[Arcane Astral Aeons]

anyone actually think that with all that has gone on this season
we will be doing a Sunderland and fighting another relegation battle?

or are we all positive and thinking
it will only be one season in the championship
and the 2019/20 season will see us back in the greed league

or will we simply morph into a mid table championship side?


your thoughts

[WBA-Josh]

I think next season will be tougher than people think. There are some good sides in there and I think us fans should taper our expectations. I don’t think we’ll do a Newcastle and run to Promotion but I think we can definitely get into the play-offs and then if we don’t get up, it can be used as a base for the following season.

It is going to be a big summer. New Chairman, new DoF (If Hammond goes), new Coaching Staff and a fresh squad. We probably won’t hit the ground running but steady progress through the season (like Fulham this season) should be attainable.

All we fans can do is hope that the Club’s Management don’t make a colossal xxxx up in the summer with the key appointments and then signings.

[drewks]

Most relegated teams are seen as a big game which often means the opposition raising their game.....pretty sure that with tthe previous 8 (?) seasons having been in the PL this will apply to us next year.
As Josh says we'll probably have largely a new squad so will probably take a while to gel (if we ever do).
I'd see us finishing upper mid table. (Wouldn't Sunderland love to have seen that tho?)

[Beefy 1965]

I still can't help thinking we will be there or thereabouts for promotion,
Take Wolves out of the equation knowbody else really stands out in the championship.
Cardiff 2nd ? Brentford and Millwall vying for playoff places ?

We are surely not like a Sunderland who have struggled for years and the drop was Inevitable and the financial struggles that followed, we are fine financially, people are moaning about a small overdraft for a few months which incidentally 99% of teams have !!
As soon as our parachute payment comes in which for finishing bottom is around £96 Million, the high earners have gone and also most of the players will have the wages cut by half we will be in a OK place

I say this and am Optimistic for next year on one Major thing, .............

GETTING THE RIGHT HEAD COACH IN, this will be the biggest decision in our summer since Sir GM was appointed, its that crucial,
The right one we will get promoted, the wrong one mid table at best, I for one will be watching what the board do very closely as they will be the ones to blame or hopefully acclaim

[talkSAFT]

I watch The Championship on Saturday nights, and the standard's pretty poor tbh

[meandbrenarebaggies]

It seems that to understand our situation you have to accept certain “facts”. The Premiership is a better league to be in than The Championship; A good manager in
one isn’t necessarily suitable for the other; Promotion to The Premiership is a good
reward for winning The Championship; The happiness of fans, status of players,
wellbeing of the club is directly linked to league position….etc,etc. These beliefs
are instilled in early years and become unquestionable over time. Sometimes you
need to step back and think the unthinkable. Would it send a message to the “in
it for the money” boys if we won The Championship by a mile and then politely
refused the promotion?, after all, we know how bad The Premiership is by any
moral measurement method. I see these two leagues as un-natural allies and now
regard them as you would regard two different colours; one’s red and one’s blue,
why punish the red champions by making them play in the mess that is the blue?
As for managers… take all this merry-go-round of the same faces away by putting
all managers on fixed short term contracts with no contract longer than a season.
I relish the clean challenge ahead away from the pit of despond. COYB.

[TheFunkyJoker]

It all depends on our activity once this season is over. We could easily be fighting relegation next season. Personally, I don't think we will be but I'm pretty sure Wolves fans didn't think they'd get relegated to League 1 when they did...

[BaggieSteve]

Just take this opportunity to be courageous bold with the appointment of an ambitious and young manager. We have wasted eight years showing no ambition and having no plan, our sole ambition to avoid relegation, hence the continued employment of Pulis. Take a risk and stop repeating the mistakes of recent years

[4evaabaggie]

Just take this opportunity to be courageous bold with the appointment of an ambitious and young manager. We have wasted eight years showing no ambition and having no plan, our sole ambition to avoid relegation, hence the continued employment of Pulis. Take a risk and stop repeating the mistakes of recent years

And mistakes of other clubs .....

Football is a competitive sport ...... if you don't try and compete what's the point, that attitude also leads to the current situation where teams try not to lose to the FA elite gentleman's club, so they lose and the status quo remains ..... on their day teams can and do beat the top six ...... if enough teams try and do the gap between top and bottom closes ....... if they have to defend, they can't attack winning becomes harder ..... More balanced league ...... happier fans, bigger attendances ...... money will never be equal but don't just let them have their way!

[Alouion]

I think next season will be much worse if we are not careful.
Right now I am not sure of the "core" of the team. We all know we will lose several of our marketable players - Evans, Gibbs, Rondon, Livermore and possibly Dawson. Who's to say Foster won't join either Wolves or Villa if they go both go up?
Let's say we lose them all. What have we left? Brunt and Morrison can't have much left to offer. I have no great confidence in our 2 Egyptian defenders for the rigours of a 46 game season. McLean is a tryer but not really good enough. Field, Leko and Burke show promise but we need them to deliver and I am not convinced any of them are ready for regular first team play.

I read all the names mentioned on these forums and cannot muster confidence that any of them can quickly rebuild this club from virtually scratch to mount a PL challenge.
My view on the manager is that I don't want a promising foreign guy (including Potter) who knows nothing about the championship. Whoever comes in - I guess my preferences would be Pearson, McInnes or Allardyce - is going to have to work a minor miracle to turn the Albion ship around.