Quote Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman View Post
Thanks. I think the pre-season prices of some of the recently promoted sides coupled with the performances of the favourites demonstrate that almost nothing can be taken for granted in the Championship.

None of the tipsters or pundits in the Racing Post's 2018/19 pre-season guide gave Norwich or Sheffield United a sniff in terms of automatic promotion. One or two thought Sheffield were a reasonable bet for a play-off spot, but that was about it. Stoke were the favourites, closely followed by Derby, while Nottingham Forest were viewed as lively outsiders.

In the event, Stoke are 16th, Derby are in the final play-off spot and Forest are 10th.

It's amazing that only one of the last ten Championship favourites have gained automatic promotion. In League One, five out of the last ten have managed it, while it's four out of ten in League Two.
I vaguely recall they made us favourites to come back last time we got relegated didn’t they? That went well. Do relegated sides usually bounce back? Not straight away it would seem. I wonder if stoke will get their act together next season? Relegation from the PL is def easier to predict than promotion to it. Even next season, so it’s going to be 3 of Norwich, Sheffield Utd, playoff winner, bha (or us) Burnley, saints etc....same old eh