EFL Championship Minus 4 points (AKA The Rebuild)

[verlaine1979]

Not particularly optimistic about next season. Burnley have walked promotion their last two championship seasons, West Ham are probably 50/50 at worst to absolutely dominate the league even after losing a few players, Wrexham and Brum will probably attract further investment, and Wolves will be a weird wild card, as always.

I thought we were nailed on for top two this season and we fucked it up. I think we're probably among the favorites for the playoffs next season at best.

[SouSaint]

1 hour ago, verlaine1979 said:

Not particularly optimistic about next season. Burnley have walked promotion their last two championship seasons, West Ham are probably 50/50 at worst to absolutely dominate the league even after losing a few players, Wrexham and Brum will probably attract further investment, and Wolves will be a weird wild card, as always.

I thought we were nailed on for top two this season and we fucked it up. I think we're probably among the favorites for the playoffs next season at best.

It does take a special kind of shite to spend £50+ million in the Championship and not win promotion. 

The Sport Republic way. 

[Jack]

Latest outrights from Skybet, though I guess it might all look quite different by the time the season starts depending on recruitment. As we saw with Boro and Hull, you can still have a decent season even if you’re shit if you get off to a flier, while the favourites take until November to sort their shit out. Let’s hope Saints get their affairs in order ASAP and the relegated sides have a summer of turmoil. 

West Ham 9/4

Wolves 11/2

Burnley 15/2

Birmingham 10/1

Middlesbrough 11/1

Wrexham 12/1

Sheff Utd 12/1

Southampton 14/1

Norwich 18/1

Millwall 22/1

Stoke 28/1

Derby 28/1

WBA 33/1

Bristol City 33/1

Watford 40/1

Swansea 40/1

Blackburn 50/1

Portsmouth 50/1

QPR 50/1

Bolton 66/1

Preston 66/1

Cardiff 66/1

Charlton 80/1

Lincoln 150/1

7 grounds left in there that I haven’t been to so will be getting to as many of those as possible. Assuming Lincoln will go very quickly and likely Wrexham again due to small allocations.

[Football Special]

30 minutes ago, Jack said:

Latest outrights from Skybet, though I guess it might all look quite different by the time the season starts depending on recruitment. As we saw with Boro and Hull, you can still have a decent season even if you’re shit if you get off to a flier, while the favourites take until November to sort their shit out. Let’s hope Saints get their affairs in order ASAP and the relegated sides have a summer of turmoil. 

West Ham 9/4

Wolves 11/2

Burnley 15/2

Birmingham 10/1

Middlesbrough 11/1

Wrexham 12/1

Sheff Utd 12/1

Southampton 14/1

Norwich 18/1

Millwall 22/1

Stoke 28/1

Derby 28/1

WBA 33/1

Bristol City 33/1

Watford 40/1

Swansea 40/1

Blackburn 50/1

Portsmouth 50/1

QPR 50/1

Bolton 66/1

Preston 66/1

Cardiff 66/1

Charlton 80/1

Lincoln 150/1

7 grounds left in there that I haven’t been to so will be getting to as many of those as possible. Assuming Lincoln will go very quickly and likely Wrexham again due to small allocations.

I'd say thats a hard division to predict, plenty will change between now and end of August. 

Who'd have thought Hull City would go up having just survived last season and under a transfer embargo. 

Surely Burnley are due an extended stay in the Championship 

I dont know enough about West Ham, can see them selling a few then trying to recruit "the best of the Championship" 

Plenty of good away trips there , lots of mileage , London trips and Lincoln will be tough tickets to get , had enough of going to Norwich,  enjoy a trip across the border into Cymru 

Edited 7 hours ago by Football Special

[Gloucester Saint]

West Ham need to sell more than a few, £196m in transfer fees owed. And that was pre-relegation. Fernandes will make us a few million from a sell on. Bowen wants to stay but at 29 if there’s a buyer he’s gone. KWP to Bournemouth I reckon as they’ll need a bigger squad for Europe. But other than Mateus Fernandes, they don’t have an £100m Declan Rice to sell to clear most of it. 

[Football Special]

1 hour ago, Gloucester Saint said:

West Ham need to sell more than a few, £196m in transfer fees owed. And that was pre-relegation. Fernandes will make us a few million from a sell on. Bowen wants to stay but at 29 if there’s a buyer he’s gone. KWP to Bournemouth I reckon as they’ll need a bigger squad for Europe. But other than Mateus Fernandes, they don’t have an £100m Declan Rice to sell to clear most of it. 

Spoke to a West Ham season ticket holder a couple of weeks ago who was really despondent about the state of the club but I just can't see them not having the strongest squad, what they do with it is another thing of course. 

I'd like to add one correction to my post about hard to predict, of course there are a few things you can bet your mortgage on safely one of them being we'll get beat at Bristol City 

[Gloucester Saint]

25 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Spoke to a West Ham season ticket holder a couple of weeks ago who was really despondent about the state of the club but I just can't see them not having the strongest squad, what they do with it is another thing of course. 

I'd like to add one correction to my post about hard to predict, of course there are a few things you can bet your mortgage on safely one of them being we'll get beat at Bristol City 

Death. Taxes and losing at Ashton Gate.

[Teamsaint1]

43 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Death. Taxes and losing at Ashton Gate.

I have 100% win record there supporting Saints.😀

[SNSUN]

4 hours ago, Football Special said:

I'd say thats a hard division to predict, plenty will change between now and end of August. 

Who'd have thought Hull City would go up having just survived last season and under a transfer embargo. 

Surely Burnley are due an extended stay in the Championship 

I dont know enough about West Ham, can see them selling a few then trying to recruit "the best of the Championship" 

Plenty of good away trips there , lots of mileage , London trips and Lincoln will be tough tickets to get , had enough of going to Norwich,  enjoy a trip across the border into Cymru 

Someone from South of the top red line but north of the bottom red line will win the Championship next season. The great North/South/Portsmouth divide.

[Gloucester Saint]

14 minutes ago, Teamsaint1 said:

I have 100% win record there supporting Saints.😀

You must have been at this one unless it was at a pre-season friendly

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/3204811.stm

[AlexLaw76]

What ever the rebuild is, for fuck sake, just be normal about the GK position.

[Teamsaint1]

3 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

You must have been at this one unless it was at a pre-season friendly

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/3204811.stm

I’m old enough to have been at the game in Dec 1979 !!
Channon with the only goal. 

[SNSUN]

10 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

What ever the rebuild is, for fuck sake, just be normal about the GK position.

Ideally we get Peretz back but if that ship has sailed then I'd look to sign Radek Vitek. Give £10 million to United and make it happen. Was excellent this season for Brizzle City and he's 6'6'' - he's a monster.

[RedArmy]

41 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

What ever the rebuild is, for fuck sake, just be normal about the GK position.

And getting most of the squad bought before the last few days of the transfer window would be nice too. 
 

I have a feeling it’ll be a similar summer to last year though. Saints will hold out for as much money as possible for those that inevitably will want out and/or Prem football. Which means we’ll have a makeshift squad until September. 
 

Fucking brilliant when we start on -4. 

 

[Gloucester Saint]

48 minutes ago, Teamsaint1 said:

I’m old enough to have been at the game in Dec 1979 !!
Channon with the only goal. 

Lost there 2-1 season before that according to a Saints highlight reel I saw? Would’ve been our first season back in the top flight and their very first. Following season City went down, and down, and down. Which is how a young Roy Hodgson had his first spell there as they hovered above receivership. Wolves did the same thing a couple of years later.

[Gloucester Saint]

12 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

And getting most of the squad bought before the last few days of the transfer window would be nice too. 
 

I have a feeling it’ll be a similar summer to last year though. Saints will hold out for as much money as possible for those that inevitably will want out and/or Prem football. Which means we’ll have a makeshift squad until September. 
 

Fucking brilliant when we start on -4. 

 

Probably targets in their appraisals about how much player profit they make.