Where would this team finish in championship?

[Dean Coneys boots 1,406]

For me outside the playoffs / which is concerning for next season 

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,386]

8th 

[Midlands Yellow 4,079]

What does it really matter? What’s the point of us gong up? 

[Monty13 2,251]

Fully fit squad? Top 6 easily.

[Indy 3,315]

Top two, with the right coaching. We have a decent Champioship side, we don’t have the money to take that next step.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

playoffs. Defence is sound, Pukki would get 20+ but we lack quality in the middle, especially while Normann is out. We'd end up drawing a load. Missing out on Billing in summer wasn't helpful as he's exactly the sort of player we lack.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

8th, this time it will be like when we went down with Worthington. 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,796]

Fully fit squad? Playoffs. This level of injuries and covid? Midtable.

[AJ 1,224]

I think as long as our main XI remained fit we'd make the playoffs. If Pukki got injured we'd be absolutely screwed

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,153]

Top 4 ish, that league outside of the play offs is absolutely dreadful, the physical and athletic standards are also lightyears off what they are in the PL.

Teams wouldn't all turn up all having half a foot on us in height and a significant advantage in pace and power so we would be able to pass around teams and dominate the ball, our speed of passing would actually be quick enough to open up teams and players like Dowell and Pukki are too clever for your average Championship defender. In defence Krul is too good of a shot stopper for that league and while Hanley and Gibson are small by this leagues standards they are physically imposing enough for that league as well as being more intelligent and better at playing the ball than most Championship CB's.

I expect us to compete for promotion next year but I worry that we won't have learned our lesson again next time we get promoted that if you want to aim to survive on a modest budget that you have to prioritize pace, power, fitness and athleticism above everything else

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,450]

15 minutes ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

8th 

39th 

[Surfer 1,547]

We'd walk that league. Just as we have the last two seasons we were in it.

 

[king canary 7,673]

Top 2, the Championship is largely absolute dross.

[Dean Coneys boots 1,406]

I don’t think we would. Kabak and Normann would walk on relegation. Aarons would be sold to plug financial hole. We would then be left with players who psychologically know they can’t cut it - and ageing stars. I think we will look back on this season as the biggest wasted opportunity of a decade - and will pay for some years to come for an appalling transfer window and an inability to replace Skipp and Emi - which is all we needed but bizarrely chose instead to buy lots of cheap gambles with an eye on the future not the present. It’s bitten us on the proverbial pretty hard this time 

[Coneys Knee 988]

8 hours ago, Surfer said:

We'd walk that league. Just as we have the last two seasons we were in it.

 

Not a chance and that was always why it was so important to get it right this year - we couldn’t have got it more wrong so far! 

[Coneys Knee 988]

9 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

8th, this time it will be like when we went down with Worthington. 

This I fear, will be exactly how it’ll play out

[Dean Coneys boots 1,406]

21 minutes ago, Coneys Knee said:

Not a chance and that was always why it was so important to get it right this year - we couldn’t have got it more wrong so far! 

We wouldn’t have been anywhere near the playoffs without Emi and Skipp- they literally turned a bang average champs side into something special. We didn’t replace either and it really shows. 

[hogesar 9,743]

Do you mean the team yesterday with 10 players out or our squad in general?

If you mean our entire squad as it currently sits then top 2.

[graz 22]

The relegation this time will sting worse than last and I can see alot of upheaval in the Summer. 10th.

[Indy 3,315]

Indeed, consider the fact of Tzolis, Rashica, Sorensen, Omobamdele, Mumba, Sargent, Krull, Gunn, Placheta, Lees, Rupp, Gibson, Byram,Gan, Pukki, McCullum, Hanley, Idah, Hugill, McLean, Cantwell, Dowell, Aarons……

Even if we offload Aarons who is pretty much our real asset, then Hugill, McLean, Hanley, Cantwell to balance books it’s still with the additions of a few youth players it’s a very strong championship squad, weather Smith can get the best out of a relegated squad is another question, he’s taken Villa up but can he really repeat it here, we’ll probably find out next season. (Unless Covid nullifies this season).

[KernowCanary 214]

4th place, then win the play off final.

[Danke bitte 967]

10 hours ago, Christoph Stiepermann said:

I expect us to compete for promotion next year but I worry that we won't have learned our lesson again next time we get promoted that if you want to aim to survive on a modest budget that you have to prioritize pace, power, fitness and athleticism above everything else

Exactly this. I’m sad and dumbfounded that we’re going through more or less the same issue as we did two seasons ago. How? How have we let this happen?! Webber is supposed to be this practical genius but all I see is a lot of money spent and not much end product. Everything he’s done infrastructure wise has been fantastic and for that he should be lauded but the first team, in the Premier League, where this club is judged, has been abysmal. For all of his bluster about finishing ‘top 17’ he, and his top level recruitment, now look a bit silly given the money the summer gone. As I wrote in another post I think we’re witnessing the end of the Webber era. I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing but like you said, which prompted this reply, how lessons weren’t learned last time, and obvious ones at that, is mind blowing and we’re left, as fans, to endure it. 

[Mello Yello 2,303]

1st Division.....

[Danke bitte 967]

36 minutes ago, Indy said:

weather Smith can get the best out of a relegated squad is another question, he’s taken Villa up but can he really repeat it here, we’ll probably find out next season

And this is my concern. Smith scraped play offs with Villa with a squad that had Grealish in it. He then scraped survival that first season because of luck more than judgement. He’s had money to play with too. You could argue he’s been dropped in the deep end, we’ve had some injuries to key players and covid now to deal with which but so have other clubs. I look at Brentford and I can’t help but get a bit angry at our complete failure in summer. And I think that’s the key to what we do in the Champ (I’ve resigned to that thought now) next season, who will be pulling the purse strings - I doubt Webber will stay and will the fans want him to after two poor showings in the Prem where no lessons have been learnt?! I’m at a point where I think Webber’s time is up and we need fresh alignment. And that’s without going into the self sustaining model sticking plaster which helps to cover up the fact we don’t have money to compete in the Premier League. (I’ll happily eat my words end of season if we stay up btw.)

[Old Shuck 188]

10 hours ago, Midlands Yellow said:

What does it really matter? What’s the point of us gong up? 

This. We go down. By this time next year we're, somehow, in or around the top six. Thoughts of promotion once again. All for the same end result back in the Prem. Rinse and repeat.

[PurpleCanary 5,580]

1 hour ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

I don’t think we would. Kabak and Normann would walk on relegation. Aarons would be sold to plug financial hole. We would then be left with players who psychologically know they can’t cut it - and ageing stars. I think we will look back on this season as the biggest wasted opportunity of a decade - and will pay for some years to come for an appalling transfer window and an inability to replace Skipp and Emi - which is all we needed but bizarrely chose instead to buy lots of cheap gambles with an eye on the future not the present. It’s bitten us on the proverbial pretty hard this time 

Not like you to be so optimistic.

[Capt. Pants 4,277]

Depends on who comes down with us. If it's Leeds and Newcastle then it certainly won't be the walk in the park it was last season. That said nothing other than top 2 would be acceptable.

But then what? This self funding model isn't going to work in building a squad capable of surviving in the Premier League. 

 

[KiwiScot 1,460]

6th or mid table, but as a coy plan to stick it to the binners should they mircale promotion and have a play off charge

[PurpleCanary 5,580]

11 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

8th, this time it will be like when we went down with Worthington. 

Worthington was by then completely shot as a Norwich City manager. Smith will not be.

[Ulfotto 644]

10 hours ago, king canary said:

Top 2, the Championship is largely absolute dross.

This is true, there has now been a real shift as most championship teams are now broke. I used to think it was harder to get out of the championship than stay in the premier league this is now not true staying in the premier league is very difficult.