Who do you consider Brighton's biggest rival for second spot?

[Triggaaar]

Cardiff and Rotherham away are the sort of games we should be concentrating on.

To be honest, the team shouldn't be concentrating on Rotherham, just Cardiff. But we're not the team, we can talk about the possibilities.

Brum - because nobody else fancies them, while they are sitting comfortably in 4th place and have only lost 3 games this season. Under the radar...

The teams that play them will be aware how well they're doing. I'm not sure how this under the radar thing is supposed to work. Maybe a bit less expectation from the media, but not sure it will get them more points.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Best we overtake Newcastle then.

A good prediction.

 

[Albion my Albion]

You're drunk?

Only after a liquid diet.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Sheffield Wednesday on the basis that they are the most likely to have the legs to do it over the season, as they have been good for a while now. Birmingham and Leeds also look good.

I do NOT understand why the majority of people have put Villa. It makes zero sense to me. If we are fighting Villa for a spot it won't be second place, it will mean that we have fallen down the league. It is absolutely not the same as us catching Middlesbrough, they were far out in front and had a wobble. If we have a wobble from here most of the teams on the list will catch us.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

I keep on trying to forget this, it's the worst possible 2 fixtures they could have given us to finish the season on, both away.

Newcastle would have been better as they would likely be clear and taking their foot off.

It just illustrates exactly why we need to maintain a gap with 3rd.

Not quite as bad as it sounds....take a look at what else is going on at the same time.

22/04/17......Burton v Leeds....Forest v Reading.....Sheff Wed v Derby....Huddrsfield v Fulham ..... and on 23/04/17.....Villa v Birmingham.

Final day....Bristol C v Brum....Sheff Wed v Fulham....Burton v Reading....Rotherham v Derby....Norwich v QPR.

Yes... we would all like the Derby and Norwich final day scenario's but there are some tricky fixtures mixed in there. I particularly like Sheff Wed v Derby. Could do us a big favour.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Apparently Sheff Wed were superb against Fulham by all accounts last week so I have plumped for them - But they will be chasing Newcastle for it, not Brighton. Take from that what you will

We'll be our customary 15 points ahead of them soon.

 

[CliveWalkerWingWizard]

There are a lot of strong teams, they will take points from each other. It will be hard for teams to win lots of games in a row. We still have reading derby Wednesday Newcastle at home. If we keep our form reading must be the biggest threat.

 

[Audax]

5 games until half season, and the table looks rather pretty for us currently. Realistically, from here I think we should be very disappointed if we don't secure an auto. Long way to go, I know, but we've put together and even stronger season-to-date this year than last IMO. Unbeaten in the last 10, in a clear second with a 4 point gap to 3rd, and a GD that (along with Newcastle) sets us clearly apart from everyone else. We've got the best defensive record (only 2 losses, and 11 goals against), and offensively we're thereabouts (28 goals, just 4 teams better; and two of them defensively dire).

As things stand currently, you'd have to look at Reading as the threat. 5 wins on the trot, good offensive record, best-of-the-rest on GD, and closest to us on points. We only need two banana skins to open the door for them, and the mid table is littered with potential slippery games. Villa look like the team most likely to climb out of the mid-table, but there's some others in there that could prove troublesome (Forest and Barnsley in particular both have good offensive records let down by equally poor defensive records).

Assuming we don't have a massive dip in form (as we did mid-season last year), then I think Reading are it. The other clear threats are too far back unless we start dumping massive points.

 

[mikeyjh]

I voted for the Super Rams in hope more than expectation - That said we're developing a bit of a winning habit, and nowhere near the levels of 2 years ago yet. If we can get George Thorne back maybe we can do something. The chronology of transfer window, Pearson sacked, return of the Mac certainly didn't help.

 

[Simster]

Regardless of Albion's final position, I'd be surprised if Reading were promoted automatically simply because they were so poor last season (17th). It would be an incredible turnaround. Compare that to ourselves who were desperately unlucky not to finish top 2, and since then not lost any key players and actually have tweaked the squad to improve it. So on that basis, I don't see the long term threat coming from the plastics. Same sort of thing goes for Leeds where Monk has seemingly turned them around.

Derby and Villa are going great guns now, but they've both left themselves a lot to do. I do think it's possible but unlikely that either will threaten. They have both been pony until now and could be 18/19 points behind the top 2 if they had so much as two poor back to back results at this point.

I wouldn't rule out Birmingham or even Huddersfield at this point as unfancied teams have gone up automatically before now (Notts Co in 1991 and Barnsley in 1997 stand out as the best examples), but personally I still think the threat will come from Norwich. They are on a dreadful run of form, yet they still have more points than both Derby and Villa. I bet they finish much closer to us than 11 points adrift, that's for sure.

 

[Stat Brother]

Regardless of Albion's final position, I'd be surprised if Reading were promoted automatically simply because they were so poor last season (17th). It would be an incredible turnaround. Compare that to ourselves who were desperately unlucky not to finish top 2, and since then not lost any key players and actually have tweaked the squad to improve it. So on that basis, I don't see the long term threat coming from the plastics.

So you'd be surprised if Reading got automatic after being so poor the previous season.

Yet we were desperately unlucky not to finish top 2 having ended previous season in 20th with 47 points from 46.

 

[Simster]

So you'd be surprised if Reading got automatic after being so poor the previous season.

Yet we were desperately unlucky not to finish top 2 having ended previous season in 20th with 47 points from 46.

Indeed. How often does it happen that a team that is abject (bottom third) one season suddenly turns into a top two side? Honestly, I can't remember. Granted, we were nearly the exception that proves the rule, but ultimately we weren't even that.

 

[Pantani]

We are about to find out whether Reading are the real deal. They have played all of the bottom half, bar Blackburn, and have played less of the top half than anyone. They are quite literally us from last season. Their next 5 to take them to the halfway point, Fulham away, Sheffield Wednesday at home; Leeds away; Blackburn away and Norwich at home. They could easily lose all five. The they follow that with Fulham again. Their reaction to a bad run, which seems possible, will define them.

 

[Stat Brother]

Indeed. How often does it happen that a team that is abject (bottom third) one season suddenly turns into a top two side? Honestly, I can't remember. Granted, we were nearly the exception that proves the rule, but ultimately we weren't even that.

True and certainly none of us saw last season coming.
But we are the last fans that should be dismissing other clubs based on the previous season.

I don't know anything about their squad etc beyond their 'keeper getting plaudits, which I guess bodes well to your point.

I'll hazard a guess Stam is proving a lot of people wrong, as I'm sure he was mocked x months ago. But if he's the real deal they are already 9 ish points above the teams NSC deem to be genuine rivals.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Leeds v Villa next up and that will give a good indication of who to *worry* about more.

Norwich are just 1 sacking away from sorting themselves out so it may be foolish to write them off just yet.

Reading do concern me. They need to drop a few points soon.

Fulham look good for climbing the table.

Derby will be in a playoff position sooner rather than later as well.

 

[Ernest]

Villa will suffer in January from the loss of Kodija and Ayew off to the African Cup, a bit like us losing Murray and Knockaert for a month.

 

[Bob!]

If we remain in 2nd place our biggest rivals for that place will be the team in 3rd place.

So, currently, Reading.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

As things stand currently, you'd have to look at Reading as the threat. 5 wins on the trot, good offensive record, best-of-the-rest on GD, and closest to us on points. We only need two banana skins to open the door for them, and the mid table is littered with potential slippery games. Villa look like the team most likely to climb out of the mid-table, but there's some others in there that could prove troublesome (Forest and Barnsley in particular both have good offensive records let down by equally poor defensive records).

.

Reading have played a lot of average teams recently (although I'm not suggesting that five wins is anything other than impressive). Let's see how they do when they have a run like we've just had:

Beat a side who only lost one game away (Fulham)
Drew with one of the form teams (Villa)
Comfortable away win against a very strong home side (Brizzle)
Slaughtered team in 2nd (Norwich)

They played Rotherham, Forest, Wigan, Burton and Bristol (who have gone off the boil with three defeats)

 

[Seagull Mags]

Just got to concentrate on ourselves, as CH said concentrating on the table will drive you mad! However in my opinion Villa and Derby will be the main threat. I think Brum, Reading, Huddersfield will drop out of the play offs and Villa Derby and Norwich will climb... Time will tell!

 

[Triggaaar]

I do NOT understand why the majority of people have put Villa. It makes zero sense to me. If we are fighting Villa for a spot it won't be second place, it will mean that we have fallen down the league.

But you've gone for sheffield lol, and they're just 3 points ahead of Villa, with a worse goal difference, and they're on the way down while Villa are on the way up. Having watched Villa play recently, seeing the talented squad they have, and how their fortunes have changed since bringing in a new manager, I think it's easy to see why people think they're the main threat.