With the season 5 days away, most clubs having shaped their squads etc, I thought now would be a good time to gather some of your predictions. After the questions, I'll have my answer given, so feel free just to quote the thread and change your answers Division Winners - Wigan Promotion - Reading and Watford Relegation - Blackpool, Yeovil and Sheff Weds (though I struggled to find 3 teams there ) Top Scorer - Jordan Rhodes or Adam Le Fondre Overachievers - Birmingham (got a lot of transfer business done early doors) Underachievers - QPR Prediction for CAFC - Going to go with a number which was discussed a lot last summer, 15th. CAFC's POTY - Chris Solly, depending on if we don't decide to cash in. Overall thoughts are that it does look a lot more competitive than last season. A lot of clubs who finished below us last season like Millwall, Barnsley, and Ipswich for example have gone about their transfer business in a shrewd manner and look stronger for it. Of the relegated teams, Reading are largely seen as a yo-yo club and I expect them and Wigan to both be around the top two for the large part of the season. QPR I anticipate to struggle, despite me thinking they will re-enter the transfer market and make some big money signings. This yearâs Blackburn? As for the promoted clubs - the pending £20million investment of Doncaster should see them build a squad capable of promotion, though I think they will have to wait another season before they start dreaming of the big time. Bournemouth haven't done as much in this window as I thought they would have - but they conducted a lot of business last January, both on the playing and staff side. I expect them to finish comfortably in mid table. As for Yeovil - they could be the surprise package or it could go as the bookies predict, a last place finish. A lot of sides won't fancy going down to Yeovil on a cold Tuesday night, and their home form will be key to whether they stay in this division.
Division Winner : Reading Promoted : Nottingham Forest / Bolton Wanderers Relegation : Millwall / Yeovil Town / Barnsley Top Scorer : Jordan Rhodes Overachievers : Doncaster Rovers Underachievers : Wigan Athletic Prediction for CAFC : 17th CAFC POTY : Johnnie Jackson Believe that Reading under the experience of Nigel Atkins will help them win the League... Wigan under Owen Coyle will struggle again for me (like how he did when Bolton came down the previous season) - QPR I just dont think their squad are Championship material and even though they do have class, you need grit as well. How Forest played against us last season will see them go up this time I think though it is so close to call up there, how they ended last season I can also see Bolton being very strong (Freedman isnt a bad manager and they've got the added firepower of Jermaine Beckford now). Dont think anyone is giving Yeovil a chance though I dont think they'll go down without a whimper, think this season could also be Barnsley's final hurrah before relegation even though they have got stronger I think it'll be second season syndrome for David Flitcroft, same goes for Steve Lomas at Millwall I believe he'll struggle getting used to this league. Doncaster with their £20m could be the team to watch out for (especially if they sign the likes of Given / Ireland and Sharp), though I wouldnt be surprised to see Brighton underachieve this season, what with bringing in a new manager who doesnt know this league (always feel that its the most important factor when tackling the Championship) As for us... Well we could struggle, we could be the overachievers (I just dont know) - I reckon though we'll just be safe again, though like last year its gonna be extremely tight between 6th and 22nd
Division winner: Nottingham Forest Promotion: Wigan, Watford Relegation: Millwall, Sheff Wed, Yeovil Top Scorer - Rhodes or Nugent or Austin CAFC - 10th CAFC POTY - Kermit/Hamer Forest will storm the league in my opinion the best side I saw all last season home and away brilliant manager and the squad enough to make it. Was gutted they didn't make the playoffs last season (although watching Leicester in my local against Watford in the 2nd leg was entertaining). QPR I can see pushing for the playoffs but failing, horribly run club up there with Blackburn in sides I'd want to see go down. Millwall, even with Mr Morison now in their ranks (fully expect him to score against us), will struggle in my view, many could say we over achieve and Kenny Jackett easily over achieved at Millwall and was surprised he wasnt snapped up by someone in that time. Yeovil, no chance have a soft spot and like Gary Johnson but if they dont finish bottom well played, but would love them to stay up. THE MASSIVE, kinda more wishful thinking rather than thinking they will go down, hate them with a passion no club deserves to be bigger than it is, we don't deserve to be prem, neither to wednesday, only way you deserve to be higher is if you get promoted. Rhodes, Austin and Nugent are my three favourite true strikers in the league, I love Kermit but he's an goal making striker rather than goal scoring, if we had a Nugent, Austin or a Rhodes next to Kermit we would storm the league. 10th, I'm a bit more optimistic than most of the fans here, we have a month until the window shuts and I'm sure we will fix our striker problem. Our back 4 is solid Solly, Morro, Cort, Dervite, Wood, Wiggins and Evina with Wilson and Morro both able to play RB we are fine and with a very capable keeper in Hamer and a decent back up in Button (wasn't impressed with Button what i saw). Kermit or Hamer POTY for us I think, Solly would only get it over them as he is home grown and no one likes goal keepers except for goal keepers themselves. Kermit will give his 100% all season whether he has a strike partner or he is on his own. Love Kermit nearest thing to a cult hero we have had since Mendonca. Hamer as I said no one likes goal keepers except for keepers so you can guess what I used to be
Division Winners - Watford Promotion - Reading and Treehuggers Relegation - Yeovil, Middlesborough and Charlton Top Scorer - the Watford guy Overachievers - Bournemouth (play offs) Underachievers - QPR (lower mid table) Prediction for CAFC - This season feels like Pardew's last season, so relegation but with more fight than Pardew's team. CAFC's POTY - Chris Solly will be sold by TJ in August...... so Hughes.
Division Winners: Reading Runners Up: Nottingham Forest Promoted: Bolton Wanders Relegation: Yeovil Town, Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town Overachievers: Charlton Athletic - Many will think that as we have not acquired much, that we're not going to do well. We have not lost or sold any of the important players, that I think we will build on last season and have a bit of a playoff heartbreak! Underachievers: Queens Park Rangers - I think that they will struggle with Championship Football, similarly with what we saw with Blackburn Rovers they failed to adapt. The fans will be expecting too much of the team, and whenever they go behind, they'll be on their backs. They'll finish a disappointing 10th. CAFC Predictions: We're going to surprise a few of the big teams, and we're going to make playoffs, though not good enough to win. We probably won't win a South London derby either (sorry! But given our track record....) POTY: Yann Kermorgrant or Johnnie Jackson
Division Winners: Reading Runners Up: Bolton Promoted: Millwall Relegation: Yeovil Town, Blackpool, Leeds Overachievers: Bournemouth - Eddie Howe seems to get the over-achieving every season. Underachievers: Leicester - Only won 2 of their last 17 games and suffered playoff heartache in spectaculat fashion against Watford. CAFC Predictions: Think you will struggle this season without added much to last season s team (especially at home again) and I agree - you won't win a South London derby AGAIN (did I ever tell you its the most one-sided derby in world football?) POTY: Don't care
Division Winners - Bolton Promotion - Wigan and Nottingham Forest Relegation - Yeovil, Barnsley and Blackpool Top Scorer - Jordan Rhodes Overachievers - Ipswich Underachievers - Most teams in the Championship underachieve, but in addition to the usual suspects (Leicester, Leeds e.t.c) I'll go for QPR Prediction for CAFC - 17th CAFC's POTY - Kermorgant Freedman really turned Bolton around last season, and I can see them not romping away with the league but just pipping Wigan and Forest to the title. We saw how good Forest can be on their day last season and the Billy Davies factor should not be underestimated. Wigan shouldn't really have gone down in my book, and although they have lost players should be able to outpass most other teams in this division - plus more of their supporters will go to away games as they'll be visiting new grounds, so the psychological effect should help them. Yeovil is fairly obvious. I'd be delighted if they could stay up, but the days of minnows being able to hold their own in this division (think of Stockport, Gillingham, Rotherham e.t.c) are over. Barnsley's luck surely has to run out sooner or later, and their lack of financial muscle will tell. Blackpool have stagnated since reaching the play-off final in 2012 and I'm not convinced Paul Ince is a good manger at all. Particularly if they lose Tom Ince, I can't see where there going to get their goals from. Like Bolton, Ipswich were resurgent in the second half of last season and I can see them making the play-offs, though under McCarthy it won't be pretty. I can only see QPR's season going two ways, either total success or almost complete failure, and with their bloated squad full of big names they are the likeliest candidates to be this season's Blackburn, who seem to have got their house in order a little bit and who should be a bit stronger. As for us, without another striker (as much as I am excited by Pigott) we are really going to struggle. As much as Yann appears indestructible, we can't ask him to play every minute of every game, particularly if we do go with a 4-5-1 formation. I'm happy with our defence and goalkeeper (signing Wood was a good idea, as Cort will be 34 in September), and I think we have enough options in midfield to cover injuries. Harriott will only get better. But without a goalscoring forward we don't stand much of a chance. I think we have enough to avoid the drop, but it won't be comfortable.
Think us lions will surprise a few this season,got a stronger squad than last with experience and international players...... Prom reading.... Wigan.... Qpr Relegation ..Charlton ....Doncaster ... Barnsley
if something doesnt happen to sort our money situation i can see us near the bottom of the league. you'd hope SCP was wise enough to have a B team almost for games that we have no chance in so that the first team are fully fit for the games we could win.
1st: Bolton Wanderers 2nd: Ipswich Town Playoffs: Reading, Udinese, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest Promoted: Blackburn Rovers Top Scorer: Adam Le Fondre Overachievers: Wigan Athletic Underachievers: Bournemouth Relegated: Blackpool, Burnley, and... let's go with Sheffield Wednesday Charlton Athletic finishing position: 20th Charlton Athletic POTY: Yann Kermorgant
I would see competing in a major European competition as a fantastic achievement for a club like Wigan (or Charlton).
Yes, that's why Chelsea were the first English club in about a decade (I think?) to win it. Maybe Wigan can compete in the JPT next season
Division Winners - Nottingham Forest Promotion - Reading and Watford Relegation - Doncaster, Yeovil and Huddersfield Overachievers - Barnsley for staying up and Ipswich could surprise a few Underachievers - Leicester and QPR (though no-one seems too confident about them anyway) Prediction for CAFC - 19th. If someone buys us a proper CF (not Church or Sordell), and a proper defensive MF (not Gower), then could be as high as last year. If we sell Solly or Wiggins, lucky to stay up. CAFC's POTY - Chris Solly
Winners: Bolton Promotion:Forest;Bournemouth Relegation:Yeovil, QPR, Barnsley Overachievers: Doncaster to stay up Underachievers:Blackburn Position for CAFC: 7th CAFC's POTY: Chris Solly.
Not a question of being "wise" enough. It is a question of being rich enough and we are not. In any case your strategy is quite inappropriate for Charlton. In the Championship we nearly always play better and get as many, if not more, points against the stronger clubs where we look to have little chance. Our only points this season have come against Leicester (3), Watford and Forest. Had we played a "B" team against them we might have no points at all. Certainly at this stage of the season I don't think tiredness is any excuse, especially as some of the teams we are playing are still involved in the League Cup. The problem is finding our best team and formation. Despite our good showing against Forest I don't think we are any nearer to doing that. The team showed five changes from the one that started against Leicester, and four from the one that started against Watford and we played 4-5-1 against those two clubs which seemed to work well.
