Top half for us but Reading are dark horses. Good manager, has made a couple of shrewd signings already and still getting parachute payments so have more cash to splash.
All clubs bar four (Brighton, Wednesday, Rotherham, Reading) seem to have complete squads and will not be under pressure to sign players to make up the numbers (like we seemed to do last season).
I would like to think we got rid of the dross and we would sign better players, but these did not arrive. That cuts out four clubs challenging (at the current state of play) and I would rule teams with new coaches as well: Derby, Brentford, Leeds, Wednesday,
Recent appointments: Brighton, QPR, Forest, Charlton, Cardiff, Fulham, Bolton.
Club Finishing position last season Birmingham City 10th Blackburn Rovers 9th
Bolton Wanderers 18th Brentford 5th
Brighton & Hove Albion 20th Bristol City 1st (promoted from League One) Burnley 19th (relegated from Premier League)
Cardiff City 11th
Charlton Athletic 12th
Derby County 8th
Fulham 17th Huddersfield Town 16th Hull City 18th (relegated from Premier League) Ipswich Town 6th
Leeds United 15th Middlesbrough 4th Milton Keynes Dons 2nd (promoted from League One)
Nottingham Forest 14th Preston North End 3rd (promoted via League One Play-Offs)
Queens Park Rangers 20th (relegated from Premier League)
Reading 19th
Rotherham United 21st
Sheffield Wednesday 13th Wolverhampton Wanderers 7th
Any of the team in bold could feature in the top 6.
= Wolves, Hull & Burnley clubs in the reckoning with parachute payments for new signings.
Makes me chuckle those with the rose tinted specs about our chances. If we get in the top half it will be a solid season. Last season was dreadful and we don't have the money to rebuild in one transfer window. Need to stick with CH give him three windows before we can challenge again.