Now that we know the three clubs relegated from the premiership I would like to know how you feel we will fair against them next season? Do you think that next season will be a lot tougher due to there being stronger teams in the Championship? Who will provide the surprise package from League 1, Charlton or the Sheffield Clubs? My own thoughts are that next season will be a great deal harder eventhough I expect Blackburn and Bolton to struggle initially. They are both on the edge of the financial cliff and it will take them both a couple of seasons to regroup. Wolves however are in a lot better shape and I can see them definately challenging for automatic. Depending on who goes up via the play-offs both West Ham and Blackpool will also be strong contenders and will take some stopping. I can see Charlton making the push from League 1 with their momentum giving them an instant lift. As for our chances even if Jewell gets in a few quality players as reinforcements I fear another year of mediocrity with us being amongst the also rans at best. The mood music at Portman Road isn't inspiring much confidence as it seems that Clegg is only interested in saving money. The odd good signing will not prepare us for a serious promotion push and where we are at Christmas will decide Jewell's fate. Next season we will need to improve a hell of a lot more than this season just to stand still. We will no doubt beat a couple of the "big boys" but inconsistency again will be our archilles heel. There are too many quality teams in this league now who will offer players far better prospects than we can! Sad but true, Marcus Evans for all his money is taking our football club backwards at a rate of knots and only a miracle will save us!
" My own thoughts are that next season will be a great deal harder eventhough I expect Blackburn and Bolton to struggle initially. " Complete opposite. Blackburn are in disarray and have only sold a PATHETIC 5000 season tickets ! Ridiculous. Bolton don't phase me at all, loads of players on big money. Mess again. Wolves will find the winning bug hard to return. Very happy with all three down. I can't see any of them challenging next season.
Completly impossible to predict, generally teams dont get relegated unless the clubs in a complete mess or they haven't been used to winning much yet the abilty for at least one team to bounce back is incredible.This is the weakest set of 3 for a while in their current state, the (norweigen?) manager for wolves is yet to be seen how good hes is and i imagine a season of recovering stability, Venkys may or may not provide some funds to blackburn and we dont know if they'll get a manager, but that situation to me is similar to newcastles so they could be challenging. Bolton it will all depend on what happens throughout the summer. They seem the most in shape but they have a lot of names that lower prem vultures will attract. All the promoted teams will be running on highs. Again impossible to predict and i think generally the standard always stays the same. One or two teams will run away with it then there will be the rest which all can beat each other, provided we can get a CB and GK then i think we have a team that can finish top 10 next season
I agree it's very hard to predict. I would have prefered QPR and Aston Villa to get relegated as I think they would have completely have to have changed their teams whereas I'm still not sure how it will effect the 3 who have come down. I'm glad Wigan weren't relegated as I think they could have been a force next season. For me those for those 3 who have come down it depends on if they can keep some of their players rather than having to make wholesale changes. It appears Wolves have alot of players on high wages and Bolton have alot of players out of contract!! More and more in this league financial clout is becoming less and less influential for me now the stongest teams seem to be those who have momentum and/or continuity i.e a manager who's been at the club a decent amount of time and also a team with a core set of players who have been at the club a decent. I think whoever comes up from League 1 will be decent but not as strong as the likes of Southampton. The teams which worry me are those who are already in this league and look to be better next season, the likes of Blackpool(if they don't go up), Leicester, Middlesborough, Cardiff, Birmingham and possibly Burnley. If West Ham don't go up, I think they could struggle next season!! We have a decent set of players but certainly need to improve on what we already have, like us many clubs seasons will be defined by the summer transfer window. So many players are now out of contract and it appears all clubs are after the same few players. I don't think next season will be a roaring success but after the past 3 years of terrible football and bottom half finish I think next season will be an encouraging one with a view to pushing on the following season. I predict a mixed start again with a strong finish at the end of the season. But it is very hard to predict due to so many teams needing alot of players as so many are out of contract.
I think Bolton will bounce back, Blackburn have serious, serious problems beyond financial. Wolves have made a bizarre appointment and can't see them finishing in the top six. I fancy five of the top six in no particular order to be: Bolton, Blackpool / West Ham, Birmingham, Charlton, Middlesbrough. Maybe Leicester, maybe Leeds, maybe Huddersfield, maybe Cardiff... So I don't think it will be nearly as competitive this time around, if we can just sort our **** out the competition won't be there next season, but I don't think we'll get close without some major changes.
Agree with Lancs, except for Wolves, who could be a competitive side. The manager is unknown here but has done well in scandanavia so who knows. Every season 3 teams come down and with the parachute payments then they should always be a force. They may well need to rebuild if they have high earners but they also have the cash to do so (normally - we will see with Blackburn) IF we can sort ourselves out then we need not worry about what others do.
bolton are in severe financial turmoil now - they were totally reliant on premier league money so they will be in massive trouble. blackburn - where do you start?!?! wolves will be the ones strongest out of all this. they will lose three or four key players but are, despite their fans view, pretty well run financially, at least! my money will be on wolves to bounce straight back. their new manager disappointed at cologne but has a good overall record
Wolves, will probably go straight up. The new manager will tap into the very deep and very cheap scandarnavian market for some bargains. Blackburn don't know their ass from their elbow and will lose Hoillett and a few others, Bolton will lose players and probably struggle financially. I don't think it will be any harder than last year, If wet sham lose the final they are ****ed! blackpool will probably lose their best players if they don't go up.
Apparantly if Wet Sham go up we will have first dabs on Sam Baldock as a year long loan! Whoopee! This is how far we have sunk when we are begging our supposed rivals for scraps from their table! Thanks Clegg and Evans for turning our club into a ****ing laughing stock! We are also in the running for Peterboro want away goalie Joe Lewis! Again Whoopee! He is behind a defence that has conceded nearly as many goals as we have! Complete and utter bollocks as always!
There is a lot of speculation there Warky. Clearly Jewell and Clegg aren't going anywhere over the summer so all we can do now is enjoy the summer football and hope that by the time August comes round there is something we feel more like getting behind.
Why on earth do you boys need to worry yourselves about who came up and down? You'll most likely get a couple of decent results against them, but that won't get in the way of you finishing mid-table.
Why are you so concerned. I'd be worried that Villa have just pinched your manager. McNally can blather all he likes, it's happening. You're coming down next season, as you know, we know and postman ****ing pat knows your club is a one man success show. The bit where he mentions that none of your players are for sale got me going though Yeah, glass houses and throwing stones........... but you WERE in an enviable postion, see you the season after if we can stay up
They can't win really, even if Villa are put off then Lambert will resent being stuck in Norfolk when he had the chance to go to a big club.
You're in denial pyjama man.... Are you saying that Lambo won't leave? Your form this year has relegation 12/13 written all over it, alas we're not much better x
Good Post BM If Lambert had any sense he would **** off this summer before the second season syndrome kicks in...! He's no better than George and look what happened to that poor bastard!
