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Well what do people think? I deliberately didn't add a "not sure" option. What if you had to pick one of the 4 options?

ummmm I have a bit of a revelation at midnight on New Years Eve that we would! me and my friend did a toast to it!

No.

Are we ready to go up?

Too early for that question, but no, play offs maybe. Will depend if we get 2 or 3 players in, next couple of weeks i reckon.

No. 8th.

i think adding a goalscoring midfielder could see us mount a real go at it.
as it stands no.

At present we're heading for 5th or 6th and then losing in the play off semi.

Maybe better if we make some decent signings in January.

I'd be delighted just to make the playoffs Jonny!.

As it stands I don't think we have the fire power to go up. Depends what happens in the transfer window I suppose.

Just before the Yeovil game I did have a dream we were drawing 0-0 with Forest mind. Not sure what that means..

We'll get relegated

No. This year the numbers are against us. Leeds, Norwich and Southampton can all operate on a financial level we can't even come close to matching. Over a season the depth and size of squad is against us and Colchester. Another year and it would be different but with the two automatic places already virtually booked we'd have to be very lucky.

We'll make the playoffs with ease.

I can't wait and am even tempted to watch the away leg in a pub in Swindon, as the Shighton game in MacKenzies, was probably my greatest, non-live, football experience ever. A whole pub united over their team; it made an England game feel like a game watched by neutrals.

no - but top ten

playoffs but no further.

Add Huddersfield and Charlton to that list.

We look like finishing fifth or sixth at best. Then it's a lottery, though we never lose at Wembley.

I can see us finishing 5th-7th. They say the play-offs are a lottery, but I think there are several much stronger teams than us in this division and it would take a lot for us to go up through the play-offs. Top 6 should still be the aim though.

As other have said, there are far too many stronger teams in the division this season for us to have a decent shout for promotion. Hopefully three of them will go back up and some shit teams will come down in their place, then we'll stand a great chance next season.

That was the old Wembley tho! Will that magic/luck carry on to the new one?

If we go up it will be through the playoffs.  I think on a one off game or over 2 legs, with the luck helping us, we can beat almost anyone in this league.  But as has been said its a lottery.

We're lose in the play off final to Norwich.

You what?

We are lose in the play off final to Norwich. Duh.  ;)

Leeds and Charlton will get automatic and then you'd have to say we'd have a decent chance in a one off game agains Rovers, Huddersfield, Norwich etc... Although I wouldn't like it to go to penalties.

As has already been said, I think there are too many "good" teams around this season and so far, we haven't shown the consistency to make me really believe that we can finish in the top 6. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the way we are playing at the moment but I'm yet to be convinced that we have the strength in depth to carry it on all season - if Douglas, JPM, Paynter, Cuthbert get injured/suspended, who comes in ?
A top 10 finish would be a great platform to build on next year, assuming we can keep the key performers at the club, we should be aiming for play-offs as a minimum then.

Not this season, Next season we have a better chance, If Leeds, Charlton & Norwich were to go up and teams like Scunthorpe, Peterborough & Plymouth etc come down then we should have a great chance next season provided we don't lose players like Douglas & Mcgovern in the summer.

Everybody keeps saying that, but Norwich are currently 2nd. I wouldn't rule them out of a top 2 spot.

We'll be Champions. Easy!

Nick Watkins has said that there is money available for Wilson in January. Makes me wonder if they're loosening the purse strings a bit to make a push for the playoffs. Though I guess we never spent the money we offered for Robinson and Tudor Jones, maybe its still sat there waiting for the right player.

I've always had the impression that money is always there if the player in question is the right one.

plus macnamee's wages have gone to norwich for good now

i reckon we'll finish outside the play offs but that will still represent a good season

I don't think we expected to be where we are now at the start of the season especially after loosing 5-0 to Gills! So enjoy the good form while you can, but i can see us finishing top 6 and in the play-offs its all about who turns up on the day etc..

League 1 is arguably the strongest it's been for a long time. A top ten finish will be a brilliant achievement on last season and one I'd be happy with. Saying that, if we do manage to stay in the play off places until May it becomes a bit of a lottery.

With half the season gone I'm already chuffed with the progress we've made and am quite optimistic about the remainder of this season.

I agree totally. Also, now we are in the top 6 with 2 games in hand, people have high expectations and think thats where we should finish, i will be happy finishing top 10 looking at last season, but will be gutted if we don't make play-offs by a couple of points looking back at the games we have conceded late (Oldham, Wycombe, Charlton)  :noway:

Yup, I said I would have been happy being in touch with the playoffs after Christmas. So expectations exceeded!

Are you planning to celebrate your 10,000th post in any way special?

Oooh, didn't even notice I was that close.

No. I think we've a chance of finishing 5th or 6th, but more realistically I think we'll just miss the playoffs - which will be disappointing of course, but still represent a good season overall and a great platform to build from.

And I personally don't think we're ready for a campaign in the Championship yet.

Totally agree. I think anywhere in the top half is a good achievement considering all the top teams in Lg1 this year and hopefully we could build on it next season.

Not sure if were make the play offs or if we do if we can go up, really depends on the continued form of most of our current players. 

Personally i think Norwich will take 2nd place with Charlton 3rd, the next 3 will be fitting it out from another 6 teams which will include us.

Not sure if we are ready to go up, although the way we managed to keep the ball against Fulham showed we could be ready with a few more players.

If we don't go up we have to ensure we keep hold of the players and build on it.  Bit worried we could lose the likes of Cuthbert, Douglas who could clearly play in the league above.  This would leave us back a bit like loosing Cox this season.

The fact that we are even debating this given the quality of the league this year and the sale of a 31 goal striker (replaced by Hutch) is incredible.

Are we quite good enough, are we ready?  Carpe diem and all that, I voted that we would go up via the play offs and as no 69 in the voters that vote carries special weight.

All we need is for KOT to keep on with the match day thread openers and we'll be there.

Prefer Carpe Denim.

whilst I have voted that we won't be going up this year, I aint confident enough to be booking a holiday when the play offs are due.....so heart says would love to make the play offs, but head says, we'll just dip out so you could say that my glass is half empty

Like many, I worry that should we fail to go up this season then we will lose players like Cuthbert, Douglas, McGovern, Paynter etc etc and we would be weaker next season, If we can keep all our players and sign a few good players this month and in the summer i think we will go up next season.

Word

If we lay the foundations this season i can see us being real contenders for automatic promotion next season . But that is IF we can keep key players and add a few too. Altough i would love to see us go up this year i dont think we will.

Me too. I was delighted and surprised when we got in the top 6, didn't expect it to last, am estatic it's lasted this long, still don't expect us to get promoted but I'm really enjoying the ride while it lasts. But I think expectations have been raised now, not just among the fans, but among the team and the board, right across the club, and I think we NEED to get at least a play-off place if we're going to keep hold of the players who've got us here (that includes signing Sheehan and finding a commensurate replacement for Ferry cos I think Celtic will want him back).

Alot of people said that about Forest when they sneacked up under Calderwood.....look at them now,lets get there then see if ware ready.

its strange how with our current strike partnership and decent run of results- only leeds have lost less than us this season- that no one seems to rate us as play off contenders. on the southampton and huddersfield forums not one person places us in their predictions for a top 6 finish. huddersfield:

"agree norrwich for the title,can see leeds finishing third if beckford goes,grella is going back to leicester on monday with no one set to come in permanantly,my yid pal who came today is sick ,reckons they have been lucky for most of the season and will implode,think charlton or us to be either second or fourth.all to play for.swindon will fuck it by the way."

"Agreed that Swindon will Fuck up...1)Norwich...2)Charlton...3)Leeds...4)Colchester...5)Huddersfield...6)??? "

i dont know what to make of what they say. is it a gd thing that everyone is dismissing us. having beaten huddersfield so confidently at the CG and the gap now opening with teams below and our games in hand. surely its all positive?

This makes very good reading atm:

http://stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/D2/oform.html

ahaaa, lets not get carried away :)

Charlton have only lost 2 as well.

It doesn't really bother me if others think we'll fall away. At the end of the day we're still proving them wrong every game we go and win. A lot of Udders' fans are still bitter that we beat them and that they have spent lots more money than we have yet they are only above us on GD having played a game more. You have to remember that it was their fans that assumed they'd finish 1st or 2nd in the summer. Shame eh?

well we are exactly half way through our season now and are sat in the play off zone with 2 games in hand.contrary to popular belief i aint grumpy and am pretty darn happy with where we are right now,and we have exceeded what i thought would happen.but i do feel we need more goals from midfield and it could be our downfall if it isn't addressed come the shake up in may.now we are up there, it would be stupid to accept anything less that a promotion push.
goalscoring midfielders dont come round often, or come at a premium.i hope we can get lucky and get one.

Arguably the toughest season to go up in recent L1 campaigns, with Leeds,Charlton, Norwich, Soton, and money bags Huddersfield about. Even if we didn't go up this year, we could have a real good crack next season.

Although if we could do it this season, would be a massive achievement, considering the budgets off all the clubs in this league.

I reckon we'll make play-offs. Anything could happen after that. I'm still thinking next year we could be looking at automatic.

Automatic to the premiership, thats a bit optimistic. ;)

I'm of the belief that if we do do it this season the ethic and play required to get there will have been of such a standard that survival will be a lot easier.