No more hiding…

As a huge Coventry fan, I am preparing myself for the possibilty that the Sky Blues really could get relegated this coming Sunday. The league table doesn’t lie, and it does not make pretty viewing right now.

Pos	Team	Played	GD	Pts
18	Blackpool	45	-5	53
19	Coventry	45	-9	53
20	Sheff Wed	45	-4	52
21	Leicester	45	-3	51
22	Southampton	45	-17	51
23	R Scunthorpe	45	-23	45
24	R Colchester	45	-24	37

Southampton are in big danger of the drop and their minus 17 goal difference means that even if they end up on level points with another team, they are likely to go down due to their abysmal defensive record, and with their final match against the in-form Sheffield United, they are the 1/1 favourites to go down

Leicester have the best goal difference out of the five teams that could be relegated, but they are away to Stoke City, who know that a win would seal their promotion to the Premiership. You can get odds of 6/4 on Leicester to go down, but their impressive goal difference (considering the circumstances) really could prove vital.

Sheffield Wednesday have arguably the easiest game of the lot, at home to Norwich who have nothing to play for but pride. However, saying that it’s an easy game means nothing – Wednesday still have to do the business on the pitch. Odds of 13/2 are very good value. 

So we come to Coventry, just two points clear of safety, and with the second worse goal difference of the five. We are away to Charlton, but with Addicks boss Alan Pardew saying that he’s ready to give “the kids a run out” that could spell disaster for Chris Coleman’s men – young, hungry teenagers willing to prove a point.

I can only hope and pray that results go our way, because I can’t see us winning. Coventry are actually the outside bet to go down at 25/1, which is superb value, and well worth a quid or two (even if I say so myself!). 

I’m even half tempted to put £10 on Coventry to go down myself, that way, even if we are relegated I’ll have enough money to drown my sorrows!

Meanwhile, 18th placed Blackpool face play-off candidates Watford, at home, in a far from easy clash. Despite odds of 22/1 to go down, I wouldn’t say that Blackpool are totally safe. Anything could, and probably will happen.

See you on the other side…

(All odds courtesy of http://www.bet365.com)

 

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…

Interview: Coventry City’s Jay Tabb

From a season that has delivered very little for Coventry City, one bright spark has certainly emerged. Midfield maestro Jay Tabb is one of just a few Sky Blues players who can feel that they have given their all this campaign. Tiresome displays week in, week out have won the fans over and the diminutive 24 year-old is an early front runner for the fans player of the season.

I caught up with Tabb as he reflects on his career as well as what the Championship has to offer.

Q. Jay, How do you think this season has gone for Coventry?
A. The season has been a bit of a disappointment on the whole, we’ve had some really good games but we’ve been too inconsistent.

Q. Did you think that Iain Dowie had achieved all he could with the Sky Blues?
A. No, I think that had he been given more time then he would have turned it around and got the best out of us again. He was a really good manager, but these decisions have to be made.

Q. Are you pleased with the appointment of new boss Chris Coleman?
A. Yes I am. He’s a big name manager who is definitely going to move the club forward, he’s still a young manager but has already done a lot in his career.

Q. How do you rate the Championship compared with League One, where you played at Brentford?
A. The standard is higher and the expectation to do well is more too. League one was good but the Championship is definitely a step up.

Q. Where is your favourite away Championship ground?
A. I’d say West Broms ground, The Hawthorns. That’s a lovely stadium.

Q. How do you rate Coventry’s home ground, the Ricoh Arena?
A. The Ricoh is a great ground to play in when it’s full and we’re playing well, but when things aren’t going so well and it’s half empty it can be a bit of a lonely place!

Q. Who do you rate as the best Championship player?
A. That’s a tough one as there are a lot of top players in the Championship. I’d say Filipe Teixeira from West Brom, he has been class when we have played them.

Q. Who is the best player you have ever played against?
A. That would probably be Anderson when we played Man United this season.

Q. Having played against, and beaten, both Manchester United and Blackburn this season, do you think that you could cope with the step up to the Premiership?
A. I’d like to think that one day I could play in the Premiership, but at the moment I still have a lot to learn and there are more areas of my game that I can develop in the Championship.

Q. And finally, which three Championship sides do you think will go up this season?
A. I think the three sides that will go up are Bristol City, West Brom and Crystal Palace.

Many thanks and best wishes to Jay for sparing a few minutes to answer the questions.

Don Hutchinson (Leeds v Coventry, 2005)

Every now and again I will treat you to some of the greatest goals ever seen in The Championship. This one is a personal favourite as Don Hutchinson unleashes hell from 25 yeards out! Enjoy…

from www.youtube.com

Lower league talent is out there!

People often talk about the need for Premiership clubs to delve into the Championship in the hope of picking up a few gems. But something that I find can often get overlooked is the need for Championship teams to cast their nets down towards the lower divisions in search for gems of their own.

If this started to happen more often, then I believe that the English game would be in a much better position. If Championship clubs signed the best that Leagues One and Two had to offer, then Premiership sides will be surely alerted to the talented young players much more quickly. In turn, these players are effectively upwardly fast tracking the football league, perhaps on the way to International stardom? Ashley Young is a good example of a player who plyed his trade for Watford during his teenage years, was spotted by a number of top clubs, opted to play for Aston Villa and he is now knocking on Fabio Capello’s England door.

This practice would be much more effective than what we see week in week out in the Championship. Managers signing 30 something Premiership has-beens in order for a quick-fix, when in actual fact, all they are really doing is blocking the way for young English talent to emege.

From experience I can tell you that Coventry City signed 38-year-old Arjan De Zeeuw in the summer, and when fit, he was almost guaranteed a place in the starting 11. In doing so he was keeping youngsters such as England Under-19 International Ben Turner out of the team.

Fortunately, come January, it became evident that De Zeeuw couldn’t hack it any more. A wonderful pro he may have been, but his glory years are well and truly behind him.

So the Sky Blues popped over to Midland rivals Walsall to see what they had to offer, and signed two of their best young players; Danny Fox and Scott Dann. Fox at left back has been a revelation, his delivery is second-to-none and I really cannot fault him. As for Dann, he has absolutely shone - I am yet to see him shirk out of a challenge of even lose a contested header, seriously.

So the talent is definitely out there, and it’s not even a case of going out and finding it. I would imagine that most lower league clubs have a couple of ‘Fox’s’ or ‘Dann’s’ in their ranks, it’s just a case of the big boys taking the plunge and signing them!

Welcome

Hello and thanks for joining me on my blog as I look to examine and explain the English Championship. 24 teams currently reside in England’s second tier of football, and whilst the glitz and glamour of the Premier League may dominate the back pages of the papers, the Championship boasts a wealth of talent and many thousands of fans.

My team? Well that would be Coventry City. I say ‘team’, they are more like a collection of middle-aged men thrown together and told to chase ‘that round thing for an hour and a half’.

I will obviously remain as unbiased as I possibly can as I talk you through the good, the bad and the ugly. Over time I will discuss stars of the future, stadium guides and teams to watch out for. I’m not going to bore you with copied and pasted match reports from the BBC or Sky, i’m looking to take a step back from the mainstream and try and give as much insight towards what goes on behind the scenes.

Who does the best pies? Who has the best fans? What is the appeal of the Championship? All topics i will cover. I would also like to pursue the possibility of publishing video’s, pictures and polls in the hope of promoting the appeal of teams such as Scunthorpe and Barnsley.

In the mean time, thanks for taking a look at my blog, I will be updating it shortly.