By Chris Wright

Oops...

For the record, Birmingham won on penalties. Savvy?

(Thanks to Pies fan Mal for the tip-off)

By Alan Duffy

Former QPR and Fulham boss Ray 'Razor'/'Butch' Wilkins is in line for a return to management courtesy of the empty hot-seat at the Hawthorns.

The former Chelsea, Man Utd and Milan midfielder has been in talks with West Brom over the job, although there remain a number of other strong contenders for the job.

Even though Chelsea won the FA Cup and Champions League this season, there's still some doubt whether interim manager Roberto Di Matteo will return for next season. He took over the position after Andre Villas-Boas was sacked and even though the team finished sixth in the EPL, the two trophies have made for a successful season.

It has been revealed today that Arsenal are set to sign a young Birmingham City starlet called Foday Nabay who has already been called up to the England U16 side when he was just 12 years-old. Now 13 it seems that he has been at Birmingham for six years, but Arsene Wenger is arranging for [...]

Of the 699 players who appeared for Championship clubs during the 2011/2012 season 387 were English. As you'd expect the other nations from the British Isles also featured heavily with (and no, this isn't a joke) 52 Scotsmen, 50 Irishmen, 28 Welshmen and 19 Northern Irishmen.

The table below shows data on each of the twenty-four clubs in the Championship and the nationalities who played during the 2011/2012 season.

Of the 699 players who appeared for Championship clubs during the 2011/2012 season 387 were English. As you'd expect the other nations from the British Isles also featured heavily with (and no, this isn't a joke) 52 Scotsmen, 50 Irishmen, 28 Welshmen and 19 Northern Irishmen.

The table below shows data on each of the twenty-four clubs in the Championship and the nationalities who played during the 2011/2012 season.

What Are The Prospects For Aston Villa? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Aston Villa on Monday sacked Alex McLeish. You can hardly blame them for sacking him. McLeish is so negative magnets in his presence never attract and only repel. He could fall on some tube tracks and not be electrocuted.

With the regular Championship season now over I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some players who featured heavily for their clubs during the 2011/2012 season. With that in mind I've selected eleven players who played more minutes than any other during the Championship season (excluding the playoffs).

Alex McLeish has been sacked as Aston Villa manager after just one season in charge of the Premier League club.

A vocal minority of Villa fans did not want McLeish, who used to manage bitter rivals Birmingham City, in the first place and they got their wish as today he was terminated "with immediate effect" because "the club has been disappointed with this season's results, performances and the general message these have sent to our fans.

Jonathan Spector and Birmingham City were knocked out of promotion contention as they went down to Blackpool on aggregate.

Jonathan Spector started and played 44 minutes for Birmingham City in a 2-2 draw on the night and a 3-2 aggregate loss to Blackpool in the Championship promotion playoffs. Spector subbed out with an injured thigh. Birmingham trailed by two goals on the night with Blackpool scoring in the 45th and 48th minutes.

Blackpool sealed a showdown with West Ham in the Championship play-off final after a thrilling semi-final second leg with Birmingham at St Andrew's.

Leading 1-0 from Friday night's first leg, Blackpool seemed to have the tie sewn up when they scored two goals minutes either side of half-time from Stephen Dobbie and Matt Phillips.

Birmingham vs Blackpool 2-2 Highlights 2012 Dobbie Phillips Zigic Davies Goals Video Championship Playoffs 2012 Second Leg is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Birmingham vs Blackpool 2-2 Highlights 2012 Dobbie Phillips Zigic Davies Goals Video Championship Playoffs 2012 Second Leg is a post from Soccer Blogger.

Birmingham vs Blackpool 2-2 Highlights 2012 Dobbie Phillips Zigic Davies Goals Video Championship Playoffs 2012 Second Leg is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Birmingham vs Blackpool 2-2 Highlights 2012 Dobbie Phillips Zigic Davies Goals Video Championship Playoffs 2012 Second Leg is a post from Soccer Blogger.

We're now only one match away from learning who will be in the 2011-12 Championship Playoff Final. Birmingham City plays Blackpool today at 2:45pm ET/7:45pm BST (for viewers in the USA, live on FOX Soccer Plus/FOX Soccer 2Go) in the ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.

We're now only one match away from learning who will be in the 2011-12 Championship Playoff Final. Birmingham City plays Blackpool today at 2:45pm ET/7:45pm BST (for viewers in the USA, live on FOX Soccer Plus/FOX Soccer 2Go) in the ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.

U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann wants his players competing in high-pressure, big-time matches. Sometimes that's a championship final. Other times it can mean a relegation fight. And for Jonathan Spector today, it means a chance at perhaps the biggest single pay day any club can receive in football.

Jonathan Spector's Birmingham City will attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final at St. Andrew's tonight. The Blues are optimistic on the back of only one defeat in ten games. They have only been beaten once at home this season and defeated the Seasiders 3-0 in Birmingham in December.

Championship playoffs in England: Birmingham City - Blackpool at 2:30pm on Fox Soccer. Blackpool lead 1-0. Copa Libertadores on Fox Deportes: Union Espanola - Boca Juniors at 6:30pm and Corinthians - Emelec at 9pm. Clausura playoffs semifinal first-leg on TeleFutura: Club America - Monterrey at 10pm.

On the heels of a campaign in which Sacha Kljestan was a focal point in helping lead Anderlecht to a Belgian league championship, the club is hoping to lock up the U.S. midfielder for the long term.

Kljestan's current deal with Anderlecht runs through 2014, but according to Belgian outlet Het Niuewsblad, Anderlecht is looking to extend Kljestan's stay in Belgium for two or three more years beyond then.

West Ham beat Cardiff on an aggregate score of 5-0 in their Championship playoff semifinal as they try to make a quick return to the Premier League. Russell Brand was in attendance for their successful second leg at Upton Park and so was the man holding the sign in the above photo.

Apparently confident that West Ham wouldn't blow their first-leg lead, this man brought a sign breaking the news that he wouldn't be serving as best man at his pal Chris' wedding due to a conflict with the Hammers' trip to Wembley for a final against Blackpool or Birmingham City on May 19.

Birmingham: Premier league dreams, play-off anguish and losing your head - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

This is a funny old time of year for any team in the Championship. Depending on how you've fared, you could be singing, crying, or just plain tearing your hair out. Any team from the Championship can be sorted into one of these categories:

1) Promoted this is the holy grail of this league, you're going to be playing Premier League football next season.

Birmingham: Premier league dreams, play-off anguish and losing your head - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

This is a funny old time of year for any team in the Championship. Depending on how you've fared, you could be singing, crying, or just plain tearing your hair out. Any team from the Championship can be sorted into one of these categories:

1) Promoted this is the holy grail of this league, you're going to be playing Premier League football next season.

We have been shown information suggesting that the match between Birmingham City and Blackpool in the Championship Play Off Second Leg is fixed AGAINST the interests of the Seasiders.
Some people who think they are powerful wish for the Brummies to reach Wembley.
A club agent with close links to Chris Foy and 4th Official Jon Moss (the refs on Wed) wants Brum to get to Wembley because he is lining up Chris Hughton for the West Brom job - inflate the price and the percentage as part of the Fleece Peace Strategy.

Blackpool vs Birmingham 2012 Highlights 1-0 Tom Ince Curtis Davies own Goal Video Championship Playoffs is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Blackpool vs Birmingham 2012 Highlights 1-0 Tom Ince Curtis Davies own Goal Video Championship Playoffs is a post from Soccer Blogger.

Blackpool vs Birmingham 2012 Highlights 1-0 Tom Ince Curtis Davies own Goal Video Championship Playoffs is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Blackpool vs Birmingham 2012 Highlights 1-0 Tom Ince Curtis Davies own Goal Video Championship Playoffs is a post from Soccer Blogger.

Today we have the first leg of the nPower Championship Playoff semi-final between former Premier League sides Blackpool and Birmingham City kicking off at 2:45pm ET/7:45pm BST (available live in the United States on FOXSoccer2Go and FOX Soccer...
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The Championship playoffs are on Fox Soccer Plus: Blackpool - Birmingham City at 2:30pm. MLS on ESPN Deportes: Chivas USA - Chicago at 11pm. Both Times Eastern

By Alan Duffy

A man with a wrap sheet as long as a Rory Delap throw, Stoke City's Jermaine Pennant is back in trouble once again after apparently packing quite a lot in to last Sunday night.

While at a nightclub in Manchester at the weekend, he is alleged to have assaulted a woman before later on being involved in a car crash whilst driving under the influence which was a 3-in-1 deal in and of itself.

By Alan Duffy

Stoke City 1-1 Everton Premier League 1st May 2012

Former Birmingham City hitman Cameron Jerome came off the bench to net an equaliser for Stoke at the Britannia, in a game lacking much quality.

Spindly striker Peter Crouch had given the visiting Toffees the lead just before half-time when he deflected a Tony Hibbert cross into his own goal.

10 Most Overpriced Footballers - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

There are many, especially those who don't have very much of an interest in sport, who think that top athletes are overpaid to do nothing more than ‘play a game'. However, there are many like Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, Derrick Rose, and others who are the best or among the best in their respective sports that look like they at least somewhat deserve the high salaries that they receive.

P TIMES PG J 1 Reading 89 46 2 Southampton 88 46 3 West Ham United 86 46 4 Birmingham City 76 46 5 Blackpool 75 46 6 Cardiff City 75 46 7 Middlesbrough 70 46 8 Hull City 68 46 9 Leicester City 66 46 10 Brighton & Hove Albion 66 46 11 Derby County 64 46 12 Watford 64 46 13 Burnley 62 46 14 Leeds United 61 46 15 Ipswich Town 61 46 16 Millwall 57 46 17 Crystal Palace 56 46 18 Peterborough United 50 46 19 Nottingham Forest 50 46 20 Bristol City 49 46 21 Barnsley 48 46 22 Portsmouth 40 46 23 Coventry City 40 46 24 Doncaster Rovers 36 46
Promovidos para a Premier League: Reading e Southapton
Playoffs:
West Ham x Cardiff City
Birmingham x Blackpool
Rebaixados para a League One
Portsmouth
Coventry City
Doncater Rovers
Promovidos da League One:
Charlton

Npower Championship 2011/2012: Promotion and Relegation Review - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The 2011-12 Championship league fixtures have come to an end and finally the automatic promotion positions have been confirmed. However, at the other end of the table, the relegation picture had been clear for some time.

Npower Championship 2011/2012: Promotion and Relegation Review - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The 2011-12 Championship league fixtures have come to an end and finally the automatic promotion positions have been confirmed. However, at the other end of the table, the relegation picture had been clear for some time.

Not to take away from Rich's most recent post, but lost among Chelsea's guerrilla tactics on Tuesday was the fact Aston Villa choked a lead away and lost, at home, to relegation candidates Bolton.

So, with three games left, Aston Villa are just three points above the drop. And if Mark Schwarzer's parry hadn't fallen to the feet of Andreas Weimann at the death last month, they would be one point above the drop, with three matches left.

Not to take away from Rich's most recent post, but lost among Chelsea's guerrilla tactics on Tuesday was the fact Aston Villa choked a lead away and lost, at home, to relegation candidates Bolton.

So, with three games left, Aston Villa are just three points above the drop. And if Mark Schwarzer's parry hadn't fallen to the feet of Andreas Weimann at the death last month, they would be one point above the drop, with three matches left.

Aston Villa: what if the problem is the club and not McLeish? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

This Premier League season has been a memorable one, with the title race again going down to the wire and potentially being settled by a Manchester derby, the new arrivals Norwich and Swansea reminding everyone that the gap in class between the Premier League and the Championship actually isn't all that great, and the relegation battle is probably one of the tightest battles there has been in the Premier League since it's inception 20 years ago.

The gloves came off at Villa Park last night. Leading by a goal and having dominated the match at half-time against Bolton Wanderers, Alex McLeish's team threw their lead away and now sit just three points above the relegation places with three matches of the Premier League season left to play. And with this defeat, the sullen cloud of dissatisfaction that has sat over Villa Park this season lifted, but what replaced it was a thunderstorm of noise and abuse.

P TIMES PG J 1 Reading 89 45 2 Southampton 85 45 3 West Ham United 83 45 4 Blackpool 74 45 5 Birmingham City 73 45 6 Cardiff City 72 45 7 Middlesbrough 70 45 8 Hull City 68 45 9 Brighton & Hove Albion 65 45 10 Leicester City 63 45 11 Derby County 63 45 12 Burnley 61 45 13 Leeds United 61 45 14 Watford 61 45 15 Ipswich Town 58 45 16 Millwall 56 45 17 Crystal Palace 56 45 18 Peterborough United 49 45 19 Bristol City 48 45 20 Nottingham Forest 47 45 21 Barnsley 47 45 22 Portsmouth 40 45 23 Coventry City 40 45 24 Doncaster Rovers 36 45

Image: http://hayleygallagher.wordpress.com/.

Sad news was revealed late this evening regarding Leicester City's Paul Gallagher and his wife, Hayley's newborn twins. Unfortunately the couple lost their son, Luca James, while his twin sister, Ava Amelie, was reportedly under careful watch at an undisclosed special care hospital unit.