Rival Watch

[Snowflake Royal]

Looking forward to reading how Leeds will win the league and break our record after 5 games again.

[Denver Royal]

I thought Leeds were outstanding at our place and but for the terrible mix-up between centre-back and keeper v Derby would probably have made the play-off final this season.
The key will be them keeping hold of most of their young players and signing a left-back and reasonable striker and the only thing stopping them is that everybody wants to beat them as the biggest club in the division.

I don't particularly want it to happen but they look clear favourites to me.

Vic, agree, also think Roofe being injured for the 2nd leg hurt them a lot. Bamford didn't really show up.
Jack Clarke's health issues/scares in Feb/Mar didn't help them either.
They just announced Bielsa will be back.

[URZZZZ]

I thought Leeds were outstanding at our place and but for the terrible mix-up between centre-back and keeper v Derby would probably have made the play-off final this season.
The key will be them keeping hold of most of their young players and signing a left-back and reasonable striker and the only thing stopping them is that everybody wants to beat them as the biggest club in the division.

I don't particularly want it to happen but they look clear favourites to me.

Vic, agree, also think Roofe being injured for the 2nd leg hurt them a lot. Bamford didn't really show up.
Jack Clarke's health issues/scares in Feb/Mar didn't help them either.
They just announced Bielsa will be back.

Agreed. Bamford just isn't good enough to be a regular starter in the XI for a promotion contender, possibly a good option off the bench albeit an expensive one. Their squad depth just wasn't good enough in the end, and the injuries were adding up for them at the end of the season

Don't think they'll replicate their form next season however, they were found out in the second part of the season

[Victor Meldrew]

I thought Leeds were outstanding at our place and but for the terrible mix-up between centre-back and keeper v Derby would probably have made the play-off final this season.
The key will be them keeping hold of most of their young players and signing a left-back and reasonable striker and the only thing stopping them is that everybody wants to beat them as the biggest club in the division.

I don't particularly want it to happen but they look clear favourites to me.

Vic, agree, also think Roofe being injured for the 2nd leg hurt them a lot. Bamford didn't really show up.
Jack Clarke's health issues/scares in Feb/Mar didn't help them either.
They just announced Bielsa will be back.

Agreed. Bamford just isn't good enough to be a regular starter in the XI for a promotion contender, possibly a good option off the bench albeit an expensive one. Their squad depth just wasn't good enough in the end, and the injuries were adding up for them at the end of the season

Don't think they'll replicate their form next season however, they were found out in the second part of the season

Well we certainly didn't find them out.

[URZZZZ]

Vic, agree, also think Roofe being injured for the 2nd leg hurt them a lot. Bamford didn't really show up.
Jack Clarke's health issues/scares in Feb/Mar didn't help them either.
They just announced Bielsa will be back.

Agreed. Bamford just isn't good enough to be a regular starter in the XI for a promotion contender, possibly a good option off the bench albeit an expensive one. Their squad depth just wasn't good enough in the end, and the injuries were adding up for them at the end of the season

Don't think they'll replicate their form next season however, they were found out in the second part of the season

Well we certainly didn't find them out.

No we didn't but actually that loss *could possibly have kept us up. That and Sheffield changed the way we approached the bigger teams, allowing us to pick up valuable points

But Leeds lost plenty of points in the second half of the season and actually became quite easy to play against IMO

[URZZZZ]

Jota - Birmingham to Villa
Gary Gardner - Villa to Birmingham
McManaman - Wigan to Luton
Mo Eisa - Bristol to Peterborough
Shinnie - Aberdeen to Derby
Lloyd Kelly - Bristol to Bournemouth

Main transfers so far in the FL. Surprised to see Jota in the prem, hasn't really cut it at Birmingham but then again I suppose Dean Smith has worked with him before at Brentford

[Zip]

Jota - Birmingham to Villa
Gary Gardner - Villa to Birmingham
McManaman - Wigan to Luton
Mo Eisa - Bristol to Peterborough

Main transfers so far in the FL. Surprised to see Jota in the prem, hasn't really cut it at Birmingham but then again I suppose Dean Smith has worked with him before at Brentford

I was surprised that Brizzle didn’t give Eisa a chance really. They paid enough for him but did he even start any games?

[URZZZZ]

Jota - Birmingham to Villa
Gary Gardner - Villa to Birmingham
McManaman - Wigan to Luton
Mo Eisa - Bristol to Peterborough

Main transfers so far in the FL. Surprised to see Jota in the prem, hasn't really cut it at Birmingham but then again I suppose Dean Smith has worked with him before at Brentford

I was surprised that Brizzle didn’t give Eisa a chance really. They paid enough for him but did he even start any games?

0(5) appearances for Eisa this season. Shocking considering they paid 1.5 million for him but Weimann and Diedhiou seemed to be doing OK for them

[Wycombe Royal]

Jota - Birmingham to Villa
Gary Gardner - Villa to Birmingham
McManaman - Wigan to Luton
Mo Eisa - Bristol to Peterborough
Shinnie - Aberdeen to Derby
Lloyd Kelly - Bristol to Bournemouth

Main transfers so far in the FL. Surprised to see Jota in the prem, hasn't really cut it at Birmingham but then again I suppose Dean Smith has worked with him before at Brentford

There's the annual Gardner transfer between two West Midlands clubs.

[Hound]

Adkins has left Hull. Shocked by that tbh, but seems his choice. Did a Cracking job last year

[URZZZZ]

Clever from Adkins, he’s boosted his own reputation by doing a decent enough job. Wouldn’t call it cracking but he’s certainly done a good job considering the situation Hull were in. Had he stayed and they lose Bowen/Grosicki I think they may struggle this season, but there’s little doubt he’ll get a job pretty quickly now

[leon]

Clever from Adkins, he’s boosted his own reputation by doing a decent enough job. Wouldn’t call it cracking but he’s certainly done a good job considering the situation Hull were in. Had he stayed and they lose Bowen/Grosicki I think they may struggle this season, but there’s little doubt he’ll get a job pretty quickly now

He’ll need to. That St Tropez tanner doesn’t buy itself.

[tidus_mi2]

Good chance of Hull being in a relegation scrap with Adkins leaving.

[muirinho]

Good chance of Hull being in a relegation scrap with Adkins leaving.

Yep, had them down to do pretty decenly next season, obviously depends on who they bring in, but doesn't look good for them right now

[Snowflake Royal]

Hope he finds a good club and continues to rebuild his career and reputation.

Hopefully a sign of troubles at Hull and they slip into the relegation danger. The more the merrier for us.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yup, no problem with Adkins....liked him at the scummers....even if it was the scummers

Right man, wrong time for us (cr4p times in fact, but not really that bad compared to times now), and it wasn’t all his fault.

[Mr Optimist]

I am just guessing here but as Hull's parachute payments have just stopped I think the likely scenario was that Adkins new contract offer at Hull was on much reduced wages so he has decided to take his chances in the job market elsewhere instead.

He can possibly take four of five months off and wait until someone at a reasonably sized Championship club that starts the season poorly gets shot of their manager and take over there. Or he could've got the nod about the Boro or West Brom vacancies?

[AthleticoSpizz]

The ‘up and coming’ Orient job is vacant ☹️

[Hound]

The ‘up and coming’ Orient job is vacant ☹️

Yeah very sad news that.

[URZZZZ]

Awful news