Championship 23/24

[Oldgregg86]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

deffo, I wouldn't have paid what Leicester have for him

not good

I’ve no idea what they paid but he strikes me as a hot and cold player. Still looks dangerous and a handful to defend against 

[Mattyblue]

Vital you get back whilst you have the parachute money… so you appoint that dickhead from Swansea 🤷‍♂️

[bazza]

3 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Vital you get back whilst you have the parachute money… so you appoint that dickhead from Swansea 🤷‍♂️

I bet Swansea were glad to get shot.

[Tugayisgod]

WTF with that 4th goal.?

Not a single Southampton player in his own half ? 80 yards to run there unchallenged. 

Unbelievable 

 

[USABlue]

Saints are a mess.  Look more porous than us at the back.

[davulsukur]

2 minutes ago, Tugayisgod said:

WTF with that 4th goal.?

Not a single Southampton player in his own half ? 80 yards to run there unchallenged. 

Unbelievable 

Yep, absolutely mental. 3 Leicester players with a whole half to run into completely unchallenged.

[DE.]

Russell Martin will be out by the end of September at this rate. They've shipped four or more goals in three out of six games so far. They've now conceded nine in their last two games. Absolutely shocking and should not be happening to any club at this level, let alone a team who have only just come down from the PL. 

[Blue blood]

1 hour ago, Ricky said:

Russell Martin has done nothing to have this reputation he appears to have. They have conceded more goals than anyone in the league and added another 3 to the against column this half.

Agree. Just because he plays "nice" football he's hailed as some hot prospect in management. Never mind the fact it didn't work at his last 2 clubs, and unsurprisingly isn't working at Southampton either. Bizarre that style over substance allows him to get gigs in the game.

[DE.]

Hull and Coventry share the points with a 1-1 draw at the KCOM. It keeps Hull's momentum going, albeit they probably would have been eyeing a win here. Considering they were a goal down until the 87th minute, though, they'll probably gratefully take a point. Coventry really could have done with a win, having now drawn their last four games in a row and are still without a win since the opening day of the season. Still 11th as things stand, but they'll drop a few spots after tomorrow. Hull are in 5th for now, and Southampton's defeat tonight means they'll likely remain in the playoff spots irrespective of how results tomorrow play out.

Another incredibly damaging defeat for Southampton, torn apart defensively by a Leicester side who, much like Sunderland, haven't been banging in the goals so far this season. Their defeat last time out against Hull aside, though, Leicester have been winning matches and are, for now at least, top of the table. It remains to be seen whether tonight will be the catalyst for Leicester to really start hammering teams, or whether it's just a case of Southampton's defence being mislabelled as such. After being embarrassed 5-0 by Sunderland, a 4-1 drubbing at home is exactly what Southampton didn't need. They continue to leak goals like ending in negative GD is the target - and if it is then they're well on their way to achieving that. Their -5 GD and 16 goals conceded is by far the worst in the division. Somehow they remain 7th for now, but will inevitably drop a few places after tomorrow, and two big defeats on the spin must already be putting some immense pressure on Russell Martin. Losing games is one thing, but getting repeatedly humiliated is far more problematic. 

Next up for Southampton is a home match against Ipswich, who are currently up there as one of the top scoring teams in the division, so that could be fun... for Ipswich.

[simongarnerisgod]

it`s a remarkable achievement by martin to make a mess out a southampton side that should be  odds on to get promotion

[roversfan99]

Leicester have got some really talented good young players but they have a brilliant core of proper experience in Ndidi, Vardy, Pereira, Coady and Winks. You need experience in key positions to be competitive over 46 games and they definitely have it.

[simongarnerisgod]

53 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

Agree. Just because he plays "nice" football he's hailed as some hot prospect in management. Never mind the fact it didn't work at his last 2 clubs, and unsurprisingly isn't working at Southampton either. Bizarre that style over substance allows him to get gigs in the game.

undoubtedly his players don`t believe in his methods either

[roverandout]

Awful coach. Awful person

[Aqualung]

According to the BBC sports website 

Hull v Coventry....att....22,000 must have been a promotion on there! 

Southampton v Leicester.... Att.. 28,000

Tomorrow at Ewood if the stands are open and a big Boro following.... Who knows! 

[Upside Down]

No more than 15000

Must be because of shit fans.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Upside Down

[Oldgregg86]

3 hours ago, Upside Down said:

No more than 15000

Must be because of shit fans.

I’d close the bburn end permanently there so shit

[Cherry Blue]

Been over to Bamber Bridge earlier today and seen quite a few wearing a certain white shirt. Nobbers are in a better catchment area than Ewood and if their success becomes reality they'll see sellout games at home with that small ground they have plus fans growling out of their woodwork.  

Radio 5Live are bigging up nobbers saying they need consistency with players returning from injury. 

Hope to hear Plymouth score another 3 today. 

[KentExile]

17 hours ago, Oldgregg86 said:

Not great. They’ve conceded 3 already 

In fairness to Southampton's players.  Martin is playing them out of position in a few cases, Adam Armstrong in central midfield, Charles who is a holding midfielder at centre back.  Its like a 5 year old child is picking the team and wants to get all his favourite attacking players in the side at the expense of the "boring" defensive players

Or maybe I am doing a disservice to 5 year old children?

[Mattyblue]

14,800 home fans on at Deepdale today, I wouldn’t say that is particularly impressive considering they are selling decades high numbers of season tickets and are top of the league…

[chaddyrovers]

Looks like Warnock will leave Huddersfield on Monday from reports

[Mashed Potatoes]

12 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Looks like Warnock will leave Huddersfield on Monday from reports

He's done a good job there. Any reason why he's going ?

[chaddyrovers]

12 hours ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

He's done a good job there. Any reason why he's going ?

We found at 1pm on Monday. It's seems they want an overseas head coach to come in? 

[DE.]

Rovers 2-1 defeat of Boro at Ewood ensured Boro's miserable start to the season continued after the international break. Both teams had chances, but whilst Rovers' defence was solid, Boro often looked all at sea at the back. It's no exagerration to say Rovers could have scored four or five in this match, and if not for a shocking decision from the linesman we would have kept a clean sheet. The result pushes Rovers up to 8th, a point outside the playoff spots. Meanwhile Boro are left rooted to the foot on the table, still without a win, having lost five of their opening six matches, conceding 13 goals and only scoring 4. Some big problems there that need to be addressed rapidly.

Bristol City and WBA played out out a 0-0 draw at Ashton Gate. The home side are yet to win this season on their home turf, but are sitting in a reasonable 10th position as things stand. WBA's inconsistent start continued, with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses leaving them in the logical position of 12th, dead in the middle of the table. 

Huddersfield followed up their first win of the season last time out with a solid 2-0 home victory against Rotherham. There has been speculation that Warnock will resign on Monday, but in the post-match press conference he claimed he would be in the dugout for the game against Stoke on Wednesday, so time will tell. Former Rovers loanee Sorba Thomas had a fantastic match, with an assist and a goal to his name. The result lifts Huddersfield to 17th, whilst defeat for Rotherham puts them in 21st, narrowly outside the relegation zone. 

Norwich inflicted a third defeat in three games on Stoke, with a 1-0 victory at Carrow Road. Stoke sink to 19th, having not only lost their last three matches but also failed to score in any of those three matches. Just five goals scored from their opening six games places them as one of the lowest goalscorers in the division in the early stages. Defensively they've been slightly more impressive, only letting in seven, but it's looking like it might be another season of underachievement for the Potters. Norwich meanwhile have won four of their opening six matches and sit in 4th place, leading the division in goals scored with fifteen notched thus far.

Preston's surprisingly good start to the season continued with a 2-1 win over Plymouth at Deepdale. Their first goal came after just 45 seconds. The result puts Preston back on top of the pile with five wins on the spin coming after their opening day draw. Having conceded the least goals in the division with just four let in, Preston seem to have built on their defensive mindset from last season and then found a way to add goals, as they've netted a healthy ten goals thus far. They are also now the only team in the division without a loss on their record. Time will tell how long they can keep it going. Plymouth meanwhile are in 13th, and despite today's result will surely be happy with the start they've made to life in the Championship.

Things seemed to be going well for QPR, a goal up against Sunderland at home, before Jack Colback's sending off in the 21st minute completely turned the game on its head. Sunderland went on to win 3-1. Despite a slightly concerning first couple of matches, Sunderland have quickly bounced back and have now achieved ten points from the last twelve available, lifting them up to 7th. QPR meanwhile have lost four of their opening six matches and hover outside the relegation zone in 20th. 

Ipswich's dream start to life in the Championship continued with a 1-0 away win against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. The two clubs promoted from League 1 last season have had contrasting fortunes at the beginning of the season, with Ipswich riding high in 3rd with five wins from their opening six games, and Sheffield Wednesday languishing in 23rd having lost five of their opening six matches and still with only a single point to their name. 

After Birmingham's winning run came to a halt in their last match, their momentum continued to stutter as they were beaten 2-0 at Vicarage Road by Watford. Birmingham are still clinging on to a playoff spot in 6th, and this was in fact their first defeat of the season. It was a much needed win for Watford - their first since the opening day of the season. They move up to 11th, mirroring WBA's record of 2 wins , 2 draws and 2 defeats. Watford do have a solid base in terms of only conceding five goals, and have scored a reasonable nine, so they can look at their current position with some optimism. 

Finally Swansea's nightmare start to the season showed no signs of abating as they were beaten 2-0 by Cardiff at the Cardiff City Stadium. The result moves Cardiff up to 15th - having scored ten and conceded ten, their games certainly aren't lacking goals. Swansea are yet to win this season. This was their third defeat in a row, and they've only collected two points from their opening six matches. Plenty of concern there for what has been a dismal first few matches.

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by DE.

[Sweaty Gussets]

I watched the Cardiff Swansea game. Thought both teams looked poor.

Cardiff at least offered a bit of a threat. Meite (lad they signed from Reading) looked dangerous and Ramsay is class but there wasn't much else to get excited about. Swansea passed it around nicely but looked toothless. 

Millwall V Leeds this lunchtime might be worth a watch. 

[roversfan99]

If Warnock goes, it would presumably be his own decision. He implied that he stayed because with the new owners, he felt it would be dangerous for them to also need to be looking for a new manager so soon. But he seems to prefer only working for a couple of months a year and he is not happy with not being backed in the window. If he goes, they will struggle.