Lakenheath Old Boys

We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!

Friday, August 04, 2006

The Coke Season Preview




The Coca Cola Championship kicks off tomorrow. Since none of you Premiership lot gives a toss about the Coke, I'm going to initiate the discussion of the Championship on the blog and hopefully Blubber will chip in about his beloved Tractor Boys. Here's how I'm predicting the Coke will break down this season:



The Contenders:

*Birmingham - Newly relegated but has shed a lot of dead weight.
*Coventry - Micky Adams will lead his side at least to the playoffs.
*Derby - New manager Billy Davies took PNE to the playoffs last season.
*Leeds - Rob Hulse is gone, but several new canny signings have come in.
*WBA - Most likely to yoyo; haven't sold many players; John Hartson in.

Bubbling Under:

Crystal Palace - New boss Peter Taylor needs a year to organize the side.
Ipswich - New manager Jim Magilton; no new players in.
Leicester City - Statis; another season in the Coke.
Preston - Lots of changes over the summer after a playoff campaign.
Sunderland - Bottom relegated side last season; new boss Niall Quinn.

Also Rans:

Barnsley - Newly promoted; managed by Andy Ritchie.
Burnley - Good at home; not so good away from Turf Moor.
Cardiff - Lots of new signings this summer, but little quality.
Hull City - Lost Peter Taylor to Palace over the summer.
Luton - Will feel the loss of Kevin Nicholls to Leeds.
Norwich - Much hope pinned on new striker Robbie Earnshaw.
Stoke City - Very little happening on the market.
Wolves - Chaos over summer with sacking of Hoddle; Mick McCarthy in.

Relegation Battlers:

Colchester - Newly promoted; sold off most of the side.
Plymouth - Will need to be organized in order to stay up.
QPR - Struggled to stay up last season.
Sheffield Wednesday - Struggled in Blades shadow last season.
Southend - Two successive promotions! Too much, too soon.

Come on you Leeds boys!

21 Comments:

Blogger gooner71 said...

Good Luck this season you Sheepshagger!

Saw you picked up Geoff Horsefield today. Youth policy being packed in?

5:53 PM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

Yeah, yeah....the official line out of Elland is that Horsfield is "a proven goalscorer at this level." (sigh) I really don't know about this cosiness with the Blades - it seems as if most of the deals this summer have been between Leeds and Sheff Utd. Weird.

6:08 PM  
Blogger blubber boy said...

i think you missed one, where you putting Southampton? They're one I see heading back up. George Burley always seems to get his teams playing well and he should have a bit of cash following the sale of what's his name (you know the one the can't get a game in but still gets pick for England).

The only argument I have with you regarding the tractor boys is how high you've place them. I can't see them finishing above the mid-point -- their only saving grace is they supposedly have some good youth players coming up. Oh well -- come on you Blues!!!

11:03 PM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

Hey Blubber, good to hear from you. You're absolutely right. I did have Southhampton as a contender with George Burley on board and the fanatical support at St. Mary's. They're tough to beat at home.

I'll stick with my prediction of Ipswich bubbling under - top ten probably - given their youth development policy. Norwich, though, they're gonna get a beating today from the lads.

9:40 AM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Best of luck this season Bob and Greg.
I hope you both come up but Bob's chances are much better. Without the Prem, the Coke is available on Five Live. I listened to a little of the Luton/Leicester match in between listening to the cricket.

10:06 AM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Leeds vs Norwich live on Five Live as I type.

10:10 AM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

Cheers, Dave. I appreciate the nod for Leeds. We're starting against Norwich with new signing Geoff Horsfield pairing David Healey...and Horsfield has given away a foul inside the first minute!

Luton are top of the table after that early kickoff win against Leicester.

10:12 AM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

I've just noticed that the Canaries have Darren Huckerby and Robbie Earnshaw up front. Blimey, that's not a bad front pairing for a Championship side. Why aren't Norwich better?

10:15 AM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

Cheers, Dave, the Five Live coverage is fab. Enjoying it as I type. It's magic just to have the crowd noise from Elland Road.

10:27 AM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Ooooh, could have been 2-0 to Norwich.
Come on Leeds, get your finger out

10:29 AM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

OFF THE POST. Earnshaw could have scored three. COME ON LEEDS

10:32 AM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

Penalty to Leeds after a foul on Stone....

And we're one up! Wooohoooo!

10:47 AM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Of course, it was a Man Utd product that did it for you

10:47 AM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

So, both Leeds and Ipswich in at half time leading 1-0. Nice one.

10:53 AM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Now Town are two one down.
Come on Leeds, hold on.
What on earth is happening to me. I am rooting for the Whites

11:26 AM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

I don't think Healy should have come off

11:34 AM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

Why? He's done his job. I'm keen to see (or rather hear) how this new signing from Brighton Seb Carole gets on.

11:39 AM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

They need another goal. Don't sit and hold on. Is that guy on?

11:44 AM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

Yeah, Carole nearly scored with his first touch. I'm reasonably happy with the performance, although Horsfield sounds too static a frontman. I'd prefer Robbie Blake alongside Healey.

11:51 AM  
Blogger gatorbob said...

Way hay! Off to a winning start. Norwich aren't half bad, though. They pushed us hard and were unlucky not to get at least a draw. I might have to revise my prediction for them up into the "Bubbling Under" category.

12:00 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Well done. You guys are in the promotion places.

12:02 PM  

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