Who will be our main promotion rivals 2013-14

[Ian Royal]

I'm not reading the whole thread.

Bit f*cking presumptuous to think we'll be anywhere near the top two next season ain't it?

Well the consensus is that about half of the division are contenders for promotion, so I'm not sure many are being particularly presumtuous.

[Cripple Creek]

Given our performances this season I really have no reason to believe - and I don't understand why others do - why we should be serious contenders for promotion from the championship. We didn't just perform poorly this season because we were up against premiership quality we performed poorly because, for the vast majority of the time, we were really, really bad. Sure Adkins may make a big difference but it will involve rebuilding the team and, even if he retains the skeleton of the squad and gets the best out of those that remain, he has a far from easy task ahead of him.

[Royal Rother]

I don't think it's presumptuous at all.

Adkins' past record and the improvement shown against Fulham suggest to me that cautious optimism is, even for those of a glass-half-empty mindset, somewhat justified.

And it seems entirely reasonable that an optimistic fan would be forgiven for displaying a certain confidence that good times are not far away.

[Maguire]

We would have been top 2 under McDermott, probably play-offs with Adkins in charge

[Silver Fox]

I'm going to symbolically but ultimately futilely (is that word) attempt to tear up my season ticket if we don't win the league with at least 107 points

[M Brook]

Just for interest these were the pre season (29/5/2012) odds for the 2012/13 Championship -

7/1 - Leicester City
15/2 - Bolton Wandeerers
9/1 - Birmingham City
10/1 - Wolves
12/1 - Blackpool, Leeds United
14/1 - Blackburn Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Cardiff City
16/1 - Charlton Athletic, Middlesbrough
20/1 - Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday
25/1 - Hull City
28/1 - Nottingham Forest
33/1 - Burnley, Derby County, Huddersfield Town
40/1 - Millwall
50/1 - Watford
66/1 - Bristol City, Crystal Palace
100/1 - Barnsley, Peterborough United

[maffff]

So who will be our biggest rivals next season? – Part One

We’ll start by looking at the three clubs relegated at the end of last season. Queens Park Rangers, Reading and Wigan Athletic will all be desperate to make a swift returm to the riches of the Premier League, but will any of them be able to get there?

Now that we know the exact line-up of the 23 other clubs who will be sharing the ‘Championship’ with us next season, it’s time for another Toellandback mini-series to stagger into action, as we run our eyes over the teams likely to be our biggest rivals in 2013/14. I’m going to assume for the purposes of this piece that in the brave new world of Brian McDermott and GFH Leeds United are going to be challenging for at least a place in the play-offs. You never know, it could happen.

As the Premier League’s new TV deal comes into effect next season, the ‘parachute payments’ (which are intended to soften the financial blow of dropping out of the top league) to relegated clubs will be increased to £23 million each, but the three clubs will be desperate to go back up straight away, as this amount falls dramatically after the first season. This payment should give them a massive advantage over most clubs in the Championship, who have to do with a £2.3 million ‘solidarity payment’ from the Premier League, but at least one of the relegated clubs will need to use the money to pay the inflated salaries of the players that nobody wants to take off their hands.

QPR are fast becoming English football’s latest financial basket case, and must now be entirely dependent on the generosity of chairman Tony Fernandes to keep them in business. Otherwise they would be caught in a vicious circle of having to sell their best players and then suffering the inevitable poor results and a further drop in income, etc, possibly dropping down the divisions in the manner of Portsmouth and, er, Leeds.

And just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did, with the arrest of star striker Loic Remy a few weeks ago for his involvement in an alleged rape case. They had been expecting offers of £7 million (the figure that would trigger a release clause in his contract) and that sum would have come in handy, but it’s highly unlikely that any other club will bid for him in the present circumstances. QPR’s debts were estimated at £89 million in March, and with most of their current players showing a distinct lack of commitment I can’t see them building a good enough squad to challenge for promotion.

Wigan will probably get a lot of sympathy from neutral fans after their FA Cup win and the attractive football they played last season, but they now face an uncertain future after the departure of Roberto Martinez. In the coming weeks they will also face tempting offers for a few of their leading players and we may see James McCarthy and Calum McManaman leaving the DW before the start of the new season. They will also have to cope with the distractions of their first ever European campaign, so although I expect them to finish in the top half of the table I won’t put them down as one of my favourites for promotion.

I think Reading will mount the strongest challenge of the three relegated clubs. Nigel Adkins has three promotions on his CV already, so he might be on the way to becoming the Neil Warnock of the next decade, with a playing style well suited to life outside the Premiership. Reading have been something of a yo-yo club in the last few years, but if they can keep hold of their better players (despite the persistent press rumours that most of them will be linking up with Brian McDermott again at Leeds) they will have a good enough squad to finish near the top of the table.

http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/l ... ryid=32082

Personally I think they should be looking closer at Barnsley, Doncaster and Yeovil.

[Royalclapper]

I can see us having a say in proceedings somewhere along the line next season, not easy to say the same about QPR and Wigan.

The East Midlands could provide some action at the top of the league. Forest and Leicester have been hovering and Derby surely won't wallow in averageness forever.

Blackpool might potentially be a threat depending on Ince Jnr's transfer and Ince Snr's dealings.

Bolton finished fairly well and you could well imagine them being thereabouts this time.

Blackburn are real contenders if the owners back off from too much heavy handedness.

If Brighton get their management right then they are sure to be near.

Leeds, Boro, Birmingham and Watford all have issues but could still come good.

Ipswich, Bournemouth, Yeovil, Doncaster, Barnsley, Huddersfield, Sheff Weds, Charlton, Burnley, Millwall to battle it out for the other places.

[maffff]

Ipswich are starting to come good. Charlton aren't as distinctly average as I expected either.

[TBM]

Bolton, Forest and QPR i reckon

[maffff]

Bolton, Forest and QPR i reckon

I want Bolton in the playoff final!

[SydenhamRoyal]

Bolton, Forest and QPR i reckon

I want Bolton in the playoff final!

Yes!

[Royalee]

Too early to say...but probably QPR, Bolton, Watford, Leicester, Forest and perhaps Derby - Brighton if someone half decent goes in there.

[jellytot]

Bolton, Forest and QPR i reckon

I want Bolton in the playoff final!

Yes!

Oh come on we are shit in the play-offs they would do us again.
Automatic promotion or mid table for me. Play-offs we are a joke in. We do not do them.

[Royal Rads]

Going on the current squads for my money Brighton, Forrest, Bolton, Blackburn, Blackpool, Wigan, Leeds are gonna be the teams in and around us. Obviously though 1 or 2 massive signings from any club can change whole look of the teams in the table so right now all we can really do is sit back and laugh as all QPR's players abandon ship.

[creative_username_1]

Going by last year randomly choosing three teams is a fairly good bet

[St. Brynjar]

Going by last year randomly choosing three teams is a fairly good bet

/thread

[royalZILLAAA]

Oh come on we are shit in the play-offs they would do us again.
Automatic promotion or mid table for me. Play-offs we are a joke in. We do not do them.

Exactly, why would we want to suffer another agonising defeat at Wembley? I enjoy watching the play-offs enough when Reading aren't in them, more than happy to let someone else feel that pain.

[maffff]

Going by last year randomly choosing three teams is a fairly good bet

+1

Going on the current squads for my money Brighton, Forest, Bolton, Blackburn, Blackpool, Wigan, Leeds are gonna be the teams in and around us. Obviously though 1 or 2 massive signings from any club can change whole look of the teams in the table so right now all we can really do is sit back and laugh as all QPR's players abandon ship.

Why Leeds? They are the odd one out there for me. Their squad has about as much dross in it right now as QPRs

[Royal Rads]

Going on the current squads for my money Brighton, Forest, Bolton, Blackburn, Blackpool, Wigan, Leeds are gonna be the teams in and around us. Obviously though 1 or 2 massive signings from any club can change whole look of the teams in the table so right now all we can really do is sit back and laugh as all QPR's players abandon ship.

Why Leeds? They are the odd one out there for me. Their squad has about as much dross in it right now as QPRs [/quote]

Because at championship level McDermott is a manager who has proved he can take a mediocre team and make them contenders, plus he's being given big backing from the owners as far as I know, don't get me wrong as it stands I don't see them getting promoted but I do see them challenging to get playoffs