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The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

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    The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

    The Promised Land has become the Poisoned Land, and the Championship has become the division that no-one wants to win:

    Code:
    Ps                Pl  Pt  GD
     1 Stoke City     40  68  +12
     2 Bristol City   40  67   +1
     3 Hull City      40  65  +15
     4 Watford        39  65  +14
     5 West Brom      38  63  +26
     6 Plymouth       40  59  +11
     7 Ipswich Town   39  59   +9
     8 Crystal Palace 40  58   +7
     9 Wolves         39  58   +1
    10 Charlton       40  57   +6
    11 Burnley        40  55   -1
    12 Sheffield U    39  53   +1
    13 Cardiff City   38  52   +2

    #2
    The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

    Apart from Hull, no side is putting a run together (unless you count Watford's seven draws in a row). Because of this, the points target to go up is probably lower than ever (Stoke would be fifth at the same time last season, Plymouth 11th).

    We had a thread on the old board about the perceived drop in quality, and it's almost like that is making teams scared to go up, and suffer the fate of Derby (a good thing, especially if it includes next Easter's Paul Sturrock sex tape revelations).

    How else can you explain the stuttery form of so many teams at the top:

    Stoke: One win in six games (against Norwich), yet they were one point in front then, and they are the same now.

    Bristol City: Six games since their last win. Three points in five games. And they're still second.

    Hull: Five wins in six games, has seen them overhaul then-third placed Watford by eleven points. The only anomaly here. The only normality in a chasing promotion side.

    Watford: Haven't won since the 12th February, when they beat Leicester 1-0. One of only two home wins in 13 games. Admittedly, they haven't lost in 12 games, but seven points in seven games (all draws) is relegation form. This lot are still fourth.

    West Brom: The cup is the great distractor, especially in terms of games in hand, but four wins in thirteen attempts in 2008, and two wins in their last eight (nine points overall), is almost relegation form, too.

    Plymouth: Four wins out of five in February suggested they wanted it, but March? Two wins in six, 7 points overall, would normally see a team drop further than from fifth to sixth.

    Ipswich: They may have won their last two, but that's their longest winning run of the season, and that was on the back of four without a win. Didn't win away until February.

    Palace: Surged up the table under Colin, a fifteen game unbeaten streak ending in Leicester, and they've stuttered a lot since, winning only a quarter of their games. On the upside, these have all been in the last six games (all unbeaten), and Palace are looking like one of the teams in form.

    Wolves: Another side with haphazard form, with no real runs. With one defeat in eight - four of them wins - another side who appear to be timing it right. Or just a little too early.

    Charlton: And for every Palace and Wolves, there's a Charlton. Nine games ago, they were fifth. As close to top as they were sixth. So far the only team who have succeeded in throwing it away. Two points in five games (against Albion and Bristol City) is a situation they really need to turn around.

    Burnley: Nobody in eleventh should seriously be thought of as playoff contenders at this stage of the season, but Burnley are only four points away. And they only have one side above them left to play. So it's a shame they've only picked up five points in six games then, isn't it? Admittedly, they have played three of the top four in that run.

    Sheffield United: Had I written this three weeks ago, I would have mentioned that they hadn't won for eight games, drawing six. But then, I wouldn't have mentioned them at all, because they were 17th. Fourteen points off the playoffs with eleven games left. Impossible. Four wins out of four later, they're six points away with a game in hand.

    Cardiff: When the Blades were 17th, Cardiff were 14th. Nothing to play for in the league, so they could concentrate on the FA Cup. However, the cup hasn't distracted them, instead it has given them two games in hand where enough points makes them contenders. Win them both, they're a point behind Plymouth. And with two wins out of three (the other a draw), they're starting to hit form.

    So out of the six teams actually showing some form, only Hull are in the top seven. What happens if they finally realise they could go up? Are they going to try and blow it too?

    This weeks fixtures:

    Bristol City v Norwich City
    Burnley v Barnsley
    Cardiff City v Southampton
    Charlton Athletic v Wolverhampton Wanderers
    Coventry City v Plymouth Argyle
    Crystal Palace v Blackpool
    Hull City v Watford
    Ipswich Town v Queens Park Rangers
    Preston North End v Sheffield United
    Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke City
    West Bromwich Albion v Colchester United

    Obviously Hull v Watford is the big one, but with most of the other contenders playing sides in the bottom half, most sides have a great chance to signal their intent for the rest of the season. And, crap as it may be, it's going to go to the end of the season (probably), and it should still be exciting. On paper at least.

    Comment


      #3
      The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

      Stoke have just signed Ameobi on loan for the rest of the season. Should we be scared?

      Comment


        #4
        The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

        And West Brom have just brought back Neil Clement from his loan spell at Hull. You watch then fall apart without him.

        And any Wednesday watchers, let me know how Slusarski fares.

        Comment


          #5
          The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

          The Championship is full of shite this year. Bristol City, Stoke and West Brom are probably the best teams in it. And as for Watford, they're are just a bunch of thugs in yellow clothing.

          However if Hull were to get promoted at least we could now lay claim to being the largest city in western Europe never to have played top flight footie.

          Cos Argyle ain't going up... Go Hull!

          Comment


            #6
            The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

            Wolves are well placed to make a run for their usual 7th place. I await an enthralling 1-1 at the Valley on Saturday evening...

            West Brom are the best side in the division (in my opinion) and should grab one of the automatic spots if they can find some consistency in the run-in.

            Comment


              #7
              The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

              For some reason this thread has completely broken the page layout on my screen.

              Comment


                #8
                The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                And any Wednesday watchers, let me know how Slusarski fares.
                Will do, although I'm not going tomorrow. Going next Tuesday though for our RELEGATION SIX POINTER against Cov. I think that game is going to be dire.

                I suspect he'll start up front with Sahar. Should we be scared?

                Comment


                  #9
                  The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                  Stoke have just signed Ameobi on loan for the rest of the season. Should we be scared?
                  No, just permanently bewildered. He's not particularly fast, he's not particularly skillful and has (had?) a habit of missing loads of chances with a massive fucking grin on his stupid fucking face. He might knock a few in in the second tier though.Wikipedia, font of all knowledge:
                  his eye for goal, lightening pace and deft first touch earned him the nickname of the "new Pele" by national press.
                  edit: This has buggered my layout too. Which is nice, as it makes the page look less like something I'm wasting my work day on.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                    For some reason this thread has completely broken the page layout on my screen.

                    It's the graphic up top, photos will do the same thing at least in IE, doesn't happen in Safari.

                    I suspect he'll start up front with Sahar. Should we be scared?

                    I would be, he's a mardie bugger. The player to watch for Coventry is Mifsud, he can do damage if he's given any space at all.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                      Cheers Dogbeak. I fear Ameobi might be the extra few goals Stoke need to be sure of automatic promotion. We'll see.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                        I think he'll be the useless late season signing that kills their season. Which is why I'm so glad we didn't sign anyone yesterday. Oh yes.

                        Mind you, the choices were Ameobi and David Healy, so maybe it has worked out for us.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                          Did you get Healy then?

                          Comment


                            #14
                            The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                            Thankfully not.

                            Although worryingly Magilton has talked a lot about signing him*, and he's likely to arrive permanently in the summer. Oh joy.

                            *What's the point? All it does is piss the players off. Both those we've got and those we're trying to unsettle. Does David Norris's form since he signed not tell Magilton anything? McCarthy never came, neither did Nugent, and the latter didn't even want to talk. Does that not tell him something?

                            Comment


                              #15
                              The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                              Am I being stupid in thinking that surely David Healy will produce some good club form somewhere, especially in D2?

                              Comment


                                #16
                                The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                                At some point he will, but he's only had two good seasons so far, and he'll be 29 by the time next season rolls around.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  The Championship battle for seventh 2007/8

                                  At 4.45, Hull were the only side in the top 10 winning, but late goals for Bristol City and West Brom improve that. The top two swap places, Hull close on them by a point, West Brom and Watford and Ipswich and Plymouth also swap places, the latter dropping out of the playoffs.

                                  Charlton v Wolves now. Winner could go sixth. 0-0 then.

                                  Comment

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