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.