Next seasons promotion prospects

[marcusopp]

There's a lot of strong sides in the division next year. I reckon half have a shout of going up;
Leicester, Leeds, Forest, West Ham, Reading, Burnley, Hull, M'boro, Portsmouth, Southampton and maybe Birmingham and Blackpool.
I think we'll be right up there, depends on how quickly we can rebuild. If we can't, then it could be bottom half if that lot do ok...

[TBM]

I'd chuck Brighton into the mix also........can see them doing a Norwich

[Agent Balti]

There's a lot of strong sides in the division next year. I reckon half have a shout of going up;
Leicester, Leeds, Forest, West Ham, Reading, Burnley, Hull, M'boro, Portsmouth, Southampton and maybe Birmingham and Blackpool.
I think we'll be right up there, depends on how quickly we can rebuild. If we can't, then it could be bottom half if that lot do ok...

I'd go so far to say that any 3 of 24 teams could go up. Quite literally.

[Row Z Royal]

Just so you know, we're not a promotion prospect next season.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

To be fair, we weren't a promotion prospect this season.

[loyalroyal4life]

To be fair, we weren't a promotion prospect this season.

Indeed, it would be tough for us to come anywhere near this season but under Brian you just never know!

Its the squad getting rebuilt with half decent players compared to the ones that will leave that will tell the difference!

[URZZZZZZZZ]

I doubt the squad will get rebuilt will it? Long appears likely to go, but who else? McCarthy would be a more than adequate replacement for Federici, who else's performances this season have warranted a move to a Premiership/bigger club?

[PEARCEY]

Just so you know, we're not a promotion prospect next season.

Why not? Can you name me another Championship club with as many good young players as us.
We do need to finish top two though as there is not a hope in hell of going up via the play-offs.

[Svlad Cjelli]

People still seem to have the old blind spot that spending money equals success. It doesn't, it only makes it more likely - ask Cardiff, ask Forest, ask Leicester.

AT this level, it's been proved so many times that a good manager who can force players into a real team can be as successful as someone who just throws money at the problem.

Team >>>> expensive individuals

[PEARCEY]

People still seem to have the old blind spot that spending money equals success. It doesn't, it only makes it more likely - ask Cardiff, ask Forest, ask Leicester.

AT this level, it's been proved so many times that a good manager who can force players into a real team can be as successful as someone who just throws money at the problem.

Team >>>> expensive individuals

Absolutely right Dirk. I am very optimistic about next season. The only problem will be replacing Long.

[savage 4 england]

A lot of this rests on who is Long's replacement.

[The Prisoner]

I am sure we all wrote the 106 team off the season before when we lost 3-0 at Wigan and missed the play offs entirely on the last day of the season.

And the last time we lost a play off final we got auto the next season.

Boro and Cardiff both proved that spending a load of cash doesn't always add up to much.

Regardless of Long and others going we will still have the nucleus of a good team (Liegertwood, Mills, McAnuff, McCarthy etc) with a canny manager. The bookies all have us as 11 and 12/1 (about 4th/5th fave). Stranger things have happened....

[brendywendy]

if we lose kebe and long, it changes the way well play.no one works as hard as long,and no one is as quick as kebe on the break. Then with kish.ivar,bryn,harte that bit older and If mills goes its a whole rebuild of the defence required,though at least weve made a start with that swindon guy and cummo.manset makes a start up front,but there and on the wings we are short of quality and creativity.
However,with mcd in charge,and money for those players,we will get people in, i just think its bound to set us back a little.cest la vie.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Agreed with The Prisoner, and should we make the playoffs again next season the occasion will be less likely to get to the players like it did yesterday. We've had a few posts mentioning how strong some of the teams will be next season, let's have a look though at some of the teams who may be weaker.

Cardiff? Struggling financially, selling off lots of talent.
Burnley? Rookie manager, struggled at the end of the season.
Birmingham? Struggling financially, and likely to sell some of their better players.
Blackpool? Likely to go the same way as Burnley did this season in my opinion.

Plenty of positives available, I think the most heartbreaking thing is that we have to wait over 2 months to put things right. This summer will be very slow.

[The Prisoner]

if we lose kebe and long, it changes the way well play.no one works as hard as long,and no one is as quick as kebe on the break. Then with kish.ivar,bryn,harte that bit older and If mills goes its a whole rebuild of the defence required,though at least weve made a start with that swindon guy and cummo.manset makes a start up front,but there and on the wings we are short of quality and creativity.
However,with mcd in charge,and money for those players,we will get people in, i just think its bound to set us back a little.cest la vie.

I'm not so certain we will lose Kebe. I mean....who'd want him? Unplayable on his day, but incredibly frustrating more often than not. We will not sell him to another championship club (see McAnuff to QPR) and he isn't prem quality. The only way he'll go is if a French PL club come in IMO

[Wycombe Royal]

if we lose kebe and long, it changes the way well play.no one works as hard as long,and no one is as quick as kebe on the break. Then with kish.ivar,bryn,harte that bit older and If mills goes its a whole rebuild of the defence required,though at least weve made a start with that swindon guy and cummo.manset makes a start up front,but there and on the wings we are short of quality and creativity.
However,with mcd in charge,and money for those players,we will get people in, i just think its bound to set us back a little.cest la vie.

The defence needs rebuilding anyway regardless of who leaves. It was shown up for what it is yesterday - slow and cumbersome.

As for Kebe. Yes he is quick but how may goals do we actually score from his lightening attacks? Not that many. Why? Because he either has no end product (hits the first defender, hits it too long, fals over, etc) or because on the odd occasion he does put in a decent ball no one else has kept up with him.

Only occasionally do we score as a direct result of his pace. HRK has been more effective in the few appearances he has made in my opinion, and at least McAnuff can take corners and freekicks (something else which Kebe cannot do).

[Snowball]

Birmingham: Decent manager, decent history at this level, will be looking to bounce back.
West Ham: On big wages and will have difficulty shipping some out, therefore need to bounce back, presumably Allardyce managing
Leicester: VG Manager, lots of investment, strong candidates for top-three.
Leeds: Big club, big gates, will have learned a lot this year.
Burnley: Cash-rich and stable, good, classy squad, up and coming manager
Brighton: Footballing team, will demolish some sides. On a roll
Southampton: History, stadium, fans, momentum
Middlesboro: Manager with nous. Owner with money. Goof finish to this season.
Ipswich: Decent finish to this season. Good manager, a bit of history.
Millwall: as above on finish and manager
Hull: Recent prem experience, hard to beat.
Blackpool: Big unknown for me. Could bounce back or drop through. Hard to peg.
Cardiff: Due a season of mediocrity? Who will manage? Who will they lose? Money Issues?
Reading: VERY hard to see top two OR top six today. FBs will struggle more, wings maybe jaded, Long to be replaced.
Forest: Can't decide on these but they have history and a decent manager. One new star and who knows?
Watford: Doubt they'll challenge but decent outfit.
Bristol City: If Maynard stays and partners Pitman, could do very well. Have money
Portsmouth: Pedigree obvious. Don't know the money side. Must still be dengerous.
Coventry: Good finish to 10-11, good manager.
Derby: Sleeping Giant, always dangerous, but hard to see yet.
Peterboro: 140+ goals scored, but CMS gone? Need defenders. Consolidation year?
Barnsley: Not a terrible side, being this low shows what a good league this will be.
Palace: As above.
Doncaster: As above

Excluding Reading there are only 3-4 sides who you couldn't make a case for.

Presuming we lose Long, looking at that list, we will not challenge for auto and
almost certainly not for the POs unless we invest relatively (for RFC) heavily.

It needs RTGs to really believe we can challenge for a top three place. NOT because we are a terrible outfit
but simply because there are so many strong clubs. I suspect three clubs to be clear like Newcastle-WBA
last season and the rest all fairly close with not much of a difference between 6th and 20th.

Dangerous Season, a rebuild year. Not even hard to see a relegation struggle for us unless we get a new spark,
someone coming back to form (Church?) or a Gylfi-style kid emerging, or a Brentford-style bargain, making his
mark (Manset? Brett Williams?)

With Griffin and Harte (if they stay) surely in their last season, we need to have either two young players
being groomed as replacements (eg Cummings IF we keep him) or actually first-choice with the old heads
as back-up.

it looks to me like we are gearing up for a "new team"

- - - - - - McCarthy
???? - - Morrison-Pearce - - - ?????
????- - - Elwood - - ???? - - - ????
- - - - - -God Knows


Worried we might yet not get Elwood!! Lots of changes coming IMO. Gunnar, Ingi gone, maybe the older FBs, quite possibly Mills/Karacan/McAnuff
Long, 99% certainly off (gut feel Noel might go, or Churchy)

We could finish next season with a side almost unrecognisable from the current one.

[Mr Angry]

The last 2 seasons - post parachute payments remember - have seen us go from 2nd bottom to just missing out on the Play-offs last season, then from 12th to being in with a shout of automatic promotion with 3 games to go, and ending up in the play-off final this season; to me, thats an upward curve, and we have every chance of being there or thereabouts next season.

[PEARCEY]

I don't agree Snowball. There will not be a mass exodus.

[Snowball]

if we lose kebe and long, it changes the way well play.no one works as hard as long,and no one is as quick as kebe on the break. Then with kish.ivar,bryn,harte that bit older and If mills goes its a whole rebuild of the defence required,though at least weve made a start with that swindon guy and cummo.manset makes a start up front,but there and on the wings we are short of quality and creativity.
However,with mcd in charge,and money for those players,we will get people in, i just think its bound to set us back a little.cest la vie.

The defence needs rebuilding anyway regardless of who leaves. It was shown up for what it is yesterday - slow and cumbersome.

As for Kebe. Yes he is quick but how may goals do we actually score from his lightening attacks? Not that many. Why? Because he either has no end product (hits the first defender, hits it too long, fals over, etc) or because on the odd occasion he does put in a decent ball no one else has kept up with him.

Only occasionally do we score as a direct result of his pace. HRK has been more effective in the few appearances he has made in my opinion, and at least McAnuff can take corners and freekicks (something else which Kebe cannot do).

21 Goals and 14 Assists in these last two seasons, plus other "assists" like his 11s 91m break

That's not at all bad

Personally, unless he's happy to stay because Manset is here, I suspect he's off.