Can you remember at the beginning of this season when all the pundits yet again expected Leeds to get automatic promotion? I kept saying it was bollocks and they'd be nothing special.
I suppose the warning signs were there when we played Leeds at the KC. Although we played well I was surprised how awful Leeds were.
I think I had us down for top 8. Here's one great Championship preview's opinions on Cardiff, Hull and Watford: Cardiff, Leicester and Middlesbrough are three more clubs that will be there or thereabouts and will be ones to watch. They are all strong sides with good managers and I suspect at one stage of the season we will see each of them being right in contention amongst the top places in the table. Cardiff in particular will be looking to build upon the success of making the playoffs last season and will be hopeful of pushing on one step further and taking an automatic promotion place. They have already shown that on their day, they can compete with much more established teams, as they showed by taking Liverpool to a penalty shootout in last season’s Carling Cup final. Malky Mackay has already proven he’s a manager of real quality, and given he will now have some serious money to spend I genuinely can’t see them taking a step backwards this season. Hull are an interesting proposition this season. I think they have been punching above their weight for a couple of seasons now but may struggle to replicate the form they’ve shown in the last couple of campaigns, despite the arrival of Steve Bruce as manager, who comes with vast managerial experience following spells with Birmingham, Wigan and Sunderland. Although I’m sure he will do well at the club, I’m not feeling very confident about them making much progress this season for one reason or another. Despite their recent takeover by the Pozzo family, I think it could be a tricky season for Watford. Although I think ultimately the takeover will be beneficial for the club going forward, the new owners have to be careful not to make too many major changes too quickly or they will risk unsettling the club. Their ambition is admirable, and I think they’ve done well to attract Gianfranco Zola to the club, but I feel Sean Dyche was treated very unfairly by the Pozzos. Dyche had done a decent job in replacing Malky Mackay, especially when you take into consideration the players that they’d also lost last summer. Zola will have a tricky job ensuring that he not only wins over the Hornets fans but that he also balances maintaining the decent core of players at his disposal with the right number of additions. If he gets this balance wrong, it could backfire spectacularly for Watford.
Let's remind ourselves.......(this never gets old) [video=youtube;jTrX7C2kE50]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTrX7C2kE50[/video]
Not sure about actual predictions around then but I certainly wasn't happy. In the summer when most teams had done most of their signings and the pundits started making their annual predictions based seemingly on each club's perceived 'size', I was pretty confident we'd have a good go at promotion. I probably didn't have the balls to say we'd get top 2, top 6 or whatever but I was confident we'd be a force this season.
This is the best preview though - it has the table all wrong, with Leeds as title contenders! http://thechriswhitingshow.wordpres...13-football-league-championship-fans-preview/
You've given me a dilemma now. Do I watch Messrs Holloway and Pearson having a tough day on the Football League Show or watch your lovely 12 minute clip ?
It's school holidays Andy! I forgot FLS was on. I've been watching Bundesliga highlights. Bayern Munich are 2 points away from winning their title after beating Hamburg 9-2.
Shame there wasn't a boring Pearson interview on the Football League Show, that would have sent me to sleep immediately. What part of the year is it in Leicestershire at the moment ? Easter school hols up here at the moment.
Typical Communism. A large gap between the Leaders and everyone else. All those below endure stress whilst trying to survive week to week....
