REALISTICALLY - WHICH PL TEAMS ?

Wouldn't like to name any team other than Hull City that we will finish above until we have completed our summer transfer business and played our first 10 or so games.

The Premier League is light years ahead of where we have been competing and this weekend, with Wigan beating Man City and Villa giving Chelsea such a good game, highlighted for me the challenge that we face.

Whilst I'm looking forward to the matches against the Jacks next season thier performance yesterday against Mun Utd shows the level we need to achieve to get near them. You can clearly see why they are going to finish 10 this season and whilst next season may be just repeating that for the jacks for us survival is the name of the game. I'm not expecting us to finish above the jacks but I do expect us to compete in both derby matches.

MM will also be another big factor in how we do next season as his teams are very difficult to beat and the togetherness of his squads will be important.

But right now I believe will can and will finish above Hull and whichever team wins the playoffs.

We haven't peaked, we can still improve and European football is something that can allow us to do that, but realistically there's the top 7 and there's the rest of the division and it looks like we'll finish top of the rest.

Well to be fair, you've had a great season. It will be difficult for you to repeat this next season, or to push on and improve again.

Who's your highest paid player and roughly how much is he on?

We haven't peaked, we can still improve and European football is something that can allow us to do that, but realistically there's the top 7 and there's the rest of the division and it looks like we'll finish top of the rest.

Well to be fair, you've had a great season. It will be difficult for you to repeat this next season, or to push on and improve again.

Who's your highest paid player and roughly how much is he on?

It was going to be difficult for us to repeat last season, and difficult to push on after any of the last six seasons, but we were able to improve our league position on every occasion.

If we were to get top ten next season and have a good season in Europe, then that could be considered as pushing on. We will certainly have a stronger squad next season than we have this season though.

Ki, Pablo and Michu will be only roughly 35k p/w, I'd expect the highest wage to increase to about 40k p/w next season with us getting the extra income for Europe and with us needing to give wages out proportional to the price of a £6-8 million striker.

We haven't peaked, we can still improve and European football is something that can allow us to do that, but realistically there's the top 7 and there's the rest of the division and it looks like we'll finish top of the rest.

Well to be fair, you've had a great season. It will be difficult for you to repeat this next season, or to push on and improve again.

Who's your highest paid player and roughly how much is he on?

It was going to be difficult for us to repeat last season, and difficult to push on after any of the last six seasons, but we were able to improve our league position on every occasion.

If we were to get top ten next season and have a good season in Europe, then that could be considered as pushing on. We will certainly have a stronger squad next season than we have this season though.

Ki, Pablo and Michu will be only roughly 35k p/w, I'd expect the highest wage to increase to about 40k p/w next season with us getting the extra income for Europe and with us needing to give wages out proportional to the price of a £6-8 million striker.

surely after the season he has had, Michu will be looking for a lot more money next season?

We haven't peaked, we can still improve and European football is something that can allow us to do that, but realistically there's the top 7 and there's the rest of the division and it looks like we'll finish top of the rest.

Well to be fair, you've had a great season. It will be difficult for you to repeat this next season, or to push on and improve again.

Who's your highest paid player and roughly how much is he on?

It was going to be difficult for us to repeat last season, and difficult to push on after any of the last six seasons, but we were able to improve our league position on every occasion.

If we were to get top ten next season and have a good season in Europe, then that could be considered as pushing on. We will certainly have a stronger squad next season than we have this season though.

Ki, Pablo and Michu will be only roughly 35k p/w, I'd expect the highest wage to increase to about 40k p/w next season with us getting the extra income for Europe and with us needing to give wages out proportional to the price of a £6-8 million striker.

Yeah I think top 10 and a good european cup run would be another great season for you.

You dont get much from the Europa league though. If you were to make the group thats about a million euros. You get more for winning games but compared to the prem its peanuts. Prob why certain english teams never took it serious enough.

Interesting about your wages though. Do you have a limit that you wont exceed with a players wages i.e. salary cap??

surely after the season he has had, Michu will be looking for a lot more money next season?

I genuinely think both Laudrup and Michu will stay this summer, and I don't think Michu will be after more money, he was on around £20k a week when we signed him but we gave him an improved contract in January which I assume will put him on an equal footing to the likes of Ki and Pablo who came in for more money originally.

I think Laudrup will leave next summer, and if not the summer after that for sure but I don't think it will result in much change. We've got Morten Wieghorst as assistant who Laudrup believes is the right man to succeed him, he's done well for Nordsjaelland and the Danish U21's and he is likely to carry on the good work of Laudrup from next season. The good work in the transfer market should also carry on with Erik Larsen key to the signings as chief scout, and with Wieghorst likely to be after the same players as Laudrup.

I think Michu could stay for a good few years, he seems like a down to earth bloke who is just enjoying his football with us. I think that if he was to leave though, that it would probably be for the benefit of the club as £30 million is the figure that's being talked about for him and for that we could bring in a Negredo or a Soldado and have a huge amount of change to work with.

Yeah I think top 10 and a good european cup run would be another great season for you.

You dont get much from the Europa league though. If you were to make the group thats about a million euros. You get more for winning games but compared to the prem its peanuts. Prob why certain english teams never took it serious enough.

Interesting about your wages though. Do you have a limit that you wont exceed with a players wages i.e. salary cap??

I know it's not much compared to the Premier League money which is why I don't think the average wage will go up much (£2-5k), but there is 7 figures involved as well as the additional gate receipts which should be three sellouts if we get to the group stages.

We're just generally trying to keep wages to turnover at around 60%, which is a good model for a sustainable club. With the income we're getting in, We don't have a salary cap as such but £35k is about right for the 60% model - it also involves a lot of bonuses if the players do well and if players play, they all got six figures bonuses when we won the play off final and five figures when we won the league cup final. It prevents what's happened at QPR from happening, where players are just happy to pick up the same pay cheque every week regardless of how they've played or even if they've played from happening.

I think there's a few teams that might have overstayed their welcome in the Premier League next season. Realistically and pessimistically I can see us, Hull and whoever comes up through the playoffs in a torrid relegation battle with Stoke, Fulham, West Brom, Southampton and Norwich.

I think Sunderland will just about be ok. Newcastle will be fine. They have too many decent players. I can also see Lambert transforming Aston Villa and they will be mid-table again next season. It's going to be very tough though. Anybody who thinks otherwise is very naive.

My thoughts on Swansea? They've ridden their luck with good managers in recent years and it can't continue. I hope they stay up with us because the South Wales derby in the Premier League would be great for the region but I do think European football has come too early for them. I can't see them getting relegated next season but they won't finish top 10.

Yeah I think top 10 and a good european cup run would be another great season for you.

You dont get much from the Europa league though. If you were to make the group thats about a million euros. You get more for winning games but compared to the prem its peanuts. Prob why certain english teams never took it serious enough.

Interesting about your wages though. Do you have a limit that you wont exceed with a players wages i.e. salary cap??

I know it's not much compared to the Premier League money which is why I don't think the average wage will go up much (£2-5k), but there is 7 figures involved as well as the additional gate receipts which should be three sellouts if we get to the group stages.

We're just generally trying to keep wages to turnover at around 60%, which is a good model for a sustainable club. With the income we're getting in, We don't have a salary cap as such but £35k is about right for the 60% model - it also involves a lot of bonuses if the players do well and if players play, they all got six figures bonuses when we won the play off final and five figures when we won the league cup final. It prevents what's happened at QPR from happening, where players are just happy to pick up the same pay cheque every week regardless of how they've played or even if they've played from happening.

is that a typo? you sure you didnt mean six finger bonuses?

What you say makes a lot of sense to be fair. IMO it seems like a top 10 finish and a cup run (euro or domestic) is about as good as it will get for you. Id love Cardiff to enjoy that sort of success in the Prem in our first 2-3 years though.

Yeah I think top 10 and a good european cup run would be another great season for you.

You dont get much from the Europa league though. If you were to make the group thats about a million euros. You get more for winning games but compared to the prem its peanuts. Prob why certain english teams never took it serious enough.

Interesting about your wages though. Do you have a limit that you wont exceed with a players wages i.e. salary cap??

I know it's not much compared to the Premier League money which is why I don't think the average wage will go up much (£2-5k), but there is 7 figures involved as well as the additional gate receipts which should be three sellouts if we get to the group stages.

We're just generally trying to keep wages to turnover at around 60%, which is a good model for a sustainable club. With the income we're getting in, We don't have a salary cap as such but £35k is about right for the 60% model - it also involves a lot of bonuses if the players do well and if players play, they all got six figures bonuses when we won the play off final and five figures when we won the league cup final. It prevents what's happened at QPR from happening, where players are just happy to pick up the same pay cheque every week regardless of how they've played or even if they've played from happening.

is that a typo? you sure you didnt mean six finger bonuses?

What you say makes a lot of sense to be fair. IMO it seems like a top 10 finish and a cup run (euro or domestic) is about as good as it will get for you. Id love Cardiff to enjoy that sort of success in the Prem in our first 2-3 years though.

intended to be six figure bonuses.

For now, it seems like a top 10 finish and a decent european run is as good as it will get for us, but I think we can push on in the future. The skies the limit really, had people of said we'd been able to get to the Premier League say 10 years ago people would have laughed, even a couple of years ago people would have laughed at the prospect of us winning the League Cup. I think the division between 7 and 6th, is possibly bigger than the difference between say 8th and 17th but I think with a good summer we can work on closing down that gap. It would take time, but long term it's achievable.

If this is people posting realistically, then I see us finishing 17th or 18th.

I really wouldn't mind us going back down as it took WBA a good few seasons to get to how they are now.

Going down, consolodating, not overspending and gradually getting used to the prem is the best way. We aren't the greatest passing side, we got promoted on determination, hard work and a weak division.

Favs to be relegated must be hull us and the play off winners. I see us finishing above hull, play off winner and possibly stoke.
I can see us finishing with mid to late 30 points and stoke will be the other team to struggle again next season

I'd not cry out for the manager to be sacked if we are relegated either as he can bring us straight back up

intended to be six figure bonuses.

For now, it seems like a top 10 finish and a decent european run is as good as it will get for us, but I think we can push on in the future. The skies the limit really, had people of said we'd been able to get to the Premier League say 10 years ago people would have laughed, even a couple of years ago people would have laughed at the prospect of us winning the League Cup. I think the division between 7 and 6th, is possibly bigger than the difference between say 8th and 17th but I think with a good summer we can work on closing down that gap. It would take time, but long term it's achievable.

Cant argue with any of that TBH. Interesting times ahead for both of us anyway!

1.Chelsea
2.Man city
3.Man U
4.Arsenal

5.Spurs
6.Liverpool

7.Villa
8.Everton
9.West brom
10. Newcastle

11.west ham
12. Stoke
13. Fulham
14. Swansea
15.Southampton
16. Cardiff
17. Sunderland

18. Brighton
19. Norwich
20. Hull