I'd settle for that but do Watford have the right traditions and stadium capacity to go up? Good luck with that bet good sir! Bah!
I honestly don't care who else goes up as long as we do. I think Bournemouth will probably do it but a key injury or suspension could knock any of us off the rails (Bradley Johnson for example) - I think that had Chris Martin not been injured that Derby would be right in the mix as without him they have been pretty ordinary and were dreadful at Carrow Road. Out of all the clubs we could get in the play-offs they would worry me most even though we have outplayed them twice this season. Currently way too close to call - conceivably we and Watford could both win our last five and it would come down to goal difference. Any of the top four are potentially one slip away from missing out it is that tight. I still think our squad depth will carry us over the line in the top two but following Norwich is never that straightforward.
Five games, fifteen points. I think if we get 11 points and don't get autos from here we can consider ourselves unlucky.
This end of the season is hell a lot more exciting than last season, that's for sure. It's tight at the top as mentioned, but I think Bournemouth will be top and it's between us and Watford for 2nd place. Derby, Wolves, Middlesborough will make the play offs.
What about Swansea? Miles from anywhere, small ground, little to no history. Now they're a mainstay in the Premiere league, generally in the top half too. Seems a very close minded and conservative approach to football if you think ground size and catchment area means anything in terms of who should go up. It's about the football played in a season and nothing else. Any team that gets promoted deserves it (Other than QPR, maybe)!
A complete over reaction to what I was suggesting I suspect. I think it is lovely that smaller Clubs such as ourselves and Burnley etc get the chance to take on the big boys. Nobody is suggesting that the teams in the Premiership should be based on the size of the Club although this tends to happen naturally. The point I was making was that if the Club is too small then they are on a hiding to nothing particularly now the new financial rules have come in. I won't repeat all the points I made before to suggest why they cannot hope to compete but they remain valid. How, Cromer, will Bournemouth going up break the TV monopoly of the big Clubs? The only time you saw Blackpool on the TV when they went up was when they played one of the big Clubs and the same would apply to Bournemouth. The average Sky Sports watcher wants to see Man U v Chelsea not Burnley v Leicester - a simple fact of life. Who would Bournemouth going up be great for? The 5000 people who turned up at home games before this season - possibly as long as they are prepared for the potential consequences when they come down again. The extra people who turn up this year and next before disappearing again? - certainly. Can't think of anybody else. It is this ' romantic ' notion that I don't get. What is great or romantic about what has happened to Blackpool? It is like the FA Cup. Giantkilling is part of that competition and every round you hear people say ' wouldn't it be great if Newport beat Chelsea' or 'wouldn't it be great if Hartlepool beat Arsenal' As an occasional one-off it is great but if it happened all the time you could end up with two small Clubs in the final. Would you want to watch it ? I wouldn't!! Light the touchpaper and retire!!
What has happened to Blackpool and Wigan is due more to poor management than anything else in my opinion. You're ignoring those that have had success from going up. Swansea, us, Palace to an extent. I'm sure Burnely, who are a very well run club, will only benefit, even if they do go down this year. Southampton have a lot more history but they were down in the dumps with us and now look at them. It's the idea that these clubs CAN'T challenge and there for might aswell not even bother that I find strange. I'm sure there are plenty of people that are only interested in the "top" teams but there are just as many who enjoy football for the football, and a big part of that is when a "Small" team makes something of themselves. If that was discouraged the way you suggest I wouldn't want to watch football. It's already bad enough with the mainstay teams at the top. Bottom of the table clashes are far more entertaining to me.
I did read what you wrote and what I took from is you feel there's no point in small teams even trying to go up because they'll just fall in to disarray. I then offered you some teams that have done a fantastic job despite not being seen as worthy. Many on here have also claimed they'd rather watch small teams fighting against the odds. If I'm honest 1950, it feels like you are ignoring the responses and continuing on with your own opinion. You have every right to that but don't then say people are over reacting and not taking your words on board.
As I said - smaller Clubs can embrace the chance and benefit and prosper. Some Clubs are just too small to be able to do that in my opinion and, to me, Blackpool and Bournemouth come into that category. As always it is just a matter of opinion
It was your dismissive attitude earlier in the thread that irked me. Blackpool were a real enigma to be fair. No one in the world expected them to go up and they had a really exciting season. I'd advice you to read some stuff about Oyston, their chairman. He essentially screwed the club out of every penny they earned from their time in the Prem and put them in the sorry state they started the season in. Bournemouth do have a very small following, but then so did Wigan and they lasted a good while in the Prem. The cherries have a very nice style of football, similar to Swansea when they got promoted. I think they'll actually thrive in the Prem. I just feel there are far more instances of clubs benefiting from going up than there are of them failing. I will leave it at that and say it's a difference of opinions, even if I do think you're being overly negative.
This is a forum and all points of view are valid. Whilst it seems odd that Bournemouth get promoted with a following of around 5,000 (capacity of a mere 10,700), but as others have said, I have enjoyed seeing them actually trying to play football, as opposed to some teams who prefer the long ball approach.
I agree with all that you say Colk, but would add, if they were to make it to the PL, suddenly the disparity of income is much less significant. These days gate receipts make up a much smaller proportion of income to any PL club, with the Sky money able to change the fortunes of any club. Bournemouth would be no different to ourselves and many others who might expect to struggle or get relegated but would be in a great position to build with the ongoing funding. No matter what the size of club, it is possible to compete (By compete I don't mean for titles but, to stay in the PL) and thrive if well run. Bah!
Any team that does well enough throughout the season to finish in either of the first two places deserves promotion. To deny their fans, however many in number, the right to see their heroes play against the top teams is wrong. Within a few years it is likely that a Euro league will exist, so teams like Bournemouth will feel more comfortable on the big stage, with the big 5/6 not involved.
FFS read my original point!! All I did was query the line of thought that ' it would be a dream come true if Bournemouth go up ' I have never suggested that their fans should be denied the chance to visit the promised land. I never suggested that promotion should be based on ground capacity, tradition, average attendance etc etc rather than results. It is brilliant that smaller Clubs have a chance to play the big boys if only for one season and despite the fact that with the new financial rules in place it is more difficult to stay there. When we last went up we spent a lot of money to try and compete but failed after 2 seasons but it doesn't mean that we shouldn't have had the chance. All I said was that the smaller the Club the bigger the chance that a short term dream turns into a long term nightmare. Who benefited from the dream that was Blackpool? The owner who lined his pockets and the 5000 people who turned up for one season but have not been there before or since. What about the real fans? They enjoyed it at the time but now? The ones I saw last night outside the ground with their placards didn't look as if they were ' living the dream ' I expressed my opinion and I stand by what I said.
Nothing to do with the play-offs, but this league slider is pretty neat http://www.leagueslider.com/championship-2014-15
