Before Bristol City’s 2-0 defeat to a David James-inspired Watford on Tuesday, Joe Harrison spoke to Paul Binning of The Exiled Robin about his side’s hopes of steering clear of League One. What were expectations at Ashton Gate at the start of the season? After a 15th place finish in 2010-11, were there fears of a relegation battle this time out or were fans predicting pushing higher up the table towards the play-offs? Neither really. There had been little key activity in the summer – we must have been the quietest club in the land with regard to ins and…
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The Football League’s winners and losers in the January transfer window
For some it’s about survival, keeping the family intact, writes Paul Binning. For others it’s about excitement and anticipation. For many it’s just about watching an ever-so-slightly barmy white-haired Scotsman work himself up into a frenzy over a low-value bid for a Romanian international from a small, bottom-of-the-table club from the North West! I won’t go into the delusional merits or otherwise of the major television event that is Transfer Deadline Day (TDD) – Gavin Barber surpassed himself finely on that score earlier in the week – so instead this is a more sobering look, after a thoughtful pause, on…
The 25 Best Players in the Championship - as voted for by you: Part 19 of 25
From the outside looking in, there has been a quietly efficient quality to the first half of West Ham United’s return to the Championship. Despite the presence of big names like Sam Allardyce, John Carew and Robert Green, the Hammers have merely chugged along unremarkably - winning enough games to stay second in the table for the majority of the campaign so far but not pulling away from the pack as they could have done. Like Newcastle did. There is still time for that though and Paul Binning knows just the player to help West Ham recreate the Toon Army’s…
The 25 Best Players in the Championship - as voted for by you: Part 17 of 25
These are turbulent times at Doncaster Rovers as the whole club continues to become accustomed to a new approach that could be described as innovative at best and hazardous at worst. Through the shift from Sean O’Driscoll to Dean Saunders and regardless of a sudden influx of high-profile players on short-term contracts, one man just keeps on scoring goals. Paul Binning pays tribute to one of the most clinical finishers in the division. Billy Sharp (Doncaster Rovers) When Billy Sharp missed Doncaster’s home match with Coventry due to family reasons, few could have imagined what he was going through. As…
The 25 Best Players in the Championship - as voted for by you: Part 14 of 25
Drawing Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the League Cup must have seemed like a great opportunity to Crystal Palace’s young side. This opportunity was not necessarily to impress United’s management or any other watching scouts, but merely to prove themselves on a bigger stage and continue their development. One young man in particular thrived under the spotlight, says Paul Binning. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) Great players arrive into the consciousness in different ways. The easiest to remember are those where a certain match or moment make it impossible to forget; the likes of Wayne Rooney’s debut goal against Arsenal…
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Ben: They certainly impressed against Newcastle, eventually running out of ...
Lanterne Rouge: I think the principle that football fans should be treated equally is ...
Lloyd: Great piece, Tom, which comes just days after my dad lamented the chan...
