Newcastle were safe for sure.  Didn''t work out that way, did it ?  Actually, did he improve their results at all ?  I''m equally unconvinced about how he''ll get on with them in the Championship.  Maybe he''ll make wholesale changes and put together a squad to win the Champs.  Or maybe he and they will be over-confident and struggle to adjust.  Could go either way.  I think it''s more likely to be the latter, but time will tell.

 

What''s more important to me is that City are approaching the task realistically, knowing it will be difficult, but with a few key signings we''ll be in the frame for one of the automatic places.

[norfolkngood 1,174]

AN might well have a 70 % record in the championship

but that was not a full season

a team that had wind in their sails

and a very strong team

not we have a team who can not score

system been knocked out of the team

a manger used to winning now confidence knocked and questions being asked

and players 2 years older

i am not given up but newcastle with rafa will be massive next season he has full control over transfers

he will build a team have a system of play

and use his experience its easier to win the championship than win the champions league !!

[Mr Apples 1,407]

Misery does love company. All the people terrified of Newcastle and Villa should form a self-help group where they can thrash out their concerns. There''d need to be a break during the meetings for people to change their wet pants.

Apples

[It's Character Forming 1,204]

What bugs me a bit is that every season, if you''re relegated from the Prem, there''s a pretty high likelihood you''ll find another two Prem teams have come down with you....

 

And because one of them has kept a big-name manager, who completely failed to stop them getting relegated despite having the best squad of the bottom 6 teams IMO, people are assuming they''re going to be a sho-in for automatic promotion.

 

I''d rather have a team like Newcastle to compete against, than Burnley and Boro.

[Lessingham Canary 108]

Its character forming wrote;

I''d rather have a team like Newcastle to compete against, than Burnley and Boro.

Exactly this, there are a lot of tough opponents in the championship, big clubs in their own right all looking to get out e.g., Derby, Hull, (I fancy Sheff Weds to go up) Wolves even Brighton as well as us, will be as hard as ever next season and the Geordies could be in for a surprise or two.

[Mr Angry 2,020]

Yeah, I really don''t know why people say such crap-we don''t know what players will be coming and going at Newcastle and Villa, we don''t know what players will be coming and going here-we don''t even know who will be managing Villa. The new season doesn''t even start for what is it, 10 weeks? Absolutely ridiculous to say that we''re all competing for 2nd spot behind Newcastle. 🙄🙄🙄

[Mello Yello 2,572]

I''m gonna print some ''On loan to the Endsleigh League...... oops, err, The Sky Bet Championship for 2016 -2017'' T-shirts......anyone like one?

[Jim Smith 2,610]

No point pretending it does not make things tougher next season as Newcastle certainly have a feel good factor back and are likely to be a force. That said we were as good as them this season and its quite possible we will have a much lower level of squad upheaval over the summer. We also know that our team know what this level is all about so i''m not writing off finishing above them.

in fact the presence of Newcastle and Villa in the division could do us a favour because those are the big clubs everyone is going to try and raise their game against. With a bit of luck we can slip under the radar.

[Guest]

Benitez will still face the same challenge as us in keeping their better players, who may want to move back to a top-flight club here or abroad.There were rumours, however, that Newcastle didn''t put relegation clauses into their players'' contracts - no idea how true that it. But if true, they''ll still be paying hefty wages, which may encourage the likes of Wijnaldum to stay on.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Mr Apples"]Misery does love company. All the people terrified of Newcastle and Villa should form a self-help group where they can thrash out their concerns. There''d need to be a break during the meetings for people to change their wet pants.

Apples[/quote][:D]

[unique 466]

The biggest advantage for Newcastle is the number of contacts Benitez will have, particularly in Europe.

Alex Neil''s stretch as far as Scotland.........