This season

[snootyfenooty]

Love how anyone saying the Championship's a tough league could only possibly think so based on 'what Wednesday fans say'. Brilliant.

The championship's always been a tough league. We should know, we've been in it long enough, and strangely we were competitive for a large part although you wouldn't believe that reading some of the views on here. Parachute payments have always been there (ex-prem days of course), they've always given the relegated clubs a huge advantage but again, strangely, quite a few clubs still managed to fuck-up even with them.

What really gets to me though is those who have bought into the notion that it's a new super league. It's not. About a dozen clubs in that league have a chance of going up and that has always been the case. I happen to think that we are one of them and if you disagree, that's up to you.

Wednesdayite's views are irrelevant to me so I won't even discuss or consider them. They are full of shit, always have been.

 

[Foody]

I think top half of the table would be a massive step, for me if we can stay out of a relegation fight we will have done pretty well. We may have a great stadium , 25K+ fans cheering us on, and are coming in on form with a great manager, but it is our first season at this level in a long time. Top 8 seems frankly ridiculous to me, who out of the favourites: Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Norwich, Wednesday, Wolves, Derby, Sunderland, Leeds, Hull, Brentford and Reading, do we realistically think we can finish above? Even taking a team not hugely favoured i.e. Derby; they have a huge wage budget, just done some great business brining in Huddleston (one of the best midfielders in the league for me), a good manager; is it really that likely that we will finish above them?

Fans will point towards Huddersfield and Barnsley as two teams who prove, even in this day and age, you can do well in the Championship without huge expenditure. But the reaction to Huddersfield's season shows how unusual it is, on the whole you do get what you pay for. Next season I think we will have to be realistic, look at our run of fixtures December- January: Villa twice, Norwich, Derby and Wednesday. We will have periods where results and points are at a premium, but its just part of the journey back to where we belong. I don't want to be all doom and gloom because I genuinely believe; We can and will compete at the top of the table, just don't expect it to be in our first season back. With WIlder and Knill we will grow, we will build and we will show our neighbours how its done.

UTB!

 

[Maidenhead]

I would say it's got character more than being shit,I believe one of the pubs on the 4 corners,has closed,although that is an unconfirmed rumour,

Our manager will be making sure our players don't write Brentford off

I wouldn't write Brentford off either.

I think it's a really good opening day fixture for us and will give us an early chance to see just where we might fit in the Championship next year.

They're no mugs and if we beat them we will be quite reasonably confident of a good season.

If we play reasonably well and it's a draw then we know that we're not going to be out of place in the league, but if we don't play well and/or lose then it may be a sign that one or two of our fans may need to lower their expectation.

Personally I haven't a clue what's going to happen, but I'm looking forward to my next ride on the Blades roller coaster.

 

[Grecian2000]

My problem is I've no real idea how good Division 2 is.
This is primarily because nearly every time I saw a game on TV at that level last season, I could only watch about 10 minutes before I was so bored I had to do something else.
This may be an over cautious approach which leads to extremely boring football. Could it be we are a breath of fresh air and will surprise a few dullards and batter them to shit? Fucking hope so.

 

[HermitageBlade]

I'm certainly not pessimistic but I am a realist. Like Cerberus said none of us know how this team will adapt and we could be in for a surprise. However I would expect that the gap will be very evident when we play Middlesborough as they are one of a number of sides that could win it. And that's the problem we aren't talking about 1,2 or even 3 or 4 sides that could win it , there's about 8 sides that could realistically win the league and I don't think we are one of them. That means we'd have to be the top 4 of the rest just to finish top half. Nothing wrong with that for now, all I want to see again is progression this season.

Ps I will be more than happy to eat my words at any point.

 

[sufcboy95]

We've only given Brentford an allocation of 1240 which surprises me and also charging them £27 which is decent as for as championship games go by

 

[Superblades]

We've only given Brentford an allocation of 1240 which surprises me and also charging them £27 which is decent as for as championship games go by

I presume we will be having the top tier for that and expecting a big crowd.

 

[BushBlade]

I presume we will be having the top tier for that and expecting a big crowd.

Yeah, first game of the season and back in the championship. I'd guess close to a sell out.

 

[JJBlade]

So we are going to lose our best players to other championship clubs are we ? Get real if we make a good start those players will want to take us all the way ,just like last season and get rewarded accordingly ,there is a drive amongst those players and it's called Chris Wilder.
Players like Lennie will regret not joining us

You live in dreamland pal
A club at the top end of the Championship will get any stand out Sheffield United player this season by doubling or trebling his wages
We won't be able to do a thing about it

 

[ghandi]

I think top half of the table would be a massive step, for me if we can stay out of a relegation fight we will have done pretty well. We may have a great stadium , 25K+ fans cheering us on, and are coming in on form with a great manager, but it is our first season at this level in a long time. Top 8 seems frankly ridiculous to me, who out of the favourites: Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Norwich, Wednesday, Wolves, Derby, Sunderland, Leeds, Hull, Brentford and Reading, do we realistically think we can finish above? Even taking a team not hugely favoured i.e. Derby; they have a huge wage budget, just done some great business brining in Huddleston (one of the best midfielders in the league for me), a good manager; is it really that likely that we will finish above them?

Fans will point towards Huddersfield and Barnsley as two teams who prove, even in this day and age, you can do well in the Championship without huge expenditure. But the reaction to Huddersfield's season shows how unusual it is, on the whole you do get what you pay for. Next season I think we will have to be realistic, look at our run of fixtures December- January: Villa twice, Norwich, Derby and Wednesday. We will have periods where results and points are at a premium, but its just part of the journey back to where we belong. I don't want to be all doom and gloom because I genuinely believe; We can and will compete at the top of the table, just don't expect it to be in our first season back. With WIlder and Knill we will grow, we will build and we will show our neighbours how its done.

UTB!

Above all of them.

 

[Gimli]

I would say it's got character more than being shit,I believe one of the pubs on the 4 corners,has closed,although that is an unconfirmed rumour,

Our manager will be making sure our players don't write Brentford off

One of them has closed sadly, the Royal Oak couldn't keep up with tripled rent increases.

For people writing Brentford off, they will be a more than capable side this season, sorry for the cap doffing.

 

[ghandi]

I think we will be in the top 4 after 10 games until the end of the season. I honestly don't think there is much in this division.

First part of the mission accomplished