We was robbed!

As if Southampton don’t have enough problems!

Unfortunately it has emerged that several members of the playing staff from both Southampton and Burnley football club were the victims of theft during Saturday’s clash at the St. Mary’s Stadium.

Rumours are circulating that up to £2,500 was taken as well as other personal belongings.

One question must surely be asked… Where were Bradley Wright-Phillips and Nathan Dyer during the robbery? Do they have solid alibi’s? Because let’s face it, their track record isn’t exactly wonderful!

“Police were called to St Mary’s Stadium shortly after the end of the match against Burnley on Saturday.

Five home and nine away players had cash stolen from their belongings in the changing rooms during the second half of the Championship match.

Hampshire Constabulary said it was investigating whether the doors were unlocked and was studying CCTV footage.”

Let’s hope that the culripts are caught, but in the mean time, Southampton will be hoping that that they aren’t robbed on the pitch during their vital next match against table toppers West Brom.

Tough at the top, tight at the bottom

Well, what a superb weekend of Championship football. Things are getting uncomfortably close for teams both vying for promotion and dreading the drop.

West Brom moved one step closer to finishing within the top two while Leicester climbed out of the bottom three with Sheffield Wednesday taking their place.

Stoke moved in to the second automatic promotion spot with a 2-1 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Bristol City at the Britannia Stadium.

Mamady Sidibe grabbed both the goals for Stoke and in doing so doubling his season’s goals tally! One wonders if ‘Big Mama’ will make the grade in the Premiership, should Stoke get there.

Elsewhere Coventry boosted their survival hopes with a thumping 5-1 win at relegated Colchester while Southampton remain in big trouble after a 1-0 home defeat to Burnley. Coventry’s win took them from 21st in the league to 17th. What a difference an hour and a half makes, hey.

Hull missed the chance to cement their place in second spot after a 2-0 defeat at 10-man Sheffield United and Crystal Palace boosted their play-off hopes with a 2-0 success at Watford. Any of the teams down to 9th placed Wolves still stand a chance of promotion.

Down at the bottom, things are equally, if not more tense:

Pos	Team	Played	GD	Pts
15	Preston	44	-3	55
16	Blackpool	44	-2	53
17	Coventry	44	-9	52
18	Norwich	44	-10	52
19	Barnsley	44	-13	52
20	Leicester	44	-1	51
21	Southampton	44	-17	50
22	Sheff Wed	44	-6	49
23	R Scunthorpe	44	-24	42
24	R Colchester	44	-23	37

With six points still left to scrap for eight teams still face the prospect of relegation. Looking at the table now, I feel that Southampton will have to work very hard to secure their Championship status and with games against West Brom away and Sheffield United at home, they will do very well to grab a win against either.

Sylvain Ebanks-Blake (Charlton v Wolves, 2008)

A definite contender for goal of the season this one. Ebanks-Blake shows unbelievable presence of mind to score this great goal for Wolves in their 3-2 victory over Charlton.

from www.youtube.com posted with vodpod

Best stadium in the league?

The Championship boasts 24 teams all playing their home matches at venues fit for kings. Well, perhaps just Marlon King, but that’s beside the point.

In fact, just six of the 24 grounds offer venues seating over 30,000 spectators, but maybe that’s no bad thing. From experience, I can tell you that at one of those grounds, Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, attendances barely reach the 20,000 mark most home games.

Whist trying to forge an opinion towards the ‘best stadium’ in the league, there are several key elements that need to be considered, such as:

1) History - What has the stadium got to offer in terms of history. By that, I mean is there a stand that has become almost as famous as the ground itself, such as Anfield’s ‘Kop‘ or Manchester United’s ‘Stretford End‘? Or maybe this stadium was the first in the land to offer Balti Pies?

2) Facilities - First and foremost, are there toilets? Yes? Good. Other facilities that need to be considered are whether or not the fans are guaranteed a good view, no matter where they sit. Access to suitable pie and pint vendors is also vital.

3) Aesthetics – What does the ground look like from the outset? Is it a horrible blotch on the landscape? Or perhaps a delighfully picturesque landmark.

Personally, I would suggest that as an away fan, I tend to prefer the old fashioned grounds. The new plasticky styles don’t really whet my appetite (see here for what i mean). So I guess that rules out Southampton’s St. Mary’s Stadium, Leicester’s Walkers Stadium and Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.

What I do like is a ground that offers an experience. A ground that you can almost smell the passion from the fans.

Burney’s Turf Moor is a good example of passionate fans creating an intense atmosphere, but the best in the league? Not quite. From the Midlands, both Molineux and The Hawthorns are always good for a day out, but again is the history really there? I’m not so sure.

So, after heavy debate, albeit with myself, I have conclusively decided that the best stadium in the division belongs to relegation candidates Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough.

Not only is it the largest ground in the league, housing near 40,000 fans, but it undoubtedly oozes character, and from my visits to the away section, I can promise you that the passion shown by the Wednesdayites is second to none. The facilities are arguably a little dated, but you soon forget that. I urge you to take a visit to one of the country’s most historical and beautiful grounds.

It doesn’t matter who you go and watch play and i’m no connoisseur but i’m sure you would have a great day out. Although i’ve been reliably informed that Sheffield Wednesday vs Crystal Palace is quite delightful at this time of year!

Want to learn more about The Championship stadiums? Click here.

Let the relegation battle commence

Just three games remain of the 07/08 English Championship season and remarkably still nine teams face the possibility of playing League One football next campaign.

Unfortunately both Colchester and Scunthorpe already have their fate’s decided and will be plying their trade in England’s third tier of football come August.

A quick look at the table shows that Leicester currently occupy the dreaded 22nd position, but they have games against both Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday which if won, would surely see them clear of trouble.

Pos	Team	Played	GD	Pts
14	QPR	43	-2	55
15	Preston	43	-3	54
16	Norwich	43	-9	52
17	Barnsley	43	-12	52
18	Blackpool	43	-3	50
19	Southampton	43	-16	50
20	Sheff Wed	43	-5	49
21	Coventry	43	-13	49
22	Leicester	43	-2	48
23	R Scunthorpe	43	-25	39
24	R Colchester	43	-19	37

Coventry look a side in real danger of the drop. A goal difference of -13 is far from ideal and with games against play off candidates Wolves and Charlton, an easier run in would have been much the preferred option for manager Chris Coleman.

In reality, it is impossible to call. It really will go down to the wire. From a personal point of view, I believe that 52 points will be the benchmark for safety. But we’ll see…

Cup joy for the Bluebirds

Cardiff City are currently celebrating their superb achievement of reaching the FA Cup final after a hard fought 1-0 victory over Barnsley.

The players and manager Dave Jones can rightly be proud of their achievement and anticipate another grand day out at Wembley on 17 May when they face Portsmouth.

Supporters will also revel in the glamour of the competition and the chance to write another chapter of history to stand proudly alongside that previous FA Cup success of 1927.

But once the excitement on the pitch has subsided – although it will no doubt build fiercely until the final – everyone involved with the South Wales club can take their thrills from the much less exciting world of ledger sheets and player contracts.

The FA Cup run has already placed an extra £900,000 in prize money alone into Cardiff’s bank account .

Whilst this may be merely a few weeks wages for the likes of Mr. Beckham, £900k will secure Cardiff’s short-term future, and with a further £1 million pounds on offer to the eventual winner of the competition, the Cardiff players will surely be made aware of the importance of that money.

The Bluebirds are in deep financial trouble at present and any money coming through the door will be gratefully received.

So, on behalf of the Championship, best of luck to Cardiff!