POS. | PL | TEAM | Pts |
1 | 5 | Reading | 15 |
2 | 5 | Burnley | 12 |
3 | 5 | Stoke City | 12 |
4 | 5 | Watford | 11 |
5 | 5 | Preston North End | 11 |
6 | 5 | Leeds United | 10 |
7 | 5 | Wolverhampton W. | 9 |
8 | 5 | Sheffield United | 8 |
9 | 6 | Cardiff City | 8 |
10 | 5 | Norwich City | 7 |
11 | 5 | Luton Town | 6 |
12 | 4 | Crystal Palace | 6 |
13 | 5 | Crewe Alexandra | 6 |
14 | 4 | Leicester City | 5 |
15 | 5 | Ipswich Town | 5 |
16 | 5 | Derby County | 5 |
17 | 5 | Plymouth Argyle | 5 |
18 | 6 | Millwall | 5 |
19 | 6 | Sheffield Wednesday | 4 |
20 | 4 | Southampton | 3 |
21 | 5 | Coventry City | 3 |
22 | 5 | Brighton & H.A. | 3 |
23 | 5 | Hull City | 2 |
24 | 5 | Queens Park Rangers | 1 |
Is that really Burnley in second and QPR at the bottom???
Well, it sure has been an interesting month in the Coca Cola Championship – not just on the field, but off it too.
Not only have we seen the rollercoaster ride that is Harry Redknapp’s managerial career, but we have also seen Warnock’s inevitable move to Pompey become – well, not so inevitable, as he didn’t actually go (bravo and good man).
So let's start with the astonishing on-going soap opera that is Portsmouth FC. Now Pompey aren’t exactly every football fan’s cup-of-tea, but they certainly have shaken up the Championship. According to the Sun newspaper, Warnock was definitely going to Fratton Park, and then Joe Royle probably off to Bramall Lane. Then it was Crystal Palace’s Iain Dowie turn to be touted as Alain Perrin 's replacement, before (and perhaps most astonishingly) it was good old ‘arry Redknapp who was due to return to the land he once betrayed. I for one thought that could never happen – it just wouldn't be right for obvious reasons.
But it did; and what else could you possibly say but how utterly disgusting of the man. Harry is a humorous and well respected character, but where in return is his respect for the south-coast football fans who actually pay his wages? Football supporters love having a rival to hate. Why? Because it makes it fun when you beat them.
Therefore, for Harry to jump ship from Portsmouth to Southampton and then back again to Portsmouth this week simply undermines the importance of such rivalry between these fantastically passionate supporters. It can only imply that Redknapp believes the Pompey/ Saints rivalry is so tame that he feels he can upset it without bothering either of the two sets of supporters.
What's worse is that within the whole debacle, other Championship clubs have also been unnecessarily affected. Indeed, could it really be that much of a coincidence that both Sheffield United and Crystal Palace have both struggled this month having been caught up in the whole sordid affair? Both their managers were heavily linked with the Portsmouth job and subsequently have struggled in November.
Sheffield United picked up just 8 points out of a possible 15 in November. More significantly, however, is that since Warnock was linked with the Portsmouth job, the Blades have only managed to draw at home to Millwall before losing 4-2 to Leicester, having already dropped yet more points to Wolves. Many would back them to recover from this mini-dip in form but it now looks like Reading who will be on that so-called “unstoppable surge” towards Premiership glory. You know the one – the same surge Ipswich were on before things got messy towards April...
Believe me Reading aren’t there yet - but aren’t they bloody good? Anyone who was at the Ipswich/ Reading game this month would know exactly why they have gone on an unbeaten run that has now well exceeded 20 games. They are very solid at the back with the likes of Ingimarsson, Sonko and Shorey. They attack with pace, flare and imagination, whilst Sidwell and Harper have both scored goals from what is an impeccably well-orgainsed midfield.
But when talking of the successes of November, try taking a look at a few teams in the Northwest: Burnley, Stoke and even yes, even Crewe. Burnley and Stoke have each clocked up four wins out of five since the start of November, whilst Crewe have started the month with back-to-back wins at home to Leeds and Millwall at the New Den.
Burnley's strong point is playing in front of their home support at Turf Moor. Here, they won all three of their home games and also defeated Luton 3-2 away from home courtesy of an Adi Akyinbiyi hat-trick. Steve Cotterill has transformed Burnley from relegation candidates into a hard-working, well-orgainsed side who, if the likes of Graham Branch and Akinbiyi can stay fit, should score the goals that could turn them into serious promotion candidates.
Stoke on the other hand are more formidable on their travels having recored three conservative away wins at Coventry, Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday. December looks a bit more tricky for them with daunting trips to Burnley and Sheffield United and a home fixture against Leeds.
As for the November strugglers, Hull and QPR managed to notch up just 3 points out of 30 between them last month. Hull conceded 11 goals in five matches whilst QPR conceded 12 on their way to losing four-in-a-row. However, with injuries beginning to clear up, both sides can afford to be optimistic heading into the festive season..... and that's where the real fun begins!