The Promotion Run In

Just trying to come up with a new thread:

It's nearly end of January. How do you see chances to find Watford in the Premier League next season?

 

If we beat Pool and Muff I reckon we'll secure top 2.

If we don't it'll be playoffs again, which is a lottery at best. Hopefully the team will have learned from last time.

I certainly don't think 1st is beyond us in terms of remaining points/games. If we continue to improve as we did for Charlton then we might have a chance.

 

Playoffs looks pretty likely to me. The recent dip in form of the teams above us gives me hope that we can push for automatics, though.

 

100% automatic promotion.

The line must be drawn here. This far, no further!

 

we are good enough for top spot, we are inconsistent enough for 10th place

which watford will turn up 2nd half of the season..

 

Top 2 must be the aim. Have a feeling one or two clubs will fall away in the coming weeks. I don't think we will be one of them. Hoping Bournemouth and Derby stay in the cup as that would help. After today we have 5 difficult fixtures and Ill think we will know more after that

 

I think after that we will know automatic isn't a possibility this season if ~I'm honest. I'd love to believe otherwise

 

As fans, we're not ready for promotion. Too much falling out with one another. JB is the Lloyd Dyer of these boards. I can't see an ounce of passion, heart, hunger, desire, amongst any of us. There's just no spirit!!

 

We'll be able to tell 10 games in.

 

Isn't that what defines successful premier league clubs?

 

If you are a little more patient, and can wait until 20 games you will really be able to have a good idea.

 

If Joka can get the lads to play the same way we did against Charlton every single week then we'll be up there come May IMHO tbh

 

Will we have to stand up and sing more if we get promoted? :rant:

 

Automatics or bust. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't fancy us beating any two of the teams around us in the playoffs.

 

Have we secured safety yet?

 

We're 3 points short of the magic 50 points, I think that 45-48 will be enough for safety this season though.

 

Get an experienced CB who can organise a naive defence and I fancy top two .

Otherwise , playoffs which are pretty random

 

I love how optimistic people get after wins. We've just beaten 2 god awful teams, let's calm down a little.

 

Boro and one other. Could be us.

 

TBF if you can't be allowed a bit of optimistism when you're in the top 6, you've just scoring 12 goals in 2 games in a week, & you've won 6 out of the last 8 ...when can you?

(one of those god aweful teams picked up a point at Wolves today BTW, not too shabby)

 

If we cut out the type of errors we made in defence yesterday for Blackpools two goals we will be fine, we don't have a problem scoring or in midfield, just a WHOOPSEDAISY defence sometimes!

 

The Championship this season is very strange.

We are almost at the end of January and all of the top six are on course to achieve 80 points or more (I know Blackpool's situation is a partial cause - but it is not that significant).

If you take the last 8 games for the top six teams there have only been 4 draws in those 48 matches! Bournemouth, Brentford and ourselves have not drawn any of their last 8 fixtures.

There are only 2 teams outside the top six with a positive goal difference. The GD distribution is interesting as well - six teams on +16 or above, one on +8, one on +1 and all the others negative.

 

I noticed the GD thing too. How many times have there been 4 teams on +23 or more before January is out?

 

It's incredibly close, I can't recall a season like this although there must have been one... any team down to Norwich in 8th has a realistic opportunity.

 

Yes, we were sublime second half against an awful side, but let's not forget how poor we were first half. If we still have those sorts of performances in us, then we are still likely to be inconsistent.

Let's see if we can beat Bounemouth and then Brentford, and then I will really begin to believe we've turned a corner, rather than continued wih our theme of sublime/ridiculous.

 

Bournemouth and Brentford are huge games.

Beat both and it's on.

Beat either and suck some hope and momentum from them, like WBA gave Boothroyd Watford a reality check.

 

Do you think any side below Norwich has a realistic chance of promotion?

 

Current League Table:

1 Bournemouth 27 29 51
2 Middlesbrough 27 24 50
3 Ipswich 27 19 50
4 Brentford 27 8 49
5 Derby 26 23 48
6 Watford 27 25 47
7 Wolves 27 -2 44
8 Norwich 27 16 43

Next round of fixtures:

Tuesday 27th January- Derby vs Blackburn 7.45pm KO
Friday 30th January- Bournemouth vs Watford 7.45pm KO
Saturday 31st January- Brentford vs Middlesbrough 12.15pm KO
Birmingham vs Norwich 3pm KO
Bolton vs Wolves
Cardiff vs Derby
Ipswich vs Wigan

At best, we can realistically hope for a draw between Derby and Blackburn and a draw between Brentford and Boro. However I think both of the home teams will win their respective matches. It's a banker that Derby will beat Cardiff and Ipswich will be beat Wigan but I'm not sure about Brum vs Norwich or Bolton vs Wolves. Ideally if both would slip up it would make things easier for us.

 

IMO it's already 6 from the current top 8 for promotion & the playoffs. I'd hate to be one of the 2 that miss out.

 

Yeah fair point. However how have we actually performed against the top 10 for example? I'm sure we've struggled bigtime.

 

If you can't be optimistic after the last two games I'm not sure you ever will

 

Wolves are more inconsistent than we are were and I can't really see them making up the ground on Brentford and Ipswich, one of whom is bound to be usurped by Norwich. Derby won't drop out of the top six as while they're not fantastic, they are good enough. Blackburn still have an outside chance of sixth but will have to improve.

If we can smash Bournemouth the hit in their confidence will see them wobble just enough for us to overtake when they drop points elsewhere providing we also beat Brentford in what I predict will be a slogfest.

Then it's between us and a Boro that have both depth and ability ... But have they got flair or the flexibility to change tactics mid game? because that's where we'll beat them if they haven't.

WFC champions 2014/15, anything else is just not acceptable.

 

No I don't, I think there is a visible drop in quality in the teams below Norwich. Form Norwich up any team which puts a run together could do it. Its impossible to call.