Galway Red Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 17 minutes ago, Monkeh said: so how many championship games this season have you watched? 200? 100?, or have you just watched city who play dire football which in turn is clouding your judgement Of course I haven't watch 200 games, as you say, we have played dire football, been outplayed by all 3 teams currently in the bottom three yet we still sit 1 point outside the play-offs, my judgement is certainly not clouded it is there before our very eyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTRFTG Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 I think the OP is right. The gulf between Premier and Championship grows ever wider and there isn't a single Championship side this year who'd remotely look to have the ability to survive promotion, irrespective of how much money they threw at it. Our league position despite the quality (rather lack of) we've delivered, shows it isn't that great. Are we really that better a side than brought us out of the 3rd tier? I'm not so sure we are, several tens of millions on, that is. Several of that side ply their trade at this level or higher, our best players have gone for significant sums to Premier money only to be found signally lacking. It's as though The Premier now consume the best of The Championship to prevent them being used elsewhere, to hold them as 3rd string options in case of catastrophic injury plagues, else they're held to tick the correct FA boxes in terms of supposed player development of our national game. Premier players who drop down to our level tend to be end of career also-rans or those who finally proved they weren't up to scratch despite the promise of youth. As ever, we're exemplar at picking up both ends of the spectrum. The Bristol City pre-retirement village is as strongly occupied as ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 13 minutes ago, BTRFTG said: I think the OP is right. The gulf between Premier and Championship grows ever wider and there isn't a single Championship side this year who'd remotely look to have the ability to survive promotion, irrespective of how much money they threw at it. Our league position despite the quality (rather lack of) we've delivered, shows it isn't that great. Are we really that better a side than brought us out of the 3rd tier? I'm not so sure we are, several tens of millions on, that is. Several of that side ply their trade at this level or higher, our best players have gone for significant sums to Premier money only to be found signally lacking. It's as though The Premier now consume the best of The Championship to prevent them being used elsewhere, to hold them as 3rd string options in case of catastrophic injury plagues, else they're held to tick the correct FA boxes in terms of supposed player development of our national game. Premier players who drop down to our level tend to be end of career also-rans or those who finally proved they weren't up to scratch despite the promise of youth. As ever, we're exemplar at picking up both ends of the spectrum. The Bristol City pre-retirement village is as strongly occupied as ever. You say that but every season the teams that go up don’t automatically come back down now, look at Brighton Bournemouth Sheffield United, I say the gap is smaller between the prem (outside the top 5) and the championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPAZZA Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 24 minutes ago, BTRFTG said: I think the OP is right. The gulf between Premier and Championship grows ever wider and there isn't a single Championship side this year who'd remotely look to have the ability to survive promotion, irrespective of how much money they threw at it. Our league position despite the quality (rather lack of) we've delivered, shows it isn't that great. Are we really that better a side than brought us out of the 3rd tier? I'm not so sure we are, several tens of millions on, that is. Several of that side ply their trade at this level or higher, our best players have gone for significant sums to Premier money only to be found signally lacking. It's as though The Premier now consume the best of The Championship to prevent them being used elsewhere, to hold them as 3rd string options in case of catastrophic injury plagues, else they're held to tick the correct FA boxes in terms of supposed player development of our national game. Premier players who drop down to our level tend to be end of career also-rans or those who finally proved they weren't up to scratch despite the promise of youth. As ever, we're exemplar at picking up both ends of the spectrum. The Bristol City pre-retirement village is as strongly occupied as ever. 100% Disagree, we played Arsenal off the park in the first half. A decent striker ONLY and we’d be 3-0 up. ALL teams bar the Top 2 in the PL are there to be got at, if anything I think the standard of the PL has dropped and the Championship has more strength in depth than ever before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 3 hours ago, Moments of Pleasure said: I think what has happened is that we have steadily clawed our way up this division, building our strength gradually and accumulating a competitive squad through some hit and miss trading, and we now look at the teams from 4th to 14th and think: they're not all that, or we don’t suffer too much by comparison to them. Not now. When we arrived in the Championship in 2015, and again the following season, the standard of the top half clubs looked to be daunting, dauntingly beyond our reach. But, we survived four years ago, we improved bit by bit, and now we are in the mix, at least for finishing 6th. And so, it is tempting to think: the standard is poor (because we are keeping pace with most of the frontrunners). It must be, if we are in with a chance, again, while performances have been pretty ordinary (thing is, for Wigan away recently, that was us four years ago: nothing between the teams only one had a bit of quality up front to actually score). As others have said, there is not much between the top half clubs below the top two. Much of a muchness. It's all up for grabs. Small margins will come into play. Luck with injuries too. And as we head toward the final third of the season, the steady hand, experience and been-there-and-done-it steely eyed assurance of the respective head coaches/managers. I think some are upset because in December we beat third placed Fulham at their place, and the second half of the season looked improbably exciting and full of possibility. Finally, this time, surely we are going to .... etc, etc. Now, we have fallen away, and it looks to many more like a repeat of the last two seasons, where we get into a great position, then fall away when the heat is on. There are signs and reasons to remain hopeful and optimistic, or fearful and a bit gloomy. Or all four, even. Spot on. Remember looking at Forest’s bench that 15/16 season, Blackstock, J.Ward, Vaughan etc and thinking, crikey this is gonna be tough. We actually won with a brace from Albie!! Now I look at those names and wouldn’t want any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHIPLEY RED Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 13 hours ago, Galway Red said: You honestly think the standard is high enough when despite our woeful performances we sit 1 point out of the play-offs? Using that logic the premier league must be woeful as the poorest Man Utd team in decades sits just outside the champions league spots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTRFTG Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 57 minutes ago, Monkeh said: You say that but every season the teams that go up don’t automatically come back down now, I said this season..... Previous years there has always been at least one 'quality' side head and shoulders above the rest. Not this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTRFTG Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 53 minutes ago, SPAZZA said: we played Arsenal off the park in the first half. Once 'dry January' is done I'll have a pint of whatever it is you're drinking...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 Sheffield United with pretty much all recent championship players are right up there in the prem this season. The championship has evolved massively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 26 minutes ago, BTRFTG said: I said this season..... Previous years there has always been at least one 'quality' side head and shoulders above the rest. Not this season. Sheffield united could get into europe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTRFTG Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 4 minutes ago, Monkeh said: Sheffield united could get into europe Last I looked they play in The Premier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 2 minutes ago, BTRFTG said: Last I looked they play in The Premier? But ur argument is that the gap between the two leagues is massive, it isn’t every season promoted sides do well in the prem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTRFTG Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 40 minutes ago, Monkeh said: But ur argument is that the gap between the two leagues is massive, it isn’t every season promoted sides do well in the prem No, I said it used to be that one or two sides were head and shoulders above but that's rapidly decreased to the point of having disappeared. Swansea, Wolves et al were good enough to compete with investment. That's not the case this year. Neither WBA, Leeds or Fulham are much and struggle to beat average Championship outfits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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