Last seven games look tough (with the exception of Yeovil) they are teams who will be going for auto's or play off places!
I thought that. Though if it's anything like last season those are the teams where we will pick points up from.
So did I - if we're in with a shout of the play-offs or looking nervously over our shoulders, that's a tough run-in.
I must be the only one who thinks Blackpool are more likely to be leaving in the other direction. Have Sheff Weds done anything in the transfer market? Though for obvious reasons they'll look at us in the same way. End of March looks like a tempting trip back to the Midlands for me. Can't believe Bournemouth away is on a Saturday in August. I thought London teams were banned from away Saturdays on the south coast after Leeds' antics down there. We've got all the 'resorts' on (possibly) sunny Saturdays. Tempting.
Does anyone know when Sky(/BT?) announce their first set of fixtures? I guess they will probably focus on Wolves again this season...
There's a reasonable chance the game will be moved to the Friday night if what IA says about London clubs not being allowed Saturday away days on the South Coast is true - it looks an interesting game from Sky's point of view (unless they focus on the teams relegated from the PL) and the police would prefer it.
Thanks. In my mind Birmingham and Cardiff would have similar restrictions. My understanding was that while Leeds were the 'instigators', the same scenario could happen with any London club on the south coast in the summer, so the risk was minimised by keeping those matches to midweek or the winter. Sure enough Millwall are away to Brighton on a Saturday in August, so maybe I had that completely wrong, or else the police feel that a sunny day makes the job bearable for keeping Millwall fans away from other Millwall fans. Burnley v Bolton has got to be the pick of the first round for TV, although Bournemouth would make a decent story. Looks like it'll cost me at least £300 to get to Bournemouth, never mind the ticket/hotel, so I think I'll skip that one.
This is how I see our first eight matches: Bournemouth (a) 3 pts They will still be adjusting to this level. Arter will battle hard. Maybe get a red. Middlesboro (h) 3 pts They are still wondering why they fell apart after a great start last season. Low morale and rebuilding to be done. Mowbray, a manager I used to admire, is showing signs he cannot handle the pressure. Barnsley (a) 3 pts It won't be 0-6 again, but 1-2 will suit me. Doncaster (h) 3 pts Second easiest three points of the season. Relegation favorites. Leicester (h) 3 pts This one more difficult. Could be a draw but I think the boys will dig deep for the Doctor (especially our 3 Million Man). Watford (a) 3 pts Club in disarray with a new team. May have lost three suspended for diving by then and they will pick up another red in this game. And psychologically they will fold again. They don't like it up 'em. Huddersfield (a) 3 pts Given a midweek game and a long trip I would settle for a point but I think the Good Doctor will give a couple of youngsters a run and they will surprise the 'Udders. 1-2 (Smith and Pigott) Millwall (h) 3 pts We are the better side and they will miss Jackett. Long overdue to give them a thrashing. They could pick up a couple of reds in this match too. 5-1. You get the idea. Rinse and repeat for the next eight matches. Mind you, I am not naive enough to think we won't have a bad patch. My guess is that it will come on March 1st when we drop a point away to Leicester.
I live in Bournemouth and they tend to restrict certain teams from coming down on bank holiday weekends, normal weekends they do not seem to worry too much about. Anyway chances are it will be awful weather anyway. Also I will be supporting Charlton in the hopefully new away stand (probably temporary) at Dean Court.
Eddie- this assessment reminds me of the legendary Scottish manager Ally Mcleod, of whose Army I was once a member. He was always supremely confident , for example his Scottish team did a lap of honour in an open-topped bus round Hampden Park to celebrate winning the 1978 World Cup before flying out there to humiliation. He was just the same as a club manager. Before the first game he would go through the fixture list dismissing the opponents one at a time and predicting 3 points for every game. He ended up running a pub in my home town of Kilmarnock, but I presume you'd rather be where you are? I think I'll save my predictions until I see what strike force we have.
'when asked what he would do after the World Cup, his reply was “Retain it.” ' http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0002/print.shtml
Billy, I would have thought you of all people would be doing cartwheels of joy if our strikeforce comprises Kermorgant, Smith, Pigott, Azeez and Harriott (and, yes, I do consider Harriott to be a sort of striker, not a midfielder). I posted the foregoing before reading this: http://www.not606.com/showthread.ph...(at-present)?p=4903764&viewfull=1#post4903764
Absolutely ghastly reading. I have to say we had a fantastic holiday in Argentina though, still went to the opening game , the final and the play-off for 3rd place, which I think Brazil won 4-3. The Scotland fans had plenty of pesetas to pay for the travel during the second fortnight, which ended up being spent in Buenos Aires, so you can guess where the pesetas went.
