I’m looking to see what the fans are thinking in terms of league position this year. For me I think it will be a decent season if we reach the playoffs but will still be pretty tight this year so not guaranteed.

My prediction which i think should also fall into our expectations is 4th, I don’t think anyone can expect us to win this league regardless of who we have in charge. 2nd to 6th all a possibility so I’m aiming right in the middle 👊.

I’ve nothing to base this on but I’ve a sneaking suspicion we will finish 3rd behind Dundee United and Partick Thistle, with Ayr United completing the play off line up.

That said one or more of the other six teams could easily upset that prediction!

Hopefully we stay well away from the bottom of the table, where I think this could be the end of Arbroath’s time in the Championship.

 

 

After four games in which all we achieved was a one-goal win over the team that was 3rd bottom of the whole League last season? 

I don't have expectation - I have trepidation 

Confidence must be at rock bottom just now.  If we continue our current form into the early league games, then avoiding relegation will be the prime objective.

7th place. 

2nd. 

I predict we will be bang average somewhere around 4th - 7th, with us literally scraping the play-offs if we do make it. Last years end of season papered over some major cracks and I see those being wider this season.

I also expect countless excuses to be cited, inconsistent form with runs of several poor results book-ended by a few positives. Games with good possession but little end product before sloppy or poor defending meaning things get tough in games when we will revert to type and Doddsball. However, then January will come and using the promised battery storage funds we will make the Saudi spending look amateur as we cherry pick the best dross on offer in the Championship to form a mighty charge in the league but also back to Hampden and European football.

I usually think we can make the playoffs, but this season, I think this will be the toughest one to get out off in some time. I don't see us making the playoffs, and I think we will end up 6th or 7th. I really hope I'm using reverse psychology on myself and we fly to the top of the league, but I think with Dodds inability to see what tactical changes need made when things aren't going well for us, will be our downfall.

🙄

I can't stand these optimists.

Mid table finish.

Lots of moaning thrown in to the bargain. Might lose the odd game or five, somebody might get injured, but really he will have fallen out with the tea lady who picks the team every second week.Grind out some results here and there , promising mid season surge,  stutter then fade out at the end.

Bit more moaning.

Roll up. Roll up, here we go again!!

I don't have any expectations of success this season. First time ever no start of season feeling. If I had to guess I'd say bottom half of table but so hope I'm wrong 

I'm not expecting a lot from ICT this season. Mr Dodds is still our gaffer and I respect that. Judging by the limited games pre season and only one clean sheet in those we will struggle. If we had a 'Pele' at the helm then I'd be more optimistic that 'we will score more than you' but, at the moment, that confidence is not there for me. Mid table at best I think and no play offs. Please ICT let me be wrong.

Mid table. It’s an increasingly tough league and realistically, making the playoffs is the best we can hope for. This squad isn’t good enough to get promoted, even if you replaced Dodds with Pep Guardiola.

Dundee Utd will win the league, getting through as many managers as it takes to do so.

I can see Arbroath finishing bottom, but there will be a few decent mid table teams looking nervously over their shoulders and it can’t be ruled out that we might be one of them.

The two most important things in this league are getting off to a good start and not going on a losing streak. Teams in this league will beat each other and I reckon that there could be 4 or 5 fighting for promotion at the death. So our opening 4-5 games are crucial and if only we could make Inverness a feared ground to come to again. Survival is the main aim but that, in our case, will not be good enuff 👎

1st place 

3rd place finish 

4th or fifth and I think I’m being fairly optimistic. We haven’t replaced Deas and Allardice with the same quality and Jay Henderson will be a fair miss. Bray looks good and it’s too early to say much about Gilmour and Davidson. Dundee Utd, Partick and Dunfermline look strong as well as the usual teams of Ayr Morton etc who are all eyeing up play off spots. After our game with Airdrie I think they could be involved in a lot of high scoring games. Certainly seemed they like to go forward all the time. We can’t forget Queen’s Park either and Saturday could be an interesting day. Hopefully I’m wrong with everything and we win the league 😀😀

I hope I'm wrong but 7th or 8th imo, said it in the Aidrieonians match thread and if I am wrong I will happily stand up and admit to it so long as it's not further down the table.

Our squad is weaker than last season and I don't see us bringing anyone else in, or being able to bring anyone else in, with the ability to make a big enough difference for us to challenge or even make us consistent. For me the manager lacks any real tactical knowledge or if he does have any he certainly doesn't know how to get the players to play to it, there's a definite need for him to progress and try something that is better suited to our squad as a whole. I struggle to understand how a person who has played under the managers he has struggles so badly with tactics and lack of them: is it the players, is it the manager .................... I know who I think it is.

Every season for the last 3 or 4 I've slowly got more and more pessimistic to the point I don't even enjoy any little success as it's a double-edged sword when it comes to BD. 

I guess by setting the bar low I can only be pleasantly surprised 🤪

Well, Like the previous 27 years or so I've been going to CT and ICT opening league games, I have gone with optimism, Expectation and hope!  This weeks game will be no different.

We fans all go to home games looking and hoping for a win first and foremost, A few goals and a good performance to boot! Whether we all go home happy and positive about the coming season is out of our hands.

BD and his players will surely have to up their game and as has been said above the opposition this season will be tougher than ever, So this Saturday i'll have a few beers in the Innes first and hope that come 5.15 pm  i'll be back in the Innes having a wee celebration drink!!! 

C'mon ICT i predict 4th this season.

On 8/1/2023 at 3:20 PM, Ronaldo said:

1st place 

I’ll have a pint or three of whatever you’re on ta 😀

Seriously, I love and admire your optimism as that’s where I’m usually at, but not this season I’m afraid. Yep likely be 4 or 5 chasing promotion at the end but I fear we’re more likely to be in a dogfight at the wrong end of the table. I’ve never been so pessimistic at the start of a season but, like MrCaleyjag, I’m fearing the worst and looking forward to standing up and saying I completely misjudged Doddsy and got it all wrong.

I'm looking to get into the top 4 by the end of the season. All teams are capable of beating each other and every point will be a prisoner.

Once we get into our stride we should hold our own. We have no real stand out players yet. Billy will continue scoring, Nathan will continue skinning defenders, Ridgers will continue making saves, and......

We'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.

Third to sixth is my best guess at the moment with The Arabs and Partick at the head of the table.

I am going to say 3rd am sure the players all want to do well at this club.

4th will be a good achievement this season given the budget and squad we have .  Anything above this will be delightful and in my opinion see us punching above our weight. Good luck to the players and management team .... Give it your all and that's all we can ask regardless of the outcome! Let's play our part as fans and really encourage and support the team starting tomorrow ... 

I am going to say second even though we have five new players and I am pinning a lot of hope on Big Harry!  I also think a couple of our home grown players will shine this season.  Lookin forward to a good start tomorrow.

I have hope, but no expectation.

Regardless of any thoughts on squad strength, I have no faith that Dodds has the tactical wherewithal to get the best out of them, nevermind any ability to outsmart the opposition and have us punching above our weight.

Not once have I ever seen him take responsibility as leader, and there's already signs in post match interviews this season that he is, once again, willing to throw others to the wolves to deflect from his own deficiencies as a manager and coach.

The important question is "What is acceptable?" and if the clubs ambition is to be in the Premiership, then anything less than promotion is not.

This ongoing lowering of fan expectations is a sign that the club's only success is dumbing us down and convincing us to keep on paying for a sub standard product while manager/coaches, DoF and CEO continue to pocket a wage they're not deserving of.