Quantcast
Channel: Reading – First Touch Online

Middlesbrough Lead Championship At Christmas

0
0

By Paula Marcus

The trees are up, fridges are full and stockings are hung by the chimney with care, which must mean we are now only days away from Christmas and its many traditions. In the case of sport, these traditions largely run deep and are something for fans to look forward to. 

What is great is that many of these traditions, like games over the festive period, have been around for as long as people can remember and are an integral part of football. Others, on the other hand, like Christmas jumpers and Santa hats, have sprung up more recently and probably need to end soon. Some are not even that linked to football, and this includes all Christmas themed articles that are full to the brim with poor puns and Santa jokes. Not wanting to be left out (and as we are now just days from Christmas), here is yet another.

Before getting too into the festive spirit cabinet, a quick look at one of the biggest stories over the last weekend: Brighton and Hove Albion are beatable, although you might have to be top to do it. Middlesbrough finally ended Brighton’s club record of 21 games without defeat, with a  comprehensive 3-0 win at Falmer. One advantage for Brighton is that the pressure is finally off, as most of the nations press will now go back to an overwhelming feeling of indifference. This is nothing against Brighton, it’s more about the focus of the press on being there to cover a teams sudden demise, and it happens to every club on a good run.

That said, their next game is vital, and their whole season may hinge on the result. Ok, that might be a tad over dramatic, but how they respond to the loss will certainly dictate where they finish in the league. It might take a good few mince pies to bribe Santa for the win though, as Brentford have themselves found some form and currently sit 10th in the table with just one loss in their last six games.

Middlesbrough, on the other hand, are doing so well Santa will probably skip over visiting them altogether. After all, what else could he give them? They are two points clear at in first place and are top of the form table over both the last six and the last ten games. If that isn’t enough to put a smile on the most hardened Boro fan’s face, in the last ten years the team top at Christmas has sealed promotion eight times, winning the division in seven of those years.

As a child, when you write a letter to Santa, you are always encouraged to be as realistic as possible with your requests. You might want have wanted a toy car you sit in, that you can actually drive, but your more likely to get a lego car you have to build yourself. Well, on Sheffield Wednesday’s fanciful list this year is a chance at promotion and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Even though Adebayor is currently without a club after leaving Spurs in September, it still seems slightly unlikely he would be willing to drop a division (and a pay grade) to play in the Championship.

Apparently Wednesday are willing to pay £50,000 ($75,000) a week until the end of the season to help them climb the table. This might not be much for a Premier League club, with their hefty TV deal, but if Wednesday are willing to pay that they might hope their stocking contains ‘An idiots guide to administration’ as well.

Not every club will be having a merry Christmas, with things getting difficult for teams at the bottom (or some of those teams struggling to find some form). Starting at the bottom, Bolton continue to have problem after problem, as this week they were forced to undergo an internal investigation into allegations manager Neil Lennon threatened someone. With a winding up order issued and things going from bad to worse, they will probably be hoping for a bag of cash delivered on Christmas morning. However, for the moment they will just have to settle for help from the PFA.

Moving a little further up the table, Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill has just had the dreaded vote of confidence from his owner Steve Lansdown. Generally, this would leave a manager expecting an E45 (or confirmation of termination of employment) attached to his Christmas card, but this isn’t really likely at City. They are currently clinging onto safety in the Championship, with safety now just the main goal for this season. An extension at Ashton Gate is due to open in a few months, and will certainly increase revenue next year.

Another manager feeling the pressure is Wolverhampton Wanderers Kenny Jackett. Wolves have hit some average form, and can’t seem to turn draws into wins. Their recent 4-1 loss against Sheffield Wednesday was probably not on the Christmas list of any Wolves fans (maybe Santa is on good terms with someone at Hillsborough) and fans are starting to voice their displeasure. Jackett will be hoping Santa brings a nice shiny three points on Boxing Day, although as they play Reading I’m obviously looking for something a little more blue and white.

The Boxing Day fixtures are, for most, the highlight of the football calendar with an almost complete schedule combined with the added bonus that you can escape family for just a few short hours. This years list doesn’t disappoint as we have relegation battles and promotion match ups to keep everyone entertained. Although, spare a thought for the poor Brighton fans who will be facing an early, and probably hungover, trip to Brentford to see if they can start a new unbeaten run going.

So with that there is nothing left but to wish you a merry football filled Christmas and a very happy new year. Hopefully Santa brings you lots of nice things, and a point or two.


Reflections On A Season

0
0

By Paula Marcus

With just two games to go it’s hard to know what 2015/16 will be known for in years to come. Will it be the multi-way battle for top spot, the surprise survival push or the outside contenders staying the distance? As we look back, it’s a good time to see what lessons we have learnt over the season.

Change isn’t always for the best: OK, this is probably a bit of a follow on from last season, but it is still surprising just how many clubs have changed their managers in the last 12 months. Last season really seemed out of the ordinary for manager sackings, but it now looks like a worrying trend that doesn’t seem to be really achieving what it’s supposed to.

A new manager hasn’t changed Derby’s quality of football, Reading and Huddersfield Town are still mid-table and Charlton are still in the bottom three (although it’s a little hard to blame the manager for that one). Nottingham Forest may also be regretting their decision to sack Dougie Freedman, as his replacement has won just one game out of eight. The only club that can probably see their manager change as a success is Rotherham United who defied logic to stay up, and even then it took two sackings to get it right.

It’s tough at the top: if there is one thing to take away from this season it’s that no one really seemed to want to win the division. In the past few seasons there have been teams leading from the front, managing to cling to that top spot for large chunks of the year. This season we have had four different leaders and, with the exception of Brighton and Hove Albion (sorry Seagulls, but more on that later), all have quickly been installed as the team to beat, only to struggle a few weeks later.

After Hull City dropped off the race completely last week, we are left with what is one of the closest Championship battles in recent memory, with two goals separating the top three. Even with just two games left it seems the only way to work out who to put your money on is to throw a dart at the table and go with the team it hits.

Unpredictability is the only predictable thing: Every year before even the first manager is sacked, pundits everywhere set out their predictions for the Championship, and every year around this time we see just how wrong they were. Whilst Leicester City have probably taken the ‘who would have thought’ title for this season, there have still been plenty of strange occurrences.

No one would have predicted that Brighton, the team that spent much of last season trying to stay out of the bottom three, would this year spend the first half of the season undefeated and top of the table. Most pundits had Wolves finishing well inside the playoffs and almost everyone had Rotherham ending at the foot of the table.

Attack isn’t always the best form of defence: Pundits say it, managers say it, players say it, even fans say it. But this year Fulham have tried as hard as they can to prove it just isn’t true, managing to come in with one of the best attacks and worst defences in the division. In fact, star striker Ross McCormack is up for Championship player of the season after contributing 21 of their 65 goals so far. Yet they have only three clean sheets to go with those goals.

If you are looking for slight positives in a sea of conceded goals, unless something goes drastically wrong in the next two games they will end the season with less goals conceded than the 83 they let in last season. If Fulham really want to prevent another season of relegation battles they need to completely refit their defence and fast.

Relegation isn’t always the end: Ignoring Fulham’s impressive attempts to not get promoted back to the Premier League, this season we have really seen that leaving the top flight doesn’t doom you to years of lower league obscurity. After shaky starts, Burnley and Hull city have been pushing for promotion this season. Both teams restructured well, making changes that were needed, and both teams will now finish the season in the top six. That’s a lesson Aston Villa may want to start learning if they want to avoid being the next Fulham.

Be careful what you wish for: Ever since Abramovich started throwing money at Chelsea, every club from the Premier League to League Two has been searching for a sugar daddy of their own. But as we are now learning, there is always a catch. Just a few years ago, most clubs were run by millionaire Chairman or consortiums comprising of local businesses. Now they are the rarity as money men from all over the globe have invested in Championship clubs hoping for a chance at the top division.

Generally, it isn’t working. This season has seen far more disgruntled fans than ever before, with protests at clubs including Hull City, Leeds United, and Charlton Athletic. Despite some of the most organised fans protests ever seen, particularly at Charlton, clueless people are still running Championship clubs.

Finally, you don’t have to be good to have a job: it is still bewildering that Steve Evans is managing a Championship club, and for once it has nothing to do with the fact his boss is Massimo Cellino. Whilst his win percentage is actually far better than it seems at around 40%, performances haven’t been good enough with some embarrassing heavy defeats and strange press interviews.

But even more baffling than the fact he is still employed by Cellino is the fact that he has been linked with the soon to be vacant Celtic job. Having previously managed the mighty Boston United and Crawely Town, it seems mystifying that he would even be linked with the Scottish Champions, but then this is football.

 

Listen   to Paula’s latest Championship podcast at Premier Punditry.

Championship Quality

0
0

More than 30 players from England’s second tier will be representing their countries at Euro 2016.

By Paula Marcus

It’s that time of year when most Championship players are packing their bags ready for their summer holidays, but this year some have been packing for a very different reason. 

This summer, thanks principally to Northern Ireland’s qualification, over 30 players from the Football League will be heading to France to represent their countries in Euro 2016. So who are these players and how likely is it that they will be making it onto the pitch?

The success of the home nations this year has certainly helped boost the Football League’s interest in the Euro’s. Whilst it is no surprise that these players feature heavily for some of the teams, the fact that one has made it into the England side is slightly unexpected. It’s probably fair to say that had Jack Butland not fractured his ankle, there would not be a Championship inclusion, but that should not detract from the huge achievement of Burnley’s Tom Heaton. It always seemed most likely that were England to come looking outside the top flight, it would be for someone to fill in between the sticks, after all, goalkeepers face shots and it doesn’t really matter if it’s a Premier League or Football League player behind them.

With almost half the Northern Ireland squad coming from the Football League, that’s probably the best place to start. When looking through their squad, there is one player that really stands out, and the fact he plays for Reading is just a slight coincidence. Oliver Norwood was one of two players to feature in all 10 group games and he played the most minutes during qualification. He was also selected for all of the team’s record breaking unbeaten run and, having seen his right foot in action, it’s no surprise. What would be a surprise is if he begins next season in the Championship.

Also likely to feature is veteran defender Chris Baird, who spent last season on loan at Fulham. The popular defender has been a key part of the Northern Ireland set up for the past 13 years, and has really earned the chance to play in the finals. Up front Birmingham City’s Kyle Lafferty is the main goal threat, and he finished qualifying as the group’s top scorer with an impressive seven goals. Despite an injury scare in training, it is expected he will be fit for the opening game against Poland.

One of the big stories leading into the finals is the performance of Fleetwood Town’s Conor McLaughlin. The League One player missed just a single game in qualifying, and is one of only a handful of players outside the Championship to feature (another being his team mate Luke McCullogh from Doncaster Rovers). A good performance in France and it’s likely McLaughlin will be snapped up by a higher placed team.

Next up are the Republic of Ireland and their nine Championship selectees. The most likely of these players to feature for the boys in green are Derby duo Richard Keogh and Jeff Hendrick. With the Reublic of Ireland finishing third in their group, Keogh played a key part in both playoff games against Bosnia and Herzegovina, picking up a lot of credit for his performance and a Talksport man of the match award, Hendrick has been touted as ‘the next big thing’ as the 24 year old has grown into his position in the senior side.

Wales selected an impressive ten Championship players in their final squad, although like the Republic of Ireland, only two of these players are likely to be starters for the side. Whilst highlighting the efforts of Norwood might have been based purely on his outings in qualifying, discussing the merits of Chris Gunter, also of Reading, is probably done with a tad more bias. I’m not going to lie, if I could have a team of Gunter’s I would. He isn’t a flashy player, and probably doesn’t have the skill of some, but he is a player that will always give his all and I respect that about him. At the age of 26 he is the most capped player in the Wales squad, so apparently I’m not the only one who loves him.

Soon to be ex-Reading forward/midfielder Hal Robson-Kanu is also expected to feature heavily. He tends to play ahead of Bale and Ramsey in a lone striker role, where his running and ability to hold up the ball are a lot more vital than his ability to score goals (he currently has just two goals in 30 games). Likely back up options include Burnley’s Sam Vokes and MK Don’s Simon Church, two other players with less than ideal scoring records.

It isn’t just home nations that have selected players from outside the top flight. Iceland midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsoon is at League One bound Charlton Athletic, and he featured in seven of the ten qualifying games. He is likely to play alongside his Iceland captain Aron Gunnarsson of Cardiff City. Gunnarsson may not have ended the season in the best club form, but he is a key player for the national side.

Although slightly less likely to start for the first team, the Czech Republic have included Jiri Skalak from Brighton and Hove Albion and Watford’s Daniel Pudil, who spent last season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. Skalak only made his international debut a year ago, but has been used to great effect as an impact sub and is expected to get some time on the pitch. Pudil is also expected to add to his 32 caps during the tournament, with coach Pavel Vrba tending to pick him in an attacking midfield role.

It’s great for the Football League that players selected for this years Euro finals aren’t just there to make up numbers, and now it’s up to them to do the Championship, and their countries, proud. So good luck to all involved, may you have a successful, injury free tournament.

Reading’s Oliver Norwood in action for Northern Ireland
Reading’s Oliver Norwood in action for Northern Ireland

 

Listen  to Paula’s latest Championship podcast at Premier Punditry.

Once A Royal: Tribute To Reading Academy Boss Eamonn Dolan

0
0

By Paula Marcus

I generally try not to mention Reading too much (I did say too much), but sometimes that just goes out the window. On the day Wales qualified for the knockout stages of Euro 2016, Reading’s academy manager Eamonn Dolan died after a brave battle against cancer at the age of 48. What links these two events is that Dolan never got to see a Wales squad featuring two players he coached (Simon Church and Hal Robson-Kanu) top their group and go on to the quarter finals.

A few months ago the club decided to allow fans to rename our North Stand, and the suggestion to now call it the Eamonn Dolan Stand may seem like a knee-jerk reaction, but it is far from that. Reading Football Club is better for the time Dolan spent here, and it’s not just me that thinks that. Everyone from the fans, local journalists, ex-players, current players even up to Sir John Madejski himself has confirmed as much. It is what he has done on and off the pitch that has really resonated. I don’t remember hearing so many kind words said about one person, he truly was a special man and we were lucky to have had him at our club.

Dolan has been at Reading since 2004, a time which has seen the most successful period in the clubs history, and that’s no coincidence. Our academy is without doubt one of the best in the country and it has played a big part in getting us to where we are now. From the time Dolan took over the academy in 2004 (five years after its creation) we have seen an impressive 32 players make first team debuts, 14 of those in the last three years. We ended last season with five academy players in the first team, the stand outs being Jordan Obita and Jake Cooper who have become key players in our back four despite being 22 and 21 years old.

Things are pretty good on the international front too, with multiple players capped at youth levels, including for England. Along with the Welsh contingent, Gylfi Sigurdsson of Iceland and Shane Long of the Republic of Ireland are also academy graduates at Euro 2016, whilst Michael Hector played for Jamaica in the Copa America tournament. Whilst Dolan may not have seen Wales top the group, hopefully he was able to see Robson-Kanu and Sigurdsson both find the net in a major international tournament, something I’m sure he would be proud of.

For clubs outside the top division, academies provide more than just the next generation of players, they can also be a lifeline for the club. The sale of just three of our players made around £15 million at a time when the club really needed the money (especially in the case of the last two sales). Another academy graduate, Aaron Tschibola is reportedly wanted my multiple clubs as well.

The effect Dolan has had on the academy and players can’t be highlighted enough. A large number of Reading graduates can be found around the leagues, with Sigurdsson (Swansea), Long (Southampton) and Hector (Chelsea) currently in the top division. Whilst as fans we obviously want to retain our best players, it must be somewhat fulfilling to see players you have coached playing at the highest levels.

It might be too soon to talk about what happens now to the academy he worked so hard to create. We have retained our top level status which is a key component and obviously the people he worked with are all still here. What we need to do is ensure that the academy continues to encourage excellence in his name.

But his legacy will live on at the club, and round the country as players he coached ply their trade. A little bit of every award, promotion and title won by our academy graduates will always belong to Dolan. So thank you Eamonn Dolan for everything you have done for my club and the most heartfelt condolences to your family and friends.

As former academy player Ryan Edwards said ‘once a Royal, always a Royal.’ RIP.

The funeral will take place at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Wokingham at 11am on Tuesday 5th July.

Donations can be made in Eamonn’s memory to Action on Bladder Cancer UK (ABC) or Cancer Research UK here 

 

Listen to Paula’s latest Championship podcast at Premier Punditry.

Championship Ups & Downs – Part II

0
0

By Paula Marcus

With the season now complete, here is part two of the Championship look at how far teams have come in the past 12 months. 

Nothing to declare

So let’s start with the remaining mid-table teams, the ones that have known for the past few weeks they have had nothing really to play for. First up are Brentford, who finished this season one place worse than last year, in 10th place. Whilst they may not have been able to repeat their 5th place finish from three years ago, there is still steady progress seen for Brentford, as they enter their fourth year in the Championship.

The other two teams occupying those middle places are Cardiff City and Preston North End. Cardiff were largely expected to build on their eighth place finish in 2016, but a poor start and early relegation battle put paid to that. Bringing in the experienced Neil Warnock has certainly improved results, and City should be up around the playoff at least next season.

As for Preston, they are this seasons winners of the ‘as you were award’ finishing in the same position (11th) with the same points (62) as last season. It is really hard to see what they need to change to make the playoffs. Their gap to sixth place increased to 18 points this year, and the division will be strong again next season.

Last up are QPR who have had another season to forget. If last season was poor, this one is even worse, with safety luckily assured the game before their final day thrashing by Norwich City. QPR finished in 18th place, six places lower than last year. Poor form at the end of the season didn’t help, but they will need to find real consistency if they want to get out of the division soon.

The fight to stay up

Whilst the relegation of Blackburn Rover’s has been coming for a long time, the way it came about was certainly a surprise to many. With all three of the relegation threatened teams winning, it came down to an anxious wait to see if Birmingham City could hold on to a narrow 1-0 win. They could.

How much of Birmingham’s survival is Harry Redknapp’s inspiration and how much is just the removal of Zola is unclear. That aside, the drop from tenth to 19th in the past year won’t have escaped the Birmingham fans, and survival on the last day of the season won’t distract from what has been a disastrous year for City fans. Turning a team from playoff candidates at the mid-point of the season to relegation fodder lies solely with the new owners, and, whether Harry stay’s or not, changes will be needed next season.

As for Rovers, there isn’t a single good thing you can take from this season. The slide has been on the cards for the past few years, primarily due to the poor leadership shown by the Venky’s. It is sad to see a club like Blackburn where they are now, but without changes to the way owners are regulated, they certainly will not be the last club to suffer.

Speaking of poor ownership and suffering clubs, step forward Nottingham Forest. Twelve months ago, Forest were one place below Rovers in 16th and, while they may have finished one place above them this season, without changes at the top of the club it is very clear where they will be in the next 12 months.

There is always next year

Despite sitting in the playoff places for most of the season, Leeds United just missed out on the playoffs, needing a miraculous set of results to sneak in on the final day. Unfortunately for United, their blip in form came at the worst time, but after finishing 13th last year, the signs are better. Plus they kept the same manager the whole time. Definite progress.

The playoff picture

Last up are the four teams battling for the final promotion spot. Sheffield Wednesday are facing the playoff struggle for the second year in a row, this time finishing two places higher and getting that home advantage in the second leg. Whilst Wednesday have only slightly improved over the past 12 months, the same is certainly not true for the other three playoff teams.

Reading ended last season in 17th with no manager and little hope. In came Japp Stam for his first managerial appointment and the improvement has been drastic. Aside from a poor start, and that Norwich result we no longer talk about, things have been pretty great for the Royals. After entering the playoff places in October, Reading haven’t left, and a third place finish is far beyond expectation at the start of the season.

Just one point below Reading last year were Huddersfield Town and Fulham. Now these two sides also sit in the final playoff places. For most of the season it really seemed like Huddersfield were capable of pushing for one of the automatic places, but a dip in form at the wrong time, and some very inconsistent results over the past ten games, means they have had to settle for fifth place. Despite this, it is still a major improvement from 19th place last year.

Another major improvement is Fulham, who for the second year in a row finish one place below Huddersfield. Unlike Town, who seemed to have a playoff place sewn up at Christmas, Fulham have done things the hard way, only entering the playoffs over the last few weeks of the season. That aside, at no point did it seem Fulham were going to replicate their poor form of last year, and the turnaround at the club has truly been remarkable. We will have to wait a few weeks to see just how far that turnaround takes them.

Championship Clubs Spend Record Amounts In Window

0
0

By Paula Marcus

 

The start of September is a very strange time for football fans. After surviving three months without football, followed by the rapid number of games occurring in part due to the EFL cup, we are then straight into the first international break. But if we need something to distract us from below par England performances at least there is always the transfer window.

 

Whilst, unsurprisingly, most of the headlines have been influenced by the vast spending in the top division and across Europe, it may have gone unnoticed that this is also a record breaking window for the Championship too. The divisional spending record has been broken along with many clubs individual spending. In general, there has been three catagories of clubs; the relegated, the rich owner and the less is more.

 

Relegated

Obviously the clubs relegated from the Premier League have the luxury of money to burn. Not only do they have the parachute payments to bump up their incoming money, but they are also far more likely to sell players for above average prices. This season’s biggest spenders fit into this category. Middlesbrough managed to spend over £50 million in the last two months. Not only have they probably spent more than any club in recent memory (although Aston Villa might just edge that), they have almost had the biggest signing fee with the £15 or so million they spent on Britt Assombalonga.

 

Middlesbrough were in the very fortunate position of combining over £30 million in player sales with their parachute payments. Hull City have also been making the most of those payments to boost their squad, spending a total of £14 million so far. Hull have, however, spread that money around, with their highest fee in the window ‘just’ £4 million. Proving that just because you have something you don’t have to use it are Sunderland, whose top fee so far is just £500k.

 

Rich owners

Despite all the promise that Financial Fair Play (FFP) brought to the smaller clubs in the division, it has so far not lived up to the hype. Clubs with rich owners and are still pumping money into clubs with no regard for the future consequences. It probably doesn’t help that the League has previously seemed unable to do much for past breaches as long as promotion is reached (step forward QPR).  Small fines are insignificant against the windfall and promise of the Premier League.

 

Changes introduced last year aimed at making clubs far more accountable by allowing the League to impose any punishment they see fit, including point deductions. But with this season’s considerable increase in total spending, it seems the new version of FFP hasn’t worried many clubs. The club that should be most concerned are Wolverhampton Wanderers. Not only have they spent around half their FFP allowance for total losses in this window, but they also have the new league record for most spent on a single player (£16 million).

 

Three of the biggest spenders are predictably last season’s three unsuccessful playoff teams Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham. Reading have smashed their single player record, giving Fulham £7 million for Sone Aluko just before the window shut.

 

On top of this, they have also spent a further £4 million, suggesting that promotion is still the primary aim. Sheffield Wednesday’s £11 million signing was technically worth the money, as they opted to make Jordan Rhodes loan permanent.  Fulham’s spending was the lowest of the three, topping out at £8 million.

 

There are a further seven clubs that have spent in excess of £1 million on a single player, putting them in the lower spending side of the spending clubs. After a series of big money and slightly laughable transfers last year, Villa have apparently learnt you can’t always buy promotion. Instead they have spent just over £1 million on their most expensive signing. This seasons current leaders Cardiff City decided their amazing form at the end of last season meant minor tweaks to their squad would be enough, also spending only a few million. A special mention should also go to Ipswich Town, the traditional non-spenders. This season they have been upgraded as they have signed two players for almost £1 million each.

 

Less is more

Despite all the money flying around this year, there are three clubs who have zero outgoings. QPR are another of the clubs that has apparently learnt lessons about over spending. They have spent the last few seasons trying to balance the books after living beyond their means. This season they have relied on free transfers to strengthen their squad and hopefully elevate them to a mid-table finish. Another team following suit are Nottingham Forest, who have seen no reward for their big spending over the past few seasons, other than a few bans on signing new players.

 

The two remaining zero spenders are the last two promoted clubs Millwall and Bolton Wanderers. Bolton are just coming out of a period of huge uncertainty and the club are unsurprisingly unwilling to gamble again on their future. Instead they have signed smartly, bringing in five players that featured in the Championship last season hoping that this will be enough to steer them to survival.

 

With the window shut, clubs now have to hope their squad has the strength and depth to cope until it reopens next year. It remains to be seen which of these new signings will bring the biggest impact, but at least we only have a day or two until football is back.

 

Jordan Rhodes, Sheffield Wednesday (center).

Sackings, High Ticket Prices & Dodgy Owners: Familiar Problems Dogging The Championship

0
0

By Paula Marcus

 

Two months into the season and the excitement at the return of football has settled, the table is starting to take shape and the first manager has already been sacked. For the last few years the Championship has been far from boring, whether it’s on or off the field, and this year is shaping up to be much of the same.

 

 Fit and Proper

Over the past few seasons, questions have been raised about just how the League’s Fit and Proper person test is implemented. Concerned fans of clubs such as Bolton Wanderers, Leyton Orient and Charlton Athletic have recently protested against owners that they saw as unfit (a charge few would argue with) and asked the League to step in. According to the Football League’s chief executive Shaun Harvey, apparently we don’t know how lucky we are.

 

He stated that over the last year, the number of people prevented from buying League clubs was ‘quite significant’, although he doesn’t go into more details. He also states that just having the rules there deters many more from applying (although I’m not sure how true that is considering awaiting trial for fraud didn’t seem to stop Cellino purchasing Leeds United).

 

The main issue with the current regulations is that once an owner buys a club, the League can do nothing should mismanagement arise. In June last year, the clubs agreed to increase testing before purchase. Most notably, the discussion has also begun about a mechanism to remove unfit owners after buying a club, although I really doubt League owners will ever push this through.

 

Twenty Apparently Isn’t Plenty

As a fan of a club, you always hope that they will behave on and off the pitch in a way that fills you with pride. Last year Reading certainly did just that by introducing a number of promotions and schemes designed to put the fans first. At the forefront of this was their decision to be the first club in the county to adhere to the Football Supporters Federations pledge of twenty’s plenty. This means that away fans at the Madejski pay just £20 (as will home fans in the opposite stand).

 

The hope had been that other clubs would follow in their footsteps or, at the very least, offer reciprocal pricing for fans on away days. Despite writing to every club to ask for reduced prices for Reading fans, just two clubs, Aston Villa and Cardiff City, agreed last season. This season things haven’t got much better, with just Birmingham City and Derby County now joining Cardiff in offering reciprocal pricing.

 

That means three quarters of the Championship clubs are unwilling to lower ticket prices for just one game. A special shout out to Leeds United charging an impressive £39 for Reading fans. There is a slight sign that the message might be getting through though. Whilst Ipswich Town might not have agreed to the full scheme, they have lowered away prices to £25 for the season which is certainly a step in the right direction (especially as they had some of the highest prices last season). Whilst change is often slow this really is impressive and at this rate all clubs should have signed up by around 2050.

 

A Less Than Perfect Start

Not everyone can start the season like Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City with unbeaten runs and fights at the top. For Bolton Wanderers the start to the season has been far worse than probably their worst fears, as they currently sit bottom of the table with zero wins and the games lost column fast approaching double digits. If things don’t change fast they will be making a far quicker return to League One than they would have liked.

 

Another team that is maybe not adjusting as well as fans hoped is Sunderland, who currently sit one place higher in the table. The relegation hangover seems to have struck in much the same way as Aston Villa 12 months ago, yet again proving that it isn’t easy to overcome years of struggle in the Premier League.

 

All Aboard the Merry-go-round

We might be just two months into the season, but the managerial merry-go-round is already in full swing in the Football League. Last month Birmingham City became the first club in the Championship to switch managers, sacking Harry Redknapp after just eight league games and six defeats. In the latest case of short term memory loss for those in charge, last season Redknapp used his three games in charge to keep City in the Football League after a season to forget.

 

This is yet another of those strange decisions. Having brought in 14 new players over the close season, it could be argued that one month wasn’t necessarily enough time to really get the team working together. And new manager Cotterill may well have his work cut out to prevent another relegation battle this season after a not so impressive 6-1 loss to Hull last week.

 

The Greatest

Finally another good news story for Championship fans. Next time you are asked about the greatest players, you can add Reading’s Chris Gunter to that list. In this week’s Welsh players of the year awards, Gunter beat the world’s most expensive player to the top honour, ending Bale’s four year run. So apparently Championship players are better than Gareth Bale.

 

Cardiff City – Top of the pack after 11 games

New Year Sees Further Managerial Changes In The Championship

0
0

By Paula Marcus

 

After the last few years of weekly manager changes, it’s certainly been nice to not have the distraction of who will be the next to go. But after just four manager changes in the first half of the season we have already had four new appointments in the first part of 2018 (well three and one pending).  But have these recent changes been for the best, who is just about hanging on by their nails and who is next to be going, going, gone?

 

Let’s start with the changes. Sheffield Wednesday gave manager Carlos Carvalhal the worst Christmas present possible, relieving him of his position on Christmas Eve. This is the man that had guided Wednesday to the play offs in the past two seasons, but that was not enough to save his job. Wednesday have certainly not been in the best form this season, sitting in mid-table when the decision was made.

 

Sure, he maybe wasn’t the most successful manager and, while results do count, it still seems like a slightly strange decision.  There are some very strong and competitive teams in the Championship this year, and sometimes you have to look at that and accept that you just aren’t quite up there yet.

 

New manager Jos Luhukay has so far not had the turn around that often comes with a new manager. His first win in the job came last week in his sixth game in charge, leaving Sheffield Wednesday even further adrift from those play off places.

 

If Carvalhal had a bad Christmas, Mark Warburton had a very bad end to the year after being sacked on New Year’s Eve. Warburton left the City Ground along with his assistant and director of football. Like Wednesday, Forest had just had a seven game run without a win and apparently enough was enough. After turning things around and keeping Forest in the Championship last year, a position of 14th hardly seemed like a sacking offence, even with a poor run.

 

The one thing really against him was the change of ownership last year. You don’t need many hands to count the number of managers still in their position a year after the sale of the club as new owners want to put their mark on a club. Well they have, and the ex-Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka isn’t exactly turning things round. They have won just one of his five games in charge, and whilst beating Wolverhamton Wanderers away is certainly impressive, losing to Hull City at home isn’t.

 

Next up is the Championship managerial merry-go-round. It seems writing about the goings on at Leeds United last month was a little premature as they have started February with another red card and another new manager. Thomas Christiansen had only been in the job eight months, but another seven game winless run (notice a pattern) was enough for Leeds to give him the boot. It seems hard to believe Leeds were top just a few months ago, but poor form has seen their play off push completely derail.

 

Leeds wasted no time in appointing current Barnsley manager Paul Heckingbottom as their ninth manager since 2014, much to the dismay of Barnsley. It really shouldn’t have been a shock to Barnsley, Heckingbottom was linked with the Forest job the month before and apparently even spoke to the club, so his commitment was hardly set in stone. Although maybe quitting four days after signing a new contract caught them a little off guard.

 

It certainly seems like a strange appointment for Leeds. Sure, Heckingbottom has done wonders at Barnsley, gaining promotion to the Championship and sealing a 14th place finish last year. But I’m sure expectations at Barnsley were probably a little different from. As for Barnsley, they have yet to make an appointment, but St Mirren manager Jack Ross seems to be favourite. Whoever comes in will have a big job to keep them in the Championship.

 

If those are the already gones, what about the going, going? In previous years, almost every team below 14th had changed their manager by now. So far this year, that really hasn’t been the case. Both Sunderland and Hull City, finding life in the Championship tougher than they thought, changed managers at the later part of 2017 to no real avail as they both sit in a relegation battle. Barnsley would certainly have kept their manager if it wasn’t for Leeds. And who knows what Birmingham City were thinking sacking Harry Redknapp a month into the season.

 

It seems there is a no win space owners now have. Fans complain when managers are sacked too quickly, but they also complain when managers aren’t sacked and that is where Reading find themselves. Japp Stam’s current record of one win in 12 games, puts most of the other teams to shame (and not in a good way), yet the Dutch man is still in charge. With every new defeat it seems like he must be sacked, but here he is. Whilst it is certainly refreshing to see owners sticking by a manager, rumours of a large fee to be paid out if he is sacked has hardly helped fan sentiment and it will be a surprise if he sees out the season.

 

QPR are the only other team in the lower parts of the table that may have some cause to sack their manager, although I think after years of relegation battles and manager changes, a16th place is probably very welcome. Finally there is bottom placed Burton Albion. Even if they remain bottom for the rest of the season I still can’t see them removing Nigel Clough. Like Heckingbottom, he has done well at a club with very limited resources and, should they get relegated, they know they will have a much better chance at returning with him in charge.

 

 

Listen to Paula’s latest Championship podcast at Premier Punditry.


Championship Fans Run The Gamut Of Emotions

0
0

By Paula Marcus

 

There always seems to be a slight lull just after Christmas, where you know the end of the season is nearer than the start, but it still seems so far away. Well here we are, just nine games left in the season and lots still to decide. For some, it also means they have just nine more games in this division before moving onto pastures new. 

 

The really happy fans

After their impressive win against a pretty terrible Reading side last night, Wolverhampton Wanderers opened up a ten point lead over third place Aston Villa, making it almost certain they will be one of the two promoted teams in May. Whilst they may sit just three points above Cardiff City, based on their form and ability this season, it would be unwise to bet on anyone else lifting the trophy.

 

Whilst everyone wants to finish on top, no one is going to turn down second place and Cardiff fans will be no exception. It seems hard to believe the transformation that has happened since Warnock took over 17 months ago, but Cardiff have been strong this year and, like Wolves, their chance of gaining automatic promotion is very high.

 

The happy fans

It’s hard to judge how happy Aston Villa fans would be if the season finished tomorrow. After the past two seasons, finishing with more wins than losses should obviously be seen as a major plus. But, having spent so much of the season within touching distance of the top two, finishing in third could be seen as a disappointment to some. It is an incredible turnaround on last year’s performance, and regardless of where they finish, it should finally give the team something to build on.

 

For some teams, finishing outside the promotion race can still be seen as a win. Millwall’s last spell in the Championship was anything but a success, as they spent three years trying not to get relegated, before failing in 2015. Three years later, however, they have surprised everyone and they currently sit just six points outside the playoff places. This is a team that many had down as almost certain relegation contenders at the start of the season but they are undefeated since New year’s day and are one of the form teams in the division.

 

The indifferent fans

Sadly, at this point in the season not everyone has something to play for. Leeds United, Norwich City, QPR and Nottingham Forest are currently just playing out their games trying to finish as high as they can. All four teams are about as near to the playoff places as they are to relegation, and would need the strangest end to the season to not be playing Championship football next year.

 

For Leeds and Norwich fans, this is probably not what they were hoping for. Leeds had a strong start to the season, but poor form and a manager change means the only thing left to do is plan for next season. In the case of Norwich, the division was just a little too strong for them, but they should still have the honor of being the highest placed of the relegated teams (which isn’t much consolation). QPR and Forest spent most of last season trying to not get relegated, so I’m sure a mid-table stress-free finish will do their fans some good.

 

The worried fans

Just 12 months ago, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday were competing for two of the four playoff places and things were going pretty well. What a difference a year makes. The only teams with worse form over the past six games sit in the bottom three and, if things continue, Reading and Wednesday could be joining them. Wednesday’s issue has been four defeats in the last six games that has left them eight points above relegation.

 

For Reading, the issue has been too many draws. With no wins in their last six games they have managed four draws, which is probably the only thing keeping them out of the bottom three. Reading are just six points ahead of Birmingham City (one of those two teams on worse form) and may be thankful for their superior goal difference come the end of the season.

 

The really worried fans

At the bottom, it really seems that some teams just want to get relegated. Given the poor form of Reading and Sheffield Wednesday over the past six games, it is somewhat baffling that the positions haven’t really changed much in the past couple of weeks. Sunderland still sit bottom and, despite a little rally a few months ago, look certain to be playing in League One next season.

 

Birmingham’s run of seven straight league losses has probably given their fans a sense of impending doom and slight acceptance that they might not be playing Championship football next season. City have had little to smile about since their relegation from the Premier League in 2011 and it seems they might be about to say goodbye after seven years.

 

Of course where there are goodbyes, there are also hellos and we will have six new teams to welcome next season.

 

Listen to Paula’s latest Championship podcast at Premier Punditry.

 

Photo by: Wolvesblog.com

Everything Still To Play For At Both Ends Of The Championship

0
0

By Paula Marcus

 

One of the great things about this point in the seasons is that in one day so much can change, especially when the games come thick and fast.

 

After the midweek round of games we have drama at the top, drama in the playoffs, despair at the bottom and a manager-less club.

 

It’s not over yet

Just when it looked like Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City had the two automatic places tied up, up came Fulham to shake things up. Two months ago Fulham were sat in 5th place, more concerned with the gap to 7th than the teams above. But a run of form that has seen them undefeated in 20 games, including eight wins in their last ten, has seen them mount a serious promotion challenge. Last nights 1-0 win over Reading moved them to the automatic places.

 

Cardiff City, on the other hand, have only won three of their last six games, and defeat last night, meant Fulham were able to move ahead into second place, although Cardiff do still have a game in hand. One of the greatest things about the Championship is that it is a highly competitive league. Whilst Wolves are just a win away from promotion following Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Derby, we are now left with an exciting battle for automatic promotion that is likely to go to the end of the season.

 

Playoff hunt

Cardiff’s loss to Aston Villa also had a large impact on the playoff picture. After three defeats in the last five games, Villa greatly needed a victory to help them seal a place in the playoffs come May. They still might not be mathematically confirmed in the top six, but they have opened up a ten point cushion, leaving them two draws or a win away from confirming their spot. They also achieved a much needed confidence boost against a team they could well face come in the final four.

 

At the other end of the playoffs there was another huge change as Millwall’s amazing form was rewarded with their first foray into the playoff places at the expense of Middlesbrough. Like Fulham, Millwall are on an impressive run, having not lost in 16 games that has resulted in them climbing nine places since New Year’s day. Should they manage to maintain their form till the last day, they could be a good outside bet to make it to the top flight for the first time since 1990 (and a first trip to the Premier League).

 

No change at the bottom

At this point in the season, sometimes no movement is just as important as a change in position, especially when you are at the wrong end of the table. Burton Albion may still have a slim chance of playing in the Championship next year, but a 5-0 thumping by Hull City has made it highly unlikely. With a goal difference of -47 (17 worse than Bolton in 21st place) and 7 points to make up it really is looking like the best they can hope for this season is not finishing at the foot of the table.

 

Sunderland are also in a very similar position after drawing at home to Norwich City. The black cats were leading for over 30 minutes before finally conceding in the 89th minute. A failure to beat their relegation rivals Reading and Burton Albion in the next two games could see their double relegation confirmed with games to spare, not a position they saw themselves in at the start of the season.

 

Ipswich Town in unfamiliar position

It had already been announced that for the first time in five years, Ipswich Town would start next season with a new man in charge after the decision was made not to renew Mick McCarthy’s contract after it expired at the end of the season. In a move few saw coming, McCarthy dramatically announced he was ‘out of here’ in a post-match press conference last night. Apparently the decision that was made after Saturday’s game was a reaction to negative comments directed by fans, among other things. It’s a sad way for one of the longest serving managers in the country, and the division’s longest serving manager, to end his time in Ipswich.

 

Where Town go from here is also unclear. They really are in uncharted territory and who they bring in to replace McCarthy will shape the club over the next few years. Often when lower league clubs replace long serving managers they undergo a period of instability as they struggle to find the right person for the job. There is also the issue of Town’s transfer policy over the last few years and how a change in manager will alter their philosophy.

 

Despite spending more or less nothing over the past few years, they have remained one of the more competitive teams in the division, even managing a playoff place in 2015. With so much pressure on managers now, they may find it hard to find a manager who is either willing or able to work with such tight financial constraints. It would be a loss to the division if they turned into another club gambling big money for promotion after years of being a model for other clubs to copy.

 

But then nothing lasts forever, especially in football.

 

Wolves’ Ruben Neves celebrates his wonder goal against Derby with Conor Coady

 

Listen to Paula’s latest Championship podcast at Premier Punditry.





Latest Images