| Name your bottom three 13:08 - Aug 8 with 10048 views | Northernr |
Help me with season preview writing hell. Just done this on Twitter and no two people have given me the same combination of three. At the moment I'm going with
Swansea, West Brom, Wigan
But I'm changing my mind every three minutes. | | | |  |
| Name your bottom three on 16:02 - Aug 9 with 1159 views | daib0 |
no problem there in theory, I already do in depth match presentations for RR (easy to check out on www.royalsrendezvous.co.uk ). How long beforehand would you need anything - two to three weeks before match or so?
Maybe I could give you half a dozen super easy questions also ... for our match presentation also (getting very good viewing figures these days) | |
| Royals Rendezvous - a friendly Reading forum |
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| Name your bottom three on 16:54 - Aug 9 with 1141 views | Northernr |
Yeh we'd send you six questions on the Monday before the game to publish on the Thursday. | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 17:43 - Aug 9 with 1119 views | hoopsa07 |
Anyone fancy totting up the numbers seeing what the consensus is? | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 14:14 - Aug 10 with 1079 views | daib0 |
Back to the topic - and this team-by-team article by ESPN by way of a Premier League club guide 2012/13:
http://www.espnstar.com/football/premier-league/news/detail/item836021/Premier-L
On the one hand it's a useful presentation, with useful stats, players in and out. But, in my opinion it's way too predictable - 'Key man' choices are either the most famous long-term hero or an obvious goalscorer. And the 'Chances' are not really 'chances' because they don't take chances — there are no surprise elements, simply the best teams of always are again suggested to do the big things.
That seems to be the general media opinion too, that the new boys will struggle, virtually everyone else is fine. But we heard the same last year, yet teams who had been in the Premier League for many years were finally relegated. I obviously have a vested interest, as a fan of new boys Reading, but it'd be interesting to read any of your views on this ...
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| Royals Rendezvous - a friendly Reading forum |
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| Name your bottom three on 14:27 - Aug 10 with 1066 views | kingsburyR |
Adding the ESPN site to my research which includes various other betting websites, newspapers, pullouts etc i have worked out the following:
7 teams are going down this season! | |
| Dont know why we bother. .... but we do! |
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| Name your bottom three on 14:35 - Aug 10 with 1062 views | Juzzie |
These predictions are near impossible which is why you never see a poor bookie!
It was expected all three promoted teams would struggle last season yet two of them exceeded expectations. As you say, it was three experienced PL clubs that went down (which was sort of the reasoning I included Fulham). I think we may see more surprises this season which will just make it more exciting.
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| Name your bottom three on 14:43 - Aug 10 with 1054 views | simmo |
Swansea
West Brom
Wigan
Think the bottom 2 are the choices but anybody from West Ham Stoke Reading Southampton and Swansea can take 18th IMO.
Southampton are down as 17th in my table surviving purely on Adkins and they have money to spend if needed.
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| ask Beavis I get nothing Butthead |
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| Name your bottom three on 15:01 - Aug 10 with 1044 views | Northernr |
Total votes so far, from everybody on here and Twitter that named three teams...
Wigan - 52 votes
Swansea - 42
Reading - 36
Southampton - 33
Norwich - 29
West Brom - 17
Stoke - 14
West Ham - 11
Villa - 5
Fulham - 3
Everton/Newcastle - 1 | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 15:04 - Aug 10 with 1040 views | Juzzie |
Similar thread on Footballforums.net and quite a few peole have us rock bottom or in the bottom three. Quite a few also have us mid table.
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| Name your bottom three on 15:44 - Aug 10 with 1030 views | adhoc_qpr |
And not one vote for us! We're normally such a gloomy bunch as well! | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 15:48 - Aug 10 with 1026 views | WeaverQPR |
I went Swansea,WHU,Stoke but im leaning towards Southampton rather than Stoke now | |
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| Name your bottom three on 16:27 - Aug 10 with 1008 views | baz_qpr |
I think Stoke could be in big trouble, were in absolute freefall in the latter half of last season and often that can be a good indication, transfer business has been minimal as well | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 17:29 - Aug 10 with 984 views | Hunterhoop |
Interesting.
Surprised so many votes for Reading. I think Reading will be fine and finish outside the bottom 5.
I think Norwich and Southampton will be scrapping over the 3rd spot with Wigan and Swansea....who will surely get found out and then, when they aren't fourth after 10 games, sack Laudrup and it'll all go tits up with Sinclair and Graham leaving in Jan.
Can see Fulham flirting with the drop and finishing 15th/16th along with West Ham | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 19:44 - Aug 10 with 973 views | Northernr |
What are you basing your Reading thoughts on Hunter - always interested in your views. Yes a rich owner, but The Pog starts well and fades and the rest of their signings look very Championship to me. Also since McDermott has been there they've always started the season very, very badly and come on strong at the end. Do that in the Prem and they'll be out of touch and out of a manager by October. | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 21:20 - Aug 10 with 962 views | CanadaRanger |
Reading, Southampton, Norwich | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 22:48 - Aug 10 with 947 views | Hunterhoop |
A mixture of things.
They finished last season like a train. Mcdermott had that club rocking. I always like teams that finish strong late in a season for a good start the following season:
Swansea and Norwich both fell into that category last year. Blackpool did it the year before. We did when we went up from League 1. Southampton from league 1. (Think Huddersfield will do it in the Champ this year, btw).
We, and I think Southampton last year,fell over the line a bit, dragging it out longer than we should and I think it takes it out of the players a little bit more.
So, 1) they finished like a train.
2) They have money....come Jan, they'll be in a position to invest more than most of the others down there.
3) I think Pog is an excellent signing for them. I know all this stuff about him fading. Maybe. But I think he's a very Reading player...like Dave Kitson+. I think he'll really suit their style. He gets to be the Bertie Big Bollocks he so clearly wants to be and I think he'll be a hit with their fans.
4) As much as I hate to say it, I think they'll be good at home. I know their fans are all plastic bell ends, but the last time they bounced into the Prem they were very handy at home in their first season. I can see them getting decent attendances and getting on a role if they start well.
5) The main reason: I think they are weaker sides, in worse form, with worse moral, suffering more close season upheaval.
Wigan have to go this year. They've got a bottom half Championship side if Moses goes. Martinez has clearly been unsettled and will be looking to take the first open post going. They're time is up.
Swansea could be a disaster this season: other teams find them out, Allen was their heartbeat, fans with ridiculous expectations....all of a sudden Laudrup's under pressure, the likes of Graham and Sinclair will want out by Jan. Just see it being a painful season for them. Going to deepest, darkest Wales just won't hold the same 'fear of the unknown' factor it did last year and for all their play....their home form kept them up. That goes, they go.
Southampton have got promoted one season too soon, IMO. They won League 1 comfortably, carried the good feelings and culture of winning over to the Championship. But as the season wore on, teams got familiar to their "style" of play, they got a few injuries, etc, they just about stumbled over the line. They should have won that league by a mile given the points headstart they had on Reading. I'd wager on form over the last 3 months, they wouldn't have made the play-offs. That's what they're taken into the Prem...with 1-2 decent signings. Not enough. I also think Holt last year has given defenders some experience of how to play against the likes of Lambert, which they didn't have prior to Holt arriving.
Norwich are I team I think will be battling it out to survive. The loss of Lambert will be HUGE to that squad. A bit like Stoke they have so many Tier 1/2 level players who Lambert had operating way above themselves. I think Hughton's a decent manager but it's not "his" squad, his "team". When he succeeded at Newcastle, he took a disparate bunch of losers and formed "his" team. Everyone of the Norwich players are Lambert's. If they start poorly, which I think they will, the fans and the players will be a little above themselves and rather than face facts (they're not actually that good and performed way above themselves last year) will turn on the only difference from last year...the manager. Can see the club really struggling.
Fulham...Genuinely think they'll be in a dog fight for most of the season. Who have they got in their entire squad you'd take to start in our starting XI?? Hughes and Haangerland. Dembele and Dempsey IF they stay...which i don't see. Ruiz?? Instead of who? Duff? Again, instead of who. The Fugging Fug has stopped investing. That defence is the wrong side of the hill and will start to wane. So is Duff. They've spent £200m since they got to the Prem, I read somewhere. That's an awfully large outlay to keep them afloat and I don't think he's spent much since Ruiz....but he's sold a fair bit. I think the club won't be investing in the squad much this year. One injury....a bit of bad luck...dressing room unrest....they're on a tightrope in my book.
Stoke will be fine. They have Crouch and a decent defence. They've never needed a midfield.
West Brom - Clarke's a risk but they looked a decent team last year. They know what they're doing at this level and I think Lukaka is an excellent season long lone. Beast of a player, young, out to prove himself.
Everton are always okay.
Villa have an excellent manager. Good club for him to go to. He can "do a Warnock" and get everyone playing together again. Still some good players loitering around there...albeit on £10k each too much per week, if their board is to be believed.
So:
Wigan, S'hampton, Swansea
or
Wigan, Swansea, Norwich.
ideally
Fulham, Swansea, Norwich.
Incidentally, I think we'll finish 10th. | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 23:21 - Aug 10 with 941 views | TacticalR |
I think Hunter's written your article for you, Clive. Just cut and paste  | |
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| Name your bottom three on 09:30 - Aug 12 with 909 views | corse |
well not any real improvments into defence, not a very good goalie, johnson and zamora more or less useless, helga gone, diakite and hoillet are good, park ??? faurlin ??? barton probably out, cisse the only one who can score...
unless we sign a cb and a decent forward
it looks pretty grim to me
qpr / swansea
norwich
southampton | | | |
| Name your bottom three on 10:19 - Aug 12 with 891 views | carrotcrunch_R |
I am certain Norwich will go down the players are not good enough and the manager that made them play out of there skins has now departed seen it all b4 with tv and mullery taking over we struggled with a decent squad .
Swansea for same reasons and reading. For the excitement of getting back in the prem (against the odds) I believe that
Southampton should survive the crowd will be right behind them this season and will scrape and scrap for results like we did and Norwich did in our first season back | | | |
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