What are your expectations for the coming season ?

[MLB]

I'm waiting to see who we buy before making any predictions, but I think that top 4 is a possibility for us.

[VladimirIlyich]

 

Marin,Hazard, Hulk ?

All seriously good players. That is some serious guns. Chelsea will have spent £100m on players by the time the season kicks off. I would call that strengthening.

 

Am i the only one who thinks Hulk is way overrated.

I liked Marin a couple of years back but dont know if hes improved and I havent seen enough of Hazard to make a real judgement.

 

Are these players going to fill the gaps that Drogba,Terry and Lampard's demise are going to create?

[Maxi]

This is Liverpool FC - the expectation is the league title. Anything less is a total failure.

[caracaracara]

If new manager can instill a new level of composure into the players (mainly Luis) then we will finish in the top three. Oh and replace Pepe. He was poor for most of last season. Either regain the form or move on.

[Captain]

This is Liverpool FC - the expectation is the league title. Anything less is a total failure.

 

Those days are gone. Hopefully they will return in the not so distant future.

 

Expecting the title these days is total delusion.

[Jairzinho]

I expect top four. If we sign the right players, sell the right players, and manage to implement a good footballing philosophy then it should be achievable.

[Brownie]

I think it's far too early to expect top 4. It's something to aim for, definitely but how can it be an expectation? Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs have been superior to us for a while now.

[Jairzinho]

So whats the expectation? Top six? Top eight? Top half?

[Brownie]

So whats the expectation? Top six? Top eight? Top half?

 

Firstly, I think it's too early to set expectations because clubs haven't completed their transfer business (most haven't even started).

 

If you held a gun to my head though and asked for an answer based on the playing squads as they stand, i'd say that I expect us to finish below the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. I don't like to admit that but they have out-performed us for a while now and overall I think they have stronger squads.

 

But, and it's a big but, there is a lot that will happen before the season kicks off. Spurs missed out on the Champions League so they will really struggle to keep the likes of Bale, Modric etc in my opinion. Van Persie's future at Arsenal is far from certain. Chelsea are losing Drogba.

 

On the flip-side, we don't know the intentions of Reina, Suarez etc. i'd expect them to stay but then the Spurs fans would probably say the same about their key players; it's impossible to know what will happen and nothing in football is a surprise.

 

So right now I would say I expect us to finish 6th but I would certainly aim higher than that.

[Il Fenomeno]

I'm hoping for a top 4 spot but I expect us to be at least in contention for a top 4 spot going into the last couple of games of the season.

[brucespanner]

I expect us to set out to win every single game we play, pretty much the same as any other year, the league table and trophy cabinate will be a good barometer of how successful we've been.

[Jairzinho]

Firstly, I think it's too early to set expectations because clubs haven't completed their transfer business (most haven't even started).

 

If you held a gun to my head though and asked for an answer based on the playing squads as they stand, i'd say that I expect us to finish below the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. I don't like to admit that but they have out-performed us for a while now and overall I think they have stronger squads.

 

But, and it's a big but, there is a lot that will happen before the season kicks off. Spurs missed out on the Champions League so they will really struggle to keep the likes of Bale, Modric etc in my opinion. Van Persie's future at Arsenal is far from certain. Chelsea are losing Drogba.

 

On the flip-side, we don't know the intentions of Reina, Suarez etc. i'd expect them to stay but then the Spurs fans would probably say the same about their key players; it's impossible to know what will happen and nothing in football is a surprise.

 

So right now I would say I expect us to finish 6th but I would certainly aim higher than that.

 

Thats fair enough, and I'd disagree with very little of that. We currently do have the 6th best squad. I guess I've just got a reasonable amount of faith that our transfer business will be much better than that of the last couple of years, and that we'll actually finally have a coherent plan on the pitch. We've lacked a playing philosophy for so long.

 

If not top four, I expect us to be very close. Certainly within contention going into the last couple of games.

[RedRazor]

I have no expectations at all just yet.

 

I will wait and see what happens before the season kicks off. If he brings in crap then there will be an exodus (which will tell me he is the wrong man for the job).

 

If there is no exodus and he has added a couple of players then it will tell me that the players believe in him and they like the look of the players who have arrived (irrespective of reputation and price tag).

[satansmutt]

I expect us to gradually change our style of play over the season to a more high tempo pass and move attacking style

 

I expect us to have good and bad spells but with the owners backing their new manager I expect us come through it

 

I expect boths fans and media to proclaim Brendan Roders as a disaster and footballing genius (both possibly in the same week)

 

I expect us to come higher in the league score more goals and win more home games than last season

 

I expect Brendan Rodgers to impose his personality and philosophy on the club and for us all to see progress, a plan and a way ahead for the next few seasons

[s(k)aturation]

Better than this year hopefully, please God.

Otherwise, isn't there a chance, understandably, that we'll all be unpleasantly wondering what happens next? Like we have been for the last month or so this year.

[Nutty]

Top 4, if not bring back Rafa.

[Guest San Don]

Top 4, if not bring back Rafa.

 

Are you nuts!?

[Liquid football]

Expect top four? Maybe this is just an unfortunate misuse of the word expect doing the rounds but if not, that's completely mental.

[PaulMcC]

Top 4 or he gets sacked. Happened to Kenny so why wouldn't it happen to Rodgers?

[Liquid football]

Top 4 or he gets sacked. Happened to Kenny so why wouldn't it happen to Rodgers?

 

Why wouldn't it? Because they actually genuinely wanted Rodgers perhaps?

 

Because he is a young, up and coming manager?

 

Because he probably wont be given as much to spend?

 

Probably worth pointing out that we didn't finish in the top 5, top 6 or top 7 either.

[Mr Nando]

Higher league finish.

Decent Europa League performance (quarters at least).

[Ne Moe Imya]

Expect top four? Maybe this is just an unfortunate misuse of the word expect doing the rounds but if not, that's completely mental.

 

Well said. If you're "expecting" top 4, then if we finish 6th it has to be seen as a failure. We have no right whatsoever to expect a top 4 finish next season.

 

If Reading could take back the decision to sack Rodgers after a few months, I'm sure they would. He's going to be trying to totally turn around the way we play, on a limited budget, against teams that currently have better sides and will outspend us besides. I desperately hope that people don't get up in arms if we're 7th or 8th at Christmas.

[Glen C]

My expectations are top 6. I think it will take at least christmas for the players to truely trust and get used to his style of play. Think when the going gets tough a few players will revert back to their old ways. But by christmas i think we'll see the real us and we'll have a stronger second half of the season. But would be too far off the pace to make top 4. But in saying that if arsenal lose van persie then top 4 would be a possibility. Modric wants out of spurs and looks like VDV may be off as well. But city, manure and chelshit will be way out there in the top 3 spots.

[RobbieOR]

Top 4 or he gets sacked. Happened to Kenny so why wouldn't it happen to Rodgers?

 

Why do you keep saying that? Dalglish wasnt sacked for not finishing 4th aswell you know.

[lebron]

Without significant transfers, I still fully expect a fight for that elusive 4th spot. It wasn't that the other teams were so incredibly good last year, it was just that result-wise we were so incredibly poor. Unlike TLW's contributors these past few days, I fully expected (though not exactly hoped) Dalglish to get the boot after our league season. 52 points; 14 wins, 10 draws, 14 losses. That isn't good enough, however many mitigating factors you want to find and excuse Kenny with. No matter how badly Rodgers' revoulution goes, we won't finish with less than 52 points, that's for sure.

 

As others I fear the manc sides and Chelsea will make further progress, and I guess their points total will be 80 + points and there is no way we'll get there in Rodgers' first season in charge, regardless of who is brought in. A couple of matchwinners might be the difference between 61 and 71 points though, and the latter would pretty much guarantee 4th.

 

As should be done, I expect us to pour all our resources into the league, and play plenty of reserve/fringe players in the cups (at least early stages). I also expect every Liverpool player that doesn't work hard enough or produce good enough performances to be put on the bench/play for the reserves/be sold (as it should be, but wasn't last year). If Rodgers is as determined as he came across in that press conference, some of our players might actually respond and get out of their comfort zones.

 

No matter if this season is consigned to transition or not, if we don't get CL football next year, Suarez and Reina (both will be huge losses in my book) are as good as gone, and we'll be back to square one.

 

I expect us to struggle a bit early on, but find our fluidity by October/November. If Rodgers can reduce the playing time of the likes of Downing/Henderson/Spearing, and play Shelvey more (and hopefully add another good midfielder and one or two wingers with pace) - I don't think we're any worse equipped than Spurs (who let's face it - are Spurs) or Arsenal (who have overplayed RvP this season - and are screwed without him), and we should not be concerned with the likes of Everton and Newcastle.

 

Without signifcant transfers, I imagine (and hope) we'll set up like this:

 

 

-------Reina-------------

 

Johnson-Skrtel-Agger-Enrique

 

----------Lucas-------------

------Gerrard---Shelvey------

 

Bellamy--------------Suarez----

-----------Carroll--------------

 

We've got good cover at GK and great cover in Kelly and Coates. If Downing, Adam and Henderson are kept on, they should still be able to produce something against the relegation fodder in the league (or get the f... out of here - see above). We need at least two more attacking options though (unless Sterling empties a pound of Protein bars every day up until August), especially now that Dirk's gone. Hopefully Maxi can be persuaded to stay another year. Hoilett or Moses (or both) would be nice options to have, even though I'd like us to aim even higher. Sigurdsson would be ideal as he could play at least two of the CM positions...

 

No matter who is available, if we're playing the right way and giving it our all (something that lacked on several occasions last year), that should be more than enough to sink the dross from 7th to 20th in the league, then we'll just hope to get even more out of our players (and crowd) against the top 6.

 

Roll on next year, I'm actually pretty optimistic about it all!