Jump to content
IGNORED

Second Promotion place


Rossineri

Recommended Posts

Looking at the table and thinking Leeds will finish in the top two. The other automatic promotion place looks like it could be a realistic target for us this season. With no other runaway contenders it is open to quite a number of teams this season. Teams like Preston, Charlton and Forest could all fancy their chances. Why not us?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Rossineri said:

Looking at the table and thinking Leeds will finish in the top two. The other automatic promotion place looks like it could be a realistic target for us this season. With no other runaway contenders it is open to quite a number of teams this season. Teams like Preston, Charlton and Forest could all fancy their chances. Why not us?

It is way too early to guess who’s going to get promoted or what position teams will find themselves on at the finish.

Leeds ran out of steam last season and may well do the same this one .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Top two places are there for the taking. Leeds really aren't all that. If they had the injuries to their key players like we have had then they would be in a right mess. IMHO their squad is not deep enough to sustain a season long challenge for the title. Time will tell. We are right in the mix especially with 4/5 players who would walk into any Championship team to come back into our squad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, OldlandReddies said:

Top two places are there for the taking. Leeds really aren't all that. If they had the injuries to their key players like we have had then they would be in a right mess. IMHO their squad is not deep enough to sustain a season long challenge for the title. Time will tell. We are right in the mix especially with 4/5 players who would walk into any Championship team to come back into our squad.

Agree and disagree.

The fact we are doing so well despite all the injuries is testament to everyone- don't consider us to have had an especially easy start either. 

'Leeds are not all that' Well how do you account for their dominance of virtually every if not every game this season? Can't be a fluke can it, yet they're not finishing games at home, oddly.

I think it'll be very open however, definitely don't think Leeds nailed on. Yet unsure I see us in top 2 or as serious top 2 contenders, more like strong push for playoffs.

'4-5 players who would walk into any other Championship side'. Could you list them?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, TonyTonyTony said:

That’s just silly. He may have gone on to have a ‘mare this season. Too many variables to say this. We will be in the mix I reckon and I don’t think any team will walk it this year - it will be close

I’m not sure it is silly. Last season we were solid at the back but lacked a cutting edge in the final third. I really felt that Afobe was the quality we needed up front to change that; I thought he was the decisive difference between making the play offs (as a minimum - possibly 2nd) and another top half finish. I also felt that quality might be all the more important without the added insurance of Webster at the back.

Afobe’s injury leaves me with the inescapable feeling that we’re now only marginally better than we were last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Rossineri said:

Looking at the table and thinking Leeds will finish in the top two. The other automatic promotion place looks like it could be a realistic target for us this season. With no other runaway contenders it is open to quite a number of teams this season. Teams like Preston, Charlton and Forest could all fancy their chances. Why not us?

Very unlikely. Nothing would surprise me . 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Rossineri said:

Looking at the table and thinking Leeds will finish in the top two. The other automatic promotion place looks like it could be a realistic target for us this season. With no other runaway contenders it is open to quite a number of teams this season. Teams like Preston, Charlton and Forest could all fancy their chances. Why not us?

Because we've got serious bloody injury problems! 

Because the spine - and the quality - of the team is crocked. For months.

Because you need a good splodge of good fortune to be promoted - and having half your nailed on starters out for months leaves you lacking in the good fortune stakes.

Because we look short of goals now.

Just because ok?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

 

'4-5 players who would walk into any other Championship side'. Could you list them?

Nagy, Kalas, Dasilva, Afobe, Smith perhaps.

The quote should have probably read “most” rather than “any” Championship side, but all five of those would be competing for a place in sides aiming for the playoffs at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Dastardly and Muttley said:

Nagy, Kalas, Dasilva, Afobe, Smith perhaps.

The quote should have probably read “most” rather than “any” Championship side, but all five of those would be competing for a place in sides aiming for the playoffs at least.

Fair yeah can see that. 

"Most" sounds right. Can we include Afobe given his season seems to be over?

I fully agree they would be strongly competing for places in sides who are big playoff contenders and maybe more but I can't see most of them as so much above that eg Nagy/Smith walks in ahead of Phillips at Leeds or Arter at Fulham.

Kalas and Dasilva would of course be sought after by many and maybe a good shout abd we all know about Afobe's quality.

No doubt we have some serious depth and quality now but it's quite a statement- not on the level of someone who suggested we'd never be relegated to League One again (!?) earlier in the week but it's very bullish indeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know the Champ is a tough division whoever you play, but I think we’ve had quite a tough start.  Leeds, Boro, Derby, Stoke, you’d expect less than the 7 points we got from those games.  

October has some interesting games:

Preston (a) 

Reading (h)

Luton (a)

Charlton (h)

Wigan (h)

Not gonna predict points total, but I think we’ll know a lot more about City by the time we go away to Barnsley at start of November.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Agree and disagree.

The fact we are doing so well despite all the injuries is testament to everyone- don't consider us to have had an especially easy start either. 

'Leeds are not all that' Well how do you account for their dominance of virtually every if not every game this season? Can't be a fluke can it, yet they're not finishing games at home, oddly.

I think it'll be very open however, definitely don't think Leeds nailed on. Yet unsure I see us in top 2 or as serious top 2 contenders, more like strong push for playoffs.

'4-5 players who would walk into any other Championship side'. Could you list them?

I agree with your remark on our start . I thought our first two months had thrown up very tough fixtures .

We have done brilliantly to be where we are all credit to the players and staff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, ChippenhamRed said:

I’m not sure it is silly. Last season we were solid at the back but lacked a cutting edge in the final third. I really felt that Afobe was the quality we needed up front to change that; I thought he was the decisive difference between making the play offs (as a minimum - possibly 2nd) and another top half finish. I also felt that quality might be all the more important without the added insurance of Webster at the back.

Afobe’s injury leaves me with the inescapable feeling that we’re now only marginally better than we were last year.

In fairness we only need to be ‘ marginally better than we were last year ‘ to nick a playoff spot .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, OldlandReddies said:

Top two places are there for the taking. Leeds really aren't all that. If they had the injuries to their key players like we have had then they would be in a right mess. IMHO their squad is not deep enough to sustain a season long challenge for the title. Time will tell. We are right in the mix especially with 4/5 players who would walk into any Championship team to come back into our squad.

Leeds are a good side, what I would question is their ability to sustain it when the Coach likes to utilise a small squad. Last year they had a bad spell which cost them, I know most teams do , but I put some of it down to trying to play that high intensity press with the same players week in , week out.

13 hours ago, TonyTonyTony said:

That’s just silly. He may have gone on to have a ‘mare this season. Too many variables to say this. We will be in the mix I reckon and I don’t think any team will walk it this year - it will be close

Afobe's goals weren't the only thing that he brought to the team. His movement and intelligent running , brought KP into the game more, and gave Weimann more room to play in. I thought Fam did well yesterday, but his movement is poor compared to BA. If Afobe played and didn't score, there is a chance he would have pulled the CB's around enough to make space for others. That isn't in FD game , sadly, and we have to play slightly differently.

8 hours ago, marcofisher said:

If we can get to January in the playoff spots and can bring in a top striker to replace Afobe then we have every chance. The hard bit will be managing to do that!

Sadly, IMO , we are not in the "top striker" market, we can't compete with the money thrown around for those players. I do think we will be looking, but Afobe was down the list a way, apparently , and it took a while to get him. January is a difficult window so I think it will have to be a bit of a left field signing, or taking a chance on another like Afobe, poor recent record but underlying quality. We shall see, in the meantime I hope we can see Semenyo shine.

8 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I know the Champ is a tough division whoever you play, but I think we’ve had quite a tough start.  Leeds, Boro, Derby, Stoke, you’d expect less than the 7 points we got from those games.  

October has some interesting games:

Preston (a) 

Reading (h)

Luton (a)

Charlton (h)

Wigan (h)

Not gonna predict points total, but I think we’ll know a lot more about City by the time we go away to Barnsley at start of November.

Weird that I would feel more optimistic if we had those fixture reversed, home form still a concern, not just results (M'boro and Swansea are tough) but we don't tend to create enough at home going back a year or more.

Off to Preston next week ,with our pet PNE fan driving, tough game but I think we can get something. If we do and beat Reading I might have to go to Luton (a place I hate), good results in those 3 and the last 2 look winnable . All ifs and buts , but that list does look more favourable . Agree , November will show us where we stand. If we can be top 6 , with players hopefully coming back , I'd be optimistic for the season ...... fingers crossed the injury Gods move on to someone else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...