When people talk about consolidation and push on next season for promotion, i have to chuckle. Who is to say we will be any better next year, look at the teams who could come down, Wigan, WBA, West Ham, Stoke, Birmingham, all decent teams who would be tough to beat. The lkes of Leeds, Forest, Norwich, Burnley, Leicester will no doubt improve also, possible promoted teams Brighton (new stadium), Southampton, Hiddersfield etc will have promotion momentum on their side. For me the Championship is becoming a tougher league season by season, lets go for it now and get up to the prem before it becomes harder. Seize the day.
i know what your saying..take the chance while you can..without being too morbid, could get knocked down by a bus anytime.., sooner we get back there before that happens, the better
I disagree as last year it was a far better standard last year than this. However if Wolves, West Brom and Wigan all come down i think we will beat every single one of them! But it completely depends who goes up and who goes down really, but i totally agree, the chance is here to go up and we have to try and take it! I don't think anyone will be really disappointed if we go up!
To be fair, I think we're already going for it and as far as this season goes, what will be will be. The reason I think that most fans think we'll be a force next season, is that we have a good squad now and with so many overpaid players out of contract in the summer, things can only get better. Whether we make the play-off's or not remains to be seen, but I doubt there's any of us that aren't looking forward to next season, what ever league we're in.
I have to agree with this completely, i don't think i have ever gone into each game more excited than i am currently, and next season i just can not wait. The feeling that we are good enough to beat anyone our day is one that i don't think we have had for a long time even when we won promotion! Just imagine now if we still had Ash and Stewart was fit, the possibilities are endless!
Agree with you Miff. Some talk as if we have a choice of missing out this season as it's too early so that we can go up next year instead. If only we could pick and choose when! Getting auto next season, or any other, will be one hell of an ask for us. Playoffs is a lottery. But it's true that we've made enormous strides in the last few months, and if the improvements continue then we could have a great shout come next season. Then again, we could lose Gerrard, Mannone/Guzan, Rosenior and take several steps back. We've been bailed out money wise, but we don't have a minted benefactor who'll throw millions more at it. We'll always be up against a small number of clubs who will have real money (thanks Duffen and gang for blowing our windfall). I wonder these days if we're getting ahead of ourselves and some expectation adjustments are needed. There again, it's positive in other ways that our expectations have now been raised to where they should be. And maybe I'm just a pessimistic old x*&%
The nice thing for me at the moment is that there really is no pressure for us to reach the play offs. We're not really anyones favourites to get a play off place, and there is definetly more pressure on the likes of DQPR, Cardiff, Swansea etc. If you take into consideration our circumstances from the first 3 months of the season, anything above mid table this season is an acheivemet, and our financial predicament early on most likely led our rivals and pundits to write us off. However, next season there will be that pressure of us been expected to finish near the top of the league. It is great at the moment though to be going into games with a feeling of excitement rather than dread and a good chance of us winning. Championship has again proved to be an exciting and unpredictable league, who would have thought at the start of the season Norwich and Weeds would be in the play off places in March instead of Boro and Brizzle? Looking at it that way though, it shows how unpredictable this league is and you can't take anything for granted, so maybe take your chance while you can.
We could lose Gerrard and Mannone/Guzan, but fortunately, we've signed Rosenior up for the next two seasons. Quite how he's not in the Premier League is beyond me, but I think he's probably our best signing this season and I'm very glad we've already signed him up for the next couple of seasons. Someone might well come in for him, but as we've got him signed up for a couple of seasons, at least we'll get some decent money for him if he does go. Personally, I think he's the best right back City have ever had, at least while I've been supporting them and that's well over thirty years.
I'd rather prefer us to go up next season personally. But only because I would prefer the Allams to buy the stadium and build up our assets. This would allow us to borrow a bit more money whilst in the prem (so we'd have more money for signings without an administration/liquidation fear) and wouldn't see them spending their money on a new squad that would be able to compete in the premier league. But thats just my preference, I wouldn't be too fussed either way
best right back I've seen at City too.. I'd select him over Ricketts.. defo over Macca, before him Scott Wiseman, Robbie Stockdale not same league.. going back Neil Buckley.. not the same standard... of course there was Andy Davidson.. but there are no clips of him can't say... dad says he was a fearless hard tackler..
Davidson was obviously a bit special as he made more appearances for us than anyone else, but as I was 4 when he left, I'm in no position to judge.
I'd definetly have Rosenior down as my player of the season, Gerrard not been that far behind. Just a shame that the player who probably scored the goal of the season is no longer at the club! Other than Bostock's 2 long range strikes, i can't recall any other goal which has made me go 'wow'.
I've just seen Fryatt's goal now on the BBC sport website, i would agree with you on that one OLM having now seen it. Excellent finish from Matty, goes to show a 30 yarder isn't always the best!
love the commentry "teased Gunter before slipping it past Lee Camp"... and what was that bollox Billy Davies was on about a deflection putting the ball into Fryatt's path, Dawson's ball to Fryatt was a peach and he still had the defender and camp keeper to beat..
Chesters deflected pass that made it to fryatt. But he still had to fend off their defender and squeeze it past camp so Davies can do one
I said they should try and sign him quite a few months before they did. Was funny at the time he signed because there was a big anti-Pearson brigade complaining about signing him- some people are so short-sighted!
My memory must be playing tricks with me I could have sworn Jock Davidson played more games as a right halfback than as a fullback . But then again I thought Viggo Jensen was a better fullback even though he first started as an inside forward (old terminology I know)lol
