10 games in - Prediction Time

[LSF]

After 10 games and based on what I've seen so far (obviously not seen Pigs yet but after a shaky start, their comparitive spending power has seen them creep slowly upwards,their strike force when all fit should give them a clear edge) here's how I see the season ending top sixwise.. (setting myself up to be shot down here)

Champions - Huddersfield
Runners Up - Sheffield Wed
Play offs - Charlton
MK Dons
Blades
Preston

Hope I'm wrong in certain cases, but it's just the feeling I have so far

 

[kop_blade9]

What rubbish!!
You're as bad as creepy who seems to think we are mid table to relegation fodder.

We will go up as champions.
Pigs may get playoffs if they are lucky.
udders get too many draws to be considered champions.
Charlton look to be the strongest behind us at the mo. We will see on Saturday who is the strongest.
My feeling as an outsider from the playoffs is Brentford.

 

[Blade58]

What rubbish!!
You're as bad as creepy who seems to think we are mid table to relegation fodder.

We will go up as champions.
Pigs may get playoffs if they are lucky.
udders get too many draws to be considered champions.
Charlton look to be the strongest behind us at the mo. We will see on Saturday who is the strongest.
My feeling as an outsider from the playoffs is Brentford.

Why is LSF's post rubbish?

He's giving his opinion. He doesn't have a crystal ball and neither do you buddy

For what it's worth and that's nowt, I can't predict where we will finish because for me it all depends on what happens in jan and against these other teams that are expected to finish up there.

We could finish in the top 6. We might finish way down. 2 defeats in 3 is not awe inspiring and if the club that you say who will finish below us, Charlton, wup our arses on Saturday, that'll be 3 defeats in 4 and that is anything but championship form


Just an opinion mind!

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

1st - Blades
2nd - Huddersfield
3rd - Pigs
4th - Charlton
5th - Preston
6th - MK Dons

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

1. Charlton
2. Sheffield United
3. Dunno
4. Dunno
5. Dunno
6. Dunno

 

[Kenilworth]

Charlton look too strong and I think they will have too much for us on Saturday (it'll be like the Huddersfield game) with Bradley Wright-Phillips giving our defense too much to handle.
I expect them to finish at the top since they will have little or no uncertainty in January around their squad - unlike us.

Not really sure Pigs will be consistent enough - their away form and Smegs negative tactics will still see them dropping too many points away from the Sty.

Hudds will push but they are prone to drawing games like kop balde states

Preston are the real one's to watch out for IMO.

I think it will be

1. Charlton
2. Preston

Followed by a group of teams including Hudders, Blades, Pigs, & County.

Brentford and Hartlepool have been picking up good wins as well so don't rule them out.

What worries me is that we are so profligate up front that we will dominate many games but concede a stupid goal and lose ground on the others as confidence drifts.

Eeyore is not the answer - we looked more dangerous when Tonne and Philliskirk were the attacking options on the bench

 

[kop_blade9]

Why is LSF's post rubbish?

Just an opinion mind!

imho

We have a couple of losses and suddenly all the doomsayers come out in force.
I still believe we will go up as champions.
I have not seen any team at the lane who has troubled us, I think we look a class above.
OK Huddersfield scored 3 but that game could have ended up 4-4.
We are not going to win every game. There will be a few more twists yet and yes I cannot read the future but I do believe
and get a little fed up of all the doomsayers on here

 

[Kenilworth]

We shall see after the next three games KB9.
Charlton (h)
Preston (a)
Pigs (h)

........will do a lot to define where the season goes for The Blades.
Fuck up and we will be chasing play offs. Prevail with between 6-9 points form these three and I will believe automatic promo is a feasible goal.

October is critical to the rest of the season.

 

[LSF]

imho

We have a couple of losses and suddenly all the doomsayers come out in force.

and get a little fed up of all the doomsayers on here

Doomsayers? I give us play offs and you label me a doomsayer? The mind boggles....

 

[alcoblade]

imho

We have a couple of losses and suddenly all the doomsayers come out in force.
I still believe we will go up as champions.
I have not seen any team at the lane who has troubled us, I think we look a class above.
OK Huddersfield scored 3 but that game could have ended up 4-4.
We are not going to win every game. There will be a few more twists yet and yes I cannot read the future but I do believe
and get a little fed up of all the doomsayers on here

So, despite being crushed 3 - 0 at home, we weren't even troubled?

Champions then no doubt. Wibble.



UTB

 

[Ollessendro]

Difficult to say LSF. I have changed my prediction from the start of the season and will no doubt change my mind again. All I can say is that I think the top 4 will be: Charlton, Preston, Huddersfield and AN other (possibly us). I think we'll be top 6 and that MK Dons, Hartlepool, Wednesday and Brentford will be play off contenders.

It will be interested and it will be a long, hard season. It's difficult to know if teams will have strenght in depth. I sit close to a Charlton fan at work and he does not rate them that highly and says they are a bit thin on the ground. He reckons a couple of key players get injured and their season is derailed. Huddersfield seem to have strength in depth and Preston have pretty much the same squad that came down (and a decent manager at third tier level). If I was pressed then I would say those two. But United will be up there and so will Charlton. Wednesday will be lucky to get in the play offs. Their home form might keep them up there, but they are not very good to be honest. I think there'll be a surprise play off team and that could be someone like Hartlepool, but it is too early to tell. Brentford were awful at Bramall Lane (though we played well and gave them little) but they are up there.

Ok, so after some rambling (though it is caveated with me saying it is too early) I am going to go for:

- Huddersfield
- Preston
- Charlton
- United
- MK Dons
- Hartlepool

(with Wednesday, Brentford and Scunthorpe pushing for play off spots but missing out)

 

[LSF]

Difficult to say LSF. I have changed my prediction from the start of the season and will no doubt change my mind again.
Wednesday will be lucky to get in the play offs. Their home form might keep them up there, but they are not very good to be honest. I think there'll be a surprise play off team and that could be someone like Hartlepool,
Ok, so after some rambling (though it is caveated with me saying it is too early) I am going to go for:

- Huddersfield
- Preston
- Charlton
- United
- MK Dons
- Hartlepool

(with Wednesday, Brentford and Scunthorpe pushing for play off spots but missing out)

Thanks Olle, some interesting points there.
There is so much water to flow under the bridge before we reach the conclusion, but usually after 10 games, a pattern has roughly emerged, so for us to be up there is a positive.
My opinion on Wednesday is based on their ability to go out and plug gaps as soon as they occur (Weaver out for a while so in comes a decent keeper in Bywater) and also Smeggo seems to have assembled a decent strike force for this level. Add to that a strong (on paper anyway) midfield choice and two big buggers at centre back and one could say the ingredients are all there. Lets see whether the ginger one can get them to gell, hopefully he can't, but they look ominous from where I'm sitting...

Others I wouldn't discount and will be dangerous opponents are Notts County, not sure if Hartlepool will last the course and Brentford's passive resistance at Bramall Lane led me to discount them, but maybe Rossler has some qualities in management that may keep them up there?

 

[Kopped]

Us and Charlton top 2

Then 4 from:
Pigs, Huddersfield, MK Dons, Notts County, Preston, Scunthorpe, Hartlepool and possibly Carlisle

 

[bramptonblade]

Blades top six!!!! another day at Wembley and this time it will be our day!

 

[MunXy]

pessimists on the whole, i predict we will have auto promotion by early april and clinched league by end of april.
who cares who finishes behind us

MunXy

More Meds Please Nurse....

 

[Toronto Blade]

We will find out on saturday how our chances look although it is still very early yet .

As for Charlton and the unclean they both looked poor when they played one another.

 

[stannyblade]

1st Blades and then after that who cares.

Think runners up will be Huddersfield or Charlton with the other finishing 3rd. Think the pigs will be in playoffs and hopefully they will be hammered in the final

 

[Revolution]

Champions - Charlton
Runners Up - Huddersfield
Play offs - Sheffield Wednesday
MK Dons
Preston
Brentford

We're going to finish 8th.

 

[TarquinDelouche]

I think towards the end of the season we're going to be pushing for a play off place, and make it with a couple of games to spare. We will then rise into 5th or possibly 4th.

You read it here first.

 

[cooperblade]

I don't think we'll know 'til the 1st of Feb! The transfer window is going to have a massive bearing on our season and our business during it is likely to be dictated by where we are in the league on December 31st.

Think the top 6 will be us, the pigs, Charlton, Huddersfield, PNE plus one other - i.e. no surprises whatsoever.

Not seen wednesday play yet but think megson will be a huge handicap for them and the turnover of players and reliance on loans stinks of us last season. They've spent a lot of money though and it would be a huge failure if they weren't in the play-off places at least.

My big worry is that this season is incredibly important to us as a club. It's difficult to see a way out for us if we don't go up this season. The financial fair play stuff that's coming in would mean we need to shed all of our top earners and we'd probably also have to cash in on the likes of Lowton and Maguire.

We either bounce straight back or spend a long time at this level in my opinion - no pressure.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Having seen a fair bit of this division now, I think United could easily go up as champions.

I would be very surprised to see them finish outside the top three.

Huddersfield apart (whom I believe were flattered by a 3-0 scoreline), we have looked relatively untroubled.

We arent a great side anyone can see that, but this division is poor and we dont have to be that good.

There will be days when we're beaten by a plucky underdog (like Wycombe). I dont read too much into it.

Most days we have more than enough to beat anyone in this league.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I think after 10 games we are still a work very much in progress. Still in transition style-wise, personnel-wise and tactics-wise. It will take at least half a season for all that to bed down and all concerned to feel comfortable and confident with it.

Personally I think we are a good bit in front of where I thought we'd be at this stage. There may well be the odd strange result and performance (Saturday for example) littered about the season. The key is whether all concerned continue with the transition after a bit of a poor run or panic sets in.

 

[davidpinder]

With Huddersfield being the only team we have played that should be up there i am still really unsure, our ability to cope again bad teams is encouraging (wycombe aside) but the way we were turned over by udders was disappointing and the next 3 games are massive. If we can get 6 points or more my prediction would be 1st or 2nd if we get as little as 2 points out of the next 3 i could see us even missing out on the playoffs or just sneaking in.

if we get 6 or more out of next 3 then...

1st SUFC
2nd Charlton
3rd Preston
4th Udders
5th Mk Wimbledon
6th ??????? (but i seriously don't think pigs because of there away form)

if we get as little as 2 points then

1st Charlton
2nd Preston
3rd Udders
4th mk Wimbledon
5th Sufc
6th ??????????

 

[Micalijo]

imho

We have a couple of losses and suddenly all the doomsayers come out in force.
I still believe we will go up as champions.
I have not seen any team at the lane who has troubled us, I think we look a class above.
OK Huddersfield scored 3 but that game could have ended up 4-4.
We are not going to win every game. There will be a few more twists yet and yes I cannot read the future but I do believe
and get a little fed up of all the doomsayers on here

You should get yer sen down to t'comedy club. I take it you didn't go to the Walsall game?

We have zero chance of top 2, 50% chance of top 6 and 50% chance of Wendy style collapse, imo.

 

[flash-blade]

4th below charlton hudds preston

 

[Sothall_Blade]

The financial fair play stuff that's coming in would mean we need to shed all of our top earners and we'd probably also have to cash in on the likes of Lowton and Maguire.

I don't agree that United would need to do this. Evans, Taylor, Simonsen, Williamson and Ertl’s contracts all expire in Summer 2012.
That's another 5 big earners off the wage bill, along with all those we sold/released/sent back this Summer.
We may not be able to sign any replacements of note so that's why we need to retain and nurture the Development/Acadamy players.
Don't forget our turnover is amongst the highest at this level and is unlikely to drop next season due to the 2-year deal for STH.
The Financial fair play rule should mean that we get to be a big fish in a small pond with a trimmed wage bill still higher than most of our rivals.

 

[norfolkblade]

I still think Preston will win the league personally, just quietly going about their business and winning games, they suddenly have 2 games in hand with a chance of going top should Charlton slip up in their game in hand.

As for 2nd spot I think it'll be between us, Charlton and the pigs.

 

[cooperblade]

I don't agree that United would need to do this. Evans, Taylor, Simonsen, Williamson and Ertl’s contracts all expire in Summer 2012.
That's another 5 big earners off the wage bill, along with all those we sold/released/sent back this Summer.
We may not be able to sign any replacements of note so that's why we need to retain and nurture the Development/Acadamy players.
Don't forget our turnover is amongst the highest at this level and is unlikely to drop next season due to the 2-year deal for STH.
The Financial fair play rule should mean that we get to be a big fish in a small pond with a trimmed wage bill still higher than most of our rivals.

Fair point, need was the wrong word to use.

Whichever way you look at it though, we're not going to have much left if we're in the same tier next season. Quinn and Montgomery won't be around for another season at this level.

I don't your confidence about turnover for next season. I think crowds would be down at least 10% on this season - the novelty factor will have gone (for home and away fans) and, in all likelihood, we'll have lost the belief that it could be a promotion season. Having said that, you're right that we'll still be a big fish, turnover-wise.

 

[bricktop]

10 games, 20 points.

Keep that up over the course of the season, then we will end up with 92 points which will take us up as Champions.

If we fail to go up this season, then it might not be a bad thing, given the squad we started the season with, and the need to build a new squad, and if we don't go up this year, i can see us being stronger next season.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

10 games, 20 points.

Keep that up over the course of the season, then we will end up with 92 points which will take us up as Champions.

If we fail to go up this season, then it might not be a bad thing, given the squad we started the season with, and the need to build a new squad, and if we don't go up this year, i can see us being stronger next season.

Totally on your wavelength here.

Agree with all of that.