Championship 2019/20.

[Auld Jag]

How will the new season pan out in the Championship ? I think the 2 Dundee clubs will be the top 2, with Utd winning the league. I think 3rd and 4th place will be between, Thistle, Morton and ICT.  Dunfermline, QOS and Ayr will be going for 6th,7th and 8th. With Alloa 9th and Arbroath 10th. I know there is still a month of the transfer window to go, also a possible takeover to take into consideration. If we are not up the top half of the league pushing for a play off place, it will be another poor season.

[partickthedog]

54 minutes ago, Auld Jag said:

How will the new season pan out in the Championship ? I think the 2 Dundee clubs will be the top 2, with Utd winning the league. I think 3rd and 4th place will be between, Thistle, Morton and ICT.  Dunfermline, QOS and Ayr will be going for 6th,7th and 8th. With Alloa 9th and Arbroath 10th. I know there is still a month of the transfer window to go, also a possible takeover to take into consideration. If we are not up the top half of the league pushing for a play off place, it will be another poor season.

That's a fair set of predictions, and I would not argue too much, although obviously I hope that Thistle will confound all expectations and finish first. I think that you are being too optimistic as regards Dundee and Morton. and perhaps too pessimistic as regards Arbroath, who I expect will enjoy a first season bounce.

[jaf]

 

top 3 of Dundee clubs and us.

I then don't think there will be much between Dunfermline, Morton and ICT, potentially battling for one play off place between them.

Ayr and QOS safe but never troubling the scorers.

Alloa and Arboath competing for bottom.

 

[Dick Dastardly]

United will blow it again. That is my one and only prediction

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Just a gut feeling but I think one of the Dundee clubs will come a cropper. Those with a race-horsing sensibility will know in a small field it's hardly uncommon for the first and second favourites to be split.

In general I've not really been over impressed with our competitors' recruitment, which should give me hope, but at the same time I've not been impressed with our four performances so far. Not sure exactly if we've been lacking intensity or been showing a rather soft underbelly (perhaps a touch of both). Putting that aside I've more confidence just now that we won't be dragged into the relegation zone and feel we've a good shout of being in or around a promotion play off spot come the season's end.

 

 

[West of Scotland]

We're going to be incredibly mid-table. This is middlingest mid-table team that we've ever had.

[JeanieD]

1 Dundee U

2 ICT

3 Dundee

4 Dunfermline

5 Morton

6 PTFC

7 Ayr

8 QoS

9Alloa

10 Arbroath

[jlsarmy]

2 hours ago, JeanieD said:

1 Dundee U

2 ICT

3 Dundee

4 Dunfermline

5 Morton

6 PTFC

7 Ayr

8 QoS

9Alloa

10 Arbroath

Think you’re probably right with most of your predictions, I don’t think we’re anywhere close to being a promotion winning side .

Hope I’m wrong 

[Jaggernaut]

5 hours ago, jlsarmy said:

Think you’re probably right with most of your predictions, I don’t think we’re anywhere close to being a promotion winning side .

 

For those who see us as being mid-table at best.... Does that mean that GC has signed almost only duds?

[jlsarmy]

12 minutes ago, Jaggernaut said:

For those who see us as being mid-table at best.... Does that mean that GC has signed almost only duds?

Don’t think that means he’s signed duds , just players who aren’t going to take us to the next level, think the signings of Mitch Austin and Alex Jones are punts more than anything else and time will tell whether they’ll pay off .

[Weebaw1]

ICT

DU

Thistle

Dundee

Ayr

PArs

Ton

Qos

Alloa

The Bunnet

[West of Scotland]

4 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

For those who see us as being mid-table at best.... Does that mean that GC has signed almost only duds?

They'll be duds if we're bumping around the bottom like last season. We might have got rid of some of the worst but we look to still be playing the same ineffective football as last year: possession with no end product, weak at the back especially at set pieces. It's not a team that's going anywhere soon.

[Firhillista]

Not sure why there's so much pessimism around about this season. I get that we haven't had any marquee signings to get excited about, but the recruitment seems to have been pretty good so far.

I don't see the signing of experienced players who've won this league before as a negative at all. I get that some people would prefer that we went for young, untried guys, presumably in the hope that we uncover a total diamond who takes us to the Premiership and is transferred for squillions of pounds, but that's a bit like backing the outsider constantly in the hopes of getting the big win - it's why bookies all drive big flash cars.

And one reason for optimism that hasn't been focused on enough is the recruitment of our rivals. Apart from Shankland going to United, there hasn't been a single signing by any other Championship club that's made me think, "Wish we'd got him".  Teams that were challenging last season, like Inverness and Ayr, will struggle to do so again, I think. Dunfermline might be dark horses, but I don't see Morton, Queen of the South, Alloa or Arbroath threatening promotion.

Which leaves the two Dundee teams. I know they've been bigged up by the usual media suspects as favourites, but that's just the usual journalistic laziness. Dundee have an untried manager and a squad more used to losing than winning. And their recruitment hasn't been anything to write home about. I think they'll struggle. We'll have to wait and see about United. If they don't make a good start, they'll be under tremendous pressure. Let's hope we can pile it on when we play them in a fortnight.

However it plays out, should be an interesting season.

[Lenziejag]

4 hours ago, jlsarmy said:

Don’t think that means he’s signed duds , just players who aren’t going to take us to the next level, think the signings of Mitch Austin and Alex Jones are punts more than anything else and time will tell whether they’ll pay off .

To a certain extent every player signed is a punt. You have no idea how they will settle. There have been many players thought to be sure things to succeed at clubs that just didn’t work- some of those multi million pound deals.

[jlsarmy]

23 minutes ago, Lenziejag said:

To a certain extent every player signed is a punt. You have no idea how they will settle. There have been many players thought to be sure things to succeed at clubs that just didn’t work- some of those multi million pound deals.

Yeah , you’re right re settling etc but Jones and Austin haven’t got any real track record at all which is a bit of a gamble .

[fenski]

It is always a very difficult league to predict because it is so competitive. That's a good thing. A good run here or a bad run there can make all the difference. Having said that, surely United will have got their act together having been over the course a few times, and maybe Dundee will not live up to the 2nd favourites tag for the same reason plus new inexperienced manager, fan expectation pressure, etc.

As far as Thistle goes, it's too early to pass judgment on the potential of the team given number of players settling in. My instinct is saying it's still a bit too soon for us, having only just turned the corner. While it's nice to think we might challenge, my only expectation is that we are at least comfortably mid-table.

[Third Lanark]

1 hour ago, jlsarmy said:

Yeah , you’re right re settling etc but Jones and Austin haven’t got any real track record at all which is a bit of a gamble .

I’ve been seriously underwhelmed at jones cameo performances so far, albeit the league hasn’t started. Hopefully he will prove me wrong though 

[Arete]

On 7/31/2019 at 11:34 PM, JeanieD said:

1 Dundee U

2 ICT

3 Dundee

4 Dunfermline

5 Morton

6 PTFC

7 Ayr

8 QoS

9Alloa

10 Arbroath

I think this is close with maybe ICT and Dunfermline swopping as well as us and Morton and Alloa for Arbroath. As someone else has pointed out, I think the Pars could be dark horses this time round. 

[ThickAsThieves]

1. Dundee United

2. Inverness CT

3. Dundee

4. Thistle

5. Ayr United

6. Dunfermline

7. Morton

8. Queen of the South

9. Arbroath

10. Alloa

[Ancipital]

Think we'll be 3rd or 4th, the only clubs I think will finish above us are the Dundee clubs & maybe Inverness.  Hopkin obviously did very well with Livi but it's easily forgotten he got them relegated first and then had to rebuild a team and the fact Morton have had to re-register a coach that retired a year ago... imagine if that happened to us, would be heads on fire everywhere.

I'd be very disappointed if we finished behind Ayr who have lost pretty much all of their best outfield players from last season (Shankland, Rose, Crawford, Smith) and would have finished bottom if you'd started last season from any point from about December onwards.  I'm sure there's a precedent for an Ian McCall managed team in this league after losing their best players and I don't remember it being pleasant.

Dunfermline finished below us last season (yes they did) and  have signed a bunch of untried kids, Paul Paton who is beyond done, and Kevin Nisbet who might make us rue our decision to let him go- but his performances for Raith vs Queens in the playoffs last year and the % of his goals that were penalties vs part time players suggests otherwise. Queens themselves still look to be overly reliant on one man who is injured for the first few weeks of the season, and while Alloa and Arbroath might cause annoyance in individual games- hopefully not Saturday-  I think they're a safe bet to be 9 & 10 in whatever order you prefer.

[Lenziejag]

19 hours ago, West of Scotland said:

They'll be duds if we're bumping around the bottom like last season. We might have got rid of some of the worst but we look to still be playing the same ineffective football as last year: possession with no end product, weak at the back especially at set pieces. It's not a team that's going anywhere soon.

We are probably not going to win the league or even get promoted, but we are a good bit better than we were last season. I think we have played the ball faster when attacking. We are still a bit vulnerable at the back. But I am more positive after the league cup than I was last season.

[Guest]

On 8/1/2019 at 6:57 AM, jlsarmy said:

Don’t think that means he’s signed duds , just players who aren’t going to take us to the next level, think the signings of Mitch Austin and Alex Jones are punts more than anything else and time will tell whether they’ll pay off .

Now, firstly I've no insight at all, and have zero insider knowledge, but GC does not strike me as a taking a punt kind of guy. As painful as it is for me to admit, he is a very thorough pro, and I firmly believe he has been very considered in his moves this close season. Just my opinion, but if I were a fan of another club looking on, I'd be very impressed with the squad he has formed.

I don't gamble, for a reason, I couldn't pick a winner if my life depended in it and I'm not known for accurate predictions among family and friends, but, and again just my opinion, we will be top come the end of the season. Based purely on the quality of our players and the tic tac coming out of the dressing room. Our players seem to be all together, all behind their manager and what he is trying to do. Anyone who has played at any level knows, team spirit is half the battle. And we seem to have it in spades. We have made steady progress and improved in every game so far, we keep our players fit, avoid storer type behaviour on the pitch and we'll do very well this season.

I'm feeling very positive, might be building up for a huge fall but just how I feel. Best wishes to all for the coming season.

[elevenone]

1. Dundee Utd

2. Thistle

3. ICT

4. Morton

5. Dunfermline

6. Dundee

7. QOS

8. Arbroath

9. Ayr Utd

10. Alloa

My 2c.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

4 hours ago, Lenziejag said:

We are probably not going to win the league or even get promoted, but we are a good bit better than we were last season. I think we have played the ball faster when attacking. We are still a bit vulnerable at the back. But I am more positive after the league cup than I was last season.

I doubt it would be too difficult to play the ball faster than last season. In general both under Archie and Caldwell we moved the ball about so slow, especially from the back, with the resultant boot up the park almost inevitable. Hard to judge with the two away games on plastic but against Clyde we certainly showed signs of being a good bit faster with the ball than last season.

If we can redress the vulnerability at the back without resorting to three centrebacks for purely negative reasons, then we could be there or thereabouts. Put another way if we do line up with three at the back it should be primarily for positive reasons (or a narrow pitch). We need to see at least one centreback routinely bursting forward to help midfielders get into a wider position. To be fair (tho' it should ideally be the middle of the three) McGinty is showing signs of doing just this.

[jlsarmy]

1 hour ago, Thistleberight said:

Now, firstly I've no insight at all, and have zero insider knowledge, but GC does not strike me as a taking a punt kind of guy. As painful as it is for me to admit, he is a very thorough pro, and I firmly believe he has been very considered in his moves this close season. Just my opinion, but if I were a fan of another club looking on, I'd be very impressed with the squad he has formed.

I don't gamble, for a reason, I couldn't pick a winner if my life depended in it and I'm not known for accurate predictions among family and friends, but, and again just my opinion, we will be top come the end of the season. Based purely on the quality of our players and the tic tac coming out of the dressing room. Our players seem to be all together, all behind their manager and what he is trying to do. Anyone who has played at any level knows, team spirit is half the battle. And we seem to have it in spades. We have made steady progress and improved in every game so far, we keep our players fit, avoid storer type behaviour on the pitch and we'll do very well this season.

I'm feeling very positive, might be building up for a huge fall but just how I feel. Best wishes to all for the coming season.

The Mitch Austin transfer is a gamble no doubt unless GC has been over in Oz watching him last season and the guy has had a bad knee injury into the bargain, Alex Jones is probably somebody Caldwell knew from the lower leagues in England but hasn’t played a lot of football the last couple of years , so there is an element of risk attached to  both signings but you could probably attach that to most transfers.