Top six come the end of the season?

[Dubai Mark]

Half way through the season and we have Bournemouth top and that team down the road in second place, certainly not what I expected at the beginning of the season, although I did suspect that Town would be close to the play-off's.

Have we now turned the corner? We have certainly been revitalized since the appointment of Mike Phelan who appears to have influenced a more professional approach to games, and still of course have a great squad, that even Steve McClaren appeared to be envious of in an interview after the Derby game.  

So, what do you think the table will look like at the end of the season?

I believe that quality and depth of squad will just edge things for Derby and us in a very tight finish, and feel that the following is still possible.......

1. Derby County

2. Norwich City

3. Bournemouth

4. Middlesbrough

5. Ipswich

6. Watford 

........with Middlesbrough winning the play-off's........over to you...

 

[Dandy Mountfarto]

Norwich vs Ipswich playoff final

 

[splutcho]

Norwich vs Ipswich playoff final

Don't. My nerves can't take it.

 

[Yellow Fever]

Good post DM. With Watford at Cardiff tomorrow and Brentford at Wolves, City have a real opportunity to move back into the top six against Reading. IMO, this is a very different team now, having cut out the unforced errors and grown in confidence over the last four games. My thinking is much the same about our prospects now, so for me:

1. Derby County

2. Norwich City

3. Middlesbrough

4. Bournemouth

5. Watford 

6. Ipswich

I think Bournemouth and Ipswich will find the second half of the season much tougher with their smaller squads. Derby, Boro, and Ipswich all have to come to CR, but the Bournemouth game away on the 10th of January will be a key indicator. Win that and we could be on our way.

 

[eatonparkboy]

It has been apparent for the last four games that there is a solidity to the team that wasn't there at the start. We all wish for football the Norwich way but in the misty murky days of the past we probably forget that those sides had a decent defensive (not just the back four) side to it that could handle pressure and adversity. I always remember a Derby supporter telling me about the time we beat them 4-0 up there over Christmas and how Derby had thrown everything at us in the first half and punched themselves out and we took over the second half.

Millwall's goal yesterday was unfortunate but down to a cracking free kick. You can't legislate for a moment of class. I don't blame anyone for that. I didn't see the game so offer no opinion other than Chris Goreham made it sound so one sided and chance after chance, that we have to assume, on the back of 13 goals in the last three matches and chances missed in all three, that we have had some dominance over theses sides. And if that continues, I see no reason why the players, as  a squad, should fear anyone and as long as arrogance doesn't replace confidence, this run can continue. Our record against the top sides is good. If we have now got to the position where we can beat the lower sides, and comfortably, then I see no reason why a top six position isn't comfortably achievable. 

 

[Fenway Frank]

I actually thought ruddy could have done a bit better with the free kick

 

[Salopian]

It was great to see what we can produce, but it was with help from the Millwall keeper for the first two, and a suicidally high back line by Millwall for the rest.I think that Ruddy and the defence were not really well organised for the Millwall goal, and it was a pity that Ruddy didn't manage to tip the ball over the bar.

All this and several missed chances, especially by Jerome and Hooper, and with both managers suggesting it could have been several more than six, suggests three things to me:

1) There are several areas for improvement - shooting and defending

2) The Millwall defence must have been downhearted by the first two self-inflicted wounds, and perhaps they never really recovered.It could have been a different game at 0-0, or even 0-1 at half time.

3)  The second half of the season will require more consistency and several more points than the first half. The first have began well and finished well, but the middle... Perhaps it is the consistency which is the key.

For the moment self-belief is back , and if this can be maintained  through one or two more difficult features, then I would not rule out a top six finish. We have some momentum now, and CR must be becoming a place of dread for several teams coming to us.

Is a top-two finish possible? Obviously, but to gain, say, eight points more than the present top two in 23 matches would need a significant and sustained improvement.

 

[Din]

1. Derby

2. Middlesbrough

3. Bournemouth

4. Norwich

5. Ipswich

6. Blackburn

To be perfectly honest I have no idea. I think Derby are the only ones in my mind that will definitely go up, the rest are up in the air. There are a lot of good teams in this league though, although on paper we are better than most, if not all of them. There is a part of me that thinks we will romp the second half of the season, and win the league by a mile, however there is also a pessimistic side, that is not quite as hopeful. 

That's what I'll say for now. But even if we finish 2nd and go up, I still won't be happy if we finish below Ipswich. 

 

[Yellow Fever]

After today's result, it feels like we're competing with Brentford, Wolves and Blackburn for the 6th play-off place, much like QPR did last year.

 

[Dubai Mark]

Blimey how things can change after just one more game......looks crazy now my prediction I feel........but, could change with a win at Bournemouth and then a couple of good home wins........you just never know.....

 

[morty]

Blimey how things can change after just one more game......looks crazy now my prediction I feel........but, could change with a win at Bournemouth and then a couple of good home wins........you just never know.....

I suspect there will be lots more twists and turns before the end of the season.

Considering how poor a run we had, I am amazed we are in such a good position as we are lol!

 

[Canaryboy]

It also depends a lot on what teams do in the transfer market. 

Bournemouth probably only need a couple of quality players to help them over the line (much like we did when we signed Lansbury, Barnett & Tierney in the January window).

Ipswich however don't have a pot to p*ss in, so I can see them struggling unless Mick McCarthy has any mates in the Premier League who owe him a favour or two. Derby County are in a strong financial position (pretty much debt free), and Steve McLaren has to be a major draw for young English players, so can see them bringing a few in.

Which brings me to us? None of us really know, but the moment that we sell a key player like Redmond or Ruddy we are going into the 2nd half of the season with a weaker squad than had in the 1st half. 

Whether we have a chance is going to depend a lot on how ambitious the board are here. The effect that it could (selling a key player) have on the dressing room alone would probably kill our chances, clubs who have a chance of promotion simply don't sell players, they seek to strengthen.

We had all that guff from McNally in the summer about only selling players if we can replace with "better" players. I found that really patronising, particularly as we simply did not replace Pilkington & Snodgrass at all, yet alone with better players (and we'd be hard pressed to sign a better player than Snodgrass whilst we are stuck in this division!), and we all know that if we sell Redmond is replacement isn't going to be 70% as good. He also refuses to say the word "buy", he keeps saying that we can "trade", which implies that we're ready to do business in both directions.

Which isn't a bad thing if it means trying to offload certain high earners who aren't part of our plans, like Becchio and Bassong, but is a terrible thing if he means selling Hooper and replacing him with somebody who isn't fit to lace Hooper's boots (Ashton>Earnshaw>Cureton, I'll always remember that regression!). 

Our chances depend largely on whether the club is prepared to bring in a couple of decent players in crucial areas of the pitch (left side midfield is one?) whilst retaining our best players for the duration of the season. 

I'd like to think that we'd have a policy of one fringe player out, one fresh player in. So Bassong, Becchio, Bunn, perhaps Garrido, etc, try and get them out, to allow Adams to bring somebody in. Even if they are loanees (or loans out, loans in). 

The level of ambition that the board show is I think going to be the determining factor as to whether we can get ourselves in the mix or drift off down the table. 

It is inevitable that if we don't go up we'll have to sell a player or two in the summer. But I'd be furious if we started the fire sale in January, that would be a defeatist attitude and show us up as tinpot, because you won't see Derby selling Chris Martin or Will Hughes in January, neither will you see Bournemouth selling Matt Richie or Callum Wilson. 

We'll lose players if we don't go up this year, so we may as well keep the squad together for 6 months and give it a go. This is my major worry. 

I think we can grab a play-off spot if the board show belief and retain all regular starters in our squad, with two or three new faces in certain positions. 

 

[Yellow Fever]

A play-off place still seems possible, but automatic promotion seems unlikely now unless others falter.

 

[Killiecanary]

Automatic promotion could still be possible but if - and it is quite an enormous if! - we play the second half of the season consistently at the highest level of the potential we have.

We would need approximately 50 points from a potential total of 66 probably 14 wins from the last 22 games...and we clearly haven't been in that kind of form.

I don't see ipsh1t staying the course - a busy transfer window seeing the departure of Mings and Murphy would do for them as they haven't any depth to that squad. I also see Bournemouth and Brentford tailing off for the same reason - although Bournemouth are showing little sign of a blip I am pretty sure they will have to endure one at some point. I don't think Watford are consistent enough to be any more than a contender for the final play off spot - much like norwich at the moment!

Derby and Middlesbrough are going to be hard to stop though