2013/14 Sky Bet Championship

[Jatz]

New season kicks off this weekend.

QPR, Reading & Bolton appear the bookies favourites for promotion.

Actually thinking about getting Setanta this season so I can at least watch some lower league games.

Im tipping Bolton Reading and Wigan to go up.

Feel QPR will either finish first or do a Wolves and achieve double relegation.

Sadly I'm not liking Leicester's chances this season. Same average coach, same average squad (with only one addition). Could be a long season.

Can not wait for sunday morning, it's so good to have football back!

 

[Gibbsy]

Do you reckon Beckford will prove to be a big loss blue boy jatz?

 

[Jatz]

Do you reckon Beckford will prove to be a big loss blue boy jatz?

To be completely honest, no.

I was ecstatic when we signed him but like most of Sven's signings, he proved to be a bust.

Was loaned out the last half of last years season at Huddersfield and didn't perform that well there either.

Was on massive wages so am happy to have him off the books.

Having said all that, watch him fire under Freedman haha

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Is The Football League Show on foxtel?

 

[Jatz]

Is The Football League Show on foxtel?

Setanta I believe. They bought all rights.

As much as I hate paying for it, it's essentially one days pay for me and it will provide so much football. Think I'll just bite the bullet.

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Setanta I believe. They bought all rights.

As much as I hate paying for it, it's essentially one days pay for me and it will provide so much football. Think I'll just bite the bullet.

Ah ok. I just remember it being on foxtel last time I had it. Getting it again because we got promoted and always liked watching the highlights from the lower leagues.

 

[Ray Nolan]

The count towards 40 points begins this weekend!

Unless someone finally buys the club and invests in the squad then all we'll be doing at Blues this season is looking to avoid relegation.

 

[Jatz]

Ah ok. I just remember it being on foxtel last time I had it. Getting it again because we got promoted and always liked watching the highlights from the lower leagues.

It changed over to Setanta last year which was just frustrating. I quite enjoyed even watching neutral lower league games when none of the premier league games were any good

 

[Jatz]

The count towards 40 points begins this weekend!

Unless someone finally buys the club and invests in the squad then all we'll be doing at Blues this season is looking to avoid relegation.

Based on last season you may need a few more

You should be ok, I'd be surprised if Yeovil and Doncaster aren't relegated which just leaves the one relegation spot left.

Where are you at? Is Carson still owner? Last I heard he was up on charges in Hong Kong?

 

[Ray Nolan]

Based on last season you may need a few more

You should be ok, I'd be surprised if Yeovil and Doncaster aren't relegated which just leaves the one relegation spot left.

Where are you at? Is Carson still owner? Last I heard he was up on charges in Hong Kong?

Carson is still owner and currently on trial in Hong Kong. I wouldn't be betting lefty on him getting off on the charges the way it's been going.

Anything can happen in this League, just ask the Yam Yam's last season, won't be satisfied until we're mathematically safe!

 

[Jatz]

Carson is still owner and currently on trial in Hong Kong. I wouldn't be betting lefty on him getting off on the charges the way it's been going.

Anything can happen in this League, just ask the Yam Yam's last season, won't be satisfied until we're mathematically safe!

Am I correct in my understanding that his assets have been frozen while the trial is ongoing? Are you still able to transfer etc?

Absolutely! Love this league for that exact reason

 

[Redalert]

Its almost too close to call this season, its so even that almost any one of about 15-20 teams could be promoted this season. All it takes is a good run of form to make playoffs, and after that its pretty much a lottery. I also reckon your being a bit pessimistic Jatz, Leicester did alright last season and I can see them competing for playoff places.

For Rovers I'm tipping a mid-table finish, we may even even challenge for playoff places if Rhodes finds form and our off-field matters sort themselves out.

 

[Ray Nolan]

Am I correct in my understanding that his assets have been frozen while the trial is ongoing? Are you still able to transfer etc?

Absolutely! Love this league for that exact reason

Yes, his assets have been frozen by the Hong Kong Government and that's why we've found ourselves in this financial predicament. We've been selling all our good players to survive, we couldn't even sign a few triallist recently because we didn't have the money to do so. A large portion of our squad are loanees because we just can't afford to buy players. We can still make transfers, we did have an embargo for a while because our accounts hadn't been filed on time but that's been lifted since that was done. The club remains for sale but we've not got close to a sale yet, it seems to me our best hope at the moment is that Yeung is acquitted, gets his assets back and then we can actually invest in the squad a bit to push for promotion, which would at least make us more attractive to a buyer.

 

[Jatz]

Its almost too close to call this season, its so even that almost any one of about 15-20 teams could be promoted this season. All it takes is a good run of form to make playoffs, and after that its pretty much a lottery. I also reckon your being a bit pessimistic Jatz, Leicester did alright last season and I can see them competing for playoff places.

For Rovers I'm tipping a mid-table finish, we may even even challenge for playoff places if Rhodes finds form and our off-field matters sort themselves out.

I agree that we won't be relegation bound etc. However, I think the relegated teams are stronger than last years and other teams have invested where we have kept the same squad (that could actually work as a positive as the squad already know each other etc.). I'll always be quietly confident of going up but I think we missed a massive chance last season.

I hope JR fires for you guys. As a neutral, he is superb to watch when in full flight!

 

[Redalert]

I agree that we won't be relegation bound etc. However, I think the relegated teams are stronger than last years and other teams have invested where we have kept the same squad (that could actually work as a positive as the squad already know each other etc.). I'll always be quietly confident of going up but I think we missed a massive chance last season.

I hope JR fires for you guys. As a neutral, he is superb to watch when in full flight!

I think QPR will struggle, they have the quality but that side was an absolute shambles last season and might take some time to sort itself out. Reading and Wigan look good but I thought the same with Bolton and Wolves last season and look how that turned out, its bloody hard to get consistently good results in this league. The bookmakers seem to have you around 5th-8h, seems about right to be honest.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

The count towards 40 points begins this weekend!

Unless someone finally buys the club and invests in the squad then all we'll be doing at Blues this season is looking to avoid relegation.

Relax mate, we loaned you Ferguson - under a toon legend in Lee Clark, how can you not stay up

What did you make of Ferguson last season? From reports he impressed and Clark had him as his biggest target this transfer window. He's been pretty impressive for us when given a cameos and the odd game but couldn't nail down a spot. Hopefully he gets a lot of games for you boys this coming season

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Yes, his assets have been frozen by the Hong Kong Government and that's why we've found ourselves in this financial predicament. We've been selling all our good players to survive, we couldn't even sign a few triallist recently because we didn't have the money to do so. A large portion of our squad are loanees because we just can't afford to buy players. We can still make transfers, we did have an embargo for a while because our accounts hadn't been filed on time but that's been lifted since that was done. The club remains for sale but we've not got close to a sale yet, it seems to me our best hope at the moment is that Yeung is acquitted, gets his assets back and then we can actually invest in the squad a bit to push for promotion, which would at least make us more attractive to a buyer.

And I thought we had it bad in the owner stakes - that's terrible. Hope you guys can stay up

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Hoping Leicester, Watford and Leeds (or Birmingham) come up this season

 

[Ray Nolan]

Relax mate, we loaned you Ferguson - under a toon legend in Lee Clark, how can you not stay up

What did you make of Ferguson last season? From reports he impressed and Clark had him as his biggest target this transfer window. He's been pretty impressive for us when given a cameos and the odd game but couldn't nail down a spot. Hopefully he gets a lot of games for you boys this coming season

Great player, a big favourite of mine even before he came to Blues as he turned down the Republic of Ireland to play for Northern Ireland! As a Norn Iron fan how I could I not love him for that! He's on the back of my shirt this season!

He'll be starting every week for us I'm sure, he was great for us last season and I'm delighted we got him back in. Apparently Newcastle did us a very favourable deal financially which was a massive help to us, I'm sure Lee Clark's position as a Toon legend probably helped there!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Great player, a big favourite of mine even before he came to Blues as he turned down the Republic of Ireland to play for Northern Ireland! As a Norn Iron fan how I could I not love him for that! He's on the back of my shirt this season!

He'll be starting every week for us I'm sure, he was great for us last season and I'm delighted we got him back in. Apparently Newcastle did us a very favourable deal financially which was a massive help to us, I'm sure Lee Clark's position as a Toon legend probably helped there!

That's awesome to hear - glad he seems to be rated and that he should get plenty of game time.

It actually wouldn't surprise me if there was an agreed fee in the loan deal to make the move permanent if Ferguson and Birmingham want to make it permanent. He's getting to the age where he probably wants to be playing regularly and I'm not sure he would get that at Newcastle (he normally was a our back up LB but we now have Santon, Haidara (young French LB who impressed last season) and now Dummett coming through the reserves (who impressed on loan in the SPL last season). His best chance would probably be LM for us but with Marveaux, Ben Arfa, Gutierrez, Gouffran and Obertan (as well as Santon perhaps being more suited t LM) as options there, he has a fair queue ahead of him.

Yeah, I think I heard Clark saying he was very thankful for the loan deal so it's good that the club (for once) seem to have a bit of goodwill towards former players and other clubs

 

[SSSSSS]

Wall have made good business with some quality experienced signings. FFP has been handy to the smaller clubs and allows them to bring in better players as the stronger teams are forced to trim their wages. Might put $10 at 14/1 for top place with a 28 point handicap. Probably wont happen.

Bolton, Watford/Udinese/Granada, Foxes (Wood ), QPR, Reading and Wigan are probably the safest chances for promotion.

 

[SM]

Really looking forward to watching this from a distance.

Hoping Watford, Leicester and Leeds go up, we need some villains in the PL.

 

[Redalert]

I heard talk they were going to change the loan rules after what Watford did last season, although I haven't heard anything since. You'd think that'd hurt Watford's chances this season if they did, not sure what the status is though at the moment regarding their 300 loan signings.

 

[SM]

I heard talk they were going to change the loan rules after what Watford did last season, although I haven't heard anything since. You'd think that'd hurt Watford's chances this season if they did, not sure what the status is though at the moment regarding their 300 loan signings.

They just bought them instead.

 

[Jatz]

They just bought them instead.

Correct. With talk of that rule coming in they just went out and 'agreed fees' for several players.

Do you know if Vydra stayed?