Season 2019/20 Can We Finally Go Up?

[Alf]

The pre-season so far has us looking a million miles away from promotion candidates.

No quality spine of players, an imbalanced team in that players are either as green as they come in their positions (Muric, Cash etc.) or teetering on the other edge of the scale and ready to snap at any moment/apst it (Daws, Watson etc.), a coach who may be aweome but only a few weeks away from season start has an absolute ton to learn about the squad, and an impatient owner who puts no forethought into anything (lamouchi's comments about the pre-season the perfect example)

Lamouchi will be beyond Billy levels of genius if he pulls this off

[Alf Garnett]

I don't see any standout teams in the Championship this season.

I reckon we have just as good a chance as anyone else.

There are probably 15 clubs who will fancy it and we are one of them.

[Mcforest]

Below is the full predicted table completed by talkSPORT’s ‘supercomputer’.

24. Barnsley (relegated)
23. Reading (relegated)
22. Millwall (relegated)
21. Luton Town
20. Birmingham City
19. Preston North End
18. Charlton Athletic
17. Wigan Athletic
16. Queens Park Rangers
15. Blackburn Rovers
14. Sheffield Wednesday
13. Hull City
12. Stoke City
11. Swansea City
10. Huddersfield Town
9. Derby County

8. Middlesbrough
7. Brentford
6. Nottingham Forest (play-off winner and promoted to the Premier League)
5. Bristol City (play-offs)
4. Cardiff City (play-offs)
3. Fulham (play-offs)
2. West Bromwich Albion (promoted to the Premier League)
1. Leeds United (champions and promoted to the Premier League)

[ThePromisedLand]

Yes please!

[Sausage Roll]

That would be amazing.

[Sausage Roll]

This season is wide open again. Three of the teams you'd expect to be up there challenging (Fulham, West Brom and Middlesbrough) have got new managers, as have us and the sheep. Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday haven't got permanent managers at all yet. Bristol City have bought well, but a couple of their main signings were just making loanees from last season permanent, and they look like losing one of their best defenders too. Huddersfield and Cardiff coming down aren't amazing and it wouldn't be a massive surprise if neither of those two are around the top. Leeds will be up there again, but there's really no picking an outstanding team again. Really hope that this year we can grasp our chance.

[Widdow]

I think Fulham will surely be up there with the players they have got. Yes they have to gel but great mixture of quality, young players and experience

West Brom will be up there

I am not so sure about Leeds, guess we shall see a week on Saturday how good they are

Stoke will be much better

Cardiff will be up there

Surely cant rule out Huddersfield

Not sure how Derby will be, they need to add players (hoping they struggle of course)

Who will be teams to look out for promoted from League One?

[Paplane]

Fulham and Leeds look stand out favourites but there's always a surprise, both in terms of an unfancied club doing well and a fancied club doing poorly.

I'd have Cardiff up there challenging top 3. Warnock knows this league like the back of his hand and his teams are always competitive.

Sheep are difficult to predict, they could nosedive or take off under their new manager. Same for West Brom, who are downgrading their squad for life in the championship. But clubs going through a cost cutting phase are rarely the ones who are successful.

Huddersfield are not fancied by many but any relegated team can do well.

I honestly wouldn't know where to place us this year. We could finish top or finish bottom 6. There were encouraging signs in the friendlies but West Brom will be a massive test for the players who've never expereinced the league, or for that matter, have little first team experience.

[Alf Garnett]

This season is wide open again. Three of the teams you'd expect to be up there challenging (Fulham, West Brom and Middlesbrough) have got new managers, as have us and the sheep. Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday haven't got permanent managers at all yet. Bristol City have bought well, but a couple of their main signings were just making loanees from last season permanent, and they look like losing one of their best defenders too. Huddersfield and Cardiff coming down aren't amazing and it wouldn't be a massive surprise if neither of those two are around the top. Leeds will be up there again, but there's really no picking an outstanding team again. Really hope that this year we can grasp our chance.

I agree with Sausage Roll. It is wide open this season. 

The only standout team for me is Fulham and I am not totally convinced by them to be honest.

I certainly don't see anything for us to be afraid of. I think we can have a really good go at it.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

If we can improve on two things from last season...

1. Our away form.

2. Our Discipline.

Then I cannot see any reason why we can't be in amongst them at the top end.

[Paplane]

If we can improve on two things from last season...

1. Our away form.

2. Our Discipline.

Then I cannot see any reason why we can't be in amongst them at the top end.

I'd add..

3. Luck

Bad refereeing decisions cost us 5 or 6 or maybe even more points last year. I can think of only 1 dodgy penalty decision that went our way.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

If we can improve on two things from last season...

1. Our away form.

2. Our Discipline.

Then I cannot see any reason why we can't be in amongst them at the top end.

I'd add..

3. Luck

Bad refereeing decisions cost us 5 or 6 or maybe even more points last year. I can think of only 1 dodgy penalty decision that went our way.

Yes, I agree Pap.