The Championship 2014/15

[Guest Magic]

Following on from its successful debut season last year, TWO's English Championship thread makes a return, sadly (although not for him!) without BRM, who'll be off living the high life in the Premier League thread after his Burnely side did fantastically well to get promoted.

 

Sadly for me my Wigan side couldn't follow through the door and we've remained in the Championship for another year. But with Uew Rosler in from the start and building the squad his way, I'm feeling very optimistic for the new season. We beat Besiktas in a friendly the other day which can only be a positive, even if it was just a friendly. Martin Waghorn scored twice which was good to see. Uwe has a lot of faith in him, so hopefully we'll see the best this year.

 

Latest odds for the league winner:

 

Cardiff 7/1

Derby 8/1

Fulham 9/1

Wigan 9/1

Norwich 10/1

Watford 14/1

Reading 18/1

Wolves 18/1

Brighton 18/1

Nottingham Forest 18/1

Bournemouth 20/1

Middlesbrough 20/1

Blackburn 20/1

Bolton 20/1

Ipswich 25/1

Leeds 33/1

Sheff Wed 33/1

Brentford 40/1

Huddersfield 50/1

Birmingham 50/1

Rotherham 50/1

Millwall 50/1

Charlton 50/1

Blackpool 150/1

 

Not really a surprise to see Cardiff the early favourites, you would imagine they do a bit of a QPR and try to spend their way out of the league. I'm surprised Derby are as short as they are though. I thought Fulham and Norwich would be shorter. I think both those sides have squads that really should be going close at the top of the league, especially if they keep hold of their better players. Fulham signing McCormack for such a high fee shows they mean business, and if I was picking a winner outside of us, it would be them.

 

Other teams like Bolton and Reading are definitely capable of putting a run together too though, as always with the Championship I think it could be a really great league for the spectator. Anyone could go up with a decent bit of form. If Jamster is about I'd love to know what he makes of Bolton chances going into the new season. They seem to be in a kind of similar boat to Wigan, new regime trying desperately to get back to the promised lands of the Premier League, both recovering from Owen Coyle hangovers :lol

 

Going down is an interesting one, usually it pretty much could be anybody if they get on a poor enough run, but this year it looks like Blackpool could be properly cut away at the bottom. With only a couple weeks to go until the season starts, they only have 8 players in their squad and no senior keeper! Scary times for their fans. We play them early though, so should be an easy three points hopefully! :lol

Edited July 21, 2014 by Magic

[Guest bigmatt]

I thought Fulham and Norwich would be shorter. I think both those sides have squads that really should be going close at the top of the league, especially if they keep hold of their better players. Fulham signing McCormack for such a high fee shows they mean business, and if I was picking a winner outside of us, it would be them.

 

What do you think of Magath, mate? I didn't see a lot of Fulham after he took over but every time I caught a glimpse, I liked a lot of the stuff he was doing.

[Guest Magic]

I like him too. I think giving a full season and a chance to develop his own team he'll come good for them. He's a bit of a tough love, no nonsense hard ass of a coach but I like that in a manager. Fulham are a side that's gone done with a squad that I look at and think they really shouldn't have been in that position with the players they had. I think all the manager upheaval did them no favours and if they put their trust in Magath and give him time he'll get the job done. McCormack is a top signing for this league, but I do think they've over paid for him.

 

But they've got guys like Rodallega, Parker, Mitrogluo, Stekelenberg, Dejagha, who should all do well in the Championship. And that's not including Bryan Ruiz who I'm not sure what his future holds. They need some defensive solidity more than anything and I think Magath is probably the man to bring that. As a Wigan fan I would fear them this year because I think if they get it right, they could get it SO right and dominate the league.

 

I also think Norwich's squad is full of top quality at this level. Surely Hooper and Van Woolfswinkel will bang them in the Championship? Surely. They're too good not to. I fear both of those sides over Cardiff, Derby and Watford for sure.

[Guest bigmatt]

Yep, you would think so but conversely they've got a rookie manager, which might be an issue.

[Guest Magic]

Very true. I'd actually forgotten about that. I'm not sure they made the right call there in honesty. I wouldn't have fired Chris Hughton unless it was a for a big (in the context of the Championship) name, proven manager.

[Guest bigmatt]

Chris Hughton had the experience of this exact situation too. In 09-10 he won the Championship with Newcastle - a Premier league team with another strong squad looking to return to the Premiership at the first attempt. It could have been invaluable experience for them.

[Guest Steely]

Fulham for me but only because I've backed them in a treble with Greenock Morton and clyde lol.

 

£11 million is a huge price tag for a striker who can't even get into his national teams squad never mind the starting 11 but it's a sensible buy given the amount of goals McCormack scores in that league and I think he'll see them up with his goals but you just never know with that league, it must be the most competitive league in the world where almost every team will start out with ambitions of getting into the playoffs

[Guest Magic]

I think if you're gonna spend £10m+ on a custom build Championship striker to get goals that secure promotion, you have to go for Jordan Rhodes. I like McCormack alot but I still think Rhodes is the most natural poaching goal scorer in that league. And if you offered Rovers £10m for Rhodes they'd bite your hand off because they're totally skint.

[Omega 354]

I love that people are going "Yeah, McCormack's goals will get them up".... Don't know if you noticed but he Golden Booted last season and we're still in the Championship! :P

 

I think 33/1 is amazing odds for Leeds, we're signing players on the fringes of the International sides from Italy left and right with an owner not afraid to invest. I;m not saying "oh yeah, we're going up" but I'd stick a tenner on us at that price.

[Guest Steely]

Too much instability at Leeds for me, which is a shame *** they are a huge club that really should be in the prem and challenging for honours.

 

I'm amazed no one has took a chance on Rhodes and put in an offer that Blackburn can't refuse, such a natural finisher, even if he isn't the fastest guy out there, could easily be the difference in a prem team either being relegated or staying up

[Guest Magic]

I love Rhodes. I've wanted him at Wigan for years. I think he'd do a great job for a team in the Premier League trying to survive. You're right he's a natural goalscorer. If I had just been promoted at Leicester or Burnley he'd be my first port of call.

[BRM 220]

He's a decent target man but can have a tendency to drift in and out of games. Suspect he could struggle in the Premier League but will guarantee you at least 15 goals in the Championship. Is that the hall mark of a £10million striker? I'm not so sure.

[Guest bigmatt]

Two losses and a draw for the three teams relegated from the Premier league, one of those losses to a team that was promoted from League One. Welcome to the Championship!

[Guest Magic]

Fulham were terrible. I fancied them to win this league but after watching them I'm not sure. They've made a lot of changed understandably and I'm not sure its gonna work for them.

 

We were good in the first half, dreadful in the second by all accounts. Reading are a decent side so a point isn't a disaster. Hopefully improvements to come.

[King 277]

Did Huddersfield already sack their manager? :lol

[Guest Magic]

After one game :lol

 

Couldn't make it up.

[Guest Jayfunk]

Bristol city's away kit looks like barney

[BRM 220]

To be fair to Huddersfield they did have a shocking end to last season. But if you're going to give Robins the Summer then you have to give him more than one game whatever the manner of the defeat.

[Omega 354]

And now they want Brian McDermott. Good luck with that.

 

Whilst we lost our first game we've signed another three players including Billy Sharp from Southampton and he's a proven goalscorer at this level. With any luck the team will start to gel together and I think we could make a decent fist of things this season.

[Omega 354]

There's a possible 3 more signings from Italy on their way including a guy called Adryan who's been labelled the new Zico. Although I worry about most of these being year long loans the fact is we're still signing young players with talent in the main, something we haven't done for years. Team has to gel and find it;s style but glimpses of what we could do in knocking the ball about well in the 'boro game give me cause for posativity.

[Guest Eddie]

Apparently there were rumours of Victor Ibarbo going to Leeds as well as Adryan who is pretty highly rated been at Cagliari 2 seasons on Loan I think, not seen much of him but I think he could struggle with the physicality of the Championship.

 

With Regards to Jordan Rhodes who can guarantee you 15 goals in the championship, has in two seasons scored 54 goals. So yeah pretty good that I reckon he's got at least 20 in him without injury occurring. He also frees up another striker if you play 2 up front which is shown from Gestede grabbing a fair few goals at the end of last season and the beginning of this he's got two, which I think has a lot to do with people keeping an eye on Rhodes.

 

I fancy us to go up, I know you will all most likely disagree as we haven't really brought anyone in (the influx of strikers does worry me that they are bracing to sell my beloved Jordan though) We all know that this season will throw in some surprises so It's anyones really.

[Omega 354]

We're in for Mirko Antennucci and Diego novaretti as well as Adryan. I worry a little about the Brazilian in the championship but he could simply end up making a lot of opposition players look very very silly. I imagine him playing behind Sharp and Doukara and being a terror with passes to either of them.

[Guest Magic]

Better chance of going up than us. We're shite.

[Guest Eddie]

Well in all honesty I think we have a good young squad and Dunn'son his last year I think so I'm hopeful on us building on last years end and going up. I won't pay too much attention to the first few weeks results as It's a pretty poor barometer for how things will go drawing with Cardiff and beating Blackpool at this stage aren't things to garner confidence over. I think with Cardiff still not being a complete side and Blackpool are my picks to go down if something does not change very soon.

 

It's no doubt an exciting prospect for Leeds if all these things start clicking and you get these guys in but there's just something very worrying about their new owner but if you're winning who cares! :lol

[Omega 354]

Worrying... Isn't it the case with anyone owner. Their whims and vagueries. At the very least, at this level, he's using his contacts to bring in players either cheaply or on long loans that can do us well for a start and then we can build a squad from there.