10 points per month

[dingledog]

10 points per month from now should be enough for promotion. I'm starting to dream!

 

[Ollessendro]

From the evidence so far I think we are definately one of the top 6 teams. I would even go as far as saying top 4. However I am not sure where we stand in that top 4. I think Huddersfield are the stand out candidates and they will win the league. Then the fight for 2nd will be between the Blades, MK Dons and Charlton. I was talking to a mate of mine on Saturday and he rates all the 3 afore mentioned as better than us. This is my mate who makes a living out of gambling on football that I have posted about before (many will remmeber the debate I had with Darren) and I respect his footballing opinion. I think that MK Dons might be a bit thin on the ground. Their first team is good, but they don't have the strength in depth that say Huddersfield have. A lot of it will come down to luck and keeping players fit. I genuinly think we have a good chance of automatic promotion if we can keep key players fit. The strikers will play a key role, McDonald will be a massive asset if he stays fit, Quinn has proven himself to be one of the best in the division and we cannot afford an injury/suspension at centre half.

I am not getting carried away yet. The games against MK Dons, Charlton and Wednesday (all at home) will give us an idea of where we asre likely to be. It's a long hard season, but I have every faith that we will beat the veast majority of this league at Bramall Lane. If we continue to grind out results away from home (keeping up this 10 points a month as DD says) then you never know.

 

[Bladesway]

Too early to say where we are at. Theres always someone comes through the pack, theres always the surprise package who go off like a train but blow up at Christmas and then theres always the team that really is too good to be in that division. Which one are we? Ask me at Christmas when we have played everyone. I don't actually think the games at home against the bigger teams will tell us where we are, if we lose them all and win every other game we could/should walk the league. You beat whats in front of you then move on to the next one. Outside of the Pork at home (which we must win for other reasons) its about collecting the points and nothing more or less. 3 at home and one away would mean promotion.

 

[Selly]

As things stand we have more points from the games we have played than Brighton (19 points) and Southampton (14-15 points) managed last season.

(Substituting Promoted Teams for Relegated Teams at the top and Vice versa at the bottom)

---------- Post added at 09:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 AM ----------

I think Huddersfield are the stand out candidates and they will win the league.

We'll know a lot more about Huddersfield when and if they lose a game or two. If they bounce back strongly they will probably win the league.

Having said that, they do seem to draw a lot of games, which may be their undoing...

 

[Darren]

As things stand we have more points from the games we have played than Brighton (19 points) and Southampton (14-15 points) managed last season.

(Substituting Promoted Teams for Relegated Teams at the top and Vice versa at the bottom)

We have less points now then we had the last time we were promoted from the 3rd Division 1988-89 - we had won 7 and lost 2 in our first 9 games that season.

Random fact though - on the two previous occasions were promoted from the 3rd Division - 88-89 and 83-84 my birthday fell on a Saturday. It does this season as well....

 

[beechblade]

We can only get a maxium of 9 in November.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

There comes a point when long unbeaten runs (even those where you disregard a spanking in a final) start to have a negative effect and trying to win games gets replaced by not losing games just to keep the run going. Huddersfield might fall into that.

Charlton seem fairly solid and have a decent sized squad, MK Dons look light on numbers and The Baconites seem to be prone to serious bouts of fragility especially away from home (here's hoping ).

Bit too early to make definite pronouncements on how it will shape up, though. There is still time for all of the above to change and somebody else to emerge and mount a challenge.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

We are averaging just over 2.2 points per game as it stands.

Rounding it up, if we kept going at the same rate all season we would finish with 102 points.

Of course we all know that it would be very difficult to maintain this form all season.

Not ruling it out though, there are only four decent sides in this division in my opinion.

 

[Selly]

We are averaging just over 2.2 points per game as it stands.

Rounding it up, if we kept going at the same rate all season we would finish with 102 points.

Of course we all know that it would be very difficult to maintain this form all season.

Not ruling it out though, there are only four decent sides in this division in my opinion.

October will go a long way to telling us where we are likely to end up IMO.

Charlton, Preston, Pigs, LO, Franchise FC and Exeter. 6 games.

Come out of those with 12 points, and we are well set for a promotion push...

 

[Bristol Blade]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Preston as possibilities for promotion. If they win both their games in hand they'll go above us, and I quite rate Brown as a manager at this level.

 

[Houso]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Preston as possibilities for promotion. If they win both their games in hand they'll go above us, and I quite rate Brown as a manager at this level.

Yeah, I'd go with that. I actually think MK Dons will drop off and the race for auto promotion will be contested by: Charlton, Huddersfield, Us, Preston and if they sort out their defence, the Pigs. There'll probably be a team who make a late rush for it too with maybe Scunny being that team.

---------- Post added at 10:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 AM ----------

October will go a long way to telling us where we are likely to end up IMO.

Charlton, Preston, Pigs, LO, Franchise FC and Exeter. 6 games.

Come out of those with 12 points, and we are well set for a promotion push...

9 or 10 points from that lot would be acceptable for me. Although, 3 of us have to come from our game against the pigs.

 

[beightonblade]

The biggest bet that came in for me was a wager on us getting relegated when we were 10 points safe in the Premiership.....never normally bet on the Blades ...they always let yer down.....and that bet was one i wud have liked not to collect.

 

[1973_Blade]

I think the strength in depth will be the key - who has got the best squad? I don't know enough about the others around us, but hopefully our squad will only get better with the return of our injured players and further development of the younger players. That is until we have to fight off bids for Maguire, Lowton, Quinn, Evans etc in Jan.

 

[kop_blade9]

Have you not seen the light yet?
We are going up as champions
Get used to it

 

[stannyblade]

Other than taking their chances I didnt feel Huddersfield were any better than us. Add to the fact they beat us yet we are still 3 points clear of them sort of proves to me all we have to worry about is ourselves

 

[mattbianco1]

If we get 7 points from Charlton, MK & Weds we will finish top 2.

There, i've said it

 

[Kenilworth]

If we get 7 points from Charlton, MK & Weds we will finish top 2.

Quire clearly Matt you are obsessed with "top two"

 

[oldblade]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Preston as possibilities for promotion. If they win both their games in hand they'll go above us, and I quite rate Brown as a manager at this level.

I agree. I view them as being just as likely to win the division as Huddersfield.