please log in to view this image Can Bristol City make a challenge for Championship promotion? There’s value in the play-off market They were 90 minutes away from the Premier League back in 2008, but they’ve since struggled to reach such heights and have even had to deal with relegation to the third tier of English football. But could Lee Johnson be the man to take this Bristol City side that one step further? Early days it may be, and it’s certainly a big ask, but the Championship is full of surprises. And if last weekend’s 4-0 demolition of Fulham is anything to go by, you can certainly expect this City side to be in or around the play-off places come May. Chelsea wonderkid can’t stop scoring While Newcastle signed Dwight Gayle for a fee of £10m and Aston Villa acquired the services of Ross McCormack for £14m, perhaps the best piece of business in the Championship this summer was by Robins boss Johnson, who welcomed Chelsea starlet Tammy Abraham to Ashton Gate for the season. The 19-year-old striker has been in unbelievable form so far this season, netting seven goals in nine league games while also managing three goals in as many EFL Cup ties since his arrival back in August. Right now Abraham is averaging a goal every 98 minutes, and his shots-to-goals ratio is even more impressive, with those seven strikes coming from just 11 shots on target. He’s now just 6/1 to finish as top scorer in the division, and he’s already three ahead of 7/1 second-favourite Gayle. Robins can mix it with the big boys That 4-0 win at Craven Cottage last weekend was the second time Johnson’s men had beaten Fulham away from home in less than a week. And the Cottagers were yet to concede more than two goals in any game this season prior to Saturday’s encounter. But it’s consistently strong performances against other promotion chasers which have impressed fans, most notably a 3-1 win against Aston Villa, while they only lost 1-0 to both Norwich and Newcastle in a hectic week back in August. And since those two games in which the Robins failed to score, they’ve found the net on 16 occasions in league and cup fixtures combined. This isn’t unfamiliar territory Back in the 2007-08 campaign, Bristol City were just five points away from an automatic promotion to the top-flight. Unfortunately, that year, they lost out to Hull City in the play-off final. But for all those pessimistic fans refusing to dream at this early a stage in the season, know that the Robins had exactly the same amount of points after nine games as they do right now, only this year they’ve scored more. In a league full of some of the biggest names in the history of British football, can Bristol City make a push for promotion? While 40/1 suggests it’ll be incredibly difficult to challenge for the title, there’s certainly value in the 4/1 for Abraham and co to qualify for the play-offs. Championship 2016/17 Play-Off Qualification Brighton 13/10 Norwich 13/8 Huddersfield 7/4 Sheffield Wednesday 15/8 Newcastle 11/5 Wolves 9/4 Aston Villa 14/5 Reading 10/3 Bristol City 4/1 Brentford 4/1 http://news.ladbrokes.com/uncategor...e-a-challenge-for-championship-promotion.html
I would certainly not bet against us with this team, which I believe will get better and better However, I wouldn't bet for us either, unless we are top 6 in Feb (which means it would be too late from an odds perspective) Which is why I will probably never win a fortune from the Lotto, The Pools or a day on the Gee Gees
we are 1/5th way through the season ..almost ! average points extended over 46 games = 72 = dodgy! 14 with additional 4/5ths = 70 with a spare game is just as dodgy 73 max ! conclusion to early to say we will or wont. 14 games is a good yardstick ..... 24 points! or 23 games ....... 39 points However, should we be a prem team next season ... it is worth £150m could we have Tammy for another year! or even buy him for £22m !!!!! stay up for 2 years and worth +£400m ??? till 2020 £500m
Give it until the New Year and lets see where we are. Right now I don't think we're in a position to talk about promotion from this division, and what happens if Tammy gets injured or hits a barren patch ? We need a bigger and proven squad to make the next immense step from here. I'd like to see us build with a squad of permanent players for another season or two to make sure we have every chance of surviving when we get to the Premiership. I'd hate to see us relegated with a record low points tally or something equally embarrassing.
IF the unexpected happened then the funds would be there to put a prem side together,it would be a completely different side to what we see today. If Bournemouth,WBA,Stoke,Watford can stay there then no reason why city can't.
Not too sure it's a big as a blessing as people think, too many teams have nearly gone bust buying and paying wages on rank ordinary, and mostly mercenary footballers in the botton half of the Prem......
That is the plus side of parachute payments It stops another Great 8 situation from having to happen And I think Leicester are a fine example of a club whose players are not mercenaries - example is Vardy and Mahrez who could both have moved on this season but stayed at little Champion's League Leicester. West ham, Watford, Hull Sunderland are all teams with continuity of players that have not taken an escape route. And lets be honest, its the lure of playing for a Premier League team that keeps them there, but then they are professionals.
4TH EQUAL WITH 5 OTHER TEAMS ..don't worry about goal difference until after 30 odd games have been played
Loyalty to a club is great, but as most people predicted Leicester have well and truly been found out at times in the Premiership already this season. So in terms of ambition, I wonder if Vardy will regret turning down a really big club like Arsenal in the months/years to come. Le Tiss was another one. A great one club servant who stayed true to his beliefs and values, but he won little in his career, although he was a joy to watch at times.
'Is promotion from the Championship a possibility?' I try to stay conservative, but given the games we've had and the way we've played, there is no answer other than, 'yes'.
Of course its possible and we are a lot better looking team than last year but still work in progress. Need to cut out the defensive errors and frequency in losing possession and it could be on. This is a tight division, we are 5th today sitting comfortably but had we had lost last night, we would have been 12th occupying mid table. Christmas will give us a better indication and idea
wouldn't say comfortably 12th is a reality for Saturday should we lose! no games around us are paired! comfortably = 7 points ..
