Are we playing for 2nd place?

[Live by the sea]

I agree on paper Newcastle should walk it. But the great thing about football is that what you think on paper should happen doesn't always. As long as we go up hopefully this season, don't care how we do it.

 

[Aveacarlin']

I think some people have completely misconstrued my op. I am not suggesting we should be aiming for/targeting 2nd. That would be patently ridiculous and anyone who thought I meant that must seriously lack intelligence! I was just asking the question are we competing with Norwich/Hudds etc for 2nd or do people believe both automatic places are still up for grabs

Why should we not be targeting 2nd? What's wrong with 2nd?

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[Wilko]

There's as much chance of Newcastle having a car-crash as there is of them going up. Difficult to say.

This is what I keep thinking. If there is one team that can spectacularly knob it up then it is Newcastle. They are more erratic than us, they will have more huge wins but hopefully lose lots of games they should have won too.

 

[chaileyjem]

praying...yes.

 

[sdmartin1]

Why should we not be targeting 2nd? What's wrong with 2nd?

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Every team should be targeting 1st. Especially us given how close we were last season. If we end up 2nd no one will be complaining but that is not the target.

 

[Aveacarlin']

Every team should be targeting 1st. Especially us given how close we were last season. If we end up 2nd no one will be complaining but that is not the target.

Sorry, but I am totally confused by your posts. It's obviously down to my lack if intelligence

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[Munchkin]

I'm targeting top of this division, but also realistic and sense if we finish one place behind Newcastle we will go up as runners up.

Marathon not a sprint, but a positive start and in a great position in the race so far.

Kayal, March and Rosenior will make us even stronger and a significant investment in January in the striking department may just give us the final piece of the jigsaw this season. Exciting times.

 

[Mr Smggles]

Since when has 3 meant "almost 10"?

Hmmm... I could've sworn it was more than 3. I suppose we took our foot off the gas towards the end.

 

[Simster]

Hmmm... I could've sworn it was more than 3. I suppose we took our foot off the gas towards the end.

That is exactly what happened. A shame really, because whilst it was a canter that is not what the history books will show. The only game we seemed to try and win after the title was sewn up was Southampton at home, and sadly we managed to lose it!

 

[sdmartin1]

Sorry, but I am totally confused by your posts. It's obviously down to my lack if intelligence

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Every team should be targeting finishing first. My question is, is our realistic best case scenario finishing 2nd or do people think we can still trouble Newcastle, it really isn't that complicated

 

[ac gull]

Don't see why privately we should not believe we are playing for first place.

It's very fine margins, arguably we should have beaten Preston and if we had got Duffy in before the Forest game then the two in a row losses may have been different.
After New Year you get some very unpredictable results re pressure being on bottom six teams - our two nil win against Derby in CH first season a case in point.

As soon as anyone starts to think they have "it sorted" re getting promoted they will get found out and go on a poor run very quickly

 

[Eeyore]

How can anyone play for second place ? Do we decide to concede a goal for fear of going top. The players want to win every game. And so do we. If we end up in second then fine.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Latest Experimental 3-6-1 (https://experimental361.com/2016/10/23/e-ratings-update-championship-23-oct-2016/) prediction has us 2nd with a 60% chance of automatic promotion.

Not sure I subscribe to that, the bookies have us 3rd favourites for promotion behind Newcastle and an odds-on Norwich.

PG

 

[Stat Brother]

We all know this question is impossible to answer until 01.02.17.

I'm amazed the team is currently second, they're certainly proving me wrong at the moment.
I desperately hope I'm still as loud wrong in 6 weeks time, even if that means we 'crawl' into the transfer window.
It's clear CH can squeeze every last point from the players.

I'm still concerned we're following the same template as last season.
Winning ugly away is great esp somewhere like Wigan. But scraping wins at home makes it tough for me to commit to our promotion credentials.

 

[Peter Grummit]

We all know this question is impossible to answer until 01.02.17.

I'm amazed the team is currently second, they're certainly proving me wrong at the moment.
I desperately hope I'm still as loud wrong in 6 weeks time, even if that means we 'crawl' into the transfer window.
It's clear CH can squeeze every last point from the players.

I'm still concerned we're following the same template as last season.
Winning ugly away is great esp somewhere like Wigan. But scraping wins at home makes it tough for me to commit to our promotion credentials.

Broadly agree.

The earlier in the season the more important performances are (the later, results are more critical). Most managers subscribe to this view. I'm not yet convinced our performances have been good enough. The flip side, of course, is that we are 2nd without playing consistently well, and with players to return we have potential to improve.

PG

 

[GT49er]

Newcastle are completely infallible and I think they will finish the season uneaten.

They'll be some pretty hungry teams for them to meet at some point in the season!

 

[dazzer6666]

On B365 we've gone from 6/1 just pre-season to 15/8 today to finish top 2 (and from 6/4 to 1/6 to finish top 6)

 

[Stat Brother]

On B365 we've gone from 6/1 just pre-season to 15/8 today to finish top 2 (and from 6/4 to 1/6 to finish top 6)

All the betting market is, is a representation of the weekends results in number form.

 

[Napper]

Title odds

N'castle 1/2
Norwich 9/2
BHA 11/2

Next best Sheff Wed at 25 (twenty five) / 1 !!!!

 

[smeg]

I think the Toon will run away with this, thought so before a ball had been kicked, so yeah second for me would be the best we could achieve. Actually think Norwich will come second and it's the playoff's for us again but we beat Wednesday away so anything is possible, right?