who will win the championship + promoted

Will Birmingham,Blackpool or west ham bounce straight back up to the big time?

Will a new club become the dominant force in the league?

will 1 of the promoted sides follow norwich's league and again consecutive promotions?

no bias in there at all

Champs: Blackpool
2nd: Southampton

Playoffs: Brighton :P (I can dream)

Realistically (after i voted City to win haha)

Champions: Birmingham
Runners Up: Leicester City
Play Offs: Reading

Winners: Birmingham
Runners Up: Blackpool
Play Offs: Middlesbrough

I did vote for West Ham, I'll admit...but I'm full of the optimism of pre-season!

I'm also buoyed by the squad we have (currently) and the new manager being as good as they are. We'll see, but I'm hopeful.

My mate has a bet on Leeds to win it. He'll only get £8 back but he's gonna be waiting a whole year just to rip it up.

Voted for West Ham

Manning-to-Manningham wrote:My mate has a bet on Leeds to win it. He'll only get £8 back but he's gonna be waiting a whole year just to rip it up.

I don't like betting over such a long time... If I'm going to lose my money I want it to be soon after I put it down at the bookies!

Leeds had a good season last year though, so them being in the mix wouldn't surprise me -- if they hold on to their best players like Snodgrass and Gradel and add some more.

champs - west ham
second - leicester

in the play offs
cardiff
leeds
portsmouth
blues

final, leeds to beat the blues.

West Ham all day long

Champs West Ham
second Birmingham
playoffs Blackpool , Cardiff , Reading and Hull City winners Hull City

Champions - Middlesbrough.

Runners up - West Ham

Play Offs Winner - Notts Forest

Dark Horse - Brighton

Big Failure - Birmingham

Dark horse, cheers FreekShow!

To be honest I'm looking at a good mid table position from us this season. IMO West Ham will be the underchievers

Leeds might go up through the playoffs. I don't think they can sustain a long title challenge but I'm hoping. A new goalkeeper of a high standard is a must.

Gregers wrote:Dark horse, cheers FreekShow!

To be honest I'm looking at a good mid table position from us this season. IMO West Ham will be the underchievers

I think Brighton have the best young innovative coach in the country and they will be riding the crest of a wave after coming up so convincingly last season. Certainly staying up and being competitive won't be a problem.

Cardiff will be mid placed this year at best for me, they have lost nearly all the squad that made them so sucessful and cannot afford to just fill their squad with loanees again.

David James has re-signed for Bristol City and rumours are Maynard will be there again next season, being a city fan i know i'm optomistic however we have a good squad for this season and atm i'm expecting top 9 or so.

Manning-to-Manningham wrote:My mate has a bet on Leeds to win it. He'll only get £8 back but he's gonna be waiting a whole year just to rip it up.

And he's going to be out of pocket

I'm one of the more optimistic leeds fans but even I know it's very unlikely, especially when we're selling our best players.

BoredUntilAugust wrote:

Manning-to-Manningham wrote:My mate has a bet on Leeds to win it. He'll only get £8 back but he's gonna be waiting a whole year just to rip it up.

And he's going to be out of pocket

I'm one of the more optimistic leeds fans but even I know it's very unlikely, especially when we're selling our best players.

being a leeds fan what was your opinion on Kilkenny?

Flip knows what he offers to a team, just seems to sit in a spot and stay there. Useless at tracking back, and he's not exactly a creative player either. Also constantly whinging. Not one of my favourites. Certainly haven't lost any sleep over him moving to Bristol.

I wasn't including Kilkenny in the selling our best players comment by the way, was more aimed at Schmeichel

I'm looking at either Leeds, Leicester or Reading to to fill the title-winner, runner-up and play-off winner spots.

Leicester have the money, Leeds aren't short of a bob or two and were strong for most of last season. Reading finished strongly and could do a Blackpool.

All the relegated clubs either have new managers, or will have to do extensive squad rebuilding after selling off their best players (or both) so I'm thinking they'll all struggle a bit...play-offs at best.

I'm tipping my own club Middlesbrough to make the top 6, but given the strength of the competition, I wouldn't put money on them winning the play-offs.

BoredUntilAugust wrote:Flip knows what he offers to a team, just seems to sit in a spot and stay there. Useless at tracking back, and he's not exactly a creative player either. Also constantly whinging. Not one of my favourites. Certainly haven't lost any sleep over him moving to Bristol.

I wasn't including Kilkenny in the selling our best players comment by the way, was more aimed at Schmeichel

We have defensive midfielders, so i imagine Millen is looking for someone who can offer something down the other end of the pitch, therefore may not need to track back, but if you say he isn't a creative player.... seems slightly odd

I went with Leicester,Sven seems to be spending a fair wad of cash on decent players at this level.

couldn't get Maynard

KINGKENNY7HEAVEN wrote:Champs West Ham
second Birmingham
playoffs Blackpool , Cardiff , Reading and Hull City winners Hull City

I may have to change my mind on Birmingham given the amount of players leaving and the owners washing problems .

Champs West Ham
second Reading
playoffs Blackpool , Cardiff , Hull City , Leicester , winners Hull City

Ipswich will go up via playoffs

Champions - Leicester
Runners Up - Notts Forest
Playoffs

Ipswich
West Ham
Middlesbrough
Reading

Winners - Middlesbrough

Relegated - Doncaster, Blackpool, Brighton

I can see Blackpool getting relegated from Championship straight away as well. They've lost their best player, and the Championship looks like it is going to be so competitive this year, I have a feeling they could sink.

The Blackpool players played so far above themselves last season, I think the ones that are left (now the 2 CM have been sold) will find it hard to motivate themselves.

I say the ones that are left, because any of the decent ones will get moves elsewhere because Blackpool will have lowest wage ceiling the Championship!

Champions - Birmingham
Runners Up - Cardiff
Play Offs - Leicester, West Ham, Ipswich, Nottingham Forest
Relegated - Barnsley, Doncaster, Peterborough

Birmingham have all the credentials to do well in the Championship again, have a good manager and will keep a strong side.

Cardiff lost Bothroyd, Chopra and Bellamy but Mackay has brought well so far could be a surprise package.

Leicester with Sven could be a force, have brought well so far and is still going to add more players Maynard is still possible aswell as Routledge or Whittingham.

West Ham potential favourites but think they will find it a bit tough to adapt, play-offs for them but if they keep players like Noble, Collison etc... they have a very good chance of top two.

Ipswich are buying well and think they have the quality now to really push for a play-off place struggled in mid-table in recent years but this is their year now to make a real go of it.

Notts Forest are a consistent Championship side under new management, McClaren maybe suited to managing a lower league side. Have very good players and of course he will add players aswell, no doubt they will be in the mix.

Doncaster, Barnsley and Peterborough simply don't seem strong enough, Bristol City and Coventry will also be in danger I reckon.

Birmingham have lost their rock at the back Roger Johnson though, and Gardner, Bowyer, Phillips, Larrson and probably more as well. They've also lost their manager and their owner is in serious trouble. I think they might actually struggle next year rather than bounce right back up.

Yep lost their main players, but can't count two in Bowyer and Phillips as they were released anyway.

Owner in trouble but Hughton is a very good manager, Newcastle seemed to be on the ropes when they were relegated, but Hughton fought and managed to get them promoted.

Expect him to do the same with Birmingham, whenever Birmingham are in the Championship they usually bounce straight back up, think they are most likely to do that again because they are good enough.

They were always going to lose Gardner, Johnson, Dann, Zigic, Jerome and maybe Foster so Hughton knew what he was expecting, he has already signed Marlon King yes people don't like him but he is a very good goalscorer, Burke I don't like him either but he is also very good.

Most likely they will keep Curtis Davies in defence, with experienced Stephen Carr and players like Mutch and Fahey would be excellent at Championship level.

Good point about Newcastle, but even then Newcastle kept quite a lot of good players such as Coloccini, Jonas, Barton, Nolan etc. Where as I'm not sure Birmingham have as much strength. As well as the fact that NUFC have such a huge reputation they'd never have a problem attracting players, while Birmingham don't look an attractive prospect at the moment.

Early Early days, who wouldn't want to join a former Premier League side?

The only team which seems to be beating better sides to players is Leicester, but Sven has to be careful on not over pricing his signings.

Newcastle did have better players, but Birmingham's record shows they will most likely do well in the Championship they should get top six easily enough.

The play-offs will be a battle though with my predictions, I have left out the likes of Leeds, Burnley, Reading, Hull, Southampton who could all possibly make those places.

This could be the best Championship season we have had for years, so many teams could make the top six it's going to be a fascinating battle im sure.

GloucesterBear wrote:Champions - Birmingham
Runners Up - Cardiff
Play Offs - Leicester, West Ham, Ipswich, Nottingham Forest
Relegated - Barnsley, Doncaster, Peterborough

Birmingham have all the credentials to do well in the Championship again, have a good manager and will keep a strong side.

Cardiff lost Bothroyd, Chopra and Bellamy but Mackay has brought well so far could be a surprise package.

Leicester with Sven could be a force, have brought well so far and is still going to add more players Maynard is still possible aswell as Routledge or Whittingham.

West Ham potential favourites but think they will find it a bit tough to adapt, play-offs for them but if they keep players like Noble, Collison etc... they have a very good chance of top two.

Ipswich are buying well and think they have the quality now to really push for a play-off place struggled in mid-table in recent years but this is their year now to make a real go of it.

Notts Forest are a consistent Championship side under new management, McClaren maybe suited to managing a lower league side. Have very good players and of course he will add players aswell, no doubt they will be in the mix.

Doncaster, Barnsley and Peterborough simply don't seem strong enough, Bristol City and Coventry will also be in danger I reckon.

Being a Bristol City fan I should say, this time last year everything seemed great Coppell in charge and having just signed David James, by the 2nd game Coppell had resigned and we seemed in the pits, then Millen took over signed Rose and Caulker on loan as well as bringing in Pitman and Stead before the end of the transfer window.

Basically goes to show how quickly things can change and that with Bristol City i imagine Millen dipping in the loan window again, so we won't see signings until premiership clubs name their 25 man squad

hodge wrote:couldn't get Maynard

Yet...

I maybe biased, but I seriously think we (Leicester) will win the Championship. We are making really good signings so far. I expect either Birmingham or West Ham to finish 2nd with the other one winning the playoffs. Im playing it safe I know. Blackpool will finish mid-table at best. Brighton will probably finish top half but I cant see play offs. Other ones to watch out for are Reading, Middlesborough, Burnley and Hull.

Shot 21 LCFC wrote:

hodge wrote:couldn't get Maynard

Yet...

I maybe biased, but I seriously think we (Leicester) will win the Championship. We are making really good signings so far. I expect either Birmingham or West Ham to finish 2nd with the other one winning the playoffs. Im playing it safe I know. Blackpool will finish mid-table at best. Brighton will probably finish top half but I cant see play offs. Other ones to watch out for are Reading, Middlesborough, Burnley and Hull.

David Nugent and Konchesky? Eek!

If Konchesky rediscovers his Fulham form, £1.5m is a bargain. Nugent was also free, so if he gets 10 goals, thats good business for me. We still hoping for Nicky Maynard, plus Eriksson is in talks with Owen Hargreaves about a possible move. Good times to be a Fox!!!

aparantly Leicester have given us a 5.3 mil plus add ons take it or leave it offer for Nicky Maynard. Will be interesting to see our resolve over this.

Although Nicky has never actually said or given any sign that he wants to leave us, and made an interesting comment in portugal. he mentioned how he can't train properly for another 6 months yet, not something you say if your looking to move clubs. It would usually put managers straight off signing the player.

Also from what i've read the thing that is blocking Nicky from signing a new deal is his agent who is holding out for more money for himself from either money from Nicky signing a new contract or the money he would get from a move to Leicester.

Champions: Birmingham
Runners Up : Leicester

Playoffs: Southampton, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough and West Ham United.

Winners: Middlesbrough - fingers crossed!!!

come on the hammers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forest this season.

Please may I respectfully request that you stop calling us "Notts Forest" it is "Nottingham Forest" or simply "Forest" will do.

Thanks

Can't see Notts Forest getting a play off spot this year, might come close though.

Birmingham for the league though.

mighty hammers to get promoted through the play offs...

and birmingham to get promoted

man sausage

AntLord wrote:man sausage

Don't think they're in the Championship, mate.

I meant you are

Notts Forest are much more likely to get relegated than promoted. But dont worry, we will fly the flag for the East Midlands in the Premier League next year.

Festa my bum

Ha ha ha!4 weeks on saturday were coming to the City Ground to earn an easy 3 points!!!! Cant wait!!!