Categories: uncategorized
Tags: millwall
Date: 22 March 2010 16:08:55
That previous post (itself rehash of something I wrote somewhere else) is really just put here as a backdrop to my rather fanciful late-season predictions for League One. Which are based on fifty years studied ignorance of football, about four years of watching the odd Millwall match on TV and one season of watching them at home, and a lot of eavesdropping on late-night pub gossip. So if you make any bets based on these forecasts, you are an idiot. I wrote these last week (before the very nice clutch of draws on Saturday 20th), but want to get them online before the Leeds Millwall match tonight. Which I fully expect Millwall to win. OK, maybe draw if they are lucky. Millwall always beat Leeds? Don't we? Automatic promotions: Norwich will continue to storm ahead and might well end up with over 100 points. The second place will be closely contested by Leeds, Colchester and Millwall, all in the high 80s. On current form my guess would be Leeds, but if Millwall can beat them at Elland Road tonight that might just dent their confidence enough. Colchester probably have the easiest set of late-season fixtures of the possible promotees. See previous post for why not Charlton. I think Swindon let in too many goals at home for them to be optimistic. Play-off places: two of Leeds, Colchester and Millwall; then probably Huddersfield & Swindon in the low 80s. I don't think Charlton can sustain their place up there with the form they have been showing, and there is an outside chance of MK Dons catching Huddersfield or maybe just possibly even Southampton (who are a clearly better team - probably better than any other in that league except Norwich and just possibly Leeds) Promotion Play-offs: From what I've seen this season I'm pretty sure Millwall have a good chance of handling any or all of Leeds, Huddersfield, and Charlton. So if Millwall are in the play-offs its an even bet between them and Colchester, or just maybe Swindon. If Millwall go up automatically, then the money for the play-off place has to go on Leeds, Though in the unlikely event that Southampton can force their way thirteen points up the table in ten games, they would probably be good enough to beat anyone. Relegation: Hartlepool, Wycombe, Tranmere, and Stockport. Southend and Exeter are seriously at risk but seem to have more going for them on the pitch than Tranmere, especially in away games. Brighton and Orient are safe now, and I think Brentford and Gillingham probably are too. Dunno about Oldham. Though the teams are so close together any of the bottom half of the table could still go down if they hit a bad patch, even Wallsall or Yeovil. So bottom line: Norwich, Leeds, and Millwall to go up. As for who they find when they get there, it looks very possible that Our Friends in the South, AKA Crystal Palace might be playing in Charlton next season after all, alongside Plymouth and Peterborough. But, of they don't, Portsmouth is coming down into the Championship from the Premier League and there is a good chance that West Ham will be with them. Portsmouth, West Ham, Cardiff, Leeds and Palace all being in the same league as Millwall gets close to the FA's worst crowd-control nightmare, so maybe Something Will Be Done. Some older and more paranoid Wall fans are convinced that we haven't been allowed to be promoted in past years. Then when Southampton, Brighton, and Charlton come up in 2011 we can rename it the South Eastern Happy Fans Football League. Or maybe the Palace? Palace? WTF is Palace? league.