Championship football thread

[clib]

We appear to have a premiership thread and a L1/L2 thread so how about a Championship thread.

Whats your team and your story, and what's your thoughts for 22/23?

 

[clib]

Ive supported Blackpool since i first bullied my dad into taking me to a game in 1967 with my big bruvver. A 1-0 win over Birmingham City. Jimmy Armfield was playing. I only get to games occasionally now but watch more matches at home via ifollow.

Its been a proverbial roller coaster since then obviously. Notably thanks to the Oyston family, but also Ian Holloway and Valery Belokon, the Latvian investor who helped us reach the Premier League in 2010 where we beat Liverpool home and away. Imagine that. Belokon also rid the club of the Oystons, via a delayed and very expensive court case in 2017. Our new owner finally arrived in 2019, a local lad and supporter who is doing things properly and it still feels strange. And 4 years of the fans boycotting games came to an end.

Been back in the Championship for one season fomlowing another tour of leagues 1 and 2. Finished 16th last season and i think we will struggle to match that, having lost manager Neil.Critchley who has become assistant to Gerrard at Villa. Michael Appleton has replaced him. I like Appleton but Critchley had something about him. Confidence in what he does.

Its always a highly competitive division. Ferocious even. We have a tiny budget compared to some clubs we are up against. The relegated clubs Norwich, Burnley and Watfird should all be top 6 or better i think. Plus the likes of Boro, Sheff U and WBA, who have signed Swift and Wallace but have Bruce in charge!

I believe Blackpool will be down the other end in a battle with the likes of maybe Reading, Rotherham, Birmingham, Wigan and maybe Huddersfield. But I'm sure I'll be proved completely wrong.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I was gutted when they got demoted from the PL I thought they were a breath of fresh air and I know Holloway was a bit like marmite but I thought he was brilliant.

 

[clib]

I was gutted when they got demoted from the PL I thought they were a breath of fresh air and I know Holloway was a bit like marmite but I thought he was brilliant.

Marmite but performed a miracle. Highly unorthodox management methods!

No other fans of Championship clubs?!

 

[clib]

Mixed start for us as expected but a good away win at QPR last night in front of the Sky cameras. 2 wins and 2 defeats so far. 2 new players injured last night, both midfield.

Great starts for Blackburn and Hull the current top two. Watford, Preston, and promoted Rotherham, Wigan and Sunderland are the other unbeaten sides. Preston have one goal in 4, despite having a Parrott up front, but haven't conceded yet.

Relegated Burnley have 5 points from 4 but look to be settling well with a very new side under Vincent Kompany. Norwich have 4 from 4, not the start they would have wanted, with 2 defeats.

Poor starts for West Brom and Middlesbrough, who both play tonight. The pressure will build on Steve Bruce if WBA dont improve.

Play off sides Luton and Huddersfield have got off to slow starts, and Coventry have problems, with both their home games being postponed due to pitch damage from the Commonwealth Games rugby 7s. They prop the rest up with one point from 2 away games.

Such a tight, hard fought division, it's very hard to predict much.

 

[SMP Brewery]

Just in case it doesn’t happen again.

 

[SMP Brewery]

Still there

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

You Rrrrrrr’s

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Started supporting QPR properly after taking my two boys there in 1994 when we were in the premier league (I think we finished top London club that year). Seen a few different divisions and a whole lot of ups and downs since then. Eldest boy was a home and away season ticket holder until quite recently. The other has a great excuse not to go every week by moving to live in Oz

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Still there

View attachment 74188

I thought we (QPR) had gone 4th after our win tonight then Watford and Norwich both get 93rd minute winners and go above us

 

[clib]

Well the 3 teams that came down from the Premier League are rising to the top of the division as expected, all top 6 now. And Sheff United seem to be going like a well oiled steam train. Will take some stopping as long as they can keep shovelling the coke.

Bristol City are looking good, far less drab than their manager. Entertaining 3-3 draw at Bloomfield Rd recently. They have some classy players but can be got at. Currently sitting in 4th.

Biggest surprise for me is Reading in 3rd. Can they sustain it? Paul Ince was dreadful when he managed us. Maybe he's learnt some humility or something. Got bored of talking about himself. Finally.

We got a deserved three points at Huddersfield at the weekend mainly thanks to the Yorkshire goal line technology. Which was on strike that day, along with the train company workers. I couldn't get there so watched on iFollow. Not the best game but we are missing 5 midfielders and had to cobble things together.

Just 3 points separate 8th and 22nd. Huddersfield and Coventry cut adrift. But at least Coventry have now played a home game.

I suspect 4 or 5 of the top 6 will finish top 6. The likes of WBA, Stoke and Middlesbro should be up there but aren't firing yet. WBA surely need a manager change?

I'm not sure how Blackpool's season will go. We were very stable under Critchley. Well organised, but not great in the final third. We seem very Jekyll and Hyde this season under Appleton. Great at times, dreadful at others. More adventurous, more vulnerable. But potential to improve when we get some midfield players fit. Still lack a quality striker though.

How is your team shaping up?

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

So QPR went third after a great win against Reading on Friday (despite the ref not awarding us a penalty after a stone wall deliberate hand ball and bottling sending Carol off after a clear red card offence) level on points with Sheff Utd and Norwich. I didn’t think it would still be like that at the end of the weekend but with both on them losing that’s how it stayed. Who'd have thought this after changing our manager and seeing 15 players leave in the summer. Not me

 

[clib]

So QPR went third after a great win against Reading on Friday (despite the ref not awarding us a penalty after a stone wall deliberate hand ball and bottling sending Carol off after a clear red card offence) level on points with Sheff Utd and Norwich. I didn’t think it would still be like that at the end of the weekend but with both on them losing that’s how it stayed. Who'd have thought this after changing our manager and seeing 15 players leave in the summer. Not me

Nor me, after QPR lost at home to Blackpool a few weeks ago.

Didn't look too clever that night but I was impressed with how Beale spoke after that game and Rangers have really pushed on since. He seems to know what he's doing.

We have mostly struggled since that win at Loftus Road. We have been plagued with injuries, particularly in midfield, but the main issue is scoring. We don't have the quality up front. We should have beaten Norwich last week but lost 1-0. Two goals in 6 games prior to Saturday, when we managed 3 goals against Watford, and 3 points. Watford did kind of forget to defend though.

Charlie Patino, on loan from Arsenal, is finding his feet after a spell out with an injury, and making a difference for us. Next up Sheff U, at Bramhall Lane.

 

[MickDundee]

Sunderland fan here. Holding our own pretty well since we’ve come up, and we have some exciting young players either already in the team or waiting to come in.

The fact we have no fit strikers has caught up with us over the last 3 games so I think we’ll be looking at quite a few 0-0s and narrow wins/defeats until after the World Cup break.

I think mid table is probably a realistic expectation this year, if we can sneak a play off place I’d be delighted.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Steve Bruce sacked.

 

[MickDundee]

Steve Bruce sacked.

That’s some turnaround of managers in the division. This season - Stoke, Huddersfield, Cardiff, Watford, Hull, Boro and now WBA all sacked their managers in the first 13 games, plus Sunderland and Rotherham managers moved to other clubs.

 

[Jon1961]

Well the 3 teams that came down from the Premier League are rising to the top of the division as expected, all top 6 now. And Sheff United seem to be going like a well oiled steam train. Will take some stopping as long as they can keep shovelling the coke.

Bristol City are looking good, far less drab than their manager. Entertaining 3-3 draw at Bloomfield Rd recently. They have some classy players but can be got at. Currently sitting in 4th.

Biggest surprise for me is Reading in 3rd. Can they sustain it? Paul Ince was dreadful when he managed us. Maybe he's learnt some humility or something. Got bored of talking about himself. Finally.

We got a deserved three points at Huddersfield at the weekend mainly thanks to the Yorkshire goal line technology. Which was on strike that day, along with the train company workers. I couldn't get there so watched on iFollow. Not the best game but we are missing 5 midfielders and had to cobble things together.

Just 3 points separate 8th and 22nd. Huddersfield and Coventry cut adrift. But at least Coventry have now played a home game.

I suspect 4 or 5 of the top 6 will finish top 6. The likes of WBA, Stoke and Middlesbro should be up there but aren't firing yet. WBA surely need a manager change?

I'm not sure how Blackpool's season will go. We were very stable under Critchley. Well organised, but not great in the final third. We seem very Jekyll and Hyde this season under Appleton. Great at times, dreadful at others. More adventurous, more vulnerable. But potential to improve when we get some midfield players fit. Still lack a quality striker though.

How is your team shaping up?

Norwich’s unbeaten streak came to and end on Saturday. I fear we will drop down the table now. The quality of play has been suspect to say the least. Very disappointing so far, despite our position in the table!

 

[clib]

Norwich’s unbeaten streak came to and end on Saturday. I fear we will drop down the table now. The quality of play has been suspect to say the least. Very disappointing so far, despite our position in the table!

I think Norwich will probably finish top 6, myself. Should be doing with the funds at their disposal. A change of division always requires a readjustment period. Getting a settled sideand pattern of play nailed down.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Michael Carrick to Middlesbrough?

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

QPR have remained unbeaten throughout the full term of a UK Chancellor of the Exchequer for the first time in their history