Looking at our opening fixtures the first 3 away game are Arse,Poo & Citeh....and our first 4 home games are bankable with two newly promoted sides in the mix.
So how many points should we be aiming for come the onset of autumn (Oct.), I'd think 12 at the minimum, but after that the book is open as to how we progress. Ideally the magic 40 mark will be reached over the Xmas break giving us a nice clear chance at some domestic silverware. So all I want for Xmas is 40 points and a decent day out at Wembley for my birthday in the New Year.

Last season Astra knocked Lyon out of the Europa Cup in the qualifying stages -- Lyon finished second in the French Ligue to PSG last season.

Well, gotta find some reason to be less miserable this morning!

Disappointing but now we have to concentrate on the premier league. The players we have bought will make a difference but we still need a bit of quality to come in plus move out a couple. What do people think are the plus and minuses of our team at the moment. For me Nolan looks out of touch with the game now and should go and I'm not impressed with Jarvis or Miaga who just doesn't look interested. The wages we would save by moving those 3 out would free up money and should give us enough to bring in one or two decent improvements but who would take them. Thoughts please gentleman.

I'm down the big smoke in two weeks time with the wife ( 1st holiday with out the kids ) staying at the Ibis in Stratford, Mon - Fri ,

Were doing the Tower tour, IWM, Trumans brewery tour in stratford ( looking fwd to that ) and thanks to Cath, the Tour of the Boleyn ground, Has anyone on here been on the stadium tour and what's it like...

Not football related,but thought id have a day off work to catch up with the ashes series.Couldnt have picked a better day!aussies all out for 60!!Stuart broad on his home turf 8 wickets for 15 runs....wow,the ashes is coming home....

If you could pick 5 choons to blare out over the (Hinari) system on the day of our first game at the new stadium, what would they be (BUBBLES APART)?:

1) London's Calling
2) Shake it on baby
3) Thunderstruck
4) Smack my bitch up (the mrs has to accept that I will have a beer when only 18 minutes on a train to Stratford)
5) Night Club (Specials)

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/596325/Slaven-Bilic-hint-West-H…

Possible line-up:-

Randolph

Jenkinson Oxford Burke Page

Poyet Lanzini Jarvis Samuelsen

Nolan Maiga

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/596040/West-Ham-11-9m-bid-Manch…

i don't know about everyone else but i'm still waiting for the so called 'big' signings that we were promised to arrive. Payet yes ok, good one….but jenkinson and song back, obiang and a couple of others? with the new tv windfall i was expecting to see an impressive haul of better quality players for Bilic to work with but in all honesty i'm feeling a bit deflated. the new season is upon us and looking at the squad we're talking ourselves into hoping the likes of valencia and zarate come good still. the owners have a habit of promising much, linking us to so and so and simply not producing. lets not fool ourselves other clubs are improving rapidly, even the likes of southampton have put their money where their mouths are, villa spending big, liverpool etc. is this going to be another case of 'the signings that got away?' because the owners won't spend to match other teams? we're a mid table prem league side based on our squad, nothing more…so expectation for me is low especially with a new manager who has to learn prem league management this year, but i did expect and hoped for three or four big name signings to arrive but it looks like this won't happen.

So we seem to have a made a few decent signings and we still need a 2/3 more but, how have the other clubs faired and who would you have liked us to have gone for and why?

Me for starters:

Trippier - Right back cover and long term replacement for Jenkinson, and bargain at £3.5m.
Gestede - £6m after scoring 22/23 goals in the chumps seems a steal to me and 'extended' cover for Carroll.....
Bunn - A good understudy goalkeeper with premiership experience and not expensive. Randolph looks terrible to me and I dread him appearing this season.