Sunderland, Hull, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Wednesday, Leeds and Villa are all going up.... Plus Forest, Bristol City & Wolves who all will chuck more cash at it. Can see tears for a few "big clubs" next season. I hope none of them go up and we get a couple of surprises - Preston, Reading, Cardiff, Us. Would be great if 1 or 2 upset the apple cart. Financial ruin is just building up for these clubs. Every season that passes their debts get bigger, their owners get more bored of losing money. They can't all go up.
Cardiff were one of the worst teams I've ever seen at this level when they came to Oakwell. Don't remember them crossing the halfway line.
How things stand right now - my dark horse for next season would be Barnsley - NOT to be relegated. That would really be a brilliant and incredible achievement. Note: 'How things stand right now' - but that can change with the appointment of some decent players - and really change with changes within the board of directors.
Depends if their ever-wise Chinese owners are bold enough to stick with a manager for more than three months.
I think Derby will have a much better season, but would they be classed as dark horses? As for us, I think we'll finish mid table. I don't see us being next season's Rotherham any more than I see us being next season's Newcastle.
There's a lot to do between now and then. I've honestly no idea how we will fare.i certainly don't have the confidence, regardless of my faith in Hecky, that you do.
I'm the eternal optimist, old mate. You know that. I don't even know whether Hecky'll be here next season, as he's mentioned all the time in connection with other jobs, especially by our own supporters some of whom appear to be chomping at the bit to push him out of the door, then blame it on others. But I have every confidence in Hecky & his staff to have us up and running for next season. There's nothing to say my optimism is any less real than another's pessimism. Then again, I don't see Patrick Cryne & the board as Beelzebub and his Acolytes, either, doing their damnedest to undermine any success for Barnsley Football Club through their supposed incompetence or insidious actions.
I don't think you can look any further than ourselves, Burton and Millwall in terms of true "dark horses" Virtually every other club in this league either has rich ownership and/or parachute payments, so all have potential to do well., Sent from my SM-G850F using Tapatalk
Bit difficult to say TYK. Will have to wait to see who signs for who. Seems logical to me that if they are able to hang on to the best players in their squads Sunderland, Boro and Hull could do well because of the parachute payments they will recieve. You can bet that despite who we sign we'll be one of the pundits top tips to go down. We've got to prove them wrong yet again.
Personally I don't think the Sunderland squad is very good at all. Especially since Defoe will be moving on. They really do need a good appointment and some shrewd signings.
They will. The pressure their fanatical fans put on Ellis Short will see him having to do something. When I was working I visited the supply hub of Newey and Aire which was in the North East. The Manager who my appointment was with was a massive Sunderland fan. The lads in the warehouse were all Mags. For the Managers obvious benefit there were posters on the walls. One was a team line up showing eleven grinning chimpanzees all in Sunderland kits. On another wall there was an Ariel shot of the Sunderland ground. Underneath in bold black letters somebody had put " THE STADIUM OF *****". As we started our look round I spotted some operatives all wearing black and white stripped shirts. My host whispered under his breath " don't make eye contact don't take them on and don't react to anything you see on the walls". It was all light hearted of course and he got his own back when the Mags were relegated but if he's still with the Company his staff will be making his life an absolute misery. Brother in law is a Mackem, his brother and sister are Mags. They give each other dogs abuse. At least there won't be any derbies this season again so our John might get some peace.