Despite the unpredictable British weather there is much to look forward to for the avid football fan. 

Today marks the beginning of advent, the countdown to Christmas; this day also signifies that the beginning of the most important period in the English football season is nearly upon us. 

The Christmas week and New Year weekend is a feast of football as the matches and drama come think and fast. This is where the season truly takes shape with Championship sides playing four games in less than ten days between Boxing Day and the New Year bank holiday. 

A team that can come through these games with a good record stands themselves in good stead, either bolstering a strong position or revitalising a floundering season. Conversely a poor record can leave a title contender or relegation candidate suddenly bereft of their rivals. 

This year there will also be some critical games at both the top and bottom of the league, those seeking some Boxing Day entertainment could do worse than going to watch QPR v Swansea at the top of the table. For those wanting a relegation scrap Scunthorpe take on Preston the same day. 

Another interesting match in this period include the intense East Midlands derby between Nottingham Forest and Derby County. 

The weather may be cold but the football season is about to heat up, so the question remains will your team be a rising star or a turkey this festive season?

Follow Kristian on TWITTER

One of the most exciting days in the football calendar, the FA Cup 3rd Round draw took place yesterday. Throwing up its usual unpredictable mix of fixtures but failing to deliver a Premier League fairytale story for a non-league club.

We can already guarantee that there will be two sides from England’s second tier in the fourth round draw as Coventry v Crystal Palace and Preston v Nottingham Forest constitute the only all Championship 3rd round ties.

Overall the draw is a tough one for the Championship with more than 10 sides facing Premiership opposition, whilst increasing the chances of a relative upset it also means that a strong Championship presence in the fourth round and beyond is limited.

What do you think your teams chances of progression are in the FA Cup this season?

Despite this pessimism here is my selectino of the most interesting ties in the third round for the Championship:

Arsenal v Leeds

Until recent times a battle of two powerhouses of the modern game, the decline of the Yorkshire club will do little to diminish what will be seen as one of the ties of the round.

Last season Manchester United were knocked out of the competition by Leeds and with Arsene Wenger unlikely to name his strongest side this could be another opportunity for a famous ‘cupset’.

Leicester City v Manchester City

This is a game between two clubs with rich foreign investors, albeit on a different scale.

The cup has a habit of bringing together former players and managers and I am sure that Sven Goran Errikson will be desperate to overcome his former employers. With a home tie the chances of an upset are increased however the depth of the Manchester City squad; even a weakened side is likely to be considered strong favourites.

Reading v West Bromwich Albion

The game for me that is most likely to produce a ‘cupset’ despite mediocre league form, a home tie against Premiership opposition will present a big opportunity to put in a performance and victory that will raise morale and placate the fans.

West Bromwich Albion have started the season well but form is rarely a factor in the FA Cup and this represents an intriguing third round tie.

Follow Kristian on TWITTER

This week saw a flurry of loan activity in the Championship, as the loan deadline day came and went. 

Deadline day resulted in a number of players from Premiership clubs make their way to the Championship, to gain some first team experience or maintain their match fitness at a competitive level. 

Some of the more interesting deals to take place this week include:

Aaron Ramsey – Arsenal to Nottingham Forest

Duration: One Month 

Arguably the highlight of deadline day Aaron Ramsey is on his way to the City Ground for one month.  

 Originally signed from Cardiff the Welsh international was a regular in the Arsenal first team last season, before a controversial tackle from Ryan Shawcross in February caused a double leg fracture and a nine month lay off. 

On the road back from injury a loan spell at Nottingham Forest is an opportunity for him to feel his way back into the game. 

Chris Kirkland – Wigan – Leicester

Duration: One Month

Starting the season as the first choice goalkeeper at Wigan, the England international has been usurped by Ali Al-Habsi and therefore a move away to maintain match sharpness seems sensible.

His move to Leicester could be down to the ‘Sven’ factor at the Walkers Stadium as the former England manager who would have scouted Kirkland intensively during his time as manager and giving the keeper his first England squad call.

John Guidetti  - Manchester City – Burnley

Duration: One Month

Although not as well known as Chris Kirkland or Aaron Ramsey, the eighteen year old striker is highly thought of at Eastlands, he is reported to have been on the radar of a host of Championship clubs as the loan deadline approached. 

Having started in Sweden, he made his first team debut in the Carling Cup earlier this season and will see this move as an important stepping stone in a fledgling career in what constitutes his first real taste of regular first team action.

Follow Kristian on TWITTER

One of the results of the weekend was Nottingham Forest’s two goal away at Cardiff, which was significant not only due to Cardiff’s position in the table but because it flies in the face of Forest’s recent away form, which has limited them to just one other away win against bottom of the table Preston so far this season. 

Conversely the City Ground has continued to be a fortress for Forest who have not been defeated in the league in over a year at home. Last succumbing 28 games ago to future play off nemesis Blackpool way back in September 2009. 

It was their away form that kept Nottingham Forest in the Championship last season and has thus far stopped them from challenging for promotion this year. 

Last season Billy Davies’ men won only four games away from home and this season to date they have fared no better, with only one win from eight games prior to Saturday’s result. 

At home this season the number of draws has also been a slight concern with over half the club’s games both home and away ending with the points being shared. However the performances have been solid so with a little luck and persistence this could be resolved and a full blooded promotion challenge could be in the offing. 

The convincing victory over Cardiff this weekend, should boost morale around the club and Forest fans will be hoping that this signifies a turnaround in the clubs fortunes on the road.

Nottingham Forest are not far from the top of the Championship and should their away form improve and lady luck find them at home the rest of the division particularly QPR, Swansea and Cardiff should start looking over their shoulders.

Today the FA announced the England U21 squad to face Germany on the 16^th of November.

Included in this squad were seven players who are currently available for selection by Championship sides, either as part of their permanent squad or on loan deals from Premier League sides.

This is a great opportunity for each of these players and shows that despite the dominance of the Premier League in high level youth development, there is still a role to be played by the Championship in this area.

Whether the parent club or acting as a surrogate the Championship acts as a competitive environment for these youngsters to learn the game and develop into established professionals. It also acts as a shop window for loan players who are talented but unlikely to be offered long term deals with their parent club.

The squad to face Germany includes the following Championship players:

Frank Fielding – Derby (on loan from Blackburn)

Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 22

A much travelled and experienced goalkeeper with over 100 football league appearances under his belt spread over six different loan spells, these have gradually eased the Lancastrian towards the top flight.

He made the headlines without even playing earlier in the season when he received his first full England call up. This drew criticism as at that point he had not played any competitive football at a level higher than League One and was subsequently did not feature in the game.

If you want to watch him in the Championship you may have to hurry as this weekend’s game against Leicester may be his last as Derby number one Stephen Bywater edges towards full fitness, which would mean a return to Blackburn for Frank.

Jason Steele – Middlesborough

Position: Goalkeeper

Age – 20

From the North West Jason Steele has come through the youth ranks to the first team at Middlesbrough via a loan spell at Northampton Town.

Highly rated by the Teesiders he has kept his place in the first team and at just 20 will excite many as he still has up to ten years of development before he will approach his peak.

Ryan Bertrand – Nottingham Forest (on loan from Chelsea)

Position: Left Back

Age: 21

A talented full back who has the misfortune of being at a club that includes Ashley Cole limiting his long term prospects at Chelsea. Therefore his numerous loan spells which include Reading, Norwich and now Nottingham Forest, would appear to be a shop window as well as a development tool.

He has impressed at every club he has played for in the Championship and as a converted winger, he has the ability to add an additional attacking dimension to his game, something that could not have been hurt by training with arguably the world’s best left back.

Kyle Walker – Queen’s Park Rangers (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)

Position: Right Back

Age: 20

Another player with multiple loan moves in a fledgling career, he has made one substitute appearance in the Tottenham first team. These loan spells include an extended stay with his schoolboy club Sheffield United that yielded 25 Championship appearances last term.

Having been on the edge of the Tottenham first team, it may be that should injuries hit White Hart Lane this product of the steel city will get a chance to prove his worth at the highest level.

Jack Cork – Burnley (on loan from Chelsea)

Position: Central Midfield

Age: 21

Another Chelsea player farmed out on loan due to a lack of opportunities at Stamford Bridge, he has already got Premier League experience, playing for his current club Burnley who renewed his loan at the start of the season.

Having already earned the praises of the Match of the Day panel last season he is tipped to make it in the Premier League, if not at Chelsea. Only time will tell how long the creative midfielder waits to see if things will pan out for him at Chelsea.

Danny Rose – Bristol City (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)

Position – Winger

Age – 20

Danny Rose had he debut that any aspiring footballer dreams about by scoring an amazing volley against his club’s bitter derby rivals in a memorable 2-1 victory, a strike which many polls placed as their goal of the season both for Tottenham and the Premier League.

He is an exciting prospect and should gain vital experience in the West Country that will be vital should he wish to get a chance to repeat the goal he scored in his only previous league start for Tottenham.

Scott Sinclair – Swansea

Position: Winger/Striker

Age: 21

As I am sure the Gaffer will tell you, Scott Sinclair has been in fine form since joining Swansea from Chelsea in the summer.

After promising so much early in his career, things just did not work out for the former Bristol Rovers player who like many of the players in this list have spent much of their career on loan.

However now playing first team football he is on fire having scored 7 goals already this season, I doubt that it will be long before Sinclair will be desperate to have another crack at proving himself in the Premier League.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Less than two weeks to go until the new Championship season. Squads are coming together. Some managers are content, others are panicking. Fans are enjoying a final fortnight of optimism before reality sets in.

Can Billy Davies take Forest to the top?

With this in mind, here are five random predictions for the coming season, hung on a flimsy animal theme:

Dark Horses: Nottingham Forest

When Billy Davies took over in January, Forest looked likely to go down. In fact, even with a few weeks of the season left they were still teetering, but now they mean business.

Billy Davies has brought in Lee Camp, Dexter Blackstock, Dele Adebola, Paul McKenna, David McGoldrick, Chris Gunter and Joel Lynch. It’s reminiscent of Davies’ last full season at Derby, where he transformed a team of strugglers into promotion material in just 12 months. I’m not saying they’ll win the league, but with all their attacking options and a proven manager, this could be an enjoyable season for the Tricky Trees. Prediction: 5th.

Stinking Skunks: Newcastle United

You can see what I did here: skunks are black and white and so is Newcastle’s kit… well, the one that doesn’t contain shades of urine-yellow, anyway.

Newcastle are in serious trouble. They looked bereft of desire last season after Keegan left and this year they won’t even have the excitement of playing against Manchester United or Fulham.

Currently, they have no manager. Their owner is desperate to sell, but no one really fancies buying them for the asking price. Their squad holds enough quality to win this league with some ease, but it’s a club with more than a whiff of Leeds about it. Every game they play will be against a team desperate to knock over the largest team in the division. Every team will get a big gate against Newcastle. Fans will back their underdogs all the way. I just can’t see, at the moment, how Newcastle will be able to cope.

New owners, a strong manager and a bit of stability could change all that. After all, Sunderland were flailing around like a flock of drowning giraffe a couple of years back until Roy Keane dragged them from bottom to top. But at the moment, 23 clubs are rubbing their hands at the prospect of playing the Magpies. Prediction: 14th.

Irritating Wasps: Peterborough United

Peterborough are at the other end of the scale to Newcastle. They have a much-coveted manager. After years of worrying if they have enough money to pay for the floodlights on evening games, they are now financially stable. They have just been promoted. The club is possibly in its best shape ever.

The problem is that despite these positives, every fan of every club will look at Peterborough and say: “We have to be beating teams like this.” Peterborough are still a small club, but they possess a genuine sting and players, especially of the larger teams, are going to feel pressure to swat them aside. I can’t see that happening. They have a winning mentality and that will continue, at least for this season. Prediction: 9th.

Suicidal Lemmings: Coventry City

What is going on here? The rumour is that Cov are selling off their players so that they can buy their cavernous stadium that can make a tremendous noise when full, but echoes horribly the rest of the time. Two of their best performers last season, Scott Dann and Daniel Fox, have both gone. Michael Mifsud has been released along with Leon McKenzie. It’s not even as if they were much of a force last season and with the Championship now spitting out former Premier League clubs on an annual basis, I fear the same fate could be about to befall poor Cov. Prediction: 22nd.

Harmless Pussycats: Reading

That 100 point+ season now seems a long time ago. The player turnover since then makes alarming reading: Leroy Lita, Dave Kitson, Graeme Murty, Kevin Doyle, Marcus Hahnemann, Nicky Shorey, Steve Coppell… They still have the Hunt brothers and Shane Long, but this season smells like transition to me.

Clubs who lose long serving managers often seem to struggle for a while afterwards as the club creakily adapts to a new regime (just look at Charlton) and although Brendan Rogers has a fine reputation in the game, he’s still inexperienced and is now charged with re-building a Reading force.

The Royals were poor for much of the second half of last season, their vaunted attacking force failing to score in 50% of their last dozen games. Royals fans are going to need to show some patience. Prediction: 13th.

The season is almost over and other then Charlton Athletic, the final relegation spots are still up for grabs by two unlucky clubs. While it has not been made official, it is only a matter of a couple more matches before Charlton’s relegation to League One is confirmed leaving two more slots for two more unlucky teams. While there are 10 teams within 9 points of the relegation zone, with a couple of wins in the last 6 matches 4 of those teams will be safe.

Teams that only need 2 more wins to guarantee safety:

Doncaster Rovers: 49 points, with one more win they will pass the 50 point barrier which usually is the points needed to stay safe in the Championship

Watford: 47 points and have one game in hand. With the game in hand, Watford should be able to secure safety with two more wins at minimum.

Derby County: 47 points and two games in hand Derby are in good position to secure safety this season. While their form has been up and down they have enough talent to secure safety by April.

Blackpool: 47 points, they have been mid-table all season and after just securing their future last season, Blackpool know what it takes to survive in the Championship and I think they will do it.

Teams in immediate danger of entering the drop zone:

Barnsley: 44 points, two games in hand. If Barnsely can win their two matches in hand and pull off another win and a couple of draws that should be enough for them to stay in the Championship for another season.

Norwich: 43 points, while they are only two points away from the drop zone, Norwich have picked up their form getting 10 points from a possible 15. If they can keep this form up it will be an uphill battle but it should be enough to secure safety.

Plymouth: 43 points, Unlike Norwich, Plymouth are on a horrible run of form and that doesn’t look like that is about to change. Plymouth need to dig deep and find a way to win or all too soon they could find themselves playing football in League One next season.

Team in the Current Relegation Zone:

Nottingham Forest: 41 points, Forest have struggled to adapt to the Championship all season and have endured more then a couple of thumpings this season. They have hovered around the drop zone all season and unless they find something inside them and a few results go their way they will be making an immediate return to League One.

Southampton: 40 points, 1 match in hand. Southampton have been around the relegation zone all season and they need to find a way to start winning, and winning fast. They need to basically win all their remaining matches and hope that some results go against those four teams above them if they are to pull off an escape.

Charlton: 29 points, 1 game in hand. At this point it really doesn’t matter what Charlton do, they are headed for League One next season. All they have to play for is pride and finishing off the season as best they can. Its amazing to think only three years ago they were a mid-table Premiership team and now they will be in League One next season.

My relegation predictions: Charlton, Nottingham Forest, Plymouth. I think Southampton will escape.

The magic of the FA Cup was on display during the replay of the Derby-Nottingham Forest cup tie. This was more then just your average Derby match, the rivalry between these two clubs is fierce and the fact that one club has the opportunity to knock the other out of the oldest cup competition makes it even more intense. There are so many underlying stories of this tie that add to it: Kris Commons a former Forest player returns to the City Ground against his old club, Derby have not won at the City Ground since October 1971, Nigel Clough, the son of legendary Forest and Derby manager Brian Clough is on the Derby touchline and former Derby Manager Billy Davies is on the Forest Touchline. If that wasn’t enough, the first leg ended 1-1 at Pride Park after a scrappy match with tempers flaring.

The match started out nightmarish for Derby as they went down 1-0 in under one minute when Chris Cohen took his own short corner and put the ball into the top corner leaving Derby Keeper Stephen Bywater unable to save. It went from bad to worse if you were a Derby fan when Bywater brought down Nathan Tyson for a penalty. Stephen Bywater was luck to not see red since he stopped a goal scoring opportunity, Tyson then stepped up and put the ball into the top right corner. Derby were now down 2-0 and only 14 minutes had passed. It looked as if Forest would get the best of their rivals and bragging rights would be theirs but with a cup tie things were about to change. Derby refused to give up and on 27 minutes, Rob Hulse headed in a cross from Gary Teale to give Derby a lifeline, it was now 2-1 to Forest. No changes were made when both teams came out for the second half and Derby came out on fire, Paul Green equalized on 59 minutes heading it home from Teale who had his second assist of the match. Game on! The moment that made this tie was yet to come and showed why the magic of the FA Cup was alive in this tie. Derby winger Kris Commons was jeered every time he touched the ball by the Forest faithful who considered him a traitor for signing with Derby over the summer. He didn’t let that bother him and was shooting all match long, in the 73 minute that persistence would pay off. He blasted a shot that deflected off Forest defender Wes Morgan. Derby fans went wild, they had come from 2-0 down to take a 3-2 lead. Derby held on for the win and a home tie against Manchester United in the 5^th round.

This tie had everything a football fan could hope for, drama in both legs of the tie, two clubs and fans who don’t like each other and never will, underlying stories and dramatic winners. This tie showed that while both teams may not play in the BPL that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good cup tie. The FA Cup magic was on full display during this tie and showed how magical it truly can be.

Glen Roeder was the latest Championship Manager to be sacked joining the growing ranks of the unemployed. Watford, QPR, Charlton, Derby, Nottingham Forest and now Norwich have all made changes in the managerial department. Here are who were the managers and who has replaced them. The bookies have Aide Boothroyd as the man who may replace Roeder at Norwich but as of now there is no permanent replacement named.

Norwich City- Glen Roeder: No Replacement

QPR: Ian Dowie replaced by Paulo Sousa

Watford: Aide Boothroyd replaced by Brenden Rodgers

Derby County: Paul Jewell replaced by Nigel Clough

Nottingham Forest: Colin Calderwood replaced by Billy Davies

Charlton: Alan Pardew replaced by Phil Parkinson

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