The EFL Thread 2017/2018 - Championship/League 1/League 2

Paully D

Championship

Promotion
Middlesbrough 11/4
Aston Villa 11/4
Fulham 10/3
Sheffield Wednesday 7/2
Norwich 7/2
Derby 9/2

Relegation
Burton 2/1
Barnsley 2/1
Millwall 5/2
Bolton 13/5
Ipswich 10/3
QPR 9/2

League 1

Promotion
Blackburn 9/4
Portsmouth 3/1
Wigan 3/1
Bradford 4/1
Oxford 5/1
Charlton 11/2

Relegation
Blackpool 13/8
Oldham 9/5
Shrewsbury 2/1
Gillingham 5/2
Northampton 3/1
Walsall 3/1

League 2


Promotion
Mansfield 5/4
Coventry 9/4
Luton 9/4
Lincoln 3/1
Swindon 10/3
Notts County 7/2

Relegation
Morecambe 5/2
Crawley 4/1
Newport County 9/2
Yeovil 9/2
Cheltenham 9/1
Barnet 10/1

Paully D

Well, with the fixtures out last week it is probably time enough to get stuck into this.

The first time in a decade that I will be having more of an eye on the Championship than the Premier League. Cheers, Sunderland! :rolleyes::pac:

Anyway, in a way I'm quite looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong, I would kill to go back up first time, but 2 games a week many weeks, Friday night games under the lights, some cracking away trips - as long as it doesn't become a long-term affair I might enjoy it and can't wait for it to start.

What are your hopes and expectations for your club for the season ahead then lads? As for Sunderland, we are in the midst of (hopefully) being taken over but with our first pre-season game in 2 weeks and the season less than 6 weeks away we have 1) no manager, 2) no idea who will own us this season, 3) out of contract players in limbo, 4) huge gaps in the squad to fill and 5) half the squad likely wanting out. We are miles behind other clubs already and I think we are already at the point where realistically a top half or mid-table finish is the best we could hope for. It will be hard to get near the top 6 which will likely consist of teams such as the Fulham's and Villa's who have strong squads, established managers and a confidence about gaining promotion. Worst case scenario is the takeover falling through and then it's a definite relegation battle IMO.

In addition to that, our start of the season is arguably the toughest possible in the entire Football League. To put it into context, if you look at the promotion favourites in the OP, Sunderland play 3 of them in the first 3 games, 2 of them away from home! Then it's Leeds, another tough one. Momentum is huge in this division and it will be difficult to get anything going early doors with those first 4 games.

Best case scenario: IMO it's top half, comfortably away from relegation but never really mounting a challenge for the top 6.

Worst case scenario: relegation, which is a distinct possibility if the pending takeover falls through.

Harry Palmr

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057750936

Paully D

Simon Grayson in at Sunderland.

A good appointment IMO considering his record of working under limited budgets and dysfunctional boards.

At worst he should steady the ship and stabilise us in that division.

CSF

It is definitely a decent appointment. Hard to see it being one that will end in immediate promotion though either.

Mushy

Wonder what the LOI lads are thinking now with Grayson gone, will they get as much as a look in at all!

Sunderland may need to readjust expectations. It's a very tough division, if they are anything like they were last season they might not get much out of trips to places like Leeds, Villa, Derby, Birmingham, Fulham, Wednesday, Wolves, Norwich etc. etc. Expect Grayson to steady things there and arrest the slide, but straight back up is a very tough ask, and there's always a Brighton, Reading or Bournemouth type side that takes one of the places in the shake up.

HalloweenJack

Mushy wrote: »

Wonder what the LOI lads are thinking now with Grayson gone, will they get as much as a look in at all!

Why wouldn't they? They had their chance since January to show their level.

It's ignorance on the new manager's part if he dismisses Horgan and Boyle because they only have half a Championship season under their belt. Maguire will be coming in with half a season already played and will probably hit the ground running in pre-season because of it. He'll surely get the chance to prove himself in pre-season, at least.

Paully D

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Sunderland may need to readjust expectations. It's a very tough division, if they are anything like they were last season they might not get much out of trips to places like Leeds, Villa, Derby, Birmingham, Fulham, Wednesday, Wolves, Norwich etc. etc. Expect Grayson to steady things there and arrest the slide, but straight back up is a very tough ask, and there's always a Brighton, Reading or Bournemouth type side that takes one of the places in the shake up.

I haven't spoken to one Sunderland fan who expects us to go back up straight away. Obviously it's the ultimate aim, but the chances of it happening given the circumstances are slim even if you have everything in place. I think only a couple of teams have actually done it in recent years.

The club varies from 7th to 9th favourites among bookmakers for promotion and I even think that's generous.

If Grayson could establish a side with a bit of fight that the fans can identify with and finish similar to where he has with Preston the last two seasons, I think the majority would be happy for this season.

Paully D

Sky TV fixtures for August and the beginning of September announced.

In the Championship it's:

Gameweek 1 - Sunderland v Derby, Villa v Hull, Bolton v Leeds

Gameweek 2: Boro v Sheffield United

Gameweek 3 = no Sky game

Gameweek 4: Burton v Birmingham, Sunderland v Leeds

Gameweek 5: Bristol City v Aston Villa

Gameweek 6: Derby v Hull, Sheffield Wednesday v Forest

Villa, Derby, Leeds, Hull and Sunderland the most popular picks for Sky early doors, being selected twice.

Paully D

So the Championship kicks back into action tomorrow night. Sunderland host Derby in the Sky game, while Forest host Milwall.

I have to say, that summer break absolutely flew past.

Mushy

Derby take the lead, Sunderland dominating but still behind.

martingriff

Just did a luck 15 E/W €0.50 outright Chelsea, Leeds, Lincoln City, Portsmouth

Paully D

Sunderland 1-1 Derby.

As a Sunderland fan that's a positive start IMO.

Dominated most of the game, certainly the entire first half, and went down against the run of play. Usually in those situations you'd be better off just blowing the full time whistle and conceding the 3 points to the opposition but it was nice to see heads not drop and everyone keep pushing. The work-rate from all was excellent.

Galloway and Steele were very shaky but Ruiter should come straight in for Steele and hopefully we will pick up another defender or two by the end of the window.

Long, long, long way to go and I still don't think we will come close to even the playoffs, but given what happened last season and last week against Celtic I couldn't really have asked for more tonight.

Looking forward to putting my feet up for the weekend and watching the other sides in action now.

Paully D

Chris Samba on up front for Villa.

Good man Brucey :rolleyes::pac:

Pleasantly surprised to see Leeds score 3 and win away. But there will be tougher challenges than Bolton. Next few weeks see Fulham at ER and a trip to Sunderland and Forest...and a reminder that the Championship possibly contains more Premier League type clubs than...well...the Premier League...

Beefy78

Went to Southend vs Blackburn on Saturday. We're really bloody good. Obviously we'll lose to Newport tonight now I've said that.

Paully D

Beefy78 wrote: »

Went to Southend vs Blackburn on Saturday. We're really bloody good. Obviously we'll lose to Newport tonight now I've said that.

2-0 down after an hour. Right on cue mate! :pac:

Beefy78

Concentrate on the league...

Paully D

Norwich 1-3 Sunderland.

Goals from Grabban x2 and McGeady (screamer) and a Grabban own goal for Norwich.

Strange game as Norwich dominated the vast majority of the 90 minutes. The opening goal came completely against the run of play and they were well on top again in the second half before a nice piece of play from McGeady won a corner and he smashed home from the edge of the box when the resulting corner was cleared. McGeady then played a superb cross into the back post a few minutes later which Grabban nodded home. Norwich got one back when Grabban poked into the wrong net when trying to clear a free kick.

Positive start to the season for Sunderland considering we have the toughest set of fixtures in the league to start. It doesn't get any easier with Sheffield Wednesday away and then Leeds at home on Wednesday and Saturday respectively. A tough ask for our light squad but a pleasing start so far.

A word on iFollow - As Sunderland aren't offering anything (:rolleyes:), I subscribed to a day pass ($7) with a VPN on the Norwich site and was able to watch the the game in their 720p HD format flawlessly for the 90 minutes. It's no-frills mind, no scorecard.timer, no replays, one camera angle, but it's better than listening on the radio.

Kiwi_knock

Went over to watch Birmingham at home to Bristol City on Saturday. Woeful first half defensively for Birmingham, they were all over the place and nearly every defensive clearance went straight to a Bristol player. Very lucky to only concede 1 goal in the first half, and quite undeservedly managed to nick an equaliser. Second half saw a change in formation which brought about some defensive solidity and more chances to attack. Great goal to win the game, and they did well to hold on after going down to 10 men after a shocking call by the referee.

Going forward I don't think Birmingham are contenders for the playoffs, at the moment it is mid-table at best. Squad is very shallow, with a good few players playing out of position. Have only one winger in the squad, which means we have to play our best centre mid on the right wing which completely negates his influence. Could do with another 3-4 attacking players and another left back if we really want to contend this season.

Paully D

Snodgrass going to Villa it appears. That's an excellent signing.

I think Villa will ultimately go up, but you'd have to really fear for them going forward if they don't. A huge amount of money spent since they went down and the wage bill must be frightening.

Tom Mann Centuria

Old news, but Northampton Town sacked their manager Justin Edinburgh after losing every game this season (don't count the LDV or whatever it's called now where they managed a draw with league 2 Cambridge) and having not won for 13 games going back to last season.

They've hired Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, I'm sure they'll be hoping for his Burton form and not QPR.

Paully D

Derby beat Hull 5-0 last night.

The Championship is just ridiculous. :pac:

Kiwi_knock

I think it was nearly guaranteed after a promising deadline day and some hope restored to the club that Birmingham would lose today. Obviously will take time for whole new starting 11 to gel but it needs to happen sooner rather than later if Harry has serious thoughts about a push for the playoffs.

Paully D

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

I think it was nearly guaranteed after a promising deadline day and some hope restored to the club that Birmingham would lose today. Obviously will take time for whole new starting 11 to gel but it needs to happen sooner rather than later if Harry has serious thoughts about a push for the playoffs.

Probably already planning his escape. His knee will be getting sore with the cold winter weather I bet. :pac:

Mushy

From 2019 sky will be able to stream midweek matches for efl clubs. I think this is the beginning of a shift to that format now.

Cantona's Collars

Mushy wrote: »

From 2019 sky will be able to stream midweek matches for efl clubs. I think this is the beginning of a shift to that format now.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41239042

As an added bonus,any games not being shown live by Sky will be streamed live on the clubs websites.

Mushy

zerks wrote: »

Mushy wrote: »

From 2019 sky will be able to stream midweek matches for efl clubs. I think this is the beginning of a shift to that format now.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41239042

As an added bonus,any games not being shown live by Sky will be streamed live on the clubs websites.

I must have misread it, thought it was through Sky. Here's hoping I won't be watching Leeds games this way though.

Cantona's Collars

Mushy wrote: »

I must have misread it, thought it was through Sky. Here's hoping I won't be watching Leeds games this way though.

Sky are also doing it but clubs can show their games that Sky aren't showing live.

Paully D

Sunderland have another relegation written all over them.

1 fit striker with Grabban's injury, can't create a chance, 4 defeats on the spin and the atmosphere is pure poison.

Agent Coulson

Harry Redknapp sacked at Birmingham.

Kiwi_knock

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Harry Redknapp sacked at Birmingham.

Bit surprised, didn't think the board had the back bone to get rid. Figured Harry would walk to save his reputation. Glad to see him leave though, his formation and tactics left us very weak defensively and it was hard to see where we would get a win over the next few games. Hopefully Lee Carsley will put a bit of shape to the team because to be fair Harry has assembled a good squad of players.

DVD-Lots

Shez gone from Oldham, AGAIN!!! Moroccan\Dubai takeover looming so they better bring in the big guns, Scholes and Giggs please?? ;p

Kiwi_knock

Important win for Birmingham to ensure we don't get cut adrift at the bottom of the table, still in the relegation places but the situation is looking a bit more positive. 4 points from a possible 6 for Carsley, hopefully that makes him rethink his decision to not want the job fulltime.

RicketyCricket

A Boro fan. Big win for us today against Reading after some poor results. Very impressed with the job Chris Wilder is doing at Sheffield United. Top of the Championship and playing good football.

Tom Mann Centuria

RicketyCricket wrote: »

A Boro fan. Big win for us today against Reading after some poor results. Very impressed with the job Chris Wilder is doing at Sheffield United. Top of the Championship and playing good football.

Chris Wilder has an unbelievable record for the last few years. Man is a legend.

Paully D

Simon Grayson sacked.

I feel for him a bit. Arrived with a decent reputation at that level and probably saw it as a great opportunity if he could get it right, but despite having nothing to spend that squad is better than 1 win in 15 at Championship level no matter who is in charge.

Sunderland's best route now IMO is to try and get someone like Kevin Phillips, purely as it would give the club a huge lift which may be worth more than an experienced head who won't have that attractiveness to the average fan.

Knowing the board, it'll be Paul Lambert as their target I'd imagine though. Mumbling his way through the season. :rolleyes:

blueser

Anyone watching the Brum/Wolves game? How the fcuk did the Brum player (Marc Roberts, I think) get only a yellow card there? It was a shocker of a challenge. And the baffling thing was that the ref was clearly consulting with his linesman, who was right beside the "tackle". So presumably, they came to a joint decision on it.

rekluse

Anyone following the championship closely? Barely get more than a look at the results, but I have an ante post football bet spread across a few leagues that is going well. One cause for concern is Middlesboro top 6. Anyone following the championship that could give me an opinion on how they feel they will fare out? Might try lay a bit off if I can. Cheers.

Mint Sauce

Momentous day in SW19. AFC Wimbledon can hopefully start land clearance, and building of their new Stadium on Plough Lane, 1000 or so metres from their old ground back in the day.

https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/2017/december/afc-wimbledon-gets-permission-to-start-building-new-stadium/

Tom Mann Centuria

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Momentous day in SW19. AFC Wimbledon can hopefully start land clearance, and building of their new Stadium on Plough Lane, 1000 or so metres from their old ground back in the day.

https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/2017/december/afc-wimbledon-gets-permission-to-start-building-new-stadium/

Momentous that they ended decades of working class tradition to build 600 houses and their ground on the greyhound track. They are the villains of the piece in my opinion.

dfx-

First league 2 game for me as a new local team, Coventry v Cheltenham. Hugely entertaining start. Could've been 10-9 fifteen minutes in.

Coventry a decent midfield. They could cause Stoke some problems in the FA Cup. Cheltenham could be a basketball team. Ten beanpoles and a good striker at that level.

Paully D

Sunderland have won. :eek:

Sunderland have won at home. :eek::eek:

OldRio

Gary Monk sacked at the Boro. Not surprised yet the timing is not the best. Spent over 50 million and still didn't know his starting 11.
Nigel Pearson is being tipped to take over. Interesting times ahead.

Harry Palmr

Carlos Carvahal sacked. Clearly beating Wednesday is no reason to keep a manager either as Gary Monk found out last night.

OldRio

It seems that Mr Monk lied to the Boro chairman, Gibson about a meeting he had with Swansea. That's the rumour doing the rounds. Not a result based sacking but a trust issue.
Gibson is very patient with his managers. So something odd has definitely happened.

blueser

https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/944999924046934023

thebaz

above confirmed - always liked Boro - remeber when they had the Samba influenced - now gone for the king of anti-football - hope his horrible brand of football is finally found out

Agent Coulson

Warburton sacked by Forest after 9 months in charge.


There director of football has also gone.

ctrl-alt-delete

Sunderland down a goal and now a man 5 minutes into the second half at Cardiff.

Absolutely ridiculous red card decision, the reaction of Cardiff players swayed the ref.