As part of our summary of some of the deals that have been made in the Championship so far here are some of the players that have bought in the Championship from Cardiff to Doncaster.

Cardiff City

Don Cowie (Watford) –Free Transfer

Craig Conway (Dundee United) – Free transfer

Andrew Taylor (Middlesbrough) –Free Transfer

Robert Earnshaw (Nottingham Forest) –Free Transfer

Coventry City

Chris Dunn (Northampton) – Free Transfer

Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe) – Free Transfer

Crystal Palace

Glenn Murray (Brighton) – Undisclosed

Kagisho Dikacoi (Fulham) -£600,000

Derby County

Jason Shackell  (Barnsley) – Undisclosed

Nathan Tyson (Nottingham Forest) – Free Transfer

Craig Bryson (Kilmarnock) – £350,000

Frank Fielding (Blackburn Rovers) – Undisclosed

Jamie Ward (Sheffield United) – Undisclosed

Theo Robinson (Millwall) –Undisclosed

Doncaster

Tommy Spurr (Sheffield Wednesday) – £200,000

Kyle Bennett (Bury) – Undisclosed

James Baxendale –(Leeds) – Undisclosed

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Due to the weather it was a much reduced Championship fixture list with Doncaster, Hull, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Portsmouth all unable to host a match due to pitch and safety concerns.

This did not stop this weekend being action packed with each fixture averaging three goals per game.

Those that battled the sub zero temperatures included Swansea who made the trip to East Anglia and were able to beat Ipswich courtesy of a Craig Beattie brace that will heap more pressure on Roy Keane as the Tractor Boys extended their losing streak to five games.

Second placed Cardiff scored late to deny Preston a shock victory; however the draw will be seen as an opportunity lost to close the gap on leaders QPR who were not in action.

Around the play off places Coventry and Leeds took advantage of half the league not playing by putting points on the board with Leeds creeping into the play off places after looking to be heading for defeat before a late double from Luciano Bechhio cancelled out Neil Danns opener.

Whilst in the midlands Derby were shocked as Norwich made a blistering start to go two goals up after just fifteen minutes and the Rams were only able to get one goal back meaning they dropped out of play off places as Norwich surged to fourth.

The takeover talk at Watford seemed to buoy confidence as the Hornets took advantage of the condensed Championship table with a late winner in an action packed 3-2 victory that moved the club five places to tenth.

Finally in the late kick off Steve Morison scored twice to help Millwall thump Scunthorpe by three goals to nil.

Queens Park Rangers extended their lead at the top of the Championship with an important come from behind victory over second placed Cardiff City.

The game did not start the way the London side would have hoped as Craig Bellamy gave the Welsh side the lead after thirteen minutes, as Jay Bothroyd capitalised on a slip by Kaspars Gorkss slip to provide an assist to the on loan Manchester City striker.

However Gorkss made amends for his mistake just five minutes later by converting Tommy Smith’s cross to draw the London side level.

The scores remained level until well after the hour mark as both sides probed and created chances in a tense encounter.

In the end it was poor defending that allowed the deadlock to be broken, with Cardiff failing to deal with a 68^th minute corner that Adel Taarabt was able to smash home.

Cardiff however will feel that they deserved an equaliser and a point after Jay Bothroyd was brought down by Matthew Connolly with five minutes to play, however the referee did not concur and Taarabt’s goal turned out to be the winner.

This victory extends QPR’s unbeaten run to nineteen games and puts them within one game of their previous record run, however the key statistic for Ranger’s fans will be the five point lead they now hold at the top of the table.

The season is far from over and there are plenty more twists and turns but this is a morale boosting victory that has put the club right back in the promotion driving seat.

As for Cardiff this was always going to be a difficult game and with a three point advantage over fierce rivals Swansea, this will be just a speed bump in their challenge.

In an interview with the BBC Michael Chopra has revealed that he is actively pursuing becoming an Indian international in the near future.

With his grandparents on his father’s side born in India, Chopra is eligible for the Indian national side, but could be delayed in making his debut due to the technical issues around securing the correct paperwork.

This is a move into an entirely different international direction for the former England under 21 international who has played for England youth at every youth level from the under 15 side onwards.

With an England call up unlikely this is an understandable decision, every player wants to play international football and this could be his route into it and an opportunity to make his father’s side of the family proud.

With India a minnow in the international game ranked a mere 142^nd in the world and a lowly 23^rd in their continent, honours are likely to be hard to come by for the Cardiff international.

Having given up on playing for the England national team, this is a decision that will cause Cardiff manager Dave Jones a headache, should the paperwork be sorted in time for the Asian Cup in January.

If he does make his Indian debut he will become the superstar of Indian football and is likely to improve the side’s fortunes significantly. He will have the distinction of being only the second Indian international to have played professional football in England, the other player being Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia who had a spell at Bury Town.

An interesting decision but it seems that India have pulled off quite a coup.

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Last week ChampionshipTalk looked at the seven Championship players to be called up to the England under 21 squad. 

This week Jay Bothroyd went one better by receiving his first call up to the senior squad to reach a new peak in what has been a somewhat chequered career.

This is even more significant for the Championship as Bothroyd is not an on loan Premiership player but has plied his trade in the Championship at Cardiff continuously for more than two seasons. 

Described by his own manager as ‘high maintenance’ the road to international football has not been an easy one for the 28 year old striker who has been described by Arsene Wenger as one of the most talented strikers to play at the club. 

Starting in the Arsenal youth set up the Cardiff striker has played in the Premiership, Championship and Serie A in a colourful and often misfiring career. 

Having played for no fewer than 8 clubs, the Bluebirds knew that they faced a challenge when signing a controversial figure in 2008, a player who has always been recognized as talented but tainted by personality issues. However since moving to Wales the player has gradually found his feet and started showing his pedigree, showing progressive improvement in his two and a third seasons in the Welsh capital.

This season has truly been his breakout season for Bothroyd, scoring an incredible 15 times in 16 games stealing the limelight from none other than on loan hero Craig Bellamy. 

An international call up for Bothroyd is a huge milestone for both the player and his club, should he make an appearance on Wednesday he will be the first Cardiff player in 111 years to play for England. 

The progress of Jay Bothroyd can for the most part be attributed to Dave Jones and his ability to manage the striker and harness his talent whilst negating the elements of his character that have held him back in the past.

For Fabio Capello calling Bothroyd into the squad is a gamble, but with the state of England’s front line is disarray maybe Bothroyd is the man to provide competition and excitement to the national team.

No-one can deny the impact that Craig Bellamy has had on Cardiff City this season. The man on loan from Manchester City has given the whole club a lift and helped them make an excellent start to this year’s Championship campaign.

Dave Jones’ men sit level on points with Queens Park Rangers at the top of the table ahead of this weekend’s game with 4th placed Norwich City.

To say that this is all down to Bellamy would be incorrect. Cardiff didn’t need too much of a lift to ignite their promotion push as they have been there or thereabouts for a while now. Bellamy is just the extra element to proceedings that gives them their best ever shot at reaching the Premier League.

Some may remember the impact Darren Huckerby had on Norwich’s promotion bid back in 2003/2004. The Canaries had a decent squad of honest, hard-working players – Huckerby provided the spark that led them to the title. Bellamy is similar. He lifts everyone in a squad that was pretty well equipped for success anyway.

Cardiff boss Jones was keen to stress how much of a team effort it is ahead of the weekend’s game and on the back of an excellent 4-0 victory at Elland Road. He said the Bluebirds are ‘certainly not a one man team’ and that ‘there are some good players besides Craig.’

This certainly is the case. Just look at that win against Leeds United most recently. Yes, Bellamy was influential, but it was Jay Boothroyd that stole the headlines with two goals that took his total to eleven in all competitions this season. The former Coventry City man has been in inspirational form this season and has made himself just as important to the side as Bellamy.

The talent doesn’t stop there either. Michael Chopra, Peter Whittingham and Chris Burke are all excellent players. You can certainly see why Jones’ men are up there and you would be a brave man to do anything other than back them in their promotion charge. To be honest, they look even stronger than QPR because you can see Cardiff getting better and better. After all, Bellamy has still got to hit goal scoring form yet!

All of this means that Cardiff go into tomorrow’s game with Norwich City as favourites to pick up three points. It won’t be easy for them though in what is the pick of the games for the Championship this weekend.

Under Paul Lambert, Norwich have performed above expectations this season and could go within three points of their hosts with a win on Saturday. This is testament to the start they have made.

Especially away from home, the Canaries have made themselves extremely hard to beat. The 0-0 draw at table topping QPR proved that. They would have won the game had not been for a Wes Hoolahan penalty miss too.

It isn’t just about being hard to beat for Norwich either. They have an in-form striker in Simeon Jackson, one of the most creative players in the league in Hoolahan and one the hardest strikers to play against in Grant Holt.

Further back, they have a hard-working midfield and a centre back pairing of Leon Barnett and Elliot Ward that has worked extremely well so far this season.

They will be up against their biggest challenge yet this weekend though as Bellamy and co look to run riot in front of their home fans.

The presence of Bellamy is a side plot to this game actually. He started his career at Norwich and is still held in high regard by their fans, so should receive a warm reception from them.

All in all, it should be a cracking contest between two good teams pushing for a win.

Prediction? An entertaining 2-2 draw.

Enjoy your weekend.

Follow Thomas on Twitter

We have just passed the quarter mark on the season and it’s time to take a look at how the clubs are faring.  This is the first of three installments covering each of the 24 clubs in the nPower Championship.  I hope you will feel free to add your comments to each club.

First up?  Queens Park Rangers.  Neil Warnock has led QPR to the top of the table with 29 points and a goal difference of 21.  Last weekend’s come-from-behind draw at Bristol City showed great spirit and the club has to be considered a favorite for promotion.

Even with QPR on points but behind in goal difference is Cardiff City.  The high flying Welsh team is looking to roar into the Premier League next season led by recent loan signee and hometown product Craig Bellamy.  Manager Dave Jones has his team looking strong after an impressive 4-0 win away to Leeds United.

Sitting third in the table is the other Welsh side playing in the league, Swansea City.  With 23 points, but only a +5 goal difference, Swansea City has been inconsistent so far.  They have put consecutive league wins together only once this season.

Also sitting in the playoff position at fourth is last year’s League One Champions Norwich City.  Having spent only one year outside of the top two flights of English football in the last 50 years, Norwich City made wholesale changes to club management which saw them bounce right back and have them right in the mix for promotion to the Premier League.  They are even with Swansea City on points with 23 and only one behind in goal difference.

At fifth is Watford on 21 points and +7 goal difference.  A club with pedigree going back almost 130 years, and even playing in the UEFA Cup in 1983, Watford has struggled to stay at the highest level, having been promoted to the Premier League and bounced right back the following season twice in the last ten years. Watford’s fine run of form came to an end at home in a 2-0 loss to Scunthorpe United.  Watford will look to get back on track away to Derby County this weekend.

Coventry City is currently holding the final promotion playoff spot even with Watford on points but with only a  +4 goal difference.   A 3-0 defeat of visitors Barnsley this past Saturday saw Coventry City climb into the sixth spot, although it took the entire 90 minutes to put away a struggling Barnsley side.

Burnley is just one point off of a playoff spot, relinquishing that spot due to a 4-0 defeat at home to Reading.  With a trip this weekend to top of the table QPR, Burnley must be looking for at least a point, as there are several teams right behind them in the table.

The team immediately behind them in the table, and our final club for this first article is Reading.  They are the first of four clubs with 19 points and lead that pack due to their +7 goal difference.  The aforementioned 4-0 win on the road at Burnley propelled them to shouting distance of a playoff spot.  Hosting Doncaster this weekend, another of the clubs on 19 points, could help clear up the logjam a little.

Your comments are welcome and encouraged.  I read about these clubs, watch highlights when I can, and occasionally get to see the actual matches, but your opinions count at least as much as mine.  What do you think about these eight clubs?

There were some tremendous games at all levels of British football on Sunday. Cardiff and Swansea battled out a thrilling 2-2 draw. Luton gave the Football League a poke in the eye by winning a wonderful Johnstone Paint Trophy Final 3-2 against Scunthorpe. And finally we had the gasp-inducing 3-2 stormer at Old Trafford.

It was just a shame that fan behaviour cast such a pall over the whole day.

Like many fans I was disgusted with the throwing of the coin that injured referee Mike Dean in the Welsh derby, but I’ve been just as concerned by the reaction of key figures from both clubs.

Peter Ridsdale, Cardiff Chairman, said:

“We’ve now identified an individual who threw a coin, we believe it’s the individual whose coin hit the referee… assuming it’s the right individual he will be banned for life.”

Well, that’s good to know. But it wasn’t ‘an individual’ it was many individuals. The few seconds of footage surrounding the moment Mike Dean was hit clearly shows several items landing near the referee, while Swansea captain Garry Monk has claimed objects were being thrown throughout the match. Cardiff fans have commednably been more open than Ridsdale, speaking of witnessing a number of individuals throwing objects onto the pitch ranging from coins to lighters.

Does Ridsdale think that getting rid of this one person somehow solves the problem? Moreover, was this individual more guilty for hitting the referee than anyone else who tried but missed?

Cardiff manager Dave Jones said:

“I hope the club don’t suffer serious repurcussions as it was only one person and there were 20,000 people here… It’s ridiculous as I thought those days were long gone.”

Only one person, Dave? Really? And you thought those days were long gone? Good job the police didn’t share your view or they might not have sent those 450 officers to Ninian Park to try and minimise trouble between the fans.

What weasel words by both of these people. I would expect more of Jones in particular, but perhaps he is just trying to protect the club. If that is the case then he has been shown up by the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust who condemned the ‘mindless idiots’ (notice the plural) and for those Cardiff fans who stood up and pointed out the offenders at the time. If only club officials were so forthright.

It is unfair that the whole club should be tainted by this, but football must not continually attempt to hide the truth. Whenever there is violence at a game we are fed the same line about how “these people are not football fans” – well, who are they then? There can be no doubt things have moved forward over the last 20 years, but problems still exist. Every club still has their trouble-makers.

In the midst of all this you might expect Swansea to act with quiet dignity, but manager Roberto Martinez, a good, honest, likable man, a successful coach and a very decent TV pundit, has waded in with some ill-advised comments of his own:

“You don’t want to see coin throwing incidents like that but looking at the overall performance of the referee maybe he was affected by it… you work all week not to get emotional performances from your players and you drop two points because of an emotional decision by a referee.”

In one sense, Martinez is right – Cardiff’s late penalty for the equaliser was probably the wrong decision – but to show such callous disregard of the referee’s health beggars belief. He had been hit in the end, no more than a few centimetres from his eye, yet made little fuss and carried on refereeing the game – on the whole very well. It seems incredible that rather than blaming the fan for his actions he suggests that the referee failed to deal with the situation adequately. I wonder what Martinez’s reaction might have been had his goalkeeper received a blow to the head. Would he have publicly blamed him for dropping a cross and for becoming too emotional?

The fallout from this will undoubtedly continue for some time, but what sort of punishment should be meted out by the Football Association? Ridsdale has a point in that it seems unfair to punish Dave Jones’ team for the actions of some of the fans. Cardiff have improved the image of the club in recent years and so a fine or a points deduction seems ill-fitting.

Perhaps the FA must leave it to the club to identify as many of these coin-throwers as possible and have them thrown out of all football grounds for good, but while Ridsdale continues to suggest it was only one person, this is not a problem that will disappear any time soon. In the meantime, football officials need to start being a little more honest when it comes to assessing the behaviour of some fans.

The 5^th round of the FA Cup gets underway this Saturday and Sunday and the question is will there be any upsets or will it be business as usual?

Watford v Chelsea – Vicarage Road

Just last week I would have said there was no chance of Watford pulling an upset but I’m not sure. With Chelsea playing poor football and Scolari being sacked just 4 days before the match how will Chelsea react? Will they come out and have a hangover or will they take any anger over their managers dismissal out on Watford? The talent gulf is clear between the two clubs but that doesn’t always guarantee a victory. Watford does have the home pitch advantage which will help boost them. However, I still think Chelsea will squeak by Watford 2-1 but it won’t be pretty.

Derby County v Manchester United Episode III  “Revenge of the Rams?”- Pride Park

This will be the third time Derby and United have faced off this year, with Derby taking the first leg of the Carling Cup 1-0 and United taking the tie and second leg 4-2. I give Derby a 15% chance of springing the upset on United. Derby are playing good football right now, Rob Hulse and Kris Commons are on hot streaks and Commons has showed he not intimidated by United. Pride Park will be a sell out and the Rams fans will be loud and in full support of Derby. However United are full of talent and if they play like they can, Derby wont stand a chance. I think Derby will do well but I expect United to take this 3-2.

Swansea City v Fulham – Liberty Stadium

This is a battle of two teams who are performing above expectations in their respective leagues. Swansea City is showing it can handle life in the Championship with no problems while Fulham are having a good year after barely escaping relegation last season. Swansea isn’t afraid of any team and they will be playing at home which will help Fulham dispatched non-league Kettering Town while Swansea struggled to beat non-league Histon. I think Fulham will take this tie but it depends on which Swansea team shows up that will determine the score, my guess 3-1 Fulham.

Blackburn Rovers v Coventry City – Ewood Park

I sense an upset here, Blackburn are not playing well at all while Chris Coleman has Coventry doing well in the Championship. Blackburn struggled to get past fellow BPL team Sunderland while Coventry likewise had issues with BSP Torquay. I think out of all the ties this one has the best chance for an upset. Coleman has Coventry believing they can win and Blackburn are having a bad season. My guess 2-1 Coventry.

Sheffield United v Hull City – Bramell Lane

The surprise package of the BPL travels to a solid Sheffield United squad. While United are playing well and on track for the CCC playoffs, Hull are having a magical season in the BPL. They are not afraid of anyone which has contributed to their success. Hull takes this 1-0 in typical Hull fashion.

Arsenal v Cardiff City 4^th Round replay – Emirates Stadium

Cardiff did well to hold Arsenal in the first match but I think Arsenal will show their class in the replay of the tie. The talented youngsters Wenger has at his disposal is frightening. Arsenal to advance 4-2.

Sadly I see this weekend as a continuation of business as usual for the FA Cup. Other then Coventry springing an upset on Blackburn I think it will be a clean sweep for the BPL Clubs. I hope and would love to be proven wrong and of course Lets Go Ewe Rams!!

The thrid round of the FA Cup draw is out and here is who the teams of the CCC will face. The ties will be played the weekend of January 3, 2009. If the tie is tied then a replay will be played.

Portsmouth v Bristol City – Ashton Gate

Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham – Hillbrough

Preston NE v Liverpool – Deepdale

Birmingham City v Wolves – St. Andrew’s Stadium

West Ham United v Barnsley – Upton Park

Manchester City v Nottingham Forest – Eastlands

Cardiff City v Reading – Ninan Park

Ipswich Town v Chesterfield/Droylesden – Portman Road

Charlton v Norwich – The Valley

Torquay v Blackpool – Plainmoor

Leyton Orient v Sheffield United – Brisbane Road

Southampton v Manchester United – St. Mary’s Stadium

Histon v Swansea City – Bridge Road

Forest Green Rovers v Derby County – The New Lawn

QPR v Burnley – Turf Moor

Leicester City v Crystal Palace – Walkers Stadium

Morcambe/Cheltenham v Doncaster

Arsenal v Plymouth – Emirates Stadium

Watford v Scunthorpe – Vicarage Road

Coventry City v Kidderminster – Richo Arena