Rob Wildey’s Monday Musings – pre-season prediction special
Hello again, welcome to Monday. I have been in Bulgaria so apologies if I seem depressed as the post-holiday blues kick-in.
The season is upon us and it is fair to say it was a pretty lacklustre pre-season. Neither Robert Tesche nor Diego Fabbrini held the Blues scarf aloft after putting pen-to-paper but we were given a Dutch maestro instead.
If Maikel Kieftenbeld can prove his worth, he may be the next Barry Horne. Certainly, the little glimpse I had of him against Leicester offered me hope.
And what about Jon Toral? The Arsenal loanee was nifty when he came on and, with a bit of luck, will leave defenders as on edge as Michael Barrymore`s pool attendant.
Despite the poor goals Blues have been conceding during pre-season, there is still hope that they can show a bit of solidity. After all, a back four which contains the blistering pace of Paul Caddis, Jonathan Grounds, Michael Morrison and Jonathan Spector is sure to be difficult to beat.
All the Bluenoses hoping for a marquee signing in the coming weeks may be left disappointed. Angel Di Maria opted for Paris over Brum and Lionel Messi has spoke of his reluctance to sit on the bench behind Andy Shinnie in the pecking order. I`m sure there may be a youngster from Forest Green Rovers we could bring in to get our hopes up.
In five days time, Blues take on Reading at the Theatre of Dreams in the campaign`s curtain raiser. But do we have a long season ahead, or do we have cause for optimism. My predictions for season ahead are below.
Premier League top four
Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City
Premier League bottom three
In no particular order – Bournemouth, Watford, Leicester
Championship
Winners – Derby
Second – QPR
Play Off`s – Middlesbrough, Fulham, Hull, Forest
Birmingham City
Blues will finish 10th
David Cotterill to score more goals than Demarai Gray
My four team accumulator challenge
During the coming season, I will be backing four teams to win EVERY week in an accumulator. The bet will only be placed during a full schedule of fixtures. My team`s are – Southampton, Blues, Doncaster, Notts County.
Of course, feel free to call me a prat. I may be horribly wrong. Don`t be scared to tell me via the comments section on this website. Or Tweet me (below).
Twitter @TheWildeyShow