By kind permission of Four Four Two magazine....

[Mo Gosfield]

This thread has the worst kind of potential.

I disagree. They are clearly way off the mark with quite a number of predictions. They have basically taken last years bottom half and reproduced it, with a little bit of juggling.

 

[Puppet Master]

Everyone caaaaaalm down...

 

[Rogero]

There is a long,long way to go. We will pick up injuries,suspensions,and bad playing surfaces when the weather turns. A great start though.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Well at least you haven't written that down on a public forum, where it'll still be in May 2016.

It takes a brave or stooopid man to predict the Championship 8 games in.

Its all about opinions and I don't think 442 thought enough about it. Hughton and Clarke are good managers and it was obvious both would strengthen and improve. To put Reading at 18th and us at 23rd is, frankly, ridiculous.

 

[TonyW]

.....I reproduce their predicted Championship table for 2015-16.

1) Wolves
2) Derby
3) Middsboro
4) Ipswich
5) Burnley
6) Birmingham
7) Bristol City
8) Hull
9) Brentford
10) Forest
11) Preston
12) Sheff Wed........
13) Blackburn
14) QPR
15) Huddersfield......( 16th )
16) Charlton............( 12th )
17) Cardiff..............( 11th )
18) Reading............( 19th )
19) Bolton...............( 18th )
20) Fulham.............( 17th )
21) Leeds...............(15th )
22) Rotherham........( 21st )
23) BHA.................( 20th )
24) MK Dons

Positions in brackets are last season.....clearly a lot of thought gone into this!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

 

[Leyton Gull]

Why for example would anyone who knows anything, think Wolves and Derby, 2 fluffers were going to do so much better than the unfortunate Hull, QPR and Burnley [a strong bottom half of the Prem last year]?

 

[Notters]

Not quite sure why they expect Wolves to be champions regardless of how early in season it is.

This isn't from early in the season, this is from before the season.

 

[StonehamPark]

No one can even slightly accurately predict the Championship final standings.

It's (imo) the closest competition in football, anyone can go up, anyone can go down.

 

[Pevenseagull]

I guess they had Wigan top 6 last season. I would have.

 

[Simster]

Ok...I admit its still early but it is over 1/6th in already and I think it is safe to say that some of those predictions are going to be well off the mark.....
a) Wolves won't make top 6 let alone win it.
b) Bristol City haven't a prayer of 7th place.....bottom 7 guaranteed.
c) Brentford and Preston will be bottom half.
d) Of their bottom half predictions...I expect...QPR, Cardiff, Reading, Fulham and Brighton to be top half.

Spot on. Clueless predictions which I'll admit made me chuckle when I first saw them on here a couple of months back. Ignore some of the sensitive clowns on here who won't acknowledge some of your sensible points.

Well at least you haven't written that down on a public forum, where it'll still be in May 2016.

It takes a brave or stooopid man to predict the Championship 8 games in.

Do me a favour, he'll be spot on with 90% of what he's said there. That's nothing to do with counting chickens - he's hardly saying we're as good as promoted already is he.

If you or anybody else thinks he's being embarrassingly optimistic and taking things for granted by proclaiming that we will finish in the top half, can you please just say so? Just so that we know what your own position is when you laugh at him for doing so.

 

[Lifelong Supporter]

CH's reputation for solidity and TB's record in financially backing a manager, would have supported a prediction of mid table for us I feel. I think it will become increasingly difficult for promoted clubs to 'storm' the Championship. They are in an even worse position that us in competing with parachute payment clubs.

 

[chaileyjem]

This fool had a slightly different take on the upcoming season in four four two's preview edition back in August.

 

[chaileyjem]

and i'm surprised nobody has mentioned who Four Four Two tipped as the Championship winners in (July) 14/15

They're now 8th in League One.

 

[Icy Gull]

This isn't from early in the season, this is from before the season.

Still have no idea why they thought Wolves would win it when you look at clubs with decent managers who had spent much more. It's not like Wolves were that good last season and have they strengthened that much??

What would be the thinking behind that prediction other than "wishful"?

 

[Triggaaar]

Would anyone have predicted Bournemouth to end the season as champions? It's a funny old game, Saint.

I guess they had Wigan top 6 last season. I would have.

No one is saying the Championship is easy to predict, of course it isn't. The criticism is that they haven't even tried.

Before last season we were in the playoffs two seasons running, then we lost some good players, had some injuries and had an untried manager and it went wrong. We've got an experienced manager in and released the players that were causing us problems, so while there's no guarantee we'd finish top half, predicting us to finish 23rd is just lazy or stupid.

 

[Icy Gull]

Would anyone have predicted Bournemouth to end the season as champions? It's a funny old game, Saint.

Champions no but I did predict that they might well be dark horses for promotion. It wasn't a total bolt from the blue, good manager and plenty of investment in the team after a solid season the year before.

 

[chaileyjem]

I guess they had Wigan top 6 last season. I would have.

They had Wigan as champions...

 

[WiggoWiggo]

I work in the same office as FourFourTwo. Don't worry, I gave them stick for this when they were putting it together. Just waiting for the right time to bring it up, although I won't be tempting fate by doing it much sooner than January.

 

[ozzygull]

They are normally so wrong with their predictions that I sighed with relief when I flicked through the copy in WH Smiths, and saw they had us in the drop zone.

 

[Sheebo]

Would anyone have predicted Bournemouth to end the season as champions? It's a funny old game, Saint.

That's not the point though. I can understand nobody predicting the likes of BMuff to go up but I think we were all a bit suprised at their lack of faith / knowledge on the Albion and our Summer signings (who seemed promising at the time). Piss poor from 442 - give them pelters - I've tweeted them a few times asking what month our relegation will be confirmed. Long way top go but we are not going down I'm almost certain of that!