Hey guys. I posted my three-round mock a couple days back and it went pretty well. In doing so, I came with a big board and explanations for each player and I thought I would share to supplement it. It's a Top 53 big board; that number has nothing to do with NFL rosters or anything, it's just that's the point that I had to cut it off. I wanted to stop at an organic point that made sense. I'll also add comps to current NFL players for the most part.

Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State: What is there to say? He's the most dominant edge rusher I've seen in some time and has elite pass-rushing traits to pair with elite level production on the biggest stage in college. I guess he's a little one-dimensional at times but if I could just casually jog around opposing OTs, I wouldn't worry about my number of moves either. I'm not overthinking this. Pro Comp: Danielle Hunter
Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson: In the modern NFL, off-ball linebackers really aren't at a premium position and don't tend to be terribly difficult to replace in terms of production. That is not the case with Isaiah Simmons. A nightmare to block, create separation from, break a tackle from, or just generally gameplan against, I've never seen a defensive player at his size do what he can do athletically. I think he's a once-in-a-generation type of player and we should appreciate him while we have him. Pro Comp: I'm not even going to try
Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State: Jeff is one of the most pro-ready CBs I've seen come out in a while. Some have gotten on about his 40 time but I think that's wildly overblown. He excels in man coverage and is silky smooth and fluid. He plays high level, mistake-free football and cancels out anyone he's covering. He has the length and positional understanding to play zone as well making him very valuable to DCs running mix coverages. He has All-Pro potential. Pro Comp: Marshon Lattimore
Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn: If you're a stat whore, you are going to completely miss the appeal of Derrick Brown. For anyone who watched Auburn's defense last year, you know instantly the type of impact Derrick Brown has. He was able to blow up the run against constant double and sometimes triple teams often using nothing more than his brute force and sheer athleticism. He's never going to be a 6 sack per year guy, but that's not why he's on the field. He's one of those guys who "magically" makes everyone else's job easier. He sets 'em up, they knock him down. He won't go as high as #4, but there's no way he gets out of the top 10. Pro Comp: Linval Joseph
Joe Burrow, QB, LSU: I was one of the most skeptical Joe Burrow Stans at the beginning of the year. I refused to believe that same QB I watched in 2018 was any better than the year before, the new offense just made it easier to put up numbers. I watched every game from Florida onward and as much as I tried, it's been hard to pick him apart. He's really fucking good. He may not wow with any single trait except pinpoint accuracy and elite pocket presence, but he does everything at a very high level. Teammate quality be damned, Joe's the real deal. Pro Comp: Tony Romo
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma: CeeDee is one of those players that grows on you the more you watch him. He doesn't have elite speed, let's get that out of the way. But everything else he does at an elite level. He's a silky smooth route runner with a good catch radius and hangs on to nearly everything. I think a large part of Baker, Kyler, and Jalen's success has had some part to do because of how easy Lamb made it for them. His numbers don't pop out necessarily, but that's due to how Oklahoma plays. Make no mistake, he'll be a #1 for a long time. Pro Comp: Deandre Hopkins
Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa: I'll be honest, I really didn't get the Wirfs hype to start the season. The first game I watched was the Michigan game live and all I noticed was Nate Stanley getting the ball and then proceeding to run for his life every down. As I've watched more, I've noticed he was largely the only good thing about that OL. Hyper athletic, silky smooth in pass pro, and a nasty player in the run game, he's the entire package. I don't really care that he allowed 2 sacks last year or that he's only played RT; when you have the traits Wirfs does, you jump on it right away. Pro Comp: Lane Johnson
AJ Epenesa, DL, Iowa: Epenesa is one of the most misunderstood players in this draft. Any team that drafts him as a 3-4 edge rusher is going to be sorely disappointed when he becomes a (consistent) 7-8 sack per season kind of guy. Epenesa's best work comes on stunts and breaking down double teams on the inside to work his way to the QB. Players with his kind of power, speed, and length combination are rare. Play him on the edge at your own risk; play him inside at the 3 or 5T and you may have an All-Pro. Pro Comp: DeForest Buckner
Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama: After Wirfs, I think Wills has the highest ceiling out of all the tackles in this draft. I've actually followed Wills since he was tearing up the Lexington high school scene in Kentucky and his progression has been insAane. He continues to get leaps and bounds better every season. Always a very physical player in the run game, he's been very good in the pass game on his way to allowing just one sack last year. He didn't always face the opposition's best rusher, but it doesn't matter. Projecting to LT shouldn't be a problem. Pro Comp: Taylor Lewan
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama: Jeudy is arguably the most established collegiate receiver in this draft. The 2018 Biletnikoff winner has had a ton of hype around him even before Tua won the starting job at Alabama. An unreal route runner with a sneaky gear change in his acceleration, he's certainly a threat to take it to the house on every play. I have questions about his play strength and his ability to win outside against the NFL's best, but we'll let his unbelievable production against the SEC's best CBs speak for itself. Pro Comp: Amari Cooper
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama: Tua has to be the most famous player in the draft, right? There's good reason for it: he's put together arguably the greatest statistical two-year run of any college QB since what? Tim Tebow? Ever? He's small in stature but makes up for it with a quick release, good footwork, insane deep ball accuracy, and fantastic timing. There are obviously concerns about his injury history but people bring up valid complaints against his composure playing from behind and his ability to compete without elite supporting members. I won't dismiss them, but they're certainly not enough to knock him any lower. Pro Comp: Drew Brees
Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina: There may not be a more imposing physical specimen outside the Top 5 than Javon Kinlaw. Standing 6'5" and 325 (the same size as Derrick Brown) but moving like a defensive end, Kinlaw is a matchup nightmare for anyone on the interior OL. He is tenacious in getting into the backfield and has been productive as a pass rusher. I question his effort and consistency in production at times but not to the point that it's a major problem. If he can keep that motor on even 15% more often, he's going to be hard to pass up. Pro Comp: Chris Jones
Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia: AT has to be one of the safest picks in this entire draft. A multi-year starter at LT for the Dawgs, he's been consistent in pass protection and very physical in the run game throughout his time. I think he lacks the foot speed to excel against the absolute fastest speed rushers but he has very good technique and does little poorly. He may never been a top 5 OT but he'll be a left tackle you won't have to worry about replacing for 10 years. Pro Comp: Mitchell Schwartz
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin: Taylor has been a workhorse at Wisconsin the last 3 years as they continue to churn out yet another elite RB. Superficial scouts may see a 4.39 and think he's just a speed runner but he's much more. Very physical, hard to tackle, fantastic balance and vision, and developed nicely in 2019 in the pass game, he's become a do it all back. I'm personally not worried about the workload and I think you take the best back first. That shouldn't be controversial. They don't make many like JT and we may look back and wonder why we didn't put him in the conversation with Zeke, Saquon, and Fournette. Pro Comp: Adrian Peterson
Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma: In another draft where you didn't have some superhuman lab creature ahead of him, Murray would be getting a lot of attention for his play at linebacker. Far more than just a mike/sam who can play downhill, Murray is a very effective pass rusher and has all the twitch you need to be successful covering RBs and TEs to boot. Having been the pulse of an improved Oklahoma defense over the past season, a lot of that starts with Murray. Pro Comp: Demario Davis
Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State: One of the currently most slept on edge rushers in the class in my opinion. Many will cite YGM's lack of discipline in the run game but I think it's well overblown. He sets a very good edge when he's patient and has arguably the best size/speed/power combo outside of Chase Young. There isn't a more consistently productive edge rusher in this class at the P5 level despite drawing lots of attention from teams all year long. I really hope people keep sleeping on him because he fits my Titans perfect at #29. I think GM's will wise up by April though. Pro Comp: Chandler Jones
Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama: I have been one of Ruggs' most vocal critics over the past few months as I was curious how fast he actually was. I had a strong feeling he wouldn't break the record but I though anything between 4.28 and 4.35 was in play. He exceeded those expectations. I still think he may be relegated to the slot often and I question his ability to win outside and grow on his limited production. He has insanely quick feet to match that top end speed, though, and has done a good job hanging onto the football. Ultimately, dude's fast. And speed sells. Pro Comp: Desean Jackson
K'Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU: Chaisson is one of the most intriguing prospects in this draft to me. There might not be a rusher that is more disruptive in terms of just running at you and beating you after Chase. Injuries have slowed him down and he didn't really produce until midway through the season. He finished very strong, though, and I would bet on him to continue that trend in the league. His athletic gifts are undeniable and will give him continued opportunities to succeed. Pro Comp: Shaquil Barrett
Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama: Brother of Stefon, Diggs clearly has some of the good family genes in him. His ball skills are possibly his best attribute and he attacks the ball like a wide receiver. Beyond that, he has all the measurables you want with great size and length and good speed for the position. He's tailor-made to play outside and has a good punch and is sticky in man coverage. People cite how JaMarr Chase wrecked him, and he did. But Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase wrecked everyone and that's a high standard to hold him to. Ultimately, he's coming off a great year and will be a great press-man CB at the next level. Pro Comp: Xavier Rhodes (before he sucked)
Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU: Coming off a fantastic year on the title-winning Tigers team, Jefferson has gained a lot of notoriety since December. Thanks to three high level postseason games- where he racked up 30 catches for 448 yards and 5 TDs- and a very good combine performance, JJ is skyrocketing up boards. What people forget though is that he's been doing it all year. He's got great size and uses it very well attacking the ball aggressively (he won a ridiculous 92% of contested catches last year, almost double any other receiver in the class) and rarely drops passes. He has very good top speed, is a smooth route runner, and has a good release. Sure, he only ran at #2 CBs for a lot of the year, but he is a ridiculously complete receiver and, honestly, I may have him too low. Pro Comp: AJ Green
CJ Henderson, CB, Florida: Henderson is one of my favorite CB prospects in this draft and the sky is the limit on his potential. Often lumped together with failed Florida CBs of yesteryear (Quincy Wilson, Hargreaves, Teez Tabor, etc), it's foolish to gloss over this guy. He's an absolutely unreal springy, twitchy athlete with all the size and length you could want. He does a great job staying in front of 90% of plays and has the make-up speed you want in your OCB. He delivers a great hit when running downhill as well. You may knock him due to some big plays allowed in 2019, which he needs to correct, but is due partially to randomness, IMO. If he averages anywhere close to his 2018 play, he'll be a great pickup at #21. Pro Comp: Marlon Humphrey
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson: Higgins has been one of the most productive receivers in CFB over the last 3 years and has made life very difficult for opposing CBs. Using his impressive size constantly to his advantage, he's an elite jump ball winner and an eraser for inaccurate QBs. I have questions over his top speed after he declined to run at the combine, but he certainly looks fast enough to get the job done in the NFL. He doesn't always separate but when you have the catch radius and sticky hands he does, you can get away with it. He'll never be the best receiver in the league but he's very safe and you'll never have to doubt having an option on the outside. Pro Comp: Mike Williams
Josh Jones, OT, Houston: I'm a big Josh Jones Stan as well. At Houston, he excelled in both pass protection and run blocking on a team that didn't have much to play for early on in the year. He's a pretty athletic tackle prospect with an opportunity to play at either spot. He needs to improve his anchor to not get off balance but I think experience and anticipation will help. I think people saying he's this year's Andre Dillard may be right; he doesn't have the highest pedigree but when you have a guy that big who can play like he does, you take him. Pro Comp: Jake Matthews
Zack Baun, OLB, Wisconsin: Baun may not be the most naturally gifted athletes but he's one of the most productive defenders in this class for good reason. He's a very complete defender who excels at doing a variety of things. Largely ask to play as an edge rusher at Wisconsin (but off-ball as well), he is exceptional at getting after the passer. He came in light to the combine all but confirming the move to OLB, but a team wanting to use him like Seattle used Bruce Irvin could see a lot of success. He has good instincts, a few good rush moves, and is fast enough to cover out of the backfield. Some say he's a so-so tackler but I haven't seen it. Take him and be prepared to get a little creative. Pro Comp: Clay Matthews
JK Dobbins, RB, Ohio State: What a career Dobbins has had at OSU. Two years ago he was already on draft boards as a potential scat back in the NFL. After a not-as-hoped progression in '18, he really showed his colors last year. Dobbins has developed into an electric and dominant runner who excels at finding a crease and smacking the hole. He ran like a man possessed this year on his way to a 2,000 yard and 21 TD season. He still retains that scat back ability though, flipping out of the backfield to constantly hoard free yards by being a nightmare for opposing LBs. He's a little undersized but he's bulked up in recent years. And his breakaway speed is may not as good as you'd think. But he's a wicked player and will have a long career. Pro Comp: Dalvin Cook
Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU: I was a critic of Fulton early on in the evaluation process but he's slowly started to prove me wrong. Besides a tough game against a very potent pass attack in Clemson and a so-so one against Alabama, Fulton was one of the best lock-down CBs all year. He had one of the best pass-defense ratings in CFB all year. The large questions for me around Fulton have to do with him staying in front of the football. He didn't seem to get his head turned around quick enough on film and that gives me pause for someone moving on to the next level. Still, he did it against CFB's best last year and he certainly has the speed to do it. A little undersized, he still has a good press and will be successful. He reminds me of another LSU CB who came out a couple years ago with similar concerns. Pro Comp: Tre'Davious White
Patrick Queen, ILB, LSU: Arguably no player improved their stock more through the national championship game than Patrick Queen. On many radars already, he exploded onto the scene after they called his name again and again against the nation's best. A very physical mike linebacker who loves playing downhill, he possesses elite athletic traits you want in a modern linebacker and delivers a ferocious boom when he times it right. He struggles with gambling at times, though he will develop as he becomes more experienced. Discipline can be taught, but that type of athleticism can't. Pro Comp: Rashaan Evans
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor: After an extremely impressive combine, Denzel Mims is rapidly ascending draft boards across America right now. If you weren't already looking, though, that's on you. After putting up nearly 3,000 yards the last 3 seasons at Baylor, Mims has been one of the most established threats in the Big12 for a while. A very long receiver with obviously great top speed and a great catch radius, there's very little that Mims can't do. There's very few receivers who come into the draft so pro-ready as blockers as well. I have concerns about his drop rate (8% is a little high) but he was reliable in 2019 and I forsee that not being a big issue in the leauge. Pro Comp: DeVante Parker
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon: Herbert has been one of the most polarizing prospects throughout this past season. Depending on who you ask, what he was able to achieve at Oregon may be very impressive or somewhat underwhelming. Same for his performance at the Senior Bowl. I don't feel as strongly, but I don't think Herbert will be a top 10 QB. He has the tools: a very good arm, good mobility, solid mechanics, is accurate for the most part. But, as many note, the game still looks like it moves too fast for Herbert. He's slow to process a lot of reads and struggles under pressure at times. I don't think he'll be horrible, for the record, and I think he has a big will to win. He's still worth a top 10 pick for a QB-needy team because he can lead a lot of teams to very be successful. But for all his good traits, there's just obviously something missing and I'm not sure if he'll ever acquire it. Higher floor, but lower ceiling than many think. Pro Comp: Sam Darnold
Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama: McKinney moves on from a great career at Alabama as a hyper-athletic, hard-hitting safety who finds the ball well. Don't let his combine fool you: he's much faster than 4.6. In a class where there aren't any great surefire safety prospects, McKinney will make some team very happy with his consistency in play. He needs to get better in coverage but he's the level of athlete that you believe it's teachable. He's not the sexiest pick but you can count on him as a good, versatile safety for years to come. Pro Comp: Shawn Williams
D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia: Many may scoff that I have Swift as the RB3 in this class but I still have him as one of the best 32 players. It's a testament to the depth of this class. Swift played in tandem with a combination of Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, and Elijah Holyfield for his first 2 seasons but really burst onto the scene as the guy in '19. He's a very twitchy, patient back who is expertly able to make defenders looked stupid with some violent cuts and spins. He's a very good back catching balls out the backfield and one of the best route runners in the class. Less so than the others, he doesn't have one thing that I think he's elite at but he does everything proficiently. It doesn't matter as much to me, but some teams will fall in love with the fact that he's only seen 400-odd touches in college, too. I don't think he's dominant, but he's certainly a feature back for most teams in the league. Pro Comp: Miles Sanders
Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame: There's our first TE on the board. When I watched through Kmet's tape at first, I'll be honest: I was a little bored. Kmet isn't exactly the flashiest player in this class and you won't see him wowing fans week-after-week with highlight plays. He is, though, extremely polished coming into the league. He obviously very big and moves well for his size. He's very sure-handed and is a very good in-line blocker. He only burst onto the scene this season, so there will be some doubts whether he can keep it up. But if you want sound TE play and a guy that just quietly does what you need him to, he's your man. Pro Comp: Mark Andrews
Grant Delpit, S, LSU: I really feel for Grant Delpit because it's very tough to go from a top 5-10 pick to a fringe first rounder. He hasn't done himself any favors this year, though. Infamous for many missed tackles this year, he also didn't flex his incredible ball skills the way he did in '18 and struggled with a nagging ankle injury. Despite all of this, he's still one of the best athletes in the draft and has all the size you want for someone playing safety. He's rangy with good make-up speed and still can deliver a pop when he does find the ball carrier. For all his problems tackling, I don't see it as an effort problem and that's important to note. He may hurt you, but he's also worth a significant gamble and can be a perennial Pro-Bowler. Pro Comp: Marcus Williams
Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame: Chase is one of my draft crushes since the middle of the season. If you want to watch a guy take over, just watch his 4th quarter performance against a good Virginia Tech secondary (I think it was before their starter got hurt). Claypool is a big guy for the position but I was stunned when he came in at 238. Still, he moves very fluidly and has great hands. He's an underrated route runner with great YAC ability. Of course, he also uses his size very well and is a proficient jump ball winner. I have questions about his hands in the past but in 2019 he was reliable. He was the only offensive threat and helped carry that Notre Dame offense to a 11-2 record. He needs a little polish but his God-given ability is off the charts. Pro Comp: Kenny Golladay
Mehki Becton, OT, Louisville: Becton is an absolute freak. A guy standing at 365 lbs has no business running a 5.1 forty. That's just stupid. He paved the way well all year for a resurgent Louisville rushing attack and just moved guys as he wanted all year long. You also can't help but notice how well he moves for his size: he won't win Dancing with the Stars, but he he's got good footwork. The only issue I have with Mehki lies in his effort/conditioning. It's hard to tell if he took some plays off because he was gassed or if it was because he didn't have effort, but he can't do that in the NFL. He may also struggle with the absolute best speed rushers. But guys with his size, quickness, and long arms are rare. He's still likely a first rounder. Pro Comp: Donovan Smith
Terrell Lewis, EDGE, Alabama: Terrell Lewis is a lab-creation on the edge. The blend of his length, speed, and power is special. On his day, he is able to effortlessly glide through, around, over, etc opposing tackles at will. He struggled in the 2nd half of the season for Alabama and failed to register a sack after the Tennessee game. He plays undisciplined often and shows a poor repertoire of counters when his first move doesn't work. He weighs in well but is very lanky and looks very thin out there. He's missed a lot of time due to injury in his career each season he's played. It doesn't matter. When Lewis gets downhill and gets a step to a tackle, it's over. He's not my favorite prospect and comes with much risk, but there's no denying his top level ability if he can grow and stay healthy. Pro Comp: Montez Sweat
James Lynch, IDL, Baylor: I'm one of the biggest James Lynch fans in this draft. Lynch may not have the athletic profile of some of the other players on this list but by George is he not one of the most effective and refined players you have to choose from. After bursting on the scene as the best player on a dominant Baylor defense in 2019, he was a load to handle in the middle for opposing defense all year on his way to 13 sacks. He has a nasty initial punch that takes guards off balance and lives in the backfield. He won't get that at the NFL but for a 3 or 5 technique, he'll excel and is a very balanced defender. Very high floor on this one. Pro Comp: Cam Heyward
Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma: On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have an absolute freak in Neville Gallimore. Gallimore was able to shed 30 lbs last offseason to transition from a nose tackle to a more effective 3T and boy did it pay off. He was good before but he looked much more explosive this season and that showed through at the combine. Able to use his elite get off to get you off balance and his natural power to push through, he was able to live in the backfield. His only questions lie in the consistency of his effort. But if he can find another level in his motor and continue to condition, the sky's the limit. Able to play either a 3T or shade nose position at the next level easily. Pro Comp: Kenny Clark
Michael Pittman, WR, USC: Sometimes being an elite football player is just in your DNA. Pittman was a star at USC this past season after the team was relegated to their 3rd(?) starting QB early in the year. Slovis played well but it was in no small part to Pittman. Making highlight catch after highlight catch, he also wowed me with his quick feet and ability to get separation as well. He has an incredible contested catch rate and rarely drops the ball, creating a formula that makes almost any receiver successful in the league. There will be some questions about PAC12 DBs he faced, but it's silly. Pittman is one of my favorite receivers in the draft and wherever he lands in the 2nd round will be getting a steal. Pro Comp: Mike Evans
Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU: Ross has been a nfl_draft favorite for several months now but his stock in the public eye is finally starting to match perception. Blacklock excelled as a 3T at TCU last season and was able to use his tremendous athleticism to get in the backfield. He's very natural as a pass rusher and when he beats the guard to the first step, he's gone. A little small, he does get off balance at times. And there will be some concerns about injuries that have derailed him in the past. Still, when he's on his game, there are few better. Now that I think about it, I feel sorry for the talent that Big 12 guards saw last year. Pro Comp: Larry Ogunjobi
Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU: Another Horned Frog makes his way onto the board here and it's for good reason. Despite his size, Gladney feasted last year with TCU on his way to a productive 2019 campaign. A very intelligent player with very good speed, it takes quite a bit to get past Gladney in either man or zone. There will be some concerns whether his lack of size will keep him from playing OCB in the NFL but smaller CBs have done it and regardless there is a great future for him in the nickel as well. Physical and consistent, there's always a place for those CBs. A so-so combine doesn't deter me. Pro Comp: Kyle Fuller
Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M: I. Love. Madubuike. My board is mostly set but he may continue to go up because the more I watch, the more I love. The guy has elite get off on the defensive line and has elite production in the SEC to match. 11 sacks and 20 TFL in the last 2 seasons is nothing to sniff at. He uses his great burst and mean punch to quickly accelerate past guards like they're not there. He's an efficient run defender and a great pass rusher. He needs to improve his work against double teams and add some to his frame but come on. The guy's a stud. Pro Comp: Gerald McCoy
Ashtyn Davis, S, California: Another favorite of people on the sub, Ashtyn Davis has everything you could want out of a prospect. To match his top-level athleticism, he's a safety with great instincts and ball-skills with very high character that appears very coachable. I have soft spot for former walk-ons and he's one of those guys that's grinded to get where he is. He has good size, to boot. He doesn't have many primary areas he struggles with but he can continue to develop against the run. He's a guy that can certainly sneak into the first round if the right team lands in the right situation. Pro Comp: Kevin Byard
Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU: The 3rd Horned Frog in 5 spots, but Reagor finally settles in. I was a huge fan of Reagor when I started on the film and it's hard not to notice his incredible burst and top speed. Some will cite his so-so combine but I have no problem believing he's much faster than that. IMO, there's two things that separate Reagor from your traditional speed-demon prospect. First, he is one of the better 50/50 ball winners in this class and that's saying something. He has not let his height/weight keep him from attacking the ball catching it at full extension. Second, he is an extremely poor cutter for his natural speed. There's a lot of wasted movement and he nukes his own acceleration. Looks a little uncoordinated even. Still, he has a future in this league even with his limited route tree and drop problems. You can't take your eyes off him for one second. Pro Comp: DK Metcalf, minus a few inches
Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado: Very receivers in CFB the last two years have been as electric as Laviska Shenault. Able to play out wide, out of the slot, out of the backfield, or even in the wildcat, Viska uses his large frame and athleticism to power through defenders at will. As a receiver, he lacks quite a bit of polish. His route running can be sloppy and his hands can be questionable. But his YAC and running ability in general will keep him in the league for a long time. He's the type of guy you want to get the ball in space and let him go. Tackle at your own risk. Pro Comp: AJ Brown
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State: The last in a very difficult group of WRs for me to sort through, Aiyuk isn't far behind the others. After coming through the junior college ranks, Aiyuk burst onto the scene for ASU posting nearly 1200 yards and 8 TDs last year with an absolutely stupid 18 yards per catch. He is able to beat press on the outside (if you can get your hands on him) and use his incredible speed and acceleration to glide in between defenders rather effortlessly. He's pretty sure handed, though I wouldn't bank on him to go for many jump balls. Still, even if in the slot, Aiyuk will be a problem for opposing DCs for several years due to his ability to break one at any given time. He's a top 20 pick in most drafts. Pro Comp: DJ Moore
AJ Terrell, CB, Clemson: AJ is another in a long line of Clemson CBs that are really great on paper but on tape you just don't know about. Few had a more impressive showing at the combine and he assured scouts of his legit OCB size to match with elite athleticism. On film, he shows to be a very willing tackler and can deliver some pop on unsuspecting ball carriers. Still, you have to worry about Terrell as a gambler at times and he does seem to get lost in coverage. He was beat pretty badly in the NCG but I don't hold that against him. Ultimately, I think his level of play held him back and I'm confident he can adapt at the next level. Whether he will is up to him but there's no doubt he has all the tools to do it. Pro Comp: Byron Jones
Albert Okwuegbuman, TE, Missouri: The Big O was arguably the most heralded TE prospect coming into the past season but, like many flashy players before, he was exposed a little on film throughout the year. An absolute terror in the red zone with incredible big-play ability and obviously elite top-end athleticism, Albert has a lot of traits you want in a feature TE. He is, of course, a very inconsistent blocker and his lack of effort at times is concerning. There's no reason a TE that big and that athletic doesn't dominate on every play. You put Kmet in Albert O's body and you have a top 10 pick. Still, you have to hope the right coaches and environment can bring the best out of him. I wouldn't want to line up across from him on any given play. Pro Comp: Jimmy Graham
Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne: Dugger is one of the great mysteries of the draft to me. Coming from a D2 school where he looked like Ed Reed playing against Pop Warner kids, it's really hard to judge how good this guy actually is. He had a great combine and that was one of the first benchmarks I needed to see him hit. He measured well, ran well. He clearly has good ball skills and has big plus upside as a return man at the next level. He's very powerful and used his size well. It's hard to say much more because right now he's mostly a blank canvas. But he's an incredible athlete and we could be talking about a future Pro Bowler. Pro Comp: Rayshawn Jenkins
Cesar Ruiz, IOL, Michigan: Our first interior lineman sneaks on the board and it's well deserved. Cesar Ruiz starred in the middle of the Michigan OL the past couple seasons and is known for his consistency. He may not wow you with his athleticism but he's a very willing run block and very consistent pass protector. He's a cerebral player in the middle who plays very physically. It may not sound like the most glowing recommendation, but consistency is what you want the most from your interior lineman. He has as good a shot as any player to be a consistent Pro-Bowler. Pro Comp: Rodney Hudson
Kenny Willekes, EDGE, Michigan State: One of my favorite prospects in an otherwise rough edge class. Another former walk-on for MSU, Willekes has been one of the most productive edge defenders the last 3 seasons on his way to 50(!) TFLs and 23.5 sacks. Knocked for his athleticism, I don't totally understand why. He looks a little slow footed at times but at others is quick to blow right through tackles and even tight ends. He's very disciplined in the run game and his sack totals have gotten better each season. He's an absolute terror to block and projects best as 3-4 strong-side OLB. Pass on him because of his size if you want, I hope he suits up for my team next year. Pro Comp: Jordan Jenkins
Antoine Winfield, S, Minnesota: He may be pint-sized but he packs a mean punch. Playing safety for the Golden Gophers the last 4 season, Winfield burst on the scene this year after recording 7 picks on the year. Despite his small stature, he is not afraid to deliver some physical hits and plays very downhill. He excels in zone coverage but isn't to be picked on in man either and has little trouble reading the play. I have questions about how he will hold up after injuries derailed his previous two seasons, but he has football in is blood. I don't know if he'll hold up in the league, but he'll be damn good when he's out there. Pro Comp: Tyrann Mathieu
Julian Okwara, EDGE, Notre Dame: The last on the list is an explosive edge rusher who comes downhill as well as on the list. I am pretty critical of Okwara's lack of production- just 15 sacks and 20 TFLs in the last 3 seasons- and 2019 wasn't his best. He struggles to stay on the field. He gets stonewalled too easily. But when you turn on the tape, you know why he's so highly sought after. When he gets going at tough speed, you can't adjust to him. You almost can't see him coming. There's nothing gradual to his game. He either gets there quickly, or he doesn't at all. He needs to work hard on adding counters and becoming more physical. But if he can supplement that at all, he can be a dangerous pass rusher in the NFL. Pro Comp: Harold Landry

That's it guys. Hope you can glean something from it. Let me know where I screwed up in the comments. Lol. Cheers.

Got sacked. Need to cry and move on.

[Pre match thread] Luton Town vs Middlesborough

/r/Championship's Championship club by club season preview - part 1!

Part 2 here - Part 3 here - Part 4 here

On Friday at 8pm UK time, Reading and Derby County will kick off the 127^th season of the English second division - also known as the Championship! 24 clubs will compete for 3 promotion spots to the Premier league (2 via automatic promotion and 1 via playoffs) and to avoid the 3 relegation spots to the third tier a.k.a League One.

Its looking like a really tight and competitive season. The league is absolutely full of ambitious player and managerial talent - the more time goes by the more it looks like a Premier League 2. If you want a competitive league with proper English football, that also has the spice of skilful players and forward thinking managers, it really is the place to go.

This is guide written by the fans who have come together on /Championship - an absolutely huge thanks to them. Do check out the sub, we try to keep it a good place to discuss the EFL, away from the rancid gloryhunting shithole that is /soccer (just kidding - I like this place). Lots going on, including a score predictor thread which is running all season.

This guide is in table order with the PL demoted sides first. Only 5 clubs today (because the Swansea one is a fucking novel and I can't fit any more in), the rest will be submitted tomorrow and Friday. Do bare in mind that not all the transfer news will be up to date as these guides were largely written a week ago. Point out to me if there are any clear errors with formatting or spelling.

Championship info, links and media

/Championship's 17/18 player of the season review

Season previews: The Guardian | Sky Sports | The Mirror
EFL focused podcasts: Not the Top 20 | The Totally Football League Show
The 17/18 table - Wolves, Cardiff and Fulham went up. Barnsley, Burton and Sunderland went down. This season West Brom, Swansea and Stoke join from the PL and Wigan, Blackburn and Rotherham join from League 1.
These are the bookies' favourites for promotion (via Oddschecker):

Club	Odds
Stoke	2.75
Middlesbrough	4
West Brom	4
Nottingham Forest	4.5
Leeds	4.75
Swansea	5

And relegation:

Club	Odds
Rotherham	2.2
Bolton	2.25
Ipswich	4.5
Reading	5
QPR	6
Hull	6

How to watch in the UK: Live rights are owned by Sky Sports. They are upping the number of televised matches this season. Reading v Derby on Friday is televised. The weekly highlights show previously on Channel 5 is moving to Quest TV, which apparently is on Freeview.
How to watch abroad: Depends, but in most territories, the iFollow Service is available, which is £110 to watch all a single club's matches. Bargain. I think the clubs that aren't on iFollow have their own similar streaming services.
Check out club Youtube channels - quite a few of them post extended highlights now with their own commentary, including Derby, Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday, Brentford and more. (You may need VPN to watch if you're abroad.)

Swansea City by RafiakaMacakaDirk and my_knob_is_gr8

Location: Swansea, Wales
Nickname: Swans, The Jacks
Major honours: Football League Cup (2013), Championship Play-off Winner (2011), League One Winners (1925, 1949, 2008)
17/18 finishing postion: 18th (Premier League)
Transfermarkt squad value: €115.5 mil NOTE: This number is as of July 22nd, when we still have Mawson (€15 mil), A. Ayew (€15 mil), Bony (€10 mil), Clucas (€8 mil) and Fernandez (€8 mil), who are all pretty much expected to be sold, or loaned out, before the season starts. Without all of these players except Bony (who's injured for a while so it makes it unlikely he'll be sold soon), the squad value would be around €70 mil.
Manager: Graham Potter joined the Swans on 11th June 2018. In 2010, he became head coach of Östersund, who were in the fourth tier of Swedish football. 5 years later, he got the club promoted into the Swedish top flight and in 2017, they won Svenska Cupen which qualified them for the Europa League where they managed to get through the group stage. He’s been applauded for what he did at Östersund and the way he managed to build the club up from nothing. The year after his success in the Europa league he signed a 3 year contract with Swansea.
Potter is well respected by The Swans and after a few years of poor managerial and financial decisions his appointment is seen as a step in the right direction to bringing us back to our old ways of being a well-run club. Potter has been recognised for his "progressive" and "unconventional" coaching methods. At Östersund, he encouraged his players and staff to engage in community activities, such as performing in theatre and music productions which was designed to take them out of their comfort zone. Potter describes his style of football on the pitch as "tactically flexible, attacking, and possession-based". At Östersund, he deployed a flexible 3–5–2 formation centred on ball possession.
Best player(s)/ talisman:With many of our best players being rumoured with a move away what good players that remain at the start of the season is yet to be seen.
Alfie Mawson is probably our standout player. He’s been amazing for us since we got him and was a bargain at about £3m. He’s great in the air and is just an all round tank. Keeping him will be a huge boost for us and should be solid in the championship.
Federico "El Pajaro" Fernandez has also been strong at the back with Alfie. The pair played with each other for the majority of last season and together became a solid unit. We will most likely sell him to reduce wages though.
Jordan Ayew put in a great shift last season and was our top goal scorer. His work rate was immense and was able to drop back and defend when needed. He’s fast, able to beat a man and a decent finisher. Sadly all these players are transfer targets for other clubs and might not even be here at the start of the season. If we can keep a lot of our players we should have a decent season but who knows who'll be left by the end of the window…
Rising star: Swansea’s U23 had a great season last year and with Potter wanting a young and fresh squad, a handful have moved up into the first team.
Our standout youngster, Oliver McBurnie, joined Barnsley on loan in January last season where he went on to win a Championship player of the month award after 6 goals in 8 games and went on to win Barnsley’s Player of the year award. While only 22, he’s struggled to break into our first team but will most likely be our main striker for the coming season. Be on the lookout for his long legs, miniature shinpads and ridiculous sock length! LEGS LEGS LEGS!!!
Connor Roberts performed well at RB last season and adapted quickly to the premier league where he battled Kyle Naughton to be in the starting line up and did great when given the chance. Decent at going forward and professional at the back. Hopefully potter puts him ahead of Naughton.
What happened last season?: What Happened last season?: After our great escape the season before and with Paul Clement at the helm there was optimism that the 17/18 season could be our turning point where we start rebuilding 'The Swansea Way". How wrong we were.
After a disastrous transfer window where we sold Sigurdsson and never replaced him and started panic buying the week before the transfer window closed we were left an obvious hole in our team. We had no creativity in midfield and no one could kick the ball into the box to save their life. And just to rub it in further Renato Sanches turned out to be more disappointing than Bob Bradley. With the team sitting bottom of the table Clement was sacked in late December.
Then along came the wise talking Carlos Carvalhal who managed to rebuild the confidence the team had lost. Our results took a turn for the good, beating Liverpool, Arsenal, Burnley and West Ham consecutively at home. He pulled us out of the relegation zone and things were looking good. However, the good times were quickly followed by the bad times. Our form turned and we didn’t win a single one of our last 9 matches. We were quickly relegated after pitifully losing to both Southampton and Stoke in our last 2 games of the season.
Highlights (Or lowlights):
The pass by Renato Sanches that summed up his and our season
Swansea City 3-1 Arsenal
Summer transfer business (so far): At the end of last season, it was clear we needed several transfers, both in and out. However, this would all depend on the manager we got.
Yan Dhanda (Free, Liverpool): A 19 year-old Midfielder, Yan Dhanda left Liverpool this summer and joined the Swans in a free, before we even hired Graham Potter. At one time one of the most promosing youngsters in Liverpool's Academy, injuries slowed down his progress, and ultimately made him fall behind other players. Citing lack of first-team playing time, Dhanda decided to join us this summer in hopes of getting regular playing time in the senior squad. Through 3 pre-season games, Dhanda has been one of the brighest and most impressive players in the squad, even scoring a game-winning goal and smashing a penalty in a shootout against Genoa. With our current injuries and shenanigans involved in our midfield, Dhanda has a good chance of becoming a starter and hopefully guide our midfield during the season.
Jordi Govea (Free, Real Madrid): Another 19 year-old from Ecuador, Jordi was the first signing under Potter. Not much can be said about the lad, but this is what Real Madrid had as his bio:

Jordi is an Ecuadorian defender who possess three key qualities for a player in his position: he's skilful, is able to go past a player and has a good shot on him. He's left footed and is able to send in good crosses on the run.

With Martin Olsson currently as our starting LB, and Kyle Naughton as the backup, the hope is that Jordi can develop on our U-23 squad and hopefully move up to the senior squad in coming years. Also the only man I've seen do a medical while wearing jeans (https://twitter.com/SwansOfficial/status/1015251916132057089)
Joel Asoro (€2 mil., Sunderland): Yet another 19 year-old, a Swedish winger who has represented his country in the younger levels, he was Potter's first senior signing. With world-class speed, and some impressive skills, Asoro was able to score 3 goals and get 2 assists last season in 26 apperances for Sunderland. While these numbers may seem a bit disappointing, many of these games were sub appearances on a very dysfunctional team. Along with Dhanda, Asoro has been one of the most impressive players during preseason, constantly beating his man with either speed or skills, and whipping in good balls to Legs. At the current rate, Asoro appears to have a good chance of starting on the right wing spot, with Nathan Dyer and Luciano Narsingh backing him up.
Predicted starting XI: NOTE: This is gonna be assuming Mawson, A. Ayew, Clucas, and Fernandez are all sold by the start of the season. If by some reason they end up staying, they are pretty much guaranteed to start. Based on the pre-season games so far, a lineup looking like this would be plausible, with Rodon most likely to be replaced by a CB (possibly Scott McKenna) when we buy one. Our second unit is looking something like this.
Best case scenario: Graham Potter is able to motivate and make sure our senior players (Fer, Carroll, etc.) stay fit, along with our youngsters being able to make an impact as expected, and also we retain Mawson, Fernandez, and Clucas, we can finish in the top 2 and get promoted automatically.
Worst case scenario: Our worst case scenario, and something many of us fear of happening, consists of primarily 3 things. 1. Graham Potter isn't given enough time to build an identity with our squad and is sacked by the midway point of the season by the greedy, dumb American owners. . 2. We end up not replacing the players we sold properly like last summer, therefore having a squad with holes everywhere and no chemistry. 3. Our youngsters such as Asoro, McBurnie, Dhanda and company don't pan out and progress at all, thefore becoming mediocre players. This would all culminate in us looking like Sunderland, and making relegation a probability.
Prediction: Realistically I see us selling Mawson and company in the last days before the season starts and not replacing them properly until later on. Because of this, as well as our current injuries with Fer and Clucas, I can see us initially struggling to build an identity but over time, we will start playing like Potter wants us and finishing the season strongly.
8th place, missing the play-offs by 4 points
What will happen to your closest rivals?: The scum that is known as Cardiff City will break the record for lowest points ever accumulated in a Premier League season, getting 5 points all from draws, and will therefore get relegated with 17 games to spare.

West Bromwich Albion by Joelwba

Location: The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, West Midlands
Nickname: The Baggies, The Throstles
Major honours: 1x League title, 1x League Cup, 5x FA Cup
17/18 finishing postion: 20th in Premier League (relegated)
Transfermarkt squad value: £101.16m
Manager: Darren Moore or Big Dave as he's known to Albion fans. A club icon as a player in the early 2000s, he returned to look after our U23 squad before being promoted to assistant manager by Alan Pardew in January. Following the end of Pardew's horrific reign, Moore took temporary charge with Albion facing inevitable relegation. He led us to wins over Newcastle, Spurs, Man Utd and a draw with Liverpool, somehow taking our futile battle for survival to the final week of the season. Following this he earned the head coach role permanently. Moore is loved among the Albion faithful, largely due to his reputation as a player here. He heavily favours a 4-4-2 formation and at the back end of last season, tended to soak up pressure and play on the counter attack. It will be interesting to see how his approach differs in a league where we are one of the favourites, not fighting to survive (hopefully)
Best player(s)/ talisman: It's an interesting situation for Albion currently. There are plenty of Premier League quality players still in the squad. A lot depends on if they are picked off before the deadline shuts. Chris Brunt is a club stalwart and likely to be reappointed as captain. He is adored by the fans and in my opinion will be an incredible asset in the championship. His set pieces alone will bring 10+ goals to the side. Kieran Gibbs is a high quality player who appears to be set to stay and should make a big difference. Jay Rodriguez, Craig Dawson, Salomon Rondon and Nacer Chadli should all make a big difference in this division IF they stay. In all honesty I expect to lose a few of the above. Sam Johnstone appears to be an astute signing to replace the outgoing Ben Foster.
Rising star: Sam Field he's one of our own! He looked completely at home against some of the top Premier League sides last campaign. A box-to-box midfielder, he's full of energy and looks so comfortable on the ball. I expect him to be a major part of our side this season, having just signed a new long-term deal.
Kyle Edwards is an exciting attacking midfielder who has been impressing in pre-season. He may have a part to play following a loan spell at Exeter last campaign.
Jonathon Leko looked like a potential world-beater when he first came through a couple of years back. A lightning quick winger full of tricks. A loan spell at Bristol City and limited appearances later he seems to be losing his way. Will be an interesting one to watch.
Finally, the enigma that is Olly Burke. After signing with us last summer for £15m, he failed to impress any of the four managers we had over the season. He looks exciting when he comes on, without any end product so far, and was unfairly blamed for a loss at West Ham by Alan 'Coward' Pardew. We all know the talent he's got. Hopefully we can see it this season.
What happened last season?: Let's not talk about it... We finally escaped the stranglehold of Tony Pulis, only to opt for the human joke that is Alan Pardew and duly hurtled towards relegation. Four of our players stole a taxi and then played (and lost) the following weekend.
Pardew was sacked about 3 months too late, and Moore took over, restoring pride with some notable wins over Man Utd and Spurs.
This season we also lost the great Cyrille Regis, and the outpouring of emotion and the coming together of the club during the weeks after his passing was something special.
Summer transfer business (so far): We started by releasing Claudio Yacob, Boaz Myhill and Gareth McAuley. Yacob and McAuley will be greatly missed but it is perhaps the right time for them to go.
Jonny Evans departed for Leicester for a cut-price £3m, Ben Foster left for Watford and James McClean has departed for Stoke City.
Sam Johnstone has been bought in to replace Foster, with Jonathon Bond arriving as backup. Kyle Bartley has joined from Swansea City and it appears that Harvey Barnes will soon be arriving on loan from Leicester.
Finally, James Morrison is currently out of contract but still with the club. His future is uncertain.
I am very happy with Johnstone and Bartley. It has been a quiet window for Albion so far but that is largely a good thing. The squad is packed with Premier League talent and the window is more about keeping hold of them.
There is major interest in Dawson and Rondon, along with interest in Rodriguez, Hegazi and Chadli. If any of the above go, then we would need to replace. Otherwise I would be happy with another striker and another CB.
It is also worth mentioning that every player in the Albion side suffered a 50% wage cut upon relegation which means that we are financially sound despite relegation, but may lead to more big names leaving.
Predicted starting XI: This is my best attempt. It will undoubtedly be 4-4-2. We may see Nyom in at right back and perhaps Barry in for Field.
Obviously about half of this side could leave, so we shall see.
Best case scenario: The bulk of the side remains and the quality in the side shines through as we breeze to automatic promotion.
Worst case scenario: The better players leave or do not put the effort in. Moore cannot transfer his great start into his first full season in management. We become embroiled in a relegation battle
Prediction: It will be somewhere in the middle. I'd like to think we'll go up automatically but I think play-offs are more likely. 6th
What will happen to your closest rivals?: Villa won't go down but will settle into mid-table, despite the recent takeover.
I think Wolves will do well in the PL, although I don't know how long Nuno will last before a big club comes in.

Stoke City by mrmariomaster

Location: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Nickname: The Potters
Stadium: bet365 Stadium, 30,089 seats
Major honours: 1972 League Cup
17/18 finishing position: 19th, Premier League
Squad value: £127.8 million
Manager: Gary Rowett signed from Derby in May. His honest attitude has brought lots of optimism to fans, who are looking forward to an overhaul of the Club. His style of play seems to change based on the squad he has available.
Best Player: Joe Allen was vital to the Club last season, giving us hope that we would avoid relegation. His massive new contract signed this summer shows how loyal and committed to the Club he is, and will be a vital player this season.
Rising star: Tom Edwards is a local lad who has won the Under 18 Player of the Year award twice in the Club. In the latter parts of last season he played some good first team football.
What happened last season: A pathetic attempt at a season that had been coming for a while under Mark Hughes. Paul Lambert was appointed in January, but a win rate of just 2 in 15 matches wasn’t enough for him to keep his job and miss out on the million pound bonus offered to him.
Transfer business so far: So far this has been a decent transfer window. Peter Etebo had an amazing World Cup for Nigeria and Benik Afobe looks really promising. Adam Federici has also been appointed to replace Lee Grant. Xherdan Shaqiri has left along with a few players like Stephen Ireland and Glen Johnson who will not be missed. Badou Ndiaye also looks to be on his way out, but it looks like Jack Butland will stay with us, which is massive. Perhaps most surprising are the new contracts signed by our 2 best players last season, Joe Allen and Moritz Bauer.
Predicted Line up: Here is our predicted squad. I’m not sure what formation we will have. EDIT: This is a new version, complete with our rumoured new signings and in the right formation.
Best case scenario: Stoke will finish top with an all-time Championship points record.
Worst case scenario: A mediocre start to the season will see Rowett sacked and Stoke with a disappointing mid-table finish.
Prediction: I think with our squad and our new manager, we will finish 1st.
What will happen to our closest rivals? Port Vale will be relegated to the Vanarama National League.

Aston Villa by trueschoolalumni

Location: Villa Park, Trinity Rd, Birmingham B6 6HE
Nickname: The Villans, The Villa, Prince William's Club, David "Twat" Cameron's Second Club.
Major honours: 7 First Division wins, 7 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, 1 European Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 1 Intertoto Cup
17/18 finishing postion: 4th
Transfermarkt squad value: £67.77m and dropping fast
Manager: Steve Bruce (for now). Former Man Utd playing legend who's been a fixture of English football for decades. He joined Villa in 2016 after successful runs at Hull, Sunderland (yes they were good once) and Birmingham City. A bit of a promotion specialist, he's taken Championship clubs up to the Premier League 4 times in the past and just missed out last season, losing 1-0 to Fulham in the Playoff Final. Tactically, he's fairly old school who prefers 4-4-2 or a 4-1-4-1, usually involving a big man up top. Fun fact: while managing Huddersfield in 1999 he wrote three novels, "Striker!", "Sweeper!" and "Defender!", which focus on main character Steve Barnes, a football manager. Barnes solves crime and takes on terrorists, and the books have become prized rarities. The Guardian's Football Weekly podcast managed to get a copy and read out some of the copy - suitably awful.
Best player(s)/ talisman: There's only one Jack Grealish. A Villa boy through and through, he's been with the club since 2001 (aged 6), and made his way into the first team in the 2013-14 season. He's been the centre of controversy a few times, most notably getting on the beers and passing out on a Tenerife street. Playing as a number 10, his quick feet and dribbling skills provide a number of goals and assists, as well as fouls. He probably went down a bit too easily when first in the Premier League, but time in the gym has noticeably toughened him up and he's a much more solid player as a result. One of the better players in the Championship, and due to Villa's abject finances, a transfer target for the likes of Leicester.
Rising star: Keinan Davis could possibly be it, potentially Andre Green and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy as well.
What happened last season?: Have you ever walked into a casino, spotted the roulette table and popped £10,000 on red? It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off. You've doubled your money if you win, but look like a right git if you lose. Villa figured this was a good way to approach 2017-18: spend millions on players, get in lots of loans, gamble everything on achieving promotion. After a so-so start, Bruce got the team playing well, stringing together a number of wins and moving through the playoff spots. Unfortunately they ran into a few teams playing out of their skin - champions Wolves ran away with the league and boasted a squad that included several Champions League players. Neil Warnock's Cardiff couldn't stop winning and grabbed the second automatic promotion. In the playoff final Villa came up against a Ryan Sessegnon-led Fulham and were just pipped at the post 1-0.
Summer transfer business (so far): It's one-way traffic, due to absolutely abysmal finances. Loan spells for Lewis Grabban, Robert Snodgrass, Josh Onomah and Sam Johnstone have all ended, which is almost the spine of the team (Johnstone in particular - he was arguably the best keeper in the Championship and personally bagged a number of wins). Plus clubs are circling to pick off whatever assets we have left (eg. Jack Grealish, James Chester). With no prospect of anyone new coming in, it looks like the youth academy will be getting a lot more game time.
Predicted starting XI: Possibly this, but half these players could be gone before the first match.
Best case scenario: Mid-table anonymity would have to be best case - Villa are a mess and could go down this time around.
Worst case scenario: Our finances are the real issue - they are dire. Villa need to find £9 million this month to avoid going into administration. Owner "Dr." Tony Xia is a billionaire, apparently, but tax bills went unpaid and the question remains if he's able to support the club as generously as he has in the past. Administration, points deductions and potentially relegation to League One are all real possibilities right now. It's not looking good.
Prediction: Due to financial irregularities in the 23 clubs above us, Villa will get into the Champions League and take out the likes of Atletico, Bayern and Real Madrid on the way to our second European Cup. "Taylor, Green, prepared to venture down the left. There's a good ball played in for Jack Grealish. Oh, it must be and it is! It's Keinan Davis!"
What will happen to your closest rivals?: Unfortunately the Scum managed to avoid League One in the final rounds of the season. Here's hoping they go one better. Agbonlahor to re-sign for one game: the Derby. And score the winner, again.

Middlesbrough by OneSmallHuman

Location: The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
Founded: 1876
Nickname: The Boro (Or just Boro)
Major honours: The League cup 2003-2004 season
17/18 finishing position: 5th
Transfermarkt squad value: 79.34m
Manager: Tony Pulis became manager of us in late December 2017, replacing the sacked Garry Monk after a pretty lacklustre few months of the campaign (despite where our league position was). Pulis is known in England for being the man that is never relegated when in charge of someone in the top flight. We are all aware of Tony Pulis' style of football. You start by having a strong and massive defence and maximise your use of set pieces to gain an advantage. Pulis is a lover of all set piece plays, whether that is crossing the ball in from a corner or free kick, or launching a ball into the box from a throw in, they're all in his arsenal of weapons. 'Pulisball' as it is pretty much known. Pulis has achieved promotion from the championship once before with Stoke, and I hope he achieves it again with us this season
Best player(s)/ rising star: I mean, where else do I begin. Adama Traore. Arguably the best player in the championship on his day and is one of the most frightening dribblers in English football, maybe even world football. The winger is known for his speed and dribbling ability although is usually criticised for his lack of end product. Before last season I would've agreed, however 5 goals and 10 assists, with all but 2 assists coming before Pulis' arrival show the progression of the Spanish winger.
As for other members of the squad, Ben Gibson, the prodigal son. Boro through and through he's progressed into a commanding centre half with the ability to play out from the back thanks to Karanka. He gained attention and emerged as one of the few given credit after our disappointing premier league campaign but was only the subject of one bid upon our relegation, from now manager Tony Pulis. It remains to be seen whether he'll be here come the first game of the season, but I hope he will be.
As for future stars, Dael Fry, already has played 2 championship campaigns for us and looks as assured as a veteran of the game. Another centre half produced by our academy and he is being played in cdm this pre-season by Pulis, to add to his versatility. Hopefully a standout season for him, especially if Gibson does end up leaving. Finally, yes, he does always look as confused as images of him show.
What happened last season?: Well, the first half of the season was tragic under Monk. We played really poor football at times and looked like we hadn't defended a day in our lives. There was also no consistency in the team, we'd win one game then lose the next. A key theme under both managers however, was our inability to beat those around us in the table. After Pulis' appointment the results picked up and it ended with us finishing 5th in the table. We ultimately lost in the playoff semi finals to Aston Villa but honestly, we didn't think we'd even be in the top half around Christmas.
Summer transfer business (so far): Just the three deals to talk about so far. We've acquired Paddy McNair from Sunderland who looks like a decent player. He's been utilised in right back and midfield during pre-season so it looks like they'll be his positions for the season. I imagine he'll play alongside Clayts and Howson in a midfield three.
Aden Flint was signed from Bristol City and I think I'm in the minority when I say I don't like how much we paid for him. Obviously the man is a Pulis player but I'm a bit unsure about his defensive ability. That being said he's looked strong during pre-season and I'm sure Pulis will get the best out of him. Fabio departed our club for Nantes so we'll need more full back cover.
As for the rest of the window, I expect Gibson to leave but will be delighted if he doesn't. One of our strikers will also leave and Braithwaite should follow after his decent World Cup performances. We'll probably bring in a striker and a winger and hopefully hold onto Adama. That'd be a successful window in my eyes.
Predicted starting XI: My best guess The only other guess I could make is that Gibson might leave and then Ayala would start, but he's injured at this point in time. Britt might play over Gestede too if Pulis is feeling fancy.
Best case scenario: It has to be top of the pile right? It's not out of the question to imagine us up there and if everything clicks then we've got a chance. A defence that scores more than some teams' strikers, Adama channelling his inner Messi and finding consistency, Rudy/Britt/Bamford scoring for fun. It could be carnage.
Worst case scenario: I can't see us finishing outside the playoffs, if we did then that would be gut-wrenching. But if we did then that would most certainly be the worst. Realistically, it'd be losing in the playoffs... again, and if it were in the final again then god help me. Although saying this, now losing Bamford and maybe Traore will be a worst case scenario in itself, definitely if they're not replaced.
Prediction: Have to be confident, although it always kills me. 1st or 2nd. Tony Pulis and his nice white trainers carry us to the promise land. That being said, we never do it the easy way.
Best Match of Last Season Sorry Leeds fans, but it had to be. "Hattrick Bamford" as our Twitter account tweeted, 3-0 against Leeds with Adama running the show. Leeds clearly found some positive from the game as they're set to sign him off us. This was the sign of what we should've done more last season. Showed what Paddy could've been too if given an even more extended period in Striker by himself. Oh well.
What will happen to your closest rivals?: Who even are our closest rivals in this league? We're in geographical purgatory. Can't say Sunderland anymore so what? Leeds? Bielsa either turns them into the well oiled machine they hope for or he succumbs to the old Leeds ways and is sacked by December. As for the Mackems, probably promoted from League 1.

Fitba Roundup: SPFL Gameweeks 28-31

I took a month-long break from writing these every week, but after the events of this weekend I’ve realised I just can’t stay away from the global entertainment phenomenon that is Scottish football.
As well as being extremely busy, part of the motivation behind this hiatus of mine was the nonsense that followed Brendan Rodgers’ departure from Celtic to Leicester City, despite him saying that he didn’t see it as a stepping stone, and that it was his dream job. Whilst according to the average /soccer user, this cemented the Scottish Premiership’s status as a diddy league unworthy of following, it DID provide an opportunity to examine Celtic’s support’s journey through the 5 stages of grief. First there was denial, then anger, before depression, bargaining, and finally acceptance that Moussa Dembélé was right all along.
Elsewhere, it’s brown trousers time for fans of Hamilton, Dundee, and St Mirren; and the race for a top 6 place - and a chance at European football - is going to go down to the wire.
A timeline of all of the patter in the SPFL, and results from the last month in the Scottish Premiership ‘reported’ below, taking a more detailed look at this weekend’s fixtures, and results from the Scottish Cup, the Challenge Cup final, and the national team’s Euro 2020 qualifying games (as much as it pains me to do so).
I’m not going to go into copious detail with every result, because there’s a good 30-something games to discuss, but there will be at least highlights of every game, just a click away.

Wednesday 27/02/19


Hearts	1 - 2	Celtic

Neil Lennon’s first match as caretaker manager for Celtic was a visit to his previous team’s city rivals. He was greeted by two banners, one from the Green Brigade directed at Brendan Rodgers reading “You traded immortality for mediocrity. Never a Celt. Always a fraud.”, and one from Hearts fans reading “Brendan Rodgers is here for 10 in a row”.
Once again the fans were centre of attention at Tynecastle, with Celtic’s support lobbing a coin at Bobby Zlamal, and Hearts’ support producing the staunchest tribute act of 2019.
If there’s a moment in this season where Hibs and Celtic fans have been united in tweeting “inject this into my veins”, it will have been when Odsonne Edouard’s 92nd-minute winner against 10-man Hearts provoked this reaction on the touchline.
Highlights.


St Johnstone	1 - 2	Hibernian

The official SPFL YouTube channel’s description for the highlights of this match does it more justice than I ever could - “Florian Kamberi went down as if "hit by a 40-foot truck" to win the spot kick that set Hibernian on course for a third consecutive win”.
Meanwhile, the BBC still can’t differentiate between former Hibs forward Dominique Malonga and current loanee Stéphane Omeonga.
You can watch the aforementioned highlights here.


Aberdeen	0 - 2	Hamilton Academical

Since awful home performances from Aberdeen are no longer remarkable, this game should exclusively be remembered for George Oakley’s Marco van Basten-esque wondergoal, and little else.
Highlights.


Rangers	4 - 0	Dundee

A solid performance from Rangers who went into half-time 3-0 up against a struggling Rangers.
Highlights.


Kilmarnock	PSTP	Motherwell

This game was postponed on account of no-one, including the players, being able to see a thing. Sorry, Motherwell defender Charles Dunne.

Saturday 02/03/19

Scottish Premiership


St Mirren	1 - 0	Livingston

What a huge result this is for the Buddies, courtesy of an 89th minute goal from Ryan Flynn! This result put them one point behind Dundee.
Highlights.


Kilmarnock	0 - 0	Motherwell

Worth the wait, then. 8 games without a win for Kilmarnock at this point.
Highlights for the morbidly curious.

Scottish Cup - Quarter-finals


Hibernian	0 - 2	Celtic

Without meaning for this to turn into a Scottish Football Fan Trouble Roundup, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that a bottle of Buckfast, or Bucks Fizz if you’re the Mail, was thrown at Scott Sinclair whilst it was 0-0, in the first of two incidents of bampot behaviour at Easter Road within the next week.
Not sure it quite had the desired effect, mind, as shortly after two belters from James Forrest and Scott Brown did the business for Celtic.
Full highlights with commentary.

Sunday 03/03/19


Aberdeen	1 - 1	Rangers

Having been sent off in his previous three matches against Aberdeen, Alfredo Morelos was welcomed back to Pittodrie by a banner reading “Morelos tu madre es un colchón”, or in Scots: “Morelos yer maw’s a mattress”. The Daily Record, of course, seeing this as just as offensive as the fans who fling bottles and coins at players and managers.
Sam Cosgrove had the Dons ahead from the penalty spot, but was at fault as Joe Worrall snuck in the equaliser shortly after half-time, forcing a replay. Full highlights with commentary.


Dundee United	1 - 2	Inverness CT

Brilliant late drama as wee Aaron Doran headed in a goal in stoppage time to book Caley Thistle’s place in the semi-final, in a game which they dominated. After beautiful goal from Joe Chalmers put ICT ahead, United were equal through a contentious penalty converted by Nicky Clarke. Inverness had the ball in the net again before the winner, but Nathan Austin had been ruled offside. Overall, ICT worthy winners.
Full highlights.

Monday 04/03/19


Partick Thistle	1 - 1

A hilarious performance from Hearts on account of how predictable it was; totally dominant with no end product beyond Christophe Berra’s 12th-minute opener, which was cancelled out by Christie Elliot on the counter attack an hour later. Uche Ikpeazu almost scored one of the competition’s greatest ever goals before half-time, and if he had, that most likely would have been it for Partick. However, they managed to force the replay, along with Aberdeen and Rangers, although neither game could be broadcast, because UEFA want you to watch the Champions League.
Full highlights with commentary.

Friday 08/03/19


Hibernian	1 - 1	Rangers

Rangers fans retaliated to the Morelos banner they saw at Pittodrie by coming up with a Spanish banner of their own, reading “de asientos vacios a ovejas que abusan sexualmente Aberdeen FC”, or in English: “of empty seats for sheep who sexually abuse Aberdeen FC”.
With the spotlight on fan behaviour as much as ever before, weeks of incidents were capped off by a moronic Hibs fan running onto the pitch trying to start on James Tavernier, before shiteing it as soon as Tavernier stood up against him.
Rangers totally dominated, and Hibs could have been down to 10 men within as many minutes if Darren McGregor had been sent off for his elbow on Morelos. Morelos couldn’t take his chances, and Rangers couldn’t take their chance to close the gap on Celtic, with Florian Kamberi equalising with 75 minutes played. Darren McGregor was eventually sent-off after all, for a second yellow in stoppage time.
Highlights.

Saturday 09/03/19


Livingston	3 - 1	St Johnstone

Two teams who haven’t really got going in 2019, but fair play to Livingston for responding in such a way to going down after Joe Shaughnessy’s early opener.
Highlights.


Celtic	0 - 0	Aberdeen

Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna may have been linked with Celtic in the summer, but before this game he announced he’d signed a deal with Trump International instead. A bold choice when you consider how popular Trump is in Aberdeen (not very) and also the world (not very).
This fixture is normally a bit of a goal-fest, with the last match between the two sides being a 3-4 Celtic win, but I put a bet on both teams to score, so it’s the first goalless draw since 1994.
Highlights.


Motherwell	3 - 0	Hamilton Academical

The two previous Lanarkshire derbies have been fiercely competitive, with Hamilton victorious when visiting Fir Park, and Motherwell taking the 3 points from the Hope CBD.
This game, however, was all but over in 10 minutes, with a David Turnbull brace putting daylight between the two teams, before Jake Hastie finished Accies off 25 minutes later.
Highlights.

Monday 11/03/19


St Mirren	0 - 1	Kilmarnock

Sickener for St Mirren, but an 87th minute goal from Liam Millar has ended Kilmarnock’s rotten run of 8 games without a win.
Highlights.

Tuesday 12/03/19 - Quarter-final replays


Rangers	0 - 2	Aberdeen

In part three of the epic saga, Aberdeen fans somehow managed to smuggle a blow-up mattress into Ibrox before this match.; yet, despite his best efforts to play as dirty as possible, Morelos managed to break his personal best, and go 2 games in a row without being sent-off against Aberdeen this season.
Game plan executed to perfection for Aberdeen as Niall McGinn capitalised on a dodgy Glen Kamara pass, and Conor McLennan rounded the result off an hour later.
Highlights.


Hearts	2 - 1

Shortly after Hearts meandered to a 1-1 draw with Thistle in the original fixture, their reserve team pumped Thistle’s 9-1, as if to rub salt into the wound.
Hearts went behind to a tap-in from Scott McDonald, but goals from Uche Ikpeazu and Sean Clare were the difference in the end.
Highlights.

Saturday 16/03/19


Hamilton Academical	1 - 0	Hearts

Sad news for Scottish football, after it was revealed that the Hope CBD Stadium, so-called after a cannabis oil company purchased the naming rights to New Douglas Park, would be renamed after just 6 months to the even more eccentric “Fountain of Youth Stadium”. This all comes after they were randomly disrespected by Lord Sugar on Twitter. Tough times to be an Accies fan for sure.
All of this was not enough to prevent Accies from getting one over Hearts, though, with Aaron McGowan’s goal the difference between the two sides.
This result also validates the first words in four months from 22 year old stroke victim Darren Thompson - “Hearts are shite.”
Highlights.


Aberdeen	1 - 1	Livingston

Another astonishingly insipid home performance from Aberdeen and possibly the coldest I’ve ever been at a football match.
Highlights.


Hibernian	2 - 0	Motherwell

Unfortunately ‘due to technical issues’ Hibs were unable to serve chips at Easter Road for this game.. Annoyingly, neither of Marc McNulty or David Gray’s goals were dinked over the keeper, as Hibs put some much-needed distance between themselves and an in-form Motherwell side.
Highlights.


Rangers	1 - 1	Kilmarnock

Before this match Rangers fans took to the offices of BBC Scotland in protest (I’m assuming?) against the unfair treatment they get on Sportscene.
Kilmarnock went ahead through Conor McAleny, who replaced an injured Eamonn Brophy, but Alfredo Morelos was able to equalise. Neither side will be entirely content with a draw, I feel.
Highlights.

Sunday 17/03/19


Dundee	0 - 1	Celtic

If you’re not willing to wait 96 minutes for goals, there was at least some entertainment in this game, as a man jumped down off one of the stands to chase after his tricolour that had just been confiscated by a steward.
If you do like waiting 96 minutes for your goals, then you were in luck, as that’s how long it took Odsonne Edouard to break the deadlock. No damage yet to Celtic’s plot armour.
Highlights.

Thursday 21/03/19

European Championship Qualifying


Kazakhstan	3 - 0	Scotland

All in all a very bad week for the Scottish men’s national football team. First we get absolutely done by the Northern Irish FA on twitter, and then we go on to get absolutely humiliated by Kazakhstan in our first qualifier. God help us.
Alex McLeish did remark that we started brightly, which is funny considering that we were 2-0 down within 10 minutes. There’s also this weird interview with Graeme Jones where he explains why the squad decided not to try to adjust to the different time-zones. Not sure the priorities are quite right in the Scotland camp.
The only highlight of the game as far as I’m concerned is when Sky lost pictures from Astana, but if you really want to see us get absolutely outclassed, then you can do so here.

Saturday 23/03/19

Scottish Challenge Cup


Connah’s Quay Nomads	1 - 3	Ross County

After a player of the round performance from Ross Stewart gave us the most Scottish photoshoot ever - without featuring a kilt or bagpipes - and helped Ross County into the Challenge Cup final, the country of Scotland could put their international misery behind them for a day to watch a Welsh team almost win the final of a Scottish cup competition.
The Nomads went ahead thanks to Michael Bakare 20 minutes in; it took until the 75th minute for County to turn it around. A quickfire double from Josh Mullin gave the Staggies the lead, before Jamie Lindsay secured what may not be Ross County’s last silverware of the season - they look likely to return to the Premiership as Champions.
Highlights.

Sunday 24/03/19


San Marino	0 - 2	Scotland

Where were you when Scotland went 70 minutes without scoring in San Marino? Would you like to experience it all over again? From Kenny McLean’s 4th minute opener, Johnny Russell’s almost-disappointing second goal, and that one moment where they got round the keeper and we actually thought they might score - relive it all here!
Finally, we continue with some action that actually happened this week.

Wednesday 27/03/19


St Johnstone	1 - 0	St Mirren

In the context of the whole season this doesn’t look like a bad result at all, but St Mirren will feel this is an awful point or three to drop.
The Buddies had the chance to go a goal ahead, but Simeon Jackson opted to try a weird panenka along the ground from his spot-kick, which Zander Clark had no trouble with. I mean it’s not as if it could all come down to one goal or one point for St Mirren at the end of the season, anyway.
Shortly after, Chris Kane put St Johnstone ahead by pouncing on a defensive error. Had Jackson’s penalty gone in, and the score remained the same, St Mirren would have been off the bottom before their must-win match against Dundee. They’ll be without Ethan Erhahon for that match after he was given a straight red for a poor tackle late in the match. Architects of their own downfall in this match, St Mirren.
Highlights.

Friday 29/03/19


Livingston	1 - 2	Hibernian

Livingston won’t have any worries of relegation, which is a miracle in itself considering how poor value they looked at the very beginning of the season. Meanwhile Hibs will have known that they could easily fall out of the top 6 with any missteps at this crucial point in the season.
Craig Halkett missed this match through an injury sustained prior to the game, and it was announced today he’d be leaving Livingston for Hearts at the end of the season - with this I reckon he’ll make the Scotland squad for the next series of international games.
In the end, goals from Paul Hanlon and Mark McNulty killed the game off in the space of 5 minutes, and Ryan Hardie’s late penalty was only a consolation for Livingston.
Highlights.

Saturday 30/03/19


St Mirren	2 - 1	Dundee

St Mirren may have been their own worst enemy in the middle of the week, but what a performance and result this is for them - and one which could well be fatal for Dundee.
Dundee went ahead after just 22 seconds through Ethan Robson, which could easily have destroyed any hopes St Mirren had of taking something out of the game, but Danny Mullen scored his third goal of the season - his third against Dundee - to reignite the Buddies’ hopes just 11 minutes later.
The winning goal came courtesy of speccy tube Brad Lyons, affording him the opportunity to premiere his speccy tube celebration in Saturday’s best exhibition of patter.
St Mirren leapfrog Dundee, and are looking much more likely to increase that gap at the moment than Dundee are to close it.
Highlights.


Motherwell	3 - 0	St Johnstone

This result confirms St Johnstone’s bottom 6 placement, and keeps Motherwell’s alive by a sliver.
Chris Cadden returning to the Motherwell bench will be a cause for optimism, and Motherwell looked improved when he came on, with Elliot Frear’s opener occurring 6 minutes after his substitution into the game, and David Turnbull doubling the lead 10 minutes later. Liam Craig had an early penalty saved for St Johnstone, and Richard Tait added a third to complete Saints’ capitulation in stoppage time.
Highlights.


Hearts	2 - 1	Aberdeen

Aberdeen remained without Shay Logan through injury, although he did pull on a kit for his stag do.
They went ahead thanks to Connor McLennan in the first half, but came out after the interval with apparently very little idea of how to play football. Sean Clare and Uche Ikpeazu got on the scoresheet to complete the Hearts comeback.
How it feels to be an Aberdeen fan right now can be summarised by Derek McInnes’ decision in the 86th minute to bring on centre-back Michael Devlin for our only dangerous attacker, Connor McLennan, in a Steven Caulker-esque move. I despair.
Highlights.


Kilmarnock	5 - 0	Hamilton

One of the most notable differences between Brian Rice’s Accies and his predecessor Martin Canning’s side is that Rice has set up much less defensively. As such, his side have been on the end of some right pumpings.
Highly-rated left-back prospect Greg Taylor scored his first ever goal for Kilmarnock, before a second half rout saw four other players on the scoresheet - Conor McAleny, Youssouf Mulumbu, Chris Burke, and Mikael Ndjoli.
This result means that Kilmarnock overtake Aberdeen into third, and will look to hold on to this European place. The job Steve Clarke has done is pretty incredible. Hamilton will be looking cautiously at St Mirren and Dundee beneath them.
Highlights.

Sunday 31/03/19


Celtic	2 - 1	Rangers

You already know how this one went down.
One man whose name shot up in the estimations of 95% of /soccer yesterday is a certain Scott Brown. The events of this match almost entirely revolved around him.
After Odsonne Édouard opened the scoring, the first notable incident involving Brown was the Celtic captain baiting Alfredo Morelos into elbowing him in the face, and laughing at him as he walked off back down the tunnel.
Ryan Kent levelled magically for Rangers, and Celtic too went down to 10 men after Dedryck Boyata went off-injured after their third sub.
When James Tavernier nonchalantly enabled James Forrest’s 86th-minute winner, Brown’s gameplaying saw him get punched in the face by Ryan Kent, which seems to have made both players more of a hero to each side.
Andy Halliday was then sent-off after trying to brawl in the tunnel, just before Brown gave a brilliant post-match interview where he claims not to remember what happened with Kent, and that the post-match scuffle with Halliday was just the Rangers man coming over to congratulate him.
All things considered, a good day for shithousing.
Highlights.
So after all that, the table looks as follows:

Table

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Form
1	Celtic	31	23	4	4	69	17	+52	73	W W D W W
2	Rangers	31	17	9	5	67	24	+43	60	L D D W W
3	Kilmarnock	31	15	9	7	44	28	+16	54	W D W D L
4	Aberdeen	31	15	7	9	47	36	+11	52	L D D L W
5	Hearts	31	15	5	11	37	36	+1	50	W L W L D
6	Hibernian	31	13	9	9	47	33	+14	48	W W D W W
7	Motherwell	31	13	4	14	36	41	-5	43	W L W D L
8	St Johnstone	31	12	5	14	30	42	-12	41	L W L L L
9	Livingston	31	10	8	13	33	33	0	38	L D W L W
10	Hamilton Academical	31	7	3	20	20	66	-46	24	L W L W L
11	St Mirren	31	5	5	21	23	58	-35	20	W L W D D
12	Dundee	31	4	6	21	25	64	-39	18	L L L L L

Championship Round
Relegation Round
That was a lot so thanks for giving it a read. See yous next Monday for more of the same!
^{Check out /ScottishFootball for good patter and discussion of the SPFL}
^{Last week’s matches were rounded up}^here
^{● data from}^{soccerway.com}
^{● thanks mods for}^2soccer2bot ^{but it’s still broken}

[Pre-Match Thread] Stoke City vs Manchester City

Pre-Match Thread: Brighton vs Spurs (17 April 2018)

Team Preview: Swansea City [Premier League 2016-17 - 09/20]

	MCFC	SCFC
Managers	Pep Guardiola	Paul Lambert
Form	W25-D3-L1	W6-D9-L14
Last 5 (all)	L-W-W-W-L	D-D-L-D-D
Current Points	78	27
Current Position	1st	19th
Goals For	83	28
Goals Against	20	54

Swansea City

by Jamaicaman90

Welcome to this year's Premier League Previews series. This will be a series running until the start of the Premier League, taking a look at each club in turn. From our last destination we now turn west, and then keep going until everything - sea, rocks, and sky - turn grey, for it is only then that we can tell we are in South Wales, home of Swansea.
About

Established: 1912
Stadium: The Liberty Stadium
Capacity: 20,909
Official website
Wikipedia page
Club subreddit

Last season

Pos	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
12	38	12	11	15	42	52	-10	47

The last year was certainly a tale of two halves for the Jacks. Club legend Garry Monk struggled, and with few signs of being able to turn it around and the club looking at the wrong end of the table, he was dismissed in December. Since then, a joint effort between Alan Curtis and Francesco Guidolin end the season comfortably safe, with a points average that would have seen a possible push for a European place if stretched across the whole season - good enough that the board saw fit to make Guidolin's position more permanent with an extended contract, rather than push to bring back Brendan Rodgers.
It wasn't a joyful season for Swans fans. Even with improved results, a cloud hung over the atmosphere at the Liberty as they ground their way to midtable, which only cleared with a few games to go as safety became guaranteed. A club that has not had to endure the struggle of a real relegation battle before now during this spell in the top flight, it could be said that there was a struggle for the supporters to enjoy the positives when the red zone of the Sky table graphics was so near for much of the season. A lengthy process of new ownership possibly arriving added further doubt to the short term (and long term) direction of the club, which left many focused over their shoulders rather than at the improvement on the pitch. However, with a strong showing in the final ten games, many will be satisfied that the team has put themselves in good stead for the approaching season.

This Season

So what can be said about the season ahead? At this point in time, as an optimist, not much. There are new owners who are an unknown quantity to how they will deal with running a club in a relegation/promotion system, coming from the distant land of the USA. There have been a lot of big outward transfers, particularly in the striker department, and very little in terms of incoming players. The optimistic view is that Swansea are just doing their business late, and hopefully some quality will arrive that will lead to a better season than the one past. The pessimist view is that Swansea, for whatever reason, can't secure their targets, and more (Williams, Ayew, Sigurðsson) are at risk of getting poached.
There are a couple of promising youth prospects on the fringes; Stephen Kingsley was signed from Falkirk and got some successful minutes at the tail-end of the season (an unlucky own goal notwithstanding), while Oliver McBurnie has impressed at youth level and during the preseason since arriving from Bradford.Many fans in the East Stand will be hoping to see more from these two at senior level - look out for a tall striker with short socks and you'll know McBurnie has made the first team.
So what's left to say? Not much, unfortunately. This may be one of the shortest season previews of the league this year, primarily because there's little yet to discuss other than speculative transfer rumours. At the time of writing, it's the day before you're all reading this; waiting for something to write about has forcefully come to an end, which leaves this section on a very vague note: watch this space.
Transfers
Highlights

Player	Type	From	To	Fee(£m)
Leroy Fer	Perm	Q.P.R	Swansea	Undisc.	Link
Mike van der Hoorn	Perm	Ajax	Swansea	Undisc.	Link
Alberto Paloschi	Perm	Swansea	Atalanta	Undisc.	Link

All incoming/outgoing transfers Full 2016-17 squad
3 players to watch out for
Ashley Williams He's captain of Wales. Assuming he lines up with the Swans this season, he'll remain the shepherd of the Swans defence, and he'll be as popular with the fans as ever. It's his first season starting after a major tournament despite being the wrong side of 30, so the risk of tiredness is there - however, never expect anything less than complete commitment from the Premier League's version of The Thing. That refers of course to the Fantastic Four hero - strong and dependable. Unlike the shapeshifting namesake he is a model of consistency and reliability.
Gylfi Sigurðsson Another Euros hero, he'll be another popular man in South Wales for a slightly different reason - knocking out the English. Everyone knows what he's capable of, and that's a Lampardesque ability to both create and finish, and has the additional benefit of a wicked free kick. Gylfi's been keen to assert his commitment to the Jacks, and most will expect him to be our afest bet of a good season at the front end of the lineup. The key question with him now is which striker lines up in front of him, and how much of a rapport they can build. Expect Viking chants in abundance from the Liberty this year.
Stephen Kingsley The previously mentioned Scottish youth talent. He impressed in the last few games of the season, and will be seen as Neil Taylor's main competition for the left back spot - and the ball is in his court with Taylor coming off a gruelling Euro campaign. While a fairly well known name back home (with 88 first team appearances for Falkirk primarily as a teenager), if any unknown in the English game is going to make a name for himself in this current side, this is your man. A solid Premier League debut and start in a win away at Arsenal shows that the manager has confidence in his ability, and that he's shown reason for it.
What the fans think
Thanks to /swanseacity for their truly huge amounts of help. Seriously, go check out the thread, there's a lot there.

How do you think this season will go?

"I'm very pessimistic this season and can honestly see us being left behind with everyone spending their money getting quality players and we're stuck with a weakened team from last season that struggled to reach the same heights of 2014/15."

Swan_Z

"Last season was woeful and we somehow finished 12th. I really think we will have a better season, after a preseason with Guidolin, and I have full faith he will put us into the top 10. In saying that, I still think we need to sign a striker (like what everyone else except the board is thinking right now). Also, a rb would be lovely, with an ageing Rangel and meh.. Naughton as our only experienced options at the time being."

MikkySticks

Which player is going to be your star of the season and why?

"Sigurdsson is the obvious choice, he really does play a key role for us in terms of both getting and making goals, how well Ayew does up front is also likely to be key. Barrow looks more and more ready to make a sustained impact if given the chance from the right wing and hopefully both McBurnie and Kingsley will get some chances to impress early on."

Hawk1138

"Aside from the obvious answers in Ayew, Sigurdsson, and Williams, I think one guy who may breakout and really play well for us this year is Jack Cork. He's a smart player and showed near the end of the year last year that he could make things happen (see: Jack Cork vs Liverpool ). If he can earn himself some playing time this year and get a rapport with Sigurdsson and Ayew he could be a real star. I also see Fabianski doing well, keeping us in some games all by himself."
Monk_vas_Funk
"Mine I hope will be Modou Barrow. The kid is rapid and packed with skill. Was used more and more as the season progressed last year and was tearing fullbacks apart. Him on one wing and Ayew on the other with a good striker up top is the dream."

MikkySticks

How do you think the team will line up?

-----------------------Fabianski----------------------- Naughton--------Fernandez-------Williams---------Kingsley --------------------Cork---------Fer--------------------- ----Barrow---------------Siggy----------------Montero---- --------------------------Ayew---------------------------

Swan_Z

"A lot will depend on the next couple weeks and who is signed. If we get a quality striker in, then I could see Ayew going back to the wings. At this point though (and looking at some of the names we have been linked with) I think we enter the season with Ayew leading the line. I am excited about Barrow this season as he just keeps on looking better from the right wing. Predicted lineup"

SwanseaScheme

Wrap Up:

by NickTM (and with Jamaicaman90 butting in)
Summary: After an unsteady season finding their feet again last year, Swansea look ready to push on once more. Will Francesco Guidolin prove to be a flash in the pan, or the real deal?
What to say: It's a Welsh invasion! - Jamaicaman90
What you might end up saying: Bloody Americans. - Jamaicaman90
Why to like them: Why wouldn't you like them? Swansea still retain at very least a vestige of the attractive playstyle that they entered the league with. Gylfi Sigurdsson is something of a throwback, a true 10 who makes the play and occasionally ruins the goal net from 25 yards.
Why to dislike them: Fucking Welsh interlopers. Basically just a shit Cardiff City, who are themselves in the shadow of the Wrexham. Irritatingly inoffensive. Think they're better than us because they actually use that stupid 'd' in Sigurdsson's name correctly.
If the team was a food, it would be: Rarebit. Welsh, cheap, and practically universally popular.

Vote on where you think Swansea will finish here.

Match Thread: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Leeds United [Championship]

BRIGHTON 4-0 LEEDS UNITED
Competition: Sky Bet Championship
Kick Off Times: 19:45 GMT, 20:45 CET, 14:45 EST
Venue: American Express Community Stadium, Brighton
Referee: Peter Bankes
TV: Live on Sky Sports 1. Streams can be found on soccerstreams subreddit.
Line-ups:
BRIGHTON:
Stockdale; Bruno, Goldson , Dunk (goal 37), Rosenior ; Knockaert, Stephens, Kayal ( off 75), Murphy; Hemed(goals 17, 27) ( off 75), Baldock ( off 73)
Brighton subs: Mäenpää, Greer, Calderon, Wilson ( on 75), Zamora, Sidwell ( on 75), Skalak ( on 73)
LEEDS:
Silvestri; Wootton ( off 45), Bamba, Cooper (og 21), Taylor; Bridcutt, Diagouraga ( off 83) , Coyle , Cook, Mowatt; Doukara ( off 73)
Leeds subs: Antenucci, Murphy ( on 83), Carayol ( on 45), Erwin ( on 73), Adeyemi, Berardi, Peacock-Farrell
MATCH FACTS [BBC]
Brighton are unbeaten in four at home to Leeds, winning two (D2).
The Seagulls scored four goals against Bristol City last time out, which was the first time they have scored more than three goals in a league game since February 2015 (against Birmingham City). Leeds, on the other hand, have scored just four goals in their past seven Championship fixtures.
Lewis Cook scored his first league goal for Leeds in midweek, on what was his 66th appearance for the club.
Leeds haven't lost three consecutive away games against Brighton since March 1984.
PREVIEW
Brighton continue to chase promotion and a win against Leeds will take them one point off 3rd place Middlesbrough, who will have two games in hand at the end of play, and one point off 2nd place Hull who will have one game in hand. Simply, if they want to fulfil their early season hopes of automatic promotion a win is necessary as Burnley, Hull, and Middlesbrough are looking strong.
Leeds, meanwhile, really don't have much to play for realistically - a familiar position. 9 points above the relegation zone, 17 points off the play-off positions, a win would see them move one place up the table and avoiding relegation by a comfortable margin again becomes the aim for a Leeds side who can beat anyone on their day. The problem is, they don't have a lot of those good days.
My prediction: No win for Leeds since the 23rd of January against Bristol City, a promising display against Boro last week but we are very inconsistent. 2-0 to Brighton.
MATCH EVENTS
0' Brighton get us going. Murphy swings in an early cross but Taylor heads away.
3' Both teams finding their feet and trading possession in the early stages.
4' Mowatt makes a run down the left and feeds it into Doukara who is inside the box, he takes an heavy touch and is nudged over as he goes shoulder-to-shoulder with Dunk, the ref waves away the weak appeal for a penalty.
5' Brighton work a short corner routine and eventually send it into the box where it's cleared for another corner. Dunk tries to get to the ball and Bamba clears it.
6' Leeds win a free kick 30 yards from box as Coyle is brought down. Rosenior, surprisingly, is booked early on.
7' Mowatt hits the wall with the free kick and it goes out for a corner. Disappointing effort, but the first shot on goal today.
12' Rosenior raises a high boot on the touchline and appears to catch the top of Coyle's head, as the Leeds man goes down clutching his head. The ref thinks nothing of it.
16' PENALTY TO BRIGHTON Wootton brings down Rosenior as he makes his way into the box. Stupid decision, clear penalty.
17' GOAL Brighton take the lead - Hemed clips in the penalty confidently. 1-0.
19' Bamba now brings down Knockaert on the edge of the Leeds box. Free kick to Brighton.
20' Brighton work a short free kick routine, it almost goes wrong but Kayal gets a strike away at goal from the edge and Silvestri gets to his side to tip it around the post. It goes out for a corner kick but the corner is delivered as an inswinger and it goes out before coming back in.
21' GOAL Brighton double their lead. Bamba gives the ball away 30 yards out and Baldock feeds Stephens, who bobbles it into the net via a deflection off Cooper. Leeds are in trouble, it's 2-0.
24' Both goals pretty much out of nowhere, nothing was happening in the game before that spell. Possession reads 50-50, but Leeds aren't doing much with their half.
25' CHANCE! Murphy is played through and has a left-footed effort at goal, Silvestri saves and holds it at the second attempt.
26' Leeds do something! A cross is played in towards Mowatt who started the move, and who can't reach it, it's cleared to the edge and Diagouraga slices a shot wide.
27' GOAL It's three. Hemed wins the ball on the edge of the box and powers through before sliding it through the legs of Silvestri.
28' This is embarrassing.
30' Almost four as Hemed and Knockaert combine on the right, the latter floats it in but Baldock can't quite reach the ball.
32' Mowatt puts in a late, frustrated challenge on Hemed, there is a bit of handbags from 9-10 players before it calms down. Mowatt is booked for his troubles. Baldock is also booked for his reaction to the foul.
36' Brighton, with a comfortable cushion, are just keeping the ball and trying to draw Leeds out and tire them out.
37' GOAL Corner for Brighton, ball comes in, free header in the box for Lewis Dunk. Too easy. 4-0.
39' Kayal gets in a tangle with Taylor and the referee appeared to get his book out and then put it back in his pocket.
44' Brighton have complete control of this game. Leeds do not look interested.
45' Three additional minutes.
45+2' Brighton are knocking the ball around their defence to olé's from the home fans. Leeds don't bother chasing it.
HALF TIME: BRIGHTON 4-0 LEEDS UNITED
An embarrassing first half for Leeds, and an extraordinary one for Brighton. Every single goal was unnecessary and due to defensive errors. Leeds are lackadaisical and are not even putting up a fight, they wouldn't win against a Conference side playing like this. It's a shame, and hopefully Evans gets into them at half time. Meanwhile, for Chris Hughton, it's "more of the same, lads". I'll give Brighton some credit, they have knocked it around nicely in their passing style, but they've been allowed to do so. They have exploited Leeds' defensive errors ruthlessly. 4-0, this game is over.
Half time stats: http://i.imgur.com/L9MbH9q.png
Half time sub: Carayol Wootton
45' The game restarts.
46' It could have been five straightaway. Murphy sends the ball in just behind Hemed and Baldock and it flicks off Baldock's heel before going out for a goal kick.
48' Cook shows some rare Leeds intent by shimmying past a couple of players and winning a free kick 30 yards out.
51' Mowatt has a free kick to the right of the area and it gets a deflection before going out for a corner, Brighton can get it away for a counter attack but it's promptly ended by Cooper who commits a foul. The ref decides not to book him, after already booking Rosenior for an arguably softer challenge.
54' Leeds do foray forward, have some decent play and get a corner but it comes to nothing.
57' Leeds getting frustrated by Brighton keeping the ball well and Coyle goes into the book for a foul near the left touchline about 35 yards out.
59' Now Goldson is booked for a foul on Cook as he drives towards the defence. Encouraging play from the Leeds man, an improved display by the side in the second half though we were okay in the first 15 of the first half too, and we know what happened there.
60' Mowatt blazes the free kick for the aforementioned challenge high and wide.
62' Mowatt gets into the box and nutmegs a defender but another defender nudges it to the edge of the box, Mowatt retrieves and feeds Coyle who sends it in but it's headed out for a corner kick. It comes to nothing, but in the next phase of play Cook has a shot from outside the box. IT'S ON TARGET!! Stockdale with his first touch of the ball after over an hour.
65' Brilliant by Carayol who beats a couple and drives into the heart of the box, he lays it off to Doukara who should at least hit the target but curls it wide.
67' Cooper puts in a brutal tackle on Hemed and, after escaping a booking earlier, is now booked.
68' Credit to the travelling Leeds fans who are singing loudly despite the scoreline, as they always do. Great support on a Monday night.
70' Coyle has a shot on the edge of the box, it's blocked, he catches the second ball with a fierce volley, nice height & power but lacked the accuracy.
71' Apparently David Stockdale's dad is in the Leeds end, he'll be hoping his son does him about four favours.
73' Baldock is replaced by Jiri Skalak. For Leeds, Doukara is replaced by Lee Erwin.
75' Not much going on, but more subs. Wilson and Sidwell replace Hemed and Kayal
81' Game seems to be fizzling out, if there's another goal it looks like it will be Brighton. Not enough creativity or effort from Leeds, though it is improved on the shocking first half.
83' Murphy becomes Leeds' final sub, entering the field in place of Diagouraga.
85' CHANCE! Skalak is played through, some Leeds disbelief that the offside flag wasn't raised. Maybe he had too much time but he stutters and sends the shot wide.
89' Knockaert has an effort but Bamba manages to get a block in. The home side are very comfortable.
90' Three minutes of added time. Leeds just want to go home.
90+2' A frustrated kick out on Knockaert by Charlie Taylor on the right touchline, as there is some showboating from the winger. He's booked eventually after a minor scrap, cynical challenge.
90+3' That's time up as the free kick comes to nothing.
FULL TIME: BRIGHTON 4-0 LEEDS UNITED
Brighton looked comfortable for the full 90 and move one point behind Hull and Boro - they're still in the promotion conversation. Leeds were the architects of their own downfall and must improve if they want to beat Preston next time out. An improved second half display but lacked the creativity to get past Stockdale.
MAN OF THE MATCH: TOMAR HEMED
Two goals, and a Panenka penalty to boot from a confident striker.

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