better days
Well-Known Member
Rod Liddle
Sunday April 17 2022, 12.01am, The Sunday Times
The league table often lies, as I’ve mentioned before. But it also reveals the occasional truth. Both of these apparently paradoxical statements are in evidence when you look at the many teams in contention for a play-off spot in the Championship.
Only three points divide the teams between sixth and tenth and at least 12 teams still have chance of securing a play-off spot. That would suggest that there is not much between any of them, which would be an entirely accurate assessment (with one exception) — so, in this case, the table is pretty truthful.
However, after Fulham, the two best sides I have watched this season are Swansea City and Coventry City and I have heard much the same from neutrals. But slick, cultured Swansea are mired in mid-table and were at one point looking over their shoulders a little anxiously. Coventry, meanwhile, are just about in the mix, but rank outsiders — alongside my lot, Millwall — to steal that last play-off spot.
I have no answer as to why both teams aren’t a lot higher, aside from that ubiquitous caveat “lack of consistency”. Swansea in particular play beautiful football and have an aversion to allowing opponents any share of the ball: they would grace the top division.
The rest of those vying for a play-off place, Coventry excepted, are much of a muchness. Both QPR and West Bromwich Albion have been on a downward trajectory since the beginning of the year and in any case are not up to much. The west Londoners always flatter to deceive and West Brom can’t quite make the transition from the top league to the Championship, and their fairly expensive talent has floundered. Millwall and Luton Town are two teams deserving of enormous credit for being even within reach of a play-off place, given their minuscule budgets, comparatively small attendances and lack of parachute payments.
Luton should make it over the line: they have a fine team comprising familiar names — Robert Snodgrass, for example, who these days resembles a Chieftain tank, but also Henri Lansbury and Cameron Jerome. This somewhat mature contingent is given zest by the presence of Harry Cornick, one of the best players in the second tier, and Elijah Adebayo, who is, I think, this season’s Ivan Toney and would not look out of place in the Premier League. Nathan Jones has recruited well. It is 30 years since Luton were in the top division: Nathan Jones, you’ve been gone too long.
Millwall have recruited very well, too — a testament to manager Gary Rowett’s clever, incremental improvement of a squad which three or four years ago was making a meal of mere survival in the second tier. Given that Millwall have endured the worst season for injuries that I can recall in 55 years, their presence anywhere near the play-offs is a minor miracle.
McNamara and Millwall are hoping to gatecrash the Championship play-offs
A strong defence, superb homegrown talent in Danny McNamara, Billy Mitchell and Tyler Burey plus the Premier League standard winger Jed Wallace, Millwall are an established upper-table side and it would not take much to hoist them the last few inches.
Because when I look at the rest, they seem to me no great shakes. Middlesbrough have improved since Chris Wilder came in but are still often insipid in attack. Blackburn Rovers have been borne aloft on the goals of the striker Ben Brereton Díaz — half Chilean, half Stokie — and are otherwise solid enough.
Huddersfield Town have obduracy but not a great deal else that I can see, and they have begun to stutter a little of late. Nottingham Forest — beaten by Luton on Good Friday — have the dependable Lewis Grabban and the superb, if querulous, Djed Spence who (unfathomably) Middlesbrough still refuse to recall from loan.
There are not many obvious future England internationals in the second tier, but Spence (on his day, when not acting outraged) is surely one. But there is not much else to write home about. This leaves Sheffield United, still clinging to the last play-off berth just as they are still clinging to the coattails of wily Billy Sharp. Millwall took six points from them this season.
Which leaves the two automatic places, at present and almost certainly finally occupied by Bournemouth and Fulham (or Mitrovic Athletic as they have become known). Fulham are clearly the top side in the division — that’s parachute payments for you. Indeed, both they and Norwich City seem to be employing consecutive relegations and promotions as a very lucrative business plan. Parachute payments have got to stop: football clubs should not be rewarded (and then rewarded again) for failure.
My guess for the top six is pretty much how it looks now, although Sheffield United may lose out to Middlesbrough, who have a game in hand. Three of Middlesbrough’s last five games are at home and tomorrow’s fixture against Huddersfield is crucial. Whatever, I suspect we’ll be seeing them again pretty soon even if they do go up.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/topic/premier-league
Sunday April 17 2022, 12.01am, The Sunday Times
The league table often lies, as I’ve mentioned before. But it also reveals the occasional truth. Both of these apparently paradoxical statements are in evidence when you look at the many teams in contention for a play-off spot in the Championship.
Only three points divide the teams between sixth and tenth and at least 12 teams still have chance of securing a play-off spot. That would suggest that there is not much between any of them, which would be an entirely accurate assessment (with one exception) — so, in this case, the table is pretty truthful.
However, after Fulham, the two best sides I have watched this season are Swansea City and Coventry City and I have heard much the same from neutrals. But slick, cultured Swansea are mired in mid-table and were at one point looking over their shoulders a little anxiously. Coventry, meanwhile, are just about in the mix, but rank outsiders — alongside my lot, Millwall — to steal that last play-off spot.
I have no answer as to why both teams aren’t a lot higher, aside from that ubiquitous caveat “lack of consistency”. Swansea in particular play beautiful football and have an aversion to allowing opponents any share of the ball: they would grace the top division.
The rest of those vying for a play-off place, Coventry excepted, are much of a muchness. Both QPR and West Bromwich Albion have been on a downward trajectory since the beginning of the year and in any case are not up to much. The west Londoners always flatter to deceive and West Brom can’t quite make the transition from the top league to the Championship, and their fairly expensive talent has floundered. Millwall and Luton Town are two teams deserving of enormous credit for being even within reach of a play-off place, given their minuscule budgets, comparatively small attendances and lack of parachute payments.
Luton should make it over the line: they have a fine team comprising familiar names — Robert Snodgrass, for example, who these days resembles a Chieftain tank, but also Henri Lansbury and Cameron Jerome. This somewhat mature contingent is given zest by the presence of Harry Cornick, one of the best players in the second tier, and Elijah Adebayo, who is, I think, this season’s Ivan Toney and would not look out of place in the Premier League. Nathan Jones has recruited well. It is 30 years since Luton were in the top division: Nathan Jones, you’ve been gone too long.
Millwall have recruited very well, too — a testament to manager Gary Rowett’s clever, incremental improvement of a squad which three or four years ago was making a meal of mere survival in the second tier. Given that Millwall have endured the worst season for injuries that I can recall in 55 years, their presence anywhere near the play-offs is a minor miracle.
McNamara and Millwall are hoping to gatecrash the Championship play-offs
A strong defence, superb homegrown talent in Danny McNamara, Billy Mitchell and Tyler Burey plus the Premier League standard winger Jed Wallace, Millwall are an established upper-table side and it would not take much to hoist them the last few inches.
Because when I look at the rest, they seem to me no great shakes. Middlesbrough have improved since Chris Wilder came in but are still often insipid in attack. Blackburn Rovers have been borne aloft on the goals of the striker Ben Brereton Díaz — half Chilean, half Stokie — and are otherwise solid enough.
Huddersfield Town have obduracy but not a great deal else that I can see, and they have begun to stutter a little of late. Nottingham Forest — beaten by Luton on Good Friday — have the dependable Lewis Grabban and the superb, if querulous, Djed Spence who (unfathomably) Middlesbrough still refuse to recall from loan.
There are not many obvious future England internationals in the second tier, but Spence (on his day, when not acting outraged) is surely one. But there is not much else to write home about. This leaves Sheffield United, still clinging to the last play-off berth just as they are still clinging to the coattails of wily Billy Sharp. Millwall took six points from them this season.
Which leaves the two automatic places, at present and almost certainly finally occupied by Bournemouth and Fulham (or Mitrovic Athletic as they have become known). Fulham are clearly the top side in the division — that’s parachute payments for you. Indeed, both they and Norwich City seem to be employing consecutive relegations and promotions as a very lucrative business plan. Parachute payments have got to stop: football clubs should not be rewarded (and then rewarded again) for failure.
My guess for the top six is pretty much how it looks now, although Sheffield United may lose out to Middlesbrough, who have a game in hand. Three of Middlesbrough’s last five games are at home and tomorrow’s fixture against Huddersfield is crucial. Whatever, I suspect we’ll be seeing them again pretty soon even if they do go up.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/topic/premier-league
