[albion59]

Were you p****d? 

surprisingly no!!

[Rheneas]

Chief BBC Football correspondent Phil McNulty has us to finish 19th also. Citing Irvine and last season.

And McNulty is hardly one to overstate things. He's going by the evidence of last season and the fact that a ball hasn't been kicked this season.

I won't say he's right, but I can only start to get a picture of if he's wrong once we've had our first six games. To my mind they've always been crucial. It's clearly about points on the board by the end of September, but it's also about home the team is gelling, if Irvine's hacking it, and the mood around the ground.

I fear that this is going to be another 'interesting' season, when all I'd really like is a healthy season bobbing around mid-table.

[Hull Baggie]

I haven't got a problem with pundits tipping us for relegation really, we have to expect it. Along with the promoted teams (Burnley, Leicester and QPR), us Villa and Sunderland, as well as maybe Southampton, Swansea and Palace, have to expect it.

In fact, looking closer, you have to imagine QPR won't go down for a second time with the amount of quality in their side (not to mention having Loic Remy back alongside Caulker, Mutch and Isla) and Crystal Palace have bought very well and have a very solid manager. That leaves for me relegation being between Us, Burnley, Leicester, Villa, Swansea, Southampton and Sunderland.  3 out of 7 for sensible tipsters - and with our 17th place finish and the amount of players we have released, unknowns bought in and a manager with a very patchy record,  it is understandable for pundits to tip us.

What annoys me are the reasons these clowns give.

Paul Merson's reasons for tipping us highlight how s*** he is at punditing (and his past history tells us he is s*** at tipping as well ). I have also seen other pundits tip us for relegation based on us having signed, and I quote, "no quality" (Thanks Robbie Mustoe, ermmmm do you know any of the players we have signed and what they are like?), because "what they’ve done this summer, I can’t see how they’ve changed enough to stay up again" (Yeah Robbie Earle, because we haven't sold or released about 11 players, many of them first teamers, and we havent bought in 8 players with 2 or 3 more to follow)  and also because we had a bad season last year (but so did a number of clubs such as Sunderland and Swansea and I don't see that many tipping them for relegation, despite Sunderland's lack of a good strikeforce and Swansea's sales of many of their back bone players from previous years such as Michu, Hernandez and Vorm, as well as  having an inexperienced manager).

The reality is that many pundits, or those hilariously (and maybe ironically) named "football experts",  know not much more than your average fan, and only have the position because they were good at playing the game, rather than being able to read it. It's why I only really read them for entertainment purposes, rather than getting an interesting insight into the coming season. I don't think they matter any more than what anyone on here has to say.

Exactly, like you I expect us to be named as relegation candidates due to last season and us having an inexperienced coach but some of the reasons are bizarre....like Merson's
 Similarly some of the reasoning behind teams not being considered for relegation are just as weird. In yesterdays Metro an un-named pundit reckoned that Hull City are "part of the premier league furniture"....what after only ever having 3 previous seasons in the top flight and 4 seasons between those campaigns; finishing 16th last season, selling one of only 2 proper strikers they have and having a European campaign to contend with?

For me any side that finishes in the bottom half should be considered as a relegation candidate for the following season.

[labaggies]

Just had a serious bet that we will be relegated.

To me it's a sure thing, in the same way that Christmas will fall on December 25th.

All of this slagging off of so called experts is embarrassing, everyone has their opinion, and I agree with the majority, relegation for Albion.

Championship for Albion 2015-16.

[pete]

Just had a serious bet that we will be relegated.

To me it's a sure thing, in the same way that Christmas will fall on December 25th.

All of this slagging off of so called experts is embarrassing, everyone has their opinion, and I agree with the majority, relegation for Albion.

Championship for Albion 2015-16.

Hope you got 5/2 or better! 

[SmethDan]

Just had a serious bet that we will be relegated.

To me it's a sure thing, in the same way that Christmas will fall on December 25th.

All of this slagging off of so called experts is embarrassing, everyone has their opinion, and I agree with the majority, relegation for Albion.

Championship for Albion 2015-16.

Hope you get cleaned out.
 .