Bristol city = new huddersfield. Rams = new blackburn
Mrs Manx and kids out for an hour or two so been looking at league table and stats etc.
When I last looked Sheff Weds were 3 up against Leeds and got me thinking that this season more than any will be a very close affair.
So far we've played all of the top four and mustered a solitary point but who realistically expects to see Bristol City and Cardiff up there come May? Warnock is a wiley old fox in this division though I expect squad depth or lack of to catch up with them. Bristol City I don't think will sustain beyond Xmas (famous last words).
Eight sides above us have lost as many or more games and for those that think they can predict results try
Derby 5-0 Hull
Derby 1-1 Birmingham
Hull 6-1 Birmingham
All in the space of about 3wks...
To me this is what makes it all the more frustrating as a Derby fan as promotion is within the grasp of at least a dozen sides though at this point in the season I do t see us being one of them.
Moving on to our next game I don't see them challenging for the top 6 either and even at this stage of the season it looks much like local bragging rights being the only prize.
For the record I think Villa will win with a bit to spare. They could field two sides good enough to compete.
Bristol city = new huddersfield. Rams = new blackburn
For the record I think Villa will win with a bit to spare. They could field two sides good enough to compete.[/QUOTE]
I tend to agree re. Villa, perhaps they will lend us their 2nd eleven!!
10 games in and we are exactly where we deserve to be. Mid table. Our best hope is to string a decent run together, get a decent signing in January, and pinch 6th place for the playoffs.
If RW is given time, I think we'd do well next season. But it remains to be seen if we can play above ourselves and do it this season, or if RW will be given support when we go through our next string of losses.
It's a hard position to be in, but I fully expect it to be the same next season if we change management again.
Think Sunderland's position comes as the biggest surprise.
I'd be wary of Wolves. Can see them, Villa, Cardiff and Boro', despite their indifferent start, taking four of the top six places.
The other two, at least, are up for grabs imo but it's a ridiculously competitive league and it is only October 1st.
Sunderland's plight should come as no surprise to us. We have first hand experience of just how long it can take to right a sinking ship. The main problem being, contrary to my metaphor, that the rats tend to stick around until their fat contracts get paid off. Wolves have looked great so far, but there's a lot of fancy Dans (or in their case fancy Diegos) that might go into hibernation once the nights draw in and the gloves and snoods begin to appear. Derby will finish mid table and our season highlight dvd will be smash hit with insomniacs world wide, still that's a nice way to diversify our revenue streams so all's well that ends well.
For the record I think Villa will win with a bit to spare. They could field two sides good enough to compete.[/QUOTE]
To be fair derby could field two sides capable of competing on paper . Baird Pearce shackle olsen
Thorne Bryson Hanson anya Martin weiman .non starting regular at moment and would look a decent team
To be fair derby could field two sides capable of competing on paper . Baird Pearce shackle olsen
Thorne Bryson Hanson anya Martin weiman .non starting regular at moment and would look a decent team[/QUOTE]
Very fair point Salopian. Unfortunately that's on paper. In reality, not entirely unlike Villa, we sometimes find it difficult to find just one side capable of competing.
May I re-phrase the end of your last sentence rA to 'we sometimes find it difficult to find just one PLAYER capable of competing'!!