Sheebo
Well-known member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 29,319
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By kind permission of Four Four Two magazine....
- Thread starter Mo Gosfield
- Start date
The point is it's the Championship.
We're not talking City, Chelsea, Utd then Arsenal here, we're talking about a division that has Bournemouth as the current title holders.
Plus another transfer window.
So I'll not be laughing down my sleeve at 4-4-2 after just 8 games, although as you say when this was last on here I think most of us chuckled at our 23rd place.
I'll certainly not be predicting the table either.
Just so you can all point and laugh come May, I will say I don't think the Albion will be in the play offs, which, a la 4-4-2, could be amazingly stupid if Tony decides to spent that £10m striker fund.
I think they could finish anywhere between 9th and 15th separated by 4 points.
Who those other 7 teams might be I haven't got a clue. (Pretty much the position a fair few of NSC would have settled for on 01.08.15)
That's why we should all love and enjoy the Championship, before it gets too predictable and corrupted by the Sky money trickle down.
el punal
Well-known member
My view regarding Bournemouth as unexpected champions was prompted by the fact that the "big boys" in the league failed to fulfill their potential. I fully expected teams like Middlesbough (although they did reach the play-offs), Derby, Nottm.Forest and even Fulham to be challenging for promotion. On the other hand, this time last year, I never would have thought that we would be in a relegation struggle right to the end of the season.
It goes to show that the Championship is a wonderful, crazy league. You predict at your peril.
- Jun 27, 2012
- 14,656
After 8 games last season Bournemouth had one more point than the Albion. 9.
Leyton Gull
Banned
- Sep 14, 2015
- 411
Really! I AM surprised. In fact I don't believe you. If you are right that means Wolves might indeed win the title. Obviously we don't seem to want to if the Wolves game is anything to go by.
AZ Gull
@SeagullsAcademy @seagullsacademy.bsky.social
SweatyMexican
Well-known member
- Mar 31, 2013
- 4,155
I know we've only got last season's perspective to compare this season to, but I've been really impressed by some of our performances this season. The first 30 minutes at Fulham were some of the best football I've seen Brighton play, easily, since we got promoted.
In some of the last few games, I keep coming away from the ground thinking "we won, but I don't think we've seen our best yet". This to me shows championship qualities that I think will see us much higher up the table than a 9th - 15th finish. Don't forget, in our first season we finished 10th, but I don't think that team was as good as our current one. Not by a long shot.
It's all a game of opinions, but I think if we can play into our potential which I think this side has, I see no reason why a solid play off position isn't on the cards. I'm usually quite a reserved Brighton supporter, but I think we've got something about us this year.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Some good calls there, especially the rugby one!
Hampster Gull
Well-known member
- Dec 22, 2010
- 13,465
Hob knobs
I think I disagree with the last statement........Its like being a weather forecaster and saying its going to snow and the sun ends up coming out all day.
The magazine is a specialist football magazine. For such an article trying to predict the positions of the following year I admit is very difficult; however, a journalist should be doing research for such an article and trying to find out who is likely to be spending money and who is not. That's not an easy thing to do but good journalists CAN do it. On the other hand, LAZY journalists just sit at their desk and guess.
Or maybe they used some sort of computer prediction based on previous years stats(taking into account of course promoted and relegated clubs) - If that was the case, then they should have made that clear what they had done.
Nottseagull
Well-known member
I spotted the error straight away; there's only one o in Middlesbrough.
Mo Gosfield
Well-known member
- Aug 11, 2010
- 6,364
- Thread starter
- #52
When FourFourTwo went to press they already knew that Bakary Sako ( Wolves best player ) had gone. The subsequent loss of Dicko was a big blow, that the magazine couldn't have foreseen but they seemed to pin all their hopes on Afobe and Jed Wallace ( in from Pompey )
They go on to say that..." there is an argument to be made that Jackett is the best manager in the division "....I think you will find that most people working within the game agree that KJ is very good for two seasons but then his teams seem to tail off and he struggles to lift them.
Could be third season syndrome at Wolves for Jackett.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Really?? Can someone remind me how many teams he has taken out of this division and how high his teams have finished in the Championship. Best manager in the division, I'd like to know the thinking behind that. Was the writer a Wolves fan perchance?
Not saying he's not a decent manager but I could never consider him the best in the division.
If the argument revolves around overall (not Championship) win statistics you could argue that Steve Cotterill is the best in the division, Simon Grayson is also up there
http://www.managerstats.co.uk/championship/
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Leyton Gull
Banned
- Sep 14, 2015
- 411
blow me!
Really?? Can someone remind me how many teams he has taken out of this division and how high his teams have finished in the Championship. Best manager in the division, I'd like to know the thinking behind that. Was the writer a Wolves fan perchance?
Not saying he's not a decent manager but I could never consider him the best in the division.
If the argument revolves around overall (not Championship) win statistics you could argue that Steve Cotterill is the best in the division, Simon Grayson is also up there
http://www.managerstats.co.uk/championship/
Those statistics are not actually accurate for the Championship. They obviously don't take account of managers stats when they were at other clubs.
I actually like Kenny Jacket. He is a good manager but he tends to hit the ground running and then after a few years he sort of runs out of ideas.
I think he knows the lower divisions really well but I don't think he has the right connections within the game to find the players that can get his teams to the Premiership. The same applies to his scouting team. I think they know the lower divisions very well but they cant really identify the players it takes to buy at affordable prices that will just have that little bit extra to get out of the Championship.
Kenny is also a bit of a gentleman in terms of as a person. Why the hell he and Ian Holloway are best of friends is beyond me. They are like chalk and cheese as people