Evening.
Apologies for butting in. But was Reading this forum as a Millwall fan with a soft spot for the Blades - due to living in Norton Lees for a few years with an ex who's moved to Sheffield for Uni.
Anyways, as the League One line up is now all sorted it's always interesting to look to the new season.
I've read some of the doom and gloom on here, and am a bit surprised. As I would have you lot down as favourites. Not just because you're the 'biggest' club, but because you've got a good side that only needs a bit of tweeking.
Looking from the outside I'd assume the other runners and riders would be Bradford City, Fleetwood, Barnsley, Doncaster Rovers, and probably Swindon again; once they've eventually recovered from today...plus throw in a surprise, as well as one or two of the promoted sides.
Is that about right? Maybe Coventry City might do something? I've heard Wigan are in disarray behind the scenes...but they could also be a big threat. Blackpool...i think will be grateful to stay up!
As for us; well there's an amazing amount of optimism around SE16, considering we've been relegated, but I think there's a number of factors behind that...
One, we're just glad to be rid of Holloway, as well as the sicknotes, wage thieves and plan old donkeys.
Two, Harris will always have a lot of good will around Bermondsey and its environs.
And three, when we usually get relegated it's because we are in some kind of huge mess - be it trying to pay off building a new stadium as the economy crashes, a huge riot means we lose all our sponsors, best players and have to make games all ticket and pay the police £1m a season, or we are caught in a power play between property developers trying to cash in on our inner city London location just a mile and a half from Canary Wharf...
This time at least we went down just because the players weren't quite up to it, and the manager had lost the plot. For us that's a nice change.
Not that any Millwall fan is thinking we will storm this division at all. Just that it's nice that for once on relegation to this division we've got a decent and relatively wealthy chairman who puts money in, and is committed to the football side, a popular manager, a decent crop of kids coming through, and the foundation of a decent L1 team already in place, with no need to sell.
It usually takes us 4 to 5 seasons to get out if this division if you look at history. But, as said they've been from far worst starting positions than this time.
Therefore, I would be hopeful of making a good go at making the Play-offs next season. Not saying that will happen, nothing is certain in football, but it's a fair enough aim, considering our budget will be in the top 3 in the division.
As for Sheffield United, I think you'll clinch an automatic place. You're only problem is still being seen as the division's 'Cup Final'...especially with the amount of northern sides in the division.
That's why we've always done well at this level & bounced backed relatively quickly every time - we're not glamorous enough to be anyone's 'Cup Final', bar the odd localish small club like Gillingham...but we are big enough to attract decent players at this level, while having the confidence we can beat anybody, but without any big club weight of history pressure to beat everyone.
To Millwall League One is like a short prison sentence for a career criminal - an unavoidable part of life, but quickly forgotten and relatively easy to do.
As an aside I found one poster's comparison of us to Leyton Orient interesting. They've not played above the Third Tier for over 30 years! Indeed according to this link we are a lower midtable Championship side over the last 50 years, whereas they are a lower midtable League One side:
http://www1.skysports.com/football/...enal-everton-and-tottenham-in-ultimate-league
Plus, although not in Sheffield United's league Millwall regularly sell 6,000 season tickets, which is more than Orient have averaged altogether in about 30 years...and if we are top 3/4 next season we'll average around 12,000...im not even sure Orient could give 12,000 tickets away anymore! Millwall took 49,500 to a JPT Final v Wigan bloody Athletic...and no floating, middle class London football fans choose us for a nice family day out...Orient took 20,000 odd for a Play-Off, with lots of friendly Spurs & West Ham fans!
I mean we are under no illusions that we are a big club...but sodding Leyton Orient!!
Anyways, good luck for the season - my ideal scenario would be a Millwall & Blades 1,2.
) but we are here because we are a fucking mental case and no one wants to let us out. We keep self harming and bashing our head against the cell walls and when we get in front of he parole board (play offs) we cover ourselves in feaces and do our best to get out of it.
