Just looked at the fixture list, and September looks like another difficult month. A need-to-win against Rotherham, because what follows is like a whose-who of the top 4 contenders outside of Norwich, Newcastle and Villa. Wednesday, Derby, Fulham and a resurgent Leeds Utd all await us, and its men-from-the-boys time. At least there will be no excuses about "how far we've come" etc. The next month will blow away the gloss and determine wether we are in the shake-up or just coasting along mid-table and preparing for next season. Hang on to yer hats
Some testing times coming up that's for sure, and will be a good barometer in terms of who we've brought in, and how long they might take to fully integrate into the team. Rotherham away - We need to improve on the beating we got there last season. Not an easy place to go despite their league position. Sheffield Wednesday away - Will be difficult to get anything here too. Derby County home - They surely have to start winning soon. Let's hope this isn't the one that jumpstarts their season Fulham away - Team bang in form and scoring goals for fun. Can't see us getting anything there. Leeds United home - We might need to win this one if the previous 4 fixtures don't bring many points.
As we have been saying for years this division is becoming harder by the minute and unless you have done your homework, and put all the pieces together correctly, then you risk a struggle. Without the luxury of parachute payments I thought we would always be a team to encounter difficulties competing in the player department, but if you can find some gems that have flown below the radar of other clubs then you might be able to achieve limited success. Getting close to the top of the heap in the Championship will get more difficult with each passing year and if you fail to attract the class of player, and create a strong team philosophy, which are needed to succeed in your early days in the division then it is likely you will struggle over successive seasons. With the more active transfer window this season I know we have all wondered what would be the results, and now the opportunity to really evaluate our competitiveness is upon us. We have been craving for years to have this class of competition to prove that we are not just mere minnows from down in the West Country but a team to reckon with. If we ever wanted to prove to ourselves and the rest of the country that we belong here then now, over the next few weeks, is our proving ground. We don't want to survive up here by beating up on the lesser teams and succumbing to the contenders, but rather by proving that we can, and will, compete with anyone who messes with us, so bring it on!
15 up for grabs ... 5 is the absolute minimum so 2 losses expected.... for the rest of the season if we could win one draw one lose one = be about 64 points ...
Rotherham were saved by Warnock last season - an amazing feat tbh. There are no walk overs in this league. Rotherham will be fully aware of their position and (if their manager is doing his job) will be scrapping hard. Equally, the likes of Fulham are up there for a reason. The thing is - so are we. As long as we don't let the 2 Devils (complacency or fear) get to us we should beat Rotherham and at least hold Fulham. The prize is there .......
Spot on. I would imagine most of us had Burton Albion down as being major whipping boys this season, but they are giving it a real good go, have already beaten Derby, and are the 3rd highest scoring team in the Championship at the moment, averaging 2 goals a game. Likewise Huddersfield and Barnsley are defying the odds and the predications early on in the season. It's all about mental attitude and belief as much as anything else, which is something we had in abundance under GJ when we first got into the Championship and only fell at the final hurdle when the Premiership beckoned. I hope we have it when it really matters under Junior. We've already shown spirit against Wigan, Burton and Villa to get 9 points.
