Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

[IrishStokie]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

Havent looked through the whole of this thread but there seems to be plenty of differening opinions! Here's my selection. To win the Championship: Blackburn @ 12/1 Ladbrokes Think theres abit of value here, especially as some of the aquisitions the club have made over the past month look very good. Although the club have lost top scorer Yakubu, and the impressive Hoilett the majority of the relegated side from last year remain intact. They have added to the squad some players with plenty of experience at a higher level, the likes of Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, Leon Best, Nuno Gomez and Colin Kazim Richards, and there is also more deals in the pipeline by the looks of it too, one of which could be the signing of the prolific Jordan Rhodes. Although many will question the manager Steve Kean i do not think he is all that bad and some good early form should see some of the critics off his back. There early season fixtures dont look that easy on paper playing a few of the other promotion hopefuls but this could be their oppotunity to prove their title credentials. Overall i feel that the price of 12/1 offer alot more value than the teams around them.

I completely agree with this but I think there's just too much teams who could win the league this year so I'm gonna go for BlackBurn to get promoted @ 4/1 on PaddyPower just in case. I think there is still great value in this due to the excellent transfer work of Blackburn. Kazim-Richards is a quality player and banged 2 goals for them today in a friendly. They managed to hold on to pretty much their entire team bar Yakubu. Aside from some backroom problems, Blackburn have to be favourites to get promoted so 4/1 is great value for me.

[lukey2]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13 I'm a Blackburn fan and the club is in a much worse position than you think. The ownership is a complete disgrace and I honestly believe that Steve Kean in charge of a fantastic squad could not get them promoted. His tactics are absolutely bizzare, and his record is nothing short of abismal. Seriously, our squad was ok last year, and should NOT have been relegated, but Kean seemed to fluff up every match. A few good signings so far for sure, but we need a couple more, especially since Leon Best has done his knee and is out for most of the season if not the whole season. I don't think we will get Rhodes, even though we are offering him amazing money. Huddersfield have said a firm no, and previously said they will only sell Rhodes to a higher division club. Although for some reason the club still seems quitely confident on the transfer. For me, and this may seem weird to some, but I hope we lost the first 3, Kean gets sacked, THEN we may have a chance of going up.

[Mindfulness]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

I'm a Blackburn fan and the club is in a much worse position than you think. The ownership is a complete disgrace and I honestly believe that Steve Kean in charge of a fantastic squad could not get them promoted. His tactics are absolutely bizzare' date=' and his record is nothing short of abismal. Seriously, our squad was ok last year, and should NOT have been relegated, but Kean seemed to fluff up every match. A few good signings so far for sure, but we need a couple more, especially since Leon Best has done his knee and is out for most of the season if not the whole season. I don't think we will get Rhodes, even though we are offering him amazing money. Huddersfield have said a firm no, and previously said they will only sell Rhodes to a higher division club. Although for some reason the club still seems quitely confident on the transfer. For me, and this may seem weird to some, but I hope we lost the first 3, Kean gets sacked, THEN we may have a chance of going up.[/quote'] I wonder what the final straw will be that finally ends Kean's reign at the club, the guy has more staying power than Mumm-Ra. In his defence I think he's good at youth development and man management, players seem to like playing for him from what I've observed. Really he should be a coach rather than a manager, I completely agree that his tactical prowess is woeful. You also seem to have an excess of personnel at your club, particularly in the attacking midfield areas. Kean needs to sell off a few players imo otherwise it will create unrest in the dressing room with peeps not getting enough 1st team football in the lowly world of the championship. So many toxic elements and unnecessary pressures, unfortunately for Blackburn fans the problem lies beyond Kean at ownership level. Imagine having a bad start, Kean is sacked, the crowd goes wild only to find his replacement is Steve Evans...

[cpo]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13 Middlesbrough to win the Championship @ 22/1 Ladbrokes Middlesbrough to get Promoted @ 13/2 SkyBet Middlesbrough to finish in the top 6 @ 11/4 BetVictor After much deliberation, I have taken the plunge and backed Boro to win the Championship. I have also backed them for promotion and to finish in the top 6 but I genuinely feel we have a good chance this year. If you look at last season, Boro were one of the best teams away from home yet one of the worst teams in the whole league at home. I am a season ticket holder and we were simply scared to play at home last season, as the fans were quick to get on the players backs. The atmosphere wasn’t great at times and the football was poor but for some reason or another when the pressure was off away from home, we played some excellent stuff. I think we missed key players at certain points in the season and this hit us pretty hard, as we didn’t have enough cover. This year however, Mowbray has brought in some good players and the squad appears to have much more depth to it now. Robson was one of our better players last year and he will be missed but we have brought in the likes of Carayol, Leadbitter and Ledesma to replace him. We look to have much more creativity in our midfield this year, which was something, we lacked last year. Defensively we have brought in plenty of experience in Parnaby, Woodgate, Friend and a new goalkeeper, which was much needed. We already have solid youngsters in defence in Rhys Williams and Joe Bennett so I think barring any injuries we will be pretty solid at the back this year. Mowbray prides himself on being tough to break down and I fancy us to be exactly that. Our midfield looks strong now and I don’t think any injuries will hit us as hard this year. I think we are still 1 player short up front. I think Mowbray is in the market for a big striker such as Ricardo Fuller or Ismael Miller. If we can get someone like that in then I fancy us to have a brilliant season. We already have Juktiewicz who can hold the ball up but we need cover for him as he is injured for the start of the season. Emnes is very good on the ball but lacks a killer instinct. I believe Mowbray has told him this year to go for goal a lot more when he has the chance. McDonald is our fox in the box. He gets in and around where no one else does and he will get into double figures for the season. Add to that the fact we have some exciting youngsters such as Curtis Main, Cameron Park and Luke Williams and I fancy us to have a good season. Much will depend on our first 5 games. They are all winnable games and I would hope we could win at least 3 of them. We then have a tough 3 game spell but much will depend on how we start the season. Last year we were the last team to lose a game in the league but during that unbeaten spell we simply drew to many games that we should have won. We found it tough to score goals but like I have said before we have more creativity in our team this year. The league looks to be just as competitive as normal this year but I don’t think there are any outstanding teams like West Ham and Southampton last year. It’s certainly going to be a very tight league but I fancy Boro to be right up there. A little improvement in our home form and we will be right in the mix.

[lukey2]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

I wonder what the final straw will be that finally ends Kean's reign at the club' date=' the guy has more staying power than Mumm-Ra. In his defence I think he's good at youth development and man management, players seem to like playing for him from what I've observed. Really he should be a coach rather than a manager, I completely agree that his tactical prowess is woeful. You also seem to have an excess of personnel at your club, particularly in the attacking midfield areas. Kean needs to sell off a few players imo otherwise it will create unrest in the dressing room with peeps not getting enough 1st team football in the lowly world of the championship. So many toxic elements and unnecessary pressures, unfortunately for Blackburn fans the problem lies beyond Kean at ownership level. Imagine having a bad start, Kean is sacked, the crowd goes wild only to find his replacement is Steve Evans...[/quote'] Shebby Singh our Global Advisor has stated that if we lose 3 consecutive games then kean is out. If it ever happens, there will be massive celebrations. I can imagine the home game after the sacking would be packed. Although how he has still got a job is beyond me. When he took over from Big Sam we were 12th in the premier league, only to narrowly avoid relegation a few months later. Then last season he got us relegated. Something sinister MUST be going on.... Seriously what other explanation could there be? We will have a strong squad this year if we bring in a new striker (Huddersfield have said a big NO on Rhodes, Chamakh being looked at, Guidetti offered for 6m apparently) and a couple loans. Gael Givet will be the best defender in the league this season... its just a shame the big numpty Scott Dann is there to partner him in defence. Orr can do an alright job at RB and Olsson and Henley surely can work out how to play LB between them. However regardless of the squad, Steve Kean is still our manager so whats the point of even thinking about promotion?

[kevshat]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13 2pts ew Cardiff to win Championship 12/1 BetVictor (1/4 1,2,3) The Bluebirds will want to emulate their bitter rivals Swansea and get into the Premier League and the signing of Craig Bellamy is a huge signal of their intentions. Bellamy will provide the goals which were missing last season and he, alongside other summer signings such as Jordan Mutch and Joe Lewis, can ensure Cardiff are right in the mix. We saw in the Carling Cup last season that Cardiff can beat anyone on their day. I thought they lacked goals last season but that shouldn’t be the case this season and those extra goals can finally see Malky Mackay’s men into the Premier League and in the best way possible, by winning the title. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/championship-betting-craig-bellamy-s-goals-can-finally-lead-cardiff-into-the-premier-league-and-as-champions

[Jase82]

I tend not to get too involved with ante post selections as I just find it too hard to predict over the course of a season as lots can change... However, I'm with kev this year in backing Cardiff to finally gain promotion. There's a lot of money floating about this year in the championship, which is where I think there's an air of expectancy around a number of clubs. I think if you look at a lot of Cardiff's rivals they all are pretty big clubs and have big expectations. I can't really be having Bolton or Leicester at those short odds. Simply because I don't think either are a standout championship side. Wolves are another that have been relegated and are being made third favourites to win the league, given the fact they are losing a few of their better players this season, and they have a new unproven manager, there are question marks over their credentials. Last season cardiff drew the most games in the championship at eighteen, and this year I think with a goalscorer they should be able to turn those draws into goals. With Craig Bellamy up front they will have a lot more about them, and heidur helguson will give them added experience they may not have had on previous seasons. They've also held on to Peter wittingham, which was crucial for me as he gives them at least ten goals from midfield. I also think the signing of winger Kim bo kyung is an exciting one, as when he officially signs he should provide goals and assists from a wide position. Cardiff have been in and around the playoffs for several years now, and always fallen short, but this season should prove to push them up a notch, backed by extra finances. Cardiff to win the Championship @ 13 - stan james

[Jase82]

I also think the 11 on offer with William hill for hull to be promoted is still value. For the reasons posted earlier in the thread.. The bookies seem to be making hull almost relegation material, which I think is unfair....

[waynecoyne]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13 sheffield wednesday signed winger danny mayor from preston today rumours abound that ross barkley is signing on loan from everton until january and that barcelona b forward rodrigo rios is about to sign not seen any of these play but barkley is meant to be very highly rated

[tadley]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13 BUY MILLWALL SEASON POINTS 55.5 Millwall are expected to be relegation fodder this season but I dont see it that way. They had a couple of lean periods last season where they couldnt even score let alone win. But when they got it together they were solid at the back and scored regularly. In a fairly wide open league I can see them easily finishing well above the relegation zone.

[Lodge]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

Middlesbrough to win the Championship @ 22/1 Ladbrokes Middlesbrough to get Promoted @ 13/2 SkyBet Middlesbrough to finish in the top 6 @ 11/4 BetVictor After much deliberation, I have taken the plunge and backed Boro to win the Championship. I have also backed them for promotion and to finish in the top 6 but I genuinely feel we have a good chance this year. If you look at last season, Boro were one of the best teams away from home yet one of the worst teams in the whole league at home. I am a season ticket holder and we were simply scared to play at home last season, as the fans were quick to get on the players backs. The atmosphere wasn’t great at times and the football was poor but for some reason or another when the pressure was off away from home, we played some excellent stuff. I think we missed key players at certain points in the season and this hit us pretty hard, as we didn’t have enough cover. This year however, Mowbray has brought in some good players and the squad appears to have much more depth to it now. Robson was one of our better players last year and he will be missed but we have brought in the likes of Carayol, Leadbitter and Ledesma to replace him. We look to have much more creativity in our midfield this year, which was something, we lacked last year. Defensively we have brought in plenty of experience in Parnaby, Woodgate, Friend and a new goalkeeper, which was much needed. We already have solid youngsters in defence in Rhys Williams and Joe Bennett so I think barring any injuries we will be pretty solid at the back this year. Mowbray prides himself on being tough to break down and I fancy us to be exactly that. Our midfield looks strong now and I don’t think any injuries will hit us as hard this year. I think we are still 1 player short up front. I think Mowbray is in the market for a big striker such as Ricardo Fuller or Ismael Miller. If we can get someone like that in then I fancy us to have a brilliant season. We already have Juktiewicz who can hold the ball up but we need cover for him as he is injured for the start of the season. Emnes is very good on the ball but lacks a killer instinct. I believe Mowbray has told him this year to go for goal a lot more when he has the chance. McDonald is our fox in the box. He gets in and around where no one else does and he will get into double figures for the season. Add to that the fact we have some exciting youngsters such as Curtis Main, Cameron Park and Luke Williams and I fancy us to have a good season. Much will depend on our first 5 games. They are all winnable games and I would hope we could win at least 3 of them. We then have a tough 3 game spell but much will depend on how we start the season. Last year we were the last team to lose a game in the league but during that unbeaten spell we simply drew to many games that we should have won. We found it tough to score goals but like I have said before we have more creativity in our team this year. The league looks to be just as competitive as normal this year but I don’t think there are any outstanding teams like West Ham and Southampton last year. It’s certainly going to be a very tight league but I fancy Boro to be right up there. A little improvement in our home form and we will be right in the mix.

Agree with this mate, i like the squad that Mowbray has assembled and have gone with Middlesborough to get promoted @ 13/2 only with small stakes but feel this might look good value come next May.

[waynecoyne]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

sheffield wednesday signed winger danny mayor from preston today rumours abound that ross barkley is signing on loan from everton until january and that barcelona b forward rodrigo rios is about to sign not seen any of these play but barkley is meant to be very highly rated

rodri signed today season loan with option to buy 4 more signings rumoured 2 meant to be exciting ones barkley looks a good un if we get him looks like a young gerrard from the clips ive seen we could do with a centre back danny batth not in wolves squad at the weekend would do for me

[cpo]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

Agree with this mate' date=' i like the squad that Mowbray has assembled and have gone with Middlesborough to get promoted @ 13/2 only with small stakes but feel this might look good value come next May.[/quote'] Fingers crossed mate. IMO we have one of the best squads in the league now with McEachran and Miller coming in to add to our already improved squad from last year. Both Woodgate and McEachran look different class.

[hebert10]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13 5pts Jordan Rhodes top scorer @ 8 Skybet For a striker with a record of 86 goals in 119 appearances he has to be backed at these odds. He scored 37 goals in 43 games for Huddersfield last season which is some record. At Blackburn he already has 3 in 5 and i'm expecting alot from him in Blackburns bid for promotion this season.

[Mindfulness]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

Hull City to be promoted @ 12/1 (Bet365) For me this is simply an antepost bet that's too good to turn down. First off the appointment of Steve Bruce as manager is an excellent one, he is a premier league level gaffer and his arrival is a bit of a coup for the club. I believe he has won promotion twice from this divison, both times with Birmingham at the first attempt. Interestingly enough he had guided Palace to the top of the league early doors in the 2001-2002 campaign before jumping ship to the blues where he took them up in the same campaign. Needless to say he has the credentials to get the job done here in 2012-2013. When looking at Hull from last season we saw a side with a young but excellent defence, I expect this to continue despite the injury to centre-back Jack Hobbs. Despite his young age of 23, Hobbs capatained the side and had an excellent 2011-2012 campaign, forming a good defensive partnership with James Chester. Hobbs ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in March 2012 and was expected to be out for 8 months or so. Hull have the players to step into the void imo with the likes of Paul McShane and Liam Cooper on the books. Even so, Bruce is currently looking to bring in another CB with Abdoulaye Faye rumoured to be comming in soon. Amos and Jakupovic come in to contest the goalkeeping spot so there's no lack of competition in that region. In the median playmaker Robert Koren is an important contributer and Bruce is currently trying to get him to sign a new deal as he only has a year left to run and a release clause believed to be in the region of £500,000. With 7 assists and 10 goals in the 2011-2012 campaign his departure would be a cause for concern but I believe Bruce will get him to re-sign or ultimately replace him if the worst comes the worst given the clubs current ambition. Hull's main midfield issue in 2011-2012 was the delivery/end product from wide areas. Stewart and Brady are promising players with good ability but for me their delivery into the strikers needs to be worked on. Brady has gone and may not return but Bruce has bought in Sone Aluko from Rangers who I believe will be a truly excellent aquisition. The 23 year old Nigerian has pace, skill, decent delivery and a real eye for goal to. His arrival should make Hull more dangerous from wide positions which leads me to their other main issue in 2011-2012... ...A total lack of height in the forward areas. Fryatt managed to score 16 goals in 46 apps last season but he along with Hull's other strikers have virtually no ariel threat. This is a pretty crazy dynamic to have at this level of English football as air power is a vital component to Championship football. To try and resolve this Bruce has bought in 25 year old German centre-forward Nick Proschwitz from SC Paderborn. Who I hear you ask? Well this guy was joint top scorer in Bundesliga 2 in 2011-2012, he is a very tall target man but also possesses good technical ability and mobility. He can score all kinds of different goals but he will bring that ariel threat that Hull have really been lacking. I think it's another excellent signing by Bruce and will give Hull a whole new dimension to their attack which they desperately needed. So to summarise, excellent managerial appointment followed by some excellent signings in key areas and I expect more to follow. The owners, manager and players are all intent on promotion and I beleive they now have all the ingredients to acheive this. The risks are the possible departure of Koren (which I think will turn out fine) and the injury to Hobbs, who should be back before Christmas but they have decent cover in that area anyway. Anything @10/1 and above for promotion is good value in my view and I think the 12/1 offered at Bet365 is decent here.

Never in doubt, but in all seriousness, a good value bet if I do say so myself and a good way to finish the season. The Championship antepost plaudits must go to Jase though, if you look through the thread he was on Cardiff and Hull to be promoted - good work mate! :clap:clap:clap

[wisey10]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13 Some excellent work in here with Cardiff as champions and Hull to be promoted great calls:clap Absolute, top quality work jase, Dasphantom and kevshat.

[Jase82]

Re: Antepost > Championship > 2012-13

Never in doubt, but in all seriousness, a good value bet if I do say so myself and a good way to finish the season. The Championship antepost plaudits must go to Jase though, if you look through the thread he was on Cardiff and Hull to be promoted - good work mate! :clap:clap:clap

tbh I think quite a few were on Cardiff as they were a no brainer.... Hull were clearly value at 33/1 to win the league, which was an obvious pick. Good contributions all round :clap