freddie01

Stevie.Thanks for the effort you put in with the previews. Just wanted you to know it's very much appreciated.

Stevie.Thanks for the effort you put in with the previews. Just wanted you to know it's very much appreciated.

Stevie.Thanks for the effort you put in with the previews. Just wanted you to know it's very much appreciated.

Stevie.Thanks for the effort you put in with the previews. Just wanted you to know it's very much appreciated.

Stevie.Thanks for the effort you put in with the previews. Just wanted you to know it's very much appreciated.

Manchester City vs Bournemouth
If one thing was certain from the opening weekend of games in the Premier League it's that Manchester City have a very dangerous squad spearheaded by the duo of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. The reigning champions take on newly promoted Bournemouth in their second league game of the campaign in a 3pm BST kick-off on Saturday afternoon from the Etihad Stadium. Is this ending in any other way than a home team demolition job on their visitors?
Manchester City looked every bit the reigning league champions in their opening game 2-0 victory away to West Ham. It's probably fair to say that with Haaland bagging both goals the Citizens didn't even step out of second gear for the majority of the game. A stark warning to the rest of the league. Pep Guardiola's side now move onto their next opponents and with it being against a newly promoted side and at home you'd think this would be a more welcoming proposition but we know Guardiola won't let his players get complacent. The team will still be without the duo of Kalvin Phillips and Aymeric Laporte but this is not a City team short in depth. City boast the impressive statistic of only losing 1 of their last 22 opening home league games of the season. The last four such games have produced an average of 5.8 goals per game. The club have scored at least two goals in each of their last 10 league matches. 
Bournemouth will have been pleased to pull off an encouraging 2-0 win against Aston Villa at home in their first league game back in the top flight but this is a challenge on a whole new level. The Cherries saw a goal each from Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore do the business last weekend with the clean sheet also being a bonus. Scott Parker will want his team to give it their best shot of being just the fourth newly promoted team in the Premier League to win their first two league games of a season with Bolton in 2001/02, Hull in 2016/17, and Huddersfield in 2017/18 being the only previous teams to have managed such a feat. Parker also has the opportunity to become the first top flight manager to beat the reigning champions with two different clubs away from home. Unfortunately, he has lost all 4 of his previous meetings with City as a manager.
OK, so the most glaring statistic for this fixture is the fact that Manchester City have 10 wins from their 10 Premier League matches against Bournemouth which is the best 100% record in the history of the Premier League era. In fact, Bournemouth haven't won any of their 16 meetings with City. In those 16 encounters, Bournemouth have only ever led for a total of 8 minutes. That's a damning bit of form right there. My advice is to back City to the hilt and you might as well triple captain Haaland in your fantasy team this week because based on what we saw last weekend there aren't many teams that are going to stop him this season!
Manchester City -2 @ 1.65 with Betway
To Score 2 Goals Or More: Erling Haaland @ 2.75 with Live Score Bet

Brighton vs Newcastle
The second 3pm BST start on Saturday afternoon that I'm previewing in the Premier League is a clash between two sides from opposite ends of the country that impressed in their opening weekend matches. The home side could really make a statement of intent with a win here against a visiting team that are expected to rise further up the table due to their massive financial war chest.
Brighton could not have wished for a much better start to their league campaign as they humbled Manchester United by a 2-1 score in the Red Devils' own backyard. If we're being honest, 2-1 severely flattered United too. Graham Potter's side showed that despite losing Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella over the summer, his team remain a very dangerous opponent for any team in the top flight. Pascal Gross scored both of the goals for the Seagulls and he's now scored 4 goals in his last 4 games for Albion. Brighton are on an epic run in the league at the moment of just 1 loss from their last 10 league games and they have already won against Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester United during that stint. Unfortunately, only four teams in the top flight had a worse home record than Brighton last season.
Newcastle are being expected to push on up from their 11th placed finish last season and Eddie Howe's men started their season off by meeting expectations with a business-like 2-0 win at home to newly promoted Nottingham Forest last weekend. A goal each from Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson helped the Magpies to get off to the perfect start but can they win on the road against a very tricky opponent here? Just the 350 miles to travel for the game. Newcastle are one of the in-form teams this calendar year so far with only Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham earning more league points in 2022. They are hoping to win their first two league games of a Premier League season for the first time since 1997/98. However, they have only managed to win 1 of their last 10 first away league games of the season. 
There is no doubt that Howe will be looking forward to this game having recorded 5 wins over Brighton as a manager which is his joint best record against any team. That said, Brighton haven't lost any of their 5 home league games played against Brighton in the Premier League. Both teams have every reason to be confident of getting a win in this one but I don't think I can separate them. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this end in a 1-1 or 2-2 draw.
Draw @ 3.40 with SpreadEx
BTTS @ 1.92 with SBK

Arsenal vs Leicester
We are treated to five 3pm BST kick-offs in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon and with temperatures set to soar once again it's going to be a hot one! Here, I'm taking a look at Arsenal versus Leicester at the Emirates Stadium. The home team will be looking to continue living up to the pre-season hype surrounding them against an away side that are on the brink of seeing their team torn apart at the seams by vultures.
Arsenal have been tipped by many to "do bits" this season (as the kids say!) and their opening day display against Crystal Palace showed exactly why. The 2-0 victory was never really in doubt and Mikel Arteta has been further boosted by the return to training of Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Gabriel Jesus looked lively in the opening game and even though he didn't score he has bagged 5 goals in his last 7 league appearances against Leicester so is a fair shout for anytime scorer again this weekend. Gabriel Martinelli is another consideration for that bet having scored in back-to-back Premier League games. Arsenal did also only manage to keep one clean sheet in their last 8 home league games of last season and that came against Leicester. The Gunners did possess the 3rd best home record in the top flight last season behind only Manchester City and Liverpool. 
Leicester continue to sleepwalk towards a season of under-achievement under Brendan Rodgers. I did hold hope that after a summer of rebuilding and strengthening that if they had to sell a couple of their big names early on in the window then they could survive. It's now mid-August and the transfer speculation surrounding the likes of James Maddison, Wesley Fofana, and Youri Tielemans is still there but none have left. The fact the club are replacing former number one Kasper Schmeichel with ex-Cardiff keeper Alex Smithies maybe suggests that the board are tightening the purse strings a bit. It's a concern with the Foxes not bringing anyone in this summer so far either. At the very least, it's poor squad management. Leicester have only managed one clean sheet in their last 26 away league games. In addition to losing Schmeichel, full back Ricardo Pereira is also unavailable due to injury. Striker Jamie Vardy could be their main hope of getting something here having scored 11 goals in his previous 14 league games versus Arsenal.
It's worrying for Leicester that Arsenal are looking so good coming into this game but the London club have also won the last three league meetings between the two teams. Leicester also possess a terrible away record against Arsenal having managed just 1 win in their last 25 away league games against the Gunners. I'm struggling to see Leicester getting anything in this match. Something isn't right with the Foxes and this could be a long season if they don't start waking up a bit.
Arsenal HT/FT @ 2.40 with SpreadEx
Anytime Scorer: Gabriel Martinelli @ 3.40 with SportNation

Birmingham
It's a very tough one to call at the bottom of the Championship table with a number of clubs not being in a very fit state entering this new season. The issues at Birmingham have been going on for longer than most of us can remember and these continued last season with the team finishing the campaign down in 20th place. The Blues were arguably saved from a drop down to League One by the points deductions to Peterborough and Derby. It was head coach Lee Bowyer who suffered the consequences with the owners replacing him with former Kidderminster Harriers and QPR head coach John Eustace. It's a big gamble call but as the years gone by are showing it's not the choice of manager that's the problem. It's the ownership.
Eustace has already seen an overhaul of playing staff at the club with the exit door being shown to the likes of Fran Villalba, Ivan Sanchez, Kristian Pedersen, Ivan Sunjic, and Jeremie Bela. Onel Hernandez also returned to his parent club Norwich after the expiration of his loan spell. Eustace has since worked hard to bring in new faces on a very limited budget with the duo of Dion Sanderson and Przemyslaw Placheta arriving on loan deals from Wolves and Norwich respectively. This is a Birmingham squad that needs more than that though. Retaining last season's top scorer Scott Hogan is a big positive but he needs to score more if he wants to help keep the club up.
This does remain a Birmingham side that boasts experience at this level. The likes of Neil Etheridge, Harlee Dean, Marc Roberts, George Friend, Maxime Colin, Gary Gardner, Troy Deeney, and Lukas Jutkiewicz have all been around the block but they are also on the wrong side of 30 years old. It's a situation that sums up the club as a whole. An ageing unit that is suffering from a lack of investment and enterprise whilst being on the decline. I just don't think this squad is good enough to stay up right now and that opinion won't change unless they take full advantage of the loan market.
Final Position: 22nd

Reading
This might be a controversial one given the fact Reading have been a long stay team in the Championship but you do get the feeling things have been slowly unravelling for a numbers of years at the Berkshire club. Firstly, I want to point out that despite my banter with Reading fans about my dislike for their club I do think they deserve credit for the approach they are adopting to encourage £20 maximum ticket prices for away fans in the Championship this season. It's a fantastic proposal and I'm delighted that Cardiff have entered into an agreement to reciprocate the deal. Secondly, I still think this could be a very hard season for the club this season.
Paul Ince is the main the owners have decided to hand the reigns too for this season. The former MK Dons gaffer did enough to keep the team in the second tier last season and he did surprise some people by ensuring his time in charge as interim head coach wasn't a complete disaster given his previous experience in management so far. However, last season did end on a sour note with the team losing their last 3 league games of the season without scoring a goal. The team have also seen a large number of first team players depart the club on a free in order for the club to cut costs. These include Josh Laurent, Michael Morrison, Andy Rinomhota, John Swift, Alen Halilovic, and Orjan Nyland. Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater and Watford midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru also returned to their parent clubs at the end of their loan spells. Even with all those players and more, the Royals still only finished in 21st place last season.
The good news for Reading fans is that they have retained a number of quality Championship players in Liam Moore, Andy Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Tom Holmes, and Ovie Ejaria. Is it enough though? Rumours are circulating about the potential departures of strikers Lucas Joao and George Puscas. Arrivals are few and far between with Tom Ince joining his dad from Stoke on a free. Joe Lumley has come in on loan from Middlesbrough. The loan signing of Newcastle central midfielder Jeff Hendrick is a potential life saver but he can't do it all on his own. It just all feels a little underwhelming. I don't think things are very smooth behind the scenes and I don't think they have the right manager at the helm to dig them out of this hole. There is little money available to spend to improve the squad and it appears that they've already missed out on a number of their free transfer targets. I fear this could be the season Reading drop down to League One.
Final Position: 23rd

There's an invitation you don't get every day! 

Ok , that is the customary "1st post a loser" out the way  game finished 0-0 with 19 goal attempts between them but never really looked like scoring.
Onwards and upwards we go. 

After 13 years on the site and over 10K posts I've now just been upgraded to 'Rookie'
crikey, you've got to earn these badges around here ....... ?
?

my weather predictions are like my tennis predictions...

Also a Derby for us, and if we don't win I think we will need a new manager! I do think we'll win but not quite a bet a 2/1 given our dreadful start to the season.
Done another little treble with the big guns. Fulham to beat Stoke, great start for Stoke but Fulham are better and have home advantage. Bournemouth let a 2 goal lead slip against Blackpool, but I'll give them another chance against Hull, who looked so bad at home to Derby. WBA another team to hit the ground running and should out gun Posh.
Small stakes treble pays around 6.5/1 with SBK.

West Brom
Finally, we have the team I am backing to win the Championship title this season and it's the archetypal yo-yo team West Brom. It's a decision I became quite conflicted about with Fulham, Bournemouth, and Sheffield United all becoming my preference at different points during the last couple of weeks but the appointment of former Barnsley head coach Valerien Ismael sold it for me. Everything is in place at the Hawthorns for a swift return back to the Premier League this season.
Ismael has been clinical with his summer business so far. Deadwood such as Branislav Ivanovic, Hal Robson-Kanu, Kamil Grosicki, Lee Peltier, Sam Field, Charlie Austin, and Andy Lonergan have left the club. The only additions so far have been Alex Mowatt from Barnsley, Quevin from Chelsea, and the loan signing of Matthew Clarke from Brighton but it's a squad that still has the likes of Sam Johnstone, Callum Robinson, Jake Livermore, Matt Phillips, Grady Diangana, Matheus Pereira, and Romain Sawyers. This squad is experienced at this level to the hilt but also blends nicely with exciting young talent.
When it came down to it I had to pick the team I felt looked the most balanced and West Brom offer that. There have been so many managerial changes over the summer for the teams that could be competing for promotion back to the Premier League but I feel West Brom currently look the best placed to seal it. Their pre-season has shown that Ismael is not only making the most of the attacking talents but also running a tight ship at the back and that will be key this season. Attackers win you promotion. Defenders and midfielders win you titles.
My Prediction: 1st

Fulham
Could it be that Fulham are finally learning their lessons of seasons past by not spending fortunes of money on new players in an effort to earn promotion or survive relegation? The Cottagers will be looking to bounce back up to the promised land at the first time of asking. Scott Parker has left the club for rivals Bournemouth and he's been replaced by former Watford head coach Marco Silva. Big decision!
Silva has been reluctant to make too many changes with Marcus Bettinelli, Kevin McDonald, and Stefan Johansen the only real noteworthy departures. The arrivals have been minimal but potentially huge. Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga has arrived from Tottenham and creative midfielder Harry Wilson has come in from Liverpool. Those two additions boost a squad that already includes the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Tom Cairney, Bobby Cordova-Reid, and Tosin Adarabioyo. This Fulham squad is arguably the strongest at this level and in Silva they have a manager who has enjoyed success in Portugal and Greece but not yet in England.
It's a big call putting Fulham as finishing in 2nd place but I think Silva should be able to get this team playing if he can get his tactics right. The attacking talent throughout this squad is frightening for the second tier of English football and they could still yet add more players to that squad. You have to say that if anyone finishes above this Fulham team then they'll likely earn automatic promotion.
My Prediction: 2nd

Bournemouth
The little club that could finally saw their Premier League run come to an end two seasons ago and hopes of bouncing back at the first time of asking last season didn't come to fruition after play-off failure. The board took the ruthless decision to sack head coach Jonathan Woodgate and replace him with former Fulham manager Scott Parker. It's a big gamble but will it pay off?
The Cherries have put a lot of their eggs in one basket with the appointment of Parker. The former Chelsea and Charlton player guided Fulham to promotion to the Premier League but also led them to relegation last season. He's been minimal with his transfer movements so far only bringing in Emiliano Marcondes from Brentford and Leif Davis from Leeds on loan. Departures have also been limited with Jack Wilshere, Ajani Burchall, Asmir Begovic, and Diego Rico the only big name exits. That must mean Parker feels he has the quality within this squad to get promotion done and you can't blame him. This team still boasts the likes of Steve Cook, David Brooks, Jefferson Lerma, Dominic Solanke, Arnaut Danjuma, and Philip Billing.
There's no denying that the quality is there within this Bournemouth squad but, for me, the jury still remains out on Parker. Yes, he got promotion with Fulham but it was through the play-offs when really they should have been walking the Championship that season. Is he the right man? I think he'll get them in the mix but, again, I'm not sure he has what it takes to get them to finish in the top two.
My Prediction: 3rd

Sheffield United
There is no doubt that last season was certainly one to forget for Sheffield United fans. A season that promised so much after a fantastic debut campaign in the Premier League ended in a horror show with the club finishing bottom of the league table by some considerable way. The Blades come into this campaign looking to bounce back to the top flight with a new manager at the helm in Slavisa Jokanovic. Can they do it?
The massive exodus and player turnover that was anticipated by many hasn't appeared to have happened at Bramall Lane over the summer. United have seen Phil Jagielka, John Lundstram, Simon Moore, and Jack Rodwell depart as well as the loan signing from last year of Ethan Ampadu but other than that it's consistent from last season. That means the club have got the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Enda Stevens, Chris Basham, Sander Berge, Rhian Brewster, Oli McBurnie, John Fleck, John Egan, Jayden Bogle, and the rest to start this campaign. How many more will leave before the season begins? Who knows! Players could yet arrive as well though. It's a strong squad.
My only concern is that this is a Sheffield United squad that made losing a habit. I think the appointment of Jokanovic is an excellent one but it's going to need some serious man management and tactical nous to turn the morale of this depleted club around after the last 12 months. I think they'll start to recover and we won't see them continue to free fall but I'm not entirely sure they'll bounce back at the first time of asking. If the likes of Brewster, McBurnie, and David McGoldrick can bang in the goals then it'll be a very interesting season.
My Prediction: 4th

Middlesbrough
Right, so we all know why I've placed Middlesbrough as high as this don't we? Say it together now. Neil Warnock! Yes, the former Cardiff and Sheffield United manager is one of, if not the, most successful gaffers in English second tier football history. God, I miss having that man as our manager but alas he belongs to someone else now and they can benefit from his wisdom and experience. Are Boro really ready to build on their 10th placed finish of last season though?
I must admit, I was slightly disappointed that Middlesbrough finished so low last season in Warnock's first full campaign in charge but it may take more time than it has at other clubs. A lot of remedial work was needed. A fair few players have left this season too with high profile names such as Britt Assombalonga, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Marvin Johnson, Jordan Archer, Ashley Fletcher, and George Saville plus the loan signings from last season. You have to say that the additions so far have hardly been inspiring with Lee Peltier, Sammy Ameobi, Joe Lumley, Uche Ikpeazu, and Matt Crooks coming in.
Yes, you look at it more and more and it does start to seem that Middlesbrough have a fight on their hands to be anything more than mid-table mediocrity but this is Warnock we're talking about. He still has time to bring in new signings and he still has a number of superb players on his books like Sam Morsy, Marcus Tavernier, Paddy McNair, Jonny Howson, Djed Spence, and Duncan Watmore. Never write Warnock off!
My Prediction: 5th

QPR
My big punt for this upcoming Championship season is that QPR are going to be a team to watch from the crowd. Manager Mark Warburton enters his third season as manager of the Hoops and it feels like he's building something special here at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium. The club has improved its league position in each of the last two seasons and I'm expecting a similar improvement again.
Warburton has not messed around this summer. The former Brentford and Nottingham Forest gaffer has moved quick to bring in a horde of new signings including Jordy de Wijs from Hull City, Sam Field and Charlie Austin from West Brom, Andre Dozzell from Ipswich, Jordan Archer from Middlesbrough, Jimmy Dunne from Burnley, Stefan Johansen from Fulham, Moses Odubajo from Sheffield Wednesday, and Sam McCallum on loan from Norwich. No big names have been lost this summer either with the club keeping hold of Lyndon Dykes, Ilias Chair, Yoann Barbet, and Seny Dieng.
There are times you get teams that build momentum organically in the Championship by slowing piecing together a competitive squad that improves season-upon-season. QPR are one of those teams right now. Warburton is doing a cracking job and it's totally understandable why their fans are feeling even more optimistic about this season than I am for them. This is a big season for QPR and I wouldn't be surprised if we're seeing them celebrating promotion to the Premier League come May.
My Prediction: 6th

Cardiff
This is a tough one for me because I need to try and remove myself from my usual pre-season pessimism as a Bluebirds fan. Mick McCarthy enters his first full season in charge of the club. Last season, he turned us from a club that looked in deep trouble to one that only narrowly missed out on a play-off spot for a second season in a row. We ended the season on a 6-game unbeaten run. Unfortunately, our pre-season preparations haven't been great.
The trio of Sheyi Ojo, Harry Wilson, and Jordan Osei-Tutu haven't renewed their loan deals. The likes of Junior Hoilett, Joe Bennett, Robert Glatzel, Sol Bamba, Joe Day, and Jonny Williams have left the club. Our pre-season results and performances haven't been great either having failed to beat Cambridge United, Exeter, and having suffered a 4-0 hammering against Southampton this past week. They are only friendlies though. The positive notes include new striker James Collins being in scoring form so he'll compete with Kieffer Moore for a starting spot. The signings of Ryan Giles from Wolves, Ryan Wintle from Crewe, and Mark McGuinness from Arsenal are also exciting.
There is still a bit of time left before the new season starts and I'm glad because it feels like we still need 2-3 fresh faces to improve this squad. A few injuries mean we could enter our first game with a severely weakened team if we don't add numbers to the squad. I have faith in big Mick though. When it comes to the crunch I think he'll get us grinding out results. Sadly, I think we'll fall just short of the play-offs again unless we can bring in some game-changing players. I can't see that happening though.
My Prediction: 7th

Nottingham Forest
If one team has been flattering to deceive for a number of seasons now then it has to be Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees have been in the Championship for 13 straight seasons now. The club has gone through 19 different managers during that time with the likes of Billy Davies, Steve Cotterill, Mark Warburton, Steve McClaren, Aitor Karanka, Martin O'Neill, Sabri Lamouchi, and now Chris Hughton all failing to get the club up into the top flight so far. Yet this is a Forest team that has boasted some quality players during that period too so why hasn't it worked?
Many fans will point to the Al-Hasawi era where the owner probably dabbled too much in team affairs. You have to feel that under the guidance of new owner Evangelos Marinakis that the club is on a better footing now. Hughton has experience of getting both Newcastle and Brighton up from this division into the Premier League so they have a man at the wheel who has seen it and done it. Forest certainly under-performed last season in 17th place but Hughton definitely started to make them a team that became hard to beat as the season progressed. Scoring goals was a big issue though with only rivals Derby hitting the net fewer times over the course of the season.
Worryingly, there haven't been any major movements on the transfer front for Forest yet. The club has gone unbeaten in pre-season and it's also been pleasing to see Welsh starlet Brennan Johnson starting to make his presence felt in the first team fold. You get the feeling that Forest are only a 20-goal a season striker away from being a real threat. Can they get that man? Even if they don't they just need the proven scorer Lewis Grabban to get back to his usual form and they can push for the play-offs again. I think Hughton will make it work.
My Prediction: 8th

Swansea
As a Cardiff fan, this pick will court controversy no matter where I position them but I'm putting Swansea here because I think that this could be a potentially difficult season for them. I even think I'm probably giving them the benefit of the doubt. Head coach Steve Cooper is set to depart the club and the next appointment is going to be massive. It's surprising they are leaving it so close to the season starting with the playing squad so small as well.
There is no denying that the Swans have been punching above their weight for the last decade with stints in the Premier League and consistently battling at the better end of the Championship table. Managerial appointment after managerial appointment has worked out for them and the fans will look back on these times as halcyon days. However, Cooper's departure feels like it could be a possible turning point unless the Swansea board get the next manager spot on. Last season's play-off final defeat to Brentford was a huge missed opportunity. A squad made up largely of loan signings has been dismantled with the likes of Freddie Woodman, Morgan Gibbs-White, Marc Guehi, Viktor Gyokeres, Kasey Palmer, Conor Hourihane, Jordan Morris, and Paul Arriola all returning to their parent clubs. Andre Ayew, Declan John, Kieron Freeman, Barrie McKay, and Nathan Dyer have all left the club too. Moves have been made to bring in 16 young players from other clubs but none of them come close to matching the quality of those that have left. Liam Walsh from Bristol City is undoubtedly the biggest arrival.
I know a lot of people have been picking Swansea as potential surprise relegation battlers given the huge transition taking place but, as a Cardiff fan, I'm very wary about writing them off.  Their pre-season results and performances have gone reasonably well. The squad is still packed with quality players such as Matt Grimes, Ben Cabango, and Jay Fulton. If they can bring the right man in, add some loan signings, and blend the team early then there's no reason they can't battle for the play-offs again. I just think leaving it so late in the off-season to get a new gaffer in is asking for trouble.
My Prediction: 9th

Millwall
OK, this may well be my most controversial pick in this season's predictions given their awful end to last season of just 1 win from their last 6 league games including losing 6-1 away to Coventry on the final day of the season but I have reasoning behind my decision to put the Lions in the top half of the table this season. Simply put, they have a man at the helm in Gary Rowett who knows this division, understands what the club is all about, and has what it takes to keep Millwall performing as an upper mid-table side at the very least.
Not only do Millwall have Rowett but his summer business so far has been very positive. He's moved to make the loan move of Scott Malone permanent. Daniel Ballard's superb performances on loan for Blackpool in League One last season have earned him a shot at the Championship and it could be a shrewd acquisition from Rowett. The arrivals of George Saville, George Long, and Benik Afobe will all add strength to the squad. It's also key that the club keep hold of their inspirational midfield maestro Jed Wallace.
When you consider that Millwall finished 11th place last season and they have only strengthened their squad over the summer you have to feel that whatever Rowett is doing will keep working. Can they be considered as outsiders for a play-off push? You wouldn't blame their fans for thinking so but I think, ultimately, they will fall just short. It could be an enjoyable season for their fans though.
My Prediction: 10th