Expectations 2014 and Raising the bar.

The first half of the season is over and we sit 4th place in the table currently occupying the Champions League qualifying spot, as the season has panned out so far we have scored more goals than any other team with the exception of City who have been destroying teams at home.

My expectations for 2014 is quite simple, to carry on the form that we have shown this season and secure a champions league finish, I honestly think were a little short of quality to mount a serious title challenge.

If we get the January transfer window right we could raise the bar some what significantly and then probably make me readdress my expectations on a genuine title challenge, with the right quality coming into the side it could possibly see us improve our away form and keep up our home form then anything is a real possibility.

Also if we manage to get a settled back 4 with Enrique back that may help us a little bit with the amount of goals we have conceded, which will also help us to win games.

Personally I'd love to see us go after Mata and Rakitic during the January window, two signings that in my opinion would bring even more goals into the team, but that's pretty much by the by as I don't make these decisions.

What's your expectations for the second half of the season ?

The window will influence many peoples thoughts, for me though a minimum requirement is, regardless of who we sign, we match our points tally from the first 19 games, as no team we've played so far that has made me think we couldn't beat them.

I think unless we strengthen the top three will just pull away from us and we will be in a fight for 4th with the usual suspects. Even though we have an easier second half of the season I don't think it will be any walk in the park to finish 4th even with a couple of decent buys.

The good news is Sturridge should be back soon, so we won't be as reliant on Suarez as we have been in the first half of the season. I still feel we are tactically naïve and even though our harder games are at home we will struggle to win them.

I predicted we would finish 6th after our disappointing transfer window in the summer, I would be disappointed now if that's as good as it gets. Not confident we will get CL, but if we buy well we are definitely in with a chance.

Title challenge? I still don't believe we can push for the title without starting to win the harder games. Obviously delighted if we do, but not going to hold my breath in anticipation.

Top 4, hold on to Suarez and a decent cup run is probably as good as I think we will get.       

The thing is there may never been a chance like this to make the quantum leap that we all want. I'm like you Daz - with a couple of high quality recruits (matchwinners, if you will) I think we can lock down top four. I'm slightly different in that with these I also think we could have a wee run at the title. When you look at our next 8 games we have one hell of a chance to pile up some points.

However - I don't think we operate on that "opportunistic" way and I think our recruitment in this window (if any) will be dictated by the longer term strategy which I understand but as said I still think there's a real opening this year.

Overall I think, as we stand, we lack depth to hold onto the leaders especially with injuries. I'll go 4th based on a steady but uninspiring window.

However - I don't think we operate on that "opportunistic" way and I think our recruitment in this window (if any) will be dictated by the longer term strategy

Wouldn't it be nice if John Henry and Co thought to themselves that the project is further along than they envisaged and decided to take a leap of faith and committed to really pushing it further on.

Agree with the posters above really.

I expected us to be in and around the CL places if we kept Suarez and nothing has changed. Although the injuries and the failure of our squad players stepping up does have me a bit worried for the second half of the season.

Concerned at the lack of transfer activity as well, this will be our best chance of reaching the top four for a while so it would be nice to see FSG and the 'transfer committee' pull their finger out and get a couple of players in.

Sign a couple of players, get Sturridge back and we can really go places this season.

The way I see it, its now or never.
We haven't been in a position like this for years, Utd and Spuds are a shambles at the minute, but there's nothing to say they won't get their act together soon, so we need to add reinforcements to the team just to keep at the level we're at.
We must bring in quality players otherwise we won't get over the finish line.
Our fate is in JWHs hands!

What's your expectations for the second half of the season ?

Fourth is our target without a doubt.  I don't think we can stay with the top three but we need to ensure we use our games against Everton, Spurs and United to put some distance between us.

Draws, once again, would be the killer against the other sides.  We've not had many of them this season and I feel like that has helped our league position.  Better to win 10 and lose 10 than draw 20.

Wouldn't say no to a trip to Wembley either.  Think Rodgers could do with showing fans he is capable of a cup run too as it is one of the central pillars of managing our football club.

Wouldn't say no to a trip to Wembley either.  Think Rodgers could do with showing fans he is capable of a cup run too as it is one of the central pillars of managing our football club.

This.

I almost expect at least getting to the final as with no other real 'distractions' apart from normal league football this side is good enough to win the cup and like you I feel the manager needs to get a good cup run behind him.

Wouldn't it be nice if John Henry and Co thought to themselves that the project is further along than they envisaged and decided to take a leap of faith and committed to really pushing it further on.

Would be nice Daz but I doubt they will. 

I'm not going to change my expectations as I predicted we'd finish 3rd this season back in the summer although winning the FA Cup would also be welcome 

Expectations still the same as they were at the beginning of the season but belief has grown stronger that we can meet those expectations. Those expectations were that we must make top 4 as a minimum. I would love a cup run but if it needs to be sacrificed to meet our main aim I've no issues with that given the thin nature of our squad.

As above I don't think we'll have the consistency to break into the top 3 without any of those suffering a very surprising run of poor form. I do believe we can all, as a pack, pull away from the remainder and results against United, Spurs and Everton obviously become crucial to our ultimate aim.

I'm hoping for a couple of key signings in January to help try to bridge the gap and again in the coming Summer when hopefully we have the carrot of Champions League football to dangle in front of our main targets, then we can talk about raising the bar.

Haven't changed my thought that we'd finish fifth or sixth as it stands, some really massive home games will be a big test of the team.

Anyone else find it strange that none of our next seven games are at 3pm then our last 11 games are all at 3pm. Probably not strange at all and I'm being weird but I just found that out there and thought it had a vague connection to the thread.

The top 4 this season, is imperitive. Not only for Champs league, but to hold onto Luis. Love for him to go into the WC a happy and settled man.
I think we all know that the squad, as it stands, has done pretty well, but lacks the depth to push if we're going to challenge on, not only the league, but a good cup run as well.
IMO we need three quality signings who can come in and, here's the problem, hit the ground running.  We cannot afford to carry anyone, and includes the existing squad.
With some decent signings and a bit of luck, we should be up there.  YNWA

We need a very good transfer window if we are to go for a title challenge,
 I can't see that happening so therefore nothing less than a top 4 finish will do,
We simply cannot afford to have yet another CL free season , if that happens we WILL lose Luis for sure,
This the most pivotal time of the FSG era thus far and one which could define whether our custodians truly are the ones to take us forward,

They to be fair have made a positive move by securing Luis for a additional  5 yrs but it will mean F**k all if it is not backed up either in this present window or next summers window, CL or no CL,

To be honest Citeh , Arse. & Chavs are a bridge to far , no pun intended, we currently sit in 4th,best of the rest if you want and it's our to lose ,

Blueshite, Spuds. & Scummykunts are our main concerns, two of which are at home, we get  9pts from those games to me we're there IMO ,

This will be tough no doubt about that but it could be made a lot easier if we get in the players Brendan has targeted ,

It's time to stop F***ing about now, Brendan, JWH, Tom Werner , et al know what's required, just f***in do it, it's what we all want isn't it. ?


YNWA

We started the season without Suarez, but we were up the top. He returned but then we lost Stevie and Sturridge, still we stayed at the top or close to it. We are 6 points off the top having travelled to Maine road, Emirates, Goodison, White hart lane and Stamford bridge. We have also gone to Newcastle who have had a good season. That's all the top 8 teams bar utd that have to come to us in the second half of the season

Were definitely on for top 4, but I cant but help we might sneak it ye know.

Our performances have been generally very good this season with plenty of goals. We have picked up points while missing our 3 most important players at various times. While our rivals will be in midweek European action we will rest. Yeah, I think we can win it. 2 or 3 signings this month would really kick it on. Plus we seem to almost have a tradition of being stronger in the 2nd half of the season.

Failing that Id be delighted with getting back in the champions league and an FA cup in the bag.

Finally isn't it great to be talking about this while watching some of the best football seen in a good few years from us and the goals flying in. Credit to the boss 

The way I see it, its now or never.
We haven't been in a position like this for years, Utd and Spuds are a shambles at the minute, but there's nothing to say they won't get their act together soon, so we need to add reinforcements to the team just to keep at the level we're at.
We must bring in quality players otherwise we won't get over the finish line.
Our fate is in JWHs hands!

Agree. The iron is hot, we need to strike   We should put a few more eggs in the basket and really shoot for top4.

BR, or whoever, needs to convince FSG to strengthen in Jan. We have a great opportunity this season, given how we've been playing, the way the remaining games pan out, and were we are now in the table. A few more players, good ones, could make a big difference in the run in, with FA cup in parallel.

Take Suarez. To have the arguably the best striker in the world, playing at his peak (can he get better ? ) and not get into the top4, that would be a real shame. Use it, put some more blocks around him, let's go for it and have no regrets about what if.
Also, if we get top4, maybe he'll stay - and then between having him stay on, and the prospect of CL matches ahead - would help attract more players, no doubt.

So for me, this is it. We should go for it.

We entertain Arsenal on 8th Feb at Anfield, hopefully we'll have one or two players in with a few games under their belts and a few returned from injury by then, that game for me will define if we can push on towards the title as the games in between (Stoke, Villa, West Brom) with the exception of Everton, I'd expect us to take 3 points in all of them.

It'll mean nothing if we dont have a good January.
We really need to take max points from these games, including the blue(s**te).
I'd take a point of the Arse, but love it if we battered them.

First half of the season has been better than I thought, when we have a full fit first team, we can beat anybody and I truly believe that, we've had some great results so far this season, and some of the games we've won, we would have lost last season so that alone has been an improvement.

What worries me and this was very evident against Oldham on Sunday in the first half is that when we dont have our first teamers on the pitch, we struggle, badly, and it wasn't until Lucas, Coutinho and Suarez came on that we really started to stamp our mark on the game, we all know how paper thin our squad is, so its imperative that we strengthen in the transfer window.

I said right at the beginning of the season that my top four would be (in no order) Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City and i'm still sticking by that, to be honest I don't expect us to win the League, it would be lovely of course, but I think it's just that little bit to much beyond us this season, top 4 and a very good FA Cup run with hopefully a Wembley trip would be brilliant.

It's great that we're in the mix at this stage of the season, how long have we dreamed of this ?? I'm just taking it one game at a time and hoping beyond hope that were there or thereabouts come May the 11th.

A cup run would be nice but all that truly matters is finishing in the top 4 and. We're well placed to do it. I actually think Arsenal will start to fall away a touch as the season progresses and may even get dragged into a scrap for 4th. Clearly the next few weeks and our transfer dealings is crucial and no doubt we will all be able to make some more accurate predictions come the end of the month based our business and that of our rivals. For the past few weeks I have only really been focussing on our results in relation to the mancs, Spudz and the bitters because they are the teams we need to keep ahead of and I like our chances.

For the past few weeks I have only really been focussing on our results in relation to the mancs, Spudz and the bitters because they are the teams we need to keep ahead of and I like our chances.

Pretty much the same here, hardly rocket science but if we stay above them a Champions League qualifier is a Shay Given.

If you actually think about it, we are all expecting to get 4th this season at a minimum. Wow! We finished 7th last season (8th the previous season). Chelsea, City and Utd have been far superior than us for years. Arsenal haven't failed to qualify for the CL in like forever. Spurs, who finished 2 positions above us last season, invested €100m in the squad last summer.

We have been ridden with Injuries. Gerrard, Sturridge, Suarez (Ban) and Coutinho. I dont know the stat, but I would imagine our top 4 players have played very little time together this season. Our full backs have been god awful contributing going forward. That said, 44 goals scored at the halfway point in the season and the hard away games out of the way. Previous seasons have shown that a GF like this amounts to a top 2 team. Sure up our defense and we are seriously going to be a top team in Europe again.

 Defensively we are conceding too many goals to win the league, IMO. But we are trying to improve this and still finding our feet on that front. Sakho will in no doubt become a monster in defense and its just about finding that right Centre Half to partner up.

Even with a poor defensive record we are still top 4 and within a shout out of the top spot.

This is an amazing achievement, and all in one calender year. We should all just take a moment to savor this and appreciate how difficult it is to make such an improvement in 1 year.

I think its mainly down to the Gaffer and how he has instilled belief in the squad again. The style of football is soo much better than anything we have played in many a season and finally teams are looking nervy against us which, as the Mancs have shown for many a year now, wins you games before the whistle even blows.

If you haven't guessed, I am a happy man.

Onwards and Upwards!