norfolkngood 1,087 Posted September 10, 2020 35 minutes ago, sonyc said: Expectations currently are 4th to 8th. I am neither bullish or bearish. We ought to be competitive though unlike last season. Yet, I'm somehow expecting a slow start to the campaign and wouldn't be surprised if we lost the opening game either...I just don't know what we are going to be like. It is so difficult to predict at this moment. Those first 10/12 games will tell us what we need to know. After a quarter of the season the trends are set for either struggle or dominance. Only occasionally do teams hit real form later into a season. i am most worried about Pukki True he was up against better defenders , better League and in a struggling team but he lost his Confidence badly can he regain that ? With the Squad we have today with only real loss Lewis we should do very well this season top 2 if Pukki finds his Goalscoring boots anywhere down to 10th if he does not Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Petriix 2,847 Posted September 10, 2020 Heart says 2nd; Head says 8th. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sonyc 5,541 Posted September 10, 2020 3 minutes ago, norfolkngood said: i am most worried about Pukki True he was up against better defenders , better League and in a struggling team but he lost his Confidence badly can he regain that ? With the Squad we have today with only real loss Lewis we should do very well this season top 2 if Pukki finds his Goalscoring boots anywhere down to 10th if he does not I think he should be okay for 15 goals at least and hopefully a lot more. I'm worried too but class normally holds out and Teemu has that. It depends how he is supplied (Placheta, Buendia, Onel?) ....think we may be surprised too in Dowell as he has goals in him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norfolkngood 1,087 Posted September 10, 2020 10 minutes ago, sonyc said: I think he should be okay for 15 goals at least and hopefully a lot more. I'm worried too but class normally holds out and Teemu has that. It depends how he is supplied (Placheta, Buendia, Onel?) ....think we may be surprised too in Dowell as he has goals in him. Very true he has Class just got to get his form i know it is only clips i have seen But i would love to see Placheta upfront in a Two or at a number 10 his pace to get past last man is unbelievable 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CirclePoint 205 Posted September 10, 2020 21 hours ago, Tetteys Jig said: The signings of Skipp on loan with no permanent option and the fact we have (for now) kept nearly all our best players means we simply have to be targeting instant promotion. If we fail with that this season, they'll all be gone and it will become harder and harder the longer we go without going up. I agree. The timing of Webber’s plan ( determined by the expiration date on the current contracts) requires we gain promotion this season. Doing so will give the club the position to extend attractive contracts to players who wish to stay. Failing to gain promotion will probably see a major team sell-off, since the players will more than likely only have one season remaining on their contracts and the club will want to cash in and........ the rebuild begins........ again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CirclePoint 205 Posted September 10, 2020 20 minutes ago, Petriix said: Heart says 2nd; Head says 8th. Heart says 1st Head says 2nd 😉 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canary dwarf 221 Posted September 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, CirclePoint said: Heart says 1st Head says 2nd 😉 I think once farke knows his best 11 and best formation we will tear it up, but i think we will start slowly ,and we don't know if there will be anymore outgoings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,227 Posted September 10, 2020 The pressure is on this season. There is no hiding from it and nor should there be. The model in effect traded a Premier League for this season. The signings show a weighty (in numbers) investment in depth and indicate that dominating at a level we are financially comfortable at is the platform. The key was and remains the real weapons of Pukki and Buendia. Everything else is expendable, replaceable or growable. Goals and assists are wisps of gold thread in the wind and cover a multitude of sins. Statistics show that relegated teams mostly struggle. Our model sacrificed a Premier dream for increasing the odds of success and pulling power this season, so we are overtly designed to buck that trend. Top 6 must be a minimum target. It is the minimum target. Professional football. No hiding place. Parma 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canary dwarf 221 Posted September 10, 2020 (edited) Top 2 providing we lose no more of a re crown jewels. Edited September 10, 2020 by Canary dwarf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mannings bandy legs 391 Posted September 10, 2020 1 hour ago, norfolkngood said: i am most worried about Pukki True he was up against better defenders , better League and in a struggling team but he lost his Confidence badly can he regain that ? With the Squad we have today with only real loss Lewis we should do very well this season top 2 if Pukki finds his Goalscoring boots anywhere down to 10th if he does not Pukki will be fine. Played well and looked sharp for Finland v Republic of Ireland earlier this week.Just needs a bit of luck to get up and running. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fr. Chewy Louie 137 Posted September 10, 2020 Everything looks in place for a charge at the top spot, but there are a fair few new signings to settle in, and I'm sure at least one or two won't live up to expectations. With the congested timetable and no glaring weaknesses in our (big) squad though, there should be no excuses for being outside the top 6 at the very least. Love Farke, but off the back of 12 defeats and a pretty miserable Prem campaign, he needs to deliver. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Essjayess 307 Posted September 10, 2020 Chewy brought up a couple of important points, one that we have 11 new guys...individually some of them make my mouth water at what they could do in the Champs, but as a team some time may be needed before the new guys settle in with the older guys, also for DF it will take some weeks at least and a fair few matches before he feels he knows what his main starters will be, to expect our players all to gel as a new unit from the get go is unrealistic. Secondly, after 12 straight competitive defeats we need to break that continuous losing streak, even if its a boring nil all draw. Its true that relegated clubs dropping from the Prem mostly find it hard the first season back in the Champs, but with our club...well...they seem to defy logic a lot of times and ignore normal everyday records and make things up as they go along...for both good and bad. No predicts from me, its just pointless...i just hope City dont stay pointless for to long, for now i will take that. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GenerationA47 758 Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) I’m hoping the new faces will be integrated gradually over the first term, one or maximum two at a time. Starting obviously with the forced replacements i.e. left back (& whichever starters may leave between now and October). Clearly Farke will be forming his plan for this, informed by the training they’re doing. Just think it should be a controlled (r)evolution to enable the oldies a chance to recap that old winning feeling under the original system, while subtly improving the quality and bring in new dimensions. The most exciting thing about the vast number of newbies is the potential for a tactical plan B, which I always thought we lacked. From match to match and within a game (early subs). I hope that’s how they’ll be exploited rather than the usual way coaches stuff the 11 with their new toys and can lose the good bits about what they had before. Edited September 11, 2020 by GenerationA47 Typo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Making Plans 936 Posted September 11, 2020 With 3 weeks left of the transfer window it's difficult to be confident about anything until we know what we're left with. So I'll keep my predictions low key for the time being although I do expect us to break our losing run eventually Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GenerationA47 758 Posted September 11, 2020 12 minutes ago, Making Plans said: So I'll keep my predictions low key for the time being although I do expect us to break our losing run eventually Blimey- you feeling all right, Nigel? 😋 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sonyc 5,541 Posted September 11, 2020 13 hours ago, norfolkngood said: Very true he has Class just got to get his form i know it is only clips i have seen But i would love to see Placheta upfront in a Two or at a number 10 his pace to get past last man is unbelievable I think this should give us cause for optimism yes. Got to keep people fit for this campaign. I can see why with our squad we 'ought' to be up there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sonyc 5,541 Posted September 11, 2020 12 hours ago, Fr. Chewy Louie said: Everything looks in place for a charge at the top spot, but there are a fair few new signings to settle in, and I'm sure at least one or two won't live up to expectations. With the congested timetable and no glaring weaknesses in our (big) squad though, there should be no excuses for being outside the top 6 at the very least. Love Farke, but off the back of 12 defeats and a pretty miserable Prem campaign, he needs to deliver. It's a worry for me that if we don't start the campaign this place will be full of misery and complaint. Folk will not be as patient as last time will they? You're right 100% about Farke having to deliver though. If he doesn't I'm sure he'll either resign or be dismissed. Like you I like DF very much but he is under more pressure than ever. And, it appears for his first time ever in his tenure, he has more tools in his box than he has been used to. It's going to be very interesting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fr. Chewy Louie 137 Posted September 11, 2020 4 minutes ago, sonyc said: It's a worry for me that if we don't start the campaign this place will be full of misery and complaint. Folk will not be as patient as last time will they? You're right 100% about Farke having to deliver though. If he doesn't I'm sure he'll either resign or be dismissed. Like you I like DF very much but he is under more pressure than ever. And, it appears for his first time ever in his tenure, he has more tools in his box than he has been used to. It's going to be very interesting. Not sure I remember that much patience in the poor run at the beginning of the Champions season! Fair to say that not many others would still be in a job after the post-lockdown run, but I'm glad he is. For this season, I'm sure some patience and a steady nerve will be required, changing manager after all these changes would be pretty counter-productive. Not to say he shouldn't be criticised though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
king canary 7,645 Posted September 11, 2020 9 minutes ago, sonyc said: It's a worry for me that if we don't start the campaign this place will be full of misery and complaint. Folk will not be as patient as last time will they? You're right 100% about Farke having to deliver though. If he doesn't I'm sure he'll either resign or be dismissed. Like you I like DF very much but he is under more pressure than ever. And, it appears for his first time ever in his tenure, he has more tools in his box than he has been used to. It's going to be very interesting. He'll likely be helped by a mostly empty stadium if we start slowly. I understand a need for patience but at the same time I don't think anyone could blame fans for questioning Farke if we're 7/8 games in and struggling. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tumbleweed 106 Posted September 11, 2020 It really is all down to Farke now. Look at the squad list as it is (and even with one or two more departures in line with what most seem to expect) and it looks very strong, certainly should be enough to mount a very good challenge at the top. There can be no excuses that we have not invested for success in a sensible way with some ostensibly good additions. Get the tactics right, have that Plan B and make sure we start games strongly (rather than seemingly having to play our way in) and there is no reason not to be quietly confident. I would happily take a draw to start with just to break the sequence and get us into first gear. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CANARYKING 642 Posted September 11, 2020 Just waiting for the latest injury list, one day we’ll have a clean bill of health Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Angry 1,570 Posted September 12, 2020 I've been waiting to see the first team sheet just in case any of our players were doing a Watford and "not fit to train with the squad". As we have managed to retain all but 1 of the players who might have been expected to secure a move, I would say our squad is the best in the Championship. My expectations are that we should win this league. I also expect us to shake off the appalling run at the end of last season-in fact I think it's vital that we do so. I know there are 46 matches in the season but I think this needs to be laid to rest from the outset. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheGunnShow 5,977 Posted November 10, 2020 Bumping this thread up so we can all take a look at how our predos are going so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,711 Posted November 10, 2020 From a personal point of view, we've started better than I expected. I thought the points tally would be a bit lower as we dealt with the turnover in players and the losing-streak we'd got ourselves into in the prem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgncfc 1,237 Posted November 10, 2020 We're a point off where I predicted we would be before the start of the season - but I do have us losing the next two games so we have a chance to catch that up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sonyc 5,541 Posted November 10, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, TheGunnShow said: Bumping this thread up so we can all take a look at how our predos are going so far. 4th to 8th was mine. So it's a tad better. Pukki seems to have got a little more of his form back. Not sure about others but we somehow rarely seem to get into top gear for long. Some glimpses...the first 20 of Brentford, first 15 of Wycombe and in parts of the Derby match. Looking at the Bein Sports stats I see we have had more shots than any other team, by a good number. That dynamic will continue I believe. Yet our conversion rate is 10% and in the bottom third of the division. This shows some of the problem. So our chances are either less clear-cut, opponents are very organised or we are wasteful. I think it's a combination of all of those. Lastly, our defence sometimes gives me kittens at set pieces yet we have done very well recently I believe. Maybe it's our attack that needs attention this time round! Anyway, we are one point off the top. No team has outplayed us. We need Adam back. Still think he will go on a scoring streak. Dowell to return too. I'm as happy as I could have forecast. Farke is being really proactive in his subs! What's gone on there? Overall, not much not to dislike. We are getting there. Edited November 10, 2020 by sonyc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BroadstairsR 2,190 Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) We're either a juggernaut that will sweep all before it, or damn lucky to have accumulated the success we have so far. I always feel the former between fixtures, and build up our talent in my mind, only to be brought down to earth when the game starts. Very few games are easy in this division. No team will lie down and surrender to the force that is NCFC. We should achieve top six at least, but our biggest problem remains breaking down teams who come to Carrow Road and park the bus. For all our class we do currently fail to be fluent goalscorers when faced with this problem. It's a tough nut to crack and that's exactly why we will occasionally have to rely on flashes of brilliance from the likes of Vrancic or Stiepermann to get on the score sheet, rather than our more orthodox through balls to Pukki. We never seem as successful at creating problems from crosses (esp. corners) as our opponents. Edited November 11, 2020 by BroadstairsR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Midlands Yellow 4,020 Posted February 19, 2021 There you go Hoggy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GenerationA47 758 Posted February 19, 2021 On 21/08/2020 at 15:03, Uncle Fred said: Mid table at best and me moaning Like a be atch through out the season One of those predictions has been slightly less untrue than the other. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Midlands Yellow 4,020 Posted February 19, 2021 On 10/11/2020 at 13:25, hogesar said: From a personal point of view, we've started better than I expected. I thought the points tally would be a bit lower as we dealt with the turnover in players and the losing-streak we'd got ourselves into in the prem. Mr sit on the fence as always. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites