Author Topic: Skybet Championship Thread (Read 184867 times)

Caligula? · « **Reply #1280 on:** March 3, 2021, 09:37:41 pm »

That's 6 points guaranteed against Norwich next season!

Redwhiteandnotblue · « **Reply #1281 on:** March 7, 2021, 06:24:56 pm »

Swansea have had quite the week. They beat Stoke with a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time on Wednesday. Impossible to top that on the weekend, surely? No! they beat Middlesbrough with a penalty in the seventh minute of injury time.

Hazell · « **Reply #1282 on:** March 7, 2021, 06:27:17 pm »

Quote from: Redwhiteandnotblue on March 7, 2021, 06:24:56 pm

Swansea have had quite the week. They beat Stoke with a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time on Wednesday. Impossible to top that on the weekend, surely? No! they beat Middlesbrough with a penalty in the seventh minute of injury time.

Penalties. Now what are they again?

I've been a good boy · « **Reply #1283 on:** March 7, 2021, 06:50:24 pm »

Quote from: Caligula? on March 3, 2021, 09:37:41 pm

That's 6 points guaranteed against Norwich next season!

On current form, 6 points for them.

Drinks Sangria · « **Reply #1284 on:** March 8, 2021, 12:09:52 pm »

Quote from: Redwhiteandnotblue on March 7, 2021, 06:24:56 pm

Swansea have had quite the week. They beat Stoke with a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time on Wednesday. Impossible to top that on the weekend, surely? No! they beat Middlesbrough with a penalty in the seventh minute of injury time.

The one against Stoke was a joke and a blatant dive. He just ran across the player and plunged to the turf with no contact.

Redwhiteandnotblue · « **Reply #1285 on:** March 8, 2021, 09:25:56 pm »

Quote from: Drinks Sangria on March 8, 2021, 12:09:52 pm

The one against Stoke was a joke and a blatant dive. He just ran across the player and plunged to the turf with no contact.

I doubt the Swansea fans give two hoots. What we wouldn't give for a spawny win or two like that at the moment!

Drinks Sangria · « **Reply #1286 on:** March 9, 2021, 11:02:22 am »

Quote from: Redwhiteandnotblue on March 8, 2021, 09:25:56 pm

I doubt the Swansea fans give two hoots. What we wouldn't give for a spawny win or two like that at the moment!

They don't, and you could tell from the reaction of their bench when it was given that they knew full well it was bullshit.

I'd take some atrocious decisions in our favour. It's not like we're not due 1 or 12.

sinnermichael · « **Reply #1287 on:** March 13, 2021, 04:58:49 pm »

Barnsley coming up would be some story. Up to 5th now.

Emerald Red · « **Reply #1288 on:** March 14, 2021, 03:03:15 pm »

The Canaries win again ...

If they go up it will be 5 Promotions and 4 Relegations since 2009.

Drinks Sangria · « **Reply #1289 on:** March 23, 2021, 03:40:56 pm »

Quote from: sinnermichael on March 13, 2021, 04:58:49 pm

Barnsley coming up would be some story. Up to 5th now.

Being made to pay £1m to Hull, as it's been decided that they withheld fitness/health concerns about Angus MacDonald's transfer to the Tigers in the £600k deal that eventually turned out to be due to cancer.

Apparently the crux of Hulls' argument centred around an iron deficiency that Barnsley knew about and did not disclose. Settled by a tribunal. Odd one this, the pay out being significantly more than the actual transfer fee. Not nice for the player having gone through all that too.

Nice to see Brentford belying my prediction that they would struggle to make the play-offs - they're still in with an outside bet for automatic promotion. Ivan Toney has been a quality signing with 28 goals - Bryan Mbeumo looks every inch a Premier League player too. He'll be another that moves for a decent fee in the next few windows. I struggle to think of a club anywhere in Europe with as good a recruitment set up, relative to their level, as Brentford.

Barefoot Doctor · « **Reply #1290 on:** April 7, 2021, 10:24:43 am »

Just the 7-0 win for Norwich last night against Huddersfield. Can be promoted at the weekend if they win and Swansea and Brentford don't.

Buendia got a hat trick of assists and scored one. In an Athletic article I read today, it said he's created 78 open play chances this season, with the next highest in the Championship being Max Aarons with 49. Harvey Elliott in joint third with 48. Just unreal numbers, someone is surely going to make a bid for him in the summer?

Watford looking nailed on for the second automatic promotion spot, nine points clear of Brentford albeit having played a game more. And then it looks like four from Brentford, Swansea, Barnsley, Reading and Bournemouth in the play-offs. Be dull as anything if Bournemouth come straight back up along with Norwich and Watford - hoping Brentford can finally get over the line.

Crosby Nick · « **Reply #1291 on:** April 7, 2021, 10:38:46 am »

Brentford have drawn their last four I think. The goals have dried up a bit for Toney and they’ve been very reliant on him. They were nailed on for the play offs a while back and now I think they only have a four point cushion.

Swansea are in bad form too but I think both will make it with Barnsley and Bournemouth. Reading don’t seem that great.

bird_lfc · « **Reply #1292 on:** April 13, 2021, 06:57:45 pm »

Noticed that Solanke seems to be amongst the goals and assists this season. Happy for him

sinnermichael · « **Reply #1293 on:** April 13, 2021, 07:02:19 pm »

Be boring as fuck if all three that went down come back up again.

Statto Red · « **Reply #1294 on:** April 13, 2021, 10:29:51 pm »

Of all the teams in & around the playoffs i'd rather Brentford win promotion, but most likely be a Swansea vs Bournemouth playoff final, teams in red & white stripes have a dreadful record in the playoffs.

Lone Star Red · « **Reply #1295 on:** April 13, 2021, 10:33:59 pm »

Really don't want to see Watford up again, although it appears they're just about nearly there. Just a nothing club for me and I cannot stand the ownership and their model of sacking managers left and right.

Elzar · « **Reply #1296 on:** April 14, 2021, 10:18:23 am »

Quote from: bird_lfc on April 13, 2021, 06:57:45 pm

Noticed that Solanke seems to be amongst the goals and assists this season. Happy for him

Expected as much, expect the same from Brewster next season. Will probably fire Sheff United into playoffs or above.

Crosby Nick · « **Reply #1297 on:** April 14, 2021, 10:23:44 am »

Quote from: Lone Star Red on April 13, 2021, 10:33:59 pm

Really don't want to see Watford up again, although it appears they're just about nearly there. Just a nothing club for me and I cannot stand the ownership and their model of sacking managers left and right.

Agree, really don’t like them for no real reason. Don’t mind Norwich coming back, generally harmless, play ok football and we normally do well against them.

Given those two are coming back it would be really good if Brentford can make it finally for something different. Would also vastly increase my chances of getting to watch us live next season too!

Jookie · « **Reply #1298 on:** April 14, 2021, 11:50:26 am »

Looks like another big club could be in League One next season if Sheffield Wednesday go down. Sheffield Wednesday in the early to mid 90's were always a solid mid-table team who occasionally pushed for Top 8 and the domestic cups whilst having one of the bigger supports by average attendance.

They last played in the Premier League in 1999-20 and could easily be back in the third tier for the 5th time in the 21 seasons since. They've fallen massively as a club in the last 20 odd years.

If Wednesday go down, it's conceivable that them, Sunderland, Ipswich, Charlton, Portsmouth are all in League One next season. Based on history, size of supporter base and financial capabilities you could build a strong argument that you'd expect all those teams to be Championship level.

Drinks Sangria · « **Reply #1299 on:** April 14, 2021, 11:57:47 am »

Quote from: Jookie on April 14, 2021, 11:50:26 am

Looks like another big club could be in League One next season if Sheffield Wednesday go down. Sheffield Wednesday in the early to mid 90's were always a solid mid-table team who occasionally pushed for Top 8 and the domestic cups whilst having one of the bigger supports by average attendance.

They last played in the Premier League in 1999-20 and could easily be back in the third tier for the 5th time in the 21 seasons since. They've fallen massively as a club in the last 20 odd years.

If Wednesday go down, it's conceivable that them, Sunderland, Ipswich, Charlton, Portsmouth are all in League One next season. Based on history, size of supporter base and financial capabilities you could build a strong argument that you'd expect all those teams to be Championship level.

Bolton could be with them too - the form side in League Two at the moment. A few of those went down prior to parachute payments becoming a thing, but all of them have one thing in common - financial mismanagement. Sheffield Wednesday are one of ten Championship clubs on a signings embargo too due to FFP, so it could be very, very hard for them to put together a feasible squad for next season if they go down and there's an exodus.

I associate Wednesday heavily with their mid/late 90s sides that like Jookie has said were usually solid Premier League teams - when I started watching football, players like Des Walker, Benito Carbone and the excellently named Orlando Trustfull are names I associate with the squad at the time. No idea if they actually all played together or not.

Crosby Nick · « **Reply #1300 on:** April 14, 2021, 12:06:12 pm »

Wednesday were very decent in the early 90s when they had Waddle, David Hirst, John Sheridan and Mark Bright. By the end of the 90s they’d lost their way a bit. Carbons was very talented but think a few other overseas signings (when they still weren’t that common) came in and didn’t do great (Giles De Bilde?).

Mad how many ex Premier League sides there are languishing in League One though. And I think the likes of Bradford, Bolton and Portsmouth are even worse off.

Drinks Sangria · « **Reply #1301 on:** April 14, 2021, 12:24:00 pm »

Quote from: BIG DICK NICK on April 14, 2021, 12:06:12 pm

Wednesday were very decent in the early 90s when they had Waddle, David Hirst, John Sheridan and Mark Bright. By the end of the 90s they’d lost their way a bit. Carbons was very talented but think a few other overseas signings (when they still weren’t that common) came in and didn’t do great (Giles De Bilde?).

Mad how many ex Premier League sides there are languishing in League One though. And I think the likes of Bradford, Bolton and Portsmouth are even worse off.

Bradford are a big club - in my mind as well as in reality - they were averaging 16,500 fans in the basement division last season of proper fan attendance. Yet they're currently in 12th, scrapping with about 9 other clubs for the final play off spot in a massively compressed upper midtable. There are only 9 teams in League Two with a lower wage budget (and Crewe Alex in League One) despite what seems to be a healthy gate. They haven't paid a transfer fee for a player in the last four years, but have made over £1.5m in player sales in that time.

It just seems a massive money drain to run a club at that level, you need shrewd management and to scour the massive lists of players on one year deals down there to try to squad build for one promotion push, because you will lose several important players every season. The problem in League Two is, no one really (with a few notable exceptions) can afford to pay a wage that we view as a 'footballers' wage. I certainly know a few lads who are pros in League Two/One and I played with at youth level, where they earn an okay living but nothing special at all, with no qualifications and knowing they've at best got another 4-6 years of their career left. One earns less than £600 a week as a starter for a top half League Two side. It's so, so easy for a top League One/ lower Championship club to literally quintuple a players wages just to have them as a squad filler or reserve, so no wonder players take the risk of one year deals at that level.

One lad I played with at semi-pro level got picked up by a then League Two, now League One team and he's a certain starter for them when fit. They've tried all they can to keep him there but apparently another League One team, who can't offer him a starting position are happily upping his wages from £2,000 a week to closer to £9,000. This is a League One team pushing for promotion but absolutely not guaranteed and could feasibly not even make the playoffs.

Elzar · « **Reply #1302 on:** April 14, 2021, 12:27:17 pm »

Quote from: Drinks Sangria on April 14, 2021, 11:57:47 am

Sheffield Wednesday are on of ten Championship clubs on a signings embargo too due to FFP,

This should be ringing huge alarm bells to those that are in charge of the EFL, but it's those clowns that have allowed it all.

redgriffin73 · « **Reply #1303 on:** April 14, 2021, 12:43:06 pm »

Would love to see some different clubs from the usual coming up - or at least some from the north for a change, too many bloody southern teams in the Championship!

sinnermichael · « **Reply #1304 on:** April 14, 2021, 12:49:48 pm »

Interesting to see where Ivan Toney ends up if Brentford don't go up. The likes of Palace and Brighton, even West Ham are desperate for a decent striker.

disgraced cake · « **Reply #1305 on:** April 14, 2021, 01:18:57 pm »

Interesting to see if Norwich can defend better in the prem than they did last season. Fulham this season is an intriguing one, they've defended better than they did in 2018/19, but are still going down because they aren't good enough at the other end. Norwich seem to be better in attack but will have to defend much better than they did last season in the prem, but 28 goals conceded in 41 championship games is impressive.

Didn't realise Watford were very close to automatic promotion. Their final 5 games don't look easy, but the way points are dropped in the championship I don't expect the teams below them to overtake them at this stage. Shame Brentford have blown automatic promotion again, they should have taken it last season but can't seem to get results in big games.

Swansea and Brentford just about have play off places confirmed, and Bournemouth should get one given their quality at that level. Barnsley would be a really surprising inclusion and they might just get the last place. Wouldn't really mind any of those sides coming up, it's an interesting bunch. I'd like Brentford to come up, and I really like our record against Bournemouth.

Statto Red · « **Reply #1306 on:** April 14, 2021, 01:59:49 pm »

I'd love to see Blackpool get promoted from league one, currently in playoff position, Blackpool got rid of their c*nt of an owner a couple of years ago

Drinks Sangria · « **Reply #1307 on:** April 14, 2021, 03:14:42 pm »

Quote from: disgraced cake on April 14, 2021, 01:18:57 pm

Interesting to see if Norwich can defend better in the prem than they did last season. Fulham this season is an intriguing one, they've defended better than they did in 2018/19, but are still going down because they aren't good enough at the other end. Norwich seem to be better in attack but will have to defend much better than they did last season in the prem, but 28 goals conceded in 41 championship games is impressive.

It's odd, they seem to rotate the defence a lot - playing Bali Mumba - who's usually a midfielder as an auxiliary full back but usually using Hanley, Omobamidele of late (who looks a decent prospect a la Lewis, Aarons and Godfrey) and either Quintilla or the Greek fella who had a thirst for Norwich who's name I forget.

It doesn't strike me as a unit that's solidity would transfer to the Premier League without any additions. Grant Hanley is one of those who's perfectly solid at the level below but then looks horribly exposed in the Premier League. That's what I feel about their squad in general - similar to a Derby or West Brom in the past where they've been hyper-competent at Championship level and been promoted with some ease, then been badly found lacking in top division football.

I don't think their hierarchy mind, they seem like they'd happily get promoted and relegated back and forth given the prize for promotion and the parachute payments. Probably looked at Fulham and Villa a couple of seasons back spending a combined £250m to still be relegated and in Villa's case hang on thanks to faulty technology and thought 'no thank you.'

disgraced cake · « **Reply #1308 on:** April 17, 2021, 02:47:14 pm »

Norwich are up now, officially. Not far off winning the division either. They play Bournemouth today but I don't think they can officially claim 1st tonight. They have 2nd place Watford next week where a point would definitely do it. Watford, despite losing today, are also really close to claiming automatic promotion, only a couple of wins away, but if they were to go to Norwich and lose next week then it opens the gap for Swansea and Brentford to capitalise going into the final few games.

Another clean sheet for Van Den Berg today, drawing 0-0 with Stoke.

El Lobo · « **Reply #1309 on:** April 17, 2021, 02:47:54 pm »

Yay $:-\$

Ray K · « **Reply #1310 on:** April 17, 2021, 02:51:50 pm »

@oilysailor
I can confirm the condition has been met

Sangria · « **Reply #1311 on:** April 17, 2021, 02:59:15 pm »

Quote from: Drinks Sangria on April 14, 2021, 03:14:42 pm

It's odd, they seem to rotate the defence a lot - playing Bali Mumba - who's usually a midfielder as an auxiliary full back but usually using Hanley, Omobamidele of late (who looks a decent prospect a la Lewis, Aarons and Godfrey) and either Quintilla or the Greek fella who had a thirst for Norwich who's name I forget.

This is beautiful.

I've been a good boy · « **Reply #1312 on:** April 18, 2021, 08:36:23 am »

Oh joy, Norwich again. £10 says they'll go back down and come back up again in 2 years.

keano7 · « **Reply #1313 on:** April 18, 2021, 09:22:55 am »

Quote from: I've been a good boy. on April 18, 2021, 08:36:23 am

Oh joy, Norwich again. £10 says they'll go back down and come back up again in 2 years.

It’s very likely Watford and Bournemouth will come straight back up to.

sinnermichael · « **Reply #1314 on:** April 24, 2021, 04:42:08 pm »

Watford back up. Bad season for Sheffield. Both clubs relegated.

Barefoot Doctor · « **Reply #1315 on:** April 24, 2021, 04:57:00 pm »

Looking very clear that the four in the playoffs will be Brentford, Bournemouth, Barnsley and Swansea. Brentford-Swansea and Bournemouth-Barnsley in the semis as it stands, but too tight between them to know for sure.

Caligula? · « **Reply #1316 on:** April 24, 2021, 04:58:27 pm »

Who knew that Rooney would be a complete disaster eh

Derby are lucky there are three worse teams otherwise they'd be down.

BlackandWhitePaul · « **Reply #1317 on:** April 24, 2021, 05:04:13 pm »

I would love to see Blackburn, Nottingham Forest and Sheff Wed back up.

It's not happening any time soon though.

sinnermichael · « **Reply #1318 on:** April 24, 2021, 05:39:40 pm »

DelTrotter · « **Reply #1319 on:** April 24, 2021, 05:53:19 pm »

Forest surely won't be doing Derby any favours next weekend, could be in a big pickle yet and of course Rotherham with their games in hand. Derby - Sheff Wed play on the final day too, could be a mad one!