Week One - Here we go again....

Well here it is, the beginning of another season.

Same objectives as last year really

Bayern - to get closer again to Jamie, close enough to win the title.

Charlton - gain promotion, despite having a relatively new side to work with. Many transfers over the pre-season and a few more to come in yet. Hopefully they will bed in quick enough

Week 1 holds a trip to Cologne and a trip to Wednesday, who don't seem to have many household names but seem to have players with plenty of skills for the first week!!

Anyway, are most managers expecting 3 points to kick off the season? Who has the trickiest fixture?
Also I expect there will be a lot more forum manager v forum manager games this season to make it more interesting.

Tom@Charlton-Bayern wrote:

Who has the trickiest fixture?

i win that one

I start at the Ricoh, which is tricky enough. The majority of the promoted side is together. With new signings having to play some friendlies before they come in.

Edu's departure to Chelsea leaves a hole, but hopefully the squad can hold it together until Carrick is ready

Fulham - Just plain and simple - Survive, by any which way how, dont care if its a last day of the season west brom job.

Vicenza - Keep developing and adding to the squad, try and be in the mix come the end of season.

Watford - Got to be promotion, nothing else will do!

Ancona - Avoid relegation from serie A

Any big deals in the pipeline this week?

Or are most teams happy with what they've got?

TV money comes this week too, surely that will set a few deals in motion....?

Need to do lots to bring the first 11 and sqaud to standard with the rest of the league.

Could be a busy week for Fulham.......... or could be just the usual brick wall of frustration, time will tell.

cant remember who i play, just want 25points to stay in the league, the titles way out of my reach i think...

Forgot about Tv money..that's a bonus. How much is it in league 1, £4.23 and a pack of quavers?

Empoli - Top three hopefully and a good cup run

Belgrano - Top two develop a few players that can be promoted to my Empoli team

Hull - Hope for the playoffs. The team isnt ready yet so I expect a bad start and for things to improve when the team is more settled and I stop tinkering. Looking forward to testing my managerial skills against Jamie.

Goias - Maybe scrape into the playoffs after a shocking season just gone. Looks like Honda is staying so I'll be building the team around him. I expect quite a few high scoring games.

I'm ready for another go for the Premiership title although I suspect that Plymouth and Man City will be too strong again. Plus, we have very good sides that have just come up in Fulham, Birmingham and Arsenal. If I can steer clear of injuries and add another couple of top class players I should be able to give it a fair crack.

As for Perugia in Italy it's a case of staying up!

Inter - Top 3. Never been able to break it as I always seems to be 4th. Maybe a trophy somewhere.

First game should be a win at home to Atalanta but I'm away to Empoli, Napoli and Juventus in my first 6. If I don't win the first game it's a total re-evaluation.

Boca - The treble or at least the double and at least the semis of the Libertadores.

Boca start at home to last year's runner up Estudiantes - a win is the only way to start. I have Jonny's Belgrano up second so will be good to play another manager in Argentina.

Don't worry rob my belgrano is rubbish!

AC Milan start with a tricky home fixture against Empoli, plus the World Club Cup against Santos.

Considering the changes I've made to the team the best I can hope for is a top 3 finish, but this is a rebuilding year, so will be happy with anything I get!

One huge deal to go through this turn for both clubs involved, and the final piece of my rebuilding jigsaw is in place

well im largely expected to go down so looking to confound the critics. siege mentality is my approach this season.

Inter start the season as title favourites, with everyone else making major changes Napoli are second favourites. Cremonese are a good outside bet for the title whilst Fiorentina are a good outside bet for relegation, and Roma will return well at 5-1.

latest bettings odds for the title

Inter 5-2
Napoli 3-1
Juventus 7-2
AC Milan 4-1
Empoli 7-1
Cremonese 9-1
Fiorentina 20-1
Roma 33-1
Ancona 50-1
Cagliari 100-1
Genoa 250-1
Atalanta 500-1

relegation odds:

Atalanta 2-5
Genoa 1-2
Cagliari evens
Ancona 3-1
Roma 5-1
Fiorentina 10-1
Cremonese 15-1
Empoli 20-1
Napoli 33-1
AC Milan 50-1
Juventus 100-1
Inter 250-1

think you got my title and relegation odds the wrong way round stu, wont be anywhere near this season i dont think, my aim is for next season, this is a no hope season this time round me thinks....

i disagree lee...theroretically 3 of the big four can say that except Rob....everbody has made changes so it actually increases your chances of winning the title, ot atleast puts you on an equal footing to Empoli and Milan, outside of Inter only Napoli and Cremonese have an untarnished team umderstanding going into week 1 and nobody else outside of Inter, Juve, Napoli, Empoli, Milan or Cremonese is good enough to mount a challenge.

I've brought Pirlo and van der Vaart into my starting team and I'm changing from 352 to 451. That's a lot of change.

thats true, but will you play them from next week? i thought it was 3-6-1 that you were playing previously wasnt it? 2 pm's, 2wbk's, 1am, 1dy?

nobody likes being labelled the favourite but you are that Rob no pressure

If I can win then I don't mind being the favourite. I'm actually looking forward to the season as I think it'll be pretty close as there's lots of good sides. Juve, Empoli, Napoli, Inter, Milan, Cremonese and Roma are all in with a shout. There's been changes at all of those except Cremonese so Gaz could get off to a flyer and may be the man to catch. Inter have possibly the strongest squad but I think Empoli have the best starting 11 - Aguero, Milito and Higuain up front is scary. Milan and Roma have re-vamped and might take time to bed in, Napoli are settled and have the benefit of a "personality manager", Juve are pretty settled and were very good last season. I think every week will turn up some shocks ... I just hope I'm not on the receiving end too often.

hmm, it all depends on if my new look midfield works straight away, i still think im 3 players short, cos with injuries, i dont send em to get bk the next turn, i play it so they gonna be out the time it sez, mainly cos i think sendin players to medical centres to get em back the next week makes a moccery of having a big squad, makes it pointless, so, having said that, i need 2 midfielders, dy's and a striker, and maybe a goalie aswell...

Lee - who's your new midfield?

mikel busquets arshavin and stankovic, average really...

OH, WHENS OUR TURNS ARRIVING, YEA STU, IN CAPITAL LETTERS, IM STICKING IT TO THE MAN AND USING MY OUTDOOR VOICE!!!!!

rob, you forgot to mention napoli, who've signed 3 or 4 more 9797s and of course will be defaulted perfectly tuned understanding so they'll be up there as usual aswell i expect. and dont discount ancona, jamie is quietly assembling a very comeptitive side there on the adriatic coast.