Why Ladbrokes think we are falsely priced for promotion this year.

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Chezzy_Blade

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I got this article courtesy of Ladbrokes news at http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/foo...-sheffield-utd-short-league-title_205697.html at thought it might be of interest to some of you.

Nigel Clough deserves huge credit for guiding Sheffield United to within a whisker of the FA Cup final last term, but winning a division in which the Blades have been stuck in for three seasons is a more herculean task.

Ladbrokes have installed the Blades as the 5/1 favourites to win League One and 13/8 leaders for promotion to the Championship.

While promotion is certainly a realistic proposition and no doubt the only thing scrawled on Clough’s seasonal agenda, their status as title favourites looks slightly questionable for some key reasons.

1. Seventh to first is an almighty leap by anyone’s standards

There are not many clubs in English football history who can claim to have finished seventh one season, then taken the title the next, just ask Liverpool.

Without getting bogged down with a paper trail longer than the Watergate scandal, Everton’s 1984/85 English league title after finishing 83/84 is one of the only such occassions which sticks in the mind.

Although Wolves ran away with it to an extent during 2013/14, United still have to bridge a 19-point gap on last season’s third-place team Leyton Orient, who remain in the division.

2. Nigel Clough’s managerial record

The son of Brian was always going to have a bit to live up to when he turned his hand to management, and in all honesty over 16 years in the dug-out the jury is still out in many places.

Besides two non-League titles with Burton spread over nearly a decade, Clough’s 41.71 per cent total win percentage isn’t inspirational stuff.

Before the Rams pulled the plug, his last five Championship finishes at Derby read 18th, 14th, 19th, 12th and 10th.

3. There isn’t a double-figure goal scorer in the squad

What every self-respecting title-winning side needs in their team is a predatory goal scorer.

Unfortunately for the Blades that isn’t the case, with Chris Porter’s tally of seven in the league last term, the most of anyone on their books

Not since notorious striker Ched Evans chalked up 29 during 2011/12 has any striker in red and white hit over 15 league goals.
 

Well the first 2 are a nonsense. Last seasons position has nothing to do with anything. I agree Cloughs record isn't inspiring, but again i don't see much relevance seeing as all of it (discounting Burton cos he did ok there) was at one club. It's not like he has a record of going from club to club achieving nothing.

False favourites yes, but not for the reasons in that article. A top striker is a problem, but i still don't think the squad is good enough anyway. Even with a top striker. It seems the board just think it's going to happen, without getting the chequebook out to make it happen. I've a feeling the favourite bubble will be burst pretty quickly into the new season, with or without someone who can find the net. Anywhere in the top half during the first few months would be a reasonable start.
 
Why a bookmaker has us as pre season favourites.....hmmm,where have i heard that again.
 
If last season is relevant at all, then what any competent bookie should be looking at is what happened after Sir Nigel arrived. Weren't we bottom of the division at Christmas ? Extrapolate your prediction for this season from the second half of the last one, and we'd surely be a distance ahead of everyone ?

The squad has changed so much as well. I know who my money's on [big fucking smiley].
 
One of the least pleasant things about the internet is that people can write any old bollocks and some people will take it seriously.

As evidenced by you in the weeks preceding 20th April 2012... :)
 
As evidenced by you in the weeks preceding 20th April 2012... :)


Cheeky!

A load of shit was written about the legal aspects of the case and I (and Pinchy) tried to make for an informed discussion. Not getting a 50/50 call right is the least of my worries.
 
"United still have to bridge a 19-point gap on last season’s third-place team Leyton Orient, who remain in the division."

What utter bollocks! We start level. Last season is gone. Same goes for the seventh to first nonsense. Silly twat.

And if the author had just tried a bit, they would have found plenty of examples of teams bridging larger gaps in league one in the last few years. Charlton finished 13th with 59 points in 2011 (28 points behind Huddersfield in 3rd), Bournemouth 11th with 58 2012 (granted they weren't champions).
 
He forgets to mention that we won't have to bridge a 'David Weir' gap this season ( hopefully!)
 
Biggest reason we are false favourites.

We are Sheffield United. People should know better by now.
 

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