Predicted Tables: Half Way Review

The lads like to pretend that, when it comes to the Football League, they know their stuff.

That's why, at the start of the season, they like to try and forecast how the three divisions will look come the final game of the season.

However, just how accurate were their predictions? Which ones do they look like getting spot-on, and which teams have completely surprised them?

With the season nearing the half way mark, time to take a look at how their predictions are shaping up.


Here's how the lads thought the Championship would look like come the end of the term:

Starting at the bottom, and the lads appear to have been on the right track with many of their choices. Scunthorpe were picked to feature in the bottom three by all the lads - and the Iron do indeed sit in the relegation zone.

Nobes and Lakes look like they were both right to be pessimistic about Preston's hopes, and Turls's choice of Crystal Palace also seems wise. Palace and PNE make-up the bottom three with Scunthorpe.

However, all three were lured into believing that Middlesbrough would be challenging at the summit. As it is, Boro are flopping badly and look on course to deliver the most inaccurate pre-season prediction in the division.

Elsewhere, with QPR and Leeds both riding high as he forecast, Nobes so far has the top end most accurate.

Also, if the league table ended as it stands today, Nobes with Reading in 7th would also be the only one of the three to have a spot-on prediction.

Moving onto League One, which the lads felt would look like this:

Again, the lads all went for the same title winners - Southampton. A shocking start has left Saints playing catch up however and, while they may still win promotion, they don't appear the certainties the lads believed they would be.

Predictions of Huddersfield, Charlton, and Sheffield Wednesday to feature in the top six all appear well founded to date.

At the bottom, Yeovil and Dagenham were unanimous choices for relegation by the lads and currently lie in the bottom four.

Rochdale, currently outside the drop zone on goal difference alone, also appear to be justifying the lads' predictions of a hard season.

Surprises have come from Swindon struggling, and fine first halves of the campaign for Exeter and one of the promoted sides, Bournemouth.

In terms of spot-on predictions, if today's table is replicated after 46 games, Nobes with Huddersfield and Lakes with Sheffield Wednesday and Peterborough would be 100% accurate.

Finally, in League Two, here's how their pre-season thoughts looked:


Both Lakes and Turls predicted a struggle for Barnet - which looks accurate to date. However, their forecast of a tough season for Cheltenham looks less clever.

The likes of Morecambe, Accrington, and Lincoln were all expected to feature in the lower reaches and have indeed had a tough campaign at the wrong end so far.

Towards the top, the lads differed greatly but Lakes and Nobes with Port Vale have one of the sides currently residing in the promotion places in his predicted top three. Lakes's surprise choice of Torquay also looks inspired.

Turls's selections of Chesterfield, Rotherham, and Bury for the top seven look good - all three are currently in it. All three lads expected Bradford to be in there, too, but they have so far struggled to live up to their hype.

When it comes to spot on predictions, Lakes will wish the season ended now. He has Wycombe, Accrington, Morecambe, and Barnet's current positions absolutely correct. Nobes has the only other spot on, with Southend in 17th.

How will things finish up though? Will Turls mount a strong comeback to defend his Predicted Table crown? Or maybe, just maybe, Lakes will actually win at something? That alone has to be worth waiting for, surely?