Right, we all know we're staying down now, don't we? Surely we do. So let's look to the future and discuss who we want to come into this division next season from above and below. Pour moi: FROM THE TOP FLIGHT: Blackburn: if one club has to fall from outside the relegation places, I hope it's them. QPR have a very strong squad and excellent backing. Blackburn have Steve Kean and the Chicken Cartel. Ewood Park's a canny away trip as well, far more entertaining than drummer-boy and pals at Bolton. Wigan: massively underwritten by the loathsome Dave Whelan, they face a huge financial heart-attack if they can't shift their better players when relegated. Mid-table struggles surely on the horizon for them, plus they will allocate us a generous 6,000 reasonably-priced seats. Can't complain too much with them going down. Wolves: a definite promotion contender if they go down, but there's no way they're getting out of the hole they've dug themselves now. They are getting demoted. With the lowest genuine turnover:wages ratio in the top division, they're in a great position to bounce straight back if they appoint themselves a good manager. A pleasant club, and a fairly good fixture to look forward to. FROM THE THIRD DIVISION: Charlton: they're a bit of a non-entity, but realistically, they are getting promoted. On the bright side, they brought a decent crowd to Elland Road in our League One promotion season and were alright company at the top of that division. Got a nice enough stadium an' that, as well a decent pedigree in the higher divisions. Don't strike me as the kind of club who will be dynamic and storm to the top of the league, so that's a bonus (see: Southampton, Norwich). Sheffield Wednesday: if it has to be one of the Sheffield clubs, it's them. Their Sheff U neighbours are too much of an eye-sore for me, and have an inferior history, fanbase and just about everything else. A Yorkshire Derby which we can actually look forward to as a meeting of two big clubs. I know, right?! Huddersfield: just for you, Simon. The Dog Botherers overwhelmingly tend to win and care a lot more about the so-called West Yorkshire than we do, but at least it's a local game which we know Grayson and Snodin will be secretly contriving to lose while furiously Leeds-saluting at our supporters. There is a fair chance that they'll be ambitious and that, mind. Not that I'd begrudge them it too much. As for the rest of the playoff hopefuls, MK Dons? Boring. Carlisle? Inbred. Stevenage? Non-league chancers who can **** off. Notts County? Wouldn't say no if they did come up.
I think it will be Wolves, Wigan and QPR to go down, purely because QPR have the run in from hell(even if they do pull off a miracle, I think Bolton are far more likely to drop than Blackburn). The promotion teams look almost certain to be Charlton and Sheff United, with the Wendies and the Udders fighting over the third spot. Overall it's not bad, a few more local games and I ****ing hate Wolves.
QPR, Wolves and Wigan to come down. Charlton (Chris Powell deserves it), Sheff Wednesday and Sheff Utd to come up.
I think you're right about who will come down, but are QPR a club you'd want to go down? With the depth of their squad and resources, I'm pretty sure they'd storm the league and leave a trail of distruction behind them. A worrying prospect.
Want as many local games as possible cos it keeps the cost of travel down Down: Bolton, Wigan, Blackburn UP: Charlton (wouldnt want them but theyre almost there), Sheff Wednesday, Huddersfield
Notts and Wolves would both be decent away trips, mind. Good atmosphere at Meadow Lane. Sheff United would be another bloody early kick-off in that ridicuously short and wide away stand of theirs. Hillsborough 15:00 kickoff would be a good game. Hoping for that.
Yeah they would. Midlands isnt too far from leeds i suppose. Cant see notts county coming up though. Especially not if NW helps KC out and gives them paynter
Five out of six ain't bad. Some good fixtures to look forward to there, and Bolton rather than Wigan being the only one I got wrong isn't exactly a terrible thing. Let's just hope we have 11 men to put on the teamsheet for those fixtures and they might actually be worthwhile!
