[madsteve]

Each season, I rank various factors pre-season to decide how teams should fair for betting purposes.

I rated our players as 5th best in the division & our manager 23rd best and our likely finishing position as 12th.

I still think that all three hold true. We have pretty good players but are held back by a poor manager with prehistoric tactics.

The only reason I didn't think we would be top six was because of SG.

If we are to move forward then SG needs to be removed sooner rather than later. We don't want him wasting another season for us as well.

[Thurnscoe_OWL]

I thought our team was, as a whole, on for a relegation fight again this season because it is woefully lacking in depth.
This summer we probably need another CB, 2 wingers, a CM and a striker, even then we're relying on players resigning (loovens, semedo, Maguire/ Maghoma(squad players)) and the likes of May, Bus, Melo, Vermijl etc making the step up

[St Charles Owl]

Completely agree MS!! Unfortunately we have no way of really knowing what DC is thinking, he is saying all the politically correct things at the moment as expected, but you would think that he will be looking to bring in a manager with a better track record.

I ws surprised you ranked out players as the 5th best, maybe our defence is right up there but at the start of the season it was obvious that we would struggle in midfield, particualrly out wide and that has proven to be the case. 16 (?) clean sheets is definitely a platform to build on and the addition of McGugan has already helped in the midfield, but we still lack any real width and lack a clinical striker. Those things have to be the priority and as you say I hope its someone else who gets to spend the transfer kitty!!

[madsteve]

Completely agree  MS!!  Unfortunately we have no way of really knowing what DC is thinking, he is saying all the politically correct things at the moment as expected, but you would think that he will be looking to bring in a manager with a better track record.  

I ws surprised you ranked out players as the 5th best, maybe our defence is right up there but at the start of the season it was obvious that we would struggle in  midfield, particualrly out wide and that has proven to be the case.  16 (?) clean sheets is definitely a platform to build on and the addition of McGugan has already helped in the midfield, but we still lack any real width and lack a clinical striker.  Those things have to be the priority and as you say I hope its someone else who gets to spend the transfer kitty!!

I was being optimistic that Westwood & Lees would be as good as I hoped & I did my ratings five days before the season started and didn't know that SG was trying to get rid of Antonio so he could sign May. While May might come good, selling a proven goalscoring & assist providing midfielder was terrible management, particularly as he says goalscoring midfielders are scarce these days.

[Maddix]

I think we probably all agree that it is all about next season now so I thought it would be interesting to see how we compare against the teams we might be playing next season so I have worked out a League Table of results for this season, ignoring matches against the three teams that will clearly be relegated (Blackpool, Wigan & Millwall) as this should be a better guide as to how we are likely to perform next season.

                                       Played    Points  
1. Derby                          33         62
2. Middlesbrough              31         55
3. Brentford                     33         55
4. Watford                       32         54
5. Bournemouth               31         53
6. Wolves                        32         52
7. Norwich                      30         49
8. Ipswich                       31         48
9. Nottm F                       30        44
10. Charlton                      32         40
11. Blackburn                    30         39
12. Huddersfield                31         39
13. Leeds                          31        38
14. Cardiff                         32        38
15. Birmingham                 30        37
16. Fulham                        32        36
17. Brighton                      31         36
18. Bolton                         32         34
19. Reading                       30        33
20. WEDNESDAY               30         33
21. Rotherham                  31         29
22. Millwall                       33         27
23. Wigan                         32         24
24. Blackpool                     32        19  

We've got games in hand on the teams above us though 

[peiowl]

Personally I would prefer to see them miss out completely!!!  At some point the law of averages state that they will win one of them, so on that basis lets just see them mis them completely!!

I'd like to see them both in champ. I like derby games.

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I especially want to see the blades promoted.

[Thurnscoe_OWL]

Derby games are horrible. You can never get the same level of joy from winning a derby game as you can seeing them lot struggle in the division below

[St Charles Owl]

Derby games are fantastic events, but only when you win them!!!! As I have said before, there is virtually never a period of time in the over 130 years of both teams being in existence when both have had success at the same time!!! Sheffield football is a one team having success town, so for now I am happy for them to stay where they are and let us at least put more distance between us!!

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I think we probably all agree that it is all about next season now so I thought it would be interesting to see how we compare against the teams we might be playing next season so I have worked out a League Table of results for this season, ignoring matches against the three teams that will clearly be relegated (Blackpool, Wigan & Millwall) as this should be a better guide as to how we are likely to perform next season.

                                       Played    Points  
1. Derby                          33         62
2. Middlesbrough              31         55
3. Brentford                     33         55
4. Watford                       32         54
5. Bournemouth               31         53
6. Wolves                        32         52
7. Norwich                      30         49
8. Ipswich                       31         48
9. Nottm F                       30        44
10. Charlton                      32         40
11. Blackburn                    30         39
12. Huddersfield                31         39
13. Leeds                          31        38
14. Cardiff                         32        38
15. Birmingham                 30        37
16. Fulham                        32        36
17. Brighton                      31         36
18. Bolton                         32         34
19. Reading                       30        33
20. WEDNESDAY               30         33
21. Rotherham                  31         29
22. Millwall                       33         27
23. Wigan                         32         24
24. Blackpool                     32        19  

We've got games in hand on the teams above us though 

One more note on this, yes we have a good record against the bottom three this season, so I think its fair to assume we would do just as well next season against the bottom three as well, so we would still have the points we have.  I have always believed that the league table doesn't lie, we are approx 12th place on merit, yes predominantly it because of all the clean sheets the defence has given us, but our very good defence is offset by our poor attacking performances so finishing halfway I think accurately reflects our current team.

[Thurnscoe_OWL]

Ive just looked at the predictions thread from the beginning of the season. JEEEESUS could we all be any further out with these predictions I had Wigan to win the PO FFS I'm not too far off with auto predictions of Derby/Norwich, and not too far off with us finishing 10th.
On the whole, we are terrible (as a group) at predictions. Some (chezzie, imre, washington, Gambling, Kev, sothernowl , Maddix, charlie) have Fulham getting autos

And to say madsteve has just told us preseason he thought 12th place finish for a team capable of 5th, he obviously didn't think that when making his prediction of 16th

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Imre varadi
1. Fulham, Cardiff city
2. Norwich Wigan Brighton (w) Forest
3. Brentford Millwall Huddersfield
4. Sheff Wed 16th

There's no xxxx wonder imre hasn't won a in xxxx knows how long

[St Charles Owl]

I looked at that earlier as well, most had Blackpool right but the playoffs are littered with teams that are way down the table for most of us!!! I have two of the likely relegated teams right in Millwall and Blackpool and have us in 10th as well.

Look at the table though, there are Wigan, Fulham, Bolton, Reading and Cardiff all in the bottom half and all on parachute payments from the prem!! Aren't Blackpool on the last year of theirs as well?? I think we all expected some of the recently relegated teams to do far better than they have!!