The task doesn't get any easier and this season will once again prove to be very difficult, but achievable.
Paul Clement has taken over the Head Coach hotseat and new players have been signed. Three defensive players and a goalkeeper join us with Chris Baird, Alex Pearce, Jason Shackell and Scott Carson signing contracts.
It's certainly at the back that improvements were needed and a much more assured defence could be key to us gaining promotion. I am predicting a play-off place which will be a good start for Paul Clement as he begins his first spell in charge of a club.
Middlesbrough are my favourites for promotion. they came close last season before losing to Norwich in the play-off final.
Hull City have the talent in their squad and resources to join them.
Sheffield Wednesday with a larger budget, Ipswich and Wolves are my picks to make up the top six.
QPR could and should be amongst the favourites, but will the league pursue them for finanacial fair play fines? I can see them finishing just outside the top six with the distractions.
Burnley didn't spend big in their season in the Premier League and have lost Trippier, Ings and Shackell. Definitely a top eight club, but a bounce back into the top tier may just be a little too much at first attempt.
Blackburn will up in the mix and Birmingham are much improved since the appointment of Gary Rowett as manager, however I don't think that they have enough to go up!
The fight against relegation for me will be between the promoted clubs Preston, MK Dons and Bristol City. Brentford in my opinion could join them. After a great season last time out, they enter the new campaign under a new boss and structure. Why? it's anyones guess! Mark Warburton did a great job and if something isn't broken why attempt to fix it?
This is an impossible division to predict and I've no doubt that keeping in tradition with my picks, that one club I have tipped for the basement will end up nearer to the top.
for what it's worth my predicted finish is
1st Middlesbrough
2nd Hull
3rd Wolves
4th Sheffield Wednesday
5th Ipswich
6th Derby
7th Burnley
8th QPR
9th Blackburn
10th Birmingham
11th Brighton
12th Leeds
13th Forest
14th Cardiff
15th Charlton
16th Fulham
17th Reading
18th Huddersfield
19th Bolton
20th Rotherham
21st Bristol City
22nd MK Dons
23rd Brentford
24th Preston
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