| All the pundits… 10:19 - Aug 13 with 3140 views | ThatMuhrenCross |
Have us and Hull firmly finishing bottom two. Coventry finishing somewhere around mid table.
Starting to grate on me now. We’re giving it a proper good go this window, and we’re neck and neck with Coventry second half of the season.
We’ve looked decent in pre-season.
Gary O’Neil knows how to keep teams up.
I honestly think we’ve got a good chance of doing okay.
What am I missing? Am I really so deluded by my blue tinted glasses? |  |
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| All the pundits… on 11:24 - Aug 13 with 787 views | urbanpenguin |
| All the pundits… on 10:28 - Aug 13 by SamWhiteUK |
I saw Jeff Stelling put Coventry in 15th and us and Hull bottom two, and I have absolutely no idea why. I think perhaps they just don't follow the Championship at all, it seems very lazy to just assume Cov will be the best of the 3. |
It's just because pundits are by and large lazy and narrow minded, and the fact that they recognise the word "Lampard" is enough for them.
Journalists, however, are a bit more researchy and knowledgeable. So I would be more interested in what Times, Athletic, Guardian writers say more than ex-pros for hire and the Stellings of this world. [Post edited 13 Aug 11:24]
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| All the pundits… on 11:24 - Aug 13 with 785 views | swede |
I just give a shrug and a little laugh at all the pundits predictions for the season ahead.
It is sheer guesswork to fill pages/airtime.
Last season's Championship table and even our convincing wins v Coventry & Hull will have no bearing on this season. We have a new manager and a new team. We could make a flying start or we could get to the end of October waiting for the new team to gel. Who knows??
It certainly seems that all three promoted teams are investing heavily to stay in the Premier League. |  | | |
| All the pundits… on 11:25 - Aug 13 with 778 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
Pre season predictions count for nothing.
Just dont look at them. |  |
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| All the pundits… on 11:27 - Aug 13 with 763 views | hoppy |
Let them think whatever they think and just get on with it.
It's purely because of Lampard, I think - without really looking at the squad he's got being primarily what was his Championship squad, which we completely outplayed last season with our championship squad that we're now largely upgrading. |  |
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| All the pundits… on 11:30 - Aug 13 with 738 views | DarkBrandon |
| All the pundits… on 11:23 - Aug 13 by SamWhiteUK |
We actually lost the most ground on Coventry at the start of the season, and from 1st December to the end of the season we amassed the most points in the division. |
Yes. That’s why I said over the whole season.
And yes, we doubled them.
But plenty of well run clubs have tried to stay up following promotion, bought well and failed. It happens.
I hope it won’t happen to us.
GON has a claim to be a pretty good appointment … but there is no way Ashton would have sacked McKenna for him, and if he had I doubt a single ITFC fan would have supported him. |  | | |
| All the pundits… on 11:32 - Aug 13 with 726 views | tractorboy1978 |
| All the pundits… on 10:55 - Aug 13 by jayessess |
It's partially because we're old news as a returning club. It's also partially that whilst we've done very solid business, very little of it is very attention-grabbing and without that we aren't interesting enough for anyone to look any more closely.
As it stands though, Coventry are still in a position where ~8/11 of their starters will be championship players and it probably needs to be like ... 2/3? You look at the career profiles of their forwards especially, which are not dissimilar to the players we came up with in 2024-25, and you'd be very fortunate if even 1 of Thomas-Asante, Mason-Clark, Wright, Eccles, Rudoni, Sakamoto offers a significant attacking threat in this division. They offered very little against our back four, which is nowhere near the quality they'll face this season. Think they'd both have to do an astonishing amount of work in the next 17 days to have a squad as good as ours is right at this moment. |
Hull were absolutely miles off us and Coventry last season let alone the other teams at PL level so they had even more ground to make up this summer. If they can keep Morita fit then that is a good signing (but probably a good indicator of where we are as clubs that we didn't take that risk ourselves) and the keeper they signed is highly thought of but they've done no business that moves the needle.
As you say, Coventry are where we were this time in 24/25. A lot of their fans seem to be really overrating the suitability/quality of their players in relation to PL football. They look terribly short at the back to me and seem to be pinning a lot of their hopes on Rushworth not conceding goals.
Lukic and Diop are the sort of players when we last came up, I really underestimated in terms of how good they actually are. They are markedly better signings than either Hull or Cov have made. And Enciso will be the best attacking player in all 3 squads by some distance. [Post edited 13 Aug 11:33]
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| All the pundits… on 11:43 - Aug 13 with 678 views | jayessess |
| All the pundits… on 11:32 - Aug 13 by tractorboy1978 |
Hull were absolutely miles off us and Coventry last season let alone the other teams at PL level so they had even more ground to make up this summer. If they can keep Morita fit then that is a good signing (but probably a good indicator of where we are as clubs that we didn't take that risk ourselves) and the keeper they signed is highly thought of but they've done no business that moves the needle.
As you say, Coventry are where we were this time in 24/25. A lot of their fans seem to be really overrating the suitability/quality of their players in relation to PL football. They look terribly short at the back to me and seem to be pinning a lot of their hopes on Rushworth not conceding goals.
Lukic and Diop are the sort of players when we last came up, I really underestimated in terms of how good they actually are. They are markedly better signings than either Hull or Cov have made. And Enciso will be the best attacking player in all 3 squads by some distance. [Post edited 13 Aug 11:33]
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I did think Hull might pull a Marinakis and just spend, spend, spend and end up with a very good squad of strangers. But if they're doing that they'll need to get on it because it's less than 3 weeks left of the window now.
Think Lukic and Diop were exactly the signings we just couldn't seem to make last time - guys who were just regulars/regularish in the Prem, who aren't coming off the back of an injury, aren't getting relegated etc. One big eye-opener for me last time was the West Ham away game and watching a player I'd filed as "decent experienced journeyman but no more" in Michail Antonio and realising, oh, wow, actually this guy is better by a distance than any striker that played against us for 20 bloody years. [Post edited 13 Aug 12:05]
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| All the pundits… on 11:54 - Aug 13 with 619 views | tractorboy1978 |
| All the pundits… on 11:43 - Aug 13 by jayessess |
I did think Hull might pull a Marinakis and just spend, spend, spend and end up with a very good squad of strangers. But if they're doing that they'll need to get on it because it's less than 3 weeks left of the window now.
Think Lukic and Diop were exactly the signings we just couldn't seem to make last time - guys who were just regulars/regularish in the Prem, who aren't coming off the back of an injury, aren't getting relegated etc. One big eye-opener for me last time was the West Ham away game and watching a player I'd filed as "decent experienced journeyman but no more" in Michail Antonio and realising, oh, wow, actually this guy is better by a distance than any striker that played against us for 20 bloody years. [Post edited 13 Aug 12:05]
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I had a similar moment when we played Everton at home. A team I thought we would beat but then up close you see just how good no thrills players like Keane, Tarkowski, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil, Harrison, DCL were vs our squad. They schooled us. Eye opening. [Post edited 13 Aug 11:54]
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| All the pundits… on 12:07 - Aug 13 with 564 views | RetroBlue |
Coventry " midtable" according to pundits....... LOL!! |  |
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| All the pundits… on 12:31 - Aug 13 with 494 views | JammyDodgerrr |
As usual, Lampard getting overrated and he's mates with them. It's no real surprise they aren't predicting Coventry to finish bottom.
Them, and Hull, should finish bottom two by some distance. Both have awful teams and been out of the PL for so long. Coventry also happen to have a terrible manager. If we are anywhere near them both, we have failed massively. |  |
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| All the pundits… on 12:39 - Aug 13 with 460 views | WickhamsLeftBoot |
| All the pundits… on 11:08 - Aug 13 by pointofblue |
Wolves' meltdown under O'Neil in 2024/25 - and their rapid recovery after he was sacked - might play a part in the predictions. |
A very fair point made.
Remove Frank and all pundits would say a certainty for relegation. |  | | |
| All the pundits… on 12:40 - Aug 13 with 456 views | barcelonablue2 |
The local loudmouth at the pub has often more useful tactical insight into the modern game than the majority of pundits that get to sit on the sofas as experts.
Remember when Jose Mourinho was a pundit for a short while. Every time he talked they all immediately shut up because they knew in comparison they had no qualifications to comment on the matter.
Wayne Rooney commenting on what other managers needs to do is after relegating two teams who are now solidly back at above mid-table under Chris Davies and John Eustace despite the majority the forwards being injured at Derby last season.
The only pundits I take any note of listening to on TV are Nedum Onuoha, Stephen Warnock and Julien Laurens - whom incidentally only seem to present together.
Izzy Christiansen might have more to discuss if she weren't constantly paired with Jamie Redknapp whom is unable to contribute anything but relaying exactly what she has exactly just said - except that he is a man.
Joe Cole and Jill Scott on the other hand are a great pair for entertainment and analysis especially as they listen to each other and neither actually pretends to be an expert just what they think as ex-players.
In reply to where we will sit I hope Coventry do well but in all likelyhood they will struggle much like we did last time. Whereas I think most fans for us are much more realistic this time round that 17th is the target and we are essentially trying to best another established club whom of all likelihood we will not be better than - just have better luck then. One look at recruitment and apologies to Cov and Hull fans I really hope do we all stay up but I think they might be facing a massacre against the big 6 and squad depression come January. | | | |
| All the pundits… on 12:42 - Aug 13 with 443 views | Lion |
Honestly, i'm mystified too. As others have said, its a Frank Lampard love in or thefact that Cov won the league and that is the extent of their knowledge of the championship. GAry O Neil should stick all their quotes up in the dressing room, I super hope that we double Coventry again this season! | |
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| All the pundits… on 13:03 - Aug 13 with 382 views | wischip |
In my experience of working with supporters of other clubs they fall into 2 groups: 1 = supporters of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, 2 Manchesters, Spurs, 2 = everybody else.
The former are in their own bubble & know barely anything going on outside of it and will look blank if you mention anyone else. The latter take a bit more notice of all teams & have some passing knowledge.
I'm glad we're under the radar again. Being underestimated. Get some points before anyone takes any notice of us. |  | | |
| All the pundits… on 13:08 - Aug 13 with 360 views | Gary_Knows |
It’s ’Frank Lampards Coventry’ I’ll have you know. |  |
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| All the pundits… on 13:18 - Aug 13 with 312 views | ClareBlue |
| All the pundits… on 11:54 - Aug 13 by tractorboy1978 |
I had a similar moment when we played Everton at home. A team I thought we would beat but then up close you see just how good no thrills players like Keane, Tarkowski, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil, Harrison, DCL were vs our squad. They schooled us. Eye opening. [Post edited 13 Aug 11:54]
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Yes, same here. When we played Premiership teams they had 4 or 5 players I'd hardly heard of who were just better than our players, and add in 2 or 3 who you knew were good and going to be better than our players and we didn't have much chance, tbh.
We think signing 3 or 4 Premiership players will keep us in the division when established Premiership clubs already have squads with that quality and are looking to improve beyond. It's just a mini league of 6 clubs for us at this stage. | | | |
| All the pundits… on 15:03 - Aug 13 with 203 views | marshland |
Last season the BBC Chief Football writer made predictions that Liverpool would be Champions with plenty to spare. Tottenham would finish 8th, West Ham 13th. Brentford, Bournemouth and Leeds would be in the relegation scrap with the bottom three Wolves then Sunderland with Burney last.
In reality that was way out so will be the predictions this year. Lets see what the table says at the end of November and not worry about pundits guesswork. |  | | |
| All the pundits… on 15:19 - Aug 13 with 167 views | LankHenners |
| All the pundits… on 11:54 - Aug 13 by tractorboy1978 |
I had a similar moment when we played Everton at home. A team I thought we would beat but then up close you see just how good no thrills players like Keane, Tarkowski, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil, Harrison, DCL were vs our squad. They schooled us. Eye opening. [Post edited 13 Aug 11:54]
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Yeah seeing Doucoure and Gueye, two aging (in football terms), run-of-the-mill Prem midfielders completely shut down and dominate the pitch was pretty sobering, and when my optimism that we might be a surprise package took a fairly big hit. |  |
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| All the pundits… on 15:20 - Aug 13 with 160 views | TractorCam |
Good, there really isn't a downside to pundits predicting you to fail. |  |
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| All the pundits… on 16:07 - Aug 13 with 103 views | cbower |
Many pundits thought we'd survive last time round. I think Paul Scholes predicted comfortable mid table !!! We were miles off it.
Who knows, they all predicted Sunderland to go down and in 2000/1 we were favourites for the drop too.
Let's just see what happens. |  |
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