Would u be happy to finish 17th or 16th next season?

[a1canary 0]

This might not be considered progress in the table, but staying up for another season, improving our financial position, reducing the debt etc, might be.

Then again, you have to feel Lambert will be ready to move on if we don''t make progress on the pitch. I''d be very nervous of embarking on the stadium expansion prior to our first season "post Lambert". V hard to judge the right time to take the plunge with that. Just look at Wolves. 3 years in, seemed sensible, and... down.

[thenorthstand 0]

Yes, and for the next few years if thats how it has to be. Everyone wants progress but this is the most competitive league in the world and staying in it is an amazing achievement. Nobody wants a reputation as a Wigan, but they''ve been in the league for 7 or 8 years now.

In an ideal world, we want to do a ''stoke'' and make progress (not adopting their playing style of course). But we still have one of the smallest wage bills and lowest value squads in the league, and the likes of West Ham will spend big...

[First Wizard 0]

I''d take that right now, survival must be the main priority.

[walkern canary 0]

Yes ,it would be nice to finish higher ,but stability is the key to future success :)

[William Darby 0]

Yes, but would prefer a comfortable 16th rather a scrappy 17th.

[Jacko 0]

 I for one would be happy with that next season. I think that would represent progress and development for the reasons you have stated. The debt would be completely cleared and Lambert would then have a bigger budget to work with the season afterwards to push us on up the table. I personally think this year could be the really big one for us. If we survive it then we could be enjoying Premiership football for several years to come fingers crossed.  

[nutty nigel 7,962]

Or a comfortable 17th rather than a scrappy 16th[;)]

 

The key for me is that we are competive throughout as we were this season. We need to carry on giving the other sides something to think about so that we are where we deserve to be.

 

 

[Kirby_86 0]

[:D]

I think we should aim for 11th or higher.Aim high!

[Son Ova Gunn 165]

Its not about where you aim Kirby, I am sure they will aim for 1st but what consitutes a good season and in my view a comfortable 17th would be ok. couldnt go through a final day showdown again, not good for my health. Staying clear of the relegation places again would potential help with player recruitment but its a big ask.

 

 

[CambridgeCanary 0]

Happy? - No

 

Content? - Yes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SwindonCanary 457]

I feel that it will be harder next season, with the teams coming up and teams like QPR spending big, Villa with a manager. My only ambition would be to stay in the Premiership for another year.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

16th. would be Ok, with a decent cup run to add some measure of progress. Consolidation in the League, ambition in the Cups perhaps.

 

As was said above, if we survive this season we could well look forward to a consistent run up there in the heights of Skyland and whilst the limit is before the sky for a club like NCFC  we could well emerge from the next five years with a bigger stadium, a bigger profile, a bigger support, a better team and remain the undisputed ''Pride of Anglia.''

[Indy_Bones 444]

If that''s how the season pans out then I''ll take it, but we should be trying to emulate this seasons finish and improve on it if we can.This may be extremely tough, it may not even be possible at this stage, but it''s what we should be aiming for, and I genuinely believe that we are a lot better than a number of teams in the league and will be even stronger with some sensible additions over the summer.I''ll take 17th, but I''d be ''happy'' with 11th or better...

[paul moy 235]

Anything other than relegation is acceptable. Let''s not get too greedy...

[Cantiaci Canary 610]

Anything but being in the mix on Survival Sunday!

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

Very tough league next year. Most of our points this season came against the lower teams who were pretty poor this season. West Ham, Soton & Reading are all stronger then the three tht have gone down, and have wealthy backers prepared to spend. As for the teams who survived this year, QPR will be a lot stronger, as will Villa providing they stay injury free and appoint the correct manager, Wigan you''d expect to do well based on their end to the say althought the imminent departure of Martinez will have a negative effect. Stoke I think will struggle this time. 

[William Darby 0]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

Or a comfortable 17th rather than a scrappy 16th[;)]

 

The key for me is that we are competive throughout as we were this season. We need to carry on giving the other sides something to think about so that we are where we deserve to be.

 

 

[/quote]I got that a little muddled didn''t I[:)]

[Tetteys Jig 853]

There''ll be new shit teams to beat this year, we just have to make sure we''re not one of them. Anyone who finished from 9th place this season downwards could realistically get relegated.

 

Blackburn had money last year...

[Zak Van Burger 0]

No.we should be looking to consolidate our position as a mid table premier League outfit and aiming for 8th-12th. Anything lower than this would be disappointing to me.

[The 12th Devine 0]

Not a question about it - even staying up on the last day, in the last minute would be a success. Basically Norwich needs to get some top flight longevity and build up the bank balance and invest in capacity and wage structure if we are to become entrenched for the longer term. For that, fior now, we need to remain where we are, in the Premier League, thereby in the top 17.

Whatever our intermittent successes over the years we have not put together a decade in the top division in my 38 years – possibly never. And there''s no doubt this is going to be a tougher year than last. QPR and West Ham are real threats. Don''t get me wrong, we could thrive again, but it will be harder than the last year has been.

Finally, remember the second season syndrome which I think has, in Premier League year, snared the likes of Ipswich, Reading, Hull and Birmingham after good first seasons up.

Norwich fans won''t cut the club any slack for finishing 17th, but they should.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

[quote user="The 12th Devine"]Not a question about it - even staying up on the last day, in the last minute would be a success. Basically Norwich needs to get some top flight longevity and build up the bank balance and invest in capacity and wage structure if we are to become entrenched for the longer term. For that, fior now, we need to remain where we are, in the Premier League, thereby in the top 17. Whatever our intermittent successes over the years we have not put together a decade in the top division in my 38 years – possibly never. And there''s no doubt this is going to be a tougher year than last. QPR and West Ham are real threats. Don''t get me wrong, we could thrive again, but it will be harder than the last year has been. Finally, remember the second season syndrome which I think has, in Premier League year, snared the likes of Ipswich, Reading, Hull and Birmingham after good first seasons up. Norwich fans won''t cut the club any slack for finishing 17th, but they should.[/quote]

 

Exactly.

[Yellow Green Army 252]

I would be over the moon if we survive next. Think it''s going to be a lot tougher than this year with Southampton, Reading and West Ham promoted. Our home form is going to be the key again and I also hope that PL plays open attacking football away from home to really get at teams and not be frightened of them. So yes if we stay up in 16th or 17th I would be delighted and it would be another massive achievement for the team.

[Trent Canary 0]

It is going to be another tough season, and I would definitely take guaranteed survivial right now. Hoping we can get to mid-table, but I think the group of fans who will now expect us to be premiership mainstays from now on will get a shock next season, I can only hope that any disappointment does not get thrown back at the players/manager.

[Redders Right Foot 22]

I would take it, but finishing at that place we may risk losing Lambert. but then again, maybe other clubs would blame his tactics for our finish and we''d get to keep him :p

[Lets be aving you! 0]

17th would be ideal.

 

It would put the "big" clubs off signing Lambert up.

 

Lambert could then get to spend our higher post-debt budget and, hey presto, get us into Europe.

 

Job done.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

I think the one thing in our favour is that throughout the whole of last season were were never totally out-played or out-classed by any team other than the obvious candidates, and this latter was not always the case.

 

More than once I remember thinking that this League is maybe not as difficult as it is perceived to be. Not easy, of course, but by no means impossible for a decent set-up  such as we have atm.

 

Judgements are formed from the top downwards and we inevitably weigh up our chances of survival against the top six level rather than with the also rans against whom we have an even chance of success.

 

The fact that Spam, Soton and Reading have cash to splash is a far from conclusive factor in assessing our own chances next season. The cash has to be properly spent in the first place, whilst tactics, managerial influence, team spirit and Premiership acclimatisation are amongst the many other factors that will lead to survival. All three of the promoted sides will have a lot of work to do this summer before they can feel confident that they will make the grade. They will begin next season looking downwards rather than upwards to the top end of the League. The first season is the toughest, not the second IMO.

 

Yes, it won''t be easy, not for NCFC nor for at least another  8-10 sides IMO. Survival is the name of the game for nearly half of that League.

[Salopian 1]

Yes, if it didn''t mean the exit of PL. I suspect a lower position would indicate that he was not given sufficient funds, and surely he would not put up with that for another year.

[N city till I die 0]

So the debt would be completely cleared if we stay in the league for another season, so with this stadium expansion, would we be in debt again? or is there other money aside for that??

[a1canary 0]

Not speaking from any great position of knowledge on the matter LondonC, I would think new debt would have to be acquired for the initial capital build for the stadium expansion. But with the current debt cleared and with a Premier League turnover, this debt would be a) smaller b) shorter term  so cleared faster and much less of a millstone than the current debt.

[lake district canary 0]

I would not be happy bumbling along near the bottom of the premiership every year and I don''t think PL would either.   We have to have more ambition than that and if last season represents progress then we have to move on from there.    Of course we want to stay in the division and 16th or 17th would do that, but if you are not careful you will be wishing yourselves into a Wigan type scenario every year.   Progress every year is the aim of the exercise - it has to be.   A stronger squad, a year further into PL''s reign,  better for the experience of this year - we should consider that we have proved that the premiership is not something we should be scared of and be even more competetive next year.    

 

 

No targets should be set -  go out and be competetive and see where it gets us.  Its worked for the last three seasons - no reason to think next season will be any different.    We are fairly unusual in the way we have come into this league - but surely Lambert has proved he has the credentials to carry on the building and development of the team??   Let''s be positive and not look at the bottom of the table from day one of the season.   The evidence and experience of the last three years are there for everyone to see.   There is no bubble to burst, there is no secret to what we have done.  It simply works.  Its been working for three seasons.   As Lambert seems to think in the present, why not us fans try and do the same?  Don''t look up and don''t look down - just accept where you are at any given moment and do the best you can.   It works.