Time for MOTD to admit it

[tomrfcurz]

Its about time match of the day admitted we r the best out of the newly promoted teams im glad to see lorro and shearer eating their words ..... GET IN

[moo]

We're more than 'better than the other promoted teams',we already knew that the end of last season

[SpaceCruiser]

It's amazing, isn't it. The fact that we finished streets ahead of both promoted teams last season didn't seem to register with those pundits who thought they would do better than us.

But then, those sort of pundits are ignorant of everything outside the Premiership.

[Royal Rother]

It would be interesting to see how the teams coming up faired in their first season over the last few years.

It doesn't always follow that Champions will do best does it?

How far behind Sunderland / Wigan were West Ham in 2005? In fact they finished in reverse order in the Prem didn't they?

[moo]

West Ham came 6th I believe... we were still the better side last season and this season

[RobRoyal]

It would be interesting to see how the teams coming up faired in their first season over the last few years.

It doesn't always follow that Champions will do best does it?

How far behind Sunderland / Wigan were West Ham in 2005? In fact they finished in reverse order in the Prem didn't they?

Yeah, but Sunderland didn't go the whole season only losing twice, or finish 16 points head of 2nd and 25 points ahead of 3rd. Being that much better than the opposition should have had pundits taking notice. But then it's much easier just to write us off as inexperienced and useless at this level.

[SpaceCruiser]

2004/05
Sunderland = 94
Wigan = 87
Wet Sham = 73

2005/06
Reading = 106
Sheff Utd = 90
Watford = 81

[weybridgewanderer]

on the bbc website today hansen has all but admitted he got it wrong

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/5377988.stm

[Ian Royal]

It would be interesting to see how the teams coming up faired in their first season over the last few years.

It doesn't always follow that Champions will do best does it?

How far behind Sunderland / Wigan were West Ham in 2005? In fact they finished in reverse order in the Prem didn't they?

Thats true, but Wigan were always the better team than Sunderland. They just bottled it at the end.

[Gordons Cumming]

We've only played 6 games.

A little caution is needed methinks?

[readingbedding]

We've only played 6 games.

A little caution is needed methinks?

I agree with you, a little Coppell 'cautionism' is needed.

One mate at work is a Palace fan and things were going very well for them one season with Coppell in charge in the Prem up until November.
They went down that season.

He's probably just saying that to annoy me but he has a point.

Until we get 45 points we won't be 100% safe, but game by game and point by point with a more experienced Coppell I have a good feeling we'll have a good season.

[papereyes]

I would have preferred it had the pundits said "I've not really watched Reading and know very little about them, so I can't really make a prediction other than they'll probably struggle" rather than wasting my time with articles Spacey could have written better.

It wasn't the predictions in themselves, when most sensible posters would have predicted bottom 5, but the completely braindead and clueless way most people went about said predictions.

MotD has pulled Lawrensen up over it, to be honest, and the coverage on Sunday night was good.

[NTRoyal]

To be honest I don't see what difference it makes, all the pundits ever do is tip the three newly promoted teams to go back down, seem to remeber Rodney Marsh saying he would 'pellted with tomatoes if Wigan some how manage to stay up'

Having broken countless records and outplayed every team last year, I would have thought we would have got a wee bit more credit though.

FYI 80% of teams that have had 10 or more points after their first 10 games have stayed up!

First post by the way.

Woo Hoo.

[zac naloen]

First post by the way.

Woo Hoo.

Straight out of Compton.

[Harold]

To be honest I don't see what difference it makes, all the pundits ever do is tip the three newly promoted teams to go back down, seem to remeber Rodney Marsh saying he would 'pellted with tomatoes if Wigan some how manage to stay up'

Having broken countless records and outplayed every team last year, I would have thought we would have got a wee bit more credit though.

FYI 80% of teams that have had 10 or more points after their first 10 games have stayed up!

First post by the way.

Woo Hoo.

Not sure about outplaying every team last year....

[Millsy]

It's amazing, isn't it. The fact that we finished streets ahead of both promoted teams last season didn't seem to register with those pundits who thought they would do better than us.

But then, those sort of pundits are ignorant of everything outside the Premiership.

True, although I think a lot of the scepticism also came from the fact that we hardly bought anyone whereas the others did..?

[readingfc_4_life_and_beyo]

Hmmm, after the dig at Sonko first day and how he 'won't be a premiership standard player' and his great performances since, I thought Saturday night he was going to eat his words when Lineker mentioned, 'but in defence they're looking good too aren't they', SOMEONE goes silent.

[Yahoops]

on the bbc website today hansen has all but admitted he got it wrong

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/5377988.stm

I recall Hansen agreeing with Lineker after the Middlesbrough game that Reading would stay up, it was Lawrenson that said we'd go down. He's now reversed his position.

[royalsteve]

Its about time match of the day admitted we r the best out of the newly promoted teams im glad to see lorro and shearer eating their words ..... GET IN

absolutely..espec lawro

[royalsteve]

It's amazing, isn't it. The fact that we finished streets ahead of both promoted teams last season didn't seem to register with those pundits who thought they would do better than us.

But then, those sort of pundits are ignorant of everything outside the Premiership.

absolutely, i guess they thought sheff utd - big club/history and watford who have both been there before were better equipped......obviously ignoring the obvious factors....the alot of the royals team have been together for 3-4 years, we have a brilliant manager, we are a stealth team and no-one has really yet fully understood how we play.