Pre Season Previews

[Shaka]

As the start of the season draws closer, I thought it would be good to have a thread containing all of the 10/11 Championship pre season previews and predictions.
Sky Sports predicts us to finish 7th:

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 43,00.html

Manager: Brian McDermott. Turned Reading from relegation candidates into a solid top-half outfit upon inheriting the reins from Brendan Rodgers and will fancy that there is more to come from his side this season.


Key man: Gylfi Sigurdsson. Named Reading's Player of the Year for 2009/10, the young Icelander rose to the fore last season. Already recognised as a potential star of the future, the 20-year-old added goals to his repertoire last term and has started to attract attention from the top flight.

Position last season: 9th

Players in: Marcus Williams (free, Scunthorpe United), Andy Griffin (£500k, Stoke City)

Players out: Andy White (free, Gillingham), Kalifa Cisse (undisclosed, Bristol City), Liam Rosenior, Mitchell Bryant, Radoslav Vasilev (all released), Oliver Bozanic (free, Central Coast Mariners), Marek Matejovsky (undisclosed, Sparta Prague), James Henry (undisclosed, Millwall)

Our view:: Realistic top-six challengers.

Prediction: 7th

Sky Bet odds: 12/1

[prostak]

From the Observer -

I'm expecting us to carry on where we left off at the end of last season. We're looking in really good shape overall: we've kept the core of our squad together. So my prediction is based on us finding that form again really early on, establishing consistency and remaining fit and healthy. Injuries to our defenders, though, could cost us the season.

Last season 9th
Prediction 2nd

The new boys
Ideally we need another centre-back: that's where the potential weaknesses may emerge. But the manager seems largely to be making do with what we have. And that's fine – there's no reason that the same squad can't build on last season's progress.

Men to watch
Gylfi Sigurdsson is probably the most promising player we've had at the club in recent years. He fits both the star man category and the best up-and-coming youngster. He's great to watch and put in some amazing performances last season. We're just hoping for more of the same this time round. And it'll be good to have Noel Hunt back from injury. He hasn't played a competitive game since knee surgery last October.

Target for the boo-boys
Brian Howard has never really managed to get along with the fans, and Matt Mills had a public falling-out with supporters last season. But it'd be really harsh to tip anyone until the season starts to unfold.

Hate figure
Brendan Rodgers at Swansea will be the man the Reading fans will look forward to booing the most. He almost took us down by trying to impose a style of football here which simply didn't suit the current crop of players. He'd marry himself if it was legal.

Going up Reading, Middlesbrough, Burnley Going down Scunthorpe, Millwall, Doncaster

• Ian Frampton, Observer reader

I disagree with virtually everything in that, but what do you expect from a man who openly admits to reading the Observer and uses phrases like 'that's where the potential weaknesses may emerge' in public. At least now I've got a heads-up that some of the petty oxf*rd who follow this club are planning on booing Rodgers, so I can just avoid that one.

[Larry_Parnell]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010 ... iew-season

I note that the other teams don't rate as highly as the Reading fan - only 4 others suggest we'll get promotion - still no one hates us either.

[Avon Royal]

As the start of the season draws closer, I thought it would be good to have a thread containing all of the 10/11 Championship pre season previews and predictions.
Sky Sports predicts us to finish 7th:

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 43,00.html

Manager: Brian McDermott. Turned Reading from relegation candidates into a solid top-half outfit upon inheriting the reins from Brendan Rodgers and will fancy that there is more to come from his side this season.


Key man: Gylfi Sigurdsson. Named Reading's Player of the Year for 2009/10, the young Icelander rose to the fore last season. Already recognised as a potential star of the future, the 20-year-old added goals to his repertoire last term and has started to attract attention from the top flight.

Position last season: 9th

Players in: Marcus Williams (free, Scunthorpe United), Andy Griffin (£500k, Stoke City)

Players out: Andy White (free, Gillingham), Kalifa Cisse (undisclosed, Bristol City), Liam Rosenior, Mitchell Bryant, Radoslav Vasilev (all released), Oliver Bozanic (free, Central Coast Mariners), Marek Matejovsky (undisclosed, Sparta Prague), James Henry (undisclosed, Millwall)

Our view:: Realistic top-six challengers.

Prediction: 7th

Sky Bet odds: 12/1

Brian Howard has never got on with the fans? Bollocks.

[Barry the bird boggler]

More views from people who no clue about anything. The only thing we can say for sure is that Reading will finish somewhere in Division 2.

[sandman]

442 magazine has us finishing tenth. That's the same 442 that thought we'd finish 8th in 05/06 and 3rd last year due to our young ambitious manager.

These predictions from so called experts are complete b0ll0cks and should be taken with the biggest pinch of salt known to man. We may finish 7th, 10th or 2nd but no one can accurately predict any league and that is especially true with the Championship.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

442 magazine has us finishing tenth. That's the same 442 that thought we'd finish 8th in 05/06 and 3rd last year due to our young ambitious manager.

These predictions from so called experts are complete b0ll0cks and should be taken with the biggest pinch of salt known to man. We may finish 7th, 10th or 2nd but no one can accurately predict any league and that is especially true with the Championship.

I could be wrong but I think Sky Sports had Newcastle to finish bottom last year... if it wasn't Sky Sports it was definitely a well-known site or publication because I remember reading it with sheer disbelief.

[papereyes]

They rely on relatively short attention spans of most football fans - no-one but the most obsessed fan is going to go back and go "This is what you said!" and even if they did, they'd look, well, wierd.

[Bucks Dave]

I remember Alan Hansen being asked about the quality of forecasts from pundits and he burst out laughing. He said that whenever there was a sweepstake in the office involving a football forecast it was always won by a complete amateur, typically a woman working in the back office.

Why on earth would Brian Howard and Rodgers be boo/hate figures?

[Big Foot]

From the Observer -

I'm expecting us to carry on where we left off at the end of last season. We're looking in really good shape overall: we've kept the core of our squad together. So my prediction is based on us finding that form again really early on, establishing consistency and remaining fit and healthy. Injuries to our defenders, though, could cost us the season.

Last season 9th
Prediction 2nd

The new boys
Ideally we need another centre-back: that's where the potential weaknesses may emerge. But the manager seems largely to be making do with what we have. And that's fine – there's no reason that the same squad can't build on last season's progress.

Men to watch
Gylfi Sigurdsson is probably the most promising player we've had at the club in recent years. He fits both the star man category and the best up-and-coming youngster. He's great to watch and put in some amazing performances last season. We're just hoping for more of the same this time round. And it'll be good to have Noel Hunt back from injury. He hasn't played a competitive game since knee surgery last October.

Target for the boo-boys
Brian Howard has never really managed to get along with the fans, and Matt Mills had a public falling-out with supporters last season. But it'd be really harsh to tip anyone until the season starts to unfold.

Hate figure
Brendan Rodgers at Swansea will be the man the Reading fans will look forward to booing the most. He almost took us down by trying to impose a style of football here which simply didn't suit the current crop of players. He'd marry himself if it was legal.

Going up Reading, Middlesbrough, Burnley Going down Scunthorpe, Millwall, Doncaster

• Ian Frampton, Observer reader

I disagree with virtually everything in that, but what do you expect from a man who openly admits to reading the Observer and uses phrases like 'that's where the potential weaknesses may emerge' in public. At least now I've got a heads-up that some of the petty oxf*rd who follow this club are planning on booing Rodgers, so I can just avoid that one.

LOLz, that's a Hobnobber whom I won't name and shame

[Terminal Boardom]

From the Observer -

Hate figure
Brendan Rodgers at Swansea will be the man the Reading fans will look forward to booing the most. He almost took us down by trying to impose a style of football here which simply didn't suit the current crop of players. He'd marry himself if it was legal.

Going up Reading, Middlesbrough, Burnley Going down Scunthorpe, Millwall, Doncaster

• Ian Frampton, Observer reader

I disagree with virtually everything in that, but what do you expect from a man who openly admits to reading the Observer and uses phrases like 'that's where the potential weaknesses may emerge' in public. At least now I've got a heads-up that some of the petty oxf*rd who follow this club are planning on booing Rodgers, so I can just avoid that one.

This made me LOL. And don't get wound up about what someone no-one has heard of has written. People will boo. People will sit on their hands. Learn to live with it.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Kamara is notoriously bad at these. In fact, Kamara is just an awful pundit.

He ppredicted Peterborough to win the play-offs last season.

[Dave the rave]

Our view:: Realistic top-six challengers.

Prediction: 7th

Sky Bet odds: 12/1

[/quote]

[Yorkshire Royal]

http://www.bet365.com/news/en/betting/football/championship/npower-championship-201011-guide--part-2

Should easily make the playoffs........

[papereyes]

From the Observer -

Hate figure
Brendan Rodgers at Swansea will be the man the Reading fans will look forward to booing the most. He almost took us down by trying to impose a style of football here which simply didn't suit the current crop of players. He'd marry himself if it was legal.

Going up Reading, Middlesbrough, Burnley Going down Scunthorpe, Millwall, Doncaster

• Ian Frampton, Observer reader

I disagree with virtually everything in that, but what do you expect from a man who openly admits to reading the Observer and uses phrases like 'that's where the potential weaknesses may emerge' in public. At least now I've got a heads-up that some of the petty oxf*rd who follow this club are planning on booing Rodgers, so I can just avoid that one.

This made me LOL. And don't get wound up about what someone no-one has heard of has written. People will boo. People will sit on their hands. Learn to live with it.

He writes all of the Reading stuff in the Observer.

Its like a condensed Team Board.

I am also Not A Fan.

[RoyalBird]

442 magazine has us finishing tenth. That's the same 442 that thought we'd finish 8th in 05/06 and 3rd last year due to our young ambitious manager.

These predictions from so called experts are complete b0ll0cks and should be taken with the biggest pinch of salt known to man. We may finish 7th, 10th or 2nd but no one can accurately predict any league and that is especially true with the Championship.

I could be wrong but I think Sky Sports had Newcastle to finish bottom last year... if it wasn't Sky Sports it was definitely a well-known site or publication because I remember reading it with sheer disbelief.

I remember reading The Times one saying Newcastle would finish 20th, but I do remember the bottom bit too. As for 442, they are by far the worst predictors I've seen.

I agree with a fair amount of the observer guy though, except for the Brian Howard part. Not sure what he did to offend us (or Ian Frampton), but he's right except for the prediction. Any injuries to our defenders could cost us the season, we do need another centre-back and I do also think Rodgers will be, not so much a hate figure, but booed when he comes onto the pitch. The guy may like Reading but he didn't do us any favours at all when we offered him a good deal, a lot of money to Watford and gave a fair amount of arrogant interviews about 'world class football' etc.

[Ian Royal]

Bit excessively positive, and not sure where Howard or Mills being potential booing targets has come from, but it's not an awful summary of our position if you just revise the prediction down 4 - 7 places.

We haven't spent much and we've lost more names than we've gained, doing our dealings quietly. That means we're instantly at a disadvantage in being picked as a contender because the media see it as all about cash being spent (which often it is to be fair). That and the memory that we were in the Prem is now all but gone. So we go back to being decent also rans.

[dobcheck]

[quote="URZZZZZZZZ"]Kamara is notoriously bad at these. In fact, Kamara is just an awful pundit.

He ppredicted Peterborough to win the play-offs last season.[/quote]

I think this was in The Sun in which he predicted we would finish 21st i think. I was worried he was going to be right around xmas time

[Snowball]

This league looks VERY tough and a decent case can be made for at least half the teams in it.

Thought I'd take a shot at the lot of them if only to give people a laugh end of season

Sides that could be anything from 2nd to 12th are Ipswich, Bristol, QPR


007 Middlesbro (If they gel should be a serious force. Solid Manager, rich chairman. Right they are favourites
011 Burnley (Plenty of good players, with promotion-winning experience. Not sure about the manager)
013 Reading (PRESUMING THEY DON'T LOSE THE BIG 3... Go for wins, boom or bust season, top 6 likely, could get automatic promotion, even win it, but no 106)
019 Norwich C (Gut feel that two of the promoted sides will do well, used to winning..should be top 8/9)
013 QPR (Don't fancy them in my heart but they do have money...)
010 Nottm For (Hard to dismiss after such a good 2009-10 but some unrest there?)
019 Leeds Utd (Probably need 1-2 seasons of consolidation but this is a BIG club who might make play-offs)
019 Bristol C (Coppel, money, David James, but might win it next year)
021 Ipswich T (Could win the whole thing or be in the bottom 3 with manager sacked. Just dunno!)
021 Sheff Utd (Can't see anything but safe mid-table, but another dangerous club
017 Leicester (Maybe another top six but money troubles are gonna hit eventually)
041 Derby Co (Quiet... but a big club and good crowds. Wouldn't be surprised to see them challenge)
026 Swansea (Not this year methinks, not enough goals and need to strengthen midfield?)
051 Millwall (Will hurt a few teams, but top-ten will be hard for them)
051 Preston NE (Another possible dark-horse. Could be anywhere from 4th to 18th)
021 Cardiff C (Will they keeptheir best players? Will they pay them? Good manager but dodgy finances)
099 Barnsley (Probably safe but surely not good enough for top six)
051 Coventry (As Barnsley, but they do have history on their side)
067 Crystal P (Kind of club that is always dangerous in a single game but realistically should be bottom six)
067 Doncaster (Decent club, might make top eight, but more likely to be below half-way IMO)
023 Hull City (Messed up club, messed up money, but probably have some decent players. May win a few but slowly slip is my guess.)
029 Portsmouth (Financial horror-show, radically altered team-sheet, may get another points deduction. Yeah they MIGHT challenge, but I'd bet on bottom 5 or worse)
126 Watford (No money, can only see bottom six struggle)
200 Scunthorpe (Div 1 set-up, doing well punching above weight, but surely bottom third?)

[prostak]

I disagree that Scunthorpe will finish in 200th place, that aside those predictions are fairly sound.