Early odds for next year.

king_congo_red

king_congo_red

Ale Ape
Clifford said:
Bookies have us as joint second favourite to win the league at 8/1.

Burnley 7/1 favourites. Cardiff and Middlesboro also 8/1

http://www.skybet.com/skybet?action=GoEvType&id=10003361
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I'm not convinced by Burnley. It can take a hell of an effort to turn a losing mentality into a winning one and I don't think they're any stronger than they were this time last year. (Then again, I did say this about Newcastle last year...)

Middlesborough alos don't convince me. They've sold a lot of quality and replaced it with precious little. Cardiff hopefully will be forced into a fire sale, which should rule them out.

Having said that, i don't see us winning the league either. if anything we'll struggle as the other teams won't be a suprised by us as many were this season.

Therefore, someone is probably going to win the league by default and it'll be a lot tighter than last season, which just goes to show how much weaker the division is...
 
R

RICH1977

John Robertson
i still think we will strugle next season tbh very few teams have won the league after failing in play offs, very few teams win promotion either after play off defeats the year previous
 
Jonathan

Jonathan

Resident foodie!
I think we'll challenge and I think Middlesbrough will too.

If you're betting on teams to be promoted, I'd look at Bristol City now Coppell's in charge. Especially if they keep Maynard.
 
DanR

DanR

Steve Chettle
I'd look at the following teams to be in the top 10 next season, as well as us:

Boro
Burnley
Bristol City
Cardiff (finances permitting)
Portsmouth (finances permitting)
Sheffield United
Ipswich
Leeds
Leicester
QPR

No doubt some of the above will be complete gash, and some other teams will surprise us, that's the beauty of football.
 
king_congo_red

king_congo_red

Ale Ape
RICH1977 said:
i still think we will strugle next season tbh very few teams have won the league after failing in play offs, very few teams win promotion either after play off defeats the year previous
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If we can do it under Calderwood...we can definetly do it under Billy!!!
 
earthworm

earthworm

Jack Burkitt
So much depends on what players the TAP manage to bring in.
 
B

BuryStEdmundsBlade

Geoff Thomas
I put a bet on us (each way) for winning the league at 16/1 with skybet only a week ago. Already changed!
 
R

RICH1977

John Robertson
congo_red said:
If we can do it under Calderwood...we can definetly do it under Billy!!!
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that was the shower of shit that was league 1. Im sure only wba have gone up via automatic in the last ten years of the championship after missing out via play offs to derby the year before. and im sure theres only a handfull of teams that have had back to back play off seasons also.
 
Kier

Kier

Banned
If we get the right players in this summer and ship out some of the deadwood then I would be very suprised if we didn't make the top 6 and would think we would stand as good a chance as anyone of winning the league.

We have something good to build on here, it's up to Doughty now to back Billy adequately.
 
Johnny Bravo

Johnny Bravo

Jack Armstrong
It should be one of the most open leagues for a long time next season. I'd love it if we invested heavily once more because we could quite easily win the league this coming year but after how much was spent last year I think it's unlikely and fair enough.

Lot's of teams who have the name you'd expect to challenge will underperform this coming year I think, not least of all Sheffield United, Leeds and QPR unless they make some significant moves in the transfer market.

I know fans of these three and two have given up their season tickets and the Leeds fan hasn't had one for a few years now.

Also should consider Cardiff and Portsmouth might be severly weakened but the Football League's lack of a backbone makes this unlikely, The contracts Portsmouth have offered to it's players are ridiculous considering their situation. A wage cap on new contracts should be exercised for teams in or who have been in administration over a certain period depending on what league they are due to play in.
 
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C

chappo2611

A. Trialist
I can't believe nobody has mentioned Reading. They'll be strong contenders. Look at how well they finished the season.

We have a good a chance as anyone if we can add 2 or 3 quality players.

I expect Leicester to be strong again plus Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Derby, QPR and Ipswich should have better seasons, then there are the promoted teams, Norwich and Leeds who will add competition to the Championship next season.

Despite this we should be optimistic about next season.
 
MaxiRobriguez

MaxiRobriguez

Bob McKinlay
RICH1977 said:
that was the shower of shit that was league 1. Im sure only wba have gone up via automatic in the last ten years of the championship after missing out via play offs to derby the year before. and im sure theres only a handfull of teams that have had back to back play off seasons also.
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The Championship doesn't have any teams looking like certs either though. Middlesborough maybe? Aside from that no one is going to go up 1st or 2nd with a canter like Newcastle and WBA did this year.

Game on, this is our chance.
 
DanR

DanR

Steve Chettle
Kier said:
If we get the right players in this summer and ship out some of the deadwood then I would be very suprised if we didn't make the top 6 and would think we would stand as good a chance as anyone of winning the league.

We have something good to build on here, it's up to Doughty now to back Billy adequately.
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Spot on - if we took just four of our defeats and turned them into wins, and maintained the same results elsewhere, we'd have over 90 points, which should be enough for automatic.

It will be difficult, and the pressure will be on us, but the step to take is smaller than it was at this time last year.
 
MaxiRobriguez

MaxiRobriguez

Bob McKinlay
Last season had two teams who were far superior to the rest of the league. It won't happen this year and it's wide open.

90 points would see us as Champions. 80 points would be enough for automatic.
 
earthworm

earthworm

Jack Burkitt
When Billy made it the play offs with Preston and flopped it, how did they come back the next season?

Would be interesting to know because it'll tell a bit about his ability to get his team over the defeat.

Its really not nice to think back to that defeat is it. That feeling as Blackpool piled those two goals in in quick sucescion and A block sang "sing yer hearts out for the lads" in vain, and you knew the dream was slipping away from you.
 
king_congo_red

king_congo_red

Ale Ape
earthworm said:
When Billy made it the play offs with Preston and flopped it, how did they come back the next season?
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In Billy's first year they made the Play-off final. They came back fine the year after, again getting to the play-off's but losing in the semi-final.

The year after that, BD upped sticks to the sheep pen and Paul simpson was leading them to a possible third attempt at the play-offs as they spend the whole season in the play-off or automatic spots, before they spectacularly collapsed in March and tumbled rapidly down the league.
 
Johnny Bravo

Johnny Bravo

Jack Armstrong
sebs said:
surprised hull are longer than burnley
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I think for a promoted teams there are two options to try and stay in the top flight firstly try to keep the core of your team and improve it in the areas that need to be done with an eye on bouncing back the next year if things don't go right. The other option is to buy/loan the best players who will sign for you irrespective of their role or where they play. Burnley fall into the first category for me and I can't see them losing too many players whereas Hull have players like Bullard and Venegoor Of Hesslink who they won't or can't afford to keep and wasn't Altidore and a few other of their regulars on loan?

I think Portsmouth will be good value this year despite the financial problems they seem to be keeping the majority of their players despite what the newspapers predicted and have been offering new contracts to quite a few, they've lost a lot of loan players though but football has taught us in recent seasons that cheaters prosper (with the exception of Cardiff this weeked) so I'd expect them to do something.
 
Clifford

Clifford

Viv Anderson
Reading are a good bet at 10-1. I also think Portsmouth are being massively underrated at the moment.

They got to the FA cup final after all.
 
walter e kurtz

walter e kurtz

First Team Squad
Clifford said:
Reading are a good bet at 10-1. I also think Portsmouth are being massively underrated at the moment.

They got to the FA cup final after all.
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yeah but how many of that team do you expect to still be there next season? i bet half of them will be gone .
 
walter e kurtz

walter e kurtz

First Team Squad
the teams with the same kits > reading or qpr for me next season . i had forest e/w @ 40/1 last season but i'm not tempted by 8/1 , a bit measly .
 
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