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Leggi Looks At: The League
By Aston July 25 2008
STB message boarder Leggi is back after a summer break and getting ready for the new season with a look at the Championship.
Whereas the Premiership can be whittled down to a small number of serious contenders (at least at the top end) the Championship is a different story entirely. After last years lack lustre division this season looks to be much stronger as we welcome Birmingham, Reading and Derby who have dropped from the top flight, and Swansea, Forest and Doncaster who triumphed from league one.

QPR start the season as favourites, and a lot is expected from Ian Dowie's side, the club is loaded, but as we know money doesn't always get you success and looking at Dowie's signings I'm not sure if he's the right man to do the job at Loftus Road.

Birmingham and Reading have the quality to be promotion contenders, while Crystal Palace and Watford both have managers who have taken sides up to the Premier League. Ourselves, Sheffield United and Wolves ended last season just outside the play-off places and all will harbour serious ambitions of breaking into the top six (or better) this time around.

Looking at the wrong end of the table and, after failing miserably in The Premiership last year, Derby County would be my surprise prediction to do a double relegation, along with Doncaster who I think will struggle in the bigger League, and one from Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, and Barnsley. Bristol City will also suffer from "second season syndrome" I feel and will no way match their terrific campaign last term.

NEW FACES

Transfers in:

Barnsley:
Hugo Colace, Mounir El Haimir, Darren Moore, and Ian Hume.

Birmingham City:
Marcus Bent, Kevin Phillips, Lee Carsley.

Blackpool:
Steven Kabba (loan), Jermain Wright, Joe Martin, Alex Baptiste, Matthew Gilks, Marlon Broomes.

Bristol City:
Emad Metab and Gavin Williams.

Burnley:
Christian Kelvenes, Remco Van Der Schaff, Kevin McDonald, And Martin Paterson.

Cardiff City:
Miquel Comminges, Mark Kennedy, Tom Heaton (loan).

Charlton Athletic:
Stuart Fleetwood, Mark Hudson.

Coventry City:
Aron Gunnersson, Freddy Eastwood, Kieren Westwood, GUilliame Beuzelin.

Crystal Palace:
Calvin Andrew, Patrick McCarthy, Johannes Ertl, Nick Carle.

Derby County:
Rob Hulse, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak(loan), Steve Davies, Paul Connelly, Liam Dickinson, Martin Albrechtsen, Kris Commons, Paul Green, Nathan Ellington(loan), Jordon Stewart.

Doncaster Rovers:
John Spicer.

Ipswich Town:
Gareth McAuley, Pim Balkestein, Kevin Lisbie, Richard Wright.

Norwich City:
Sammy Clingan, Dejan Stefanovic, Elliot Oozes, Ryan Bertrand (loan), Wes Hoolahan.

Nottingham Forest:
Andy Cole, Paul Anderson (loan), Guy Moussi, Robert Earnshaw.

Plymouth Argyle:
David McNamee, Graham Stack, Karl Duguid, Jason Puncheon.

Preston North End:
Michael Hart, Barry Nicholson.

Queens Park Rangers:
Matteo Alberti, Samuel Di Carmine (loan), Emmanuel Ledesma (loan), Radek Cerny, Peter Rammage.

Reading:
None.

Sheffield United:
Greg Halford, Sun Jihai.

Sheffield Wednesday:
James O' Connor.

Southampton:
Paul Wotton, Tommy Forecast, Lee Holmes.

Swansea City:
Mark Gower, Albert Serran.

Watford:
None.

Wolverhampton Wanderers:
Chris Iwelumo, David Jones, Sam Vokes.

LEGGI'S LASTDAY LEAGUE STANDINGS
(how I reckon It'll finish)

1. Birmingham City
2. Ipswich Town
3. Reading
4. QPR
5. Crystal Palace
6. Wolves
7. Watford
8. Sheff Utd
9. Coventry
10. Cardiff
11. Norwich
12. Charlton
13. Notts Forest
14. Plymouth
15. Bristol City
16. Burnley
17. Blackpool
18. Preston
19. Barnsley
20. Swansea
21. Sheff Wed
22. Derby
23. Southampton
24. Doncaster

Join me next week for an in-depth look at our own season ahead in Leggi's look at Town.

Well that is what Leggi expects next season, who do you expect to be relegated/promoted? Leave your view below.

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25 Jul, 2008 12:46 Report
brian1971 (IP Logged)
Registered User		 Date Joined: Apr, 2007
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Posts: 325
Re: Leggi Looks At: The League
1. Ipswich Town
2. Birmingham City
3. Reading
4. QPR
5. Bristol City
6. Wolves
7. Watford
8. Crystal Palace
9. Coventry
10. Cardiff
11. Southampton
12. Charlton
13. Notts Forest
14. Plymouth
15. Sheff Utd
16. Burnley
17. Doncaster
18. Preston
19. Barnsley
20. Swansea
21. Sheff Wed
22. Derby
23. Norwich
24. Blackpool

this is what i think

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25 Jul, 2008 17:28 Report
big duck (IP Logged)
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Posts: 143
Re: Leggi Looks At: The League
i am still a tad suss about the town team for this season, they have realy got to hit the ground running, the first 6 games are the toughest we have faced in a few seasons

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25 Jul, 2008 22:37 Report
Dave-69 (IP Logged)
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Location:
Posts: 2397
Re: Leggi Looks At: The League
Why do you lads expect Birmingham to do so well this season? Is it cos they've got Marcus Bent?? I'm only gonna make one prediction, Town to finish in the top two. (Sm122)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44498000/jpg/_44498681_jon_walters203.jpg http://www.liverpoolhopeuniversity.com/graphics/Liverpool%20waterfront.jpg http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/images/2008/01/07/kanu_garvan_400x300.jpg

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26 Jul, 2008 09:37 Report
brian1971 (IP Logged)
Registered User		 Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location:
Posts: 325
Re: Leggi Looks At: The League
Birmingham are good football side just like town and will do well

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26 Jul, 2008 22:24 Report
IP1 (IP Logged)
Registered User		 Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location:
Posts: 1156
Re: Leggi Looks At: The League
Why dont you expect them to do well?

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