The new football season

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Undertaker · #1 Post by **Undertaker** » Sun 30 Jul 2006, 7:27 pm

Anyone know of a good site that gives you a good insight on every teams chances and their key men, for the dseason that starts next week (at last) I'm doing my usual ante post bet, where i pick a side from all four divisions but based on teams handicap. For example, in each division, there is one team the bookies think will win it and start on scratch. Then all the other teams have a handicap. Like Spurs are 15/1 to finish no more than 22 points behind Chelsea.

I know there are quite a few nationwide fans on here, so anyone fancy their teams chances?

Thanks,

Dave

One of the crowd · #2 Post by **One of the crowd** » Sun 30 Jul 2006, 7:30 pm

I think we are in that transition phase, Dave.

#3 Post by **StevePSB** » Sun 30 Jul 2006, 8:34 pm

Oh yes.

Doncaster Rovers.

Some really bad and numerous injuries, plus a negative influence in Michael McIndoe (in the latter part of the season) stopped us getting into the play offs, although we were in with a shout right up until the last game of the season.

This season we've got rid of some dead wood, trimmed down the squad a bit and signed some cracking players. Experience in Kevin Horlock and Bruce Dyer. Tranmere's best player Wales international Gareth Roberts, Adam Lockwood from Bournemouth, some great new kids coming up through the ranks and we've got Jonathon Forte back on a 6 month loan from Sheff.Utd.

A £3m wage bill for the first time ever tells us how much quality we have. Huge money for a L1 team.

I think we'll be there or thereabouts all season and I don't think any team will relish having to play us. We've also got the new ground coming in January '07 which should really be a boost for the club.

The future is bright. The future is red and white (hoops).

StevePSB

#4 Post by **StevePSB** » Sun 30 Jul 2006, 8:40 pm

Oh, and I've had two bets again.

Champions £15 @ 9-1.
Promoted £15 @ 11-4.

This season one of them will pay out!

StevePSB

Undertaker · #5 Post by **Undertaker** » Sun 30 Jul 2006, 10:56 pm

StevePSB wrote:Oh, and I've had two bets again.

Champions £15 @ 9-1.
Promoted £15 @ 11-4.

This season one of them will pay out!

StevePSB

I thought that when i stood to win £500 on Grimsby Town getting promoted and £300 on France winning the World Cup. If you had looked around on the web, you could have gotten better than 9/1. Ladbrokes think you will finish 3rd and Alan, they think Sunderland will finish third as well.

Dave

One of the crowd · Sun 30 Jul 2006, 11:05 pm

I think exciting times are ahead. Niall Quinn is a fantastic bloke who has taken on one massive club with great potential. Dont know all the ins and outs but there does seem to be an open cheque book.

It seems NQ wants to go back to where Reidy started his decline and never got passed 7th in Premier, which was an outstanding acheivement.

The foundations have been set a few years ago. We have to realise the potential and start forgetting about those 8 miles up the road as they never win anything anyway!!

Personally, I would love to go back up at the first attempt but I cant see it and I would settle for 7th (i.e No play offs!!)

#7 Post by **StevePSB** » Mon 31 Jul 2006, 12:18 am

Undertaker wrote: I thought that when i stood to win £500 on Grimsby Town getting promoted and £300 on France winning the World Cup. If you had looked around on the web, you could have gotten better than 9/1. Ladbrokes think you will finish 3rd and Alan, they think Sunderland will finish third as well.

Dave

I could have got better than 9-1 I know, but I was using Rovers betting. They're linked with Bet365 and they make money from every bet you make. That's the level of my support. I'm willing to take lesser odds to benefit my club.

StevePSB

Kris · #8 Post by **Kris** » Tue 01 Aug 2006, 2:31 pm

StevePSB wrote:Oh yes.

Doncaster Rovers.

Some really bad and numerous injuries, plus a negative influence in Michael McIndoe (in the latter part of the season) stopped us getting into the play offs, although we were in with a shout right up until the last game of the season.

This season we've got rid of some dead wood, trimmed down the squad a bit and signed some cracking players. Experience in Kevin Horlock and Bruce Dyer. Tranmere's best player Wales international Gareth Roberts, Adam Lockwood from Bournemouth, some great new kids coming up through the ranks and we've got Jonathon Forte back on a 6 month loan from Sheff.Utd.

A £3m wage bill for the first time ever tells us how much quality we have. Huge money for a L1 team.

I think we'll be there or thereabouts all season and I don't think any team will relish having to play us. We've also got the new ground coming in January '07 which should really be a boost for the club.

The future is bright. The future is red and white (hoops).

StevePSB

For what it's worth, Steve, I think you should go up this season. And to be honest, you'll need to go up if you're spending that much on wages. Money doesn't guarantee success, though - look at Forest last season, and Swansea, who were running away with League 1 until they suddenly decided to splash the cash in January and disrupted the squad. Significantly, the two teams that went up automatically last season - Southend and Colchester - had the two smallest squads and lowest wage budgets in the division.

The key to getting out of that league is hard work, consistency and a close-knit squad that will give their all for 46 matches. You have a fine manager in Dave Penney so he should be able to get the best out of a talented squad. I was particularly impressed with Sean Thornton and Lewis Guy.

I'm quietly confident that my team Southend will consolidate in the Championship this year. Our key player remains Freddy Eastwood, who has been extremely sharp in pre-season and looks ready to excel at the next level. Whether we'll be able to keep him for much longer I don't know but he won't leave for less than £2 million so we'll make a tidy profit, whatever. We've also signed England one-cap wonder Michael Ricketts on a free transfer, who should be a great foil for Eastwood in the same way veteran Shaun Goater was last season. Defensively we should be stronger too with the addition of right-back Simon Francis from Sheffield United and left-back Steven Hammell from Motherwell.

#9 Post by **StevePSB** » Tue 01 Aug 2006, 7:44 pm

Lewis Guy seems to have everything, but needs to find his scoring boots quickly else I fear it will be game over for him at Rovers by the end of next season.

Thornton should do well as long as he is played. Think Heffernan will do well for us this season.

Amzing to think the season starts this Saturday! The World Cup really helped plug the gap and it only really feels like two minutes since the end of last season.

StevePSB

joncool5 · #10 Post by **joncool5** » Wed 02 Aug 2006, 12:06 pm

I thought the season was looking good for Blackpool with the £5 million investment from a wealthy Latvian and a few decent signings that have definitely improved our squad. I was expecting a push for the play-offs at the very least as we've been told that we can now match wages for players that we wouldn't have even looked at 12 months ago. I was predicting Forest, Swansea and Doncaster to battle it out for automatic promotion and Huddersfield, Tranmere and Blackpool to be in the play-offs.
However, this has all changed this morning with the news that we have sold our best player and Club captain Peter Clarke to Southend for just £250,000!!!! He was easily the best central defender in league one and to go for such a small amount and to a small club like Southend is very difficult to take! If we don't replace him with someone of the same class then I fear mid-table obscurity. To illustrate how important Clarke was to our club, a few Blackpool fans have refunded their season tickets already and a lot are on the list for refunds 'if'/'when' it is officially confirmed!

One of the crowd · Wed 02 Aug 2006, 12:21 pm

StevePSB wrote: Amzing to think the season starts this Saturday! The World Cup really helped plug the gap and it only really feels like two minutes since the end of last season.

StevePSB

Sunday for me. Sky showing Coventry Vs Sunderland as a token way of justifying the £43.50 a month fee.

Native · #12 Post by **Native** » Wed 02 Aug 2006, 12:40 pm

Well I expect the usual feeling of complete disappointment. We’ve already sold our best striker - bought a midfielder (Livermore from Millwall) then sold him again a few days later - Our other ‘major’ signing, Nicholls from Luton, is out for three months before kicking a ball. Business as usual...

joncool5 · #13 Post by **joncool5** » Wed 02 Aug 2006, 12:43 pm

Native wrote:Well I expect the usual feeling of complete disappointment. We’ve already sold our best striker - bought a midfielder (Livermore from Millwall) then sold him again a few days later - Our other ‘major’ signing, Nicholls from Luton, is out for three months before kicking a ball. Business as usual...

I think Leeds will make the play-offs again and have a good chance of promotion, just need a couple of midfielders and a good central defender (Clarke would have been perfect for you). As for the sale of Hulse, I thought that was a great deal for Leeds as i think having the amount of strikers you had last season unsettled them all.

Kris · #14 Post by **Kris** » Wed 02 Aug 2006, 5:30 pm

joncool5 wrote: However, this has all changed this morning with the news that we have sold our best player and Club captain Peter Clarke to Southend for just £250,000!!!! He was easily the best central defender in league one and to go for such a small amount and to a small club like Southend is very difficult to take! If we don't replace him with someone of the same class then I fear mid-table obscurity. To illustrate how important Clarke was to our club, a few Blackpool fans have refunded their season tickets already and a lot are on the list for refunds 'if'/'when' it is officially confirmed!

Small club like Southend, eh? Sorry, couldn't resist biting.

It's true we are a small club at the moment and punching above our weight but we are extremely well run, have an owner that genuinely seems to adore the club and have a young manager in Steve Tilson who has an outside chance of being England boss in a few years' time - seriously, that bloke has worked absolute miracles on and off the pitch at Roots Hall over the past three years considering we were on the brink of the Conference. Plus, we aren't far off securing a new, 20,000 capacity stadium and when we do that we can genuinely consolidate ourselves in the upper echelons of the football league and maybe even progress further.

Clarke sounds like a dream signing, from what I've read. I dare say he is worth more than £250,000 but wasn't he in the final year of his contract at Bloomfield Road? In which case, unfortunately, values tend to be slashed - if Freddy Eastwood refuses a new deal before next summer, when he will only have a year left, we probably wouldn't get £1m, which is about half his current value.

Anyway, I'm not one for kicking fans when they're down and I must apologise on behalf of genuine Southend fans for some of the gloating that has taken place on your messageboards. Most of us still hold Tangerines fans in high regard for the excellent banter that took place in the LDV Vans Trophy final a few seasons ago and you deserve some better luck on the field this season. I'm sure things will turn around for you sooner or later as things have a habit of changing very quickly in football - just look at Southend for proof.

#15 Post by **StevePSB** » Wed 02 Aug 2006, 7:27 pm

Native wrote:Well I expect the usual feeling of complete disappointment. We’ve already sold our best striker - bought a midfielder (Livermore from Millwall) then sold him again a few days later - Our other ‘major’ signing, Nicholls from Luton, is out for three months before kicking a ball. Business as usual...

Watched Nicholls score an absolute scorcher, Exocet style from probably 30/35 yeards at Rovers in the last game of the 2004/2005 season (ended 3-3, Luton not beating us in either game that season even though they were very much good enough to be the runaway champs). Even some of our fans applauded it, and rightly so.

If he can play like that for you, you've got a good player on your hands.

StevePSB