In the sixth of a series of pre-season reports, HarryFromBath assesses the mood around the Championship clubs by delving into their forums. AFC Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion and Reading are under the spotlight in today’s notes.
Bournemouth — Plenty to Anticipate
"We are no longer little old Bournemouth, happy to be here”, "We have set ourselves up for a decent season. I’m not sure we should be expecting more than last season, a season which was way above most of our predictions”, "What will be, will be.”
"Next season it will be competitive. I am confident we will hold our own and be able to match many of the teams we are facing. Here’s to another thrilling ride.” Cherries are not getting ahead of themselves despite having a successful first season following their promotion last summer. Their optimism is tempered with a strong sense of realism.
"Things look a little better this season. We are mostly playing the same teams, but their unbeatable shine seems to have got a bit tarnished”, "It took us three months last season to really believe that we could go into games as equals against bigger sides. That lack of belief probably cost us at least ten points.”
Eddie Howe
There has been little comment about, and certainly no criticism of manager Eddie Howe. Cherries can see a long term project evolving and are very happy with the direction of travel.
"Eddie is building a good side, and he can strengthen the team in good time if necessary with more funding (from Russian owner Maxim Demin).”
Modest Expectations
"I hope for the play-offs. I expect mid-table. I will be happy with survival”, "We must not get ahead of ourselves. Consolidation has to be the priority”, "It will probably be a top half finish this coming season. Not necessarily better, but at least top half.”
"Finishing in the top ten should be realistic, but staying up should be our number one priority. I think that everyone realises that our infrastructure alone dictates that we cannot do much yet in terms of pushing for promotion. This is a three to five-year project.”
"I worry that while we could smash several teams, we will struggle to win the sort of games we lost 1-0 last season. Even though we weren’t outplayed, we kept coming out on the wrong side of the result. I hope we can turn those results around this season.”
Supporters are increasingly aware that many results in the Championship are decided by fine margins. "We might find that teams now have a better plan for how to play against us. Hopefully we will continue to fly under the radar as ever.”
No Major Overhaul
"We have a great squad, the best we’ve ever had, I would guess”, "All our squad are stronger and more established at this level compared to last season”, "To be honest, I have no worries.” Cherries are happy that Eddie Howe has kept the nucleus of last season’s successful side.
Grabban, now with Norwich
The one noteworthy departure has been Lewis Grabban, who joined Norwich "for a huge amount of money”, according to Eddie Howe. Otherwise the squad has been thinned by fringe players such as keeper Shwan Jalal (to Bury) leaving, or veterans like 34-year-old midfielder Richard Hughes retiring.
The Cherries have signed 24-year-old midfielder Dan Gosling from Newcastle on a four-year deal. He is seen as a more than adequate replacement for last Season’s loan signing Andrew Surman, who is unlikely to return from Norwich.
The arrival of 24-year-old winger Junior Stanislas from Burnley has been also been welcomed. "He will ensure than Yann (Kermogant) is kept supplied with decent service” was a typical comment. The only other arrival has been Callum Wilson, the 24-year-old striker from Coventry seen as "an ideal replacement for Grabban”.
Stanislas
"We do need a Yann back-up.” The only concerns now are to do with the depth of the squad, with a back-up striker and centre-back seen as areas to address when the loan market opens.
Some Context
Cherries are very sanguine about their current success given how things were in the not too distant past. "To be honest, not fearing administration, points deductions, transfer embargoes, watching our best players leave or relegation to the Conference is a wonder.”
"Having followed this club for many years and seen more lows than highs, I will be looking forward to our second season in the Championship and seeing more sides I haven’t seen for a long time coming to Dean Court.”
Brighton — Stuck in Reverse Gear
"We are going backwards. We have sold Barnes, Bridcutt and Ulloa this year and not replaced them. I reckon that mid-table mediocrity beckons this season. Rarely have I felt so underwhelmed or unexcited about the new season in 30 years of supporting the Albion.”
"It’s difficult to see where the goals will come from and how we’re going to keep them out. There’s a lot to do”, "We all know that we need five or six players. After the clear out and the sale of Ulloa, there should still be time to bring in a few players. Otherwise we will kick off the season with a considerably weaker squad.”
There is an overwhelming sense of frustration with Seagulls with their club’s lack of new quality signings this summer. Any new signings coming now will have little time to bed in ahead of the new season.
"We are woefully short of players. Even if we sign six in two weeks, they will be lacking a pre-season to settle in.”
Unfinished Transfer Business
"I simply do not understand the club’s transfer policy. It has weakened our squad considerably, and left a new manager with a third of the pre-season left to assemble a squad of players which 26,000 paying fans will no doubt expect to see challenging for a top six place.”
The summer has seen a clear out of older squad players, including keeper Peter Brezovan and midfielders David Lopez, Andrea Orlandi and David Rodriguez. Striker Brennan Dickenson has joined Gillingham, and two Gulls are now with Leicester, defender Matthew Upson and striker Leonardo Ulloa, who left for a £8 million transfer fee.
Ulloa — departed
Ulloa will be missed, but not by everyone. "I thought over the last season he was fairly average. He had hot moments, but he’s no better than a good Championship striker”, "For all his qualities, he isn’t worth £8 million”, "I’m gutted, but what could we do? He wanted top flight football and we couldn’t refuse the money.”
The lack of arrivals — and their perceived lack of quality — lies behind much of the anxiety. Aaron Hughes, the 34-year-old defender has arrived from QPR, 28-year-old striker Chris O’Grady has signed from relegated Barnsley, and 23-year-old midfielder Nzuzi Toko has joined from Grasshoppers Zurich.
"O’Grady is very unproven at this level. One decent half-season at Barnsley doesn’t inspire confidence”, "Why does everyone think Toko is a good signing? From what I’ve seen of him, he’ll be lucky not to get sent off in every game”, "I find it hard to reconcile our transfer policy with the word ‘ambition’.”
O’Grady
There was some welcome news this week with the arrival of former Blues loanee David Stockdale from Fulham, the 28-year-old described as "a proven class act”, "an excellent signing” and "exactly the type of player we need at the Amex”.
"That’s the keeper sorted. We just need another five and we will be in good shape. We need a left-back (Brighton are in protracted negotiations with Wolves regarding former loanee Stephen Ward), a centre-back, a wide midfielder to cover Buckley and LuaLua, a creative midfielder (to replace Manchester United loan signing Jesse Lingard) and at least one top-gun lethal striker.”
Stockdale during his time with the Blues
"The season starts in two weeks and it has been proven that last minute dashing around does not work”, "New names are needed urgently. This is the weakest the squad has been since before we won the League One title in 2010/11”, "Buy some decent bloody players!”
Sami Hyypia
Little blame has been attached so far to the new manager for the club’s transfer dealings. Hyypia replaced Oscar Garcia, arriving in early June, the 40-year-old having previously managed Bayer Leverkusen. Some Gulls have expressed concerns about the quality of play shown in pre-season freindlies.
"I’m sure Sami is working hard, but at times (in a 1-1 draw at Crawley) it looked a bit like a school playground kickabout”, "The midfield lacked pace and urgency”, "We seemed to be devoid of a pattern of play. There was very little shape to speak of and very little creativity.”
Hyypia
"I have noticed that Hyypia is trying to get the full-backs to push past the wingers, who are tucking inside”, "There was more pace to our passing, but the full-backs were less confident in their crossing in the final third and the centre was congested with the tucked in wingers. We were restricted to pot shots and set pieces.”
Expectations
"My expectations for the new season have never been lower. The club has no desire or ambition to get promoted, not next season anyway”, "They have sold off pretty much all of the family silver. A club with ambitions to get into the top division does not sell off their best players.”
Many Seagulls simply cannot see how their team will make the play-offs for a third consecutive season, let alone achieve promotion. One poll has 10% expecting promotion and 61% expecting a mid-table finish.
Some Gulls are remaining positive. "Tenth, fourth and sixth in the last three years is solid form. Despite personnel changes, we still finished in the top half of the table. We have a solid foundation and that will continue. I am confident that we will be in the top half again and will be likely play-off contenders.”
Most supporters’ views echo the thoughts this Seagull after the Crawley draw: "This really is a comedown from 14 months ago, when the squad looked good enough to get into the top flight. We look mid-table at best and need a shake-up in all areas of the pitch.”
Reading — Are We Now Rich?
Ever since they missed out on making the play-offs at the beginning of May, Reading have entered a form of suspended animation when it comes to signings. Sir John Madejski has been looking for a buyer for the club ever since a deal to sell the club to Anton Zingarevich, the son of a Russian multi-billionaire, died in late 2013.
Madejski has not been in a position to bankroll the club, and with no buyer forthcoming, no investment has been forthcoming. The club has been as open as possible with supporters and the media. Manager Nigel Adkins asked the board to address the financial uncertainty in May, and Madejski let people know late in June that there were "several interested parties”.
Adkins and Madejski
The wait seems to be finally over, with news emerging last night that a takeover by a Malaysian and Thai consortium is at an advanced stage. Two named partners are 76-year-old Thai businesswoman Khunying Sasima Srivikorn and Thai billionaire Samrit Bunditkitsada.
Creeping Anxiety
There has been little reaction either way by supporters to yesterday’s news, and this may remain the case until they see how much investment will go into the club. Discussions on message boards have been getting increasingly fractious as the clock has ticked down to the start of the season with no new signings.
"I’m getting more nervous every day about the proposed takeover”, "We could be in serious trouble if we don’t sort out some investment or trim our expenses. This will mean losing players and staff”, "I just can’t see how a team can lose players, not sign anyone, have key players injured and expect to do well.”
Nigel Adkins
"It would appear we’re stuck with Adkins, so let’s see if he can get things to where we all want them to be.” Royals are ambivalent about their manager. "Adkins hasn’t done anything really wrong since becoming manager, but it’s hard to point out clear successes.”
"He’s an average manager who was slightly overrated when we acquired his services. I admired the fact that he knuckled down in the face of a pretty dire situation last year”, "He never moaned or threw blame around he just got his head down and got on with it.”
"Last year’s offering was terrible. He had players on enormous wages and failed to get the best out of them pretty much all of the time”, "He didn’t get close to getting the best out of his squad. We should have walked the Championship last season with the players we had.”
Expectations
"If the takeover goes through and if Nigel Adkins has money to buy a few players, we might match last year. As things stand, I would be surprised to see us finish much higher than 12th.”
In a similar vein to Brighton, a pre-season survey on one forum had 10% of Royals expecting promotion and 57% expecting a mid-table finish in May.
"All tactical discussion is irrelevant if we do not have the players. I feel pessimistic that our best starting XI and our bench is below the standard needed to give us something to cheer next season.”
Several Royals have also commented on the fact that any signings won’t have had a pre-season to work with new colleagues.
Some Royals are quite defeatist. "I can’t see us getting above mid-table under any circumstances”, "We are currently likely to battle at the bottom rather than the top”, "Poor Nigel. With our expectations, he’s on a loser from the start. I cannot help thinking that we are looking more and more like Wolves two years ago, and they went down.”
Transfer Dealings
The cast of veterans leaving this summer includes some well known names. Keeper Stuart Taylor has joined Leeds on a one-year deal. Left-back Wayne Bridge has retired. Defender Karpars Gorkss and midfielder Mikele Leigertwood are unattached.
Midfielder Jobi McAnuff has joined Orient on a two-year contract. Centre-back Daniel Carrico has joined Sevilla permanently having been on loan there last season.
The highest profile name to leave has been 29-year-old striker Adam Le Fondre, who has moved to Cardiff for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal.
Departed Le Fondre
Le Fondre divided opinion. "A decent goal hanger who can sometimes manage to lay off a ball when he’s haring down the wing, but there’s not an awful lot more to his game. He hasn’t the intuition to get many chances for himself” is one of the harsher verdicts, although his supporters questioned the service he did get.
To give an idea of their current strength, here is the line-up that drew 0-0 in a friendly at Stevenage on Tuesday: Alex McCarthy; Chris Gunter, Alex Pearce, Sean Morrison, Shaun Cummings; Michael Hector, Jordan Obita, Jake Taylor, Ryan Edwards, Nick Blackman, Hal Robson-Kanu. Jem Karacan and Pavel Pogrebnyak have also featured in pre-season games.
Robson-Kanu injured his knee in "a crunching tackle” against Stevenage, and three Royals are also out with injuries. Danny Williams is recovering from knee surgery, while Garath McCleary has had to have back surgery and Danny Guthrie has struggled through the pre-season with a calf problem.
Robson-Kanu
With no new arrivals, Royals have been reduced to speculating on how Adkins can make best use of what is still a decent squad. Ryan Edwards has returned from a season’s loan in Australia. The creative midfielder has been praised highly in pre-season games, although some Royals feel "his lack of steel typifies a problem in the squad”.
To put the present problems in context, several older Royals have been reminding younger supporters of their less than illustrious past, with memories of "5-1 defeats at home and away to Bury”, and "being dumped out of the FA Cup in the First Round by Brentwood”.
This is scant consolation to fans looking for something to take heart from right now. However, they should have a clearer idea of what the future holds for their club as more information comes out in the coming days and weeks.
Message Boards
The best Bournemouth forum to look at is Up The Cherries . The most informed Brighton message board is the ever busy North Stand Chat , and the busiest Reading forum is Hob Nob Anyone?.
On Monday, the spotlight will turn on London when we will look at the last set of three teams. Brentford, Charlton and Millwall will be under the spotlight.
You can find Part One of Harry’s pre-season notes here, Part Two here, Part Three here, Part Four here and Part Five here.