You R’s - expectations for 2021/22 season

I’m looking forward to next season as I’m assuming that we will be allowed to go and see some live football, and I’ve missed it hugely.

Largely due to the post Christmas form, this season has been very positive. From the little I’ve seen and the lots I have read we have played good football and have a good set of players, leading to our highest finish for 5 seasons. All on a tiny budget. Bravo all.

On the assumption that the budget will remain tiny, and that we won’t keep all, or perhaps any, of the excellent loan players we have had, and might sell one or two of our own squad that the fans would prefer not to sell, and get in some unknown quantities to replace them, I’d be delighted if we got the same number of points next year, I’d say it would be unreasonable to ask for more.

However, if Warbles can convince the board that the play offs are a realistic prospect (West Brom, if Allardyce stays, and Fulham will be automatically promoted, of course) and we can hold on to our valuable players, add a rough diamond or kid or two, and keep a couple of the loanees, then another 3-4 wins, and likely a play off place, would be a fair expectation. No way will we be spending big money (more than £2m for a player) in any circumstances though.

One thing we can’t do is go backwards, and if Warbles is facing calls for the chop by November, the managerial killing fields, we will know that we are in involuntary reverse…..

PS anyone know the state of play regarding STs for next year? Don’t seem to be available yet from what I can see….

 

I’d be happy for more progression. Anything better than 9th will do. Honestly not bothered about the Prem apart from the money side, I would rather compete here than desperately hoping for 17th upstairs.

 

Now we’ve set the stall out on how we play, we can only improve & go upwards & I’m confident of that, if we had that side that has just finished the season from the start we would now be a prem side.

we need if poss to get in those loans from Jan in, I could poss see 3 out of 4 though coming in, really enjoyed watching the team this season & more so from 2021.

looking forward to watching them hopefully next season, regarding season tickets sb I’ve heard nothing as I had one for season just gone, god talk about withdrawal symptoms of not going to HQ every other week & have a couple of pints & meeting up with others you sit with & only see them at matches.

 

Stan, you missed the word 'Managing' from the title of your thread.

I start every season thinking 'we can do it this year' and go to most games convinced we will win it. One reason why I don't bet on the footie!?

I'd like to hope we can build on the amazing form after Christmas but, like it or not, we won't do so unless some money spent.

I hope we can find some diamonds in the rough but I really hope we can keep the current loanees.

Realistically, improvement on this season is top 6. I'm sure we can do that but...

 

Well we have gone from 19th with 51 points in 2018/19 the season before Warburton, to 13th and 58 points Warburtons 1st season 2019/20, and to 9th and 68 points this Warburton's 2nd season. Huge improvements when we have one of the lowest budgets in the League and a wealth of talent has had to be moved out meaning wholesale changes have had to me made.

Warburton has done exceptionally well, we are 3rd or 4th in recent form tables from the start of this year. If we keep the current owners, leaders, manager, coaches, medical staff and the bulk of the current team, the loanies included, we have every hope of further improvement again next season of at least another 10 points and improvement of another 4 or 5 positions up to 4th or 5th. If we lose some of our players that puts us back to buying replacements, we could improve again.

 

We now have some very talented players that would all benefit from another season with us....... they should all improve as they have done this season playing and training with the likes of uncs, chaz, wallace and johansen.....

Anything higher than 9th would be a bloody good effort and would put us within touching distance of the play offs..... whether or not that's a good thing is for another day....

Let's hope it's as enjoyable....

 

can we have a cup run as well as promotion please

 

The improvement since January has been largely due to our loan signings. Austin has certainly had a positive impact, but I think he's pretty much finished and he wouldn't sign for us again anyway because he can earn more elsewhere. Johansen has been superb, but I can't see why would Fulham let him go. If they do, he'd be our best signing for many a year. Field should be nailed on, but oddly wasn't given the starts that would have confirmed the deal. He's a good player and one for the future.

Aside from these, we have a very good keeper, three decent CBs (Dickie in particular) and a good LB and possible captain in Wallace (fitness allowing). Willock and Chair are excellent creative players and up top Dykes has come on massively. We will need to sign two wing-backs (Kane, Kakay and Hamalainen aren't good enough), a CB and a striker.

I think we'll win it (play-offs minimum).

 

Can we realistically expect the triple or will we have to suffice with just a promotion and one other cup?
Many thanks in advance.

 

go hard

 

If and it's a huge if, we can keep Austin, Johansen and Field, get in a couple more players, like a right wing back and a back up centre back, I reckon we could be competing for the play offs. De what'shisname would be handy to keep too.
Johansen has been the stand out loanee imo. He is an excellent player at this level.
Dykes has continued to improve, but I'm not convinced that he'll be a 1 goal every 3 games striker like Austin.
Not surprisingly, I disagree with Strolls when he says Austin is finished. Not sure what he's basing that on. Charlie has scored 8 in around 20 games for us since January, whilst having 48 shots. I see no reason whatsoever why he wouldn't score at least 15 for us next season. He's getting older and that's why I didn't make that total 15 - 20.

I like Austin and Dykes up top together in a 3-5-2, but that would probably mean sacrificing one of Chair or Willock in the starting line up. As we saw against Luton, playing two up top, with two 10s and only Johansen behind is way too open imo. It improved when Field was introduced I believe, as I didn't see it.

If we can't have Austin and Johansen, I believe we'll do very well to finish anywhere near 9th unless we get lucky/creative in the bargain basement transfer market.

Field this side most weeks next season and I reckon we'd have a good chance of being right up there:

-------------------------------------------Dieng--------------------------------------

------------Dickie----------------------De Wyjs----------------Barbet-----------

?New RWB---------------------------------------------------------------Wallace

-------------------------------Johansen---------Field------------------------------
-----------------------------------------Willock---------------------------------------

---------------------------Dykes-------------------Austin---------------------------

We could also only play one out and out forward, enabling Chair or Willock to play off the front man.
I like Albert at right wing back, but I'm not sure his legs could stand a whole season there.

I'm optimistic for next season, but how well we do is hugely dependent on getting back two or three of the loanees imo.

 

On what exactly are you basing the comment about Austin being finished?

He maintained his record of scoring more than a goal every 3 games since January and clearly had a role in Dykes's improvement. He's getting older, but at this level he'd continue that 1 in 3 record for at least another season at this level imo.

 

I'm not saying he couldn't do a job for us, but he was never blessed with much pace and he's even slower now. He just looks like he's on his last legs. I'd be happy enough to have him around for another season for his influence in the dressing room, but I can't see him being a regular starter. Anyway, he'll want a last payday that we can't afford to give him.

 

But better than 1 goal every 3 games suggests he's still more than capable at this level imo. He also started his stint with no match fitness whatsoever.
A goals to games ratio like his is absolute gold dust.

As always, we'll have to agree to differ.
You may well be right concerning wages.

 

I think most of us would have taken a top 10 finish at the beginning of the season so I haven't got any complaints about ending up with the 9 spot.

Looking at our goal difference of only plus 2 is very telling, we would have finished above Cardiff if our goal difference had been better, they out-scored us/let fewer in by 15 goals. I don't know if this means we need to spend money and effort on shoring up our defence or bolster our attack. I would hope the latter sorts itself out as we do appear to have enough options and players who can put their shooting boots on.

Top 10 again next season should be achievable but realistically anything other than a relegation scrap and I'd be happy.

Expect West Brom to win the league next season. Boing Boing!!

 

Given that many of us were expecting a tough season lingering around the lower mid-table end, with the fear of dropping into a relegation scrap, Warburton and co have done very very well. My expectations for next year very much depend on if we can keep the squad together or not...and if we are somehow able to make a few additions. My heart wants to say we should try and sneak into the playoffs and go for promotion, my head says we should aim for solid top 10, give the younger players more experience, and not push for promotion too soon. We have done that before, and we know it results in us just coming straight back down after a year or two!

 

We did amazingly well to get to 9th this season. A great effort by everyone at the club. No doubts that the incoming loans made a very surprising impact for January signings, which we all know can be hit and miss.
DeWijs - gave us a more solid CB team and certainly makes a good trio with Barbet and Dickie (who have both improved this season too). Looks like we have a good chance of keeping him if we are convinced on his fitness. 50/50 as I have no idea on fitness situation.
Johansen - has been a huge influence in the middle, presence and goals. Seems a very solid player and seems to be on everyone’s wish list. I’d like to think he would be keen to stay with us (versus a season getting Foolham back up and then being dropped - or maybe he wants to prove them wrong). I’m guessing he has maybe 2 more seasons, which means we will be looking for a replacement to slot in who can have the same influence and goals. I think it’s a 50/50 we will get him.
Field - looks a good player in the making. As Col said, he works well with Johansen. Odd we didn’t seal the games needed for automatic signing. Feel there must be some plan in that decision. Would like to see us sign him permanently, he definitely looks like a player who would improve at the club. Good contribution. Good potential value. Good signing if it is confirmed. Seems an 80/20 possibility.
Austin - has, surprisingly to me, made much more impact than I expected. Seems to have been a good influence on the team in general and forwards. Expecting Dykes to improve next season, he’s a grafter and (as Austin told him) he just needs to be a bit more greedy and selfish in front of goal. It would be good to have him for another season (Bonne and Felman still developing). I think Austin would like to stay on, but wages or US opportunity could throw a toolbag of spanner’s in the way. 50/50.

We all know we need a good right wing-back ahead of Kakay/Kane (with only one of them needed as a back-up). We also need to sign a development player for Johansen in the future. I’m looking forward to seeing how the summer pans out; the gains, the losses and the surprises and development -layers coming in.

Next season ... I can honestly say I would just like us to improve again next season. If we get to the play-offs I would be very pleased (for the club, management, team ... but most of all for the Fans). Going up makes me go cold and clammy. The thought of the terrible disappointment at not being ready and the whole club suffering losses that see us becoming a yo-yo club and the dread of upcoming games is a horrid feeling I’m afraid. I’m not against losing a competitive game when/where we are competitive, but the divisive EPL is not a level playing field by any means and discouraging for anyone not close to the top 5 positions.

So for me it’s 8th or higher. An enjoyable season. Good football (usual dash of frustration to keep us on our toes). Local derbies with Brentford, Foolham to deliver some bragging rights would be great too. A cup run would be good fun as a little icing on the cake too.

 

Great thread. It's nice to think that if we were grading this year's squad from A-F, most of them would be scoring A's or B's. I can't think of many that are going to fall much behind that - maybe Kane, Kakay and Hamalainen? I suppose Bonne, Cameron and Ball perhaps too? And those lot are all hovering around the 'C' mark, we've not had lots of D-F. Clive's end of year reports will be a good read.

What's pleasing for me is how far some of our current players have come on this year - Dieng, Dickie, Willock, Chair and Dykes, particularly. I'd also say Barbet has been a lot better in the back three. I have hope that we might see similar improvement next year for Amos and Thomas. Willock, in particular, seems to have a huge amount of potential, which is fantastic. If he can keep on improving at the rate he has been, he will be one of the best players in the championship next year.

I wouldn't be overly shocked if we sold one of Dieng, Dickie or Dykes this summer and re-investing well, as we did last summer, is crucial.

On the new signings, I'm a bit of a pessimist that we will be able to afford either of Austin or Johansen. I also don't want us to break the wage bill for any player now that we've done so much hard work and been through so much pain to get where we are - we're developing good young players, any making a profit* every year. As brilliant as they are, neither Austin or Johansen will have any re-sale value. I hope any offer we make them is within our current structures, and if they join it's down to how much they enjoyed their time here, and wanting to be local and play every week. If we push the boat out for either, I'd hope it would be Johansen, as for me Dykes has really come on and I think the confidence that Charlie has given him will stay with him into next year.

There's going to be a lot of belt tightening going on elsewhere in football this summer. Having already done ours, hopefully that gives us a slight advantage.

All in all I'd be happy with another year of attractive football in the top half of the table, pushing for the playoffs and developing good young players. Playoffs would be lovely, but I'm not going into next year expecting them, and it won't be a failure in my eyes if we don't achieve that.

*Edit - we're not making a profit overall, clearly. I mean a profit in our transfer dealings.

 

I am hoping for further progress which reflects both in our play, as well as our results.

I also hope that we may have relatively stable transfer window where we do not sell our prize assets (Dickie, Chair, Deng, etc) plus we strengthen. I really hope that we can manage to keep our loans of Johansen, Fields, De Wyjs and even hopefully Austin. Plus we will have Amos returning so this will feel like a new player.

If we can keep this very promising core of a team and also strenghten the squad (wingbacks?, centre back?) then we could be in with a real shout at making the play-offs if we can maintain consistency for the full season.

What I do NOT WANT is another re-engineering of the whole team which which will only settle down in the second half of the season. I want more continuity with our current squad!

 

I've been more than pleased with our progress this season, and whilst talk of pushing for play-offs next season is understandable I don't think we're ready as a club to return to the Prem. The thought of regular defeats isn't pleasant, and would undo a lot of the hard work the club has put in over the last few years. I'd be happy for us playing in the entertaining manner we have, whilst skirting around the top ten, winning more than we lose and building the foundations for a good push the following season. Sensible recruitment during the summer will help this - deWijs and Field should be kept and will be within our budget, Johansens situation will very much depend on Fulham, and if reports are to be believed he isn't in Parkers plans, so he could make the switch, either on a season long loan, or permanent. Austin is a different proposition - he offers a lot off the pitch as well as on it but will he be willing to take the drop in pay for what will inevitably be his final contract? The club could offer him a big signing on fee as he should be on a free, so this could offset his wage demands and keep him within the pay structure at the club.

We definately need back-ups for Wallace and Kakay - Hamalainen is just not good enough at this level, and Kane is a twat. Also a decent CB, although Masterson could slot in there if he doesn't head out on loan once fully recovered from his injury. A full season for him at Swindon would have been very beneficial for both him and the club, and the injury has robbed him of that experience.

We have a lot of decent youth prospects on the fringes of the squad, it'll be interesting to see if Warburton feels they are ready to step up, or if he ships a few out on loan.

Whatever happens, one things for sure - we'll all be here, either moaning or cheering each week. And I'm definately planning to be down for a game, so I'll see you in the Connie Hoping for Blackpool to make it up too, and for that fixture to be a weekend match - watch out Pleasure Beach