I like to mess about with spreadsheets and try to work out how teams are actually doing. I enter results based on each team's current form and other bits and pieces as takes my fancy. Anyway, according to my not very scientific schedules, the top six teams up to now are: Norwich (currently 5th) Sheffield United (2nd) Burnley (1st) QPR (7th) Watford (4th) Sunderland (15th) (Not fiddled this. It's just how it dropped out) The top three are a bit ahead of the next three. The bottom six are: Cardiff (19th) Wigan (22nd) Bristol City (18th) Blackpool (23rd) Hull (20th) Rotherham (16th) The bottom three are some way behind the rest. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season pans out and whether we can actually get up to the playoffs. Roll on December.
Know what you mean Rooch as I've never thought reality would see us top six this season, but if we made 7th and missed out by a midgies I'd be gutted, strange people us footy fans.
I was thinking more being 9th or 10th and then jumping to 7th last match to give us a good platform for next season.
I’ll be happy with anywhere from 7th to 16th!! No end of season drama bottom end and not the play offs. We are in no position to get promoted as I think it’ll be detrimental to what we’re building personally
Why do you think it will be detrimental? What's the nightmare scenario of being promoted that you envisage?
Because the aim is to do as well as possible and be sustainable. The Premier League is higher than where we are and the money is a lot more than what we have. So what's the downside that affects the whole plan?
Why would they get crushed weekly? If they're good enough to get promoted, then they need a test at a higher level. We'll also have funds to supplement our current squad with more talent. If we finish 7th this season, Stewart, Cirkin and Clarke will likely be gone. Possibly we'll have trouble keeping Patterson, Ballard, Neil and Alese too. Is that a better scenario?
They would. They struggle at times against rubbish down here. Burnley, Cardiff andNorwich all knew exactly how to beat us. If we went up I think we’d finish bottom next season. And not close. I think we’d struggle to get 20 points. if we lose Cirkin (which, if spurs still have full back problems, is a probability anyway), Clarke, Stewart (again likely before that), then the club can reinvest the profit we will undoubtedly make to improve. too much too soon will be detrimental to the youngsters. Maybe not the senior players, but the youngsters will end up worse for it. IMO As for “supplementing the current squad”. Forest have just done that. Seems to have worked wonders
It's a valid opinion. We're dealing in hypotheticals as this team as it stands isn't good enough to get promoted - If they were to get promoted though it would mean that they'd adapted, improved and would no longer be struggling at this level.
I look it as a boxer Bering told he’s going to fight Mike Tyson in his next 38 fights and thinking Ooh this is going to be fun.
Yeah, but if you're scared to get into the ring with Mike Tyson, don't become a boxer. Even if we go up 3 years from now we'll get hammered at times. We'll be relegated multiple times and go back up again. No point in fearing it, it's all about character. I guarantee 90% of our players aren't hoping for extra years down here. They want to fight Tyson.
I'd love to know the algorithms used here because I think based off what I've seen we aren't in the top 6 in terms of best teams in this division. We have the potential to be, and on our day we definitely are, but my opinion is we aren't there often enough yet.
And I'd both much rather we finished 6th than 7th, and much rather we got promoted than didn't, whilst simultaneously thinking promotion this year wouldn't be a good thing long term. Because we'd always have the hope that it WOULD be a good thing long term. thats what being a football fan is all about.
