Howay

Nah it's fair enough, I rate Krul and think he's our best keeper for sure. You not think Eliot could do a job for us in the Championship if Krul did leave? At least until we got back into the Prem and could attract that level of keeper. I'm not a big fan of Darlow mind but think he's fine as a back up for the Championship.

Mossa Sissoko, I'm sure everyone is thrilled for him.

Agreed, it had slowed to a bit of a crawl until recently.

So Arya v the moody lass in 8, Jon v Ramsey in 9, then everyone against the night king in 10? They're really speeding up the storylines towards the end of this season.

Manchester City are signing Gundogan: http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36430721

I didn't recognise the name, he's probably one of the lot Rafa brought in.

This, I think he's our best keeper but Eliott has shown he can be a PL keeper so will be comfortable in the Championship.

Rafa must have almost keeled over on his first day when he was told the players had the day off and had the prior day off as well. I think the greatest advantage we have is we basically have first dibs on any player that's available for the division, we have the greatest pulling power with Rafa and most definitely the largest budget. I'd like to see us bring in players who could grow with the team like Lewis Dunk, that way we can get use out of them after promotion. I'm very interested in who he will target and how much pull he'll have, he might even be able to attract players away from some lower prem sides (one season with Rafa in the championship then PL player with Rafa coaching you, or have Alan Pardew as a manager?).

I think even our worst squad players are upper Championship players, people like Dummett will look very comfortable down there despite being nightmarish at times in the PL. We also saw them after 5 years of coaching from Pardew, Carver, and McClaren, they were greatly improved after just 10 games under Benitez so after 2 months training and bringing in who he wants I think we'll have a very well rounded squad for the division. We also have a very young squad by and large, Mitrovic and Mbemba will be a lot more settled now and have learnt a great deal over the season. Once the confidence is flowing after a few wins we'll be very strong.

Aye pre-season was a farce, that coupled with McClaren giving the players 3 days off a week throughout the season meant we were fucked. I think Rafa will use the pre-season to drill the team defensively, our defence will be immense next season imo (which will make a welcome change) and although our attack struggled in the PL they'll be a lot better in the championship (plus we'll buy some attacking players).

They were all among our weakest performers though, we'll also have a big budget which is written into Benitez's contract. I'm not saying Norwich wont be there or thereabouts but there are 2 automatic promotion spots and we'll be one of them, Villa wont be anywhere near. I think we'll get around 100 points, we did last time and have a better manager, more money and a squad with arguably more talent. I think if Rafa had been given the full season, even with the same squad, we'd have been pretty safe from the drop. Neill had a full season and took his lot down, if that's our main competition I'm very confident. I'm normally quite pessimistic when it comes to NUFC but I just think this will be a comfortable season.

Our attitude towards it makes no difference though, only the players does. I don't agree about Norwich, we're the favorites. We have the best squad and the best manager, probably the biggest budget as well. I don't see how experience of promotion gives Neill the advantage over Benitez, Benitez is a winner and I've no idea how the task of beating shitter teams with a lower level of manager is going to suddenly become more difficult than what he has done in the past. Villa don't even have a steady owner yet ffs, the bloke who owns them wants fuck all to do with them and the buyer looks set to fair the fit person test. They also have a squad that amassed less than half the points ours did, 40m might not even be good enough to get them level with our current lot.

We'll piss it, don't worry. Di Matteo is okay but he's no Rafa and has a squad that got less than half the points we did this year.

I found being drunk for the majority of the day helped with that bit! Congrats Andrew and enjoy the day!

Aye fully agree, people kept saying how tough it would be the last time we went down and I didn't agree then and I don't agree with it now. Our worst players are good Championship level players, the money in the PL has really separated teams more which is why we see so many coming right back up nowadays (like Burnley this season). A lot of those teams in the league have very recently been in League One and have squads that reflect that. Villa keep being pointed too as a real threat but the fact is we finished with more than double of their points tally in the PL and now their prospective owner is looking a bit ropey, even if he was all they think he is they'd have to improve a hell of a lot to even catch what we currently are coupled with the fact we have the best manager in the league by a fucking massive margin (we're going to see Rafa Benitez going up against Gary Caldwell ffs). I really do think we'll get promoted quite comfortably, I'm confident we'll win the league. We've got a squad of lower PL and upper Championship standard players, were the highest of the 3 relegated teams, have a fair amount of money to spend, and a CL winning manager, I really don't see it being a problem. I understand people look at that league and see some traditionally big name teams but by and large not many of them have been in the PL much in the last 10 year and even if they have most were an utter joke there (like QPR).

I think that is the hope, it's what fans of every club (outside of the PL era big sides) really wants to happen. I really hope you're right, my main worry is that now everyone knows PL clubs have so much money so all the PL teams will get gouged when going abroad to buy which means those 5m players will simply become 10m or so players. The 'top clubs' will still be the only ones that have access to a certain tier of player, as the Higuain being interested in Liverpool goes to show as I'm unconvinced he'd go to Leicester which in reality should be daft since Leicester have just won a title and will be in the CL but people wont see it as mental. I'd like it to level the financial playing field but I just fear that all it really does is increase the level of everyone (big rich sides included as they'll now be more likely to challenge Madrid etc for that 60-80m player), the CL money is still a large hunk over what the other PL sides gets and the vast commercial revenue the bigger sides bring in also helps. Again what you said could be right and I genuinely hope it is but I just think next year is going to be a bit of a backlash and it'll be a long while before we see a one like last season (not exactly going out on a limb with that one I know). I think the league is changed but I just think the CL positions are generally going to stay within the same gang, I think the change will be the top 10 sides becoming stronger than ever, teams like West Ham are really capitalizing on this, bottom dwellers like (picking a totally random example) Sunderland will still buy utter dross generally it'll just be overpriced utter dross like Fabio Borini and they wont change much with the money (as which players would want to go there? even Borini fraught the move tooth and nail for 18 month).

Mourinho is a bit better at spending than LVG imo. It doesn't guarantee a title no but I'm fairly confident that Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea will all have better seasons than they did this season. I was just meaning teams wont be "doing a Leicester" from now on, it's not going to become a common place event. I disagree that it guarantees fuck all, by and large spending a lot of money is what has kept the league in the hands of a few teams for so long and next season we'll probably see a return to the norm thanks in part to Chelsea, Man Utd, and Man City spending a load. We spent a lot last season but we don't spend consistently which allows players to settle and a team to come out of that, we spent seasons scrimping by and then bought a bunch of players in positions that we thought would appreciate the most (like buying lots of attacking mids). We also entrusted people like Steve McClaren and Lee Charnley to do the spending, they're giving it to Mourinho, Guardiola and Conte.

Aye Liverpool have already had Higuain saying he'd fancy going there, I think West Ham will look to kick on as well. Spurs will hold onto the good squad they have and improve on it so they'll challenge the top 5 positions. If we do get promoted I could see Rafa having us challenge for mid table position though but wouldn't give us a chance at making Europa league positions let alone 'doing a Leicester'.

Especially as next year looks like it's going to be a bit of a backlash by the rich teams, Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea are all gearing up for massive spending windows and all have new managers.

Why the fuck would that ever be a big deal? What difference does it make what he gets called, for what it's worth I've never called him Gini I tend to call him Winny or Wijnaldum. They're fucking mental man.

To be fair with the defence we have and the fact Hodgson keeps trying to just force his favorites into the XI it might be worth a bet. I think the team is good enough to get out but wont get much further, I have no faith in Hodgson though.

Not to mention Barkley who was complete shit at the end of the season, regardless of his potential he's simply not living up to it and he can't just keep being brought to Tournaments especially when he doesn't even look fit (I know they're saying it's not his fitness and that he's knackered but that still means he can't play full games without keeling over). Noble, Drinkwater and Townsend were hard done by.

As I said in the other thread the squad has no width at all, it's all fine and well if he plays a narrow formation (like the diamond he played at some point v Australia) but he wont. Sterling is the only proper winger in the squad, I know Milner, Lallana and some of the strikers can be put there but it's just baffling that he couldn't have taken another winger in a squad where he has taken 5 strikers.

Hodgson proving what a fucking plank he is tbh, taking Wilshere and leaving Drinkwater and Noble home is absurd. Wilshere had 1 start in the league last year how the fuck can you take him to a Tournament? Sturridge is class but he can't stay fit for more than a week and he's not going to be the starter anyway, he's taking 5 strikers and 3 centre backs (I know Dier can play there but tbh he's not very good there) what do blokes like Shawcross have to do to get a friendly or anything? Stones has been diabolical all season and has brought that poor form into every England game he has played, crackers when you think the bloke tends to play one up top. Sterling has completely lost his way and went big time since his move to Man City so he's been shite all season, clearly there on name alone tbh. Not being funny but I think someone like Marc Albrighton should be annoyed, they went on about him on a programme the other week and they're saying he's among the most consistent chance creators in the league whenever he plays. Townsend was class the closing weeks of the Prem but didn't play much the rest of the season, I think that argument could have been used if he hadn't taken someone like Wilshere, I'm glad in a way as it means Townsend isn't in the shop window but looking at the squad he deserved to go tbh as yet again an England squad is criminally lacking in width. Why even take Sterling as the only winger (unless you class Lallana as one, I see him as more through the middle)? I know he's clearly going to do daft stuff like waste Vardy out wide, despite how Vardy proved how daft that was the other week. Ah well not like we were going to win it anyway but it's even clearer now that Hodgson isn't up to the job, despite that being crystal clear after the shambles in Brazil.

He'll get 15-20 at least imo with a good amount of starts. He scored 9 in the Prem in his first season aged 20-21, I'm tired of the 'but he isn't a great finisher' he almost got double figures in the Prem in the first season there with a team that got relegated and created next to fuck all. He got 1-2 chances in most games ffs. If utter utter dross like Cameron Jerome can score over 20 in the Championship Mitro could, Jerome has managed something like 2 and 3 in his last 2 seasons in the Prem, Mitro got 9 in 22 starts and 12 sub appearances. . Ross McCormack is a good player for that level but 10m is really steep, I'd be almost tempted with Mitro, Armstrong and Perez then spend elsewhere. Armstrong got 20 in the league below (a league which most of the league is closer to the level of than it is the Prem), and Mitro and Perez could both definitely get into double figures. I'd prefer to target Chris Martin from Derby if we were going to get a striker, he's 27 or so which means he at least has a fair few years ahead of him and he has scored 15-20 or so a season for 3 year. I'd like to see us really target some defenders, the problem I think we have is the squad we have right now (with a couple of additions) could get back up but we need to add a bit more due to the volume of games, buy too much and you're lumbered with too much Championship fodder after you get promoted. I'd like to see us get a proven Championship scorer like Martin, then a couple of youngsters with potential (like Dunk from Brighton) and then maybe some older experienced players on 1-2 year deals.