People said the same thing last season and indeed every season we fail, there's always going to be a clear out and it is assumed that the right type of players will be brought in to replace them this time.
Last season's pre-season poll of where we'd finish was bumped recently. Just read through that to see how blindly optimistic fans can become as we approach a new season. More people predicted we'd finish 1st than any other option.
Somehow, I think we're going to have to finish 3rd (just about doable). Then we'd have the one home game prior to the final with no QF and no away game to worry about. Otherwise, we're likely looking at a further extension to doing time at this level.