English Championship 2017/18 Preview Part One
The Football League returns this weekend and that means we’re approaching another 10 months of drama, heartache and some of the most competitive football seen across Europe. All 24 teams competing in this season’s Championship will be dreaming of what may be whilst a lot of those will no doubt also be worrying about the dreaded ‘what if’. That’s the nature of this league and it makes for plenty of entertainment along the way. There was drama right to the end last season as Newcastle edged out Brighton on the final day to win the league whilst Huddersfield done this column a favour by securing their first ever Premier League spot by beating another surprise package in Reading at Wembley in the playoff final. There was heartache for Blackburn who were relegated by virtue of goal difference whilst Wigan and Rotherham also dropped out. What lies ahead for us in 2017/18?
Premier League cast offs
Sunderland finally fell through the trap door after a plethora of years whereby they managed to retain their top flight status by the skin of their teeth. A disastrous campaign overseen by David Moyes seen them finish bottom with Moyes promptly leaving in the off season – along with their star player Jermaine Defoe who stays in the Premier League with Bournemouth. Simon Grayson has been brought in to steady the ship with a view to getting the club competitive again. As last weekend’s 5-0 thrashing at home to Celtic proved, there is a mammoth task ahead for Grayson and his players – many of whom are still the nucleus of the team who were relegated. Two of the most interesting additions came in the shape of Aiden McGeady – who Grayson had on loan at Preston – and Lewis Grabban who has come in the opposite direction of Defoe. Although both will add quality to the team, Sunderland will need more to get them on an upward trajectory and with the bad feeling surrounding the club’s supporters at the moment, a slow start could see the pressure grow on Grayson from an early stage.
Middlesbrough’s return to the Premier League was extremely short lived having only won automatic promotion from the Championship the previous season. Aitor Karanka had a very detailed style of play during his time at the club where the focus was very much on a solid defence but more often than not that came at the expense of the team’s attacking play. Karanka was dismissed but the change in management to Steve Agnew was not enough to save ‘Boro and they return to a league they know very well. Garry Monk – who came so close to getting Leeds into the playoffs in 2016/17, has been entrusted with the challenge of getting the Teesiders straight back up. As we have come to expect, Steve Gibson has backed his manager financially with Britt Assombalonga the headline signing at £14m from Nottingham Forest. Monk will hope that he along with Ashley Fletcher who has also come in, will be the difference in making Middlesbrough a much more rounded team and give them far more threat at the top end of the park. There’s still some time left until the transfer window closes but it could be more important to see who they now keep rather than sign, with Ben Gibson attracting a lot of interest from Premier League clubs.
The third of the teams to be relegated from the Premier League are another who are familiar to the rigours of the Championship. Hull City have split their time evenly over the last 10 seasons between this level and that of the Premier League. They are the stereotypical ‘yoyo’ team and whilst they have not been able to find the secret to staying in the top flight long term, they clearly know what it takes to get themselves out the Championship. Previously, they have relied on the nous of managers and coaches who are well versed in all matters Football league with Nigel Pearson, Phil Brown and Steve Bruce all enjoying success in the Championship – that’s now the case this time though as the owners have went with the charismatic Leonid Slutsky to replace Marco Silva who departed for Watford. Silva’s appointment in January was met with much derision but it appeared as though he was going to keep the Tigers in the Premier League until a late season collapse. It is difficult to know what kind of impact Slutsky will have in his first stint in England, however his CV is an impressive won having won titles with CSKA Moscow before going on to coach Russia at Euro 2016. Hull will benefit from the continuity of keeping the core of their squad together whilst adding some Championship veterans in Michael Hector and Frazier Campbell.
Last season’s Bridesmaids
It was Huddersfield who edged their way up via the playoffs last season, eventually getting the better of a spirited Reading team on penalties at Wembley. Jaap Stam’s men were arguably the biggest surprise package of the season and will have a job on their hands to replicate that feat this time around. Reading had the tag of being fortunate throughout the last campaign with many games where they were second best in terms of chances and attempts at goal but still coming out on top. Although the Championship is an absolute slog with two games a week for much of the season, it can still throw up some surprises and the Royals were certainly one example of that. Whether or not a similar style and approach would be sustainable for another season remains to be seen but they will likely be one of the most stubborn and resolute teams in the division.
The team they beat in the semi-finals of last season’s playoffs were considered unfortunate by many. Fulham had plenty of admirers en route to finishing in the top six because of the style of football they played and the head coach’s willingness to give youth a chance. Despite appearing to be the better team over the course of the two legs they were unable to find the result they needed and will face another year in England’s second tier. Fortunately for all Fulham supporters they have been able to keep hold of their prized asset and team captain, Tom Cairney. The Scottish internationalist was the best midfielder in the Championship last season and had attracted interest from both this league and the top flight. It’s no surprise to see that they are favoured by many to be challenging at the top end of the table and are in with a chance of automatic promotion, which would ensure they do not have to endure any further heartache in the end of season playoffs.
One club who know all about heartache in the playoffs is Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls season has now been ended twice in the post season and even more unfortunate for Wednesday supporters is it has come at the hands of fellow Yorkshire clubs. Hull City seen them off in the final back in 2016 whilst it was Huddersfield who ousted them after a tense two legged semi-final back in May. There is some sort of consolation there that they have been eliminated both times by the team who has been promoted but that will be scant for the players, coaches and supporters, all of whom will be praying the can finish first and second to avoid that. There are fewer sides more solid and reliable than the club from the Steel City in terms of having the formula to win games at this level so it’s hard to envisage them not being one of the most likely candidates for promotion once again. The supporters will also have their derby to look forward to this year with rivals Sheffield United cantering to the League One title last term – more of them below.
Back to back promotion candidates?
Sheffield United were far too good for the other 23 clubs in League One last season as they romped to a title that their supporters will feel was long overdue. The Blades finished 14 points ahead of second place Bolton and were eight goals shy of a 100 scored so they will be coming into this campaign very much in a positive frame of mind. Chris Wilder has never managed at this level before so it will be a test for him as much as his players, however the signs are that he will relish the opportunity. Wilder has opted to stick with the majority of his players who got them into the league with the help of a couple of senior defenders in Richard Stearman and the impressive Enda Stevens. There are few stars in this squad and they may be unable to compete with their rivals across the city financially, but Sheffield United are not to be underestimated and will bring be backed by a passionate set of supporters who will certainly add to the Championship as a whole.
Bolton were no match for Sheffield United but they would have been delighted to return to this level at the first time of asking. It has been a treacherous time for Wanderers on and off the park and despite being one of the biggest names in League One last season, there was not much hope or expectation that they could achieve promotion. The appointment of Phil Parkinson proved to be very shrewd and he was able to stabilise matters on the park, finishing in second spot and avoiding any drama in the playoffs. It will continue to be difficult in being competitive in the top half of the Championship because of the financial restrictions that Bolton have to work under but if they can survive this year, then their supporters will be hoping that the purse strings can be loosened somewhat as they try to build their way back to the Premier League. The permanent signing of Jem Karacan from Reading will be a boost to their hopes of being competitive with the diminutive midfielder adding some much needed quality.
Despite finishing in the final playoff position – only securing it on the last day of the normal season – it was Millwall who made it through the playoff gauntlet of League One to become a Championship club once again. The Lions defeated Bradford in the final at Wembley with a goal from the evergreen Steve Morison who’s experience will again be pivotal even at this level. Neil Harris is entering his third full season in charge as permanent manager and is quickly adding to his much-loved status amongst the supporters gained as a player now as a manager. They may not possess many well-known names or have the quality of player you would require to be challenging for promotion, but Millwall are very much a team who give their all and have the desire and attitude to get results on a consistent basis. As usual, they will look to make the New Den something of a fortress with an intimidating atmosphere for opposition players. Like Bolton, however, success would surely be survival and it appears unlikely that they will be at the other end of the table come May.
Hoping for better
Leeds United are arguably the biggest club at this level but that will be a frustration more than anything else for all concerned at Elland Road. As alluded to earlier, Garry Monk has moved on to Middlesbrough despite leading the Yorkshire club to within a handful of points of making the playoffs – something that was not expected at the beginning of the last season. They were in pole position with four games left of the normal season but two defeats and two draws in that spell seen them come undone at just the wrong time. The Dane Thomas Christiansen has arrived as Monk’s replacement and as ever with Leeds, it will be a case of suck it and see as virtually anything could happen. Although there is still over three weeks to go before the transfer window shuts it appears as though Chris Wood will be a Leeds player for the coming season and that is crucial having scored 27 league goals making him the Championship’s top scorer last term. The loss of Kyle Bartley will be a blow defensively but providing they can get off to a good start and keep the fans with them then there is potential for another good campaign.
Derby are becoming a very frustrating team to follow, not only for their supporters but bettors alike. Last season’s squad was packed with so much quality for this league that you struggled to think they would finish outside of the top six but they failed to get any real momentum going and were always on the periphery of the promotion picture. They worked their way through three managers last season as Nigel Pearson and Steve McClaren both returned to the job but were ultimately dismissed. Gary Rowett was appointed earlier this year and as one of the most promising up and coming English managers, could be just the man to see Derby have a productive season. Tom Ince and Will Hughes have both departed for Premier League clubs and they will miss the undoubted quality of that duo, but the arrival of Curtis Davies, David Nugent and Tom Huddlestone may just make the Rams a bit more prepared for the demands of the Championship.
Norwich were another of the main underachievers from a year ago and unsurprisingly, as a result, another club who parted way with their manager. Relegated from the Premier League in the previous campaign, the Canaries suffered the dreaded hangover and despite showing glimpses of the quality they had were never consistent enough to get them involved in automatic promotion and constantly on the edges of the playoffs. The owners eventually decided to make a change by removing Alex Neil as manager and going down the Huddersfield route of appointing Borussia Dortmund reserve team’s manager. Daniel Farke has followed in the footsteps of David Wagner by coming to the Championship from Germany. Farke has brought in several players from his homeland but the squad was already capable and it’s more than likely a change of attitude and fresh approach that is needed to get them challenging were they ought to be.
