The 23/24 season build up thread

[Winston Biscuit]

To soon?

A thread for any general news about the upcoming season.

First off, here is the ball for next season

[Sutekh]

Hope the Reading players take a look while they can as I doubt they'll see much of it after 5 August.

[fartdad]

I reckon we might go down again , club is heading is wrong direction and chairman I think is done with his toy.. at least might be able to catch he opening day fixture against wrexham

[On Strings]

Hope the Reading players take a look while they can as I doubt they'll see much of it after 5 August.

They wont see that Premier League ball at all

[Royal_jimmy]

I don't think I've ever gone into a season with such a lack of interest

[Royal_jimmy]

I reckon we might go down again , club is heading is wrong direction and chairman I think is done with his toy.. at least might be able to catch he opening day fixture against wrexham

They could end up going up again this season! with what they've invested into their squad. Unless we get them in the FA cup or EFL Trophy

[NathStPaul]

Does every thread have to be turned into a discussion about the plight of Reading? This is general football.

[AthleticoSpizz]

…..agreed, and what a shite looking football….what is it meant to be representing?

[katweslowski]

I reckon we might go down again

I said the exact same thing earlier. I am very tempted to put a bet on for a second relegation

[fartdad]

I reckon we might go down again

I said the exact same thing earlier. I am very tempted to put a bet on for a second relegation

I was talking of my mk dons.. but yeah I feel like it’s easy for teams in perilous positions to spiral downward.

[Winston Biscuit]

Ipswich, 2nd place in L1 last season, now 5th favourites to win the Championship

Plymouth, winners of L1 last season with 101 points, now favourites for relegation from the Championship

Wtf?!

[Clyde1998]

Ipswich, 2nd place in L1 last season, now 5th favourites to win the Championship

Plymouth, winners of L1 last season with 101 points, now favourites for relegation from the Championship

Wtf?!

Ipswich have a bigger budget than Plymouth; Plymouth also had a number of loan players who were regulars in their team, who aren't guaranteed to return. Plymouth weren't expected to be title challengers last season (or even reach the play-offs), whilst Ipswich were among the favourites - so there's a chance Plymouth simply overachieved last season and we'll see some regression to the mean in the upcoming season.

[Winston Biscuit]

I guess the question was more Plymouth based than Ipswich as I think the latter should have a decent season. Just surprises at the difference in the 2 now.

Didn't know the loan thing, that'll certainly play into things then.

I don't believe in overachieving/underachieving

[Clyde1998]

I guess the question was more Plymouth based than Ipswich as I think the latter should have a decent season. Just surprises at the difference in the 2 now.

Didn't know the loan thing, that'll certainly play into things then.

I don't believe in overachieving/underachieving

I also don't think anyone should read too much into betting odds anyway, especially at this stage. Last season there was a 50% correlation (r squared) between pre-season odds and final position in League One, with the Premier League at 38%, the Championship at 26% and League Two at 23%. There were probably much better single predictors of league finish than pre-season odds.

Of the twelve teams expected to be relegated across the top four divisions, only three actually were; of the seven teams expected to be automatically promoted in the EFL, only one was; of the nineteen teams expected to be in the play-offs or promoted in the EFL, eleven were come the end of the season.

[Pepe the Horseman]

We gon do some predictions?

[Winston Biscuit]

We gon do some predictions?

Been looking at season bets Pep!

[Pepe the Horseman]

We gon do some predictions?

Been looking at season bets Pep!

Fancy Cardiff to go down, but not sure other than that.

[Sanguine]

Plymouth also had a number of loan players who were regulars in their team, who aren't guaranteed to return.

This will be a lot of it. Loan centre-backs Mumba (Norwich) and Lonwijk (Wolves) were basically ever-present. Likewise Azaz in midfield (Villa) only missed a handful of games. And most of their goals have left the club. Sam Cosgrove (Birmingham), Morgan Whitaker (Swansea) and Azaz contributed 24 league goals between them, and Niall Ennis, who got 12, has left for Blackburn.

[NathStPaul]

Geoff Shreeves leaves Sky Sports after 30 years.

Sky are seriously revamping aren't they? They have let so many of the established football people go.

[Hendo]