The Promotion Thread 16/17

[Madejski]

We'll keep hanging in there.

Should be top 6 going into January, with a number of first team players coming back from injury. Still think we'll need another great transfer window to be able to get there, but as long as we're building for next season i'll take it. A lot of our key players are very young still.

 

[KevinMcallister]

we played so shit yesterday, no chris wood, no creativity, no attacking flair, solid defensively Luke Ayling was superb again, Bartley is superb

yet we won 1-0 , i'm starting to believe , we are just a solid unit in all honesty

 

[Walkley_Owl]

we played so shit yesterday, no chris wood, no creativity, no attacking flair, solid defensively Luke Ayling was superb again, Bartley is superb

yet we won 1-0 , i'm starting to believe , we are just a solid unit in all honesty

Word for word barring the player names that was us, missing Forestieri is a big thing as is Hooper. Not played well IMHO all season but sit in the top six.

 

[Magic]

Making a huge difference for us to keep turning tight draws into wins. We've lost games but we've drawn very rarely this year which has kept us right up there. If a game has been tied after an hour or so, we've managed to pinch it on several occasions. It hasn't sunk in that since our wobbly (but understandable) start, we've been the third best side in the division for the last 20 games. I'm so used to us being dreadful. We might not look brilliant all the time, but starting from the back, being ultra fit, and having a wonderful team spirit is getting us there. All this being without Bridcutt, O'Kane and Hernandez (our starting three central midfielders) for a prolonged period and Wood yesterday.

For me, we have a proper platform for the first time in years. Even if we fall away a bit, if we can keep Monk and sign up some of the loanees, our squad is so young that we can give this a proper shot consistently - like Brighton have in the last couple of years. Rob Green has been 11 years older than anyone else in our XI recently

 

[KevinMcallister]

how good would a Leeds and Wednesday play-off game be?

heartbreak for someone though

 

[blademan89]

how good would a Leeds and Wednesday play-off game be?

heartbreak for someone though

As long as leeds won it would be brilliant. Wednesday might manage to take more than a thousand to leeds too

 

[Magic]

We've won 8 in 10 and still can't make any great strides to cement ourselves in the top six. Everyone holding their form well at the minute.

Halfway there. Can't believe Norwich have dropped so far. Ladbrokes still have them shorter to get promoted than us, though. Wouldn't rule out a resurgence and I still like the look of Fulham but just got to keep doing our stuff and we'll be fine.

 

[KevinMcallister]

I'm glad we are still underdogs pressures on them

 

[Madejski]

Eight wins in Ten for us too and we're still considered big underdogs.

Guaranteed now to be top 6 going into January. If the takeover goes through and we get some money to spend, who knows.

I'm just surprised how many points we managed to pick up with the bad month or so for injuries and suspensions.

Game at home to Fulham on Friday is massive. IF we win that (we have a terrible record against them and they are in great form themselves) then I will believe we will finish top 6. At the moment I still fancy a couple of teams outside of the top 6 to get ahead of us.

 

[Magic]

Aye. We're in the same boat. The only 2 games we haven't won in 10 were against the top 2. Had plenty of injuries and still managed to beat the likes of Villa, Reading, Preston, Brentford, Norwich...

I really, really don't want to get my hopes up but the squad has surprised me a lot. I thought as soon as we got injuries/suspensions we'd start to feel the burn. We've sailed through that sticky patch and now have players returning. Just going to enjoy the ride, anyhow.

 

[blademan89]

Aye. We're in the same boat. The only 2 games we haven't won in 10 were against the top 2. Had plenty of injuries and still managed to beat the likes of Villa, Reading, Preston, Brentford, Norwich...

I really, really don't want to get my hopes up but the squad has surprised me a lot. I thought as soon as we got injuries/suspensions we'd start to feel the burn. We've sailed through that sticky patch and now have players returning. Just going to enjoy the ride, anyhow.

Just don't fucking lose to Wednesday in the playoffs

 

[Magic]

Just don't fucking lose to Wednesday in the playoffs

Don't wanna think about the play-offs tbh. Obviously hope we get there but regardless of form, I still expect we'll come crashing down again.

It will cushion the blow if we have the same squad we have now in place for next season, though.

 

[The Southbank]

I think our prospects depend a lot on what happens in January. McCleary, Williams and Al-Habsi are all out of contract in the summer and if the new owners don't materialise, the current lot - who are under financial strain - may look to sell arguably our three biggest assets at the moment.

 

[Nook Terrier]

We need a striker in January to push us on and keep us here. I can see us signing Joe Gomez on loan to shore up the back. Blackburn and Wigan next, we have to take 6 points from these...

 

[Bobbin']

We need a striker in January to push us on and keep us here. I can see us signing Joe Gomez on loan to shore up the back. Blackburn and Wigan next, we have to take 6 points from these...

Klopp was saying yesterday how he expects Gomez to be in the first team at Liverpool once fully fit.

 

[Walkley_Owl]

We should remain up there and add to the squad, need to shift some shit out though.

Impressed with how Reading, Leeds and Huddersfield have progressed over the last 12 months.

 

[Madejski]

I think our prospects depend a lot on what happens in January. McCleary, Williams and Al-Habsi are all out of contract in the summer and if the new owners don't materialise, the current lot - who are under financial strain - may look to sell arguably our three biggest assets at the moment.

Strange, my concern is not how we could lose players, but if we are actually going to be able to strengthen.

Cannot see Al-Habsi leaving. He's 35 with six months left on his contract, we'd get hardly anything for him. It'd be more expensive to replace him.
Williams is the only first team player I fear losing, as he must be our highest earner and unlikely to stay past this season. But we have a lot of cover in CM, and have been linked with even more players..
I can see McCleary holding out until the Summer unless we get a ridiculous offer for him. The potential gains for promotion (or even just extra money for playoffs etc) means selling players in January not make much business sense in our current position. It's not like when we sold Nick Blackman to Derby last year, we were going nowhere that season and the money was too good.

 

[villa loyal]

I thought Leeds would do well this season although they got off to a shaky start. Must be great being a Leeds fan at the moment. I'm very impressed with reading too. Huddersfield have been the surprise package but not sure if they will keep it up. I've still not made my mind up yet about us because we have played shit all season but keep grinding out results. Massive game against a very confident Leeds team coming up.

 

[AnkleBiter]

We look just as good, if not better, at the moment than we did when we were the early leaders, and with some strengthening guaranteed in January I can't see any reasons why we won't be a massive contender for this, other than the fact we're an unfamiliar name.

We've played Newcastle, Brighton, Reading, Leeds, Villa, Fulham and Norwich away already, so have a massive opportunity with them lot to all visit our place where our record so far is W7 D1 L2 with Blackburn and Ipswich as our next 2 home games.

Looks like a tough season this year though unlike last season where Cardiff were possibly the worst 7th placed team ever.
Derby, Fulham and Villa all outside the top 6 look good and Norwich will surely get better.

 

[tonymac84]

I thought Leeds would do well this season although they got off to a shaky start. Must be great being a Leeds fan at the moment. I'm very impressed with reading too. Huddersfield have been the surprise package but not sure if they will keep it up. I've still not made my mind up yet about us because we have played shit all season but keep grinding out results. Massive game against a very confident Leeds team coming up.

You're right it's a tough game but it's impressive that Villa haven't lost at home (only team in league I think). I think you might just grind out another result. 1-0

 

[villa loyal]

You're right it's a tough game but it's impressive that Villa haven't lost at home (only team in league I think). I think you might just grind out another result. 1-0

with our dismal home record for the last 5 years it's nice to be strong on home turf, although we are far from convincing. I think we will sneak it myself .

 

[Rammy]

After Wigan, we have Norwich, Leeds, and Reading. A real test to show whether we're in this party or not.

 

[MagpieBee]

Huddersfield have been great this season and should be viewed as a big threat. No reason having a 'small' name should discount them from that (like us a couple of years ago)

 

[villa loyal]

Huddersfield have been great this season and should be viewed as a big threat. No reason having a 'small' name should discount them from that (like us a couple of years ago)

it's certainly not a small name. 12 letters in its first name alone.

 

[MagpieBee]

it's certainly not a small name. 12 letters in its first name alone.

I bow down to your literary wisdom!

 

[villa loyal]

I bow down to your literary wisdom!

I had to count the letters 12 times to make sure I was right though.

 

[tonymac84]

with our dismal home record for the last 5 years it's nice to be strong on home turf, although we are far from convincing. I think we will sneak it myself .

Late equaliser to keep the unbeaten record, could have been worse

 

[villa loyal]

Late equaliser to keep the unbeaten record, could have been worse

I'll take that against a very good Leeds team. Both teams had chances at the end .

 

[Madejski]

Not a bad day for us. Still third and now with a game in hand.

 

[TomPNE94]

Wednesday were awful today and still stole a point. Sign of a good side.