Who will be our main promotion rivals 2013-14

[fridays gone]

I sat and watched the Leicester game with watford last night and so far watched 20 minutes of tonights game and we should smash the league next season. there really is a significant lack of quality in the league with a lot of 'hoof' ball being played. we will have such a talented young squad next season and i have no worries about us bouncing back straight away!

I knew post like this were going to come back and take a HUGE great bite out of the arse of the posters.

[St. Brynjar]

You just don't know - who'd have thought Hull would get 2nd this time around?

The championship is so unpredictable. Yes you could say QPR might be a threat but if they still have a load of mercenaries on their books earning £50k pw regardless are they really going be up for Donny away on Tues nights? Not so sure.

Generally speaking a team who has come close in past years who is already down there has a shot. Any of Brighton, Leicester, Palace or Watford could challenge if they miss out this time.

Charlton even - they have stormed into the top half after a bad start. Leeds - BM might have something to prove?

Too hard to call! Even Ipswich might get going under McCarthy as their chairman has a few quid. People thinking we're going to walk the league or definitely be top 6 are deluded - it's a tough league to get out of.

Looking at the current championship table & the new additions there's probably only 7 teams I'd say don't have a chance of promotion - Sheff W, Huddersfield, Barnsley, Millwall & Blackpool as their chairman is bleeding them dry. Plus Donny, Bournemouth. For the rest of the league its game on.

I think in addition the the teams you've listed there there is an established 'mid-table' of Brum, Derby & Burnley who shouldn't threaten too much.

lol @ me

[kwik-silva]

I think in addition the the teams you've listed there there is an established 'mid-table' of Brum, Derby & Burnley who shouldn't threaten too much.

lol @ me

It's safe to say I think you got that wrong.

[Snowball]

Unless Adkins/Zingarevich really wants to start again, deliberately stay down to build a team for the Prem over 2-3-4 seasons (I don't think so)

then I can't see anything worse than 7th (and that would be a cock-up.)

Of course it really depends if we can keep certain players. HRK might well be key, as one example. (EDIT. Big disappointment this season)

7 Prem goals, just maturing into a real player, he might be awesome next year (but someone may poach him)


But I can't see Adkins not being able to replace those who leave with similar quality. EDIT: (MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. WE ONLY THOUGHT WE HAD IT.)

I think if we don't stutter at the start we could easily be top-two all season. I'll be shocked if we don't make the POs


QPR is the wild card. They could bet-the-farm, bring in two hard quality Champ-type leaders and win the league
but they could also fall apart through egos, "lack of British/Icelandic grind-it-out true grit" and money grubs.


EDIT: IMO THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN A TEAM. REALLY HOPE THEY STAY DOWN. THEY MIGHT THEN BE RELEGATED


But a 2 of 3 dual forecast of QPR-Reading and the third relegated side could easily be a winning bet.

HO-HO-HO, BUT THEN ALL THREE MADE THE TOP SEVEN, AND RFC WOULD HAVE IF AZ HADN'T DICKED US AROUND

A start of 24 Million isn't trivial. (I, OF COURSE, WAS THINKING OF MONEY COMING IN, NOT GOING TO RUSSIA)

We have a good Champ squad, good academy, good manager. 11-1 is a decent price.

ALL TRUE

[melonhead]

no one will be our rivals next year
because we wont be competing for the championship title in any way

[Platypuss]

no one will be our rivals next year
because we wont be competing for the championship title in any way

Yeah thanks. Not what this thread is about though, is it?

[Reading4eva]

So unpredictable, it could be anyone. If Leicester and/or Brighton don't go up via play-offs I'd back them to do well, Ipswich will be there or there abouts as well. Charlton will make the play-offs. One of Bolton & Blackburn will be in contention. Leeds could step up. If Middlesbrough learn there are two halves of a season they will challenge again. I think the table will be:

Bolton
Middlesbrough
3rd relegated team
Leeds
Leicester
Reading

Have you been following this season? Take a look where Leicester finished

[Reading4eva]

I think we will end up midtable realistically. I can see good seasons for Forest, Millwall (my hot prediction for a playoff spot), Brentford and Bolton. Think the winners will be Blackburn though.

Think Brum have prolonged the inevitable, think Watford's wheels will fall off and can't see anyone outstanding in the League 1 playoffs. They are my three to drop.

We will be mixing it with Charlton, Bournemouth, Wigan and Wolves next year.

[Platypuss]

Start a new thread about predictions for next season you dribbling cockwombles.

[RoyalBlue]

Start a new thread about predictions for next season you dribbling cockwombles.

To be a pedant and to counter this particular Moderator's usual rudeness:

The title of the thread is 'Who will be our main promotion rivals next season?' not 'Who will be our main promotion rivals in 2013/14?'

Given that a season has just finished, those making predictions for 2014/15 i.e. next season are, in fact, posting in the correct thread!

[Platypuss]

The thread was originally posted in May 2013. Which "next season" do you think it, and the succeeding 9 pages, was referring to?

I'll try being nicer if you try being smarter.

[melonhead]

Start a new thread about predictions for next season you dribbling cockwombles.

[Silver Fox]

Scooby quoting St Brynjar's post is spectacular, even by his low standards

[maffff]

Doesn't matter when next season we get our 100 goals, 21 clean sheets and win the league.

[TheBaldOne]

Think Forest will have a good season next year, as well as Cardiff, Norwich (if they go down), Wigan (if they don't go up), think Reading will do well as well tbh if we can keep McCleary, Obita, Williams, Guthrie, and Gunter and add a decent forward and ball playing centre-back.

[Royalwaster]

Think Forest will have a good season next year, as well as Cardiff, Norwich (if they go down), Wigan (if they don't go up), think Reading will do well as well tbh if we can keep McCleary, Obita, Williams, Guthrie, and Gunter and add a decent forward and ball playing centre-back.

Think we'll scrape 107 points ...

[Royal Rother]

I've got some good stuff myself in here but this is particularly impressive from maffff. (His comment at the bottom....)

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.

[bobby1413]

Think Forest will have a good season next year, as well as Cardiff, Norwich (if they go down), Wigan (if they don't go up), think Reading will do well as well tbh if we can keep McCleary, Obita, Williams, Guthrie, and Gunter and add a decent forward and ball playing centre-back.

Think we'll scrape 107 points ...

Seriously hope not.

Would sound stupid singing "we've got the record, 107"

[kwik-silva]

108 would work

[bobby1413]

108 would work

"We've got the record, 108"

Yea that fits. I would settle for 108 points if given the chance.