Hopes & predictions for new 2012/13 Football season
Hi guys, Interested to know what the forum users expectations, hopes & predictions for your own clubs are, aswell as the league in general during the coming Football season. My hope is that my beloved Red devils can regain the Premier League title come May. Whilst i'm quite content with the acquisitions of Kagawa & Van Persie, i can't help feeling we overpaid for someone in the last year of his contract. Besides, i felt we would be better served by prioritising reinforcements in the centre-back, centre-midfield & left full-back positions. Especially as we were, by a long way, bottom of the Premier League clubs' table of days lost through player injuries. Totalling 1689(Man. City by comparison were top with a total of 186)! Last season Utd. weren't especially short of firepower. Against better opponents we were regularly exposed for being less efficient & slower than in previous seasons at shielding our back-four by stifling opposition attacks, intercepting or recycling the ball before initiating our own offensive play from the midfield. I don't think anyone quite realised how much we would miss Fletcher's drive, energy, defensive discipline & distribution. No wonder Scholes' return, half-way through last season, was so welcome. I was hopeful we would sign players like Javier Martinez & Fernando Llorente of Atletico Bilbao, Raoul Moutinho of Porto & Kyle Walker of Tottingham in the off-season, but it looks like Martinez is going to Bayern Munich. On the positive side. The return of Nemanja Vidic will be a blessing & can only help continue the progress of the still raw potential of our young defenders Da Silva, Evans, Jones & Smalling. Can't believe i'm thinking this, but i'm intrigued to see how Brendan Rodgers Liverpool will take shape. I really liked the way his Swansea side played. Gerrard & Lucas' return to regular team action will certainly assist their Champions League push. And much as i hate to say it, the Liverpool vs Manchester Utd. North-West Derbies don't quite have the same edge to them unless Liverpool are more competitive. Chelsea's new signings have the potential to come good. However, it may take a season for players like Hazard & Oscar to get used to the pace & power of the Premiership. Looking forward to the next installment of the Ballotelli & Tevez show. And Newcastle's Senegalese striking duo of Ba & Cissé & midfield of Cabayé & Tiote should provide the Geordies with more glorious goals to leave us in awe. Also be interested to see how Arsene Wenger & Arsenal will cope with the loss of Van Persie & potentially of Song too. Anyway. Roll on the new season! Regards. BABUR.
Hopes? It'll be over soon.
Predictions? It will dominate news coverage for the next six or seven months, with 'sport news' meaning 'football news'.
'Today a nuclear bomb was accidentally dropped on Ormskirk, but in the Premiership it was another good day for Batley Rovers...'
Is this the apocalyptic 21st century version of the wars of the roses?
Btw the bad news is aug - may means nine months of it!
It gets worse.
You can eschew all media for nine months, but there's no escape.
My predictions:
1) office conversation will be dominated by talk of transfer windows, heroic last minute efforts from multi-millionaires with single digit IQs, and why player X should be crucified for falling over.
2) the male non-football fan will be ostracised, his sexual orientation debated, because he listens in, bemused as to why something so inconsequential seems the sole reason for existence for so many.
3) Some trophies will be awarded to a small elite of obscenely wealthy clubs, while fans of myriad other clubs remain deluded that there's some point in their teams competing (and thus some reason for living).
4) Joey Barton will do something stupid (and probably violent).
5) Mark Lawrenson will describe Joey Barton as "a Muppet."
6) Mark Lawrenson will record many suicide-inducing commentaries that mistake misanthropy for drollery.
7) Lots of games will be played where nothing happens for very long periods of time.
I could go on, but this probably isn't the kind of response the OP was hoping for...
Hopes? It'll be over soon.
Predictions? It will dominate news coverage for the next six or seven months, with 'sport news' meaning 'football news'.
'Today a nuclear bomb was accidentally dropped on Ormskirk, but in the Premiership it was another good day for Batley Rovers...'
Andrew, we know you dislike football, so why contribute with the usual anti football diatribe? Each to their own a, valid counter arguments are always valid in any discussion, but this added nothing, other than to emphasise your particular anti stance.
Cardiff city top six again, with an outside chance of automatic promotion. There are so many strong contenders again and I think our squad is too shallow to maintain a concerted top three campaign.
My hope for the coming season is that we finish above City......my fears are we won't 
Man Utd 'till i die 
I just hope we (Norwich) stay up, if we manage that I will be delighted. I think Man City will be strong again, and for me start the season as favourites.
Hopes? It'll be over soon.
Predictions? It will dominate news coverage for the next six or seven months, with 'sport news' meaning 'football news'.
'Today a nuclear bomb was accidentally dropped on Ormskirk, but in the Premiership it was another good day for Batley Rovers...'
Andrew, we know you dislike football, so why contribute with the usual anti football diatribe? Each to their own a, valid counter arguments are always valid in any discussion, but this added nothing, other than to emphasise your particular anti stance. Cardiff city top six again, with an outside chance of automatic promotion. There are so many strong contenders again and I think our squad is too shallow to maintain a concerted top three campaign.
Craig Bellamy is a good acquisition & still has more to offer. Little wonder Brendan Rodgers tried to convince him to stay at Liverpool. I reckon they'll get into the Championship's top three come the sharp end of the season.
All the best Bluebirds.
BABUR.
You can eschew all media for nine months, but there's no escape.
My predictions:
1) office conversation will be dominated by talk of transfer windows, heroic last minute efforts from multi-millionaires with single digit IQs, and why player X should be crucified for falling over.
2) the male non-football fan will be ostracised, his sexual orientation debated, because he listens in, bemused as to why something so inconsequential seems the sole reason for existence for so many.
3) Some trophies will be awarded to a small elite of obscenely wealthy clubs, while fans of myriad other clubs remain deluded that there's some point in their teams competing (and thus some reason for living).
4) Joey Barton will do something stupid (and probably violent).
5) Mark Lawrenson will describe Joey Barton as "a Muppet."
6) Mark Lawrenson will record many suicide-inducing commentaries that mistake misanthropy for drollery.
7) Lots of games will be played where nothing happens for very long periods of time.
I could go on, but this probably isn't the kind of response the OP was hoping for...
While this wasn't the response i was expecting, your predictions will probably be proved true over the course of the following 9 months. Joey Barton is 'a Muppet'! But, thankfully, he's been loaned out to Marseille. Lawro' is certainly partial to the odd mixed metaphor or two. Lol's!
I don't dislike football – as you say, 'each to their own' – but I do resent the ridiculous over-importance it is given in the media, and the pretentiousness with which managers, commentators and the like discuss what is basically a pretty simple game.
I just hope we (Norwich) stay up, if we manage that I will be delighted. I think Man City will be strong again, and for me start the season as favourites.
+ 1 on all of that. The title stays in Manchester, the only question is red or blue.
I don't dislike football – as you say, 'each to their own' – but I do resent the ridiculous over-importance it is given in the media, and the pretentiousness with which managers, commentators and the like discuss what is basically a pretty simple game.
Some might say a bit like hifi :grin: 
Indeed, but at least hi-fi doesn't seem to occupy at least half of every news bulletin twice an hour on some channels
Indeed, but at least hi-fi doesn't seem to occupy at least half of every news bulletin twice an hour on some channels
'Tis true, even as a football fan I find it extremely wearing. And if I might say, IMVHO one of the many qualities of your own brand of hifi journalism is its lack of pretentiousness.
I hate football!
Hopes? It'll be over soon.
Predictions? It will dominate news coverage for the next six or seven months, with 'sport news' meaning 'football news'.
'Today a nuclear bomb was accidentally dropped on Ormskirk, but in the Premiership it was another good day for Batley Rovers...'
Consulting Editor, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision/whathifi.com Audio Editor, Gramophone