Your Championship Top 6

I'm not writing them off, but everyone knew that this season they have a squad of fantastic players, many of Premier League quality, but they just need some time to gel and to work together well enough to pose a serious threat to other Promotion favourites. However...just as they were maybe starting to gel and were looking good, Sven get's fired, everything is put on hold, suddenly they, I think, will start losing games and it will be hard for any new manager to pick up the slack.

You might prove me wrong! Who knows, we'll see in a few months, I just think 11/12 will be preparing Leicester for a successful promotion push in 12/13

 

1. Saints
2. West Ham
3.Birmingham
4. Leicester
5.Nottingham Forrest
6.Middlesborough

I think top two on What I have seen so far will be us and west ham although I actually believe we are a cut above them all to be honest! Why do some people believe we will dip in form, I think we can keep this up! Nige is mr motivator!!!

 

There's absolutely no chance that Forest will get 5th and finish above Leeds, Cardiff and Ipswich

 

Couldn't agree more, can't see B'ham finishing that high either

 

What i hate hearing about all the time is the theory that when we get injuries we will fall apart,first of all we have a big enough squad to cope if injuries occur and if needed we can add to that in january or if needs be in the loan market and also are injuries to key players just for southampton or can anyone get them? don't see why we shouldn't aim for top spot now as i have seen naff all in this division to be scared of! You can guarantee Nigel and Nicola will be aiming for the top spot so why shouldn't we? be positive! and that's coming from me,a normally pessimistic saints fan who thinks everythings destined to fall apart! I'm finally starting to change my ways and be optimistic for a change haha.

 

1. West Ham
2. Southampton
3. Birmingham
4. Leicester
5. Cardiff
6. Middlebrough


I think that we'll misstep in January/February, enough so that West Ham passes us and automatic promotion is in real doubt for some time, but we'll pull away sufficiently to have it clinched before the final game.

Birmingham has looked a good side to me, their squashing at St Mary's notwithstanding; since that game, they have four wins and two draws in league play, and it's only by virtue of their games in hand that they haven't been hanging around the playoff spots.

I'm sure Leicester will figure things out, but even for a team that was assembled out of whole cloth in the summer, they're wildly inconsistent. Getting harder to imagine that they will ever stop being inconsistent...they'll win more than they lose, but haven't really demonstrated that they can find points when they aren't playing their best.


It's a fairly scary field if we trip up, though. None of the teams, save perhaps West Ham, have really distinguished themselves, but none save Forest have fallen on their faces either.

 

As other posters have said, it's very early in the season to predict the final places, but based on what we have seen so far:

1 Saints
2 West Ham
3 Birmingham
4 Leicester
5 Cardiff
6 Leeds

I think Leeds 0-5 against Blackpool was a bit of a fluke, and for me, Middlesbrough draw too many and Derby won't last the pace.

 

Damnit, I wish I hadn't come back this late, but this has piqued my interest. Not so much about the injuries, because with Adkins, I think we've got a manager who is very attuned to players fitness and injury state, at any single point, be they playing or training. It's what IN Matt says about Rickie, in that he's not the sort of player who attracts leg breaking tackles... that interests me and I've noticed that a lot. In fact, he's not the sort of player who, when the ball is at his feet, attracts tackles at all. Sure some players challenge him during a match, but I'm often brought upright by how Rickie seems to have oodles of time on the ball. And he doesn't release the ball until he's good and ready. They say the best technical players seem to make more time for themselves on the ball, and Rickie seems to create genuine lengthy moments. It is just me who thinks this, or has anyone felt the same way..? I see him doing it all the time, not least against the two Boros.

 

Perhaps it's body language and people are genuinely fearful about Rickie's skill, so they are like rabbits in headlights. Look at that Connelly goal against Middlesbrough. He may also keep the ball so close that he reduces the chances of a successful tackle.

 

Hard to predict as always, however, I expect the front runners at the moment to be there of there abouts at the end.

Can't put them in order, but here are my top 6:

Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, Middlesbrough, Southampton and West Ham

 

Agreed.

The only team who look like completely throwing my pre-season prediction out of the water is us. I am just starting to come round to the possibility that we might finish in the top 6 (but I'm still not completely there yet!). There is still enough time for Leicester to finish 2nd. There is still enough time for Forest to finish in the top 6. There is still enough time for Dery and Palace to fade away.

 

1 Saints
2 West Ham
3 Leicester
4 Birmingham
5 Middlesbrough
6 Cardiff

 

1. Southampton
2. Birmingham
3. West ham united
4. Leeds united
5. Cardiff city
6. Ipswich town

 

Southampton
West Ham
Leicester
Cardiff
Birmingham
Middlesborough

 

I think 21st is a realistic finish for saints.

Anything more is just arrogant, unnecessary, and tempting fate.

 

Were you aware that you had put a 2 before 1st?

 

I think we can win this league. Would be happy with second. Can't blame anyone for being a typical Saints fan, but all the reasons for peoples hesitation I think we can deal with and some here have answered. We can deal with injuries due to quality squad. I feel that there will be an addition or two Jan, and lets face it, we're an attractive proposition at the moment. Form. Adkins is obsessed with consistency, and this is key. His mantra about not getting to high and too low seems to have given the team an unshakable focus and belief despite lets face it, some dropped points away from home. This I hope, will stop us having a long spell out of form. So...........EIEIEIO upthe football league we go.

 

And still possible.

 

Out of interest, what have Cardiff done to be in everyone's top 6? There's still Blackpool, Leeds, Hull, Derby, Palace, Ipswich and possibly Leicester still in fierce competition along with Saints, West Ham, Middlesborough and Birmingham who are widely expected to be up there.

 

1. West Ham
2. Southampton
3. Middlesbrough
4. Leicester
5. Birmingham
6. Hull
7. Blackpool