Tag Archives: english championship

English Championship: Pursuing Promotion

  By O-Posts Team | March 23, 2024 - 16:46 | , , ,
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The dog fight – the title best describing the Championship.

Cardiff are the only team consistently taking home three points. Leaving a dog fight for the second automatic promotion place. There is such a high level of expectancy for Malky Mackay’s men, as they have failed to get through the play-offs year after year. They now open a seven point gap on their promotion chasing rivals, with a game in hand.

Hull sitting in second place are trying to secure the remaining automatic promotion place to the Premier League. Steve Bruce has to take the praise for his signing of David Meyler from Sunderland, who has turned out to be a real talisman for the Tigers.

Controversial Watford lie in third thanks to the loan signings from the Pozzo families other club Udinese. Zola’s side have really been a joy to watch with their elegant passing and clinical finishing, evidently the Italian roots have surely played a part.

Just a point behind Watford in fourth are Crystal Palace who really have caught everyone’s eye this season. One player that deserves a tremendous amount of credit is Glenn Murray who really has had an eye for goal this season. He is currently the Championships top scorer, netting 29 times so far in the current campaign.

Nottingham Forest are the next team to lie in a play-off place. Billy Davies has made an immediate impact on his return to the City Ground, picking up 19 points from a possible 21 including six wins a row and remains unbeaten. This has pushed Forest up to a convincing fifth position when many people thought they were down and out for the Premier League chase.

Davies..... immediate impact.

Davies….. immediate impact.

Leicester are the final team to fill up the last remaining play-off place. Only by goal difference over Brighton, they sit just a point behind Billy Davies’ side. Nigel Pearson’s Leicester have been a breath of fresh air in front of goal this season up until now. Recent weeks indicate that the forwards have suffered with David Nugent and Chris Wood only bagging one goal between them in the last five games.

It would be a brave man to predict the outcome of the end of the season. Watford and Crystal Palace would be most suited in the top flight purely on their playing style it may seem. That is if Watford can keep hold of their loanees and Palace can retain the services of the reliable Glenn Murray, following Wilfried Zaha’s departure to Manchester United next season.

With eight games to go and only nine points separating second and seventh it will be an exciting run in to the end of season, with teams stepping up a gear and fighting for promotion to secure Premier League status.

 

Written by Ben Miller

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Championship so far: Blackpool

  By O-Posts Team | October 11, 2024 - 22:04 | , , ,
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Blackpool FC

Considering the fact that Blackpool were regarded as regular candidates for the drop in the Championship several years ago, it’s simply incredible to see how much progress the Seasiders have made over recent times.

However, having lost in the playoff final last term, there were some people who wondered just how the Bloomfield Road outfit would fare on the back of that disappointment.

Fortunately for them, they appear to have taken that setback in their stride and are once again challenging for top honours in the 2012/13 campaign.

 

The Results

Had this piece been written several weeks ago, it would have been very easy to highlight just how impressive the Seasiders looked. Many tipped them as definite candidates for promotion following their performances in the opening weeks, although since then their form has deteriorated somewhat.

Looking back at the start of the season, Holloway’s men looked unstoppable as they started proceedings with three straight victories over Millwall, Blackpool and Ipswich.

Moreover, after beating the Tractor Boys 6-0 and following that win up with a 4-1 thumping of Middlesbrough a couple of weeks later, it was clear that they still retained that attacking potency that made them so dangerous last term.

Unfortunately, they have become highly inconsistent through recent times. Since that victory over Boro, they have managed to collect just three points and have suffered defeats to Huddersfield, Cardiff and Charlton. Such events have led Holloway to turn on various sections of his supporters, who were criticising the team for their inconsistent ways.

 

The Summer Buys

Following their playoff final defeat last season, many people thought that Blackpool’s squad would fall apart. However, Holloway kept much of his team together and added several players to bolster the squad. Nevertheless, despite adding five new faces, only a couple have made a serious impact in the team. Tiago Gomes and Isaiah Osbourne have played in the majority of games for the club and many fans would agree that they have made a very positive impact at Bloomfield Road.

Tiago Gomes….. an excellent summer acquisition

Some would suggest that Nathan Delfouneso has also made an impression following his two goals, but the fact that he has largely appeared as a substitute shows that he is well down the pecking order in Holloway’s plans. Elsewhere, the likes of Kirk Broadfoot and Nathan Eccleston have barely played and have made just one start between them.

Bearing this in mind, Blackpool’s business hasn’t been a resounding success and following their inconsistent nature, we think Holloway might be tempted to dip into the market during the next transfer window.

 

The Verdict

With Blackpool currently outside the top six in 8th, it’s no surprise to see some fans slightly concerned. However, they sit just three points away from 3rd place and considering the attacking prowess the club have showed, we don’t think their supporters should be worried too much.

They may be in a poor rut of form at the moment, but we fully expect them to return stronger after the international break and put in a strong push towards the promotion places.

 

Author Biography

Liam is an avid follower of Championship football and tries to publish lots of betting bonus offers in relation to the matter. He also covers horse racing, rugby and cricket through his blog.

 

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