Topic: Skybet Championship Thread

[PeterTheRed ...]

Nope, they just need to win the play-offs.

If a club puts together a squad that gets promoted, then they deserve to be there. The notion that they don't just because they have a smaller stadium or whatever is just ridiculous.

There are a crap load of clubs right now looking to build new stadiums, like Oxford and Southend (and Everton lol). It doesn't just happen over night, years and years of planning has to go into it. But again, it's irrelevant.

Our owners must be very stupid investing money into Anfield, when they can invest that money into the squad ...

[newterp]

Forest up 1-0

[Red Cactii]

Forest up 1-0

Should be up by 4 or 5, created that many chances.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

Our owners must be very stupid investing money into Anfield, when they can invest that money into the squad ...

You're comparing Liverpool and Luton? Right-o. It's not like Luton have been ploughing money into their squad, regardless.

Think Forest will comfortably stay up if they come up with the way they play, similarly to Brentford, plus with their home support behind them. The other 3 would be in Derby/Sunderland territory if they didn't strengthen significantly.

[stevieG786]

Hope Huddersfield come back up

[PeterTheRed ...]

You're comparing Liverpool and Luton? Right-o. It's not like Luton have been ploughing money into their squad, regardless.

No investment into infrastructure, no investment into players. Those fairytales belong to the FA Cup, not to the Premier League ...

[RedSince86]

Brave Scottie Parker.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/cNHIQxNlHpQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/cNHIQxNlHpQ</a>

[mallin9]

Jordan Rhodes rides again. Huddersfield in the playoff final

[Yorkykopite]

Jordan Rhodes is at least 49 years old. Not bad.

[Gerry Attrick]

Too busy watching Arsenal being Arsenal but the stats show it was... not a good football match. 2 very evenly matched outfits.

[Yorkykopite]

Too busy watching Arsenal being Arsenal but the stats show it was... not a good football match. 

"The stats show..." Oh, ok. Gerry's at it again!

[gerrardisgod]

Just another manager sacked by Neville and his cronies…

[Statto Red]

Not championship, but the league 2 playoffs, Mansfield beat Northampton 1-0 [3-1 on agg] to reach the league 2 playoff final.

 Remember Northampton from the last match of the season, won 3-1 but because Bristol Rovers won there match 7-0, Bristol Rovers finished 3rd, Northampton 4th, both finished level on points & GD, but Bristol Rovers scored more goals, & were automatically promoted instead of Northampton.

[thaddeus]

Fixtures out for next season:

Friday, 29 July
Huddersfield Town v Burnley (20:00 BST)

Saturday, 30 July (15:00 BST unless stated)
Blackburn Rovers v Queens Park Rangers
Blackpool v Reading
Cardiff City v Norwich City
Hull City v Bristol City
Luton Town v Birmingham City
Middlesbrough v West Bromwich Albion (17:30)
Millwall v Stoke City
Rotherham United v Swansea City
Wigan Athletic v Preston North End

Sunday, 31 July
Sunderland v Coventry City (12:00)

Monday, 1 August
Watford v Sheffield United (20:00)

It feels more difficult than usual to pick a promotion favourite as the relegated sides were very, very bad last season.  I don't hold out much hope for "Vincent Kompany's Burnley" (tm).  Maybe Middlesbrough or Sheff Utd but both have got tough opening fixtures.

[Drinks Sangria]

Mike Ashley has reportedly shown he has the cash to buy and sustain Derby and could even pay the cost of the club cash, up front, in a single transaction.

£50m is that number apparently.

[thaddeus]

Mike Ashley has reportedly shown he has the cash to buy and sustain Derby and could even pay the cost of the club cash, up front, in a single transaction.

£50m is that number apparently.

The rival bidder doesn't seem like he'd have the resources to buy and then bail Derby out of the mess they're in (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61923835).  The total turnover of his business in 2020/21 was 'only' £82m.  Derby apparently have £50m+ debts and lose a further £1.5m/month.

He's a self-proclaimed Derby supporter so hopefully his motives are good and not just about a property developer trying to flip Pride Park for a profit.

[Drinks Sangria]

The rival bidder doesn't seem like he'd have the resources to buy and then bail Derby out of the mess they're in (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61923835).  The total turnover of his business in 2020/21 was 'only' £82m.  Derby apparently have £50m+ debts and lose a further £1.5m/month.

He's a self-proclaimed Derby supporter so hopefully his motives are good and not just about a property developer trying to flip Pride Park for a profit.

We've seen this with Bury before... I wouldn't trust the bloke personally. I don't like one bit that the administrators have allowed Pride Park to be sold as a separate concern from the football club.

Is his (Clowes) idea to now get the club at a knock down price and try and sell the whole package at a profit? Strange to separately negotiate ground and club if you indeed want the whole thing? Or was the ground, as tangible property, saleable by Morris the previous owner with no subject to checks or control by the administrators?

[Drinks Sangria]

Wayne Rooney to leave Derby with immediate effect. Kind of surprising, suggests more movement on the ownership situation.

[Gerry Attrick]

Mike Ashley has reportedly shown he has the cash to buy and sustain Derby and could even pay the cost of the club cash, up front, in a single transaction.

£50m is that number apparently.

They’ve literally bent over backwards not to sell it to Ashley. I don’t know or care for the ins and outs particularly, but he’s absolutely minted, ran Newcastle sustainably and earns his money legitimately. There’s really no reason I can see to not give it him.

[Drinks Sangria]

They’ve literally bent over backwards not to sell it to Ashley. I don’t know or care for the ins and outs particularly, but he’s absolutely minted, ran Newcastle sustainably and earns his money legitimately. There’s really no reason I can see to not give it him.

Yeah he’s got a bad reputation off the back of running Newcastle fairly sensibly but being unwilling to go wild with transfers to take a risk on turning them into a side that gets into Europe.

I think it was only ever pundits and Newcastle fans who ever thought he was really that bad. I have a family member who’s a Derby fan and I asked him would you take him as the owner if he achieved what he did at Newcastle and he said he’d snap anyones hand off for that offer. Derby fans just want to be competitive with the odd play off run and maybe aim for promotion but Newcastle fans seemed to be massively entitled even though they’ve been relegated twice in the past 12 years.

More has come out on Rooney in that he’s found the last few months too draining and he thinks the club will do better with a fresh face not affected by what’s come before. Brave to say, if true.

[Fromola]

Wayne Rooney to leave Derby with immediate effect. Kind of surprising, suggests more movement on the ownership situation.

For all the gushing over him, they were very lucky not to get relegated the season before with what was a good Championship squad. They made a decent crack at it last season in the circumstances - although still had some good players for that league - but were still relegated with a few games to go. They were only in with a fighting chance because Reading had a big points deduction of their own, before managerial mastermind Paul Ince came in and got them on a decent run.

Can't imagine Championship clubs falling over themselves to employ him.

Yeah he’s got a bad reputation off the back of running Newcastle fairly sensibly but being unwilling to go wild with transfers to take a risk on turning them into a side that gets into Europe.

I think it was only ever pundits and Newcastle fans who ever thought he was really that bad. I have a family member who’s a Derby fan and I asked him would you take him as the owner if he achieved what he did at Newcastle and he said he’d snap anyones hand off for that offer. Derby fans just want to be competitive with the odd play off run and maybe aim for promotion but Newcastle fans seemed to be massively entitled even though they’ve been relegated twice in the past 12 years.

More has come out on Rooney in that he’s found the last few months too draining and he thinks the club will do better with a fresh face not affected by what’s come before. Brave to say, if true.

Aside from anything else Ashley did get Newcastle relegated twice and both times due to his poor running of the football side of the club. He fucked Rafa over a lot as well. If you've got 52,000 crowds every week you aren't going to be content with 13th every season and aspiring to no better before ending up relegated.

He keeps a tight reign on the finances though and beggars can't be choosers with where Derby are.

[Drinks Sangria]

Fair points Fromola but there’s plenty of other big teams who draw good crowds who don’t have a whole lot to speak of, history wise in terms of trophies.

Newcastle have barely won anything in their entire existence so I think it’s fair to ask the question of ‘were Newcastle fans entitled beyond their station.’ I’d argue they absolutely were and are even worse now, massively so.

I’m not saying Ashley was a good owner - the issues with Rafa, the poor decisions with contracts to poor managers, the jobs for the boys set up - he wasn’t always. But he ran the club fairly sustainably, didn’t put them into massive bad debt and kept them roughly where their modern history dictates - a midtable first division side.

I just think given Derby’s scaled expectations, they could do worse.

[Crosby Nick]

Wayne Rooney to leave Derby with immediate effect. Kind of surprising, suggests more movement on the ownership situation.

https://mobile.twitter.com/averagestriker/status/1540375631300632576?s=21&t=MUPfiI3SKeiRm44wlFlS9A

[Fromola]

Fair points Fromola but there’s plenty of other big teams who draw good crowds who don’t have a whole lot to speak of, history wise in terms of trophies.

Newcastle have barely won anything in their entire existence so I think it’s fair to ask the question of ‘were Newcastle fans entitled beyond their station.’ I’d argue they absolutely were and are even worse now, massively so.

I’m not saying Ashley was a good owner - the issues with Rafa, the poor decisions with contracts to poor managers, the jobs for the boys set up - he wasn’t always. But he ran the club fairly sustainably, didn’t put them into massive bad debt and kept them roughly where their modern history dictates - a midtable first division side.

I just think given Derby’s scaled expectations, they could do worse.

Newcastle fans weren't demanding to win trophies under Ashley though, just to at least try, especially with the cups and for the football side to be properly run. To end up relegated twice (With 50 thousand crowds) because you won't spend the club's money and appoint idiots to run the football side, is not going to leave fans jumping for joy.

Derby will just have to take what they can.

[Drinks Sangria]

Derby have had a bid for them accepted; from David Clowes, the individual who bought Pride Park last week.

His intentions remain somewhat shrouded. He’s apparently a lifelong Derby fan so you’d hope his intentions were indeed pure.

Still got a reasonably sized squad though you’d imagine some of the better players will be looking for a way out. They’ve had to sell a few of their best youngsters and some others have left on frees.

[thaddeus]

The 50k crowds is a bit misleading as Newcastle's ticket prices are (were?) a lot cheaper than any of the sides their fans might think they should have toppled.  Pre-pandemic their "Matchday Income Per Fan Per Season" was less than a third of Chelsea, Arsenal, ourselves, Spurs and Man U, and also less than clubs like Brighton and Southampton.

As I vaguely remember it the grumbles with Ashley were also that he gave free advertising to Sports Direct and something about Sports Direct and their club shop.  He was a pretty scummy owner but if the bar he's being compared against is despotic dictators then he's not so bad.

I'm sceptical about Clowes taking ownership of Derby as property developer and football club owner don't seem a great mix.  That he was able to buy Pride Park (valued at about ~£80m) for £22m is quite possibly the reason he became interested at this late stage...

They should do well in League One as we can't pretend that league isn't generally either small clubs punching above their weight or bigger clubs in a financial mess.

[Fromola]

They should do well in League One as we can't pretend that league isn't generally either small clubs punching above their weight or bigger clubs in a financial mess.

It's competitive at the moment. Ipswich, Bolton, Portsmouth, Sheff Wed and Charlton are Championship level clubs who'd hope to be challenging and Sheff Wed aside those clubs are under newish/stable ownership and Sheff Wed were in the play offs. Barnsley and Peterborough going down with them will expect to challenge.  Then there's the likes of Wycombe, Plymouth Oxford and MK Dons who were in around the top 6 last season

It's just took Sunderland a few years to get out that league and they needed the play offs.

It's a more exciting league than The Championship which will have the exciting prospect of Norwich and Watford finishing 1st and 2nd again.

[Lee1-6Liv]

The Telegraph reveals Wayne Rooney is the subject of an investigation by the English federation (FA), because he is accused of having secretly paid the wages of the month of May of the players and the staff of Derby County. That is an amount of approximately €1.8 million.

https://twitter.com/ManuelMenacho0/status/1541770194569379841?s=20&t=m0GUzZ4u6cw114uTTUr48w

[Gerry Attrick]

The Telegraph reveals Wayne Rooney is the subject of an investigation by the English federation (FA), because he is accused of having secretly paid the wages of the month of May of the players and the staff of Derby County. That is an amount of approximately €1.8 million.

https://twitter.com/ManuelMenacho0/status/1541770194569379841?s=20&t=m0GUzZ4u6cw114uTTUr48w

Probably a case of him trying to do right by the people who aren't minted but didn't grasp the potential ramifications the club could face from it. Been many reports of him paying for stuff during the last year to keep things running. Derby County didn't deserve him to be honest.

[Drinks Sangria]

The Telegraph reveals Wayne Rooney is the subject of an investigation by the English federation (FA), because he is accused of having secretly paid the wages of the month of May of the players and the staff of Derby County. That is an amount of approximately €1.8 million.

https://twitter.com/ManuelMenacho0/status/1541770194569379841?s=20&t=m0GUzZ4u6cw114uTTUr48w

If true my respect for him has gone up massively.

[Elzar]

Rooney going to DC United makes me think he’s not that bothered about a long career in management. He did a decent job at Derby and probably could have taken another championship team that wants to be ambitious.

[Gerry Attrick]

Rooney going to DC United makes me think he’s not that bothered about a long career in management. He did a decent job at Derby and probably could have taken another championship team that wants to be ambitious.

In all fairness if I had to choose between slogging it out in Luton, Stoke and Burnley or playing in the big cities in America I’d probably do what he is instead.

[sinnermichael]

So it all starts tomorrow night again with Huddersfield vs Burnley.

Can't be arsed with Norwich and Watford coming up again.

[Drinks Sangria]

Every year we have a surprise package in the Championship - who we backing this year?

Luton and Forest were decent last season, I’ve a feeling Stoke City will make a playoff charge and Swansea can do well if they keep hold of Piroe. Sunderland might ride the wave of positivity to a top half finish.

Sheffield Utd were excellent last season after their horrible start that left them with too much to do, they should be challenging.

[Gerry Attrick]

Do Middlesbrough count as a surprise package? If so they're mine. Think they'll be right at the pointy end with Wilder there.

[Fromola]

Do Middlesbrough count as a surprise package? If so they're mine. Think they'll be right at the pointy end with Wilder there.

Any non parachute club really.

3 relegated clubs liable to be there or thereabouts. West Brom and Sheff United the same who came down the year before.

I'd like to see Preston under Ryan Lowe make a play off push. I think Middlesborough will be up there as Wilder the best manager in the division. The relegated teams have such a financial advantage though.

No real big clubs left now Forest, Leeds, Villa, Wolves and Newcastle all 8n PL. Sunderland probably the biggest but will likely need time to consolidate after promotion.

[Drinks Sangria]

Do Middlesbrough count as a surprise package? If so they're mine. Think they'll be right at the pointy end with Wilder there.

Personally I wouldn't say so - I agree they will do well - but with an established quality coach in Wilder, a good core squad with some young prospects and a reasonable transfer kitty I'm not sure I'd be surprised if they do well, they almost made the play offs last season.

They've brought in Forss from Brentford who looks a really tidy forward who should do well at that level as well as solid Championship veterans Lenighan and Smith. Wilder is definitely building the side with a view to what worked at Sheffield Utd.

Stoke have made some interesting moves - bringing in the powerful Josh Laurent from Reading (some might remember he played very well against us for Shrewsbury in the draw at their place a few years back), Championship Defoe in Dwight Gayle and the solid Aden Flint from Cardiff.

[Fromola]

Anyone but West Brom, Burnley and Watford.

Steve Bruce and West Brom with old dinosaur managers are like the turds that won't flush. Burnley (now with Kompany in charge) and Watford always roll over to City without exception and usually raise their game for us.

[El Lobo]

And annoyingly, it probably will be those three and Norwich in the reckoning.

[elsewhere]

Starts off with Huddersfield-Burnley tonight. Didn't realize it would be this quick, shite match but I will take it.