Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Now that the football season is a matter of days, I thought i'll do a thread on your football clubs prospects

How do you think your club will do in each major competition?

Who will be the key player and why?

Who will be top goalscorer?

Which youngster will emerge?

Biggest weakness?

Biggest Strengths?

Player you hope will do well?

Bradford City

How do you think your club will do in each major competition?
League One: Top half finish - not quite strong enough to make the playoffs
League Cup: 3rd Round - Eventually dumped out by a Premier League side
FA Cup: 1st Round - sods law we'll draw a League One team and get knocked out
Johnstone Paints Trophy: Area Semi Final - reckon City will progress in this

Who will be the key player and why?
Andrew Davies - runs a tight ship in defence and wears his heart on his sleeve. If he can avoid another lengthy injury then City will win more than lose.

Who will be top goalscorer?
Aaron McLean

Which youngster will emerge?
Lewis Clarkson - former Hull City youth team player signed from Scarborough Athletic last season. Has a reputation for being a clinical finisher, potentially the next Nahki Wells.

Biggest weakness?
Squad numbers are light at present and chronically lack wingers, though the latter is partially down to Phil Parkinson implementing a new style of play

Biggest Strengths?
The defence - a back four of Darby, Davies, McArdle and Sheehan arguably the best in League One

Player you hope will do well?
Aaron McLean - High expectation levels for him to deliver, especially being on a big wage and hasn't done much since signing in January. If he can get 20 goals this season then it's a job well done.

How do you think your club will do in each major competition?
Prem- Somewhere around 12th, not good enough to emulate last season, but more than comfortably avoid relegation
League Cup - assuming Koeman takes it seriously, Quarter Finals should be achievable
F.A Cup - As above ^^

Who will be the key player and why?
Cork & Schneiderlin - They make the team tick, everything comes through them, one of the best partnerships in the league.

Who will be top goalscorer?
Pelle

Which youngster will emerge?
Sam Gallacher

Biggest weakness?
Losing so many players in 1 go and having to re-build

Biggest Strengths?
Young(ish) exciting team, academy that churns out talent, big name manager wanting to play an exciting brand

Player you hope will do well?
All of them, but if I HAVE to chose 1, I'd say Gaston Ramirez, hes shown glimpses of brilliance, but yet to really justify his fee.

How do you think your club will do in each major competition?
Prem- 4th
League Cup - final
F.A Cup - 6th round

Who will be the key player and why?
Herrera - our only decent mid

Who will be top goalscorer?
RVP

Which youngster will emerge?
Blackett

Biggest weakness?
Centre mid and defence

Biggest Strengths?
Determined Manager, a system that will use Mata, RVP and Rooney in their best positions.

Player you hope will do well?
Fletcher

Manchester United

How do you think your club will do in each major competition?
PL - 3rd
FA Cup - SF
League Cup - Winners

Who will be the key player and why?
Jonny Evans. Main defender in a potentially shaky back 3.

Who will be top goalscorer?
Robin van Persie

Which youngster will emerge?
Tyler Blackett

Biggest weakness?
Centre of the team. CMs and CBs could easily be torn apart unless we strengthen.

Biggest Strengths?
Forwards. RVP, Rooney, Mata, Welbeck all in good form and have the potential to score and create a lot of goals.

Player you hope will do well?
Danny Welbeck. Gets a lot of criticism even though he's not a bad player. Will hopefully silence some critics this season.

People have always said Fergie was worth 10 points to United or possibly more, wonder how many Van Gaal will be worth. He just has such a great aura. Whether he succeeds or fails at United, he's got a vision for the team, something Moyes didn't have.

ddb wrote:People have always said Fergie was worth 10 points to United or possibly more, wonder how many Van Gaal will be worth. He just has such a great aura. Whether he succeeds or fails at United, he's got a vision for the team, something Moyes didn't have.

Yes you can sense the difference immediately. It has to be proven on the pitch of course but I'd be surprised if Utd don't finish in the top 3 this season.

Van Gaal will most probably do a good job, but for how long? Can see him going after a couple of seasons. Cross that bridge when it comes to it........

Dr Robert wrote:Van Gaal will most probably do a good job, but for how long? Can see him going after a couple of seasons. Cross that bridge when it comes to it........

Has a 3 season contract i think which he should see out if all goes well. Once he retires then Giggs will probably step up.

dan08 wrote:

Dr Robert wrote:Van Gaal will most probably do a good job, but for how long? Can see him going after a couple of seasons. Cross that bridge when it comes to it........

Has a 3 season contract i think which he should see out if all goes well. Once he retires then Giggs will probably step up.

I'm not sure Giggs would be able to handle it, even 3 or 4 years down the line. He admitted he was well out of his depth for the four games he took charge and I don't think a few seasons under LVG will help that much.

It may help him if he wanted a manager's job at a lower level PL club but Man U needs to have the absolute best to compete as we found out last season.

How do you think your club will do in each major competition?

Premier League - 2nd
FA Cup - Winners
Carling Cup - Quarter-finals
Champions' League - Last 16

Who will be the key player and why?

Aguero.

For my mind he's the best forward in the league. We just need the damn *modded* to stay fit. If he does, I am adamant we will coast the league.

Who will be top goalscorer?

Dzeko...if Aguero is predictably missing for half the campaign.

Which youngster will emerge?

Kerim Rekik, the young Dutch centre back, is certainly one to keep an eye on. However, due to the undoubted strength of our squad he may well go out on loan.

Biggest weakness?

Controversial but I would have to say Joe Hart. His distribution simply isn't good enough for a team that wants to play at a fast tempo. I hope Willy ousts him from his spot.

Biggest Strengths?

Our full-backs.

Zabaleta and Kolarov are two of the best in the league in their respective positions. One might argue that Kolarov can't defend, but he's improved considerably over the past 12 months and I challenge anyone to name me a better crosser in the Prem. The guy has a wondrous left foot.

Player you hope will do well?

Jovetic.

He's impressed in pre-season and after an injury-plagued first year it would be great to see him do well.

Brighton and Hove Albion

How do you think your club will do in each major competition?

Championship - 14th
FA Cup - 4th Round
Carling Cup - 3rd Round

Who will be the key player and why?

For a defensive minded team, Gordon Greer will have to maintain what was a great defensive performance from last year if Brighton are to be anything but middle table nothings.

Who will be top goalscorer?

This is like saying to a group of people starving, who weighs the most. Lingaard will probably the focus upfront now Ulloa is Leicester's, but Brighton have not signed anyone to replace him despite having the money.

I pray to god we sign Billy Sharp!

Which youngster will emerge?

Jake Forster-Caskey will be a more permanent fixture this year, he will play in the Premier League before he retires.

Biggest weakness?

Goals, and a tendency to employ managers that like to defend with 11 men. We always keep clean sheets, but so does the opposition.

Biggest Strengths?

Back four. With Stockdale, Hughes, Dunk, Greer, Calderon at the back, its a top Championship defenc.

Player you hope will do well?

Craig Mackail-Smith. Couldnt meet a nicer man in football, and with my previous Peterborough links through family, I have seen and am well aware of just how good he was at Posh. Unfortunately, he has been unlucky at Brighton with injuries.

If only he could get fit and have a good season, Id take being relegated to see that, such is the decorum and professionalism he has taken all these setbacks with.[/quote]

sussexpob wrote:I pray to god we sign Billy Sharp!

Last I heard, no side had made a bid..he scored twice yesterday for the U21s, and the second sounded a beauty.

Would be a great signing for you.

SaintPowelly wrote:

sussexpob wrote:I pray to god we sign Billy Sharp!

Last I heard, no side had made a bid..he scored twice yesterday for the U21s, and the second sounded a beauty.

Would be a great signing for you.

Why do you think I am praying to a deity I dont believe in to increase our chances, SP!

Sharp is a quality player at that level, he just needs the right club and to have some faith put in him. Very sad that Southampton didnt give him more of a chance, but of course they had bigger players than him.

With rumours you will literally give him away, its annoying that Brighton havent pulled their fingers out and completed this deal in the last 3 days. We badly need a striker, and for (apparently) free, you dont get a better buy than Sharp at this stage in a season when everyone else good is taken.

I did hear that out of respect for him, we would give him a free transfer, hes been linked with Leeds all summer, baffles me why no-one has taken him.

Only thing I can assume is his wage demands are too high, although I doubt that, and he said himself he hasn't had talks with any clubs..maybe he has a crap agent.