worcester_ccfc wrote:Very good post, as usual.
Big Hill Blue wrote:Excellent post indeed...I just think they got lucky with their predictions
stickywicket wrote:Big Hill Blue wrote:Excellent post indeed...I just think they got lucky with their predictions
Not being a betting man, I was going for the 3 relegated clubs to go straight back up. The Mepham sending off was a major influence on this not happening.
The Lone Gunman wrote:stickywicket wrote:Big Hill Blue wrote:Excellent post indeed...I just think they got lucky with their predictions
Not being a betting man, I was going for the 3 relegated clubs to go straight back up. The Mepham sending off was a major influence on this not happening.
You may be right, but to me Bournemouth rarely looked up for the fight. They had plenty of genuine talent in their squad but had a soft underbelly. That showed quite clearly in their home game against City. Bournemouth finished 10 points behind Brentford and 14 points short of automatic promotion. They lost 13 games by comparison to 7 for Norwich and Brentford, and 8 for Watford.
I suspect having three managers in less than 12 months didn't help Bournemouth's cause and I don't rate Woodgate at all, but if they can hang on to the majority of their better players they should be a force in the division next season. They're currently fourth favourites behind the three relegated sides.
Sven wrote:The Lone Gunman wrote:stickywicket wrote:Big Hill Blue wrote:Excellent post indeed...I just think they got lucky with their predictions
Not being a betting man, I was going for the 3 relegated clubs to go straight back up. The Mepham sending off was a major influence on this not happening.
You may be right, but to me Bournemouth rarely looked up for the fight. They had plenty of genuine talent in their squad but had a soft underbelly. That showed quite clearly in their home game against City. Bournemouth finished 10 points behind Brentford and 14 points short of automatic promotion. They lost 13 games by comparison to 7 for Norwich and Brentford, and 8 for Watford.
I suspect having three managers in less than 12 months didn't help Bournemouth's cause and I don't rate Woodgate at all, but if they can hang on to the majority of their better players they should be a force in the division next season. They're currently fourth favourites behind the three relegated sides.
I think you're right; Bournemouth looked a little 'soft' at times but the Mepham sending off was a key moment at the end
You have to favour the three relegated sides next season but I have a feeing that Sheffield United would be the one to miss out, if any
worcester_ccfc wrote:Very good post, as usual.
Here's my take on why I believe it's been predictable.
I highlighted this a few weeks ago, and it's even more correct now that Brentford have won the play-offs.
In my view, the biggest factor was the fact there were no supporters in stadiums for the vast majority of the season. Some clubs didn't have any fans in the stadium all season.
The best quality teams will always have an advantage without playing in the sometimes difficult atmosphere in front of opposition supporters and under pressure from their own supporters in the stadium.
In empty stadiums, there are few distractions to stop the best teams from flourishing. The example I'd use is when beat Manchester City. If the stadium was empty that day, I'm sure they would have won comfortably.
It's not just the Championship either.
You would have predicted before the season started that Manchester City would win the Premier League. The same goes for Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea finishing in the top four. Same with Sheffield United, West Brom and Fulham going down.
Most would have thought Hull and Peterborough had a good chance of going up this season as well as Blackpool, if they get the job done today.
Cheltenham, Cambridge and Bolton were all expected to do well this season in League Two and they all got automatic promotion. Newport were also likely to be up there.
The two who would buck the trend would be Morecambe and Lincoln.
In the top four tiers, it has gone as expected.
As I say, the biggest factor in my opinion is the lack of fans in stadiums. I would expect it to be a lot less predictable next season.
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