Next seasons promotion prospects

[Mr Angry]

Presuming we lose Long,

Worried we might yet not get Elwood!!

Long is definitely going; even SJM said so yesterday.

As for Leigertwood, you are aware that he has signed a contract with us are you??

[Snowball]

The last 2 seasons - post parachute payments remember - have seen us go from 2nd bottom to just missing out on the Play-offs last season, then from 12th to being in with a shout of automatic promotion with 3 games to go, and ending up in the play-off final this season; to me, thats an upward curve, and we have every chance of being there or thereabouts next season.

Don't disagree with the sentiment
but I think the Championship next year looks awsomely difficult

[Snowball]

Presuming we lose Long,

Worried we might yet not get Elwood!!

Long is definitely going; even SJM said so yesterday.

As for Leigertwood, you are aware that he has signed a contract with us are you??

(a) I understood he was signing June 1st.

(b) He could be the player to get another side back into the Prem and we could yet be gazumped.

[Snowball]

I don't agree Snowball. There will not be a mass exodus.

I hope you're right

BUT

We bought Morrison FOR 2011-12, and Manset, with a punt on Williams.

We have to start playing Cummings or lose him

[Wycombe Royal]

if we lose kebe and long, it changes the way well play.no one works as hard as long,and no one is as quick as kebe on the break. Then with kish.ivar,bryn,harte that bit older and If mills goes its a whole rebuild of the defence required,though at least weve made a start with that swindon guy and cummo.manset makes a start up front,but there and on the wings we are short of quality and creativity.
However,with mcd in charge,and money for those players,we will get people in, i just think its bound to set us back a little.cest la vie.

The defence needs rebuilding anyway regardless of who leaves. It was shown up for what it is yesterday - slow and cumbersome.

As for Kebe. Yes he is quick but how may goals do we actually score from his lightening attacks? Not that many. Why? Because he either has no end product (hits the first defender, hits it too long, fals over, etc) or because on the odd occasion he does put in a decent ball no one else has kept up with him.

Only occasionally do we score as a direct result of his pace. HRK has been more effective in the few appearances he has made in my opinion, and at least McAnuff can take corners and freekicks (something else which Kebe cannot do).

21 Goals and 14 Assists in these last two seasons, plus other "assists" like his 11s 91m break

That's not at all bad

Personally, unless he's happy to stay because Manset is here, I suspect he's off.

Did you actually read what I wrote? I said "from his lightening attacks". There was the one near the end of the season that you mentioned but how many others? Not too many. HRK scored 6 goals and got two assists in his limited appareances against Kebe's 9 goals and 7 assists. HRK is still improving, Kebe is not.

[Mr Angry]

The last 2 seasons - post parachute payments remember - have seen us go from 2nd bottom to just missing out on the Play-offs last season, then from 12th to being in with a shout of automatic promotion with 3 games to go, and ending up in the play-off final this season; to me, thats an upward curve, and we have every chance of being there or thereabouts next season.

Don't disagree with the sentiment
but I think the Championship next year looks awsomely difficult

It does every season.

Every season, the same lines get trotted out; "its tougher this season than last", "this was the season to go up" etc etc etc.

The fact is, we have improved year on year since Brian took over, and whilst that may not neccesarily continue, personally I'm glad he is our manager and i believe we will be there or thereabouts next season.

[Mr Angry]

Presuming we lose Long,

Worried we might yet not get Elwood!!

Long is definitely going; even SJM said so yesterday.

As for Leigertwood, you are aware that he has signed a contract with us are you??

(a) I understood he was signing June 1st.
(b) He could be the player to get another side back into the Prem and we could yet be gazumped.

No, he has signed a contract with us; due to the fact that the new season in terms of transfers doesn't start until 1st June, it is for that reason it will be official from tomorrow.

[Gordons Cumming]

Let's hope we don't bottle it so magnificently like Swindon.

[marcusopp]

I don't agree Snowball. There will not be a mass exodus.

I hope you're right

BUT

We bought Morrison FOR 2011-12, and Manset, with a punt on Williams.

We have to start playing Cummings or lose him

Agree,
Cummings is that bit more mature, and has done very well when called upon this year. He'll also inject a bit of pace (albeit not great) into a pedestrian back line.
We probably spent more on Williams than we did Long. Our scouts are top drawer (probably the envy of many prem sides), we keep buying cheap and selling high, great!
McAnuff said in his interview that it's all about trying again, so he's up for next year too

[Very near...far away]

Teams that get "good" players on long loans from the PL could do quite well.

Just depends which players you get!

[Millsy]

We can do without the 'stars' anyway.

Our success is down to McDermott more than anyone else.

Even my girlfriend who's a rugby-head could see the blatantly obvious problem with the players desperately using Kebe as though we had no other options.

When we lost Siggy, we were forced to use other options and played better.

When we lost Doyle, Long stepped up to the mark and finally started to do well.

When we lost Kebe to injury, HRK (and even Cummings!?) did the job.

McDermott is the main man here. Like Coppell he turns water into wine and I have no doubt that when our 'stars' go not only will they fade into insignificance like so many/all of our previous 'stars' but we will be pleasantly suprised by new stars who appear out of nowhere.

This is nothing like 1995 when not only did we lose everyone but (with all due respect to Quinn/Gooding) we lost our great manager just before. Players come and go but we still have our most important asset: the one and only BRIAN MCDERMOTT

[TBM]

I can see McAnuff staying now that his mate Leigertwood is here

[Snowball]

Odds to win Championship 2011-12

West Ham 11/2
Leicester 6/1
Middlesbrough 8/1
Birmingham 8/1
Reading 12/1
Southampton 14/1
Nottingham Forest 14/1
Ipswich 14/1
Hull 14/1
Blackpool 14/1
Cardiff 16/1
Leeds 16/1
Burnley 20/1
Brighton 20/1
Millwall 33/1
Portsmouth 40/1
Bristol City 40/1
Derby 40/1
Watford 40/1
Coventry 50/1
Peterborough 66/1
Doncaster 80/1
Crystal Palace 80/1
Barnsley 100/1

[Jimmy the Tree]

This is nothing like 1995 when not only did we lose everyone but (with all due respect to Quinn/Gooding) we lost our great manager just before. Players come and go but we still have our most important asset: the one and only BRIAN MCDERMOTT

I had the same conversation with my brother-in-law on the way out of Wembley. I other big difference from 95 is that the academy is now producing decent players to help fill the holes left by any departures.

[Woodcote Royal]

The last 2 seasons - post parachute payments remember - have seen us go from 2nd bottom to just missing out on the Play-offs last season, then from 12th to being in with a shout of automatic promotion with 3 games to go, and ending up in the play-off final this season; to me, thats an upward curve, and we have every chance of being there or thereabouts next season.

Don't disagree with the sentiment
but I think the Championship next year looks awsomely difficult

It does every season.

Every season, the same lines get trotted out; "its tougher this season than last", "this was the season to go up" etc etc etc.

The fact is, we have improved year on year since Brian took over, and whilst that may not neccesarily continue, personally I'm glad he is our manager and i believe we will be there or thereabouts next season.

+1

It's May 31st, FFS , trying to assess the strength of next season's Championship at this stage is both pointless and utterly stupid. Even those predictions made on the opening day of the season are often shown to be very wide of the mark. What chance is there now of a realistic assessment when the transfer window doesn't open until tomorrow with most players and decision makers spending the next few weeks on a far flung beach?

As for us, why should we be depressed about our chances? If SJM is certain that Long will go, count on the fact that he already knows a clause in his contract will be triggered allowing Shane to leave whilst providing enough funds for his replacement and a few more besides.

IMHO, we should also take any sensible offer for Federici who, frankly, I believe is over rated, and has far too many off days for my liking. Our England Under 21 International will do us very nicely, thanks.

At this stage there is no reason to believe we can't make a another serious challenge for promotion and make mugs, YET AGAIN!!! of those who insist on predicting "Mid-table Mediocrity" every summer with tedious monotony.

[West Stand Man]

Just so you know, we're not a promotion prospect next season.

Sorry, who are you referring to?

[URZZZZZZZZ]

There is every chance that we could be top 6 once again next season. What I would suggest however is that any business we do make, whether it be in or out, is made before the end of July. Those wholesale changes at the end of August meant we were very slow out the blocks, and arguably cost us a place in the top 2.

[Ian Royal]

There's a lot of strong sides in the division next year. I reckon half have a shout of going up;
Leicester, Leeds, Forest, West Ham, Reading, Burnley, Hull, M'boro, Portsmouth, Southampton and maybe Birmingham and Blackpool.
I think we'll be right up there, depends on how quickly we can rebuild. If we can't, then it could be bottom half if that lot do ok...

You can usually fairly easily pick three teams to be at the top and three at the bottom. Other than that it's pretty much a lottery as always.

[Ian Royal]

I am sure we all wrote the 106 team off the season before when we lost 3-0 at Wigan and missed the play offs entirely on the last day of the season.

I didn't, I fancied our chances of top 2.

[loyalroyal4life]

Leeds at 16/1 aint a bad shout for champions!