The official CHAMPIONSHIP Thread

Oi Fake Hoops or should that be half hoops? That's a QPR call. I thought you guys were known as 'The Royal's' not the R's.

Bit harsh. Brendan Rogers (assuming that's who you are referring to) most complimentary about Reading on the box.

Two best teams IMO in the playoffs through to the final, so well done.

Some cracking football on display in all games, even the 0-0 draws. It would be good to see more Championship on the box next year. Games are of a reasonable quality and tend to be at least as easy on the eye as the "survival division" of the Premier league - which means all but about the top 6-7 teams (those with realistic European ambitions). Having said that we all would dearly love to be up there.

And on that note, I'll be backing Swansea at Wembley. I've been impressed with their style (Brendan or not).

Robin Friday still the best thing to come out of Reading!

Considering he came to Reading 2 seasons ago claiming he was the new "Special One" (reckons he was Mourinhos apprentice), sold Doyle and Hunt, giving them a dossier as a leaving gift about himself and his football philosophies. After signing overpriced dodgy players, he then left the team in the relgation zone (while still proclaiming himself as a genuis) until McDermott, who had been demoted by Rodgers, took over.

I could actually see him squirming on TV when asked about McDermott and the progress of Reading...

Brendan Rodgers has done a grand job at the Swans, taking over three weeks from the beginning of the season, and taking a side that was predicted by some to be relegation fodder, into the most attractive side in the Championship. Roberto Martinez started the revolution at the Liberty, and, Rodgers picked up the reins that Paulo Sousa abandoned prior to the season's start. He's got the Swans playing great football, the club has a great team spirit, and if we win it will do wonders for my home town. Eight years ago we had to win on the final day of the season to stay in the league. Now we are one step away from the greatest prize in football. Can't wait.

Enjoy the moment Dai.

I was at Wembley two years ago to watch the Clarets go up (flew over, flew back, but that's what you do). Having been through our fair share of lows in the 33 years since last in the top league (including a final day win to stay n the league in 87 - the first year of automatic relegation from the league), the emotional roller-coaster was just something else.

Even though we beat the Swans late this season, the Burnley feedback is that they play really good football so good on you. Finish the season in style.

Shane Long is waiting for you...

When the supporters trust which runs the club was formed , the Swans were a mess. Broke, in a 90 year old stadium which, despite being well loved by the fans, had one stand that was only half useable because the other half was condemned. I remember the online discussions at the time well, and the club Swansea used as a blueprint Reading - who, if I remember rightly, built a brand new stadium, and, through sound off field practices went from strength to strength. So Reading was an inspiration for our club heirarchy, and they pretty much used that model to get to where they are. It's a little ironic that we have not only followed their example, but also taken one of their cast offs, and stand in their way from a return to the premiership.

Thanks for the nice words about us being a blueprint. I actually get sick of a minority of Reading fans bagging Madejski to "sell up to some rich Arab" when he tries to balance the books and run the club as a proper club. That is why I was so happy to beat Cardiff - I cant see how a team with 7 loan players deserves to be promoted.

I'd say it is as much about the culture of the place as anything, small town, Welsh (where big egos get brought down a peg very quickly). We've got a few loan players too, but what often happens at Swansea is that they come on loan and then stay, Tate, Britton, Dyer, Williams, Dobbie all came on loan originally, and then joined the club permanently if I remember rightly. Borini is on loan and the Swans tried to sign him permanently too, but he wants to go back to Italy.

Remember seeing Tate play for Man U youth against Reading youth - looked a good player then. We usually sign out loanees as well - just signed Mikele Leigertwood on a permanent deal - he wanted to join the ORIGINAL hoops :)

There are certain players who have a special place in the hearts of the fans, who although outsiders at first adopt the town and the club, and then become as passionate about both as the locals. Alan Tate is one of those, he even said in the paper he regards himself as a local these days. Leon Britton is another, and in the past Lee Trundle (Tate and Trundle were in trouble for wearing a rude T Shirt and carrying a flag with a message for Cardiff fans at a game once). Trundle and Britton both left the club, only to return, and Trundle lives in the town now, playing for Welsh club Neath (only a few miles east) in the FAW. Every club needs these type of players to infuse that culture, which is what drives team spirit.

COME ON SWANSEA

Well done Swansea,unlike us you took your chance. You played great football and time will tell if you have the players to play that way in the premiership.

I've been waiting for a welsh side to get in the top flight, how long has it been?

Another nail in the 'but it's the A-League' coffin.

Great point HN...

So, so proud of the Jacks. Reading, fair play, showed tremendous heart to fight back, but we hung in there. Absolutely huge for the town. Now we just have to stay there.

Was an incredible buildup and game, watched the whole thing.Fast football, very exciting game.
Congrats Swansea for the promotion and Sky for showing it.Brilliant.

Meanwhile, Cardiff go into meltdown, Jones fired, Sam Hamman wanting to make a return. One thing swansea better be aware of, mainly because cardiif were guilty of it and WFA have no rules governing it, is 3rd party ownership. I gather it happens in a lot of countrys except England. From next season it will also apply to all English professional leagues.

LG, you can rest assured, there will be no third party ownership. For two reasons, all teams playing in the Football League now come under the FA, thanks to Cardiff's refusal to accept their medicine. Swansea did not appeal Neil Taylor's red card through the WFA. Secondly, Swansea are trying something rather radical in football. They are a Supporters run club. The ownership are all supporters, whether local businessman (or in the case of Den Haag wallpaper magnate John Van Sveden, Dutch fan) or the 20 per cent ownership of the Supporters Trust. Since the Australian Wideboy (Tony Petty) debacle 9 years ago, and the now-famous one pound sale, the Swans have been run on a tight budget, to a well reasoned plan which has seen three promotions and a continental playing style, which has proved successful in giving us the ability to compete with the traditional power player, direct style of most English clubs. We know from experience the folly of spending big money on trying to stay in the league, that was what caused our downfall from Div 1 to Div 4 and bankruptcy in the early 80s. It will not happen in Swansea. And while your club raised ticket prices 40 per cent, neither our fans or our sponsors had to pay more than the price of inflation for tickets. Our sponsors got their deals at the same price as last season as reward for the support.

Yes but you dont have the Orange Donut, The Chelsea fan owning your club nor Captain Scarlett running things. those three alone would send swansea back to Div 2 on their egosalone. A lot of fans pretty f**ked off about their behaviour, especially towards fans. If they think the protests will go away, they have another thing coming. Many of the MB's have been slagging them off for many months, with only one exception and thats because the owner of that is trying to make himsekf cosy with the club.

We are massively lucky for the likes of having owners like Huw Jenkins, Mel Nurse, John Van Zweden (our fantastic Dutch fan), Dai Morgan, and the supporters trust run by  Phil Sumbler, and supporters club with Ugo Vallieri, who are just football tragics who put thousands of hours of unpaid work behind the club. You have to be a certain type of player to be attracted to Swansea, which is not only a backwater, but in a culture completely different to what they would have experienced. The nearest Premier League club is 250 miles away. But that isolation brings a kind of fortress mentality, and the closeness of the city community also means that there is that sense of belonging, which it must be difficult to get at a big city club. And it is a small club, once you are part of the team, there is a very good chance you will get the opportunity you may not get at a big club. All this means it is very, very difficult to win in Swansea. We had the best home form in the entire football league, and when you play the passing game like we do, the opportunities to score are halved (the maths is simple if you score one-two goals with 50/50 possession  you will score none-1 goal with 30/70 possession). We won't beat the big clubs but there are at least 8 or 9 clubs we will have no problems with. And we should get enough points to stay up. Then it will be build on what we have year by year, as we have done for the past nine years. The Swans should be like Southampton of the past years, and they had a very long Premier run.

Kick-off this weekend, am pretty excited! However, my beloved Portsmouth are looking disappointing again, flirt with relegation again mesthinks, lack of players and some more EXCITING Cotterball this season.

West Ham and Leicester are looking like the ones to beat this season, wondering if Nottingham can finally crack through into EPL this season, I am not to sure about others to make the play offs (Leeds, Cardiff, Middlesbrough amongst others?). I think Brighton might be an interesting team to watch, I thought they did very well last year.

What are other peoples thoughts?

Any early predictions for promotions?

Im going with Leicester (really really strong looking squad), West Ham (Chmapionship winners) and I'll go out on a whim and say Notts Forest.

Leicester look really impressive on paper, just a matter of playing to that potential. Interesting to see a couple of players turned down Prem interest to sign for them, notably Mills, Pantsil and Nugent.

Leeds, Westham, Bristol City!

west ham, leicester, the Mighty Tigers via play-offs (again!!)

After all my grumblings about Fat Sam taking over at WH, I have tickets to the first 2 home league games - Cardiff on Sunday and then Leeds.  Both tickets have access to the Paolo Di Canio lounge as well, so I will be able to spend an hour or two before and after each game staring lovingly at pictures of the great man (I am assuming that there will be no pictures of him giving fascist salutes).

I had no idea who Paolo Di Canio was, so I googled him and, well..




Do you think you're going to enjoy watching West Ham this season? Lots of wins assured?Azevo2011-08-03 21:19:22

Leicester Forest, Reading Boro4eva2011-08-04 20:38:47

interesting article in the Daily mail on the championship results.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2022114/Championship-kick-Shaun-Derrys-expert-verdict.html

Well, I got my fantasy team set up, will be waiting till morning to see how it goes!

anyone know if SKY are doing the Championship highlights again? When I rang them they couldnt answer as kept telling me I meant the premiership

No idea eh? I checked their guide and no love so far, they may appear later on in the season, Would be a shame if they weren't.

big shock for me so far was seeing Southampton beat Leeds..

1p5wich 2-5 Southampton! Ouch!!!!!! Where are you Hard News????????

GGF.

GGF? Glass and Glazing Federation (UK)???

Regarding the backs looks like they weren't even there!!!!

Go. Get. F...