23/24 MINIMUM Expectations

[RadioactiveWaste]

Went with mid-table, because there's always context and things happen that might make missing out on the play offs (as in we fall short again not as in we're midtable in 14th) not awful - we're talking about absolute minimum here not expected, not anticipated and certainly the hope is play offs.

 

[Topram]

Think this season is weaker than last, ( we won’t) but right now if we were to go in with this squad it would be 10th place and happy but add 4/5 more mainly a couple of good attackers and no reason why we shouldn’t be looking at top 2, this isn’t an easy league like people think we learnt that last year so let’s see at the end of the window 

[jimtastic56]

1 hour ago, Jayram said:

Warne has now got a transfer budget and therefore the ability to bring in his own players. He is supposed to be a League One promotion specialist so I expect promotion; there is no reason now we are competing on a level playing field that we shouldn’t achieve it. For me anything else in such a weak league would be failure.

You have nailed it. The only thing I would add is that squad looks very mid-table at the moment without McGoldrick , however i expect this to change by the time the season kicks off.

[IslandExile]

Promotion by Christmas.

[Day]

28 minutes ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

Went with mid-table, because there's always context and things happen that might make missing out on the play offs (as in we fall short again not as in we're midtable in 14th) not awful - we're talking about absolute minimum here not expected, not anticipated and certainly the hope is play offs.

 

If you was wondering who else was with you, that would be me.

[OoooMarkWright]

Minimum has to be promotion via the play offs. Anything less than promotion this season is a failure. Top 2 is the target though. We don’t want a third season in the third tier. Promotion is an absolute must this season. It’s a poor league. Teams coming down have problems. No excuses. 

[Leeds Ram]

Anything less than promotion is not okay. The league is so incredibly weak this season, and if we don't get out of it then Warne should be let go. It's really that simple I think. 

[RodleyRam]

I would LIKE autos and a very strong season without having to mess about with the play off lottery.

However, anyone setting a minimum expectation of promotion before the transfer business had been done is risking serious disappointment. At this stage our squad is significantly weaker than the one that finished 7th, but I'm hopeful we will recruit to give us a 'guarantee' of top 6 and I think we ought to be able to attract sufficient quality and maximise the existing talent to get us into the playoffs.

If our recruitment is strong then, with our resources and a technically weaker league, we really should be aiming for top 2. We need a lot more goals to achieve that.

[blackNwhites]

We have to be winning that title, sure, we're having to be cautious but we're starting with a clean slate now. 

[Walkley Ram]

11 minutes ago, RodleyRam said:

I would LIKE autos and a very strong season without having to mess about with the play off lottery.

However, anyone setting a minimum expectation of promotion before the transfer business had been done is risking serious disappointment. At this stage our squad is significantly weaker than the one that finished 7th, but I'm hopeful we will recruit to give us a 'guarantee' of top 6 and I think we ought to be able to attract sufficient quality and maximise the existing talent to get us into the playoffs.

If our recruitment is strong then, with our resources and a technically weaker league, we really should be aiming for top 2. We need a lot more goals to achieve that.

Yeah but 3 teams that finished above us aren't in this league any more, so technically we finished 4th URAMS

[ramit]

Reaching 6th place is the bare minimum from me, i shall expect no less, or take into account any excuse for failure to do so.

[RodleyRam]

4 minutes ago, oodledoodle said:

Yeah but 3 teams that finished above us aren't in this league any more, so technically we finished 4th URAMS

So we should just start the season with the playoffs and sack off everything else. It's tempting. Continue that theme for a few years and we'll be back in the Premier League in no time

[StarterForTen]

Minimum expectation is to always improve, so one place higher than last season = play off qualification 

[uttoxram75]

To compete. To see the players giving it everything every match.

If we make the play offs then job done. After the EFL imposed restrictions we've had id be happy with that.

Once your in the play offs then its an absolute lottery as we've seen previously.

[Millenniumram]

Won’t surprise anyone to know I put automatic promotion. As I’ve said before, this league is absolutely s***. It’ll be even worse this season with the better teams gone, and those that have replaced them in disarray. We’re heavy title favourites for a reason, there should be no way Derby County, with our budget, fail to dominate this league. We won’t have a better chance to get out of this cesspit. 

Promotion via playoffs will just about be acceptable, but shouldn’t be necessary. I’ve were still in League One this time next year, the Paul Warne should be nowhere near the club. He’s already failed once last season (how do you not even make the playoffs in League One!), to not get promoted this season would be absolutely abject. The pressure is on, he needs to rise to it.

[Walkley Ram]

5 hours ago, Millenniumram said:

Won’t surprise anyone to know I put automatic promotion. As I’ve said before, this league is absolutely s***. It’ll be even worse this season with the better teams gone, and those that have replaced them in disarray. We’re heavy title favourites for a reason, there should be no way Derby County, with our budget, fail to dominate this league. We won’t have a better chance to get out of this cesspit. 

Promotion via playoffs will just about be acceptable, but shouldn’t be necessary. I’ve were still in League One this time next year, the Paul Warne should be nowhere near the club. He’s already failed once last season (how do you not even make the playoffs in League One!), to not get promoted this season would be absolutely abject. The pressure is on, he needs to rise to it.

This is the kind of post rival fans come into the forum and take the mickey out of.

[sage]

5 hours ago, Millenniumram said:

Won’t surprise anyone to know I put automatic promotion. As I’ve said before, this league is absolutely s***. It’ll be even worse this season with the better teams gone, and those that have replaced them in disarray. We’re heavy title favourites for a reason, there should be no way Derby County, with our budget, fail to dominate this league. We won’t have a better chance to get out of this cesspit. 

Promotion via playoffs will just about be acceptable, but shouldn’t be necessary. I’ve were still in League One this time next year, the Paul Warne should be nowhere near the club. He’s already failed once last season (how do you not even make the playoffs in League One!), to not get promoted this season would be absolutely abject. The pressure is on, he needs to rise to it.

What is our budget?

[Caerphilly Ram]

What I want is for the club to continue recruiting well and to storm the league resulting in us going up as league one champions.
My minimum expectation is get into the play offs. An improvement on last year. Warne is recruiting the players he wants for the system he’ll use. I think the recruitment so far has been solid enough with 4 players of good experience and in the peak age bracket filling gaps in the squad, and there’s still more work to do. 
The club is one year further away from all the chaos and trauma of admin, but isn’t fully recovered yet and that comes into my thinking.
People talking about the league being “weak” or our budget “being massive”, football doesn’t always work like that. We saw last season teams up their efforts against us, there may be a perceived lack of quality at this level and that can then lead to stubborn, hard working performances from sides which can be difficult to overcome. Biggest budgets doesn’t always guarantee success, it’s dependent on how that budget is used, look at the basket case that is Chelsea last season as an example. 

There are 23 other teams in the league who are competing for 3 points every game they play, same as us, Warne and the team have to find a way to be consistently better than those teams over a gruelling season, I think it is achievable but for me it’s not the easy task some fans are claiming. 

[Blondest Goat]

1 hour ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

What I want is for the club to continue recruiting well and to storm the league resulting in us going up as league one champions.
My minimum expectation is get into the play offs. An improvement on last year. Warne is recruiting the players he wants for the system he’ll use. I think the recruitment so far has been solid enough with 4 players of good experience and in the peak age bracket filling gaps in the squad, and there’s still more work to do. 
The club is one year further away from all the chaos and trauma of admin, but isn’t fully recovered yet and that comes into my thinking.
People talking about the league being “weak” or our budget “being massive”, football doesn’t always work like that. We saw last season teams up their efforts against us, there may be a perceived lack of quality at this level and that can then lead to stubborn, hard working performances from sides which can be difficult to overcome. Biggest budgets doesn’t always guarantee success, it’s dependent on how that budget is used, look at the basket case that is Chelsea last season as an example. 

There are 23 other teams in the league who are competing for 3 points every game they play, same as us, Warne and the team have to find a way to be consistently better than those teams over a gruelling season, I think it is achievable but for me it’s not the easy task some fans are claiming. 

Agree.  Automatics should be the aim. However the starting position is the squad that threw away a playoff place over the last 3 months of the season minus the only person who looked capable of scoring for us during that period.  On that basis it doesn't look like such an easy task as some are clearly hoping.  Recruitment needs to be spot on.  Happy with the way it has gone so far.

[Ghost of Clough]

1 hour ago, sage said:

What is our budget?

Whilst there is a lack of clear cut information on our own budget, there is a lot for other clubs in our division, based on 21/22 accounts, previous seasons in L1 and current financial shape of their club. It's then reasonable to assume our is higher.

Our main rivals for promotion being: Blackpool, Reading, Bolton, Barnsley, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Charlton. Likely figures for this season being, in ascending wage bill order:

Peterborough - £7m revenue, £7m wage bill

Blackpool - L1 revenue of £9m, with a £7m wage bill

Barnsley - £9m revenue, £8m wage bill

Portsmouth - £12m revenue, £9m wage bill

Reading - £11m revenue, £10m wage bill (EFL imposed wage cap of £16m in 22/23 and they failed to meet their imposed limits. Reduction in wage bill inline with reduction in revenue due to league)

Charlton - £10m revenue, £11m wage bill

Bolton - £14m revenue, £12m wage bill

 

No other team will have a wage bill exceeding £10m. We'll undoubtedly have the highest revenue this season, with a more than likely top 2 wage bill. I estimate our figures will be approximately £20m revenue and £13m wage bill.