Back to Back to Back?

[HillmortonBlade]

I'm sure we were looking forward to this being a season of rebuild.. three year plan..

A good half to the season and some have taken leave of their senses.

 

[BushBlade]

Whilst it would be great to dream, there is absolutely no chance.

The Premier and the Championship have both stepped up since we dropped into L1.

It is only an opinion, but it was said there was a big gap between Prem and Champ 6 years ago - I think the big gap is between Champ and L1.

The Prem is 3 leagues in 1, and the bottom of the Prem is more similar to the top of the Champ now.

If we go up this season, I would settle now for 19th, 20th or 21st in the Champ................but then again, we have CW & AK

UTB

I agree. There's no tangible difference between the bottom of the PL and the top of the Championship, the gap between the top of the Championship and the bottom of the championship is probably bigger. Results are skewed slightly by the sheer numbers of games championship clubs play, which tends to throw up more results against form so a Blackburn can still beat a Newcastle despite being a much worse team on paper.

There are four or five clubs in the championship that are no better than L1 clubs and the trick to staying up is to finish above them. I think we're capable of that but it will take either serious investment and/or operating intelligently in all aspects of running the club to challenge for the playoffs.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Talking about 2 promotions with ZERO acheived as of 4/1/17?

What a steaming pile of Hammond. We're turning more and more into the fucking snort beasts by the day.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

I agree. There's no tangible difference between the bottom of the PL and the top of the Championship, the gap between the top of the Championship and the bottom of the championship is probably bigger. Results are skewed slightly by the sheer numbers of games championship clubs play, which tends to throw up more results against form so a Blackburn can still beat a Newcastle despite being a much worse team on paper.

There are four or five clubs in the championship that are no better than L1 clubs and the trick to staying up is to finish above them. I think we're capable of that but it will take either serious investment and/or operating intelligently in all aspects of running the club to challenge for the playoffs.

This season L1 is possibly quite good really.

If we can finish top and go up with lets say Scunny and Rochdale/Southend with Bolton missing out - we should really fancy our chances of finishing above those two and 1 existing Champ club.

UTB

 

[Slug]

Barnsley aren't faring too badly in the Championship are they?

I think the gap in quality between the Championship and League One is often exaggerated and mistaken for the huge difference in spending power that teams have. But as we know as well as anyone, just because you spend big it doesn't necessarily mean you get the quality you are expecting. There are a lot of mercenaries who drop down from the Premiership looking for one last big pay day at the wealthy Championship clubs.

The number of players going for £5m+ in that league is absolutely ridiculous and often unnecessary.
What you need is solid, sensible recruitment. Look at Brighton at the top of league, yes they do have spending power but they aren't stupid with it like a lot of the clubs there are.
Prime example of spending OTT money for the sake of it is the pigs this year investing £12m (Supposedly) in Abdi and Reach. One of them barely plays a minute and the other as been shoehorned in at left back when he was signed as a 'Star Winger'.

If we do get up this season i fully trust Wilder and Knill to identify the right type of players to add to this squad to make us a competitive top half Championship team

 

[BushBlade]

This season L1 is possibly quite good really.

If we can finish top and go up with lets say Scunny and Rochdale/Southend with Bolton missing out - we should really fancy our chances of finishing above those two and 1 existing Champ club.

UTB

Fingers crossed. There's usually a car crash club down there too, Blackburn this season, Charlton last season. Looks like Forest could be in trouble too. I wonder which foreign owned club will be next?

 

[Bladesman]

It's good shit if it is.

I think they should start sharing some of it out with rest of us.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Fingers crossed. There's usually a car crash club down there too, Blackburn this season, Charlton last season. Looks like Forest could be in trouble too. I wonder which foreign owned club will be next?

LOL.......you mean the S6 lot............lets hope so

UTB

 

[TJB.]

I like a good dash of optimism - it's good for the soul.

But let's be real...We couldn't afford to mount a serious challenge for another promotion. The squad rebuild would be too big of a job and cost too much money.

Admire the enthusiasm from the OP, though. In fact I might drop him a PM so see who he gets his enthusiasm off...

 

[BushBlade]

Barnsley aren't faring too badly in the Championship are they?

I think the gap in quality between the Championship and League One is often exaggerated and mistaken for the huge difference in spending power that teams have. But as we know as well as anyone, just because you spend big it doesn't necessarily mean you get the quality you are expecting. There are a lot of mercenaries who drop down from the Premiership looking for one last big pay day at the wealthy Championship clubs.

The number of players going for £5m+ in that league is absolutely ridiculous and often unnecessary.
What you need is solid, sensible recruitment. Look at Brighton at the top of league, yes they do have spending power but they aren't stupid with it like a lot of the clubs there are.
Prime example of spending OTT money for the sake of it is the pigs this year investing £12m (Supposedly) in Abdi and Reach. One of them barely plays a minute and the other as been shoehorned in at left back when he was signed as a 'Star Winger'.

If we do get up this season i fully trust Wilder and Knill to identify the right type of players to add to this squad to make us a competitive top half Championship team

Brighton have spent steadily over a number of years to build the club up. They've been close to promotion several times. They're desperate to go up but they're being sensible about it.

Other clubs seem to have their judgement affected by their desperation for promotion and can't differentiate between good and bad investment. We've been guilty of it too and it's cost the owners a lot of money. It looks like our neighbours are going down the same route, trying to shortcut good practice by throwing some money at it, but nowhere near enough money to make any real impact compared with the likes of Newcastle etc.

They should take a look around at what other clubs are doing, Derby, Wolves, Brum will also be investing, Derby (and Brighton) have done for several years already, Villa, Norwich and Newcastle all have parachute payments.
That's seven clubs off the top of my head that are in as good or better position financially than the pigs so their approach is flawed from the start.

We need to make sure we don't do the same if we're promoted. Get everything right off the pitch before we invest.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

The OP asks if there's any reason we can't achieve back-to-back promotions. We can all think of lots of reasons, and some have occurred in the past that we could not have even imagined. But football is illogical, emotional...if you can't occasionally dream, what is the point of being a fan? Enjoy the moment. No point boasting that we will do it, but there's no harm in dreaming. There were lots of reasons why Leicester would never win the Premier League.

 

[Snowman]

Fuck 'em Cerberus. I'm with you on this.

Fuck Cerberus. Somebody put the mad dog down before he mucks it up for us.

 

[Slug]

Brighton have spent steadily over a number of years to build the club up. They've been close to promotion several times. They're desperate to go up but they're being sensible about it.

Other clubs seem to have their judgement affected by their desperation for promotion and can't differentiate between good and bad investment. We've been guilty of it too and it's cost the owners a lot of money. It looks like our neighbours are going down the same route, trying to shortcut good practice by throwing some money at it, but nowhere near enough money to make any real impact compared with the likes of Newcastle etc.

They should take a look around at what other clubs are doing, Derby, Wolves, Brum will also be investing, Derby (and Brighton) have done for several years already, Villa, Norwich and Newcastle all have parachute payments.
That's seven clubs off the top of my head that are in as good or better position financially than the pigs so their approach is flawed from the start.

We need to make sure we don't do the same if we're promoted. Get everything right off the pitch before we invest.

Couldn't agree more. That's more or less the exact point i was trying to make

 

[Grecian2000]

Dont forget , weve already done it before
not that youd think so
some in here will only cling to the belief we are only capable of constant disappointment
each and every single season , for ever

they dont even believe their own eyes in seeing how we are doing now

and back in the real world.

Take a look at the responses on this thread (you know, the actual ones, not the ones you imagine are there) and no-one is saying we won't get promoted this season (that would be adding to the constant disappointment), what they ARE saying is that it is a highly unlikely scenario that we will get promoted and then follow it up with another one. Why is pointing that out "not believing their own eyes"?
It is one thing being optimistic (it is still only optimism that says we are going up this season, as it is only just over half done) but suggesting anyone who doesn't think back to back promotions are likely right now are some sort of depressed pessimist is just fucking ridiculous. Just saying like . . . .

 

[BushBlade]

Couldn't agree more. That's more or less the exact point i was trying to make

Yes, I wasn't disagreeing with you, just adding to what you'd said.

 

[Rodley]

This will probably upset many folk from Sheffield seeing as it's typical to think of the glass half empty but is there any reason why we couldn't achieve back to Back promotions and beat that other Sheffield team to the Prem?

I'm not wanting to get ahead of ourselves but I think there are reasons for optimism - not least the manager and his ability to sign decent players and get them to give 100%. But if Adkins can do it (after inheriting a very good squad) then anyone can do it!

I don't bet - but I wonder what odds you'd get on this now? For sure they will be shorter at the end of this season!

Yes because Newcastle et al are paying numerous players £40,000-£50,000 per week

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Can we please stop talking about the Premier League until we've left Division 3.

You know we used to laugh at the Pigs for doing this?

 

[blackydog]

I'm sat on the fence with this, but you can't argue with how the dingles are doing, god bless the 6 toed twats.

"toed" dunt look right, fine beer kicking in.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Nope! Champions league definitely not. There's a big difference there. Now you are talking about the Real Madrids, Barcelonas, Bayern Munichs, Paris St Germans, AC Milans, of this world - which we are not.

But Southampton, Norwich, Swansea? I think we are comfortable at that level aren't we?

How empty does your glass look?

One flew over the cuckoos nest . We are becoming embarrassing and inviting a fuck up . Perhaps certain fans don't know any better . Love to hear Chris Wilders reply to some of these posts . One game at a time eh .

 

[tomtheblade]

Just look at our record against the top 6-8 sides in this division. It's really not that great, only 1 win i believe? And a few draws.

You can argue that many of these games were away and in early season before we were up to speed, but nevertheless these are all teams with inferior squads and funds than almost every side in the championship.

I admire everything CW is doing but there's a long, long way to go yet. By all means let's enjoy the ride as it goes though.

 

[Pinchy]

Why did you have to go and do that?



UTB

Town Hall steps?....

 

[Pinchy]

Just look at our record against the top 6-8 sides in this division. It's really not that great, only 1 win i believe? And a few draws.

You can argue that many of these games were away and in early season before we were up to speed, but nevertheless these are all teams with inferior squads and funds than almost every side in the championship.

I admire everything CW is doing but there's a long, long way to go yet. By all means let's enjoy the ride as it goes though.

We won't know what our results against the top 6-8 are until the end of the season when each team has played all the others twice. At the moment, it's all an illusion.

Secondly, in the event we are promoted, there will be significant and substantial recruitment. All in all I prefer a bit of optimism to being scared of our own shadows.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

One flew over the cuckoos nest . We are becoming embarrassing and inviting a fuck up . Perhaps certain fans don't know any better . Love to hear Chris Wilders reply to some of these posts . One game at a time eh .

Ha-ha! So, you're superstitious eh? And you think that talking about something that is a possibility, albeit not easy to achieve, can affect the chances of it happening. Let me reassure you it can't. It's just that we've failed so many times it just feels like it.

I'm sure Chris Wilder would not want to set himself up by suggesting back to back promotions are a possibility. He'd be stupid to do that. But I'm not Chris Wilder and my job isn't at stake. I'm just a fan who is witnessing the most optimistic period since I started going on Chippy Barker's coaches from Eckington to watch the game as a 12 year old kid - nearly 50 years ago. We've got a manager who knows what the hell he is doing and he's doing it bloody well. Of course it's a very remote chance that we'll get successive promotions. It's not even certain that we'll get this one yet! But, I'm dreaming man, just dreaming, leave me to my little dream because it's beautiful!

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Trick is to get to be one of those Prem/Champs Yo Yo clubs.
That means you get the Prem money but you actually win somthing every other year.

 

[Selly]

Secondly, in the event we are promoted, there will be significant and substantial recruitment. All in all I prefer a bit of optimism to being scared of our own shadows.

Spot on. The prospect of getting promoted this season and into the future is not one which we as a club have no control over.

The question should not be "Can we" but should actually be "How do we"

 

[blade67]

Yes because Newcastle et al are paying numerous players £40,000-£50,000 per week

according to mad brian on RS, Wednesday are paying at least 1 player £40,000 a week. and when he stated this, the presenter seemed to agree.

All a bit frightening - I'm praying that there is good money in Saudi Arabian toilet paper manufacturing or that some relatives sitting on an oil field are getting into the CW/AK program

 

[Rodley]

according to mad brian on RS, Wednesday are paying at least 1 player £40,000 a week. and when he stated this, the presenter seemed to agree.

All a bit frightening - I'm praying that there is good money in Saudi Arabian toilet paper manufacturing or that some relatives sitting on an oil field are getting into the CW/AK program

The money swashing around the Champ is phenomenal. It'll be very difficult for us to compete with a lot of the clubs next years. Plenty have parachute payments and many others have more cash behind them than us.