Championship Ante-Post 2017/18 Bet Chat

[StevieDay1983]

Here are the ante-post odds for the 2017/18 Championship season. No harm in having some relaxed chat about how we feel next season could go. Particularly interested to hear from fans of the relegated Premier League sides of Hull, Middlesbrough, and Sunderland as well as the fans of the promoted League One sides Sheffield United, Bolton, and Millwall.

Personally, I'm going to say now that Cardiff to get promoted at 9.00 is very tempting. Warnock has been told he has a war chest of £5m in the summer and it looks like a lot of dead wood is going to free up more funds. I am bemused why Barnsley are expected to struggle. I still think Heckingbottom is a quality manager and with the right additions they will be a tough side to beat again. Nottingham Forest will have a tough season. Their bad owners will always hold them back. I think if Leeds fail to make the right appointment then their chopping and changing could cost them.

What do you guys think? 

@DW_United, @sajtion, @andrewcalo, @Mindfulness, @Sir Puntalot, @betcatalog, @AndreBR, @mrclubbie, @neilovan, @Judeksi, @KikoCy, @Bett, @zemo91, @sm0kez, @Bronxie, @Duuc, @Dylan Lynch, @Tiffy, @WinningAdvice, @Kenton Schweppes, @canaries91, @CloughandTaylor, @rangers234, @skyblues88, @allyhibs, @salmonman, @allthethings, @Icongene, @Tanktop, @waynecoyne, @kulikTS, @KingSoccertips, @Pipoca, @Neubs, and @MuineBheag.

[Sir Puntalot]

You'd have to say Leeds look a good bet to go up if they keep current squad and add a few more. 16/1 looks big to me and I wouldn't touch the relegated teams with a bargepole.

[Kenton Schweppes]

Brentford are quite interesting, they need to keep hold of Lasse Vibe and Jota if they are to stand any chance, think Jota was out of contract but not signed a new one despite the offer of one.

They finished 10th and had a good season. I think they will be feeling chipper about their chances given the promotion of relatively small clubs in recent season to the Premier League. If they can kep hold of the Dane and the Spaniard and add to that with some good signings then I think they have a reasonable chance. All depends who they add though, watch this space. 

[waynecoyne]

the only bet i've had so far is bolton to be relegated at 3/1

they are skint and although they have a good manager i think they will struggle.

[StevieDay1983]

20 hours ago, waynecoyne said:

the only bet i've had so far is bolton to be relegated at 3/1

they are skint and although they have a good manager i think they will struggle.

Parkinson does have haunting memories of the Championship. He suffered relegation from the division as their manager in 2009. Granted, the damage had been done by Pardew earlier in the season but Parkinson has already managed at this level and failed. Has he grown as a manager? Bolton have some quality players but they lack squad depth. They almost bottled automatic promotion last season. I have to agree with you. It will be tough for them. They do remind me of Burton last season though. I wouldn't be surprised if the three going down were Burton, Bolton, and Millwall.

[waynecoyne]

3 hours ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Parkinson does have haunting memories of the Championship. He suffered relegation from the division as their manager in 2009. Granted, the damage had been done by Pardew earlier in the season but Parkinson has already managed at this level and failed. Has he grown as a manager? Bolton have some quality players but they lack squad depth. They almost bottled automatic promotion last season. I have to agree with you. It will be tough for them. They do remind me of Burton last season though. I wouldn't be surprised if the three going down were Burton, Bolton, and Millwall.

i'd expect barnsley to be ok and quotes as low as 3/1 for preston are ludicrous

[StevieDay1983]

1 hour ago, waynecoyne said:

i'd expect barnsley to be ok and quotes as low as 3/1 for preston are ludicrous

Yeah, I understand that Barnsley and Preston finished the season poorly but they were still comfortably mid-table. Both teams have sound managers there and decent squads too. I would be surprised if either or both are in the dogfight come the end of the season.

[Tiffy]

How about Birmingham for a top 6 finish?

The clubs Chinese owners will be throwing money at HR in a desperate attempt to turn things around. He will lead the club through a period of boom and bust, just like he did at Pompey. He has the money & the name to attract good players. I still can't believe that Stockdale turned down a Premiership contract with Brighton to go and join them! They must be paying him £50-60k a week!

I really facncy them to not concede many next season. Stockdale kept about 17 clean sheets in this division last season, and with a good defence in front of him, he could do the same.

So if HR can attract a decent striker, then perhaps the "boom" could end up in the play offs.

The "bust" will see them in L2 once he has left!

Birmingnham top 6 finish

Birmingham matches to be mostly U2.5 or BTTS NO

[Mindfulness]

6 hours ago, Tiffy said:

How about Birmingham for a top 6 finish?

The clubs Chinese owners will be throwing money at HR in a desperate attempt to turn things around. He will lead the club through a period of boom and bust, just like he did at Pompey. He has the money & the name to attract good players. I still can't believe that Stockdale turned down a Premiership contract with Brighton to go and join them! They must be paying him £50-60k a week!

I really facncy them to not concede many next season. Stockdale kept about 17 clean sheets in this division last season, and with a good defence in front of him, he could do the same.

So if HR can attract a decent striker, then perhaps the "boom" could end up in the play offs.

The "bust" will see them in L2 once he has left!

Birmingnham top 6 finish

Birmingham matches to be mostly U2.5 or BTTS NO

@Tiffy

It's funny, I've got my eye on Birmingham at the momment but I don't think there's a whole lot of value in their prices just at the minute and I'm struggling to get involved with them.

I agree 100% with you that they need a striker who can finish. They were the 3rd lowest scorers in the division in 2016/2017 with just 45 goals from 46 games. They seem to create a lot of chances but don't convert, they also had 4th worst home record in the division last season.

After missing out on Terry, HR says he's trying to bring in 5 or 6 so they should improve from last year. My concern is that it's a funny mix of elements at Birmingham right now and you need all the various ships to sail in the same direction if you want to do well in the championship, or any league for that matter. My main fear here is that the HR boom and bust cycle could play itself out within the course of several months rather than several years

My play of choice would be Birmingham City top half finish but sky bet seems to be the only ones offering this market so far and 1.91 is not juicy enough since I believe 1.80 - EVS is correct value range for Birmingham in this market. Things would be more appealing around 2.4 imo.

 

[Tiffy]

23 hours ago, Mindfulness said:

@Tiffy

It's funny, I've got my eye on Birmingham at the momment but I don't think there's a whole lot of value in their prices just at the minute and I'm struggling to get involved with them.

I agree 100% with you that they need a striker who can finish. They were the 3rd lowest scorers in the division in 2016/2017 with just 45 goals from 46 games. They seem to create a lot of chances but don't convert, they also had 4th worst home record in the division last season.

After missing out on Terry, HR says he's trying to bring in 5 or 6 so they should improve from last year. My concern is that it's a funny mix of elements at Birmingham right now and you need all the various ships to sail in the same direction if you want to do well in the championship, or any league for that matter. My main fear here is that the HR boom and bust cycle could play itself out within the course of several months rather than several years

My play of choice would be Birmingham City top half finish but sky bet seems to be the only ones offering this market so far and 1.91 is not juicy enough since I believe 1.80 - EVS is correct value range for Birmingham in this market. Things would be more appealing around 2.4 imo.

 

I am glad to see great minds thinking alike! We will keep our eye on it, but I may put them in a pres season Acca.

I also think that Villa will not concede many goals this season & that SB will definitely get them up now.  JT will be a great addition to the Championship and his experience will be vital to Villa's promotion challenge.

Goals win you promotion, defences win you titles!

 

[waynecoyne]

boro were still 10/1 yesterday which has now gone with the signing of assombalonga

they look to have the best squad in the league

i'm surprised villa are so short-kodjia will be missing for a couple of months and hogan has his injury issues

sheffield wednesday have only added george boyd and need a centre half, centre midfield ball winner and winger

i have a feeling fulham will struggle to replicate last seasons efforts

i can't see beyond boro

[StevieDay1983]

22 hours ago, waynecoyne said:

boro were still 10/1 yesterday which has now gone with the signing of assombalonga

they look to have the best squad in the league

i'm surprised villa are so short-kodjia will be missing for a couple of months and hogan has his injury issues

sheffield wednesday have only added george boyd and need a centre half, centre midfield ball winner and winger

i have a feeling fulham will struggle to replicate last seasons efforts

i can't see beyond boro

Yes. I'm surprised they spent so much on a player who is so injury prone but I suppose they have money to burn. I can't stand Monk but I think he'll do enough with that squad to get them straight back up.

Totally agree with Villa. Reports from their pre-season suggest the players' attitude just doesn't seem there. I thought Bruce was a quality appointment but there are some problems that just can't be fixed by managers.

Fulham are a top shout. I really rate Jokanovic as a manager.

A few people are tipping us for the top 6. I am a bit concerned our pre-season fixtures aren't tough enough. We might have a culture shock going from a tour of Cornwall to a few average teams and then suddenly the Championship. I'm pleased with our signings. It's been more a case of the players we've kept that's key. There was a risk we'd lose Gunnarsson, Zohore, and Manga but we've kept all three. I'm gutted McGregor has gone. Our keeper situation is still precarious but the defence should limit their exposure to danger. 

[waynecoyne]

the market looks quite congested to me Stevie with teams like norwich and wolves as low as 10/1 in places

it seems the bookies are unsure which is fair enough at this stage

i took some of the 10/1 on boro and expect them to shorten up to around 6/1 and be clear favourites.

Back to your team how do you think Zohore will fare this season?

[StevieDay1983]

57 minutes ago, waynecoyne said:

the market looks quite congested to me Stevie with teams like norwich and wolves as low as 10/1 in places

it seems the bookies are unsure which is fair enough at this stage

i took some of the 10/1 on boro and expect them to shorten up to around 6/1 and be clear favourites.

Back to your team how do you think Zohore will fare this season?

Zohore is a difficult one. Clearly a player with ability. However, Warnock openly criticised Zohore's attitude when he was first appointed and said it was no surprise he wasn't delivering the goods because he had become a bit of a diva. Unfortunately, I think his form last season has gone to his head a bit so Warnock will need to reel him in. He's 33/1 to finish as top scorer in the Championship and if you can get an e/w bet on that then I'd say that's value for money.

The key for us will be creativity in midfield. Losing Whittingham was sad but he just wasn't as effective as he used to be. Is Tomlin the right replacement? If anyone can get him performing more consistently then it's Warnock. I'm excited by Danny Ward personally. He was getting goals and assists in a poor Rotherham side so I think he'll be lively this season. Paterson at right back will also offer more creative options from deeper.

Who do you support, @waynecoyne?

[waynecoyne]

sheffield wednesday

[StevieDay1983]

4 minutes ago, waynecoyne said:

sheffield wednesday

How are you feeling about the new season? I know you said you still need to improve in a few areas. Have there been any rumours linking you to players?

[waynecoyne]

very few rumours it has been quiet.

last close season we had deficiencies which were never addressed eg a centre half to replace loovens, a central midfield ball winner as hutchinson is often injured/suspended, a winger.

None of these were signed -we had 2 wingers on loan who were rarely selected-mcmanaman and buckley.

I do not have faith in Carlos in terms of recruitment and wonder how much input he has as we often buy players who he then does not pick. The recruitment is also haphazard and we seem to sign players because they are good players rather than because we need them. The squad has depth but is quite old and we lack pace in general.

We should have another top 6 finish without being good enough to finish in the automatic places-i hope i'm wrong.

Also Carlos is very negative and if we take the lead he sets us up to hang on and grind out results.

The football was dire to watch last season.

I'm not very positive am i?

[StevieDay1983]

8 minutes ago, waynecoyne said:

very few rumours it has been quiet.

last close season we had deficiencies which were never addressed eg a centre half to replace loovens, a central midfield ball winner as hutchinson is often injured/suspended, a winger.

None of these were signed -we had 2 wingers on loan who were rarely selected-mcmanaman and buckley.

I do not have faith in Carlos in terms of recruitment and wonder how much input he has as we often buy players who he then does not pick. The recruitment is also haphazard and we seem to sign players because they are good players rather than because we need them. The squad has depth but is quite old and we lack pace in general.

We should have another top 6 finish without being good enough to finish in the automatic places-i hope i'm wrong.

Also Carlos is very negative and if we take the lead he sets us up to hang on and grind out results.

The football was dire to watch last season.

I'm not very positive am i?

Hahaha, you just sound like a stereotypical worn down Championship fan. Our fans are very optimistic about this season but I am always pessimistic. I just always struggle to see where the 45-50 points for survival will come let alone the other points for potential promotion. I look at our best XI and it's probably...

GK: Etheridge (not great - would have loved to see Marshall return)

DR: Paterson (quality addition if he can stay fit)

DL: Bennett (another attacking full back - Warnock looking to re-kindle the Blades days when he briefly had Walker and Naughton!)

DC: Manga (looking forward to seeing him return to his best now he's committed to a contract extension)

DC: Morrison (not the biggest fans' favourite but the physical brute we need to complement Manga's more classy approach)

MR: Hoilett (one of a number of potential wide men. Could bring the assists to the table and a huge improvement on the shot Noone)

ML: Ward (another player who might not make the starting XI but is my personal choice)

MC: Ralls (still think he's a better central midfielder but Warnock keeps playing him out wide. Hopefully, that changes)

MC: Gunnarsson (our player of the season last year. Warnock gets the best out of him. Can lead our charge. Amazed he's not captain)

AM: Tomlin (sitting him in the hole will work well)

FC: Zohore (proven he can score goals up top on his own)

When you think that squad doesn't even include the likes of Bamba, Richards, Damour, Mendez-Laing, Saadi, Connolly, or Pilkington it shows how much more depth we have this season. I'm still backing us to make top 6 but it's going to be close. As you said, it's very congested. Wolves and Middlesbrough going all out to appear as the early favourites but so many other teams could be in the mix.

[waynecoyne]

there were rumours linking us with hanley, morrison (whats he like and whats he worth?) and jagielka

[StevieDay1983]

22 hours ago, waynecoyne said:

there were rumours linking us with hanley, morrison (whats he like and whats he worth?) and jagielka

Morrison has split the fans. He is our club captain but many want Gunnarsson or Peltier to have it. He's not the best leader. He's immensely physical and dominant but in terms of technical ability he's lacking and is prone to a run of poor form and crucial mistakes. The fans wouldn't be overly disappointed to see him go now Manga is staying plus we have Bamba and Connolly who the fans feel are a better pair than Morrison as well.

[waynecoyne]

thanks for that

have you backed cardiff for promotion?-they are 12/1

or an alternative would be to win the play offs at 20/1 

[StevieDay1983]

3 hours ago, waynecoyne said:

thanks for that

have you backed cardiff for promotion?-they are 12/1

or an alternative would be to win the play offs at 20/1 

News just breaking that Morrison has signed a contract extension so looks like him and Manga as our back two this season. I never bet on Cardiff. Just can't do it. I'd say 12/1 is a great shout. I agree, we won't go up automatically so if you're going to back us to go up I'd say back us to do it via the play-offs.

The club finally seems to be entering a period of stability. Tan, whether he's done it begrudgingly or not, is now letting others make the football decisions. Ken Choo has been a great addition to the board and he was the man who pushed for the return to blue as well as doing the donkey work to get Warnock on board. He's keen to work with the fans and I never thought I'd say it but I think the club, under Tan's ownership, is actually on a positive footing again.

[Mindfulness]

@StevieDay1983 Key question: Cardiff City top 12 finish @ 1.91 (52.4% chance of finishing in top half)

Have the markets priced this right or do you think Cardiff have better chance than this of finishing in top half?

[StevieDay1983]

6 hours ago, Mindfulness said:

@StevieDay1983 Key question: Cardiff City top 12 finish @ 1.91 (52.4% chance of finishing in top half)

Have the markets priced this right or do you think Cardiff have better chance than this of finishing in top half?

I think top 12 is definitely achievable this season. I mentioned before that my main concern is the keeper position. I think the strong defence could help that though. My other issue is the lack of striker options. Zohore is the only proven scorer we have but even he only turned it on in the second half of last season. We have no plan B for up front. Everyone had hoped it would be Saadi but he signed for Strasbourg today. It's raised some concerns that we still lack depth. Top 12 should still be realistic though. Top 6 is more 50-50 unless we had 1-2 more players.

[WiggoBets]

Hi guys, new member here, looking forward to enjoying some good chat, opinions and punting advice on this forum!

As a huge Derby County fan myself I would like to think I have a good knowledge of the championship as this is where we have spent pretty much the last two decades of our existence. Every year I am thinking 'this is going to be our year' but it just...never is. As for my ante post fancies for the upcoming season, I am very keen on Brentford having a good season. Now, a lot will depend on them being able to keep their talismanic playmaker Jota who it seems is 50/50 to leave, but even so they have an unsung, under rated but talented bunch of players and have improved their forward line with the exciting Ollie Watkins. On their day they play the best football in the league in my opinion and I witnessed this first hand when they demolished us 4-0 last season at Griffin Park. After having a taste of the play offs three seasons ago, I think they are ready to go back for more. 

 

[StevieDay1983]

20 hours ago, WiggoBets said:

Hi guys, new member here, looking forward to enjoying some good chat, opinions and punting advice on this forum!

As a huge Derby County fan myself I would like to think I have a good knowledge of the championship as this is where we have spent pretty much the last two decades of our existence. Every year I am thinking 'this is going to be our year' but it just...never is. As for my ante post fancies for the upcoming season, I am very keen on Brentford having a good season. Now, a lot will depend on them being able to keep their talismanic playmaker Jota who it seems is 50/50 to leave, but even so they have an unsung, under rated but talented bunch of players and have improved their forward line with the exciting Ollie Watkins. On their day they play the best football in the league in my opinion and I witnessed this first hand when they demolished us 4-0 last season at Griffin Park. After having a taste of the play offs three seasons ago, I think they are ready to go back for more. 

 

Welcome to the forum, @WiggoBets. Yeah, we have a strong Championship collective here and the chat for the whole UK football chat is always enjoyable. As a Derby fan, where do you think you'll finish this season? I'm hearing mixed things. Some think you could gatecrash the play-offs but others are more concerned.

[WiggoBets]

52 minutes ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Welcome to the forum, @WiggoBets. Yeah, we have a strong Championship collective here and the chat for the whole UK football chat is always enjoyable. As a Derby fan, where do you think you'll finish this season? I'm hearing mixed things. Some think you could gatecrash the play-offs but others are more concerned.

I think it's a psychological issue with us. There's no question we have the talent to get in the play offs but mentally we are fragile and whenever the pressure is on we crumble. A few familiar faces have left this year, Christie, Ince and Hughes most notably, whilst we have bought in two excellent additions from Hull in Curtis Davies and Tom Huddlestone. In Gary Rowett we have one of the most talented young managers in the country. I'd like to think we will be in the reckoning come may, but you just never know in this league where so many teams punch above their weight. 

[StevieDay1983]

6 hours ago, WiggoBets said:

I think it's a psychological issue with us. There's no question we have the talent to get in the play offs but mentally we are fragile and whenever the pressure is on we crumble. A few familiar faces have left this year, Christie, Ince and Hughes most notably, whilst we have bought in two excellent additions from Hull in Curtis Davies and Tom Huddlestone. In Gary Rowett we have one of the most talented young managers in the country. I'd like to think we will be in the reckoning come may, but you just never know in this league where so many teams punch above their weight. 

It sounds like you're in the position we were after Dave Jones left. A period of transition this season before a big promotion push next campaign perhaps?

[canaries91]

On 19/07/2017 at 0:08 PM, StevieDay1983 said:

Hahaha, you just sound like a stereotypical worn down Championship fan. Our fans are very optimistic about this season but I am always pessimistic. I just always struggle to see where the 45-50 points for survival will come let alone the other points for potential promotion. I look at our best XI and it's probably...

GK: Etheridge (not great - would have loved to see Marshall return)

DR: Paterson (quality addition if he can stay fit)

DL: Bennett (another attacking full back - Warnock looking to re-kindle the Blades days when he briefly had Walker and Naughton!)

DC: Manga (looking forward to seeing him return to his best now he's committed to a contract extension)

DC: Morrison (not the biggest fans' favourite but the physical brute we need to complement Manga's more classy approach)

MR: Hoilett (one of a number of potential wide men. Could bring the assists to the table and a huge improvement on the shot Noone)

ML: Ward (another player who might not make the starting XI but is my personal choice)

MC: Ralls (still think he's a better central midfielder but Warnock keeps playing him out wide. Hopefully, that changes)

MC: Gunnarsson (our player of the season last year. Warnock gets the best out of him. Can lead our charge. Amazed he's not captain)

AM: Tomlin (sitting him in the hole will work well)

FC: Zohore (proven he can score goals up top on his own)

When you think that squad doesn't even include the likes of Bamba, Richards, Damour, Mendez-Laing, Saadi, Connolly, or Pilkington it shows how much more depth we have this season. I'm still backing us to make top 6 but it's going to be close. As you said, it's very congested. Wolves and Middlesbrough going all out to appear as the early favourites but so many other teams could be in the mix.

Cardiff have been in my betting thoughts all summer so it's good to hear you sound so positive about them. I've been toying whether to take them for a top half finish or not but with Warnock and a good squad, I'm hoping they'll be up there!

[canaries91]

On 19/07/2017 at 0:08 PM, StevieDay1983 said:

Hahaha, you just sound like a stereotypical worn down Championship fan. Our fans are very optimistic about this season but I am always pessimistic. I just always struggle to see where the 45-50 points for survival will come let alone the other points for potential promotion. I look at our best XI and it's probably...

GK: Etheridge (not great - would have loved to see Marshall return)

DR: Paterson (quality addition if he can stay fit)

DL: Bennett (another attacking full back - Warnock looking to re-kindle the Blades days when he briefly had Walker and Naughton!)

DC: Manga (looking forward to seeing him return to his best now he's committed to a contract extension)

DC: Morrison (not the biggest fans' favourite but the physical brute we need to complement Manga's more classy approach)

MR: Hoilett (one of a number of potential wide men. Could bring the assists to the table and a huge improvement on the shot Noone)

ML: Ward (another player who might not make the starting XI but is my personal choice)

MC: Ralls (still think he's a better central midfielder but Warnock keeps playing him out wide. Hopefully, that changes)

MC: Gunnarsson (our player of the season last year. Warnock gets the best out of him. Can lead our charge. Amazed he's not captain)

AM: Tomlin (sitting him in the hole will work well)

FC: Zohore (proven he can score goals up top on his own)

When you think that squad doesn't even include the likes of Bamba, Richards, Damour, Mendez-Laing, Saadi, Connolly, or Pilkington it shows how much more depth we have this season. I'm still backing us to make top 6 but it's going to be close. As you said, it's very congested. Wolves and Middlesbrough going all out to appear as the early favourites but so many other teams could be in the mix.

Cardiff have been in my betting thoughts all summer so it's good to hear you sound so positive about them. I've been toying whether to take them for a top half finish or not but with Warnock and a good squad, I'm hoping they'll be up there!