We are much stronger than last season.

[Paulo_M 0]

It seems that many fans think we are weaker than last season and have lots of concerns. I''m not sure why this is... maybe certain fans have forgotten what we had at the start of last season...This is the starting line up from Wigan Away last year (note: was good enough to get a draw):RuddyMartin---Whitbread---De Laet---TierneyCrofts---Fox---Hoolahan---Surman Holt---MorisonCompare that to our a potential starting lineup we''ll see soon (assuming we get Garrido):RuddyWhittaker---Turner---Bennett---GarridoBennett---Howson---Fox---PilksSnodHoltThe things that strikes me are:- 3 of our back 4 have played in Europe/highest level for years. The other is a well respected hot prospect. Compare that to last year where theres hardly any experience. The upgrade is incredible really, but people still want another CB??- The midfield shape is a much better fit - Crofts & (to an extent) Surman aren''t wide men. Massive upgrade in terms of quality and shape.- All our players, apart from Snod, have top flight experience now.- Players that had great seasons like Surman/Wes/Morison/Martin only make the bench in that potential team.- The fact that 2 players from that team last year have been deemed to be surplus to requirements says a lot.

Granted our team changed over last season - we saw Naughton/Bennett/Pilks etc. come in early on, but this season will likely be the same... I''m sure we''ll see further additions (maybe a striker or DM) either in the next few weeks or in January. What is clear is that our team on the first day of the season will be stronger than it was last season.Now the counter argument is that the league will be tougher than last season... I do agree with this as there doesn''t look like there will be a Blackburn/Wolves this season. However, I think the concern that the promoted sides have all spent big money is a bit unfounded at the minute... you really have to compare their signings with all the signings we have made since promotion, not what we have done during this summer alone. Just because Southampton has spent a massive sum on Jay Rod doesn''t mean they''ll some how be better than us in all the positions we have strengthened in the last 12 months.The other positive is that we''ve kept our best players from last season... rivals like Swansea haven''t. The biggest loss is Naughton, but Whittaker has much more experience  - I can''t see how people can yet say "he''s not as good as Naughton" (just because he played in Scotland doesn''t make him crap). The other loss is Whitbread... he''s a good player, but is an injury concern... the fact that he didn''t get a top flight contract says it all really... we''ve replaced him with someone who got POTS 3 times in a row (2 of those in the prem league I believe) & who only 3 years ago was linked with Man city & Liverpool.Finally, what are the chances of us conceding so many penalties early on? Imagine the points total last season if we weren''t so naive... simply removing those types of mistakes probably means an extra 10 points or so (so even if the league has better teams this year, we hopefully won''t shoot ourselves in the foot so much!). So those that are concerned about the season - let''s wait and see what happens in the first few games. In the mean time, think about how much the team has improved since Wigan away last year & cheer up!

[Vazzza 62]

Agreed the squad as a whole is definitely stronger than last season. I think the standard of opposition in the premier this league will be stronger, but not as much stronger than last year.

If we could just bring in a striker and loan in this LB from Lazio then I think we are ready for a tough, but good campaign.

I''m a believe of getting rid of Vaughan however. He has been great in this pre-season, but he always does look good when fit. Just wouldn''t want to rely on him staying fit until the market reopens in Jan.

[CanaryNath 30]

Good OP. I too am encouraged by the experience level of our new signings, especially if we can sign up Garrido.

Our back four was our biggest weakness last season, and I think that Chris Hughton is taking good steps to addressing that issue.

[tom cavendish 0]

[quote user="Paulo_M"]It seems that many fans think we are weaker than last season and have lots of concerns. I''m not sure why this is...

[/quote]So far Naughton, Whitbread, Ayala, and Drury have all departed to be replaced by Whittaker and Turner. Martin wasn''t very good at right-back. We still don''t have a defensive midfielder other than Johnson. That is why some people are concerned.

[Indy 3,283]

Not to mention we still lack another stiker, Vaughan stays fit, Morison finds his form we might be OK but I still think we need that 1 big signing up top.

 

Stronger in some areas, but people must also consider that all our younger players are now anothe year experienced in the Premiership, they know what its all about now so should be better!

 

Fulham away will tell!!!

[safri_free_kick 0]

Great post. Pretty much sums up my opinions.I should also say I''m glad we haven''t spent silly amounts on one player (£7m on Rodriguez for example. What if he gets a broken leg on the first match of the season?). It''s also worth remembering that the budget is for the whole season, so it makes sense to have a little left over to strengthen in January if need be.

[Nexus_Canary 1,016]

4-5-1This is what concerns me the most

[Yelloow Since 72 54]

I also agree with the OP that City will be much stronger this season. One of the biggest problems was the lack of a consistent CB pairing - far too much changing around during the season. I think Turner and R.Bennett will provide that consistency this time. The fact that most of the squad have PL or the equivalent now should make for a positive start to the season.

As for the 4-5-1 fears, I suspect that it will be more of a 4-4-1-1 formation away from home with one substitution capable of changing that to 4-4-2 if the game has to be chased or City are playing at home. I see this side comfortably avoiding relegation again at 14th or thereabouts. OTBC!

[Paulo_M 0]

[quote user="tom cavendish"]So far Naughton, Whitbread, Ayala, and Drury have all departed to be replaced by Whittaker and Turner. Martin wasn''t very good at right-back. We still don''t have a defensive midfielder other than Johnson. That is why some people are concerned.[/quote]This is a classic example... Bennett joined us in March (I think), so he wasn''t really here most of last season.. he played only 4 times according to wikipedia.. he''s like a summer signing in my eyes. The way I view it...Turner replaces Whitbread... this is an obvious improvementGarrido replaces Drury... this is an obvious improvementBennett replaces Ayala... probably an improvement.Whittaker replaces Naughton... this may actually be an improvement (though I agree the jury is out as Naughts had a fine season).Ward/Ayala/Barnett are all CB back ups & we have Martin too... having 6 CBs is too much & they all are ok as back ups... yes Ayala is the best out of those, but he did make some naive mistakes last season so in my eyes makes perfect sense for him to go out on loan (since he won''t get many games & it''ll help improve his game).As for a DM, I totally agree... would love one there... but that''s only one position - signing a £10m rated DM doesn''t change us from certain relegation candidates to guaranteed safety - I think what we''ve got (Johnson/Fox/Howson) will all do fine in the middle of the park.

[ricardo 7,347]

[quote user="Paulo_M"]It seems that many fans think we are weaker than last season and have lots of concerns. I''m not sure why this is... maybe certain fans have forgotten what we had at the start of last season...This is the starting line up from Wigan Away last year (note: was good enough to get a draw):RuddyMartin---Whitbread---De Laet---TierneyCrofts---Fox---Hoolahan---Surman Holt---MorisonCompare that to our a potential starting lineup we''ll see soon (assuming we get Garrido):RuddyWhittaker---Turner---Bennett---GarridoBennett---Howson---Fox---PilksSnodHoltThe things that strikes me are:- 3 of our back 4 have played in Europe/highest level for years. The other is a well respected hot prospect. Compare that to last year where theres hardly any experience. The upgrade is incredible really, but people still want another CB??- The midfield shape is a much better fit - Crofts & (to an extent) Surman aren''t wide men. Massive upgrade in terms of quality and shape.- All our players, apart from Snod, have top flight experience now.- Players that had great seasons like Surman/Wes/Morison/Martin only make the bench in that potential team.- The fact that 2 players from that team last year have been deemed to be surplus to requirements says a lot.

Granted our team changed over last season - we saw Naughton/Bennett/Pilks etc. come in early on, but this season will likely be the same... I''m sure we''ll see further additions (maybe a striker or DM) either in the next few weeks or in January. What is clear is that our team on the first day of the season will be stronger than it was last season.Now the counter argument is that the league will be tougher than last season... I do agree with this as there doesn''t look like there will be a Blackburn/Wolves this season. However, I think the concern that the promoted sides have all spent big money is a bit unfounded at the minute... you really have to compare their signings with all the signings we have made since promotion, not what we have done during this summer alone. Just because Southampton has spent a massive sum on Jay Rod doesn''t mean they''ll some how be better than us in all the positions we have strengthened in the last 12 months.The other positive is that we''ve kept our best players from last season... rivals like Swansea haven''t. The biggest loss is Naughton, but Whittaker has much more experience  - I can''t see how people can yet say "he''s not as good as Naughton" (just because he played in Scotland doesn''t make him crap). The other loss is Whitbread... he''s a good player, but is an injury concern... the fact that he didn''t get a top flight contract says it all really... we''ve replaced him with someone who got POTS 3 times in a row (2 of those in the prem league I believe) & who only 3 years ago was linked with Man city & Liverpool.Finally, what are the chances of us conceding so many penalties early on? Imagine the points total last season if we weren''t so naive... simply removing those types of mistakes probably means an extra 10 points or so (so even if the league has better teams this year, we hopefully won''t shoot ourselves in the foot so much!). So those that are concerned about the season - let''s wait and see what happens in the first few games. In the mean time, think about how much the team has improved since Wigan away last year & cheer up!

[/quote]The only problem is that nearly every team in the league thinks the same thing and apart from Wigan, I think that they are.

[Row D Seat 7 0]

I think we need to buy a striker. Someone like a Rhodes. I think we are too light weight up top. We also need a central defender IMO. Why we let Ayala leave it beyond me.

[Salopian 1]

Not many people have mentioned Jacob Butterfield as an improvement. He is a different sort of player "in the hole" behind ther striker - a fast raiding midfielder with a good shot from any distance - different to the creativity of Wes, or the touches of Snoddy. In other words he offers something different.

 

There is a little uncertainty as to what he may contribute, assuming he gets back to full fitness. The big question is whether his prowess at Championship level can be transferred to the Premiership. If it does, although he is technically not a striker he could produce several goals. He is potentially a really good player in the making.

 

I''m looking forward to him playing a part soon.

[Paulo_M 0]

I''m not sure why people think we *need* a striker. We''ve only lost Wilbraham in this area and basically have a new signing in Vaughan... also Snodgrass plays a very attacking role too & can fill in as a second striker.So with Vaughan fit & Snodgrass in, I think we are actually stronger in this area than last season. Does anyone actual think we are weaker? Having said that, I think up front is now our weakest position & would be a good place to strengthen - Jackson/Martin aren''t really of the level we need and Vaughan is of course injury prone... so personally would love another one in the mix.However, there''s no point bringing in players of the same quality - they need to be better... and since strikers are incredibly expensive I don''t think the cost/benefit stacks up... i.e. would it be worth spending say £8m on  a striker since we''re likely to play 1 up top (so either they or Holt would be on the bench most of the time).