Having gone through and listed the ins at all the rival championship clubs in the sticky at the top of the board, what's your thinking on the business other clubs seem to have done so far ?
Wigan have bought well. Don't know whether they'll keep Maloney, McManaman and McCarthy but at this moment in time i'd have them as title favourites. Think Holt is a great buy and guarantees them 25 goals.
Birmingham and Blackburn have bought well considering almost all of their signings are free.
Blackpool have done badly. Basically they've lost 3 first team players to bigger clubs in our league, that is not good. Tom Ince will surely leave too.
Blackpool - the owners are taking money out and not reinvesting... Many deals are free / undisclosed which is a sign of the times and FFP kicking in? It will be interesting to see how different the starting XI plus subs are from last season because I dont see major changes... All the more reason for us to push on!
Yes Tom, if he stays fit all season i'd be surprised if Holt doesn't get 25 goals.
I know they'll probably lose a couple more players but the Wigan squad at the moment actually looks better now than when they were in the premier league!
Wigan will be a lot different from the Martinez teams, a lot more British type players, you don't buy the likes of Holt and James Perch to play Barcelona style football...
Blackpool are sinking back towards their natural level, as their parachute money reduces. Remember, they are a much smaller club than we are, for example.
With Watford, just showing transfers in and out is misleading, as a massive number of last season's squad were loanees! If they don't get Vydra back, then that's a massive loss for them.
Birmingham seem to have done good business, though it must be painful to lose another starlet (Redmond).
Holt is a decent player and one we'd be more than happy with.....however I'm not sure he is a guarantee of 25 goals as stated earlier. He's only once before scored 20+ in a season in the Championship. Wasn't a regular at Norwich as a starter last year and although not 'past it' is entering the final stages of his career.
Bolton I fancy for second or thereabouts, Ipswich to make the playoffs. Reading to win, Wigan I have a feeling will struggle a little more than expected.
What's everyones thoughts on QPR? I'm fully expecting them to struggle to make any impact. I don't think they'll be relegated but I predict Redknapp will be gone by Xmas one way or another and that they'll finish mid-table at best.
If wigan had a martinez mgr they would win the league with that squad with coyle i think they will get play offs
Blackburn for me are the one to watch
QPR will be auto with black burn
I get the feeling that we will prove a lot of people wrong and really push hard at the start of the season and some late free offerings and some well thought out loans will enable us to go early but fall late
I wouldn't be surprised if QPR walked it this year I have a feeling they will splash out more dosh I think Wigan will be a mid table disaster under Coyle I really believe we are destined for Wembley this season Huddersfield buying to stay in this division Dark horses for me are Bournemouth
I don't know how anybody can say we will finish in the play offs at the moment. We have one senior striker with a number of youngsters. If we bring in some quality with Jackson, Obika and Sordell then I can understand people's optimism and I would feel the same. At the moment we will struggle at the other end of the table. Let us see who we bring in the next six to seven weeks.
Holt is a decent player and one we'd be more than happy with.....however I'm not sure he is a guarantee of 25 goals as stated earlier. He's only once before scored 20+ in a season in the Championship
The season he scored 20+ for Norwich was the only time in his career that he'd played a full season in this division.
Coyle did get Burnley promoted, so he has a track record in this division. Building a new team can be risky, but the I remember a certain Chris Powell building a new team 2 years ago and doing rather well...
the reality is Dick we wont start the season this way I believe that the free signings and loans we get in will do us ok
I believe that is right, but I am just hanging fire to see what sort of forward players we bring in. If it is of the standard of Jackson, Sordell I think we will do very well. If we are scrabbling around in the bargain basement then it is a lot more problematic.
I think Wigan have bought well with Holt, he'll smash a few past us no doubt. I think Ipswich will be a very good team, under Mick last season they finished so well considering their position at Xmas. Playoffs are my prediction there.
I think Wigan have bought well with Holt, he'll smash a few past us no doubt. I think Ipswich will be a very good team, under Mick last season they finished so well considering their position at Xmas. Playoffs are my prediction there.
Of course teams might look at OUR form at the end of the season (we were by far the form team) and consider with a couple of strikers that we'd be contenders for the playoffs as well :-)
I think Wigan have bought well with Holt, he'll smash a few past us no doubt. I think Ipswich will be a very good team, under Mick last season they finished so well considering their position at Xmas. Playoffs are my prediction there.
Of course teams might look at OUR form at the end of the season (we were by far the form team) and consider with a couple of strikers that we'd be contenders for the playoffs as well :-)
Difference is Ipswich are owned by a Kevin cash type but who isn't afraid to throw his money into the mix
Comments
Wigan have bought well. Don't know whether they'll keep Maloney, McManaman and McCarthy but at this moment in time i'd have them as title favourites. Think Holt is a great buy and guarantees them 25 goals.
Birmingham and Blackburn have bought well considering almost all of their signings are free.
Blackpool have done badly. Basically they've lost 3 first team players to bigger clubs in our league, that is not good. Tom Ince will surely leave too.
Many deals are free / undisclosed which is a sign of the times and FFP kicking in?
It will be interesting to see how different the starting XI plus subs are from last season because I dont see major changes...
All the more reason for us to push on!
I know they'll probably lose a couple more players but the Wigan squad at the moment actually looks better now than when they were in the premier league!
Don't think coyle is the right appointment though
Blackpool are sinking back towards their natural level, as their parachute money reduces. Remember, they are a much smaller club than we are, for example.
With Watford, just showing transfers in and out is misleading, as a massive number of last season's squad were loanees! If they don't get Vydra back, then that's a massive loss for them.
Birmingham seem to have done good business, though it must be painful to lose another starlet (Redmond).
With a new manager coming in Wigan will have to start from scratch, so really not sure how they will get on.
Blackburn for me are the one to watch
QPR will be auto with black burn
I get the feeling that we will prove a lot of people wrong and really push hard at the start of the season and some late free offerings and some well thought out loans will enable us to go early but fall late
What about Nottingham Forest? ..best footballing side I saw last season home and away.
I fancy them, Bolton and possibly Leeds.
All three relegated teams may struggle to make play offs, parachute or no parachute.
I have a feeling they will splash out more dosh
I think Wigan will be a mid table disaster under Coyle
I really believe we are destined for Wembley this season
Huddersfield buying to stay in this division
Dark horses for me are Bournemouth
The season he scored 20+ for Norwich was the only time in his career that he'd played a full season in this division.