‘I was playing in Serie A last year and I don’t think the Championship is a step down. There are big clubs and the crowds are fantastic’. These were the words of talented Switzerland international Gelson Fernandes, who this week became big-spending Leicester City’s latest marquee signing. As the standard of football improves in the Championship year after year, it is becoming difficult to argue with the view of Fernandes, who becomes the latest of a number of high profile players such as Craig Bellamy, and more recently Kevin Nolan who have chosen to ply their trade in England’s second tier. Certainly in terms of excitement, competitiveness, and quality of football there are few leagues that can compare. We have constantly seen that anyone can beat anyone, and thrilling games have been aplenty in the last few seasons. 2011/2012 promises to be the best yet.
The Championship is an unforgiving league, and one that’s notoriously difficult to predict, and there are certainly a number of key players in the hunt for promotion to the Premier League this campaign. Coming down from the top flight are West Ham United, Blackpool and Birmingham City. West Ham will view themselves as big fish in a small pond, and, now under the tutelage of respected boss ‘Big’ Sam Allardyce, who has bolstered his squad with players such as Nolan and John Carew, will expect to bounce back at the first time of asking. For Birmingham, the task would appear much tougher, amid a cloud of financial uncertainty and an owner behind bars, but they retain a strong squad and have a hungry new manager in Chris Hughton, determined to prove a point. Blackpool have lost their talismanic captain Charlie Adam, but with a newfound respect and an admirable playing style, they can expect to be there or there abouts come the season’s finale.
Leicester City, under Sven Goran Eriksson, have been the most active club in the transfer window, bringing in quality players such as Fernandes, Kasper Schmeichael, Matt Mills and David Nugent, making them the bookies’ favourites to end the season as champions. Cardiff City finally lost patience with Dave Jones after another faltering campaign ended in play-off disappointment, and have brought in bright young manager Malky Mackay as his replacement. Mackay is renowned for encouraging slick, passing football, while his signing of Kenny Miller looks an astute piece of business. Fellow play-off semi-finalists Nottingham Forest opted to do the same, sacking the outspoken Billy Davies and replacing him with Steve McClaren, who will be confident he can achieve promotion after a spell abroad. However, losing play-off finalists Reading are unlikely to eclipse last season’s achievements, particularly with the departure of Mills and potentially Shane Long.
From League One arrive sleeping giants Southampton, who have a core of talented footballers spearheaded by the skilful Adam Lallana, and will be buoyed by their opening day 3-1 win against Leeds United, in which all three goals oozed class. Brighton will also expect to make an impression on the Championship under the guidance of livewire Gus Poyet, having dominated League One from first to last in 2010/2011. Hull City, Burnley and Middlesbrough will be looking to consolidate solid finishes last season, while Ipswich Town could be the surprise package under Paul Jewell, having spent wisely over the summer. At the other end of the scale, Barnsley, Watford, Doncaster Rovers and Bristol City are all expected to struggle, and could be facing a long season in which survival is the priority.
But expect a season of twists and turns and of unpredictability, with six-goal thrillers, late comebacks, drama, slumps in form and promotion and relegation battles that go right down to the wire. Last season Cardiff, Middlesbrough and Burnley began the season as favourites to win the league but none of them got close. As Serie A declines in terms of footballing quality and competitiveness, look no further than the Championship to provide football at its entertaining best, the perfect supplement to the Barclays Premier League.
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