How are your confidence levels for the coming season?

Honestly, I’m not sure and it shouldn’t be like that.

We need 4/5 quality players in and we have the money there, but for some reason we’re acting like we’re skint.

 

Something is off. Just wish they would fess up what it is.

 

As it stands right now, not very confident.

2 things factor in domestically for me the supposed 'gap' is influenced by 2 things what we do and what Rangers do and from the outside looking in at the bare minimum Rangers are actively trying to close the gap by strengthening their team with players the manager wants. We at the moment are arguably in a weaker place than the squad that we finished last season with. We were pretty * against Rangers last season barring the first game at Parkhead so we clearly need to improve but we all already knew that we just haven't done it ... yet

 

You were told off for demanding fans attack family members of the board. Standing by it is even more embarrassing.

 

My confidence levels are 50-50 at the moment, contingent upon any further significant signings.My feelings on our midfield are well documented, and I won't go into that any further, and the absence of any credible wingers does not make that any better, and the fact it has gone all quiet on the Balikwisha front is ominous too.Rangers have undoubtedly strengthened, and if they get both Antman and Moore, it will make the job even harder for us. Gut feeling is, Martin's Rangers team are going to present a different set of challenges for us. Hearts and Hibs have strengthened too, and have appointed Sporting Directors. Not knowing the calibre of our Champions League qualifying opponents only adds to the mix. Bottom line, we can't afford to stand still.

 

Like others, I have concerns.

Schmeichel's injury looks like it might still be affecting him and it looks like he'll remain first choice for now. I hope we can get him back to his best. I like Sinisalo and would be fine with him ending up as number 1. Doohan is a box tick, fine with that.

CCV is the only centre back I have full confidence in. Trusty has had his moments but he's too easily rattled. Scales is a decent back up but I really want a first choice.

Tierney is an upgrade, but we need a backup so we don't run him into the ground (again).

Johnston is great and had a cracking season. Ralston is average, but I like him and he's had plenty of good games, you can always rely on him putting in the effort as a backup or a starter.

Inamura has looked decent so far, but it remains to be seen if he can be a back up to Tierney or someone who even contributes to the squad.

The balance of the midfield hasn't always been the best, and as much as I love McGregor he is another season older. I still have faith that he'll perform well most of the time, but his minutes need to be managed.

Bernardo is a hard worker but seems so average in every other aspect.

Engels had a pretty good season and the price tag hanging over his head isn't his fault, but I'm hoping for an improvement from him this season.

We lose far too much creativity when Hatate is out of the team, even more so now Kuhn has gone.

McCowan has been a great signing and a good squad player.

Yang and Tilio aren't good enough and that we're looking at starting the season with them as options is pathetic. With Jota out for a while, Maeda is our only reliable wing option.

Idah had a decent season but has been inconsistent and while he does things well, his first touch can be clumsy.

Yamada is unproven, I'm cautiously optimistic about him but as it stands it feels like we still haven't replaced Kyogo.

Kenny isn't good enough. Osmand is unproven and probably has some developing to do before we see him feature regularly.

A random splurge of thoughts, but we just don't have great depth and I feel we're weaker at the moment than we should be.

 

As it stands, pretty much rock bottom. I don't think sevco can WIN the league, but I do think we can GIVE it to them.

Hope to change my mind in the next few days, but it is very much hope and not expextation.

 

Not high at all. I think, as it stands, there’s not much in it for the league between us and the huns.

Our squad is awful, and with the way we ended the season…a real staleness had set in and I’m worried the team and Rodgers will struggle to shake that off. Seen nothing to suggest we’re going to come out firing at the start of this season.

I think Schmeichel is halfway down the downward spiral, but Rodgers will stick by him.

We have three standouts in defence, but two of them are injury prone.

We will be open in the middle of the pitch with McGregor as our sole 6, again. Still zero physicality and pace in the midfield.

Out wide our options are a complete joke.

Idah is a donkey, so we desperately need Yamada to do the business.

So yeah, confidence isn’t great.

 

My confidence level is a bit on the wavery side but my excitement level is rock bottom which concerns me more, should be bouncing for the new season but the inabilty of our board to get it's * together is just putting a negative twist on everything for me atm.

 

6 or 7/10 currently. Maeda departing or an injury to one of our top players will lower that a bit more (especially if Daizen * off). A few decent signings - preferably 3 or 4 - and I’d be up to 8 or 9/10 - in terms of the league anyway. Unless we strengthen reasonably well, though, I can’t see us doing much in the CL tbh.

As it stands, there’s a lot to be done and the main issue is obviously the board holding out on buying players until the CL is guaranteed- which, as we all know, is back-to-front thinking. They want to accumulate but not to speculate - experience has shown us that this is a very inadvisable strategy. Time will tell.

 

The only team that can stop Celtic is themselves and the board at present is making a good job of it to allow our main rivals to catch up and that's unforgivable in my eyes .
It's looking again we are going to wait and see if we qualify for the champions League and then run about like a headless chicken in the final days of the transfer window and again unforgivable in my eyes .
So confidence in this season at this present situation is not good and we should never be in this situation when you look at our financial situation.

 

As things stand at the moment, for minimum expectations for the season I’m very - minimum being the league.

For what I want from us and for what I think we should be to be as good as we possibly can, I’m not so much.

I’m very happy with the business we have done so far, Nygren I hope and think he looks like that hopes not unfounded, is quality. KT is high above the quality I hope we could attract and is an anomaly to ever getting a player like him at 27. KT is genuinely world class for me, but that comes with why we could get him with injury concerns. Inamura, he’s surprised me as much as I think he has Rodgers, Yamada I like everything I’ve seen about him and think he’s going to be the surprise package of the season, Osmand I like we’ve attracted a young highly rated player and it’s a good way to do business but wait and see.

That’s all very positive for me.

But I have concerns, our manager is frustrated and clearly vocal about us not meeting expectations in the market he wants, every deal that has been public we have reverted back very hard to our lowballing almost insulting best, even Nygren above that worked and I’m delighted about we chipped the price away from £1.9m to £1.4m, the £1.9m was already acknowledged as a steal. It delayed that transfer for about 10 days. 10 days we were very lucky someone else didn’t swoop in and blow us away. The Go Ahead Eagles boy, the price stated is £5m we bid under £2m at first and came back about 50%. We have money, we have a qualifier that brings us so much more.

By the end of the window, I have no doubt we will have the usual sort of business that we do, we’ll spend a good amount enough to be net spend zero or moderate profit. My concern and confidence is if that will be too late, the qualifier is hanging over the window like a guillotine.

We have got £5m sell on for Frimpong, £3.5m between Nawrocki, Lagerbielke and Kwon, £17m for Kuhn.

We have around £5m guaranteed for being in the playoff.

We’ve had an outlay of £4m.

KT and Nygren in other circumstances could be £25m and nobody would complain, but just because that’s good business doesn’t mean we’re doing our optimum. My biggest worry is if we don’t win that qualifier, then guys we have just now such as Maeda and Hatate think other options that will be there are better. And by then, it’s far too late if it goes that way. I’m not on board with a lot of the hysteria, I’m fairly confident it’ll work out for us, but I think we’re leaving a lot down to gambles. And we don’t need to

 

Haven’t doubted we’d win the league for years and years (even the covid season) I doubt it as it stands now.

 

Same as ever, we will win the league but I expect the huns will be closer to us and we will be cannon fodder in Europe for most teams if we make the CL with this squad.

Our squad depth in certain areas is a big concern.

 

Good post and pretty much agree. However I'm a little bit more angsty about our lack of business thus far for wingers.

I can only tell you how confident I am after I see us play a competitive game. Newcastle we were fantastic but Ajax mauled us.

 

I am concerned. You have to be, looking at the current starting eleven and the squad as a whole. We were quite poor and inconsistent from March onwards and from what I've seen signings wise (as well a links) thus far I'm not feeling too confident. It smacks of BR not being backed which is a huge worry going into the season and a CL qualifier on the horizon too. The last thing we need is a * off Manager who may now already be thinking of his next move which as we all know impacts hugely on the players and ultimately the performances on the park. I would like to see this sorted asap one way or another for stabilities sake...it won't happen of course but one can wish...

On the park, we need a left back, a centre back, a defensive mid, 2 wingers and a number 9. All of these players must be good enough to walk into the starting eleven. If we do that then I would feel more confident about the season ahead cos it not only significantly improves our squad but shows the fans that BR is getting backed.

 

If we had to go the rest of the season with the squad as it is today, not very confident at all.

Think we would still be favourites for the league, but I'd not be expecting us to walk it. Would be a challenge and we would need everyone fit for every game and on their game all the time.

Domestic cups I'd hope for at least one of them, but wouldn't at all be confident on two.

Europe, as our squad stands now I'd take Europa league, because we will be absolutely destroyed in the UCL with this squad.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

 

Historically, its been proven to be the opposite;

He wasn't at Reading or Swansea for a third season.

Was sacked by Liverpool in his third season.

His third season here he delivered turgid, eye bleeding football then hoofed it down the road.

At Leicester, his third season was hardly great; dumped out of every domestic cup (except community shield).
Dropped down to an 8th place finish the league, couldn't get Leicester past a * easy Europa group stage which included world beaters like Spartak and Legia.
Then dumped out of a * show Conference league by Jose Mourinho.

His second season was obviously his best at Leicester, but his third marked the beginning "Rodgers Slide" which has marred him at every club hes been at, and his blamed on lack funding and player sales at Liverpool, Us, and Leicester.

Which is why it is absolutely VITAL that he gets backed, right now, in this window, to offset this inevitable * show.

 

Think we're 55 to 60% at very most to win league. Dont see us qualifying for CL as it currently stands unless we get a total joke of a team.