Season expectations

[TKIZ!]

I'm going into the season beyond optimistic. We'll fooking walk it

[TANGODANCER]

I'm going into the season beyond optimistic. We'll fooking walk it

Do you think we're practising getting draws? I mean,if we drew every game, we'd have 38 points (or whatever) and avoid relegation. Is this the new plan?

[Riviman]

I'm going into the season beyond optimistic. We'll fooking walk it

Do you think we're practising getting draws? I mean,if we drew every game, we'd have 38 points (or whatever) and avoid relegation. Is this the new plan?

It's even better than that - 46 points !!

[Turkish Trotter]

I'm going into the season beyond optimistic. We'll fooking walk it

Do you think we're practising getting draws? I mean,if we drew every game, we'd have 38 points (or whatever) and avoid relegation. Is this the new plan?

It's even better than that - 46 points !!

But still relegation form !!!

[Worthy4England]

I'm going into the season beyond optimistic. We'll fooking walk it

Do you think we're practising getting draws? I mean,if we drew every game, we'd have 38 points (or whatever) and avoid relegation. Is this the new plan?

It's even better than that - 46 points !!

But still relegation form !!!

Away with ya man - we'd have been 6 points clear of relegation (but only on the basis Pompey got docked 10 points.)

[Hoboh]

Applying last seasons yard stick it's cool or tool time for Coyle, last season he was a complete utter tool!
I'm with worthy's way of thinking give him the first half dozen games and if we don't look like a side capable of producing the goods then him and fat Phil should both do one.
We will not win this league at a canter there will be some bloody tough games and its down to the players and more so the manager to prove they have what it takes and a genuine desire to play in the Premier league again, Coyles first couple of games will give away his line of thinking I just hope he actually does some.

[Leyther_Matt]

Applying last seasons yard stick it's cool or tool time for Coyle

*Not an opinion on the subject, just an excuse to use that picture

[boltonfan93]

Well on the same site they did a poll and 61% think that we'll do better than Wolves and Blackburn, quite surprised by how much Bolton won by.

http://www.football-lad.com/poll-result ... ted-teams/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lord Kangana]

How many people voted?

[boltonfan93]

How many people voted?

if you add up the numbers on the chart it's 84 people

[Prufrock]

I despise the notion that we have a better squad than the rest of the league.

I understand - but.

The point is we should have a better squad (than many) with the finances the Manager has at his disposal. If we ain't then it's right to ask why.

I can understand the claim that one or two of the players are "obviously better than championship" players - but I'm not so sure that it is as clear as BWFCi makes out that MOST of them are.

nor am I sure how you would make the judgement that a player fits into the category "premiership standard" or "championship standard" - at best it would be a highly subjective judgement and so, not at all obvious.

the easiest measure I can think of is that a "premiership standard" player playing in the championship would find himself a target for a premiership club looking to fill that position - no?

Bish you are right that it isn't as simple as saying they are 'championship' or 'premiership' standard. But equally your measure that if any of our players were premiership standard a premiership club would have bought them is a little off too. We were a premiership club when we signed Mears, Eagles, Sordell etc.....

Personally I think we've got a good enough side to go back up. More than good enough IMO. If you don't think we do, then you must think Coyle is a truly horrible manager beyond all proportion.

It would be arrogant to say we are definitely going up. But to say we should go up, when you look at the budget we have the players we have and the experience in there, we should go back IMO barring mismanagement again.

I think we have a good enough side to go up. (I've never said otherwise)

but I don't think we have any RIGHT to go up - so that if we don't - then I don't think it will necessarily be an utter and total shameful failure.

we are not the only club in the championship that has a squad capable of competing.

and I don't think it really means anything to say that most of our players are simply above all this - they aren't.

I disagree with you that mismanagement could be the only explanation for not going up - the game is a lot more complicated than that. It might be the reason - but it's not the only possible reason.

so - to say - barring mismanagement we SHOULD go up - (to me) - does sound arrogant.


(also I think you are (deliberately?) guilty of a logic-fail. If I say that a sign of a premiership player in the championship is that a premiership club looking to fill his position would have a look at him - that is in no way logically equivalent to your characterization of my argument that every player bought by a premiership club - like the examples you gave - is a "premiership standard" player.)

Yours is a logic fail also. By your reckoning Scott Sinclair, Joe Allen, Neil Taylor, Nathan Dyer, John Ruddy, Steve Morison and all the first teams of Reading, Norwich and West Ham aren't premiership players because no premiership team looked at them when those clubs where in the Championship. You are vague with 'looked over', but who says people haven't been looking at ours?

IF Chungy and Holden can get back to where they were, they are both top 6 players, never mind premiership. Knight, Petrov, SKD have spent the majority of their careers in the top flight. Ricketts and Mark Davies have both looked competent at that level. I still think properly managed, even with the injuries we should have stayed up comfortably last year. We weren't that far off even with the OMGWTF is he doing decisions that lasted the entire first half of last year, and then reappeared for a bit in Feb-March. That squad is a very strong candidate for the best in the division. That of course doesn't mean we will walk it. We could do, we probably won't (as you rightly point out, there are other teams in this division, and they aren't all pub league cloggers) but if we don't go up it isn't a ridiculous conclusion that it would be a poor season. Then you have to factor in BWFCi's minor lean towards the hyperbolic

[thebish]

pru - are you seriously claiming that most of our squad are a clear cut above the championship? really??

I don't think most of the are clearly a cut above championship standard at all - some are - but nowhere near most.

I can't think of any measure that would obviously bring such a conclusion.

[Prufrock]

I don't know what 'Premiership standard' (PS) and 'Championship standard' (CS) mean. Some folk were talking about Chungy and Holden as being our only 'Premiership standard' players, which seems to suggest PS means 'good enough' to win the Premiership. That would make CS good enough to win the Championship. If that is the case, then no, I don't think most of our squad are a clear cut above CS. If on the other hand you think players good enough to go and have a decent career knocking around mid table in the Premiership are PS, as I do, then your question is do I think most of this squad is a clear cut above 'good enough to have decent careers knocking about mid-table in the Championship? If so then yes. Some of them several clear cuts, some of them not individually. Overall I'd say our squad is in the strongest two or three, if not the best.

For comparison, David Norris, who wasn't even nearly good enough for us when he was a kid, has spent large swathes of his career in the Championship with Plymouth and Ipswich, and done well. He is a Championship standard midfielder. Stuart Holden he is not.

[thebish]

I don't know what 'Premiership standard' (PS) and 'Championship standard' (CS) mean.

no - neither do I. the conversation I was involved with was a response to BWFCi stating that most of our squad were cleary above championship level - so promotion should be a piece of piss for any half-witted manager.

[Prufrock]

I refer the Hon. Member to my earlier remark:

Then you have to factor in BWFCi's minor lean towards the hyperbolic

[thebish]

I refer the Hon. Member to my earlier remark:

Then you have to factor in BWFCi's minor lean towards the hyperbolic

it was you who revived the discussion!!

[Worthy4England]

Can we just stick with after being backed for two seasons with money to rebuild the squad, and having more wage bill at our disposal than most Championship teams, any half competent manager should fooking walk it?

[Prufrock]

I refer the Hon. Member to my earlier remark:

Then you have to factor in BWFCi's minor lean towards the hyperbolic

it was you who revived the discussion!!

I've been away! You might as well have written it yesterday. World stops when I'm not here presumably?

[Prufrock]

Can we just stick with after being backed for two seasons with money to rebuild the squad, and having more wage bill at our disposal than most Championship teams, any half competent manager should fooking walk it?

Rebuilding a squad that had finished 13th the year before. (He says following an ABJ policy on cake (having it, and eating it) whilst recalling how Megson inherited a team which finished top 8 the year before).

But basically, yeah, this. The squad is good enough to get promoted, and, if it isn't, it should be.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

All I have to add is that it's very confusing that Pru and Worthy have the same avatars. Bring back AOB's squashed face and Frankie's oversized gegs!