A massive apology for a lack of articles lately, I have recently started a master’s degree at University and I have also fractured my ankle (playing 5-a-side) as well as a number of other things that have been happening. But, I am back now and an article from Josh Ashdown of the Guardian recently appeared that suggested the top and bottom spot in the Championship is pretty much decided if you look at history. At the time of writing the article it suggested that QPR would go up and Pompey would go down if you look at similar clubs in those positions in recent seasons. I am not trying to instil hindsight here on John, but on Friday night, Pompey picked up as massive 6-1 win against a 10 man Leicester side and it got me wondering if they could really go against the trend.

Even though the result was against ten men it was still very impressive from a side that has struggled from the first game week and will really give everyone involved with the club a boost. It will have delighted Steve Cotterill to see four of the six goals scored by new signings Liam Lawrence and Dave Kitson, as well as Dave Nugent getting himself reacquainted with England’s second tier. Kitson could be a massive signing for Pompey as managers know he has great ability but I always felt that in the Premier League he often lacked a bit of confidence to really drive himself forward and he has a real chance to get that confidence back in the Championship. Liam Lawrence is another great signing for the club who will provide a lot of depth in midfield and a real cutting edge for the club, they may have lost Marc Wilson, but they gained two players who will really be effective for them this season.

The result unsurprisingly came as a massive relief to Cotterill who is really pressed for resources on the South Coast and he will need to use all his man management skills in order to help Pompey survive. It was a 6-1 result, but I said at the start of the season that Pompey would struggle this year and I still believe that they have a long hard relegation battle ahead of them. Cotterill is a great manager though and we saw on Friday that there are goals in this side and he will be hoping that that result will springboard their season and help them get a bit of form going into the winter months. They do have a very small squad which is bound to catch up on them as injuries are inevitable for any football club, so it is best that they get as many points on the board as soon as possible.

Another home tie comes up tonight against fellow strugglers Bristol City and Portsmouth will be reunited with a familiar face in that of David James, but old union’s aside, this is a pretty big game for both clubs. Both are at the foot of the table and are in desperate need of the points. It will be interesting to see how Pompey play after the Leicester result and fans will be hopeful that they can play with confidence and put in another good display. So are Pompey destined to go down, or can they buck the trend?

Recently relegated Portsmouth’s troubles are not over.  Far from it.  They may have just begun.  As someone who has followed the whole sordid affair since the first signs of trouble in the summer of 2008, I can tell you it’s difficult to type that sentence.  The fire sale that began with Sulley Muntari in July of 2008 has not stopped.

The starting eleven from the 2009-10 season opener versus Fulham consisted of the following:  James, Distin, Kaboul, Belhadj, Kranjcar, Mullins, Wilson, Diop, Mokoena, Utaka, and Piquionne.  Kanu and Nugent came on as subs.  Of those players the following are gone:  James, Distin, Kaboul, Belhadj, Kranjcar, Diop, and Piquionne.  Mullins and Wilson say they would be happy to stay, but with other clubs rumored to want them, and Pompey in need of cash, they probably won’t be around much longer.  Mokoena has said he wants out, but is not exactly in high demand.  Utaka could stay, but is expensive.  Kanu and Nugent both traveled with the club for their North American tour.  Nugent would like to stay, and probably will.  Kanu, however, is out of contract, is asking for too much money, and the best guess of his age is late 30s.  The starting eleven for the FA Cup final was very different than the start of the season.  The only men to feature in both starting lineups were James, Mokoena, Diop, Piquionne, and Mullins.  Of those five players, only two could possibly play on August 7th for the opening of the Championship season.  It’s possible that none of them will play.

Now the depressing part:  Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has appealed the Company Voluntary Agreement which keeps Portsmouth FC in administration until the hearing.  The hearing has been expedited, but until that hearing is resolved, new ownership cannot take charge and do anything to strengthen the squad.  While there are rumors of ownership interest, Pompey supporters have heard too many rumors over the two years to listen to any of them.  The club has been allowed to sign a few players because every club has to have 20 players under contract to start the season.  No one has delusions that this club will get off to anything resembling a good start.  If the hearing does not occur before August 7th, and it is not currently scheduled but they have promised to expedite it, then the club will most likely start the season with a points deduction as much as 17 points.

While the team has not embarrassed themselves on their North American tour, it is obvious that they will struggle.  They lost to Club America 2-1 after taking 42 hours to get from Portsmouth to San Diego.  They then beat the Ventura County Fusion 2-1 and Edmonton FC on penalty kicks to claim a trophy.  Both of those clubs would be the equivalent of Havant & Waterlooville, another club they beat 2-1 before leaving for San Diego.  They play MLS bottom side DC United on Saturday evening at RFK stadium in the nation’s capital.

The club needs some positive news.  Bringing in a few players will help new manager Steve Cotterill add some fresh blood and convince everyone they have a chance of avoiding relegation.  I don’t envy him that task.

Millwall are up, but how will they cope?

It certainly doesn’t feel like every season we see six different teams in the Championship, and depending what way you enter the league can often dictate expectations for a club. After the weekend’s League One Playoff final, we now know the three teams that will be playing the Championship via relegation from the Premiership and the three that will be entering the fray from League One promotion. It’s farewell to Newcastle, West Brom, Blackpool, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Peterborough and a fond welcome to Hull, Burnley, Portsmouth, Norwich, Leeds and Millwall. Something quite odd about this round of promotions and relegations is how next season might play out for each of these teams, as many have other things on their mind apart from the usual chance to show bouncebackabillity or fight for their life. Instead, these six new contenders offer something quite different to next season and will be fighting much different battles to what would usually be expected:

Hull City:

Hull’s demise really started half way through their second season in the Premiership. They took the league by storm but then suddenly faltered and spent big in order to try and maintain their top flight status. The club is in heavy debt after a number of flops at the club, and failure to offload a number of players could see the club be threatened with relegation. It’s almost certain now that Phil Brown will not be returning from gardening leave, yet the settlement of his contract only chalks up another financial loss for the club. Despite his brilliance, Jimmy Bullard needs to leave the club, as his high wages and lack of playing time have really hindered the Tigers, and despite his commitment to the Yorkshire outfit, Hull will be desperate to let the player move on this summer. Whether anyone will meet his high wage demands is another problem however, as I can’t see many sides wanting to pay that much for a player who has consistently struggled with injuries for the past several seasons. A lot of free transfers can be expected from the club, and there should be a number of youngsters getting a chance to perform. The most important thing for the Tigers is to appoint the correct manager at this point, as I can’t really see them gaining promotion next season.

Burnley:

Many criticised manager Brian Laws last season, and his performance in the first ten or so games at the start of the 2010/11 season will decide his future. Surprising news comes in the form of a massive sale for Steven Fletcher, who impressed quite a few last season (although £7.5m may still need to be justified). Burnley may also gain goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and striker Chris Iwelumo from the deal, both of which would be welcome signings, particularly Hennessey as (I’m sorry Burnley fans!) Brian Jensen certainly has a few ‘rush of blood to the head’ moments. The Clarets have also capitalised on Hull’s financial position, by nabbing Dean Marney for half a million, and relegation to the Championship appears to have just made them more determined to return at the first time of asking. I’d like to see more on Burnley over this summer, but their season appears to be shaping up well, whether the unfavoured Brian Laws will hinder this remains to be seen.

Portsmouth:

When will it end? They’ve been the love of Sky Sports this season, and provided them with plenty viewing figures and stories; the problems of Portsmouth football club have not been kept quiet. Avram Grant has left the club to no one’s surprise, and now there a number of potential managers who have the opportunity to take on what will no doubt be a massive task. You may have heard the goalkeeper David James wants the job, which has come as a shock to many, yet Steve Cotterill would no doubt be a great acquisition for the club, although he probably has a good chance at getting a number of vacant jobs after his spell with Notts County. No matter who the manager is, Portsmouth are in real trouble of getting relegated to League One next season and that is the truth. The whole team is up for sale and there are still quite a few top earners at the club, as the club goes into even more debt. Fair play if they can manage to have a good season, but it could really be back-to-back relegations for Pompey.

Norwich City:

The Canaries came straight back from the drop, and did it in some style as despite an early thumping from Colchester that signalled doom for the side, they hired Lambert from Colchester and have never looked back, Players like Wes Hoolahan, Gary Holt and Chris Martin will most likely again lead the line for City, although Paul Lambert’s recent revelation regarding less loan signings could signal the side’s determination to make clever permanent signings, which would suggest more depth in the squad. The managers and fans are hopeful that they can agree another season long loan of Newcastle youngster Fraser Forster after the ‘keeper made a number of impressive displays between the sticks in League One and the club will probably look to get some experienced heads in to accompany some of the younger players. I think Norwich can beat the drop, they won’t be world beaters but I’m sure they can give it a go, and a good following could help them make their home stadium, Carrow Road, a fortress.

Leeds United:

It was a long time coming, but one of England’s most famous clubs has finally found something to cheer about after well detailed troubles. They were beaten in the playoffs last season, and luck just didn’t seem to be on their side. Even this season just gone, they were made to sweat on their promotion hopes after a dismal run which saw them just clinch automatic promotion to the Championship. Kasper Schmeichel, who bossed League 2, has become the clubs first signing, and many will be expecting more recruits over the coming weeks. Star striker Jermaine Beckford has finally departed however, signing for Everton on a free transfer, a deal which was rumoured as agreed in January after the players heroics against rivals Manchester United; this leaves Leeds looking for a player to fill the void. I know due to the clubs stature many will be expecting the club to challenge for promotion once again, but despite what you may hear I know many of the Leeds fans are realistic about their chances, and they would happily take a chance to just re-establish themselves in the Championship so they can progress to the next level.

Millwall:

“No one likes us, no one likes us, no one likes us – we don’t care!”. The cry of the self proclaimed most hated team in English football. Millwall clinched promotion to the Championship after last seasons heartache via the League One Playoff, and many clubs will be dreading the extra cost of security next season. A few problems arise with Millwall’s promotion, most notably their recent problems with Hull City who they will once again be squaring off with and of course we can continue with the hostile Leeds Millwall rivalry which has seen a number of problems when the sides met in League One. They’ve just gained promotion, but the club will probably be set for a relegation battle next season, although a number of good and experienced signings could see a change to that. They’ve got a great manager in Kenny Jackett, and The Den is not the nicest place for an away team to visit.

So what we have here are different situations, I actually believe that there is a strong chance that the promoted teams could do better than the relegated ones, most notably Hull and Portsmouth who may face a massive struggle this season as their debts could prevent them from really challenging. Overall, these teams provide an open season and it’s hard to say who will get promotion and who will get relegated considering the positions of a number of other teams in the league.

One of the biggest relegation battles ever...

Football can be cruel some times and that will be all the more apparent this Sunday when one of the biggest and most important last day games in English football history takes place as, Sheffield Wednesday take on Crystal Palace with both teams needing to gain some form of points to stay in the Championship. Despite the fact Wednesday have the home advantage playing at Hillsborough, Crystal Palace may well be considered favourites due to their position which means a draw may be all that is necessary in order to condemn the owls to league 1, yet even then you’d be a brave man to bet high stakes on this game. Wednesday have won once in the last ten games whereas Palace have two precious wins and currently stand two points above their relegations rivals. Palace could have sealed their safety in the dying minutes of their game against West Brom on Monday, although when looking back on the match as a whole it would be hard to argue that West Brom didn’t deserve to score at least a second.

I cannot remember (apologies if there was one) in my lifetime as a football supporter there being a fixture quite like this one. It’s effectively a play off game and even though both teams have terrible form, you’d have to think that both sets of players would be fired up for this game and will be ready to give it their all to keep their club in this division. Confidence has been expressed by both the Sheffield Wednesday chairman and the Palace player Johannes Ertl has claimed that he cannot wait for Sunday’s game. Take what you want from this, but even the best of players would be feeling the nerves before a game like this, we can definitely expect a tense opening ten minutes and it will ultimately end up with one of these two teams throwing the proverbial kitchen sink in before the final whistle is blown.

But let us remember how horrible relegation is. Both of these teams have had a difficult season, Palace were one of the latest clubs to take a ten point penalty for going into administration and Wednesday had some success under Brian Laws last season, but have never really gotten it together and failed to appease their massive support. Relegation will spell disaster for both these clubs, as Wednesday know all too well the league 1 surroundings and for Palace, they will see this as another financial set-back and may become one of the football league clubs in favour of the controversial new parachute payment proposal.

Palace’s relegation also raises an interesting point about teams that go into administration, and Wednesday chairman Lee Strafford has complained that Palace should automatically be relegated for spending outside their means. Strafford is one of the voices in favour of bigger punishments for teams that build up heavy debt and has claimed that administration is ‘the escape route out’. Crystal Palace have built up their debt over the years after promotion to the Premiership saw them spend it big, and the club have attempted to re-create this success ever since relegation from the top tier. It’s an issue that is starting to become more noticed in football ever since the recent issues with Portsmouth in the Premiership and it’s hard not to agree with Strafford in saying that it is somewhat of an escape route for teams who build up high risk. The future for Palace seems shady, but will become a more violent and ugly one if the club is playing in league 1 next season (although they will get a chance to revisit rivals Brighton).

The Sheffield Wednesday servers crashed on Tuesday, as people raced to get the final tickets for what is now a sell-out so if you’re like me you’ll be watching this one on the box. Ticket prices dropped to a mere £10 for adults, with cheaper options for concessions, OAP’s and students, which is a wonderful thing to see in English football considering some of the ridiculous pricing that now exists at particular stadiums. Wednesday will also unveil their new shirt, which will sport a local children’s hospital as its logo, following the same route the likes of Barcelona and Aston Villa have gone down in recent seasons and it is nice to see a football team support such a cause.

So here is a game that has a lot riding on it and for the neutral it is a must see match this weekend. The horrors of relegation loom for both sides and the tension may be unbearable at times; whoever goes down has my utmost sympathy as Palace and Wednesday are two great teams with a large support and it will be a shame that I won’t be able to write about one of them as a Championship side next season. Although I have that ‘I can’t wait feeling’ it’s marred by a certain empathetic feeling towards both sets of supporters and I know that while one will be partying into the night, the other will be down on their luck and in a world of hurt. Good luck boys.

Don't make the same mistakes of the past...

In a weekend hit by weather misery here in the UK thanks to the government’s clear lack of contingency, Derby did manage to get their game against Scunthorpe United kicked off but in hindsight would rather they’d followed the lead of many of the other English clubs decision. The Irons battered Derby 4-1 at Pride Park thanks to a lot of lack lustre defending from the Rams as home fans watched their side crumble from start to finish. Although Derby (who were 2-0 down at half time) did get back into the game after half time, largely down to the introduction of the coveted Kris Commons, they lacked any sort of commitment and were often statues when Scunthorpe pressured them. Listening to BBC radio five live phone in the evening I heard one Derby fan e-mail in his disgruntlement at Nigel Clough’s management of the team and suggested that he wasn’t capable of taking the club forward. Derby fans seem divided on Clough but I personally think he deserves time. You can say “you don’t know what it’s like being a fan of this football club” but I have my reasons.

All season Derby have had a depleted squad and that isn’t just through injuries. There has been some confusion over the American investors of the club and what they have actually offered the club. General Sports & Entertainment Ltd have so far provided little in substantial funds for the Rams and Clough and the wage bill has been constantly slashed. The threat of financial troubles over Derby seems to be present all to often in the clubs recent history, Billy Davies (who is now manager of bitter rivals Nottingham Forrest) quit after getting the club to the premiership due to the boards reluctance to provide funds for new players. That wasn’t the USA group that currently own the club either, so the club needs some serious investment to balance the books.

This past summer the club sold a number of players and brought few in for as little as possible, a definite move to slash the wage budget at the club. Fans have been unhappy with the signing of Jake Buxton, a player who was a key figure in Burton Albion’s climb up the leagues when Clough was in charge and in all honesty has struggled to adapt to the pace of a much higher league. This January could be a tough one for the team, with a number of fellow league teams aware of Derby’s clearout, particularly Wolves and Ipswich keeping an eye on Kris Commons and Jay McEveley respectively.

Then there are the issue of injuries and older players. Robbie Savage is 35 now and although a prominent figure in the football league I don’t think he can play at this level any more. But who to replace him with? Lee Henrie who is injury prone and also getting on in years? I don’t think so but that is what Clough has to work with and he doesn’t have much choice because money talks loudest in football. If you were in Clough’s position, sure it doesn’t look great that you’re just above the relegation zone but wouldn’t you want sympathy because of the resources available to you? Also look at Kris Commons coming back into the Derby fold all of a sudden, looking dangerous and confident; Clough has been hit by a number of injuries to key players.

It should be reminded that Clough only got Burton promoted in his fourth season at the club and that was after the club had sorted itself out and was finally able to pour a little money in. Four years might seem a long time but that’s what it can take in this business and Derby definitely need some sorting out. Clough is just trying to battle this situation out and I believe he’s doing a great job at it, last season Derby narrowly avoided relegation thanks to Clough coming in and managing a poorly formed side created by Paul Jewell. So far I don’t think Clough has been given any substantial funds to buy players since he’s been in charge.

Its frustrating being at the bottom of the table and seeing your side lose games but that is just the cards you’re dealt. Derby don’t have the depth or talent the likes of Newcastle, West Brom or Cardiff have and that’s why they are in the situation they are in. Sacking Clough does nothing to solve that problem, it’s just a difficult period and the club needs investment from somewhere else. I know the Derby fans are some of the most passionate supporters I’ve met and I hope that they can see it from this viewpoint as well. An already stretched wage bill will delve more into the red if you sack Clough and his back room staff and then bring in someone else. Would someone else really make the situation better? I don’t think so. We all know what the last Clough achieved after leaving Derby over an arguement over funds…

It's that time again!

I remember when the January transfer window first came to football. Forgive me if I can’t remember the exact year but I remember FIFA decided that it was a good idea to help all the small clubs hold onto their top players for larger parts of a season. Nobody could have predicted the level of insanity and inflated pricing that it would have brought, but now January is a special time for football fans; almost like Christmas in the footballing world. Especially the last two days where we see all the panic buys, prompting many of us to ask why managers didn’t use the previous 30 days available to them – but that would be silly wouldn’t it? Just about every team in the Championship could arguably do with strengthening in the first month of the year and it will be interesting to see who is welcomed to the league and who we will be saying goodbye to:

Barnsley:

Mark Robbins has done a fine job so far but his biggest desire will most likely be a striker and Billy Sharp has been one of the names thrown around. Sheffield United may well want return him from his loan at Doncaster so they can cash in, but expect Yorkshire rivals to try all they can told hold onto their top player this season. Barnsley have agreed to extend the loan deals of Stoke players Ryan Shotton and Carl Dickinson so Robbins will be delighted that have those players as options. As far as departures, no major players have been rumoured to be leaving the club so watch this space.

Blackpool:

How much ambition does the Blackpool board have? Playoff contenders Blackpool have surprised many this season but they still have a lot of work to do. They’ve already supposedly failed to sign Roman Torres and there’s been and Holloway has admitted that players will only be coming in if they have the right character. No offers have come in for their players yet, but few would be surprised if some clubs tested the Seasider’s resolve on in form midfielder Charlie Adam; a player who has been a joy to watch all season.

Bristol City:

Not to look too much into anyones personal life but does anyone else think there was a heated Christmas affair at the Johnson household? Lee Johnson, son of Robbins manager Gary Johnson, has left the club for the injury struck Derby, on an original one-month loan deal; guess it wasn’t a Merry Christmas for all of us. The club is currently in a defensive crisis, so City fans should expect Christian Ribeiro to return to the club from his loan spell at Stockport. Targets have been discussed this week, but Johnson will no doubt be disappointed to learn that he must fund himself this month by selling players first.

Cardiff City:

Peter Ridsdale will become the most unpopular chairman in the country for a second time if he is lying about the club’s potential administration possibility, but Cardiff do need to strengthen their team if they want to keep up with those around them. Fabian Delph is thought to be high on Dave Jones’ list, as a midfielder appears to be the priority for this month. Villa don’t seem keen on loaning out young star Delph but there is no doubt that Cardiff will enquire and if they can bag the player in on loan it could allow another player to come in at the same time as Jones has been promisd £3 million to spend. Bristol Rovers star Chris Lines has also been touted, a player who’s contract is up at the end of the season; the right bid may be too good to turn down as Rovers will not want to risk losing him for nothing. An unusually quiet window in terms of rumours for Joe Ledley may be explained by new kid on the block Adam Matthews, who is courting interest from big teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal. Let’s see if the Bluebirds can hold on.

Coventry City:

It’s common practice for English clubs to raid the Irish leagues these days, and Coventry have moved quickly to snap up Gary Deegan. Richard Woods and Chris Hussey have made their loan moves permanent, business Chris Coleman is delighted with and their is a move in the pipe line for league one stand out Carl Baker who has impressed many this season. It certainly appears as if Coleman is doing all he can to fight off the relegation threat to the club and we may even expect more new arrivals at the Ricoh arena. Coleman will not be happy however to hear that Sunderland have an eye on goalkeeper Kieran Westwood and the club must do everything in their power to keep one of the leagues top goalkeepers.

Crystal Palace:

Will any money be spent? No. Palace have struggled to find the green stuff this season and a team that was already quite inexperienced may get even more so by the end of the window. Palace are even in danger of losing their manager Neil Warnock as he eyes up the chance to manage league counterparts Sheffield Wednesday. You must have been living under a rock if you haven’t heard the name Victor Moses linked with just about every club above Palace in the country and Palace have certainly shown they aren’t going to be pushed over despite their monetary problems as they’ve set an asking price of £5 million. Expect more stories about players going out this month as opposed to players coming in.

Derby County:

Derby need new faces fast. They’ve been hit so badly with injuries that Nigel Clough has struggled to get a consistent team together that understands how they play. An ambitious side that would be appealing to any player really, a striker is top of their list. Michael Symes, James Vaughan and Fredrik Stoor are all on Clough’s radar as the Rams look to get someone quality up front. Danny Buijs of Ado Den Haag was keen on a move to the club but this may have fallen through due to his clubs reluctance to loan him out. Recently fit again Kris Commons is attracting interest from the Premiership, Wolves have their eye on the talented midfielder.

Doncaster Rovers:

There’s not much coming out of Donny at the moment. Billy Sharp has recently won PFA player of the month and the Keepmoat outfit will be hoping that Sheffield United don’t exercise their option to recall the front man. A rumoured move for Daniel Cousin seems unlikely, especially considering that QPR are in advanced talks with the player. Martin Woods has been making some eye catching performances this season and the club will be trying to fend off the likes of Cardiff and Middlesbrough this month so they can hold onto him.

Ipswich Town:

Roy Keane has already spent quite a lot of money as manager of Ipswich and results on the pitch have not reflected this. Giovanni Dos Santos is wanted by the tractor boys once again and may well be one of a few signings coming in this month unless players move out. Tamas Priskin has been a flop since his £1.7m move and may well be heading towards the exit door this month and could well pave the way for Derby striker Rob Hulse.

Leicester City:

If Nigel Pearson had plans at the start season for this transfer window then he may well want to throw them out of the window and reassess. City are another admirer of Chris Lines and will be part of a bidding war for him. A bizarre move for Edgar Davids may materialise as well, chairman Milan Mandaric has spoken of his admiration of the former Dutch international recently; paying his wages may be another issue though (maybe he has another with all that tax dodging he’s been up to). Top scorer Matt Fryatt has been watched by Wigan recently and Pearson will not fancy losing him.

Middlesbrough:

Kris Boyd would be a huge capture for the troubled North East side and Boro are certainly considering that avenue due to Rangers current financial difficulties. Signs would suggest that Strachan is keen to utilise his knowledge of the Scottish leagues, as his former players Gary Caldwell and Scott McDonald have both been suggested as Boro arrivals. In any case expect many arrivals for the short-handed side as Didier Digard prepares to depart the Riverside.

Newcastle United:

Chris Hughton has got money available to him and Jermaine Beckford seems more and more likely to join the Geordies after recently handing in another transfer request. A defender is also a desire for the Toon, but don’t expect Matthew Killgallon to move to the North East, the defender has now committed to Sheffield United until the end of the season. Former Ballon D’or nominee (that’s right) Geremi made a little unannounced detour on his way to Angola to meet up with potential new club Ankaragucu. Although they haven’t actually agreed anything with Newcastle the Turkish side still decided to throw the confetti and a party for the player; talk about confidence!

Nottingham Forrest:

Could anyone really play their way into this in form side? Forrest fans will be hoping that Billy Davies can make some signings as to maintain their promotion push and former England international Nicky Shorey is their first priority. It’s been highly reported for a while that the club has an interest in Tottenham’s Gareth Bale but this may be quite unlikely as it is unknown what Harry Redknapp wants to do with the player. Swindon’s Charlie Austin could be a more likely transfer although this is a light rumour as of now. There has been little interest from any clubs so far in Forrest players.

Peterborough United:

Another non-league player comes in (surprise Posh fans!) Josh Simpson. Aldershot’s Marvin Morgan has been attracting interest, although this may seem unlikely now the club has captured Reuben Reid from West Brom. Izale McLeod is the subject of interest from the Posh, but they face interest from Scottish Premier League side Hearts. The traditional round of Joe Lewis leaving rumours have begun already, particularly after Barry Fry told Harry Redknapp he had first option on the player – Redknapp later telling everyone. Good one Barry.

Plymouth Argyle:

So far for Plymouth its been more a case of who’s leaving this month. However, the green army could be tempted to bring back out of favour Hull player Peter Halmosi. It is a bit unknown who new boss Paul Mariner is after, as the club have seen defenders Kirsztan Timar and Marcel Seip both leave already and Steven MacLean is more than likely on his way out too. Tough times on the south coast.

Preston North End:

Darren Ferguson returns to the Championship almost instantly and has taken the reigns at the famous outfit of Preston North End. If you’ve read Daniel Cragg’s post on this site then I don’t need to tell you that there isn’t a lot of money for Preston, but changes need to be made. Neil Collins has joined on a permanent deal already but due to Ferguson’s arrival being so recent its hard to tell who he wants to bring in at this time. Sorry Preston fans!

Queens Park Rangers:

Signings galore for the London outfit? You wouldn’t be wrong. The team has already apparently agreed a deal for Daniel Cousin who will join up after the African Cup Of Nations and the club also has apparently made an enquiry about the well-travelled Amdy Faye. Markus Jonsson of AIK in Sweden is also hoping for a move to England and QPR may well be his outlet to fulfil that ambition. Adel Taarabt may return to Tottenham unfortunately for QPR, but the player has his heart set on staying with Rangers.

Reading:

Gunnar Thorvaldsson has become another member of the ever-growing Icelandic contingent at Reading but apart from that there are few players being linked with the club due to their lack of a manager. Reading have managed to hold onto Simon Church after he signed a new deal with the club and they also harbour an ambition that Gylfi Sigurdsson can continue his impressive displays with Reading as opposed to someone else.

Scunthorpe United:

Craig Dawson of Rochdale is a player Nigel Adkins would dearly love at his disposal, but Rochdale seem adamant he is going nowhere. Scunthorpe seem to see Rochdale as somewhat of a market stall this January if you believe their interest in striker Chris O’Grady. Michael Raynes seems a very likely arrival for the Irons, the Stockport defenders contract is up in the summer and his club are likely to want to make some sort of profit on him. George Friend has been recalled by Wolves, meaning the Irons only have one left back at the club, so that position is likely to be Adkins priority.

Sheffield United:

Due to Matthew Killgallons apparent commitment to the club, Kevin Blackwell is unlikely to have the money he thought he would this window. Richard Creswell has come in from Stoke already but former loanee Greg Halford will not be returning to the club as he wants to battle for his place at Wolves. As mentioned above, Marcel Seip has joined on loan for the rest of the season and it may not be the end of the dealings for a heavily injury struck squad.

Sheffield Wednesday:

The club is looking to the future, as ten Australian players are currently on trial with the club. Tom Soares has extended his loan deal but the most prominent potential transfer for Wednesday at the moment is their managerial position. As mentioned above, Neil Warnock is interested in the job and is the bookies favourite to get the job.

Swansea City:

Could Paulo Sousa, the manager, leave Swansea this January? Burnley have an eye on the talented Portuguese gaffer but the Swans want to hold on. Lee Trundle has extended his loan deal at the club, much to the fans delight and the club may be in the market for another striker to solve their goal shyness. Kevin Phillips, Vincent Pericard and Tamas Priskin have all been linked with the club, so watch this space. The club will also be doing everything they can to hold onto Andrea Orlandi as a few scouts have been watching him over the past few weeks.

Watford:

Your guess is as good as mine? Probably nothing will be happening this month as Malky Mackay wants to keep all his players, particularly Scott Roach and the threat of administration means there will be few arrivals for the hornets.

West Bromwich Albion:

Ishmael Miller is almost back from injury and will feel like a new signing upon his return and it remains to be seen whether or not the club can meet Crystal Palace’s valuation of Victor Moses. Gabriel Tamas has joined on loan from Auxerre and brings a wealth of experience with him. Marcus Haber may also be on his way in, while Robert Koren is expected to be shipped out of the Hawthorns as the Albion have a wealth of depth at their disposal.

Ashley: no longer on the fans good side

Since his takeover of Newcastle United in 2007, Mike Ashley has had a turbulent tenure as owner of the Toon Army. Ever since I left the North East to attend university in Leeds, I get asked quite a lot what I think about Mike Ashley and why the fans have such a strong dislike towards him. I hope I can answer a few questions that I (and I imagine other Newcastle fans) get asked frequently and explain a few reasons why we’re so keen to see him leave.

1. The Kevin Keegan saga

When Kevin Keegan was awarded £2m this month just about all of my housemates, classmates, work mates and even 2 of my lecturers asked ‘you must hate “King Kev” now eh?’. Well, no. The wonderful George Caulkin can explain it in no better way. But to echo that statement (or if you can’t be bothered to read it) Kevin Keegan has done so much for the club and in my opinion has every right to have that money. He stood up for what he believed in, which is the same reason Alan Curbishley left West Ham weeks before Keegan left his post at Newcastle. He was brought into that club and signed into a contract under false promises; I’m pretty sure if all responsibility was taken away from your current job you wouldn’t best be pleased. There is no way Ashley, Llambas, Wise or anybody can defend signing a player to appease two agents and directing the manager to ‘go watch him on Youtube’. When I first started supporting Newcastle KK was in charge, so I can personally never thank him enough for getting a whole city excited and making me as enthusiastic about supporting the team as I am today.

2. Hiring Dennis Wise

This does relate somewhat to the first point, but it has it’s whole own story. What infuriates me most is Dennis Wise all of a sudden coming out on sky sports trying to seem like his was right all along and how innocent he feels. I don’t care if he ‘did what he was told’; he made a lot of bad decisions. Xisco and Ignachio Gonzalez being two names that spring to mind, Gonzalez being signed for what I feel is the equivalent of what is known as a bung in football; which is illegal. The way Gonzalez came to the club alone shows his lack of commitment and Wise’s neglect while in the director of football position.

3. “Hiring Alan Shearer is the best decision i’ve made since I bought the club”. Ok…and then…?

That was a rare quote from Ashley after Newcastle were relegated from the Premiership. I’m pretty sure the bookies weren’t taking bets on the next permanent Newcastle manager at that point, so it begs the question, why does Shearer not manage the club now? I take nothing away from Chris Hughton, I’ll admit that Hughton has done a great job at Newcastle and I respect him for the job he has done; I hope he keeps his job no matter what happens with the ownership of the club. A lot of people I know have said he should have the full time job, but I don’t think so. He’s made a good start, but what about when things take a turn for the worse and we start to lose a bit of form, is Hughton the sort of man who can fire up the players? I think Chris would be the first to admit he works best as an assistant manager and it is my belief that Alan Shearer would make a great manager and should of learnt his trade in the same manner as Kevin Keegan did. People also comment on the fact that Shearer didn’t manage to save us in the end. But he tried, he is a true professional that loves the club and the region; if Newcastle were 2-0 at half time this season I can guarantee you Shearer could get a message across to the players a lot better than Hughton could because he has the passion. Alan Shearer in charge of the team would inspire the city once more and get home attendances back up (even though the club still gets a higher average crowd than a lot of premier league clubs…Sunderland). Also just to note Joe F’in Kinnear’s comments at the start of the season, claiming he was offered the job on a full time basis. So when were you going to install Shearer exactly?

4. Not speaking to the fans

Freddie Sheppard and Sir John Hall were some what shady in their dealings, but at least they made some effort to speak to fans, you can barely get a word out of Ashley. Even when Newcastle fans do hear from Ashley they have to hear it from some outside source, mainly national newspapers rather than a local source or even the clubs own website. And then there’s the club’s bizarre relationship with sky sports who are shall we say slightly selective of what they claim and the fans they broadcast. Even after KK got sacked the club made no comment, proving how very wrong they were. The fans are in the dark about everything at the moment, which is a shame because they still show their faith week in, week out.

5. No structure

A football club is not a business in a normal economic sense. Mike Ashley brought in a number of old associates to help make up the hierarchy of Newcastle United and help run the club to make us have a structure a lot like the top 4 English teams. What he didn’t understand however is that Peter Kenyon was hired by Chelsea because he knows how a football club should work. It would have been fair of Ashley to stay out of matters and merely watch games if he had put in the right structure and hired people who know how a football club should be run. Instead he hired Chris Mort, who although had built a slight rapport with the fans in some respects, quit and returned to his expert field of business. He was replaced with Derek Llambas – who still lives in Essex. This is also a man who was apparently dared by Mike Ashley to streak across the St. James’ pitch and obliged. Oh an that was only in August when the club is supposed to being the process of getting sold (allegedly) and being described as ‘in turmoil’ from every news source on the face of the planet. Great job guys!

6. Lack of bodies

Newcastle played all of last season with one recognised left back at the club. That is a Premiership team with one left back. In the January transfer window all our dealings came in the last 3 or 4 days. At one point in this season we had about 13 players in our squad that had actually made a senior start in a league competition. I’m pretty sure that Chris Hughton has had a word in Ashley’s ear this season and told him that he needed the bodies and thankfully we’ve managed to get in three loan signings (Danny Simpson, Marlon Harewood and Zurab Kish…you know the one). We have managed to keep hold of quality players and Peter Lovenkrands has returned after he found out the hard way that nobody in the Premiership wants him. Oh and he got a 3 year contract, quite a lot for a championship club who are struggling with debts most would agree. And not forgetting our two Argentina internationals…

7. The sale of Newcastle United

You could say anything you wanted about the sale of Newcastle United Football Club and you’d probably have as much evidence as any other news outlet. I am sick of hearing phrases coined like ‘South African businessmen shown around St. James’ Park’. I know selling a club or major organisation can be a long process, but something tells me that Ashley is merely holding out for his ridiculous valuation of the club. I think it was several weeks ago the club issued a statement on their website that a bid had been received, yet they’ve said nothing since. All I have heard is rumours, and it makes me wonder why state that bid has been received to the public if you are not going to then say anything else within a month. The price tag of £100m is ridiculous and it doesn’t surprise me that all of these businesses most likely came in with lower offers. I always hope every day that I’ll be able to wake up to the headline ‘Newcastle sold to [insert name/multibillionaire sultan here]‘ but I just give up. It is a strange feeling when I return to Newcastle; when I grew up the people from the area actually knew what was really happening at the club.

Will Shola Ameobi be enough to fire Newcastle back to the EPL?

Newcastle fans must have watched Leeds United’s loss to Millwall in the League One play-offs and shuddered. It was like watching The Ghost of Football’s Future. Two clubs of similar size with similarly raucous fans, they are teams that by rights should never experience relegation from the top flight, let alone into League One. But it happened to Leeds. And it could happen to The Toon.

There can be no doubt that the steep road Leeds followed during their rapid decline could be one that Newcastle are already barrelling along themselves. The similarities, from playing staff, to wages, to financial excess, to a quick succession of managers, is almost eerie. To a Newcastle fan it should be downright terrifying.

The Championship is an unforgiving place – graduation is difficult, expulsion is effortless. Here are eight reasons why Newcastle will find next season to be the toughest battle the club has faced since before King Kev’s revolution in 1992:

1. Expectation: Birmingham faced their fair share of expectation last season and only just managed to cope with it. They went up, but with the players at their disposal it was hardly inspiring. Newcastle have an even larger mountain to climb. Pundits and the Newcastle public, regardless of who stays and who joins, will expect Newcastle to not only win the league, but to win it in style and with games to spare. Newcastle failed to deal with the pressure last season – can they reverse that next season?

2. The Bus: Fans, management, players and directors are going to be desperate for their club to beat Newcastle.  No other team in the league has the cache of the Toon. At St James’ Park teams will, as they say, park the bus in front of the goal. Away from Newcastle, teams will fancy themselves to take a black-and-white scalp in front of their biggest crowd of the season. Every game, from Doncaster to Blackpool to Peterborough, is going to be a scrap. Are they up for it?

3. The Manager: As things stand, Newcastle do not have a manager. In fact, they have not had a permanent boss since the Keegan debacle at the start of last season. Alan Shearer looks likely to take the role and perhaps given a blank sheet of paper he may thrive where this season, to be blunt, he ultimately failed. Yet even with the talismanic Shearer Newcastle could struggle as they come to terms with the take-no-prisoners nature of the Championship. To overcome that, Newcastle need stability on and off the field, which leads us to…

4. Ownership: Mike Ashley wants to sell and says he wants to sell fast. Few could blame him. Newcastle have a large squad full of players on extensive wages that cannot be supported in the Championship. Not only will the new manager need to be rid of a substantial portion of the playing staff, he’ll also need to pick up a few players who will help guide them through the second tier. The longer the sale of the club drags on, the more difficult this will be and the more unprepared the club will become for the new season.

5. Middlesbrough: Newcastle will be favourites, but in reality Middlesbrough will, gallingly, probably be in better shape than their local rivals. Steve Gibson manages the finances of the club well and always backs his managers. The team should really only lose one or two of their better players and, due to injury, they may even hold on to Stewart Downing for the whole campaign. If Middlesbrough do storm the league it will heap pressure on the Toon and leave just one automatic promotion spot up for grabs.

6. Unpredictability: The Championship is an odd league in many ways. It has become a cliche to say that any team can beat any other, but it is close to the truth. Last year, mediocre Coventry beat Birmingham home and away, while Wolves were battered 5-2 against the usually-feeble Norwich. The gap between the top and bottom of the table is nowhere near as large as it is in the Premier League.

7. Goals: Having a Kevin Phillips or a Sylvain Ebanks-Blake in the squad can pay dividends for any Championship team. Newcastle need to act quickly. Michael Owen will be gone, as will Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins. Peter Lovenkrands may look for a transfer, which means only the terminally under-achieving Shola Ameobi will be left of Newcastle’s senior strike force. That seems unlikely to be enough.

8. Referees: We often hear how bad the standard of refereeing is in the EPL, but whatever the real truth, it cannot be denied that those in the Championship are, by definition, worse. The Championship, for example, boasts ‘phantom goal’ referee Stuart Attwell. They are not referees impressed by reputation and the Magpies may find it tough to struggle in the more physical second tier.

St Mary's Stadium will host League One football next season

Sheffield Wednesday, QPR, Manchester City, Wimbledon (aka MK Dons), Leeds, Oldham, Nottingham Forest, Swindon, Leicester, Barnsley, Bradford. Soon to be joined by another two and probably three in Charlton, Southampton and Norwich. All these clubs have tasted the sweet nectar of life in the Premier League only to later sup at the workaday bitterness of League One. In Bradford’s case, even League Two.

If Norwich go down, as seems likely, that’s 14 teams who have played against the best and slipped to the third tier of English football in the last 17 years. In a game full of startling statistics, that seems pretty mind-boggling. It might hearten fans of Saints and Addicks that a decent portion of those teams have at least made it back to the Championship. Indeed, this time last year Leicester were belly-up and now they are like a horny young salmon, leaping back upstream to play with the bigger boys and girls once more.

In a sense, this shows the outstanding strength in depth of the English leagues. Unlikely teams including Bradford, Swindon, Hull, Stoke, Wigan and Reading all made huge strides in the last decade and a half to reach the top of the mountain. Yet it does not take much to find yourself back at base camp in double-quick time.

It can be put down to poor money management. It can be blamed on carelessness and poor decision-making. But the shocking thing this year is that two clubs who have often been held up as excellent examples of how a medium-sized club should be managed are either already down or simply waiting for the trap door to open.

When Sheffield Wednesday, Man City, QPR, Leicester and Leeds fell into League One, the structure at the clubs was poor and all of them had dealt inadequately with the money the EPL gave them. But Charlton and Norwich do not seem to fall into this category. Charlton have cleverly developed a fanbase from all over Kent and steadily improved a stadium that was derelict 20 years ago. Norwich had more than their fair share of problems in the boardroom in the 90s, but they have a city dedicated to the team, a real sense of community and Delia Smith providing heart and soul as well.

For those two clubs, the short term might be unpalatable, but the feeling is that the long term might be rosy. They are sensible clubs. If they cut costs, appoint the right managers and keep expectations sensible, they could return a stronger unit, like Leicester appear to be doing.

Southampton, though, could be a different story. Not so long ago they had a new stadium, Gordon Strachan had taken them to the Cup Final and they were the latest in a long line of clubs hoping to break into the top six of the EPL. Now the money is gone. The stadium is not being filled. The stars of their youth system have almost all been sold in an effort to balance the books. Rumours of a takeover notwithstanding, it seems likely that Andrew Surman and Adam Lallana will now have to be sold as well.

Around this time of year a lot of pundits make long faces and say it’s a shame for this team or that team to go down. They are saying it about Newcastle now, but is it a shame when clubs the size of Southampton are relegated to League One? Would we prefer to see the smaller clubs, like Doncaster or Blackpool, get relegated, to keep the status quo?

I don’t think so. I think it’s a healthy situation that big clubs occasionally taste life in the bottom half of the Football League. It’s good for football that so-called small teams like Peterborough can play at Championship level.

With dreams of winning the Premier League unrealistic for fans of all clubs except perhaps five – six at a push – the dream has perhaps been downshifted to glory in the Championship and a chance to merely get in the ring with the big boys.

The difference this season compared to others is that three clubs who have all played at the top level within the last four years are (probably) heading down. Not only should that be a lesson to clubs currently happy in the Premier League, it should be a warning. There are at least half-a-dozen Premier League clubs who could be facing the same crisis as Southampton in three or four years time.

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.