[Football] Championship top 3

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Are currently last season’s relegated Premier League sides. Thought that was interesting.

With two of last season’s promoted sides currently in the Premier League bottom three and Leeds only in 14th, it suggests the gap is getting wider between the divisions.

 

[Justice]

Well they basically kept their PL squads so no great surprise

 

[Eeyore]

Well they basically kept their PL squads so no great surprise

Bournemouth transferred 18 players out.

 

[Weststander]

Parachute money is often a great help, something the EFL want altered.

Good squads, without basket case owners on this occasion.

It’s incredible that very low budget Reading and Swansea have given them a run for their money thusfar.

 

[Simster]

Parachute money is often a great help, something the EFL want altered.

Good squads, without basket case owners on this occasion.

It’s incredible that very low budget Reading and Swansea have given them a run for their money thusfar.

Bloody Reading.

With Reading, Bournemouth,Portsmouth and Southampton all having good seasons, Palace not troubling the relegation places and Albion in trouble, this is shaping up to be a proper shit season isn't it?

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Parachute money is often a great help, something the EFL want altered.

Good squads, without basket case owners on this occasion.

It’s incredible that very low budget Reading and Swansea have given them a run for their money thusfar.

£40m for Ake (wtf) and over £80m in total fees for player sales is not keeping the squad together, but does give you a decent war chest.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[Guinness Boy]

Bournemouth transferred 18 players out.

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Ryan Fraser on a free. Typed out like that it looks insane yet we've seen only 5 appearances this season from him at Newcastle with no goals or assists.

Shows how even a supposedly obvious transfer might not work out to start with. Long way to go but accusations of him essentially taking Bournemouth down may have been a bit wide of the mark.

 

[happypig]

Parachute money is often a great help, something the EFL want altered.

Good squads, without basket case owners on this occasion.

It’s incredible that very low budget Reading and Swansea have given them a run for their money thusfar.

Parachute payments should be changed so that they can only be used to pay existing players' wages, not sign new players. This would mean teams aren't saddled with high wages and lower revenues but other teams can compete fairly.

 

[Swansman]

They've done well. Bournemouth took the right decision when they appointed the assistant manager, just trying to keep doing whatever they've done well over the years rather than go panic and try to reinvent themselves. Norwich kept the manager and all of their important players. Watford got rid of a lot of deadwood but kept their core players.

What is unusual is that the squads apart from some fringe players and one or two keep players here and their got/wanted to keep much of their teams intact, which has rarely been the case in the recent past. Could see these three pulling ahead, Swansea, Reading and Brentford are not really on the same level.

 

[zefarelly]

Bloody Reading.

With Reading, Bournemouth,Portsmouth and Southampton all having good seasons, Palace not troubling the relegation places and Albion in trouble, this is shaping up to be a proper shit season isn't it?

Don't forget the awful kit.

 

[Swansman]

Ryan Fraser on a free. Typed out like that it looks insane yet we've seen only 5 appearances this season from him at Newcastle with no goals or assists.

Shows how even a supposedly obvious transfer might not work out to start with. Long way to go but accusations of him essentially taking Bournemouth down may have been a bit wide of the mark.

Yup. They had a pretty fat squad and even if some of these players were considered key players, they already had top level Championship players waiting on the bench. I must admit I thought they were going to fight in the mid/bottom of the table when they went down, but they kept more players than I would have thought. Especially keeping Lewis Cook and Jefferson Lerma obviously make their midfield too good for the Championship.

 

[zefarelly]

If we go down this season, White/Bissouma/LAmptey may well be targets/sold but assuming TB wants to bounce back the rest of the squad would most likely stay and correctly managed should be good enough to be in the automatic promotion places.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

12`1
What is unusual is that the squads apart from some fringe players and one or two keep players here and their got/wanted to keep much of their teams intact, which has rarely been the case in the recent past. Could see these three pulling ahead, Swansea, Reading and Brentford are not really on the same level.

I suspect that the impact of Covid exacerbates the gap between relegated teams and the rest.
Matchday revenue is a much more significant part of a championship teams budget.
Along with the impact of FFP on two of the perennial over-spenders, it has possibly made the championship a less competitive league.

 

[Doonhamer7]

Is this not a first as normally at least one if not two of the relegated teams implodes?

 

[Giraffe]

I no just think it highlights how poor the championship was last season, and now continues to be. Hence why Leeds are not the best team in the world!

 

[Pevenseagull]

Swansea don't seem to be missing Potter.

 

[LU7 RED]

Yup. They had a pretty fat squad and even if some of these players were considered key players, they already had top level Championship players waiting on the bench. I must admit I thought they were going to fight in the mid/bottom of the table when they went down, but they kept more players than I would have thought. Especially keeping Lewis Cook and Jefferson Lerma obviously make their midfield too good for the Championship.

Agreed. Lewis Cook is probably our stand out performer do far this year. Big Dom coming on a bit this season has helped too.

As far as the standard of the championship - the fact that Akinfenwa can come in and play quite well (last night) doesn't show it in a good light tbh!

 

[Icy Gull]

Agreed. Lewis Cook is probably our stand out performer do far this year. Big Dom coming on a bit this season has helped too.

As far as the standard of the championship - the fact that Akinfenwa can come in and play quite well (last night) doesn't show it in a good light tbh!

How are you enjoying the Championship? Obviously better than last season but comparing it to your other seasons in the PL?

I’m not sure I’d be gutted for long if we got relegated and kept the nucleus of the team together for another tilt.

 

[LU7 RED]

How are you enjoying the Championship? Obviously better than last season but comparing it to your other seasons in the PL?

I’m not sure I’d be gutted for long if we got relegated and kept the nucleus of the team together for another tilt.

Well as much as you can being up there, but not being able to go! It was the most unemotional relegation ever tbh - think we were a bit tired of it all by then. The antics of Fraser and Wilson were a bit annoying though, shame as we used to love Cal.

Norwich are starting to get annoying tho - they always win 2-1 and Pukki always scores!

 

[SAC]

Agreed. Lewis Cook is probably our stand out performer do far this year. Big Dom coming on a bit this season has helped too.

As far as the standard of the championship - the fact that Akinfenwa can come in and play quite well (last night) doesn't show it in a good light tbh!

Until I read this, I had no idea he was still playing, never mind Championship football. Does be play all match or just come on for the last 15 minutes?