The 2018/19 Premier League season is fast-approaching and Cardiff are back with the big boys, but what do fans of the other Premier League clubs think of the Bluebirds and how do they think their own team will fare?
In part three, we speak to fans of our relegation rivals.
Missed part one? We’ve got you covered.
Part two? Click here.
Bournemouth
What does your side need this summer?
We need defenders. The team made a slight improvement in letting in 61 goals last season, but it’s still far too many goals to be conceding. Nathan Aké is by far our top defender and we need to recruit a couple of players of equal calibre to be more stingy at conceding goals. The central midfield could also do with a powerful player who has more of a goal threat than our current occupants in those positions. If we can find a good partner for Lewis Cook then the prospects will be much better for next season.
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How do you think you’ll fare next season?
It really depends on the transfer window. The team were much closer to being in trouble last season than any of us would like to admit. Finishing 12th seems great now but for much of the season Bournemouth were battling to get out of the bottom three. You have to do well against the newly promoted and lower half teams and you also need to bag one or two results against the top six. We’ve done it well enough in the last three seasons, but it doesn’t get any easier. Still, I’m hoping for a finish of 10th next season and keeping out of the bottom three all season – that would be an improvement.
What do you make of Cardiff?
Cardiff City will battle hard and they know they have to. Neil Warnock knows how tough it will be and he’ll find ways to get results. I have head Cardiff play good football and go through the thirds and they will get room to play their football in the Premier League, but if they find it hard to score goals and find it hard to recover from defeats they will struggle. Again, a lot will depend on how wise the summer purchases are.
Where do you think Cardiff will finish?
Somewhere between 10th and 20th. The league is much tighter among the teams that have just come up and those that have been there a while in mid-table. Last season all three newly-promoted sides survived. To finish 17th is not anything to be disappointed about in this league. Anything else is a bonus.
Peter Bell (@CherryChimes)
Brighton
What does your side need this summer?
Main thing is just a bit more strength in depth everywhere. In Maty Ryan we have a great keeper. In terms of back-up, Krul is probably on his way and it may turn on whether Christian Walton, who was excellent on loan at Wigan, is willing to sit on the bench for a season. Defence – Dunk and Duffy were superb this season so it will be huge if we keep hold of both of them. The two back-ups are both leaving, so we need a little more cover there (although Leon Balogun has already come in). Full backs would be great too. Bruno and Schelotto at right back and Bong and Suttner at left back are all reliable but limited (or in Bruno’s case superb but old), so we could do with investment there. Midfield – again, starting midfield is strong but (assuming they all stay) we could do with more back up both in terms of holding and on the wings. And up front – we signed Locadia in January and have already brought in Florin Andone this window, so doubt we’ll do more business there. So overall no glaringly bad areas but we need more options a little everywhere.
How do you think you’ll fare?
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With a good window, hopefully match and improve slightly on this season. This season just gone, with an FA Cup final appearance and no time spent in the relegation zone, was surely better than any of us hoped. we just need to stay in the top flight a few years to really give ourselves the chance to establish ourselves and go on to bigger things – with a huge catchment area, great stadium and training facilities, top chairman and cool city, we have loads of potential. So baby steps is fine for now – hopefully confirming safety a little earlier than this season and another nice Cup run. Last season we were arguably held back by not being positive enough in our own abilities, certainly going forward. Hopefully this will change next season.
What do you make of Cardiff?
To be 100% honest, I didn’t follow the Championship too closely this season – just because of the novelty of not having to for once!! But you can’t not be impressed by Cardiff’s season – other clubs have a lot more stars but you were right up there all season, finished with 90 points and as ever Warnock has got his team playing probably better than the sum of its parts. Like many clubs, we’re not the biggest fans of Warnock – from his Notts County beating us in the play-off final in 1991 to our two hard-fought matches with you a couple of years back where we felt that you spent too much time time-wasting and trying to cling to 0-0s. But it will still be fun to have him back in the PL.
Where do you think Cardiff will finish?
A lot depends on the transfer window but I would think your squad as it is at the moment would struggle to stay up (though many thought that about Huddersfield – and Brighton – last season). Warnock doesn’t have the greatest of records in the top flight either… I could see you scraping survival – but with Warnock already gone by the end of the season.
Jeremy Smith (@jeremysmith98)
Fulham
What does your side need this summer?
I think you start with trying to sign some of the loan players so that means Aleksandar Mitrovic and Matt Targett are targets.The positional needs are at striker, both full backs and at least one center-back and maybe there is a need for two of them. I think they also need to upgrade at goalkeeper. I think you will see Fulham add at least 6-7 Premier League ready players. They are looking to compete and not just simply survive.
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How do you think you’ll fare?
I don’t think they will be in a serious relegation battle, but to expect a top ten finish would be too positive. I can see them finishing between 11th and 13th.
What do you make of Cardiff?
Let me start by saying that Cardiff City deserved to finish second. They earned their place from their consistent play throughout the season.
With that said I am concerned about Warnock’s style working in the Premier League. You need more scoring so to avoid a relegation battle your recruitment of offensive players to go along with your defensive core will be key.
Where do you think Cardiff will finish?
I think Cardiff will be dealing with a relegation battle and as I already stated your fate will be decided by your recruitment. I see you ending between 16th-18th and for your sake I hope it is 16th or better.
I wish Cardiff City supporters the best of luck this season.
Russ Goldman (@CottageTalk)
Huddersfield
What does your side need this summer?
To sign Terence Kongolo permanently! Other than Kongolo, I reckon another striker to offer something a little different up front and a winger with some consistency in crossing a football should be enough to supplement the squad we already have.
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How do you think you’ll fare?
It all depends on signings really. Togetherness will only get you so far, but if Wagner signs the players that he wants, I am confident that he will get the team playing good football. The big risk is the cliché ‘second season syndrome’ that could come into play. I also think with the teams that have come up, there is more quality in the Premier League compared to last season.
What do you make of Cardiff?
Obviously there are some connections between the two clubs in both the Cardiff manager and some of the current Cardiff players (Danny Ward, Lee Peltier, Sean Morrison, Anthony Pilkington, and Jazz Richards). I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Neil Warnock, as a no-nonsense Yorkshireman and for what he achieved at Town. As for the team, I think apart from the poor run of fixtures over the Christmas period, you guys had an excellent season and achieving automatic promotion can give you the boost you need to survive the upcoming season. Even though there is more quality this season, Town have shown the rest of the football league that size and stature is irrelevant as long as you have the right mentality and work ethic.
Where do you think Cardiff will finish?
The pragmatist in me says 17th but only just, however, I can see you guys surprising a few people if Warnock brings in the right players to move the team forward in quality. A good start will bring positivity but a slow start doesn’t mean it’s game over.
Paul Cuffe (HTSA Digital Manager)
Watford
What does your side need this summer?
While Watford stayed up fairly comfortably last season, it was probably a bit tighter than most people might imagine. After a blistering start unde Marco Silva, the wheels came off pretty spectacularly after his dalliance with Everton, leaving Javi Gracia to steady the ship. Despite his pragmatic approach, it was pretty evident that the Hornets struggled defensively, leaking far too many goals. There were problems at the other end of the pitch, too, with goalscoring ending up as a major concern.
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It could be argued that defensively, a lot of the problems were caused by a seemingly never ending injury list, but it’s hard not to imagine that defensive reinforcements won’t be on their way to Vicarage Road. The feelers must be out for a new striker, too.
How do you think you’ll fare next season?
Watford’s last three seasons have followed an almost identical path; a great start followed by a complete loss of form after Christmas. Quite simply, this has to stop as otherwise we’ll find ourselves in a very real relegation battle. The clubs owners want to be looking up the table rather than down it, so there is no lack of ambition and certainly no lack of talent at the club; it could be argued that this is the best squad ever assembled at Vicarage Road. However, the big job is getting the best out of these players week in, week out and getting them to perform consistently as a unit. All too often that simply hasn’t happened and far too may disappointing results have ensued.
If the Hornets can get off to a good start and keep key players fit (injuries have been chronic for the last few years) then there is no reason Watford couldn’t target a top half finish. On the flip-side, if the start is a bad one then the season could become a tough one very quickly.
I’d like to see us get as close to the top half as possible, but considering where we’ve finished in the last three seasons, I’d take 12th. Would it be OK to get a half decent cup run too, please?
What do you make of Cardiff?
Any team that gets out of the Championship is obviously an incredibly good side. It takes such high levels of consistency to get promoted, so I doubt there are any teams in the Premier League that will take the Bluebirds lightly, especially with the canny Neil Warnock at the helm.
The days of the promoted sides hanging on by the skin of their teeth are long gone; the increased share of TV money ensures that everyone pothat comes up can give it a go, so I expect Cardiff to make a decent fist of life back in the top flight. The biggest challenge will be finding that goalscoring formula – without goals, life in the Premier League will be tough.
Personally I’m looking forward to welcoming Matt Connolly back to Vicarage Road, he was important in getting us up a few years back and it would good to see the undisputed promotion king get a go in the top flight!
Where do you think Cardiff will finish?
Promoted sides have belief and momentum, and are now able to back it up with activity in the transfer market. Look at the teams that have been promoted to the Premier League over the past two or three seasons – the majority have stayed up relatively comfortably and there is no reason that Cardiff can’t follow suit. Home games will be key, the stadium will be full and noisy each week, and the team will have to press that advantage.
I’ll say a 15th place finish. Good luck and enjoy the season!
Mike Parkin @RookeryMike)
Wolverhampton Wanderers
What does your side need this summer?
A nice, long rest. World Cup sticker album, a new laptop with Football Manager, couple of weeks on a Greek island. Something like that. Nothing that could instigate any injuries.
In terms of adding to the side, I think the big hole is a genuinely high class striker. Bonatini is fine, and we all love Afobe, but in terms of Premier League quality, I’d say that’s where we’re weakest. And, I think we’ll do something about it. With the ambition we have,the money we have, and the players and coach we have, I think we’ll go and drop £30m+ on someone mad. Which could be fun.
I think we could do with another CM to go alongside Neves too. Saiss is fantastic and N’Diaye is great too, but I think we could do with someone as classy as Neves to complement him in the centre. A new goalie is important. The gulf in class between Premier League and Championship goalies is big, and I reckon we could do with a new one.
How do you think you’ll fare next season?
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I’m blinkered, optimistic, and excited. I think we could do something interesting as long as the players keep their confidence if we lose the first few matches. Our strength last year was our system – it was the same throughout and every player on the pitch always knew where the other players were. So if, say, Neves got the ball, he didn’t even have to look where Jota was – he just knew. And, watching more than half the Premier League sides last year scrambling around to avoid relegation, I think that our consistency in system will keep us ahead of that pack. So let’s see. I certainly do not think we’ll struggle.
What do you make of Cardiff?
Well, the end to the Cardiff v Wolves match in April was one of the most ridiculous, fun, and entertaining ends to a game I’ve ever seen. And Warnock telling Nuno to fuck off at the end topped it off for me. It’s what everyone wants to see in football – madness.
I’m pleased you came up, though. You play hard and direct and with power, and that pisses people off, but it’s better to have that variation than all teams playing the same style of football. It’s fun. Big nasty boys. The kind you don’t want to be playing on a Sunday morning.
Where do you think Cardiff will finish?
Warnock sides don’t roll over for anyone, so your perception as underdogs is going to help, if anything. However, I do think you’re going to struggle. I’m excited to watch you bulldoze Chelsea 1-0, but then also lose convincingly to Huddersfield away. Equally excited for both. And as long as you’re below us on our Portuguese-all inclusive-cruise to European football, I couldn’t care less.
James Bird (@hollajamesbird)
Header image: Lis Ferla/Flickr