[Archived] The nPower Championship 12/13

[ABBEY]

indeed

[speeeeeeedie]

Fanstastic football and justice as the Leicester player threw himself to the ground for the pen. But the best thing about that video is the steward at 1.54, who despite half the stadium celebrating on the pitch singles that one fan out for a full on rugby tackle.

Cracking spot. It was hilarious.

[longsiders1882]

After watching Rovers since the late 80’s and having been spoiled with most of this time being in the Premier League here are a couple of thoughts I’ve had about watching football in the Championship/Old Second division again.

The standard is very noticeably poorer. Perhaps an obvious statement but the gulf in class from the PL was much more than I anticipated. I used to think there probably wasn’t much between the bottom half of the PL and the top half of the Championship.....but there is.

The fitness of the players is also noticeably poorer.

You seem to get no time on the ball at all before you’re closed right down. Maybe the PL seems like this when compared with La Liga and Serie A but it seems even more so in the Championship. I don’t think this leads to good football if you’re treating the ball like a hot potato looking to either get rid as quickly as possible or face get clattered. I quite like seeing the more creative players be able to put their foot on the ball, look up and have time to be able to play a bit. Some teams such as Swansea, Blackpool previously and Watford this year have managed to break the mould and play some football and been successful but most don’t. Perhaps with the lack of imagination and variety is why the teams are all of a similar standard and the league so tight.

Anyway maybe it’s always been like this but having not really watched Championship football in any depth its things I’ve noticed and been surprised about.

Late 80's? So you must have seen a good 4 to 6 years before you were promoted, plus a couple of seasons when you were relegated?

On the standard, well yes it isn't the same, there are not many 30 million players earning 50K plus a week (well there's a couple earning that at your gaff). Inevitably the standard won't be quite what it is in the PL. As for your 'gulf' - if there is such a gap between bottom of the the Prem and top of the Championship how come you, Wolves and Bolton weren't even top 6, hell only Bolton managed top 10! On fitness, completely disagree. Fitness varies from club to club but (and this is without seeing all the pro zone stuff of course) I'd imagine the average championship player is very close in fitness to the average PL player - it may not look like it because I guess on average they aren't quite as quick?

Now onto the 'type' of football. Where do I start, the football you played under Sam? Tony Pulis and Stoke? Take of those rose tinted goggles. Sure some teams play nice, passing football in the PL - some play it direct - no different in the championship (the obvious caveat being that the quality of player isn't quite the same). And don't forget, tiki taka has just been bounced right of the planet by some good old fashioned German pace, power, aggression and technical ability!

Didn't Olsson do a blatant dive at Turd Moor?

Yep, not the first and won't be the last. It is a double standard we all employ - I'd love us to get a really dodgy penalty to win a game at your place.

[Alex Rover]

Late 80's? So you must have seen a good 4 to 6 years before you were promoted, plus a couple of seasons when you were relegated?

On the standard, well yes it isn't the same, there are not many 30 million players earning 50K plus a week (well there's a couple earning that at your gaff). Inevitably the standard won't be quite what it is in the PL. As for your 'gulf' - if there is such a gap between bottom of the the Prem and top of the Championship how come you, Wolves and Bolton weren't even top 6, hell only Bolton managed top 10! On fitness, completely disagree. Fitness varies from club to club but (and this is without seeing all the pro zone stuff of course) I'd imagine the average championship player is very close in fitness to the average PL player - it may not look like it because I guess on average they aren't quite as quick?

Now onto the 'type' of football. Where do I start, the football you played under Sam? Tony Pulis and Stoke? Take of those rose tinted goggles. Sure some teams play nice, passing football in the PL - some play it direct - no different in the championship (the obvious caveat being that the quality of player isn't quite the same). And don't forget, tiki taka has just been bounced right of the planet by some good old fashioned German pace, power, aggression and technical ability!

Interesting response. I was speaking as a football fan who's watched a good bit of football over the years but having not seen much of the Championship in any detail until in this season and had a few thoughts and observations about the League as a whole, nothing to do with Rovers.

You obviously disagree, which is fine but having misunderstood you've gone on and contradicted yourself and not thought through your responses.

[Tom]

Poyet sounds like he's had enough at Brighton and will be off one way or another

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Late 80's? So you must have seen a good 4 to 6 years before you were promoted, plus a couple of seasons when you were relegated?

On the standard, well yes it isn't the same, there are not many 30 million players earning 50K plus a week (well there's a couple earning that at your gaff). Inevitably the standard won't be quite what it is in the PL. As for your 'gulf' - if there is such a gap between bottom of the the Prem and top of the Championship how come you, Wolves and Bolton weren't even top 6, hell only Bolton managed top 10! On fitness, completely disagree. Fitness varies from club to club but (and this is without seeing all the pro zone stuff of course) I'd imagine the average championship player is very close in fitness to the average PL player - it may not look like it because I guess on average they aren't quite as quick?

Now onto the 'type' of football. Where do I start, the football you played under Sam? Tony Pulis and Stoke? Take of those rose tinted goggles. Sure some teams play nice, passing football in the PL - some play it direct - no different in the championship (the obvious caveat being that the quality of player isn't quite the same). And don't forget, tiki taka has just been bounced right of the planet by some good old fashioned German pace, power, aggression and technical ability!

Yep, not the first and won't be the last. It is a double standard we all employ - I'd love us to get a really dodgy penalty to win a game at your place.

You been on the Sanatogen again, Longsiders ? I'd stay away from those Burnley award winners evenings if I were you.

[longsiders1882]

Interesting response. I was speaking as a football fan who's watched a good bit of football over the years but having not seen much of the Championship in any detail until in this season and had a few thoughts and observations about the League as a whole, nothing to do with Rovers.

You obviously disagree, which is fine but having misunderstood you've gone on and contradicted yourself and not thought through your responses.

Not sure I misunderstood or contradicted myself and I certainly wasn't having a go at Rovers. The championship is a level down from the PL, by definition it's going to be of a lower quality. Now if you compare it to the football of the top 6-8 in the PL then it is a big gap but beyond that I don't think the gap is normally that large - and bearing in mind that a couple of championship teams did well in the FA cup I don't think it's all bad.

This season though has been particularly (and for me surprisingly) poor. I think back over the last 10 years and I have to say the 2 teams promoted automatically have been about as average as any I've seen leave this league in the top 2. I thought it was going to be really strong this year too. I can't believe it will be as poor again next season. I'd expect all three relegated teams to be strong, you should be able to start sorting yourselves out in the summer with a proper manager, Bolton, Brighton and Leicester will strengthen in the summer. I'm not sure on the teams coming up so can't comment but I understand Bournemouth have some cash behind them.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

I've watched a lot of Championship games since the season Reading first went up (2005/06 after checking) and I'd say there's a significant gap between the top two divisions.

To use just one example, Reading had pretty much the same team and were clearly not good enough for the Prem, despite going up automatically. Well they signed Pogrebnyak actually. The standard of the Championship is poor imo, more so than you would expect for the division below the Prem.

Steve Bruce can get a side automatically promoted. The worst player I have ever seen in the flesh was Peter Whittingham when he was at Villa, admittedly as a youngster, and he's a standout player. Graham Dorrans and Ebanks-Blake are two more. The latter two, below-average Prem players.

Wigan look pretty good sometimes, just their defending lets them down. Reading that year, West Brom a couple of times and Newcastle are the only teams I've seen in this division be on the level of Wigan.....in the past 7 or so years.

Cardiff, Hull, Watford, Palace etc all look beatable, much more than the likes of Sunderland, Villa and Wigan.

The FA Cup is what it is, upsets happen all the time. We're clearly not on the level of Arsenal, same goes for Liverpool and Oldham, Aldershot or whoever it was.

[thenodrog]

Championship is more energetic and kick and rush.

One touch football is a rarity, now it appears players need a touch to control it a touch to think and a touch to pass it.

It takes approx 3x as many chances for a team to score a goal.

and on the plus side.....

Referees are more lenient.

Games and league positions are no longer so predictable.

[LeChuck]

The Championship reminds me of the football you used to see in the Premier League up until around the turn of the Millennium, before it became more tactical with teams fearful of making mistakes and instead looking to play on the counter.

Obviously the quality is lower, but the pace, commitment and entertainment is there.

[RevidgeBlue]

I would imagine if you're a Brighton fan you wouldn't be too impressed by the fact that Zaha scored the two goals that won the play off game last night.

Don't suppose we'd be complaining too much if a Premiership Club paid us 12m for Rhodes in the summer, loaned him back to us for the season, he went on to score another 30 goals and we won promotion.

However signing a player and then loaning them straight back to the selling Club isn't really within the spirit of the game imo.

[Stuart]

I would imagine if you're a Brighton fan you wouldn't be too impressed by the fact that Zaha scored the two goals that won the play off game last night.

Don't suppose we'd be complaining too much if a Premiership Club paid us 12m for Rhodes in the summer, loaned him back to us for the season, he went on to score another 30 goals and we won promotion.

However signing a player and then loaning them straight back to the selling Club isn't really within the spirit of the game imo.

No different than loaning any PL player.

[Rover_Shaun]

Loaning players isn't really within the spirt of the game full stop. It did fine for 100+ years without the proliferation of loans

[RevidgeBlue]

No different than loaning any PL player.

Course it is.

You're getting the transfer fee, allowing you to strengthen elsewhere, AND keeping the player. Having your cake and eating it.

[Stuart]

Course it is.

You're getting the transfer fee, allowing you to strengthen elsewhere, AND keeping the player. Having your cake and eating it.

A PL club buy your best player for £12m.

You go and get a different loanee in and pay his wages.

You use the rest of the £12m to strengthen.

No difference. Unless Zaha has been playing for Palace for free this year?

[DE.]

Not to mention that the big clubs poaching all the decent younger players from lower teams is hardly in the spirit of the game anyway.

[Tom]

I think its a good arrangement for clubs

The buying club ensures they get their man at the end of the season and the selling club although losing an asset get to keep them for the remainder of the season

[roversfan99]

For a player of Zaha's age, a loan is very beneficial. If he went straight to United he would have spent half a season in the reserves, with the odd appearance from the bench. When we bemoan the quality of our young english players, this will have greatly helped one of them.

Palace and Watford have not done anything wrong.

[Stuart]

For a player of Zaha's age, a loan is very beneficial. If he went straight to United he would have spent half a season in the reserves, with the odd appearance from the bench. When we bemoan the quality of our young english players, this will have greatly helped one of them.

Palace and Watford have not done anything wrong.

Er... Haven't Watford just had a transfer embargo applied due to breaking the rules?

EDIT: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2318520/Watford-left-just-14-players-Premier-League.html

If the Premier League give them dispensation to sign players then it makes a complete mockery of the fact they have broken the rules.

They've made their bed. Now 14 players will have to lie in it.

[roversfan99]

'Watford’s transfer embargo was imposed last month and relates to irregularities under the club’s previous owners, including the £3.5million sale of Danny Graham to Swansea in 2011, when money passed between Watford and a third-party company called LNO'

[Stuart]

So Watford have done something wrong then.

[gumboots]

And welcome Yeovil! Were non-league when we lived there.

[G Somerset Rover]

And welcome Yeovil! Were non-league when we lived there.

I was there today as they're my 'local' club. Fantastic day out! When we won the Premier League they got relegated from the Conference. Can't wait for Rovers Yeovil at Huish Park next season.

[gumboots]

We're planning to try to use it as an opportunity to visit old friends and old haunts. Spent 6 very happy years in Yeovil and Martock and our 2 eldest kids were born in Yeovil. Friend of ours used to coach their ladies team too.

[G Somerset Rover]

We're planning to try to use it as an opportunity to visit old friends and old haunts. Spent 6 very happy years in Yeovil and Martock and our 2 eldest kids were born in Yeovil. Friend of ours used to coach their ladies team too.

Small world Gumboots, my girlfriends parents recently moved to Martock. Lovely village. Exactly what I'm thinking for next season too, good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I just pray that Rovers win there or I'll never live it down.