Where are we; where are we heading?

[smudge]

Since the move to the Amex we seemed to be the team heading for promotion eventually, just a matter of when, not if. Then things changed.
Now I feel that the most unlikely teams have overtaken us, although how long their day in the sun will last before their best players are cherry picked is open to question. Looks like Bournemouth have hit gold with the right manager & some great player recruitment, good luck to them. Brentford also, have that right mix which is doing the business for them.
Then you have all the "big" clubs in this league, Forest, Leeds, Derby, Ipswich, Bolton, Blackburn etc. Ok, some not so big as they were, but some established clubs that may have been managed badly. You only feel it's a matter of time before one or some of them get back on track, looks like it's Derby's year this time.

I'm already looking down to L1 to see what could be heading our way IF we stay up. We know from exprerience that when you come up from L1 to this league, you have done so with a fairly decent team, riding a crest of optimism that can take you a long way.

So, where does that leave us? Mid table mediocrity for a few years, fighting to avoid relegation, or pushing for the play off's? I certainly can't see us being contenders for any automatic spots. Christ knows how Bournemouth are doing what they're doing, if they do it, you have to hand it to Eddie Howe.

Just hope CH does the business for us. Obviously I've got way too much time on my hands & I'm worrying far too much about all this!

 

[OzMike]

I think a good possibility of promotion within the next 3 seasons.
The only problem will be holding on to a successful manager.
They all want to be in the Premier League and for more mercenary, not mentioning any names, by any means.

 

[Rugrat]

Think we can steer clear of the bottom 3

Other than that the clock resets every August and any 6 from about 16 will fancy one of those slots. On top of a decent squad and good Manager you need to add a good dose of luck (injuries, decisions, form of opponents on the day etc)

The league is far too close to call and always will be, but we'll get our chances more than many I think

 

[Stat Brother]

Deary me, one poor half a season and we get stuff like this.
Even then we weren't desperately poor, although it felt like it.
Nobody was tonking 5, 6 and 7 past us a la Reading, Blackpool etc.

Through fair means or foul there will always be an overachiever, Burnley, Bournemouth who happen to catch lightening in a bottle.
There will always be a car crash, Wolves, Wigan, Blackburn.

It would seem the Albion were looking left field to try and capture a little bit of lightening in a small bottle, while driving in strict adherence to the Highway Code, but the bottle broke.

In the Summer I imagine Tony will reset the 56mph limiter to about 80mph, and we'll comfortably be top 10 again.
Those 1901 renewals won't sell themselves.

We're never going to overachieve on a financial whim.
Or crash out because of mismanagement.

We are the beige of Championship football.

 

[Napper]

Like Huddersfield .

 

[Hugo Rune]

I can see us finishing around 15th this season. Come August, CH will have built his own team. I fully expect us to challenge for the top so six next season if we can find a striker (we may already have him) to rattle in at least 20 per season.

 

[nwgull]

Bit of a depressive post considering that this is our first poor season in 5 years, isn't it?

Come the 8th August we'll have the same number of points as many of the teams that have supposedly 'overtaken' us. Even promotion to the PL is only a temporary thing for most clubs the first time around.

 

[trueblue]

I reckon where we're at is an ultimately lower mid table team in a transitional season after a poor managerial appointment left us to much to do. Where we're going next season is back into the top half of the Championship to flirt with the play offs. In any year, I'd be fairly happy with a top ten finish and some good football. If we get a serious promotion push then that's a great bonus. We've been spoiled over the past couple of seasons so the reactions to this year's dip have been quite good at sorting out the fans who've been around a while or who are realistic about the challenge from the bandwagon-jumpers.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Like Huddersfield .

. Oi!

We're on the road to nowhere, come on inside

 

[Lethargic]

Look at Derby, Ipswich and Middlesboro all doing really well this season but have all had there periods of woe over the last few of years but they have built the foundations of where they now are over time, they have all sacked managers and had the fans moaning. I think we are in the same position now, generally the squad is getting younger we are bringing in youngster that could be the mainstay of the side for years providing those same foundations. Yes we are a way behind and still need some corrective surgery in several areas, but I think we are heading in the right direction although it doesnt feel like it at time and it will take longer than some would like.

So my bold predicition is with a good wind next season back flirting with the playoffs and promotion the season after.

 

[father_and_son]

Deary me, one poor half a season and we get stuff like this.
Even then we weren't desperately poor, although it felt like it.
Nobody was tonking 5, 6 and 7 past us a la Reading, Blackpool etc.

Through fair means or foul there will always be an overachiever, Burnley, Bournemouth who happen to catch lightening in a bottle.
There will always be a car crash, Wolves, Wigan, Blackburn.

It would seem the Albion were looking left field to try and capture a little bit of lightening in a small bottle, while driving in strict adherence to the Highway Code, but the bottle broke.

In the Summer I imagine Tony will reset the 56mph limiter to about 80mph, and we'll comfortably be top 10 again.
Those 1901 renewals won't sell themselves.

We're never going to overachieve on a financial whim.
Or crash out because of mismanagement.

We are the beige of Championship football.

More "Battleship Grey"

 

[Stat Brother]

More "Battleship Grey"

Magnolia?

 

[Mo Gosfield]

As 70% of our history has been spent in the bottom two divisions, I would suggest that a decent run in the Championship is pretty good going. The trouble is that we now have a newer fanbase who do not have the depth of experience to put our present position into prospective.
We are competing with a number of clubs at this level who have a far more distinguished pedigree than ours and thus have even greater desire to recapture past glories. The following would all consider themselves to be bigger than BHA and more worthy of higher status.
1) Derby, Middsboro, Ipswich, Nottm F, Cardiff, Blackburn, Norwich, Fulham, Wolves, Sheff Wed, Birmingham, Leeds and Bolton.
Charlton over the years have tended to out perform us and Huddersfield and Blackpool's rich past is quite a long time ago, but they too have tended to finish above us. That leaves Wigan, relative newbies but a very good recent pedigree.
That only leaves 6 clubs and I would place 5 of them on an historical par with us.
2) Bournemouth, Brentford, Reading, Millwall and Watford. That only leaves Rotherham, as a club with a smaller pedigree than us.
So, the last three seasons have really been ones of over-achievement, considering the strength of our competition. I'm not saying we can't compete ( Bournemth, Brentford and Watford are proving that ) just that our current situation needs to be put into proper perspective. We will get stronger under CH but lets not get too far ahead of ourselves.

 

[father_and_son]

As 70% of our history has been spent in the bottom two divisions, I would suggest that a decent run in the Championship is pretty good going. The trouble is that we now have a newer fanbase who do not have the depth of experience to put our present position into prospective.
We are competing with a number of clubs at this level who have a far more distinguished pedigree than ours and thus have even greater desire to recapture past glories. The following would all consider themselves to be bigger than BHA and more worthy of higher status.
1) Derby, Middsboro, Ipswich, Nottm F, Cardiff, Blackburn, Norwich, Fulham, Wolves, Sheff Wed, Birmingham, Leeds and Bolton.
Charlton over the years have tended to out perform us and Huddersfield and Blackpool's rich past is quite a long time ago, but they too have tended to finish above us. That leaves Wigan, relative newbies but a very good recent pedigree.
That only leaves 6 clubs and I would place 5 of them on an historical par with us.
2) Bournemouth, Brentford, Reading, Millwall and Watford. That only leaves Rotherham, as a club with a smaller pedigree than us.
So, the last three seasons have really been ones of over-achievement, considering the strength of our competition. I'm not saying we can't compete ( Bournemth, Brentford and Watford are proving that ) just that our current situation needs to be put into proper perspective. We will get stronger under CH but lets not get too far ahead of ourselves.

This - I agree we are currently above our historical "norm" and we should be enjoying the ride for as long as it lasts. But it would be a little sad if back-to-back play-offs in the championship is as high as we are going to get in the foreseeable future.

 

[father_and_son]

Magnolia?

We're not that cheap.

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

Identifying and recruiting the right player has been the real problem for the last few years.
With a overhaul of the scouting network and keeping Hughton I can see us pushing at the right end of the table within 2 seasons.What would be a disaster is if we go down this season,the damage that Sammi/Barber did will only be known in May.Blooms biggest mistake in football was adding those two to the payroll.

 

[knocky1]

Magnolia?

We could paint the glass ceiling in magnolia for starters and then use more expressive paints as we get our hands on the PL cash.

 

[RexCathedra]

Identifying and recruiting the right player has been the real problem for the last few years.

It's amazing under the circumstances that so many of them keep getting flogged upwards....

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

It's amazing under the circumstances that so many of them keep getting flogged upwards....

With respect, almost all of the players we have sold 'upwards' recently have been with the club for 3-4 years, the more recent recruits (1-2 years) don't seem to be having quite the same pull for the Premier League teams.

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

As 70% of our history has been spent in the bottom two divisions, I would suggest that a decent run in the Championship is pretty good going. The trouble is that we now have a newer fanbase who do not have the depth of experience to put our present position into prospective.
We are competing with a number of clubs at this level who have a far more distinguished pedigree than ours and thus have even greater desire to recapture past glories. The following would all consider themselves to be bigger than BHA and more worthy of higher status.

I wonder if that is true. I am not sure our desire isn't greater as it's been so long since we have experienced a taste of the top flight.