2010/11 Football Season: The Thread

Thought I might as well get the ball rolling (pun fully intended) since we're only about a month away from the big kick-off and City have already commenced this season's comedy:

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Reserves-news/2010/July/Elite-Squad-fixtures-released

Have I hallucinated that entire club? They never cease to amaze and horrify in roughly equal measure.

Seeing as it all kicks off tomorrow, predictions time.

PREMIER
Winners - ManYoo
Champions League - Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal
Europa - Spurs, Liverpool, Everton
Relegated - Blackpool, West Brom, Wigan

CHAMPIONSHIP
Winners - Burnley
Promoted - Middlesborough
Playoffs - Nottm Forest, Crystal Palace, Sheff Utd, Hull
Relegated - Scunthorpe, Millwall, Coventry

LEAGUE 1
Winners - Southampton
Promoted - Sheff Wed
Playoffs - Charlton, Huddersfield, Plymouth, Peterborough
Relegated - Dag & Red, Rochdale, Hartlepool, Tranmere

LEAGUE 2
Winners - Rotherham
Promoted - Bradford
Playoffs - Crewe, Gillingham, Chesterfield, Port Vale
Relegated - Torquay, Stevenage

Quote: Albi The Racist Dragon, Aug 2010

Promoted - Bradford

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No chance! Well, maybe with the new manager, but still. Bradford have a knack of not going up!

Chelsea's squad is weaker than last season but I still can't see past them for the league. We badly need strengthening in midfield now Hargreaves appears to be practically disabled and could probably have done with another striker to replace Berbatoss (Hernandez has looked very promising though) and judging by their pre-season performances, City have a way to go yet. I suspect Mancini could become as important to holding them back as Rafa (RIP) was to Liverpool.

To be honest, part of me thinks if we don't win the league we'd be better off finishing outside the top four to help accelerate the departure of the Glazer cancer from the club, which is of course the immediate priority. But at the same time, I'm looking forward to seeing Tom Cleverley get a fair crack of the whip, he's another one who's looked decent in the pre-season games and had a great spell down at Watford before his injury.

Contrary to popular belief, I think United will win the league, albeit only just.

Whether that will be a good thing for the club in the long run is up for debate, but I think Chelsea will falter in games where, last season, they had the rub of the green.

Relegation? I'll stick my neck out and say Blackpool.

Quote: Heisenberg, Aug 2010

F*ck the Premier League Mart, no-one cares about that sh*t anymore. That Leeds game today was excellent, Kasper Schmeichel made some saves his dad would be very proud of. I was wrong about him, he's bloody great. Great game, anyone know what the Brian Clough chant was about? I couldn't quite figure it out.

Coventry 2, Portsmouth 0! F*ck yeah! (15 players you say? Sssssh)

Schmeichel had an absolute blinder, other than being beaten at his near post for the first (by Hulse, who true to his word, refused to celebrate). I don't think I've ever seen a 'keeper with such kicking ability.

I didn't know what the Brian Clough chant was about, but I'm aware of planned chants about Don Revie's greatness.

We're gonna get battered by Forest next week, truly d*cked on. No way will out 2 centre backs be able to cope with the pace of their front 2.

Ah, probably a dig at us for booting him after 44 days then. I do think that if we'd have given him 2 seasons to rebuild the team, we'd have been the team of the 80s as well as the 70s, but there's that old cliche about hindsight.

Kasper looked genuinely annoyed at the defence that had been put in front of him today, and he was right to be. Very slow and bulky in the centre, and only Paul Connolly (ex-Derby captain, pre-Clough Jr) came out with his head held high. We need Kisnorbo and Parker back asap, but we're looking at November for both...

I'd be very happy with 16th or above this season. I do think we'll struggle for goals from centre forward though. Becchio and Paynter don't have '20 a season' at this level in them.

PREMIER
Winners - Arsenal
Champions League - Chelsea, Man City, ManYoo
Europa - Everton, Liverpool, Spurs
Relegated - Blackpool, West Brom, Wolves

CHAMPIONSHIP
Winners - Middlesborough
Promoted - Forest
Playoffs - QPR, Sheffield United, Leicester, Ipswich
Relegated - Portsmouth, Barnsley, Cardiff (one can dream...)

LEAGUE 1
Winners - Southampton
Promoted - Charlton
Playoffs - Swindon, Peterborough, Brighton, Plymouth
Relegated - Dag & Red, Exeter, Hartlepool, Tranmere

I know nothing about League 2.