The hubbub engulfing our League 1 [1] and League 2 [2] previews this week has highlighted the sensitivity of the average football fan. Now it’s time for the Championship, a division in which, contrary to appearances, not quite all the teams start with B.
Barnsley
The high farce of the Tykes’ last minute escape against Huddersfield confirmed David Flitcroft’s emergence as one of the Football League’s most promising managers in April but there will be a nervousness about the season to come – a horrific 6-0 home defeat against Charlton sat amid a bevy of notable results in the run in and if that can be explained away as a Black Swan of a score line, there is still work to do [3]. Consequently, it seems sensible to have converted Chris O’Grady’s loan from Sheffield Wednesday into a permanent deal after he scored 6 times as a temp, while the capture of Dale Jennings [4] from Bayern Munich is one of the division’s more intriguing pick-ups. Another former loanee, Lewin Nyatanga replaces mainstay Stephen Foster at the back but is a ball playing centre half what the South Yorkshiremen need?
Verdict: Looking Over Their Shoulders
Birmingham City
Financial malaise [5] ran through Birmingham City’s 2012-13 like a fossil on a Lyme Regis beach and the former yo-yo club are in danger of wallowing for a good time yet. Hence, the surgery enacted by long embattled manager Lee Clark has been swingeing, with prize assets Curtis Davies and Nathan Redmond departing for the Premier League. Despite the ongoing, almost surreal presence of Nikola Žigić, the Blues now have a solid Football League look about them [6] with honest workmen such as Wade Elliott and Hayden Mullins joined by Neal Eardley and some real wildcard choices such as Matt Green who will be negotiating a four division leap. It’s a combination that signals a new realism at St. Andrews but is unlikely to bear fruit in the short term – the play-offs are a reasonable target but Clark will be long gone by then, while the prospect of new ownership looms large [7].
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Blackburn Rovers
Clearly sick of the negative headlines [8], Gary Bowyer was a low-key appointment for Rovers after his double caretakership and in that he’s gone one better than Tony Parkes who enjoyed seven seat warming stints without ascending to the number one spot. The squad possesses renown, not least in the shape of £8 million man Jordan Rhodes, and only the underrated Martin Olsson has left to date, but surely the continued catastrophe of Venkys stewardship cannot be reversed as long as those sub-continental Bernard Matthews impersonators remain in charge? - to boot, it’s been projected that the club could incur a £40 million loss this year. Matt Kilgallon and DJ Campbell have been brought in to reverse the decline while the capture of Alan Judge from Notts County seems sound based on his performances as a Magpie even if he once proved to be a less reliable battler in Plymouth colours.
Verdict: Middle of the Road
Blackpool
There have been more giveaways than Primark at Bloomfield Road this summer and Paul Ince’s time management in attempting to get his boy a home he deems fitting for the self-styled guvnor’s lad has been awry at times. Still odds on to exit before the end of August, Ince Junior has been joined by Alex Baptiste, the aforementioned Neal Eardley and Stephen Crainey, three men who have sweated profusely for the Tangerine cause, while only Gary Mackenzie and Bobby Grant arrived. The squad is consequently miniscule and the ‘contractual cliff’ that Chris Walker warned of in a post for us back in April [9] has come to pass. Ince will need the monies that accrue from the sale of his lad to avoid a relegation battle in 2013-14 and it’s getting late enough now for any prospective purchases to be branded as panic ones. As of yesterday, the manager was getting his excuses in early [10].
Verdict: Looking Over Their Shoulders
Bolton Wanderers
After a miserable beginning to 2012-13, Bolton rallied under Dougie Freedman and launched an improbable bid for the play-offs. They look well positioned a summertime on – pivotal players such as Chris Eagles, Keith Andrews and Darren Pratley remain, while injury has shielded the likes of Chung-yong Lee and Stuart Holden from the gaze of Premier League clubs. The arrival of Alex Baptiste will do much to stiffen the defence while Jermaine Beckford has joined with a lot to prove [11] after underwhelming the city of Leicester. Ádám Bogdán is developing into one of the division’s best goalkeepers (even if Andy Lonergan is pushing him hard) and while with such a degree of momentum behind them, we must expect Wanderers to challenge, the balance sheet difficulties highlighted by blog The Swiss Ramble a couple of years ago [12] now will surely come to haunt them at some point.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Bournemouth
The adverse publicity surrounding the Cherries’ wish to cash in on the visit of Real Madrid [13] should not obfuscate the impression of a team on the up. A quarter of a century ago under Harry Redknapp, a talented XI fought manfully at this level but they perhaps have every right to expect do a little better this time. Eddie Howe retains kudos and goodwill, even if his indecisive residence in Burnley casts doubts on his ability when the pressure is raised, while free-kick expert Ian Harte [14] and Elliott Ward would appear to be three sensible acquisitions for a squad short of experience. That said, Matt Ritchie for one will be aching to prove himself a league up too and he could well make the transition with ease while underdog status will lead many to underestimate them.
Verdict: Middle of the Road
Brighton & Hove Albion
Seemingly possessed by a desire to press the self-destruct button, we’ll never know what really happened at Brighton in May, but the wounds of a humiliating defeat to one’s closest rivals Crystal Palace in the post-season and the unseemly departure on national television of a manager who has welded the Seagulls into a force of nature has been extraordinary. It’s likely that the Uruguayan left for more prosaic reasons than the more scatologically-minded headline writers of Wapping would have us believe but the dust will take a while to settle. Settle it will, however, and the astute hiring of Matthew Upson is a signal of an underlying strength of will in Sussex, backed up by the highest crowds in the Football League [15]. Óscar García would appear to be in de facto occupation of the hot seat at the time of writing.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Burnley
Burnley fans seemed resigned to the loss of Eddie Howe last year and that one smashing and heart-warming elevation apart, it’s hard to think of a following that has suffered more mid table mediocrity in recent years. Mind you, Coventry City fans were once heard to complain thus, so one should be careful what one wishes for. Sean Dyche has been characteristically low key this window and the main departures have involved some of the few remaining heroes of that storied side – Martin Paterson to Huddersfield and Chris McCann to join old gaffer Owen Coyle at Wigan among them. Despite Kieran Trippier’s reputation as one of the competition’s best young players [16], the Clarets look set to struggle even if doubts over Charlie Austin’s fitness could see him stay. Would that be a good thing though?
Verdict: Looking Over Their Shoulders
Charlton Athletic
After the musical chairs of previous seasons, things have settled down at the Valley although the vim of promotion has largely been lost and Scott Wagstaff [17] and Danny Haynes have departed for Bristol City and Notts County respectively. The one signing has been an eye catching one, however, with Mark Gower happily putting seal to paper, having been unfortunate to have seen his first team spot at Swansea infringed upon by the overseas influx. He’ll be needed for a squad that is starting to have a slightly undercooked feel even if the goals have flown freely in pre-season and the Addicks finished 2012-13 with an eight match unbeaten run. That kind of form always augurs well for a follow up campaign but the South Londoners’ playing staff looks weaker than at least a dozen of their adversaries’.
Verdict: Middle of the Road
Derby County
We’ve been waiting for some time for Derby County, large attendances and all, to launch back into the national consciousness after the overspending of the nineties. At times the club’s owners have seemed paralysed with fear that, should they lose patience with Nigel Clough, he would promptly turn up at the City Ground and shame them for ever more. The result has been his quiet curatorship of a promising side [18]; new Ireland international Jeff Hendrick and Will Hughes [19] among them. Now, with slightly more wiggle room in the market, Clough appears to have assembled a team with potentialities – Lee Grant and Chris Martin joined for free and Craig Forsyth was a snip from Watford for £150,000, while a cool three quarters of a million had been disbursed for Johnny Russell from Dundee United before John Eustace [20] dropped anchor yesterday – one of the thinking Championship fan’s favourite players.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Doncaster Rovers
A year ago, Doncaster Rovers appeared to have lost their soul after the shameful departure of Sean O’Driscoll [21] and an especially ignominious relegation involving more mercenaries than a medieval dukedom. It’s hence a surprise to see them back in the Championship so soon and perhaps even more surprising to see Paul Dickov at the helm after Brian Flynn stepped down from temporary charge. At the moment, the group has been kept together and Harry Forrester looks to be a very smart buy from Brentford, rubbing salt in the wounds of the vanquished. The poaching of Billy Paynter and skills of James Coppinger will keep Rovers competitive but it will be a demanding year for the team soon to be evoked as typical cannon fodder [22].
Verdict: Looking Over Their Shoulders
Huddersfield Town
Hudderfield Town tailed off alarmingly in 2012-13 both before and after the departure of Simon Grayson and surgery has been widespread these past few weeks – ex-loanee James Vaughan has come in from Norwich alongside Martin Paterson, the skilful but often inconsistent Adam Hammill and former hero and local lad Jon Stead [23]. The influx makes for a ridiculously large squad and Mark Robins is probably keen to move out some of those who were involved in last year’s ebb. Still, something had to be done and with Peter Clarke a talisman at the back, the Terriers can perhaps hope for better this time.
Verdict: Middle of the Road
Ipswich Town
Wolves fans will be looking on ruefully at the excellent job Mick McCarthy carried out in steadying the ship at Ipswich even if the ownership/management structure at the Suffolk club is shadier than its supporters are truly comfortable with [24]. The squad has been added to very adroitly – the pace and skill of Paul Anderson, experience of Christophe Berra, never-say-die attitude of Jay Tabb [25], buzzing of Cole Skuse and silken abilities of David McGoldrick [26] all enhance the mix while the erratic Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is not so much of a loss, despite the manager’s graciousness on waving goodbye to the ex-Arsenal man [27]. Town have been dwelling below stairs for too long now and while a forecast of promotion may be optimistic, I wouldn’t bet against them competing in the play-offs come May.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Leeds United
Brian McDermott has all that one needs to forge a promotion winning team [28] as evidenced by his taking a largely prosaic but hearty Reading side to the title a little over a year ago. Forward Noel Hunt is archetypal in this and should weigh in with a dozen goals or so while the million pound forked out to Crewe for Luke Murphy suggests ambition on the financial front. McDermott may raid his former charges for others but he’s generally been a man who likes to work with what he has already – so the precociousness of Sam Byram will be carefully nurtured and the mercurial talents of El-Hadji Diouf allowed to flourish. Whether that will make Leeds anything more than a contender will be revealed over the coming months. Expect the word ‘massive’ to be mentioned more times than in any account of the Bristolian music scene.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Leicester City
There has been more legislation passed by Barack Obama during his time in office than Leicester City have done business this summer and the hangover from that cruel denouement to the season at Watford may take a while to subside. It doesn’t help that City fans are divided on the subject of honest boss Nigel Pearson while the lack of trading suggests financial uncertainty – a possible backdraft from the silliness of the Sven era. Still, the owners’ purchase of the King Power Stadium in March along with the award of top academy status perhaps indicate a willingness to plan a sustainable future even if decent money was spent on the likes of Chris Wood throughout the course of 2012-13 and the wage bill remains stretched. There should be enough quality in the team to leave the Foxes looking upwards rather than downwards and perhaps Andy King will start to dominate games like he once did.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Middlesbrough
A dramatic fall from grace throughout the course of the last campaign indicated how much Boro are still suffering from the legacy of Gordon Strachan’s time at the helm and it truly was a horrendous winter for the Teessiders [29]. The signings so far appear to be good ones however, with the battling consistency of Dean Whitehead lending bite to a midfield alongside former Sunderland team mate Grant Leadbitter. The club consequently have a more gnarled, harder to beat look and that can only be good after last year’s profile as pushovers. Tony Mowbray likes his teams to keep the ball on the grass but it needs to be tougher for opponents to come to the Riverside again.
Verdict: Middle of the Road
Millwall
Another team to badly fade away last time out, Millwall’s decline was at least identifiable to one major factor – the loss of Chris Wood [30] to Leicester. Hence, the club have acted quickly to redress that wrong by bringing back returning hero Steve Morison after faltering spells at Norwich and Leeds (still his current employers) as well as Scott McDonald from Middlesbrough. Gone though, is the admirable Kenny Jackett [31] while Steve Lomas is a fascinating appointment as his successor. With two UEFA League qualifications behind him from his time at St. Johnstone, the Northern Irishman’s arrival is a refreshing change and he’s complimented the hiring of the striking duo by bringing in Stephen Bywater between the sticks – how well the appointment of an ex-Hammer with the Lions faithful will go down is debatable, however. Ditto Nicky Bailey, who once snarled on the wrong side of the Isle of Dogs.
Verdict: Looking Over Their Shoulders
Nottingham Forest
Two players who it always seemed might be competing for the same place, Lewis McGugan and David McGoldrick [32], have departed the City Ground this Summer but the squad still has a supple look thanks to the forward power of Simon Cox, Darius Henderson and Dexter Blackstock as well as the midfield wiles of Chris Cohen and Radosław Majewski. It’s at the back that the Tricky Trees have been less watertight and Billy Davies has been attempting to prise former rock Wes Morgan back from Leicester all summer long - although a temporary deal for Jack Hobbs has materialised as a handy Plan B. Dorus de Vries, Gonzalo Jara and Eric Lichaj all look to be sensible additions to the rearguard of a team that should be an outside candidate for automatic promotion.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Queen’s Park Rangers
We’ve seen it before and the likes of Newcastle and West Ham have gambled by keeping an expensive unit [33] together for an additional year in a bid to get back to the EPL. Hence, QPR will be doing the same and, contrary to all financial logic, albeit in keeping with the lengthy contracts that most of their mercenaries are on, will be looking to giveth more than they take away. Still, Christopher Samba has now returned whence he came and the £12 million netted should, along with monies resultant from the possible sale of Julio Cesar, allow the bid for Celtic’s Gary Hooper to bear fruit. Some will see it as a world without justice that will see a team still in possession of so many big earners (Bosingwa, Park, Barton to name but three) almost inevitably make a title winning challenge. Only the lack of team spirit that cost them their Premier League spot in the first place can prevent a return.
Verdict: Automatic
Reading
The new contracts signed by Alex and Hal Robson-Kanu will provide optimism for Royals’ fans [34] on their quick return to lower division waters but also a warning that the financial prudence of yesteryear has been halted at Nigel Adkins’ insistence. The marquee capture of sometime bad boy Royston Drenthe will do nothing to prevent that impression and nor will the sneaky pinching of Wayne Bridge from under the noses of Brighton. Reading’s squad is unwieldy – especially when one considers how inadequate it proved to be during that lone Premier league season and the club’s player of the year perhaps provides the biggest conundrum – Adam Le Fondre is a finisher par excellence but is markedly less impressive when he starts games.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Sheffield Wednesday
The muse that saw Dave Jones conduct a torrid affair with the play-offs deserted him last season as Wednesday struggled to cope with the extra quality on offer in the Championship – a lumpen mode of play with the committed but blunt edged Miguel Llera at its heart was at times less than easy on the eye. Perhaps only Michail Antonio continues to provide fantasy while the arrogance of Gary Madine is out of all proportion to his achievements on the pitch. The signing of Jérémy Hélan from Manchester City indicates that Jones will continue to rely on a wingside effort while two keepers have left the club in Nicky Weaver and Stephen Bywater.
Verdict: Looking Over Their Shoulders
Watford
What’s particularly interesting about the new Watford vintage is the way that, rather than solely relying on rehiring the loan stars of 2012-13, they went out and acquired some additional quality in the interim. Hence, Lewis McGugan joins from Nottingham Forest and youngster Uche Ikpeazu has been persuaded away from Reading although he’ll be unlikely to feature too heavily given his inexperience. The former temporary men will continue to be important though – and Daniel Pudil and Almen Abdi [35] in particular were important assets to keep, while the past week’s flurry of acquisitions has constituted a reunion to rival that of the film The World’s End. Elsewhere, one wouldn’t expect Matěj Vydra nor Nathaniel Chalobah to re-emerge but the regulations remain flexible enough to allow Gianfranco Zola to continue his superb management and continue his commitment to the best playing style the League will see [36].
Verdict: Automatic
Wigan Athletic
Swapping Roberto Martinez for Owen Coyle seemed akin to replacing Jacko from Brushstrokes with his sidekick Elmo and there may be less of a ‘project’ about Wigan Athletic this coming year. I was astounded at the quality on show when I saw them defeat Reading at the Madejski in the winter [37] and hence, it might seem foolish to tamper with a combination that ended May as a better one than any line up this new division has to offer while scooping the small matter of an FA Cup into the bargain. Arouna Kone and others have departed and the incomers have been many. Grant Holt for £2 million is the headline act but Marc-Antoine Fortune, James Perch and Scott Carson is as eye catching a strategy of business as we’ve seen, even if all will be pinching themselves when they run out at Wembley in the Community Shield.
Verdict: Chasing the Play-Offs
Yeovil Town
How not to be patronising? No matter, given most Somerset men will revel in their favourites’ new found status. Gary Johnson is aware too that this Yeovil side will have their work cut out [38] but he has achieved similar before with a Bristol City team full of comparative unknowns. Which leaves us to ponder which out of Kieffer Moore or Michael Ngoo and Billy Clifford, loans from Liverpool and Chelsea respectively, will impress us this year? This latter had a strut and an air of arrogance when I saw him in Colchester colours in January [39] – a willingness to put his foot in and create the play – maybe he will perpetuate the dream? It’s a division that is unforgiving to big reputations that rest on their laurels and Yeovil can profit from that.
Verdict: Looking Over Their Shoulders
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