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4th April 2012

Three’s a Crowd at the top of the Championship

With only six games to go in the npower Championship the conundrum of three into two is becoming more and more apparent, as the race at the top of the table reaches its tumultuous conclusion. Behind the runaway triumvirate had sat a congestion of four teams all on 63 points, and a substantial number more […]
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With only six games to go in the npower Championship the conundrum of three into two is becoming more and more apparent, as the race at the top of the table reaches its tumultuous conclusion. Behind the runaway triumvirate had sat a congestion of four teams all on 63 points, and a substantial number more within striking distance of the remaining playoff places, but Birmingham’s victory last night has seen them pull three points away from rest of the chasing pack.

Having been hotly-tipped in the pre-season, two of the early favourites fell afoul of the traditional managerial merry-go-round which saw Sven-Goran Eriksson replaced by the returning Nigel Pearson at the helm of Leicester City in November. The move didn’t prove a huge inspiration to either the Foxes or Hull City, who have nosedived of late, winning only one of their last ten. Middlesbrough’s early promise evaporated and their inability to source goals from anyone other than Marvin Emnes has been the major reason behind their stagnation. Ollie’s Tangerine Army have endured a topsy-turvy campaign, starting slowly, but now right in the mix, having swept aside Southampton in the BBC’s late kick-off last Saturday.

Talking of Southampton, that result aside, the Saints have proved the shock of the season. Their combination of fluid, passing football, the limitless stream of goals from the boot of Rickie Lambert, and the much unheralded tutelage of Nigel Adkins have seen the south-coast club sit two points clear at the top of the table, on the verge of successive promotions. Lambert himself recently applauded the work of his the left wing accomplice, Adam Lallana, after receiving the award for the Football League player of the season. A solid central defensive partnership of Jos Hooiveld and José Fonte, with the artistry of Jack Cork sat just in front of them have provided the prefect base for the bludgeoning ability of Lambert, guile of Lallana, and the occasionally mercurial talents of the enigmatic Guly Do Prado.

Indeed Southampton have been this year’s surprise package but Reading, on the other hand, have trodden this path before. Perennially there or thereabouts come the business end of the season, the recent acquisition of Premiership stalwart Jason Roberts has proven to be as shrewd as they come. The Grenadan international has not only added much needed goals, but become the all-important target man able to hold the ball up and bring flair players such as Jimmy Kébé and Jobi McAnuff to the fore; even if he has recently received a ribbing for his penalty-taking prowess. One may have thought that with the decline in interest of chairman John Madejski, coinciding with the sales of last seasons’ imperious club captain Matt Mills, and top-scorer Shane Long would bring a period of mediocrity, but Brian McDermott’s side are made of stronger stuff. Previous unsung heroes Noel Hunt, Jem Karacan, and Ian Harte, amongst others, have come together to form the nucleus of a squad rid of demonstrative egos; their togetherness displayed by the club’s recent ascent up the table, winning eight of their last ten games.

The same, however, cannot be said for the galacticos of West Ham United, whose seemingly endless run of draws was brought to an end last week with victory at Peterborough, only for the Hammers to lose ground on their close rivals once more, with a crushing home defeat at the hands of the Royals, via some less than assured work from Robert Green. Whilst so many clubs in English football’s second tier scrimp and save in prayerful hope of ‘doing a Blackpool’, the Upton Park faithful are faltering whilst having an abundance of quality to choose from. The club possess an unheralded wealth of gifted strikers in the mould of former England international Carlton Cole, proven Championship performer Nicky Maynard, young talent Sam Baldock, and the volatile but skilful Ricardo Vaz Té, with whom Allardyce has experience from his days at Bolton. That firepower alone should have been more than enough to see the club sitting pretty with six games to go.

But what of Big Sam’s budget breakers? The ubiquitous high-earner John Carew has proved less than effective, netting only twice, and more than living up to his reputation of being a regular inhabitant of the club Jacuzzi, and little else. Kevin Nolan, no longer combined with his partners in crime, messrs Carroll and Barton, but back under the wing of his old custodian, has found life in the second tier slightly tougher than his first experience, two seasons ago. Never mind Freddie Sears, Frank Nouble, and the man who had provided the goals which nearly retained the club’s premiership status last season – Frederic Piquionne – who now finds himself ostracised on loan at relegation-threatened Doncaster Rovers. This combination of West Ham’s style of play, players, and most of all, Big Sam’s inability to muster even a flicker of a smile have meant the Claret and Blues have not endeared themselves to the rest of the division. Nevertheless the burly manager is still within striking distance of an automatic promotion spot, and with Southampton and Reading due to play each other on April 13th, the old warhorse and his big-money men may yet be able to scrape through.

Neutrals may argue that the standard has not been as good this year, with no pull-away teams in the mould of Newcastle in 2009/10, but this season has been more competitive than ever. Big sides packed with stars have failed to mount a serious charge, whilst a number of the less affluent clubs are still there or thereabouts, with the race almost run, displayed by the fact that Burnley, down in 16th, are still mathematically harbouring hopes of playoff qualification. One thing’s for certain, there’s still plenty of twists and turns to come.

Tom Hickman

Tom Hickman

Music Editor.

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