Championship Review 2007-2008

04May08

1 – West Bromwich Albion

Prediction: 3rd – “the West Brom squad is still one of the best in the league and will definitely be near the top next spring”

Tony Mowbray’s side have played the best football in the Championship this season and deserve to finish top of the pile. As with last year consistency has proved an issue, but with the other big guns all failing to fire, a return to the big time always looked on the cards.

2 – Stoke City

Prediction: 5th – “Tony Pulis has been slowly adding a bit of class to his brand off energetic, aggressive football”

Whilst West Brom were flashy but frail, the Potters were all about endeavour and organisation. Sure, it wasn’t always pretty, but given limited resources Pulis can be more than pleased with his seasons work.

3 – Hull City

Prediction: 19th – “Brown’s managerial record to date is hardly inspiring and he will have learn fast if Hull are to avoid another season of struggle”

Along with Bristol City, Phil Brown’s side have been the league’s surprise package this season; proof that a little money spent wisely can go a long way. The defence has been solid throughout (Myhill and Brown especially) whilst Windass and Man Utd loanee Campbell have kept the side in goals.

4 – Bristol City

Prediciton: 18th – “City have enough quality to pick up regular points at home if not on the road”

Gary Johnson’s side always looked the best placed of the promoted sides to survive in the Championship this year, but nobody could have predicted a top six finish. Marvin Elliott has to be one of the buys of the season.

5 – Crystal Palace

Prediction: 16th – “Peter Taylor could be the first manager to go if his side get off to a slow start”

Wigan’s Dave Whelan was spot on when he noted that appointing the right manager is the most important signing any club can make. Neil Warnock has worked miracles at Palace this season, relying on youngsters rather than his usual wheeling and dealing – and all whilst his former club Sheffield United (whom he left in the summer) floundered under Bryan Robson.

6 – Watford

Prediction: 4th – “Adie Boothroyd returns to the Championship with a better side than when he left last May and should be feeling optimistic for the new campaign”

Watford looked all set to dominate proceedings after a blistering start to the campaign, but fell away badly as their home form collapsed. Many will feel this is nothing less than Boothroyd’s side deserved given their negative bully-boy tactics.

7 – Wolverhampton Wanderers

Prediction: 1st – “They may not dominate proceedings, but don’t bet against them being up there when it really counts come May”

Wolves never really got into gear this year and whilst the January arrival of Sylvain Ebanks-Blake from Plymouth spurred them into an end-of-season revival, 7th is probably all they deserved. Injuries to key personel (especially Michael Kightly) took their toll, but the fact that Mick McCarthy’s side finished lower than in 06/07 despite serious investment will hurt.

8 – Ipswich Town

Prediction: 13th – “No relegation fears, but hardly likely to set the world alight”

A decent season for the Tractor Boys all things considered even if only three wins away from home is hardly good enough. With financial muscle having arrived in the form of the reclusive Marcus Evans, the pressure will be on manager Jim Magilton for at least a top six finish next time around.

9 – Sheffield United

Prediction: 6th – “Having Bryan Robson as manager is a severe handicap for any team no matter how good”

An accident waiting to happen, appointing Bryan Robson as a replacement for Neil Warnock was a terrible mistake on so many levels. Fortunately the board eventually saw the error of their ways and got former Leeds chief and all-round Blades legend Kevin Blackwell on board.

10 – Plymouth Argyle

Prediction: 15th – “Perhaps fans should not expect the top half heroics of the last campaign, but relegation will never be an issue”

Yet again Plymouth have punched above their weight this season, depsite the disruption of losing manager Ian Holloway and stars players such as David Norris and Sylvain Ebanks-Blake. The returning Paul Sturrock spent well in the January window and can be proud of a highly credible tenth place finish.

11 – Charlton Athletic

Prediction: 2nd – “Charlton have managed to retain a decent nucleus of players from their Premier League squad and look the best placed of the relegated teams to make an immediate return”

Whilst looking odds on for at least a top six finish for much of the campaign, the Addicks lost the ability to win just when it mattered most. Goals were a problem throughout the season, but all too often manager Alan Pardew was tactically naive and failed to utilise the talent at his disposal.

12 – Cardiff City

Prediction: 17th – “With goal machine Michael Chopra gone, it would be very surprising to see the Welsh side bothering the top ten”

Cardiff started slowly, but gained momentum as the season progressed. Overall Dave Jones should be relatively happy with what his side have achieved this season, especially given their amazing FA Cup run.

13 – Burnley

Prediction: 12th – “Whilst the Burnley first eleven looks pretty sharp, Steve Cotterill has worryingly little squad depth”

Steve Cotterill bowed out in the Autumn after three and a half years in charge with former St Johnstone boss Owen Coyle left to pick up the pieces. Home form may have been iffy throughout the campaign, but the Claret’s away record turned out to be the best in the bottom half.

14 – Queens Park Rangers

Prediction: 20th – “By rights QPR should probably be relegated this season, however they are fortunate in so far as there are a least three clubs with a worse chance of beating the drop”

A season of two halves for QPR, who utlilised some of their new found fortune to mount a post-Christmas turnaround. Officially now the wealthiest club in British football (taking into account the financial clout of their backers) fans can expect some big arrivals at Loftus Road over the summer.

15 – Preston North End

Prediction: 14th – ” You have to wonder about where the goals are going to come from for Preston this season”

For much of the early part of the campaign Preston jusr couldn’t seem to find the back of the net and ultimately this cost Paul Simpson his job. Former Everton assistant boss Alan Irvine arrived with no real track record, but did excellently to guide the Lilywhites to safety with a couple of games to spare.

16 – Sheffield Wednesday

Prediction: 11th – “Wednesday are yet to spend a penny this summer and the squad looks as thin as ever, but this is no reason not to expect another mid-table finish”

Brian Laws had a tremendous first season with Wednesday in 06/07, leading his side to a top ten finish. However just as everything seemed to go right last year, everything went wrong this time around. Next season will be massive for both Laws and Wednesday.

18 – Norwich City

Prediction: 10th – “Much will rest on whether Cureton can develop a partnership with gangly Czech Strihavka in the same way that he did with Iwelumo last season”

A dreadful season for Norwich which must have left many fans wondering how a club that was in the Premier League only three seasons ago has been left with so few decent players. New man Roeder led a partial revival mid-season, but 18th place is hardly good enough.

18 – Barnsley

Prediction: 21st – “Home form kept Barnsley up last season and they will need to continue to make Oakwell a fortress if they are to repeat the feat”

Simon Davey’s side started brilliantly, but fell away badly and found themselves dragged into the relegation battle as the season wore on. Goals proved a problem, particuarly on the road, and Barnsley will be in a long queue of sides looking for new striking talent in the close season.

19 – Blackpool

Prediction: 22nd – “Given their somewhat underwhelming activity in the transfer market Blackpool are going to do well to escape the drop”

07/08 has been a fantastic season for Blackpool given the resources available to manager Simon Grayson. A good start provided the solid grounding needed to mount a survival campaign and whilst wins were few and far between in the post-Christmas period, the Seasiders deserve another season in the big time.

20 – Southampton

Prediction: 8th – “If everything comes together promotion is a real possibility, just don’t bet on it”

Whilst Southampton started the season with the players capable of mounting a promotion challenge, increasingly shambolic management both on and off the pitch saw them plunge down the league. George Burley then jumped ship and it was left to rookie Nigel Pearson to save the day – just.

21 – Coventry City

Prediction: 9th – “Dowie appears to have recruited well with a good mix of youth and experience”

Manager Ian Dowie blotted his copy book yet again with a poor showing in admittedly difficult circumstances, but it was no real suprise when new owner Ray Ranson sent him on his way and whilst new man Coleman did scarely any better in the hot seat, he is surely a stronger long term bet.

22 – Leicester City

Prediction: 7th – “It’s difficult to know what to make of Leicester City. Signings like DJ Campell and Carl Cort are hardly inspirational, but Martin Allen has brought success to every club he has managed and should probably not be doubted”

Nobody could have predicted the sorry tale that has been Leicester City’s season. Milan Mandaric’s stewardship of the club has been a disaster from day one and City’s fate this year should prove a cautionary lesson for trigger happy chairmen everywhere.

23 – Scunthorpe United

Prediction: 24th – “The Championship is all about goals and without Billy Sharp you have to wonder how Scunthorpe are actually going to score”

Ian Atkins’ side battled gamely throughout the season, but always seemed likely to come up short. Nevertheless there has been no disgrace in the way the Iron have performed this year and in Martin Paterson they have a player who will be in demand come the summer.

24 – Colchester United

Prediction: 23rd – “Having lost arguably their four most influential players over the summer 2007-2008 looks like being a real struggle”

A defence with more leaks than a very leaky thing indeed cost Colchester dear this season; only one clean sheet in their last 20 matches tells its own story. Admittedly the U’s have been short of resources throughout their two year stay in the Championship, but there’s no excuse for defending as badly as they have this year.

Click here to see my pre-season Championship predictions in full

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  2 Comments
Tags: football, football championship