Only 3 play off spots ?

[mattbianco1]

Watching Swansea v the dirties. They are a good team, they are digging in and are clinical in front of goal. They're still unbeaten too and will go 2nd if they win tonight.

Many wrote them off this season but they have proved us all wrong so far.

Looking at the other 2 relegated clubs, you would expect both Stoke and WBA to finish in the top 6, so does that leave 10 or so teams fighting for just 3 places?

This season, the league feels much stronger than last after only 4 games.

 

[HydeParkBlade]

I reckon the top 6 (in no particular order) will be Boro, Brentford, Swans, Leeds, Stoke and WBA

 

[Birdwell Blade]

I reckon the top 6 (in no particular order) will be Boro, Brentford, Swans, Leeds, Stoke and WBA

I’m not sold on Leeds yet (not just because they’re getting beat tonight). They’ve started like this before and hit huge slumps. Think you could be bang on though.

 

[Topplayersleave]

The relegated teams will be there or thereabouts, so will Middlesboro and Villa.
It will be a tough ask to be in the top six this year

 

[Bruce Wayne]

With the right striker we will be top 6 for sure, Saturday showed signs of it coming together again.

 

[mattbianco1]

With the right striker we will be top 6 for sure, Saturday showed signs of it coming together again.

Hope you're right...

So, who are the other 2 places then?

 

[Birdwell Blade]

With the right striker we will be top 6 for sure, Saturday showed signs of it coming together again.

Again I hope you’re right but as said above it’s a big ask this year.

The one thing we do need to maintain and have on our side is the togetherness of the side. That counts for a lot and is what helps us compete with the big spenders.

 

[snootyfenooty]

Nah, it will level itself out over 46 games with one or two surprises up there, as per usual. There might be one runaway at the top but I'll bet it won't be one of the favourites.

 

[Eric Cartman]

Unimpressed by Stoke.

WBA and Swansea should be there or thereabouts.

Villa and Boro should be.

Brentford might be.

Then you’ve got Leeds.

 

[wavy-blade]

Just watched it too both teams are very good teams , there's no doubt the top end of the league is a lot better / harder than it was last season , I think we will do well to be in the top half of the league this season .

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Hope you're right...

So, who are the other 2 places then?

I don't often win my bets but I'd go for Rotherham & QPR.

 

[wizadry]

I think we can build a head of steam and mount a challenge for the playoffs, there’s nothing to suggest otherwise.

This league is still the same as last season bar a few teams. We’ve lost Brooks, Donaldson and Blackman but we’ve brought in Henderson, Egan, Norwood and McGoldrick. We have Freeman back available and Coutts back in a few weeks or so, we are definitely stronger but we could definitely do with another striker.

Other teams will have brought players in but they’ll have also weakened, i fancy us to have a real pop at the playoffs and I’m certain Wilder will do everything he can to give us the best chance possible to achieve the playoffs as a minimum.

 

[tomtheblade]

Leeds, Boro, Swansea all very solid shouts for the top 6

WBA as well, but also get the impression they may lack consistency.

Stoke, Villa and Brentford should also challenge, but none of them are a sure bet.

It's a tough division. Last season was unusual in that all 3 of the relegated teams were suprisingly poor, and 2 of the 3 promoted sides were strong.

Fine margins make a huge difference. Our 6 points have come from a slightly dubious penalty and an injury time winner. On the other hand we have definitely strengthened overall, and have reason to be optimistic.

 

[Ricky]

I find it very hard to see us finishing above 8th.

Stoke, West Brom, Boro, Leeds, Villa, Brentford and Swansea all look too far ahead of us.

Then there's Forest and Derby who are a little less predictable.

We'll do well to finish 10th again.

 

[KoppedOff]

West Brom will be top 2, personally think they’ll win it.

Brentford I fancy as a cheeky bet to nick 2nd place. If not, top 6.

Middlesborough will finish anywhere between 1st and 5th.

Stoke will be in the mix. All they need to do is stay within punching distance until January, then they’ll spunk millions at it and kick on.

Villa, like Stoke will just buy their way into the top 6 come January. Whether Bruce lasts that long is entitely another story.

Leeds could last the dstance, but I cant help feeling the wheels will drop off again, they’ll be fall-outs and this new manager will be gone by November, allowing them to settle into their usual mid-table mediocrity.

Swansea will have a good go, might nick 6th but think they’ll just miss out.

Blades: heart says contenders for 6th- head says 10th.

Pigs- Steve McLarens Sheffield Wednesday will battle to a heroic 5-0 loss to whomever they play on the last day to beat Steve McLarens former QPR to the coveted 23rd place.

 

[snootyfenooty]

Worrying to see that the Brentforditis epidemic is still rampant. I'll bet anyone they don't finish top eight.

 

[FinchleyBlade]

Think people are being widely over ambitious and optimistic talking about the play offs. Mid-table is more likely with our squad and top 10 again would be a brilliant season.

 

[beatific blade]

I think if we finish 10th this season it will be just as impressive as our 10th place finish last season.

And I would be very, very happy with that. As I was last season. On our budget it would be another minor miracle.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Watching Swansea v the dirties. They are a good team, they are digging in and are clinical in front of goal. They're still unbeaten too and will go 2nd if they win tonight.

Many wrote them off this season but they have proved us all wrong so far.

Looking at the other 2 relegated clubs, you would expect both Stoke and WBA to finish in the top 6, so does that leave 10 or so teams fighting for just 3 places?

This season, the league feels much stronger than last after only 4 games.

Too early to tell. I think Leeds and Boro will be there or thereabouts, the rest... I’m really not sure.

I also think there’s too much made about a division being stronger one season than another. I keep hearing this on RS this season about L1 being poor. At the end of the day, the same number of teams are competing. There will be the same number of promotion and relegation slots.

Each year teams drop down into the Championship with much greater financial clout than those already there. But it doesn’t always mean they will automatically go back up, it’s an advantage for sure, but other things come into play.

20 games in we’ll have a much better idea.

 

[Topplayersleave]

I like the difference between our top 6 and a Wendy fan's top 6
Ours naming a number of clubs that are likely to be in there plus a couple that might be surprise packages

And the deluded ones would look something like this

1 SWFC
2 SWFC
3 SWFC
4 SWFC
5 SWFC
6 SWFC

24 SHEFFIELD UNITED

 

[bromtom]

I watched Derby v Ipswich tonight (mistake) and based on that shit I'd be surprised if Derby will be challenging. Shocking, I know that they won but they were absolutely appalling and only won because of a deflection and the Ipswich GK. There's always a chance that they'll sack Lampard and see an improvement though.

Swansea were tripe against Brum too the other day, so it's all up in the air.

The only consistently good team are Leeds for me, but Swansea who have looked so so held them after leading twice.

Boro have a free 3 points courtesy of us so I'm saying that's not entirely indicative of how it's going to go.

Let's see after 15 games.

 

[8lade]

West Brom and Middlesboro. Swansea, Villa (seem to have kept their team together) 2 places up for grabs.
Stoke are shite, Leeds will fall away.
WE have a good shout once this almost over the line striker turns up, if he turns up.

 

[SUFC Guy]

All well and good you all predicting teams that will finish in the top 6 but you've all forgotten about HMS piss the league. Surely they're guaranteed a top 4 finish - they said so themselves

Wouldn't let you lot fill my coupon in

 

[Pinchy]

All very interesting but nothing more than speculation. I’ve had a word with football and it asked me if I’d learned nothing in the last 55 years. It went on to say I was a very silly sausage to jump to firm conclusions after four games. So I won’t.

The answer to the original proposition is that there is all to play for and nothing is settled in August.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Far too early to make predictions. I do think the top end of the League is better this year whilst there is some utter crud at the bottom. I think United are one or two players away from being as good as anyone, so I wouldn't rule anything out for us. Remarkable progress given budget restrictions, and the financial power of the parachute teams.

 

[tomtheblade]

The exciting thing about watching us is that I genuinely think we're pretty unpredictable ( despite so many pundits basically describing us as a solid, no-nonsense mid-table championship team). The first half of last season it seemed like the sky was the limit, and it may well have been had we had a little more luck on the injury front. No reason why we can't build up a head of steam and get into the playoffs, but equally I wouldn't be surprised if the quality individuals many teams have in this league shine through over the course of the season and we find we can't push past lower mid table.

 

[3-GBlade]

The Chancer has spoken. They will be promoted. Its shit or bust and they cant possibly do shit can they?

 

[SwissBlade]

I’m not sold on Leeds yet (not just because they’re getting beat tonight). They’ve started like this before and hit huge slumps. Think you could be bang on though.

I agree on Leeds. 4 games is not enough to put a proper marker down. There is always one side that starts really well and then can't maintain it.

Leeds have a very good coach with an excellent reputation, so its not a surprise to see them up there, but I think by October Leeds will be finding their real position.

 

[SwissBlade]

Think people are being widely over ambitious and optimistic talking about the play offs. Mid-table is more likely with our squad and top 10 again would be a brilliant season.

Agreed, I think the way that we have restrengthened our squad reflects top 10. We'd punched above our weight last season, not because the run at the start was lucky, but because we didn't have the squad to carry it on.

The way we have strengthened shows intent to maintain that position and possibly reach 6th. However, the gap from 6th to 1st is probably a long way off, especially without a 30 goal striker or more goals throughout the team.

 

[grafikhaus]

After four games it's all a bit early to make predictions but it's obvious that teams who get parachute payments and/or have very wealthy owners will be favourites to rejoin the PL ('Promised Land' - just ask Huddersfield...) It's the way the system has been set up. Plucky little battlers like us and Preston might be allowed a sniff of the play-offs but the juggernaut (and dodgy refereeing decisions) will put them in their place.

At the moment, I'm not too bothered as the memory of six years in Division One is still fresh and have no wish to see us in the ridiculously-overrated PL. The Championship is where it's at.