Chasing The Big Leagues Southampton and the challengers (English Championship) is a post from:
Just Football
Tales from Tier Two is a series on Just Football
in partnership with @tiertwofooty, in which we assess the promotion chances of the clubs in tier
two of Europe's major leagues at the midway point of 2011/12.
Chasing The Big Leagues West Ham United (English Championship) is a post from: Just Football
Tales from Tier Two is a series on Just Football in
partnership with @tiertwofooty, in which we assess the promotion chances of the clubs in tier two
of Europe's major leagues at the midway point of 2011/12.
Gems of the Lower Leagues: Jacob Butterfield is a post from: Just Football
Just Football's ‘Gems of the Lower Leagues' series continues with a look
at Barnsley midfielder Jacob Butterfield. James McMath looks at why talk of a
January move to the Premier League will surprise some, but not Barnsley fans.
Watford FC Academy Hertfordshire's very own La Masia is a post from: Just Football
by Ally Poole and Rob Hazell
Elton John, a meteoric rise from the fourth division to the first division in the late 70s and
early 80s and a stadium with one derelict stand are what people normally associate with
Championship outfit Watford.
English Football Wages: 1984 to 2010 - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Football wages are a ridiculously easy target whether it's the high wages paid by Chelsea and
then Manchester City, the astronomical wage bills of Barcelona and Real Madrid fueled by unequal TV
deals or the retirement homes that front as football clubs in Eastern Europe and the Middle East,
football wages have steadily increased in the last 20-25 years.
For Leicester City, might British be best? is a post from: Just Football
By David Cockcroft
An October managerial casualty seems to be the norm in today's game, yet the news of
Sven Goran Eriksson heading out of the Leicester City exit door
came as no little surprise to the football world.
Transfer deadline day deals: The view from the Championship is a post from: Just Football
WHILE the lavish spending of the Premier League's big boys captured most of the limelight on
transfer deadline day, there was also plenty of business done in the second tier. James McMath
looks at some eye-catching signings made by Championship clubs.
Spoiler alert: Exactly what's going to happen in the 2011-12 Championship season is a post from:
Just Football
The Football League season's eight-day head start on the Premier League provides a rare chance
for clubs in the second tier and below to bask in the limelight.
The national media will respond to the nation's collective anticipation of the new season by
lavishing attention on the Championship, League One and League Two for a weekend, before their
heads are quickly turned back to the big boys.
Teenage tricks: What Sunderland can expect from Connor Wickham is a post from: Just Football
Connor Wickham has long been admired by England's elite. Liverpool, Arsenal and
Tottenham Hotspur all had their eye on the 18-year-old, but it was Sunderland who
stumped up the £8million + cash that proved too tempting for Ipswich Town to
refuse.
Young At Heart is a post from: Just Football
by David Cockcroft
A terrace favourite at Filbert Street in the early 1980s has reignited his strong connection
with the Leicester City fans over the last season.
Former Foxes striker Alan Young has been co-commentating at the Walkers Stadium
alongside local broadcast journalist Ian Stringer, and his frank, honest assessments of what goes
on at the Championship promotion chasers has been hugely popular with the fans.
Young At Heart is a post from: Just Football
by David Cockcroft
A terrace favourite at Filbert Street in the early 1980s has reignited his strong connection
with the Leicester City fans over the last season.
Former Foxes striker Alan Young has been co-commentating at the Walkers Stadium
alongside local broadcast journalist Ian Stringer, and his frank, honest assessments of what goes
on at the Championship promotion chasers has been hugely popular with the fans.
Steve McClaren back in English football hoping to inspire Forest renaissance - originally posted
on Soccerlens.com
It has been 1305 days since Steve McClaren stood sombrely alone clutching the handle of an
umbrella on a rain-sodden night at Wembley as the England national team failed to qualify for the
2008 European Championships – beaten at home by Croatia.
England shouldn't expect any success in the near future - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Like myself, all English football fans have been let down in recent years by our
regularly under achieving international side. I would like to share my views on why this is the
case, and on why I don't see any reason to expect success in the near future.
England shouldn't expect any success in the near future - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Like myself, all English football fans have been let down in recent years by our
regularly under achieving international side. I would like to share my views on why this is the
case, and on why I don't see any reason to expect success in the near future.
West Ham go Route One back to Premier League - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Messrs. Gold and Sullivan have stumbled from bad decision to ludicrous decision since taking
over at West Ham but they may well have struck gold with the appointment of Big Sam. The quickest
form of transport is through the sky and that's why Allardyce's long ball football could provide
the Hammers with an instant return to the topflight.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs: where will Scott Parker end up? - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Scott Parker's admission that he wants to leave West Ham for the Premier League will have piqued
the interest of many top clubs. The three sides thought to be heading the queue are Arsenal,
Liverpool and Tottenham, so here are the cases for and against the England midfielder joining each
of them.
Swansea's Sinclair deserving of England call? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Anointing a youngster "future England regular" is an exercise both in optimism and presumption.
There have been several recent nominees for the position future England star from Jermaine Defoe,
through Jack Wilshere, Andy Carroll and even Adam Johnson.
Blackpool's one-season jaunt in the Premiership, perhaps likely always to be record-setting, has
come to a close. The Tangerines did set records, but not the ones that many predicted at the start
of their top flight campaign. Blackpool boasted the smallest wage bill seen in the EPL for several
years as well, capping their players' deals at a (comparatively meagre) ₤10,000 per week.
After Cardiff City's exit against Reading in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs, Dave
Jones has been sacked as manager. Jones spent six years at Cardiff, leading them to the 2010
play-off final where they were defeated by Blackpool. The Liverpudlian has paid the ultimate
sacrifice for his side's inability to get over the final hurdle and get promotion to the
Premiership.
Reading v Swansea: Championship 2011 Playoff Final Preview is a post from: Just Football
On Monday, Swansea City and Reading will compete in the Championship
play-off final at Wembley Stadium for the right to play in the Premier League next
season. Both clubs have sold out their allocations for this match, which is worth tens of
millions of pounds to the victor the precise value tends to increase every time somebody reports
it.
The English Premier League since 2002 has featured thirty-eight clubs, twenty-four of which have
been in England's top flight for three seasons or more. It's been a helluva ride: we've seen the
record for fewest points broken (twice), seen Newcastle slip from the Champions League to the
Championship and we witnessed Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink, Claudio Ranieri and
"Big Phil" Scolari all take charge of Roman Abramovich's Chelsea for varying short periods of
time.
It is back to the drawing board for Cardiff City following their second successive failure in
the Championship playoffs.
The Bluebirds' 3-0 aggregate defeat to Reading in last week's semi-final was a bitter pill to
swallow for the supporters, particularly with their side still well in with a shout of automatic
promotion just days before the season finale.
Portsmouth striker David Nugent is out-of-contract this summer and the one-time England
international is keen to resolve his playing situation one way or another in the coming weeks.
The former Bury trainee enjoyed a good footballing education at Gigg Lane in League Two, earning
a move to Preston North End, who, at the time were challenging for Championship promotion.
Alex McLeish has kept his job at St. Andrew's, despite Birmingham's last-day relegation to the
Championship, but has been told by the board that he must lead the side back to the
Premiership.
The Blues went down, due to a defeat against Tottenham at White Hart Lane and other results not
going their way, and there were rumours that Birmingham City owner Carson Yueng would sack the
Scotsman.
Perhaps it is because Romanticism eludes any attempt at a concise definition that it has
become a term so freely tossed into the melting pot of football criticism and punditry.
Like all great modern ideas (some say all great modern ideas are Romantic, but it's probably
best to ignore that debate for now), Romanticism's is an osmotic essence, or lack thereof; it
affirms the boldest of concrete thoughts in the most wild and wildly paradoxical ways.
Ipswich Town boss Paul Jewell is desperate to get his hands on a 20-goal-a-season striker to
reignite the Blues' Championship promotion hopes for 2011/12. The Suffolk side have toiled in the
absence of an out-and-out goalscorer for several seasons and it has left Town hamstrung in the
midst of the Championship table for a number of seasons.
Is your club completely skint? Still waiting for your Arab oil sheikh to sink billions of his
black gold profits into your first team? Just like the rest of us, you'll probably we waiting a
long time. As Manchester City fans are going to find out in the next few seasons, money can't
guarantee you long-term success.
Just Football: Championship 2010-11 Team of the Season is a post from: Just Football
With the Championship 2010/2011 season now drawing to a close, Norwich City
up and QPR joining them (nearly), Just Football's resident Championship connoisseur James McMath
picks his star performers from this season's campaign.
QPR: Serious cause for concern? is a post from: Just Football
by Theo Fan
As Queens Park Rangers look destined to enjoy the glory of Premier League
football next season a serious case of rule breaking, dodgy dealing and high profile characters
rumbles on in the background that threatens to rain on the Super Hoops' parade.
The Doncaster Rovers dilemma is a post from: Just Football
Doncaster Rovers are arguably the Championship's most attractive side to watch – but, this
season, it hasn't got them very far. Sean O'Driscoll's men are 20th in the table and just five
points above the drop zone. James McMath asks if it is time for Rovers to betray some of their
principles in a bid to secure safety.
Millwall: The Lions hungry for slice of Premier League pie is a post from: Just Football
The three teams promoted from League One last season have taken the Championship by storm.
Norwich City, Leeds United and Millwall all occupy positions in the top eight and, with five league
games remaining, are in with a shout of back-to-back promotions.
The magic of Nick Barmby is a post from: Just Football
Nick Barmby was handed his first coaching role last summer when Nigel
Pearson arrived as manger at Hull City, with the intention of tapping into the
ex-England forward ‘s experience and expertise on the training ground.
Norwich City 4-1 Ipswich Town, November 2010: Ipswich Your boys took one hell of a beating is a
post from: Just Football
Time for the start of a new series on Just Football 'Your boys took one
hell of a beating' in which memorable derby beatings are revisited by fans who experienced it most
passionately.
Gems of the Lower Leagues: Jack Cork is a post from: Just Football
by Theo Fan
21 year old Jack Cork, son of former Wimbledon player and current Sheffield
United assistant manager Alan Cork, is currently enjoying the best form of his early career. Under
the new and more creative style of Burnley manager Eddie Howe the young midfielder
is being looked to to provide his skills and work rate in midfield with a regularity that
highlights just how much his exciting brand of midfield play brings to the table.
Swansea City The Barcelona of the Championship is a post from: Just Football
SWANSEA City fancy themselves as the Barcelona of the Championship and they're
not ashamed to say so.
Barça are almost certainly the greatest side on the planet, probably the best in a generation
and arguably the finest in history.
From Orange to Lilywhite The challenge facing Phil Brown is a post from: Just Football
Phil Brown worked wonders at Hull City, transforming them from Championship relegation
battlers and steering them to promotion to the top flight for the first time in their 104-year
history all inside 18 months.
Scunthorpe United: Oasis of patience in a world of short-termism is a post from: Just
Football
If the January transfer window has proved nothing else, it is that money continues to rule
the roost in football. With chairmen across the land quick to hire expensive talent and fire
under-performing managers, James McMath examines why Scunthorpe United's policy of
patience is not only admirable, but has helped guarantee the club a future.
Gems of the Lower Leagues: Danny Graham is a post from: Just Football
Just Football's 'Gems of the Lower Leagues' series continues now with a
look at the Championship striker currently banging in the goals for Watford. Making his JF debut,
we welcome James McMath:
Danny Graham is the Championship's joint top-scorer and an integral part of a
Watford team whose attacking prowess has seen them make an unlikely challenge for
promotion.
Make yourself at home in Leicester, Sven is a post from: Just Football
Sven Goran Eriksson. Name ring a bell? He's currently quietly going about the business of
reviving a certain East Midlands outfit. David Cockcroft reports.
Saturday 16th October 2010 was a highly anticipated date on the football calendar of a
Leicester City fan.
Morning all. Throughout January Soccerlens are going to be bringing you a daily
round-up of the morning's various goings-on. Be it juicy morsels of spurious transfer gossip or
real, actual bona fide news, rest assured, we'll have it covered.
Here's this morning's batch.
Dzeko deal reaches terminal velocity.
