Silvio Dante Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 All starting to land now. First off the tracks is BetVictor (Gab Sutton) which has us 10th: https://www.betvictor.com/blog/gab-suttons-championship-24-25-season-preview/ Also interesting is this Watford fans blog (he’s got them to go down) - wouldn’t normally link but 20,000 followers so not a small account, we’re 11th here: https://luorns.substack.com/p/championship-2425-season-my-1-24?r=1b89vy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true (Worth a mention purely for the fact that we’re described as always dark horses but more like dead horses at this stage) You can argue it’s a lazy prediction to have us 10th/11th, but I’ll also be surprised if many deviate in putting us in the 10th-14th bracket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numero Uno Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Only lazy because it's so easy to predict it seems. You don't even have to think about it. Many people's basic structure of a prediction table would have a couple of the bigger clubs at the top, us and/or Preston in the middle and Oxford at the bottom and work the league standings around that!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcfc01 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Bookies odds see us 16th - 18th. https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/championship FWIW, I think slightly higher at 12th - 16th. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tin Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Too early for me to make any predictions, but broadly speaking I don’t see us any higher than last year and wouldn’t be surprised if we’re closer to the bottom three than the top six. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrick's Marvels Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 20 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said: You can argue it’s a lazy prediction to have us 10th/11th, but I’ll also be surprised if many deviate in putting us in the 10th-14th bracket. As things stand, I'd bite your hand off for 10-14th ! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 10th doesn't sound far off it. I reckoned and still probably do, 11th-14th- perhaps 8th-10th at a push. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidercity1987 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Based on recruitment so far, I would place us about 15th. We are even stronger defensively with no injuries, although of course only 4/5 of our 8 quality defenders can play at once. Attacking wise, we are weaker than last season somehow particularly if Yu is injured. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 minute ago, Merrick's Marvels said: As things stand, I'd bite your hand off for 10-14th ! I’ve already made my prediction - promotion. I’d prefer automatic but pray-offs would do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downendcity Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I predict the first FFS after 23 minutes of the opening day fixture. I also predict that we will do surprisingly better than last season finishing 9th or 10th! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Just started to look at the Gab Sutton one. Sunderland at top is crazy wirh respect- I'm thinking they have potential to improve notably ln last year especially if a prime years CB, Forward and perhaps one more experienced CM to augment all of the young talent but more like top 6 contenders to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brent Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Top half. I’d like to see us with a chance of playoffs going into the final game, at least. I think we will finish 10th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Coach Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 13th - 15th for me. Would be pleasantly surprised if it’s above that. Do believe the club have to get off to a progressive start. If within the first 10 games we get off to a bad start things will turn sour very quickly and fans will be quick to hammer down on Tinnion and Manning. I say 10, probably be more like 5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterstoke toad Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Autos- Leeds , burnley play offs - Coventry , Luton ,Norwich , West Brom . city - 18th relegation - Derby , Portsmouth, Oxford . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledAjax Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 37 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said: First off the tracks is BetVictor (Gab Sutton) which has us 10th: https://www.betvictor.com/blog/gab-suttons-championship-24-25-season-preview/ A wild top 6 with Sunderland 1st and Sheff Wed 6th. But I agree almost word for word with his assessment of us in 10th (although wouldn't know whether to agree/disagree with the paragraphs on the new signings. Since winning the League One title and JPT double in 2014-15, Bristol City have found a home in the Championship’s midtable. Four and three-year periods of incremental progress sandwiched a short, mistake-ridden two-year epoch which saw them fall from eighth under Lee Johnson in 2018-19 to 17th in 2020-21 under Nigel Pearson, who subsequently picked up the pieces. Pearson never looked likely to do too more than that, though, so it’s down to Liam Manning to help City make the next step that eluded them under Johnson. And, whilst they previously wasted money once they got into the top half, they’re now investing in assets likelier to appreciate. Wide forward Yu Hirakawa, on loan from Japanese club Machida Zelvia, looks an intelligent, agile presser with deceptive speed, and an ability to finish instinctively with either foot. Fally Mayulu also has that trait, with the quick-footed 6’4” centre-forward bringing intelligent hold-up qualities from Rapid Wien, while Sinclair Armstrong, added from QPR, will provide a counter-attacking threat with his pace and power. With goalkeeper Max O’Leary, centre-backs Zak Vyner and Rob Dickie, plus all-action midfielder Joe Williams providing a solid spine, along with the ex-Derby duo of Max Bird and Jason Knight, Bristol City have strong foundations. Manning’s men may not quite have the quality required for the Play-Offs, but if they can begin to home in on more of a pressing, transitions-led identity, which the personnel is now there to do, then a progressive top-10 finish could be on the cards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooRya Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I had a feeling in 2007/2008 that we would do much better than people were expecting. I have that feeling again this year, and can see us getting in the top 6. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvio Dante Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 7 minutes ago, The Coach said: 13th - 15th for me. Would be pleasantly surprised if it’s above that. Do believe the club have to get off to a progressive start. If within the first 10 games we get off to a bad start things will turn sour very quickly and fans will be quick to hammer down on Tinnion and Manning. I say 10, probably be more like 5. A point I’ve made quite a lot - it’s a huge start to the season because… - It’s relatively favourable - There isn’t a huge amount of credit in the Bank My “review point”, unless things are catastrophic, is 12 games in. I think we need to be at about 17-18 points at that stage and then the promised land of 12th might be on so that’s minimum. If we’re running at 1ppg or marginally above/below we could be in real trouble. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Coach Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 minute ago, Silvio Dante said: A point I’ve made quite a lot - it’s a huge start to the season because… - It’s relatively favourable - There isn’t a huge amount of credit in the Bank My “review point”, unless things are catastrophic, is 12 games in. I think we need to be at about 17-18 points at that stage and then the promised land of 12th might be on so that’s minimum. If we’re running at 1ppg or marginally above/below we could be in real trouble. I think that’s a very fair and sensible review. One I share with you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolman Block B Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Top 6 Bout time we challenged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Not sure about Gab putting WBA at 3rd either. He possibly isn't fully considering the impact of Financial Rules on some of his analysis- namely Norwich and WBA need to cut back and or sell albeit I expect both have seen wages fall but the % reinvestable post Parachutes..WBA are now Year 2 post Parachutes and seen two different predictions for their losses last year- £2m a month is one, but another poster reckoned £30-35m season loss. That aside, I expect Coventry and Middlesbrough to do well. Both lost key players quite late in the window last time, looks a lot more settled now albeit O'Hare an undoubted loss for Coventry. Otoh Wright had a settling in period and they'll be expecting bigger things from him now perhaps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Some really random ones there, Sunderland as champions & Sheff U 14th, Burnley 9th. Hmm.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythikRobins Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I think we are roughly the same strength as last season from my view we haven't lost a considerable amount of talent like previous seasons. I also believe our recruitment, while it may take time, will come good the players are young with high ceilings. Maybe not this season but the season after we could be in a real shot of challenging. The biggest positive for us this season, which I don't think anyone has mentioned, is that the league is considerably weaker. None of the promoted sides will be anywhere near as good as Ipswich were, and none of the relegated sides will be anywhere near Leicester, so that just leaves Leeds who could lose quite a bit of talent. A number of sides in my opinion have regressed notably, as that one article says Watford, and quietly WBA. Last season was a notably challenging championship and we finished 11th so I think we can finish roughly 8th-10th this season. I think people underestimate the importance of the strength of the division when going for promotion. Luton, for example, if they peaked in 23/24 rather than 22/23 getting promoted would've been far far harder. We are also an example of this we peaked in 18/19 and finished 8th if we'd peaked a season earlier or later I think there's a very real chance we could've been in the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledAjax Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said: A point I’ve made quite a lot - it’s a huge start to the season because… - It’s relatively favourable - There isn’t a huge amount of credit in the Bank My “review point”, unless things are catastrophic, is 12 games in. I think we need to be at about 17-18 points at that stage and then the promised land of 12th might be on so that’s minimum. If we’re running at 1ppg or marginally above/below we could be in real trouble. Honestly if we're a realistic shout for top 6 come May 2025 then I think we need to be hoping for 1.8 ppg or more from these opening games. That's 22 points, 7 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses. We then, as a club and a fanbase, need to keep our feet on the ground because we will probably be in about 5th if we do that (I know I say this in vain hope), as we strap in for what looks likely to be a pretty bumpy run into Christmas. Points can come from any game of course - you may not have heard but we did beat Leicester and Southampton last season, and lost to some of the lower teams - but I do agree that August and September, on paper, look like a good points mine. If we're at <1ppg after 12 I honestly expect Manning to go. Edited July 29 by ExiledAjax 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Leicester, Leeds, Southampton was an insanely strong 3 to drop at once in all honesty. They will have had the highest 3 incomes let alone the Parachute boost. They were 3 established PL clubs and Leicester especially finished 5th, 5th, 8th, won an FA Cup and reached a European (okay Conference League) semi final across the prior 3 years. They shouldn't have dropped in the first place all told!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Everton dropping in 2022-23 eg would've had some of those elements but major financial issues on the other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puckle_red Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I felt last pre-season we were set up to get the most out of our limited quality. This season with this Manager and our transfer business so far (ins and outs), I'm expecting a very difficult season, I see us around the bottom 6. But I'm hopeful we'll have enough to stay above the dotted line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) 5 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said: Honestly if we're a realistic shout for top 6 come May 2025 then I think we need to be hoping for 1.8 ppg or more from these opening games. That's 22 points, 7 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses. We then, as a club and a fanbase, need to keep our feet on the ground because we will probably be in about 5th if we do that (I know I say this in vain hope), as we strap in for what looks likely to be a pretty bumpy run into Christmas. Points can come from any game of course - you may not have heard but we did beat Leicester and Southampton last season, and lost to some of the lower teams - but I'd do agree that August and September, on paper, look line a good points mine. If we're at <1ppg after 12 I honestly expect Manning to go. Would the relatively raw and young striking additions aligned with Conway and the internal exile and Wells being 34 be a red flag vs the points gathering in the first quarter to third of the season? I'd say possibly yes albeit Sinclair has looked fine. That would be a potential downtick because as you say the next period looks hard and a slow start plus young strikers..let's hope we begin well. Edited July 29 by Mr Popodopolous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38MC Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) I think it's going to be one of those frustrating seasons this year, and would place us anywhere from 15th - 20th right now, but I can see that we are building a bit of a bedrock with the signings that we have made to springboard in future seasons. I think our dogmatic pursuit of Twine - which I think will end in a failure to land him - will really let us down and the banishing of Conway to persona non grata could cause disharmony within the camp. Ultimately if we don't get off to a good start or if Armstrong (who hasn't really got a good goalscoring record, albeit I think is a very astute signing) or Fally (who looks a long way off the pace) don't start converting chances whilst Conway is languishing in the reserves or goes off elsewhere and starts scoring, I think some players will start wondering if their futures lie elsewhere. For me, the Technical Director has put all his eggs in a few baskets - promising youth and staring down player/agent power - and it might come back to bite him. As @Silvio Dante puts it, the first 10 games are absolutely critical for how the season ultimately pans out. Edited July 29 by 38MC 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledAjax Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 8 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said: Would the relatively raw and young striking additions aligned with Conway and the internal exile and Wells being 34 be a red flag vs the points gathering in the first quarter to third of the season? I'm not worried about the strikers at the moment. For me it's all about the service to those strikers. Improve the service from the midfield and the strikers we have should finish enough chances. Then we've got a good back 5 (defence + Max), probably not the best in the division, but if the defensive element of midfield can screen well then that back 5 is good enough to keep goals against at or below 1 per game. If they do that then we've only got to score 60 or so across the season to give ourselves a chance. We don't need great strikers to do that. All I'm asking for with those numbers is an improvement of 7 goals scored and 5 fewer conceded. We're capable of that if we get the luck. That, broadly, is why I'm comfortable saying we're a 10th place team with a small but not insignificant chance of getting 7th or even 6th. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I think we can, and should, expect improvement on last year. 8-10th, 63-70 points Everything points to that for me and is what I expect. Fewer injuries would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythikRobins Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) I'm somewhat surprised by some of these predictions I know OTIB is usually a more negative, some might say realistic in response, representation of the fanbase (fan forums typically are). But, I don't see any major reason to think we have massively regressed to lower midtable. Conway certainly wasn't good enough to constitute a 3-6 place swing. James is a bigger miss than him for me but Bird might be enough to offset that. As was mentioned in here strikers is the last place I'm worried about. Even with a poor start and Manning sacked I'd still expect us to finish 10th-12th. Changing manager is an expectation not a surprise in this division. We are an attractive enough club and squad that recruiting a good manager shouldn't be too difficult, although you never know with our board. Anyway, I am pretty certain manning will still be here in June 2025. Edited July 29 by MythikRobins 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 minute ago, ExiledAjax said: I'm not worried about the strikers at the moment. For me it's all about the service to those strikers. Improve the service from the midfield and the strikers we have should finish enough chances. Then we've got a good back 5 (defence + Max), probably not the best in the division, but if the defensive element of midfield can screen well then that back 5 is good enough to keep goals against at or below 1 per game. If they do that then we've only got to score 60 or so across the season to give ourselves a chance. We don't need great strikers to do that. All I'm asking for with those numbers is an improvement of 7 goals scored and 5 fewer conceded. We're capable of that if we get the luck. That, broadly, is why I'm comfortable saying we're a 10th place team with a small but not insignificant chance of getting 7th or even 6th. Worth noting that our defensive underlying numbers were lower than 4th best e.g. but then we hopefully will have less injuries which may help to offset..Dickie soft 2nd yellow v Birmingham deprived a bit of cohesion together early then Vyner injured by Leicester Away mid to late September. Hopefully some of these issues won't be recurring. O'Leary, Vyner, Dickie and Williams or Knight are the cornerstone to a solid structure it feels like. Hope you are correct on the strikers point, feels to me as if we possibly are taking a bit of a chance- this isn't about them as individuals but the profile of them collectively. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledAjax Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 2 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said: Worth noting that our defensive underlying numbers were lower than 4th best e.g. but then we hopefully will have less injuries which may help to offset..Dickie soft 2nd yellow v Birmingham deprived a bit of cohesion together early then Vyner injured by Leicester Away mid to late September. Hopefully some of these issues won't be recurring. O'Leary, Vyner, Dickie and Williams or Knight are the cornerstone to a solid structure it feels like. Hope you are correct on the strikers point, feels to me as if we possibly are taking a bit of a chance- this isn't about them as individuals but the profile of them collectively. Well of course we're taking a chance. We're a mid table team in the second division with a mid table budget and a sketchy management/ownership set up. We can't buy dead certs (so much as they really exist). Even if we rehabilitate Conway we're taking a gamble. As you say the core is solid, and that's where our money goes a bit further. When making season-spanning predictions we shouldn't concern ourselves about individual yellow cards or instances, it's about the average numbers and whether, over 46 games, we match, exceed, or fall short of those. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvio Dante Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 34 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said: Honestly if we're a realistic shout for top 6 come May 2025 then I think we need to be hoping for 1.8 ppg or more from these opening games. That's 22 points, 7 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses. We then, as a club and a fanbase, need to keep our feet on the ground because we will probably be in about 5th if we do that (I know I say this in vain hope), as we strap in for what looks likely to be a pretty bumpy run into Christmas. Points can come from any game of course - you may not have heard but we did beat Leicester and Southampton last season, and lost to some of the lower teams - but I do agree that August and September, on paper, look like a good points mine. If we're at <1ppg after 12 I honestly expect Manning to go. Pretty much spot on there, with one caveat. For me, if we are to trouble the top end we need in the first batch of games to probably outperform the ppg needed for playoffs - of course, from there momentum may kick in but if we’re fifth, then it’s probably tracking for 9th-10th with difficulty of fixtures considered. I’d also agree that <1ppg sees the Spanish Archer invoked. Ultimately, if you take out the Twine factor, Liam should theoretically have everything in place he needs to perform the job to the best of his ability (time on grass, several new players, not forced to sell etc etc) and if he doesn’t in that first batch the questions will only get louder. In fact, if we pivot back to the “relative difficulty” argument, there is a case that even 1.2 ppg (for example) is unacceptable in view of the games that are coming. I wouldn’t put an exact points target on it, as performances as well will be absolutely key. We had some real turgid stuff last year and you can get away with that if you’re winning. It’s going to be a collective piece. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie BCFC Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 hour ago, cidercity1987 said: Based on recruitment so far, I would place us about 15th. We are even stronger defensively with no injuries, although of course only 4/5 of our 8 quality defenders can play at once. Attacking wise, we are weaker than last season somehow particularly if Yu is injured. Weaker than last season going forward? Not convinced with that, think a lot of our forwards can only get better and we have more choice at striker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrick's Marvels Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 hour ago, Mr Popodopolous said: Not sure about Gab putting WBA at 3rd either. He possibly isn't fully considering the impact of Financial Rules on some of his analysis- namely Norwich and WBA need to cut back and or sell albeit I expect both have seen wages fall but the % reinvestable post Parachutes..WBA are now Year 2 post Parachutes and seen two different predictions for their losses last year- £2m a month is one, but another poster reckoned £30-35m season loss. That aside, I expect Coventry and Middlesbrough to do well. Both lost key players quite late in the window last time, looks a lot more settled now albeit O'Hare an undoubted loss for Coventry. Otoh Wright had a settling in period and they'll be expecting bigger things from him now perhaps. WBA have a brilliant coach. That can make a difference when money's tight..... Just saying. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercidered Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I'm going out on a limb here. Mid table if we are lucky with injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Geoff Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Just hoping we are at least 4 / 6 points better off than last season and 6th/7th in the table come mid October. None of this 8th and you better beat Ipswich and Cardiff nonsense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 4 minutes ago, Merrick's Marvels said: WBA have a brilliant coach. That can make a difference when money's tight..... Just saying. Corberan is excellent without a doubt. I just wonder if they need to sell someone for FFP still though. Robins was another good example, albeit he had actual money to spend last year and seemed to start slowly a bit- slow start perhaps ultimately cost them a top 6 place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) 41 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said: Well of course we're taking a chance. We're a mid table team in the second division with a mid table budget and a sketchy management/ownership set up. We can't buy dead certs (so much as they really exist). Even if we rehabilitate Conway we're taking a gamble. As you say the core is solid, and that's where our money goes a bit further. When making season-spanning predictions we shouldn't concern ourselves about individual yellow cards or instances, it's about the average numbers and whether, over 46 games, we match, exceed, or fall short of those. Ah well that is where we have failings higher up that can hamstring us. Our turnover fwiw was top non Parachute in 2022-23 and the less said about some of those above Manning the better. If anything 2024-25 has some elements of opportunity to emerge from the pack, albeit we fall short there atm IMO. Edited July 29 by Mr Popodopolous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBobBobbin Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I'm in a weird place where my own expectations are somewhere in the lower top half, roughly where we finished last season points wise but I am still assessing Manning based on the expectations set by our ownership on appointment that we should be better than that. We remain a squad (and head coach) who could click and find ourselves comfortably in the playoffs or falter and find ourselves winless after 10 games and playing catch up all season. (And everything in between)... The main thing I want to see is an improvement against low-block sides. There does seem to be less of those this season, thankfully with only Derby of the promoted clubs likely to adopt that type of mentality at this level (They look quite weak imo) and you'd expect to see a change in how QPR and Wednesday approach things in season 2 of their foreign coaches. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 On one level we should be expecting improvement 1) Manning has had a full pre-season 2) Manning has not had to sell anyone, nor have there been FFP pressures. 3) By the standards of the division we have been one of the bigger spenders this summer albeit context of austerity before. Obviously hierarchy failings plus the state of flux with Conway and the hitherto unsuccessful pursuit of Twine offset some of it. Injuries remain an unknown as the season progresses but the less the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 2 hours ago, Silvio Dante said: All starting to land now. First off the tracks is BetVictor (Gab Sutton) which has us 10th: https://www.betvictor.com/blog/gab-suttons-championship-24-25-season-preview/ Also interesting is this Watford fans blog (he’s got them to go down) - wouldn’t normally link but 20,000 followers so not a small account, we’re 11th here: https://luorns.substack.com/p/championship-2425-season-my-1-24?r=1b89vy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true (Worth a mention purely for the fact that we’re described as always dark horses but more like dead horses at this stage) You can argue it’s a lazy prediction to have us 10th/11th, but I’ll also be surprised if many deviate in putting us in the 10th-14th bracket. 11th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFC31 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) Sunderland to win the league having a laugh aren't they. Although I am very surprised they have managed to keep hold of Jack Clarke so far I thought he would be gone by now. Edited July 29 by BCFC31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBobBobbin Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 In terms of the rest of the league, I fancy Stoke to have a better season under Schumacher and I can see Watford really struggling if they don't recruit in the final weeks of the window, they look threadbare. Burnley the only relegated side who you'd think would be strong enough to run away with it and whilst Parker is a bell he has done it in this league with similar set ups before. Sheff U and Luton could go either way. Leeds too could be great again, could have some hangover from failing to go up. I wouldn't bet against Swansea being an effective side this year too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) 13 minutes ago, BCFC31 said: Sunderland to win the league having a laugh aren't they. Although I am very surprised they have managed to keep hold of Jack Clarke so far I thought he would be gone by now. They are in a good financial position and have high values for a number of their best players. If value not met they stay- contract length seems to work in their favour too. See Plymouth and Whittaker for a similar example. Edited July 29 by Mr Popodopolous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Red Cyril Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 2 hours ago, cidercity1987 said: Based on recruitment so far, I would place us about 15th. We are even stronger defensively with no injuries, although of course only 4/5 of our 8 quality defenders can play at once. Attacking wise, we are weaker than last season somehow particularly if Yu is injured. How does Yu being injured effect it do much ? Surely unknown and untried at this level Just my thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritAbroad Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I definitely think we have a stronger and more unpredictable squad than last year. I think we'll scrape into the play-offs. I think Armstrong will do better than expected. I think Fally will struggle at first, but if Manning keeps bringing him on as sub, he'll get used to the Championship and improve (just like at his last club). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hinsleburg Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I think we go into the first game of the season with a weaker starting 11 but a stronger squad based on in's and out's so far. I'd rather have James than Bird on match day 1 but over the course of a 46 game season I think Bird would be more durable especially as James age catches up with him and Bird should only get better. We've replaced Conway with two players, one with Championship experience and one without. If there were no issues Conway would still be ahead of both of them but would expect Armstrong/Mayulu combined to contribute more goals over 46 games than Conway would have. I do think we have a really strong spine still and don't think we'll concede many goals but not sure we'll be great on the eye. Think we have to finish top half for the sake of some of the more vocal members of staff, but think we'll be around midtable again 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidercity1987 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 hour ago, Charlie BCFC said: Weaker than last season going forward? Not convinced with that, think a lot of our forwards can only get better and we have more choice at striker Do you think Armstrong and Mayulu are better than Twine and Conway? I don't, hence weaker going forward 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray savino Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Heart and always new season hope/optimism says would love 6th. Head says 9th or 10th would be decent. For me, realistically, think next season is where I think we should be expecting a confident play-off challenge and ultimately a play-off place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 3 hours ago, Silvio Dante said: All starting to land now. First off the tracks is BetVictor (Gab Sutton) which has us 10th: https://www.betvictor.com/blog/gab-suttons-championship-24-25-season-preview/ Also interesting is this Watford fans blog (he’s got them to go down) - wouldn’t normally link but 20,000 followers so not a small account, we’re 11th here: https://luorns.substack.com/p/championship-2425-season-my-1-24?r=1b89vy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true (Worth a mention purely for the fact that we’re described as always dark horses but more like dead horses at this stage) You can argue it’s a lazy prediction to have us 10th/11th, but I’ll also be surprised if many deviate in putting us in the 10th-14th bracket. Good reads. Gab has a great knowledge of the EFL. He sent me a draft of his City write-up and glad to see it changed a bit, because he had us down as a direct side! Lou (Orns) is a very knowledgeable guy, worked on and off for some clubs in recruitment roles. Usually puts Watford low, even though his own club. It is really difficult to know how things will pan out…just under 2 weeks to the season start and still 5 weeks til the end of the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malago Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 (edited) I predict that we’ll finish one place below Preston. Edited July 29 by Malago 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
And Its Smith Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 2 minutes ago, Davefevs said: Good reads. Gab has a great knowledge of the EFL. He sent me a draft of his City write-up and glad to see it changed a bit, because he had us down as a direct side! Lou (Orns) is a very knowledgeable guy, worked on and off for some clubs in recruitment roles. Usually puts Watford low, even though his own club. It is really difficult to know how things will pan out…just under 2 weeks to the season start and still 5 weeks til the end of the window. That first paragraph contradicts itself somewhat! Looking forward to the NTT20 predictions as they normally have some good takes, like Ipswich last season. They will also give good detail on what other clubs have done in the window. Predicting anything without understanding who all the overseas players that come into the league are is hard. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Just now, And Its Smith said: That first paragraph contradicts itself somewhat! Looking forward to the NTT20 predictions as they normally have some good takes, like Ipswich last season. They will also give good detail on what other clubs have done in the window. Predicting anything without understanding who all the overseas players that come into the league are is hard. Yeah it does, but his knowledge is vast…I think he always has a blindspot for us over his own BCFC! Yep, there’s will be good. Having gone low on Ipswich and Sunderland as promoted clubs the last two seasons, I’m boggling doing a 1-24 because I know one of Portsmouth, Oxford or Derby will bite me on the arse…although none of them look anywhere near mid-table let alone top half…but momentum is important. Sheffield Utd look a mess (from a lazy point of view) yet have signed: So although not a top-2 / autos side, they aren’t half bad. I’m not big on their City-neighbours: have they replaced their loans in Ugbo and Poveda . Time for that to change though. +++++ I’m hoping for an open league, starting to get excited for the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledAjax Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 11 minutes ago, And Its Smith said: That first paragraph contradicts itself somewhat! Looking forward to the NTT20 predictions as they normally have some good takes, like Ipswich last season. They will also give good detail on what other clubs have done in the window. Predicting anything without understanding who all the overseas players that come into the league are is hard. NTT20 also go back and review/critique their own predictions at both the halfway point and the end of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
And Its Smith Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 4 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said: NTT20 also go back and review/critique their own predictions at both the halfway point and the end of the season. Yep they are best in class for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
And Its Smith Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 7 minutes ago, Davefevs said: Yeah it does, but his knowledge is vast…I think he always has a blindspot for us over his own BCFC! Yep, there’s will be good. Having gone low on Ipswich and Sunderland as promoted clubs the last two seasons, I’m boggling doing a 1-24 because I know one of Portsmouth, Oxford or Derby will bite me on the arse…although none of them look anywhere near mid-table let alone top half…but momentum is important. Sheffield Utd look a mess (from a lazy point of view) yet have signed: So although not a top-2 / autos side, they aren’t half bad. I’m not big on their City-neighbours: have they replaced their loans in Ugbo and Poveda . Time for that to change though. +++++ I’m hoping for an open league, starting to get excited for the season. Very hard to see Oxford staying up for sure. I’m thinking NTT will go big on Norwich and us. Maybe not top 6 for us but certainly top 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I expect first half the season down in 16th. New manager by February, end up in 9th place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 4 minutes ago, And Its Smith said: Very hard to see Oxford staying up for sure. I’m thinking NTT will go big on Norwich and us. Maybe not top 6 for us but certainly top 8 Alongside Plymouth Oxford are definitely the favourites to go back down but they have made several decent signings. Murphy is a loss for them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledAjax Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 12 minutes ago, And Its Smith said: Yep they are best in class for sure. They also read OTIB don't you @NTT20Pod? 9 minutes ago, And Its Smith said: Very hard to see Oxford staying up for sure. I’m thinking NTT will go big on Norwich and us. Maybe not top 6 for us but certainly top 8 I agree that I think they might put us somewhere 7th - 9th. But yes it would be bold to go putting us top 6 - and for good reason I'd add. I can already hear the old phrase "dark horse" echoing around my headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gasbuster Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I will wait until the transfer window closes. Not just about our activity, but that of other clubs as well. Expecting a busy week before the transfer window closes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 One thing for sure, if we are bottom 6 bottom 8 come October say, huge pressure on the hierarchy. Especially given. A) The on paper okay starting fixtures. B) The new strikers who are exciting but still a bit unknown. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin phantom Posted July 29 Admin Share Posted July 29 7 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said: One thing for sure, if we are bottom 6 bottom 8 come October say, huge pressure on the hierarchy. Especially given. A) The on paper okay starting fixtures. B) The new strikers who are exciting but still a bit unknown. Nothing personal but you have gotten very pessimistic about our fortunes recently I wonder how the hierarchy will react if we are in the top 6 top 8 come October Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledAjax Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 minute ago, phantom said: I wonder how the hierarchy will react if we are in the top 6 top 8 come October Probably an open top bus parade tbh. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 1 minute ago, phantom said: Nothing personal but you have gotten very pessimistic about our fortunes recently I wonder how the hierarchy will react if we are in the top 6 top 8 come October Well I've steered back a bit on that I think 10th is feasible, I'm not as negative as a month or two ago- the Armstrong goals are a welcome bonus. I'll be delighted if we are top 6 or 8 in October and I'll give some credit as well as praise on the injury front if that isn't biting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I'll take solid midtable by October/November as a platform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy1968 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 3 hours ago, ExiledAjax said: If we're at <1ppg after 12 I honestly expect Manning to go. I don't really think they'd have the confidence to pull the trigger again that early - it would result in a shitstorm. Possibly more likely to double down on the appointment instead, and hope to ride it out by Christmas. But let's hope we never need to find out. The turd they'd be definitely getting beat around the head with in that situation (if he is still here) is 'The Conway Affair'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 9 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said: One thing for sure, if we are bottom 6 bottom 8 come October say, huge pressure on the hierarchy. Especially given. A) The on paper okay starting fixtures. B) The new strikers who are exciting but still a bit unknown. Surprisingly I used have the same pessimism heading into every season but that’s changed significantly in the last two/three seasons. This time around I’m more optimistic that I have been in quite sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinapig Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 I predict that the club will say that whatever position we finish in was the target for the season. 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 2 minutes ago, Robbored said: Surprisingly I used have the same pessimism heading into every season but that’s changed significantly in the last two/three seasons. This time around I’m more optimistic that I have been in quite sometime. Interesting, maybe it could be our year. Is it one of those intangible things? Is it the settled squad vs uncertainty elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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