Post Summer Transfer Window Predictions/Expectations

[akranes]

Okay, so that was arguably our best summer transfer window... ever. Where should we be finishing?

What would be deemed unacceptable and would put Clarke out of the job? I feel like top 6 is more than attainable given the recent Reading teams achieving that with less quality.

[LWJ]

I've gone with 4th - though would have voted top 8.

I think with the current squad the least we should do is challenge for the playoffs.

[Franchise FC]

107 points
At least 100 goals
Knighthood for SC (both of them)
6 numbers on the lottery every Saturday from now till Christmas




I can dream - it was all going well till that last one

[Coppelled_Streets]

You have to expect top 6 now, at least. No excuses, and I suspect the Thai's wont accept any either.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

You have to expect top 6 now, at least. No excuses, and I suspect the Thai's wont accept any either.

This.

[SCIAG]

We have to be aiming for the playoffs. I still half expect us to completely slip up. Why has Clarke signed three left wingers unless he has doubts over them? What if we get the West Brom Vydra instead of the Watford one? What if Ferdinand and McShane revert to their PL form of late? What if all these new signings fail to gel?

If we'd signed Vydra permanently, I'd be happy with 8th place. As we've only got him for one year (possibly along with four other members of our strongest team, who knows?), we really need to be targeting promotion this year.

[WoodleyRoyal]

squad will take time to gel. For me the season starts now, the previous 5 games are artificial, we will have a very different team than the one we saw on the opening day. Can the players gel quickly? if they can, i can see us making top 6 comfortably, have a jittery next few games i think we will finish between 12th and 8th

[floyd__streete]

squad will take time to gel.

It doesn't have time to gel. Given the amount of 1 year loan deals we have made it is now or never for this squad. Pressure is on to finish top 6 given a rumoured club record transfer fee spent on a single 1 year loan!

[The Prisoner]

I put £50 on us to get promoted at a very silly 20/1 with Betfair on Monday. They immediately dropped it to 12/1 and we are now 8/1. Can already cash out for a £50 profit without a ball being kicked!

I think top 6 is do-able. Bookies see top 2 as a two horse race between Middlesborough and Hull.

[CountryRoyal]

Too many cooks spoil the broth. SC can't decide on team, moral drops, Vydra does his ACL, Blackman remembers he's shit, Hector convinces every single one of our U21s to join Chelsea in January and a gold (plated) statue of HRK is put up outside the east stand after scoring a hatrick with his arse in our final game to cement 9th place.

ITS ALL DOOM AND GLOOM.

[CountryRoyal]

I put £50 on us to get promoted at a very silly 20/1 with Betfair on Monday. They immediately dropped it to 12/1 and we are now 8/1. Can already cash out for a £50 profit without a ball being kicked!
.

You'd be crazy not to cash out

[The Prisoner]

I put £50 on us to get promoted at a very silly 20/1 with Betfair on Monday. They immediately dropped it to 12/1 and we are now 8/1. Can already cash out for a £50 profit without a ball being kicked!
.

You'd be crazy not to cash out

I'm going to cash my initial stake out and leave the profit to ride. Can do a partial cash out with Betfair.

[LWJ]

I think top 6 is do-able. Bookies see top 2 as a two horse race between Middlesborough and Hull.

Have Hull done anything to warrant this? Apart from sell a lot of their players?

[Scutterbucketz]

I put £15 on us to get promoted and another £5 on us winning the Championship. So not massively confident but I think they have a chance.

The performance at Brentford was a hell of a lot better and with all these year long loan signings you have to think that's what they are aiming for.

[The Prisoner]

I think top 6 is do-able. Bookies see top 2 as a two horse race between Middlesborough and Hull.

Have Hull done anything to warrant this? Apart from sell a lot of their players?

No, but that is what makes betting on promo so profitable. The market is initially set by the bookies traders assessing strengths and weaknesses, but they always give low prices to the teams who have come down and/or who have spent loads as they know lazy punters will throw £££ at them. That means some higher prices for the teams that might actually be better, but that won't attract as much £££.

For example QPR are 4/1 for promo (started at nearer 2/1) - I would be laying them all day long. Whereas Birmingham are 14/1 and will go shorter if they win a few - decent for a back and cash out,

20/1 was a frankly silly price from Betfair though and as soon as I threw £50 at it it came down to 12s and now 8s on the back of yesterday's signings , which presumedly brought the price down again to negate their risk.

The promo market doesn't carry too much £££ so if someone comes in with even a few moderate bets of £50 it can send the price tumbling, which in turn means you can cash out for a profit.

[Maguire]

Seventh, missing out on the last day due to a goal scored by someone worth £100k

[CountryRoyal]

I think top 6 is do-able. Bookies see top 2 as a two horse race between Middlesborough and Hull.

Have Hull done anything to warrant this? Apart from sell a lot of their players?

They've also retained a lot of their players including;

Curtis Davis
Michael Dawson
Mo Diame
Jake Livermore
Abel Hernandez
Robert Snodgrass
Ahmed Elmohammady

... those are quality players for this level. Then there is Steve Bruce who has 3 promotions to the premier league in his name, twice with Brum, and conceivably could be twice with Hull.

The problem is with this league is that there are so many big clubs (not saying Hull is one) and so much quality. Derby just brought in Bradley Johnson..

[RG30]

Top 10. The Championship gets harder every year with the increase in parachute payments and teams like Derby who have gone ballistic over the summer in transfer fees.

[andrew1957]

I think the first 7 games of the season have been very positive - only one loss and now that we have added creativity to what was already a small group of "gelled" players I am very confident indeed of at least top 6. I put my money where my mouth is yesterday and stand to win over £500 if we reach top 6 and a lot more if we end up top.

[Ian Royal]

Got to be aiming for top 6 so 7th or above good. 10th acceptable if it takes a while to gel or there's a flop or two / major injuries.

Anything less is now clear and imo unacceptable failure.

And I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to league placing