09/10 season predictions: 1st 2nd 3rd.. and Reading?

[hiro]

3rd Round.

[Franchise FC]

I can't see how anyone can give a reasoned opinion until they know who's playing for who.

This is even more the case with Reading as we have a new manager with minimal experience. Until we've seen them play 6-10 times, it's pure guesswork.

Absolutely correct.

(Although a bit of a departure from your predictions of last season - )

[Franchise FC]

Sheffield United top?!?! Are you having a laugh?! They played crap all season and now have lost their parachute payments and will lose their only credible players (the 2 young full backs). Derby and Palace?! And Reading in 15th?!


We will be a lot better this season, we have a manager with passion and a good enough team to win the league- a better team than last yr if Rodgers makes full use of the squad- plays Bikey, Doyle and Marek every game and puts the youth players (who were always better than some of the rubbish we played last yr anyway).

Morelike:

1- Reading
2- West Brom

PO- Boro

Don't Sheff Utd have a large wad coming from Wet Sham ?

[Who Moved The Goalposts?]

Don't Sheff Utd have a large wad coming from Wet Sham ?

Yes, I believe it's around £20m over 4 seasons. So overall not a massive per-season difference, but enough to give them some/more clout in the same market we are in.

[winchester_royal]

It will be a slow start as the team struggles to adapt to Rodgers' style of football, leaving us in 12th after 20 games, however as we move through the year players like Henry and MArek start to shine through, and following an astonishing 25-game unbeaten run we end the season in 4th, taking the momentum into the play-offs only to be beaten by a 93rd minute winner by Simon Cox in the final for WBA.

[Jeffers217]

Anyone saying that Ipswich will get promoted because of Keane is beyond me. HE IS NOT A GOOD MANAGER HE SPENT £80 MILLION JUST TO KEEP SUNDERLAND UP. We have a better squad than Ipswich who are the more inconsistent team for the past 3 seasons bar Sheff Wed

[Ian Royal]

Anyone saying that Ipswich will get promoted because of Keane is beyond me. HE IS NOT A GOOD MANAGER HE SPENT £80 MILLION JUST TO KEEP SUNDERLAND UP. We have a better squad than Ipswich who are the more inconsistent team for the past 3 seasons bar Sheff Wed

He managed to take Sunderland up even though he came in after they'd lost their first 4 or 5 games (or something equally as rubbish) and were appalling. That's what people are basing it on.

[Sun Tzu]

Anyone saying that Ipswich will get promoted because of Keane is beyond me. HE IS NOT A GOOD MANAGER HE SPENT £80 MILLION JUST TO KEEP SUNDERLAND UP. We have a better squad than Ipswich who are the more inconsistent team for the past 3 seasons bar Sheff Wed

He managed to take Sunderland up even though he came in after they'd lost their first 4 or 5 games (or something equally as rubbish) and were appalling. That's what people are basing it on.

Ian Dowie took Palace up despite them being 459 points adrift with 5 minutes of the final game of the season to go (I may have the exact details a bit wrong there...)

Doesn't mean Newcastle will get promoted.

[leww_rfc]

Anyone saying that Ipswich will get promoted because of Keane is beyond me. HE IS NOT A GOOD MANAGER HE SPENT £80 MILLION JUST TO KEEP SUNDERLAND UP. We have a better squad than Ipswich who are the more inconsistent team for the past 3 seasons bar Sheff Wed

hes not a good manager?

his first game with ipswich was away at Cardiff who were pushing for playoffs and it was the last game at Ninian Park

Ipswich won 3-0
not many teams could of gone there for that type of game and won the way he did

[Ian Royal]

Anyone saying that Ipswich will get promoted because of Keane is beyond me. HE IS NOT A GOOD MANAGER HE SPENT £80 MILLION JUST TO KEEP SUNDERLAND UP. We have a better squad than Ipswich who are the more inconsistent team for the past 3 seasons bar Sheff Wed

He managed to take Sunderland up even though he came in after they'd lost their first 4 or 5 games (or something equally as rubbish) and were appalling. That's what people are basing it on.

Ian Dowie took Palace up despite them being 459 points adrift with 5 minutes of the final game of the season to go (I may have the exact details a bit wrong there...)

Doesn't mean Newcastle will get promoted.

Dowie isn't manager at Newcastle. There is a bit of a difference between a fantastic but short run after a midtable campaign and turning a club looking like going through the trap door into champions.

I'm not saying he will take them up. But he has fairly good form so far, and not just spending feck loads. In fact I'd suggest if you give him bucket loads to spend he'll spend it poorly on mediocrity. reign that in and he might just have to concentrate on getting the best out of a small squad.

[JR]

I agree that it is important not to get carried away and nobody should require BR to achieve promotion in his first season, I truly believe that we will be there or thereabouts again. This is based on the quality / turmoil of the other teams in the league:

Newcastle - Anyone who thinks they will be contenders needs their head examined. They will struggle to not go bust, let alone challenge for promotion. A club in turmoil, with players on ridiculous salaries who don't want to be in championship and no manager to prepare the club at the moment. The biggest game for everyone else will be Newcastle which will make it even harder.

Boro - Think they will struggle as well. Southgate not proved to be a top manager yet and a lot of the better players will be gone by the end of August.

West Brom - They were my original tip to be champions. Play good football and had a relatively stable team. However, they look like they may lose Mowbary to Celtic which may have a big effect.

Sheff Utd - Think they may have peaked last season. Don't actually rate Blackwell very much as a manager

Preston - Working on a tight budget, may be forced to sell best players like Wallace

Cardiff - Can they recover from the disastrous collapse last year? Could quite easily suffer from new stadium syndrome

Swansea - Losing their manager as well. Martinez was so key to the Swansea revolution that I cannot see them making a big step up next year.

QPR - Magilton failed at Ipswich so not sure he can do much with QPR. Probably just a mouthpiece for owners. Once they get a quality manager in charge they will challenge, but not with Magilton

Ipswich - They should be challengers. Keane has done it before with Sunderland and Ipswich fans think they have a good squad and Magilton let them down last season.

Crystal Palace, Bristol City, Coventry, Derby, Sheff Wed - All mid table last season. A couple of them will probably come out of the pack and challenge for play offs, but I can't see them being any better equipped for challenge than Royals.

Watford - In turmoil with manager leaving!

Leicester - Could be a dark horse if keep momentum from convincing promotion going

So all in all I think we could be right up there challenging next year, even though it will be a rebuilding season. Nothing to be afraid of!

[Row Z Royal]

No.

[SLAMMED]

No.

'greed.

[Barry the bird boggler]

So what are your expectations for next season seeing as we'll most likely be without Hunt, Doyle, Harper, Bikey and possibly even Matejovsky?

Personally I'll go for a top 10 finish and keep my fingers crossed we can sneak a play off place

[Royalee]

Promotion.

[Archie's penalty]

Promotion.

So vote for it then.

[Royalee]

Only gives me the option of champions, runners-up or playoffs - I'll take any but can't vote three times.

[Millsy]

LOL I remember when I said when Sir Steve goes the day will come where a 4th placed finish will be a dream.

And right now it's feeling like a bit of a dream.

Would be delighted with 4th.

Maybe BR will outdo himself and come *wait for it* 12th instead of 13th!?

Isn't it great entering back into another 135 year lottery?

[Royalee]

LOL I remember when I said when Sir Steve goes the day will come where a 4th placed finish will be a dream.

And right now it's feeling like a bit of a dream.

Would be delighted with 4th.

Maybe BR will outdo himself and come *wait for it* 12th instead of 13th!?

Isn't it great entering back into another 135 year lottery?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[AlexY25]

We'll finish 6th. Then lose in the play offs.