Get Busy In The Fizzy (Football in General)

Name: utero

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Product:	Football in General
Date:	11/08/06 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Competitive, Very little poncing around

Disadvantages: The money is non-existent in comparion to premiership riches

The football season is upon us once more, I’m not talking about the big money soulless experience that is the Premiership, those poor lambs haven’t started yet. The real action is a division lower in the Coca Cola Championship.

Having experienced my club being in both divisions I can honestly say that the only draw of being in the top flight is the money. Where is the fun in going to a game where you have a very good idea of who’s going to win, who’s going to come in the top four and who’ll probably win the honours. The Championship meanwhile has more fixtures, more value for money and teams who on their day can beat the opposition no matter what the finances and league position.

So this season, who’s going to push for honours and who’s going to be in for a long hard slog? Well there will always be the favourites and those are generally the teams that come down from the top flight. However this never pans out, last season saw none of the relegated teams making a swift return. The bookies have made Birmingham and West Brom favourites. Brum in particular have gone out and spent a large amount of money in the hope of securing a quick route out of the division. Out have gone the likes of Heskey and Pennant to be replaced by Cameron Jerome and Neil Danns. Jerome was a high scorer in the division last season but by no means the finished article.

Personally I think Brum are still short of an immediate return. They seem intent on flooding their squad with forwards which is all well and good. However they had more than adequate firepower last season but couldn’t put it in the back of the net. I look at their side and in other areas they come up a bit short. David Dunn is a good player but I can’t see him lasting the pace with his injury history. Danns is untried at this level, at the back N’Gotty and Jaidi from Bolton are good signings but whether they’ll have the enthusiasm for the lower division is another thing.

West Brom on the other hand have a strong squad with no major departures and some good additions. John Hartson if he remains fit will be a big threat up front in the division, Ellington is a proven 20+ striker, the likes of Quasie are seasoned Championship performers whilst the defence features a solid group of players who are more than capable at this level. I fully expect them to be there or thereabouts come next May.

As for Sunderland, well Niall Quinn has taken on two jobs and is unproven in both. Sunderland have potential but this season is a bit too soon for them. They have the nucleus of a good side at this level but a summer of uncertainty, no early signings and no direction in pre-season means that a play-off place will be a good achievement this season.

So what of the rest? Well George Burley has overhauled the Southampton squad and it just depends on how long it takes to gel as a unit. They’ll certainly be up there this season as the quality is abundant throughout the team.

Wolves are like Sunderland, a uncertain summer, players leaving and the late appointment of Mick McCarthy means that next season will probably be a better bet for them.

I had bid doubts about my own team Norwich over a week ago. After a very poor season we had failed to bolster the squad until £600k was laid down on young Man City winger Lee Croft. However I’ve now seen us play and I honestly believe that if we can sign an arial threat up front to compliment Earnshaw, get luck with injuries and return to the days of Fortress Carrow Road then I think we can get automatic promotion. I know it’ll be hard but a good pre-season and change in coaching seems to have brought out the potential of some players to the extent of seeing the best football played at Carrow Road in recent years.

Each season throws up a dark horse, this season I think Southend can surprise a few people and possibly challenge for the play-offs. They have a good manager who gets the best out of players and in Freddy Eastwood they have a player who could hit over twenty goals this season.

Mid-table mediocrity will feature the usual suspects such as Plymouth, Stoke, Burnley, Luton and Derby. Sorry to supporters of these teams but there’s not much there in those squads.

For the drop I have to say Colchester will be struggling. Their squad is very thin on quality and they’ve lost their manager and some good players. Incomings have been pretty slim and you can’t see them having the quality to remain in the division. Aside from that I can see QPR having troubles, it’s just a hunch I have but there are troubles off the pitch and on it there’s not a lot up front, Danny Shittu has departed and several players are cheesed off with affairs at the club. Ipswich fans, I’d also worry, Magilton is untested, the signings are non-descript and parting company with Joe Royle was a strange decision considering the job he’d done under extremely limited resources.

So to summarize, I’d stake some money if I had some on this little lot

Automatic

West Brom
Norwich

Play-offs

Leeds
Birmingham
Cardiff
Southampton

Relegation

Ipswich
QPR
Colchester

S o come May, let’s see what I got right.

Summary: My thoughts on the new season