Topic: Skybet Championship Thread

[thaddeus]

97/98 the 3 promoted sides got relegated and the three relegated sides finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd IIRC. Charlton beat Sunderland in the play off final though.

Leeds and Southampton haven't even started well either.

Good knowledge 

I've just had a look at the league table and Everton survived on goal difference at the expense of Bolton.  Relatively they were the glory days though as they got 40 points - something they've not managed in the past two seasons!

[disgraced cake]

Leicester, Southampton and Leeds coming back would be bad news for Everton in their state. If those three come back up they should have more money to spend than the likes of Burnley/Sheff U/Luton. Leicester are for sure better than Everton IMO even though they wouldn't be winning games like this every week in the Prem.

[thaddeus]

Leicester, Southampton and Leeds coming back would be bad news for Everton in their state. If those three come back up they should have more money to spend than the likes of Burnley/Sheff U/Luton. Leicester are for sure better than Everton IMO even though they wouldn't be winning games like this every week in the Prem.

It's hard to judge.  Burnley are the cautionary tale of a team that walked through the Championship but look dreadful against Premier League opposition, that despite spending £100m in the summer.

Some of these players may have been underachieving but Leicester have pretty much the relegated side minus internationals like Maddison, Barnes, Castagne, Tielemans, Perez, Soyuncu, Evans etc.  Their big signings were Harry Winks and Connor Coady!  Like Burnley they are playing possession based football and working out from the back against teams that are generally a bit... crap.

I agree though that three clubs with Premier League setups and fanbases coming back up would be bad news for Everton.  Hoping that there's always three teams worse than yourselves is fine until the season comes along when it's not the case anymore.

[Fromola]

It's hard to judge.  Burnley are the cautionary tale of a team that walked through the Championship but look dreadful against Premier League opposition, that despite spending £100m in the summer.

Some of these players may have been underachieving but Leicester have pretty much the relegated side minus internationals like Maddison, Barnes, Castagne, Tielemans, Perez, Soyuncu, Evans etc.  Their big signings were Harry Winks and Connor Coady!  Like Burnley they are playing possession based football and working out from the back against teams that are generally a bit... crap.

I agree though that three clubs with Premier League setups and fanbases coming back up would be bad news for Everton.  Hoping that there's always three teams worse than yourselves is fine until the season comes along when it's not the case anymore.

Leicester should never have gone down in the first place. Burnley walked The Championship despite pretty much selling off most of their squad or players leaving out of contract after relegation. The football they were playing was suited to The Championship but not the PL because that style of football relies on you having better players than your opponents, or at least good quality for the league.

It's like when Norwich have won that division under Farke (twice) and then come up and they just couldn't compete. Same now with Burnley. Leicester would get picked off by the better sides (like us in the cup) but might have enough quality to beat the teams down the bottom and be safe if Maresca is savvy enough, which Kompany appears not to be. A bit like Bielsa's Leeds who tended to get hammered by the top sides but got enough results against the rest.

Southampton and Leeds have similar style managers to Maresca/Kompany in Russell Martin and Farke (who has flopped twice before in the PL). It's getting harder to come up and compete in the division but it's still a lowish bar to finish 17th if you can get above the other 2 promoted sides because there'll always be at least 1 other team having a 'mare. Everton bank on it.

[duvva 💅]

Ipswich’s impressive start continues. Really hope they keep it up, think they may need to gain promotion again to keep hold of their manager.

[Crosby Nick]

The Southampton keeper pretty much scored with a header in the 96th minute. Went down as an own goal as it took a deflection but he got up well and got decent contact on the header. Lovely stuff.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Ipswich’s impressive start continues. Really hope they keep it up, think they may need to gain promotion again to keep hold of their manager.

My boy has an Ipswich season ticket and goes to some away games, they're playing some great football under McKenna.

A struggling Premier League team will be looking at him in a few weeks or months but he's a young manager and should spend a few years at Town where he's getting lots of support.

[duvva 💅]

My boy has an Ipswich season ticket and goes to some away games, they're playing some great football under McKenna.

A struggling Premier League team will be looking at him in a few weeks or months but he's a young manager and should spend a few years at Town where he's getting lots of support.

I live just outside Ipswich, one of my best mates is the same (Seasie and goes to some aways). Says the same about the footie they play as well.

Hope for the clubs sake. he is prepared to stick around if they don’t get promoted first time as they can be a decent club when they’ve got the right set up. Certainly better than your Luton’s, and Sheff Utd’s

[thaddeus]

Kieran McKenna is an interesting one.  Only 37 but he has been coaching and working in football analytics for over a decade after retiring very early due to injury.

Mourinho seems like a difficult character at the best of times but he made McKenna his assistant manager.  Ole's at the wheel and Father of gegenpressing both kept him on before he took the job at Ipswich.  Ipswich have made a great start after promotion from League One and McKenna's win % of 60% is remarkable at a club that have generally struggled for a long time - their last manager to get 40%+ was Joe Royle!!

I think that, like Kompany at Burnley, they will eventually hit a wall if they get promoted again whereby they're trying to play out with players that are a bit rough around the edges against teams with razor sharp pressing.  It makes it very difficult for younger managers to prove themselves capable of managing the bigger clubs in the Premier League.  With his background he'd be a candidate for Man U manager but they'd just chew him up and spit him out.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Kieran McKenna is an interesting one.  Only 37 but he has been coaching and working in football analytics for over a decade after retiring very early due to injury.

Mourinho seems like a difficult character at the best of times but he made McKenna his assistant manager.  Ole's at the wheel and Father of gegenpressing both kept him on before he took the job at Ipswich.  Ipswich have made a great start after promotion from League One and McKenna's win % of 60% is remarkable at a club that have generally struggled for a long time - their last manager to get 40%+ was Joe Royle!!

I think that, like Kompany at Burnley, they will eventually hit a wall if they get promoted again whereby they're trying to play out with players that are a bit rough around the edges against teams with razor sharp pressing.  It makes it very difficult for younger managers to prove themselves capable of managing the bigger clubs in the Premier League.  With his background he'd be a candidate for Man U manager but they'd just chew him up and spit him out.

It's worth mentioning that Ipswich have for a number years struggled under the ownership of Marcus Evans. He took over in 2007 and recruited managers like Roy keane who wasted loads of money on expensive flops that they struggled to get rid of.

After that experiment Evans stopped investing in the team and club and it kind of went into a downward spiral. They've now been taken over by an American consurtium who sacked Paul Cook and put McKeena in charge. He's been given some decent money to spend (last year they had a £1m left back in League One) but he's invested it well and built a decent squad. The owners have also invested in the area around the ground.

From what I've seen, McKeena's been very pragmatic in his approach. He didn't arrive and expect players who weren't capable of playing his style to adapt. He kept the same formation as the old manager (three at the back) for a number of months before slowly changing the tactics and players to suit his style. 

[Funky_Gibbons]

A good piece about McKeena on the BBC;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67147609

[thaddeus]

A good piece about McKeena on the BBC;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67147609

Thanks.

I've changed my mind now and decided he's petty and small-time  .  Showing his players videos of ten Hag's Ajax and Brighton but not Klopp's Liverpool or Guardiola's Man City.  He's clearly tormented from his time at Man U 

[tubby]

Good last few posts about McKenna, thanks all.  Interesting stuff, he's definitely one to watch.

[duvva 💅]

Shame he sounds like a big Man Utd fan, as he definitely seems to be an up and coming manager. Hope for their sake Ipswich can hold onto him for as long as possible

[disgraced cake]

Shame he sounds like a big Man Utd fan, as he definitely seems to be an up and coming manager. Hope for their sake Ipswich can hold onto him for as long as possible

I'd be very happy if United brought him in, you don't achieve things with Championship managers when you have the likes of Klopp and Guardiola around.

He might as well stay with Ipswich for a while anyway. Come up to the Premier League and make them competitive.

[duvva 💅]

I'd be very happy if United brought him in, you don't achieve things with Championship managers when you have the likes of Klopp and Guardiola around.

He might as well stay with Ipswich for a while anyway. Come up to the Premier League and make them competitive.

You never know, he might be exactly what they need, but I don’t think they’d move for him yet. Not experienced enough.

If he were to take Ipswich up and make them into a stable PL team that’s when they might take a chance of their still shite.

Other PL teams may look at him before then though

[Bob Harris]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67268518

Oooopsss

[thaddeus]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67268518

Oooopsss

[Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri] said: "If 20,000 people gave £100 then it's £2m, and it'd be clear - so we can finish it.".  The "it" being settling an unpaid HMRC debt.

The logic is sound and I think if Wednesday fans believed that it would set their club up as stable for the long-term they might even go for it.  It was only a few weeks ago though that Chansiri said the club needed £2m/month of funding to stay afloat and he wasn't going to invest any more of his money so it's just good money after bad.

Football finances outside of the Premier League (and sometimes within... Everton) and those clubs receiving parachute payments in the Championship is such a mess.  There have always been benefactors propping up their hometown clubs but chairmen investing £20m+ each season to tread water in the bottom half is clearly unsustainable.

[duvva 💅]

Two draws last two games means Ipswich have missed the chance to gain and even pass Leicester. Still got a decent gap to Leeds in third for now

[thaddeus]

Back-to-back defeats for Leicester and Ipswich are level on points with them.  An ongoing great effort by Ipswich.

Leeds and Southampton, whilst both a good distance back (8 and 9 points respectively), have each won their last three as well.  Maybe we'll get a title rice and even an automatic promotion race after all.

[duvva 💅]

Not a good start for Ipswich there

[Lynx the saucy mynx]

https://x.com/samturner1875/status/1729630922180346086?s=46&t=tdytcEN5vgNRmdMHVXclVQ

The land Birmingham City have bought for a new stadium complex dwarfs Spurs - and that’s saying something.

Looks like with Garry Cook they are going the Man City route but with clean money.

[thaddeus]

https://x.com/samturner1875/status/1729630922180346086?s=46&t=tdytcEN5vgNRmdMHVXclVQ

The land Birmingham City have bought for a new stadium complex dwarfs Spurs - and that’s saying something.

Looks like with Garry Cook they are going the Man City route but with clean money.

It's good that the team carrying the name of England's third city (behind Liverpool and London, obviously) seem to have ambitious owners but I'm not sure St. Andrew’s is what's holding them back.  Appointing a wazzock like Wayne Rooney is probably more of a hinderance.

I also don't think they have the wealth to go the Man City route.  Certainly not if they have to sponsor themselves and buy up empty seats every week.

[I've been a good boy]

Funny when clubs think a new stadium will suddenly transform them into a huge club.

[Fromola]

It's good that the team carrying the name of England's third city (behind Liverpool and London, obviously) seem to have ambitious owners but I'm not sure St. Andrew’s is what's holding them back.  Appointing a wazzock like Wayne Rooney is probably more of a hinderance.

I also don't think they have the wealth to go the Man City route.  Certainly not if they have to sponsor themselves and buy up empty seats every week.

Birmingham are an odd one. Got a big fanbase but spent most of their history out the top flight and nobody would consider them a big club. The stadium has always been a shithole and was rebuilt on the cheap in the 90s, to the extent where they've been playing with two stands shut in recent years for health and safety reasons.

Rooney was a nonsensical appointment. He's a shite manager, flopped in MLS and ultimately got relegated with Derby despite having good players for the level - the season before they stayed up by the skin of their teeth when he'd got them in a relegation battle in the first place. He got a free pass for it as he had a lot to deal with off the pitch but Birmingham were stupid to appoint him. A shame Everton never appointed him when they wanted him as they'd have gone down.

[Lynx the saucy mynx]

It's good that the team carrying the name of England's third city (behind Liverpool and London, obviously) seem to have ambitious owners but I'm not sure St. Andrew’s is what's holding them back.  Appointing a wazzock like Wayne Rooney is probably more of a hinderance.

I also don't think they have the wealth to go the Man City route.  Certainly not if they have to sponsor themselves and buy up empty seats every week.

Sorry I think I worded it wrong. I meant in terms of the Etihad campus of drawing in revenues. I don’t think they will rise like city, but I do think they are creating a similar infrastructure to city. Especially with Garry Cook there.

[Crosby Nick]

Sorry I think I worded it wrong. I meant in terms of the Etihad campus of drawing in revenues. I don’t think they will rise like city, but I do think they are creating a similar infrastructure to city. Especially with Garry Cook there.

Is he the berk who was at City and accused Milan of ‘bottling’ the proposed Kaka transfer just after they’d won the lottery and we’re still considered a bit of a laughing stock.

[Lynx the saucy mynx]

Is he the berk who was at City and accused Milan of ‘bottling’ the proposed Kaka transfer just after they’d won the lottery and we’re still considered a bit of a laughing stock.

That’s the one. Same guy who got on a karaoke machine saying city were going to take over the world days before a Carling Cup semi final 2nd leg with United. The last thing you want to do is give Fergie ammunition like that.

[Funky_Gibbons]

If anyone missed the Wes Burns goal for Ipswich yesterday.

https://x.com/ipswichtown/status/1731011569062945105?s=46&t=ydpdi9GFcab3gVDQY4Sxag

[tubby]

Lovely goal, that.

[Crosby Nick]

Use your fucking left peg man.

[duvva 💅]

Charlie Chaplin’s ball in build up wasn’t bad either

[I've been a good boy]

Got to love an outside of the foot finish, used to score plenty of those in high school

[sinnermichael]

Sunderland sack Tony Mowbray.

[Ray K]

Sunderland sack Tony Mowbray.

Why have they done that? He was (apparently) playing decent football with them, brought along good young talent, everyone at the club liked him. 9th is hardly end of the world stuff - a couple of wins and you're back in the playoff spots.

[thaddeus]

Why have they done that? He was (apparently) playing decent football with them, brought along good young talent, everyone at the club liked him. 9th is hardly end of the world stuff - a couple of wins and you're back in the playoff spots.

Presumably they want a real shithouse of a manager in place before the FA Cup tie.  Maybe Roy Keane can be tempted to go back as a caretaker manager for a few weeks.

[Ray K]

Wayne Rooney well on his way to bringing Birmingham out of the Championship at the first time of asking.

[duvva 💅]

Ipswich on top after another win. 4 in a row after the West Brom defeat.
I thought that might knock them a bit, but not at all. Still a long way to go, hope they keep it up

[thaddeus]

Leicester look to be on their way to expanding their stadium to 40k (from the current 32k) after they got planning permission granted.

Leicester City stadium expansion given council approval

I thought the stories last season were that their owners were skint to the extent that they couldn't even pay Rodgers off.  Maybe that was more about staying within FFP though.  The plans were also submitted in 2021 when they had ambitions of Champions League football so it's possible they're not going to immediately act upon the planning application.

Each to their own when it comes to football stadium architecture but neither the existing or reimagined King Power Stadium do anything for me.

[gerrardisgod]

Looks like a train station.