2010/2011 Championship Preview M-P

Middlesbrough

Manager: Gordon Strachan
Key Player: Kris Boyd

The Teesiders have undergone a revamp over the summer, with manager Gordon Strachan bolstering his already fairly talented and accomplished squad with some Scottish blood. We feel he’s made some promising additions, many of which he’s managed before while at Celtic. There are now no less than six Scottish players involved with Middlesbrough, all of which are likely to play a prominent role this seas as the club aim to bounce back to the premiership following a rather deflating 2009/2010 season spent in the Championship.

Strachan’s new signings include the prolific Kris Boyd, whom was sensational as a striker in the SPL with Kilmarnock and Rangers when scoring 164 goals in a decade, and Strachan has shown his belief in the Scotlan international by handing him the No. 9 shirt ahead of the new campaign, hinting that Boyd will be one of the first names on his team sheet. Boyd was followed in by Kevin Thomson, a former team-mate at Rangers, and both should have plenty to discuss with former Celtic players Stephen McManus, Willo Flood and Barry Robson. They’ll be some banter flying around in trainging that’s for sure, but that’s going to be a positive thing for everyone as Boro have been lacking some team spirit in recent campaigns but now have some steely individuals which are going to rally behind one another. It’s also pleasing to see such a variety now at The Riverside, ranging from the combative players like McManus, Robson and Wheater right through to those technically gifted individuals like Nicky Bailey, Justin Hoyte and Gary O’Neill. There’s a nice blend about Middlesbrough, a team far more compact and a lot more complete than they appeared at the beginning of last season and evidentially were, as their mediocre finish of 11th proved.

I know every club at this level will feel they deserve to be in the Premier League and that their club is ready-made for the big time, but with Middlesbrough those sentiments really do ring true. Especially now that both Newcastle United and Sunderland are playing at the highest level, it’s doubly important that Gordon Strachan gets the ball rolling as soon as possible and we feel he’s built up a team capable of achieving that goal this year. He has a stronger defence than last season, more craft and forward intent and purpose in the midfield but more importantly forwards that will score the 15+ goals they need to propel them up the table and into genuine promotion reckoning. We really like Middlesbrough this season, so much so we’ve had a few pounds on them clinching the title at shortish odds, so we hope they don’t disappoint.

To Be Promoted: 2/1 PaddyPower
To Be Relegated: 66/1 Coral

Millwall

Manager: Kenny Jackett
Key Player: Steve Morrison

The Lions earned their ticket back to the Championship via the League One play-off’s last season and it’s generally the team which gains promotion via that route which automatically becomes one of the favourites to head straight back the other way. Bookmakers, though, aren’t entirely convinced they will and neither are we. In a hugely competitive league such as this one, you need players which are willing to fight tooth and nail for every ball, for every bit of space and for every blade of grass. Millwall players naturally are born with these traits and it’s one of the reasons why bookmakers reckon they’ll fair alright in the Championship this season.

Millwall are one of a number of sides in this division never to have played in the Premiership, so do they have what it takes to become this seasons surprise package and follow in the unlikely steps of Blackpool last season. If anything Millwall are a bigger club than Blackpool and certainly have the better of the two squads, so in that case it’s not exactly mission impossible. Even so, the priority this season will be to avoid the drop and we think the players will focus on attaining as many wins as possible at The New Den, with an hostile crowd behind them in their favour, and grounding out points elsewhere. They’re a dogged bunch, as many Millwall sides have been in the past, and we think they’ll fair alright against this seasons opposition. There’s plenty of attacking options at Kenny Jackett’s disposal, with goal-getter Neil Harris still plugging away, Steve Morrison as committed as ever when it comes to getting into scoring positions while Kevin Lisbie has been brought in to add further options after completing a move from Ipswich. In fact, there’s just as many forwards at the club than any other position, which underlines the managers general approach to games. Jackett know full well that goals win you games and he’ll be setting his Millwall side up to score goals this season.

We have every faith in this Millwall team that by the end of the season they’ll still be a Championship side. There defence isn’t the most accomplished or talented in the league but like we’ve mentioned enough times already, Millwall are a rugged bunch and they’ll match anyone for spirit and determination this season. They’ll beat tough to beat, especially at The New Den, it’s all about their away form and how they cope with travelling to bigger venues and competing against better equipped sides.

To Be Promoted: 16/1 Coral
To Be Relegated: 6/1 totesport

Norwich City

Manager: Paul Lambert
Key Player: Wes Hoolahan

After a sluggish start, Norwich really took League One by storm and ended up winning the title convincingly. Nine points separated them from their nearest pursuer, Leeds United, while it was their consistent nature which evidentially insured that this season wouldn’t be spent in the discomfort of League One and instead in the brighter and prosperous Championship. The man which deserves a large portion of the credit is manager Paul Lambert, who joined at the very start of the season as the club was enduring a difficult start to the campaign but instantly transformer their fortunes. From then on Norwich were tremendously difficult to beat, most of the time simply impossible to even stop, and come the end routed League One. The Championship will be a different proposition altogether but the confidence should be high following a season which contained a staggering 29 league victories, but can they really come close to emulate the sort of form which clinched them the League One title last season against far stiffer opposition?

The bookmakers are quietly fancying Norwich’s chances or retaining their Championship status, which after gaining immediate promotion back to the league will be their foremost goal this season. The Canaries were very good last season, exceptional at times, but it’s unlikely they’ll have matters all their own way back in the Championship. They do nevertheless have some gifted individuals who will make them an attractive proposition this season. Wes Hoolahan has become a huge fan favourite and his darting runs, as well as his ability to find the corners of the goal with consummate ease, will be a problem for opposing defenders. But the main man will be Grant Holt, now the club captain, as he found scoring goals in the league below a breeze and it was his tally of 24 which helped Norwich take the division by storm. He was, though, amply assisted by Chris Martin, who bagged 15 league goals last season, and at 21 years-old is a promising young star for Norwich. Paul Lambert has made some interesting new additions though since the end of last season, with Gillingham favourite Simeon Jackson now adding to Norwich’s already flourishing forward options and also adding some flair and pace to their game, as Elliot Ward, Steven Smith, Andrew Surman, Andrew Crofts and John Ruddy all provide a fresh feel and will be pushing last seasons first-team regulars for a permanent role in Lambert’s starting eleven.

I do worry a little with Norwich City as while they do boast enough craft in the midfield, while Grant Holt is surely going to snap up anything in his proximity, there defence doesn’t fill me with a great deal of confidence. For starters they have a 21 year-old in goal, and while handing out experience to some of the supposedly keepers of the future is admirable, I always prefer experience over talent when it comes to goalkeeping. There’s going to be a great deal of responsibility falling onto the shoulders of their defensive veterans, the likes of Andrew Drury and Michael Nelson, to ensure whoever lines up alongside them, likely to be a player with very little Championship experience by the looks of it, remains focused throughout. They’ll probably do just enough but we wouldn’t back them as possible promotion candidates.

To Be Promoted: 7/1 bWin
To Be Relegated: 16/1 Bet365

Nottingham Forest

Manager: Billy Davies
Key Player: Radolsaw Majewski

It will be interesting to see how Nottingham Forest respond after coming so close to promotion last season. An exciting play-off semi-final encounter with Blackpool didn’t go their way and so despite finishing the best of the four play-off sides, Forest still find themselves stuck in the Championship and having to do it all over again.

Whether it’s because funds are tight at the moment we don’t know, but manager Billy Davies has done an awful lot in the transfer window other than bring Radoslaw Majewski back to the club following an impressive loan spell at the City Ground last season. The little schemer troubled defences with his jinxing little runs and sharp efforts on goals, and while the Polish international remains Davies’ only capture of the summer thus far, it’s a positive move nonetheless as Forest aim to go one better in 2010/2011. Billy Davies will however be without one player which played an instrumental role in aiding Forest to a third place finish last season, with James Perch sealing a move to Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee. The club were powerless to keep the centre back at the City ground for another season and it leaves Davies short of a quality centre half for the start of the new season. With the exception of Perch, Forest’s squad remains mainly unchanged.

I’m extremely disappointed that Davies hasn’t added to his squad over the summer, with a classy forward in particular needed. I’m not a fan of Dele Adebola while Nathan Tyson’s form comes and goes, as well as Robert Earnshaw not getting any younger, Forest desperately need to liven up their attack. Retaining the services of Majewski is a positive move from the club as he made a real impact last season, but the problem being Forest were too reliant on Earnshaw’s and Blackstock’s goals last season and if one, both even, don’t dig deep and hit a similar vein of form like they did last season, we see little in reserve which Davies can call upon. There’s no reason why the pair shouldn’t get in amongst the goals once again, while Forest played arguably the most attractive and appealing football of the lot last season. We just have our niggle of concerns, even if they are based on mere assumptions.

To Be Promoted: 11/4 SportingBet
To Be Relegated: 40/1 Bet365

Portsmouth

Manager: Steve Cotterill
Key Player: Aaron Mokoena

The number twelve shirt has officially been retired at the club because of the loyal and passionate support of the fans has been deemed the equivalent to the 12th man, and yet the irony is Portsmouth couldn’t fill that shirt regardless right now, as manager Steve Cotterill contemplates heading into the 2010/2011 season without any sort of squad and barely boasting eleven players to form a team. The clubs in a right old mess and Portsmouth FC are about to begin their slide down the English ladder it would seem following the departure of yet more of their stars over the summer in a bid to reduce both the size of their overall debts and their bumptious wage bill.

It must have been a rush of blood to the head which made Steve Cotterill leave his post at League One Notts County and take on the managerial role at Portsmouth, as it’s clear for all to see that the south coast side are a team which has already imploded and its he who is left to pick up the pieces. It’s got to the point where no-one actually knows whose at Portsmouth in terms of players and whose heading out the door. David James, Nadir Belhadj, Steve Finnan, Papa Bouba Diop and the most recent being Tel Ben Haim, have all jumped ship midway through the Portsmouth ship sinking. It is a shame as you’ll struggle to find a more passionate bunch of fans than Portsmouth’s, but the club only have themselves to blame and where avoiding the drop last season in the Premiership seemed impossible, the same can pretty much be said about their chances of doing the same despite playing against lower grade sides.

Too much quality has left the club with not a great deal, if anything at all, has come in the other way. It’s actually frightening to see the pace at which this once historic and traditional football club is dying. It’s also pretty uncommon, that is despite the financial unrest at which most clubs are in right now, for a club to drop down a division and not immediately be touted as possible promptipn candidates. That certainly isn’t Portsmouth and if Cotterill does somehow steer the club onto safe ground this season then a minor miracle will have occurred down South.

To Be Promoted: 9/1 SkyBet
To Be Relegated: 2/1 VictorChandler

Preston North End

Manager: Darren Ferguson
Key Player: Chris Brown

Despite guiding Preston to just six wins in 24 games, the club have remained faithful in their relationship with manager Darren Ferguson, who took over at the club following Alan Irvine’s departure midway through last season and Ferguson’s sacking by Peterborough United. The latter fell flat on their face and were later relegated as Darren Ferguson landed on his feet at Preston. But more, a lot more in fact, will be expected from Ferguson this season, from Preston North End as a club and as a team, as this club should be challenging for promotion.

It was only two seasons ago in the 2008/2009 season that Preston were in the promotion play-off’s. They didn’t have much luck however but at least it was a positive step in the right direction for a club which has spent more time contemplating the drop than progression in recent campaigns. They’re in danger of following into a similar kind of lull and it’s down to the Scot to drag Preston North End out of it. He does boast a bigger squad than most but whether he has anything special or meaningful really does remain to be seen. Preston were dreadful at times last season and conceded more goals than any other team in the division last year, with the exception of bottom placed Peterborough and Scunthorpe, and Ferguson has tried to tighten up his defence with the signings of David Gray, Wayne Brown and former Sheffield United stalwart Craig Morgan. The latter looks interesting and useful addition and should settle in just nicely alongside captain Callum Davidson. Neil Mellor has gone out on loan meaning Paul Hayes, who completed his move from Scunthorpe during the summer, will need to form a budding partnership with Chris Brown and the beast, Jon Parkin, right from the off. Chris Sedgwick, Eddie Nolan and Ross Wallace are among those which seeked out employment elsewhere as Matthew James was brought on loan from Man Utd and Andreas Arestidou on a free transfer from Shrewsury.

We don’t feel Preston North End have strengthened enough over the summer to really be considered as promotion contenders this season. Paul Hayes has been brought in to score the goals but he was overshadowed at Scunthorpe by Gary Hooper and it was Hooper which earned himself a deal in the SPL with giants Celtic, as Hayes settled for a move to Preston. Without a regular goalscorer, someone who will account for at least fifth-teen of their goals this season, Preston will struggle to remain competitive, as in previous campaigns they’ve relied too heavily on goals coming from irregular sources. Criag Morgan should be a decent piece of business for them in defence, but their attack is still too weak for our liking.

To Be Promoted: 14/1 SportingBet
To Be Relegated: 13/2 Coral