Had a shocker today so it looks like</p> Even Derby Fans were leaving before Half Time. </p> Great Goal by Petrov though</p>
i feel for them. theyve had a shocking season. think of stoke / hull / bristol city going up this season. for the summer they would love it, then reality would set in and they would be wipping boys!!
You can never tell though 2 out of the 3 sides promoted last season haven't embarrassed themselves at all. I think Bristol, or Hull or even Palace might surprise a few - its all down to what happens in the close season, going up via the play-offs will be a huge disadvantage though.
You often see a side sneaking through the play-offs like Derby... ...only to find when they get to the Premier League, they just aren't good enough even with a couple of signings. A team who has been in the top 2 of the championship for most of the season can have a little more confidence. This year though I would only say West Brom have the right foundation to have a decent season in the premier, Stoke, Bristol City, Hull and maybe even Watford will struggle if they go up.
RE: You often see a side sneaking through the play-offs like Derby... The thing is, it's such an open league that there hasn't been anyone in the top two of the Championship all season. There's really not much to choose between any of the teams, which is borne out by the fact that someone will go down on a record high amount of points and someone will go up with a record low. It looks like even the champions might finish on less than 80. Just imagine where we would be with even a mediocre away record (eg - 8 wins as opposed to 3)
