Silvio Dante Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 The general feeling over the summer was that this was the strongest championship for years, and would be a horrific division to navigate. Now, seeing the fixtures on paper - is it just me that sees really nothing to fear there? The start looks kind, and there isn’t any stretch where I think “wow, we’ll really struggle there”. Far from the fixtures bringing it home how hard the division is, I’m actually now looking at it and seeing something that we can do well in. (Noting that this may be blind optimism and things can change between now and season start in terms of team’s recruitment) Anyone else? 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 You are not alone. I didn’t think it would be any different even before the fixtures come out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcofisher Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 I think it's the first season I can remember, certainly in a while, where I see us being competitive in all 46 games. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrs Court Red Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 I think this feeling is more a testament to how City have progressed- make no mistake, while the fixtures don’t look “scary” it’s a tremendously tough league with a multitude of very strong teams. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eardun Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 4 minutes ago, Barrs Court Red said: I think this feeling is more a testament to how City have progressed- make no mistake, while the fixtures don’t look “scary” it’s a tremendously tough league with a multitude of very strong teams. Spot on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsince1994 Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 6 minutes ago, Barrs Court Red said: I think this feeling is more a testament to how City have progressed- make no mistake, while the fixtures don’t look “scary” it’s a tremendously tough league with a multitude of very strong teams. Exactly. Now at a point where I don't dread playing Preston for example! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elhombrecito Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 On a number of occasions recently I have remarked to @The turtle that I cannot see us losing any if the next X amount of fixtures, only to take less than a point a game over that period... Therefore I'm keeping schtum about my opinions 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-S-M Seagull Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 I think many say its a strong league simply because Leeds, Leicester and Southampton have been relegated. But personally I am not confident that any of those 3 are going to bounce straight back up. All will have new managers, high turn over of players etc so I just can't really see it right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 The Championship is tough every season and this coming one is exactly the same. Under Nige City have developed a squad with a combination of youth and experienced players, something that SL has wanted pretty much since he became biggest shareholder. This window we’ve seen some astute signings incoming, predominantly defensive players all of whom with have a full preseason and go into the first match on the 5th August against PNE fully tuned into City’s method of play. Although the fixtures took tough there’s no particular club that I feel apprehensive about playing and for me that’s an encouraging thought. 5 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 It's still too early to say in some ways, the market so far has been really quiet at this level. Is it usually quite so quiet by 22nd June? The relegated clubs on paper are big names but also all have separate issues. Martin isn't terribly inspiring at Southampton for one. Leicester with Maresca could well tap the Man City loan opportunities, subject to their financial questions and Leeds don't even have a manager yet! Some clubs are leaving it a bit late in terms of filling up their squads. 44 days until the sesson starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsofclay Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 I had a feeling that this season we are really going places. Now the fixture list is out I can see we are going 23 places at least, 24 if Ashton Gate is included. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheese Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 Just now, handsofclay said: I had a feeling that this season we are really going places. Now the fixture list is out I can see we are going 23 places at least, 24 if Ashton Gate is included. The most dad joke I've seen in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetterRedthanBlue Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 It's a weird one this season because the 3 teams that come down would usually be in the hunt for promotion but it's difficult to see any of them doing a Burnley. I think it's the strongest in terms of competitiveness we don't know how the 3 teams that came up will do, whether teams that reached the playoffs will stumble after falling at that hurdle. Honestly I don't think it'll be the usual suspects at both ends of the table I think there will be 1 or 2 teams mixing it up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoystonFoote'snephew Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 I don't hold with this 'looks more competitive' business, especially before squads are finalised and a ball has been kicked. I don't care who the teams are they have no god given right to be feared. As with every season we have to play 46 games and pick up points in as many of those games as we can. In the last couple of seasons we have made slow but steady progress. We have a reasonable expectation for that progress to continue but it's not guaranteed. We should have a better feel for where we might stand once squads are known and some friendlies have been played. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuber Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 Alot of it for me depends on how well Leicester and the relegated teams restructure. Think Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday coming up are solid. I agree with Ainsworth, Plymouth aside (on paper), there aren't many what I would call weak teams, and we're barely into the transfer window proper yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenGem7 Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 More "big" teams means more teams that will have an expectation of doing well, which they cannot all do, plus more chance of them all taking points off each other. Its more or less guaranteed that one or more of these teams will under-perform, resulting in sacked managers and even more turmoil. We need to put ourselves in a position to take advantage if that happens. I certainly don't see one team dominating the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headhunter Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 4 hours ago, Silvio Dante said: The general feeling over the summer was that this was the strongest championship for years, and would be a horrific division to navigate. Now, seeing the fixtures on paper - is it just me that sees really nothing to fear there? The start looks kind, and there isn’t any stretch where I think “wow, we’ll really struggle there”. Far from the fixtures bringing it home how hard the division is, I’m actually now looking at it and seeing something that we can do well in. (Noting that this may be blind optimism and things can change between now and season start in terms of team’s recruitment) Anyone else? We said as much on the FBC Fixture review Podcast this morning: https://foreverbristolcity.podbean.com/e/midsummer-musings-2324-fixtures-transfers-inout-starting-x1-on-august-5th/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winsaw Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 49 minutes ago, Fuber said: Alot of it for me depends on how well Leicester and the relegated teams restructure. Think Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday coming up are solid. I agree with Ainsworth, Plymouth aside (on paper), there aren't many what I would call weak teams, and we're barely into the transfer window proper yet. Wednesday are a mess behind the scenes got rid of there manager for no reason, will have to see how there new manager works out for them could go ever way, All 3 coming down look like they got quite a bit of rebuilding to do so could start slowly, I don't really see anyone head and shoulders ahead this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuber Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 4 hours ago, winsaw said: Wednesday are a mess behind the scenes got rid of there manager for no reason, will have to see how there new manager works out for them could go ever way, All 3 coming down look like they got quite a bit of rebuilding to do so could start slowly, I don't really see anyone head and shoulders ahead this year Wednesday also have solid Championship level players in the form of Michael Smith, Bannan, Palmer, Dawson, among others. Way more Champ Experience to work with from baseline than Ipswich - who only really have Chaplin and Morsy that I can recall off the top of my head with experience at this level. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
You Do The Dziekanowski Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 For me, the teams coming down are a mess and not set up to compete straight away. Unlike Burnley last season, who kept a strong spine to their squad and added flair out wide and up top. Saints don’t scare me, they’ll do well but I can see us getting points off them. Leeds only scare me because I don’t think we’ve ever got points off them. But on paper their squad isn’t out this world, with players destined to leave as well. Leicester, having a complete overhaul. They produce talent through their youth system but their squad is aging. Saturday Tuesday games could hamper them and again, fancy us to get something against them. Sounds odd, but it’s fairly lucky the underdogs did well in the play offs, Coventry will almost certainly lose Hamer and Gyokeres, wouldn’t surprise me if they were mid table. Middlesbrough will be up there, wouldn’t be shocked to see WBA have a bounce back season and be in and around the playoffs with Millwall and Sunderland being up there as well. No reason we can’t join in with the Swansea’s, Blackburns, Preston’s who always seem to have a chance going into the final day. But it’s also in our locker to be in and around the Rotherham’s, QPR’s and Plymouth’s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Red Cyril Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 10 hours ago, W-S-M Seagull said: I think many say its a strong league simply because Leeds, Leicester and Southampton have been relegated. But personally I am not confident that any of those 3 are going to bounce straight back up. All will have new managers, high turn over of players etc so I just can't really see it right now. Yes totally agree. All three sides in major rebuilds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFCAL Posted June 23, 2023 Report Share Posted June 23, 2023 Think it's the same caliber every year in truth, seems to be every year people say about how strong it is. City seem to have progressed though, an experienced manager that's been here for a while, with solid structure and now not tied up in FFP and can make signings that he wants, and seems to be strengthening where we need - defensively. Think it's a case of more optimism for City rather than the league not being as strong as people suggest. (Hoping the optimism isn't gone by Christmas like many years gone by) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOTBLUE Posted June 23, 2023 Report Share Posted June 23, 2023 The Championship is always a tough division,with small percentage points between the teams,if you’re not on your game you will lose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturny Posted June 23, 2023 Report Share Posted June 23, 2023 It's an excuse to say the league is tough because of the size of the teams, I've seen it posted a few times around here. In the champ every game is a fight, there is no easy games. Plenty of the times it's not even a technical battle but a mental one (Which is why I think we've been pretty medicore in the champ). Anyone can beat anyone which is why it's the best league in the world imo. I'm expecting to hear "It's a tough league" if we find ourselves lower table again around xmas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southside Posted June 23, 2023 Report Share Posted June 23, 2023 22 hours ago, Davefevs said: You are not alone. I didn’t think it would be any different even before the fixtures come out. All the sides are only good enough to be in the same division Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristol Oil Services Posted June 23, 2023 Report Share Posted June 23, 2023 29 minutes ago, Sturny said: It's an excuse to say the league is tough because of the size of the teams, I've seen it posted a few times around here. In the champ every game is a fight, there is no easy games. Plenty of the times it's not even a technical battle but a mental one (Which is why I think we've been pretty medicore in the champ). Anyone can beat anyone which is why it's the best league in the world imo. I'm expecting to hear "It's a tough league" if we find ourselves lower table again around xmas. And "we cannot compete, (with PP clubs)" although tbf to otibs I haven’t seen that bit of West Country learned helplessness on here for a while. As Luton have demonstrated, and others too, it's not (always) the size of the dog in the Championship fight .... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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