The Championship 2019/2020

duffer

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It's back!

Starts tonight with Luton v Middlesbrough at 19:45.

Leeds are the bookies favourites, followed by Fulham Cardiff and West Brom.

Bristol City are my outside pick.
 

SambaBoy

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Can see Leeds crashing after a good start and Biesla walking away/getting sacked.

Fulham have kept the baulk of their players that got them promoted two seasons ago and added a bit of quality, they should be there or thereabouts. Warnock knows the league like the back of his hand but will still have a tough task getting Cardiff promoted again.

I'd expect West Brom to get promoted as well now they have a good manager for that division and one of the best squads.
 

Xaviesta

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I'm intrigued to see how Leeds perform with their reported 3-3-1-3 formation. Swansea really lost their way late in their time in the Premier League, keen to see if they can go back up at the 2nd time of asking.
 
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Wolff

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Can see Leeds crashing after a good start and Biesla walking away/getting sacked.

Fulham have kept the baulk of their players that got them promoted two seasons ago and added a bit of quality, they should be there or thereabouts. Warnock knows the league like the back of his hand but will still have a tough task getting Cardiff promoted again.

I'd expect West Brom to get promoted as well now they have a good manager for that division and one of the best squads.
Can hardly see Bielsa fail. He done brilliant with that team, and will again. Warnock? The game has passed him by multiple years. And the championship has evolved. Fulham is my bet!
 

SambaBoy

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Can hardly see Bielsa fail. He done brilliant with that team, and will again. Warnock? The game has passed him by multiple years. And the championship has evolved. Fulham is my bet!
He always starts well, and then things end badly. You can even say he burnt out last year given they were 15 pts ahead of Villa with only like 10/11 games to go last season. Warnock got Cardiff promoted the last time they were in the division in 17/18 with a wage budget in the bottom half of the division so game has hardly passed him by.
 

Wolff

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He always starts well, and then things end badly. You can even say he burnt out last year given they were 15 pts ahead of Villa with only like 10/11 games to go last season. Warnock got Cardiff promoted the last time they were in the division in 17/18 with a wage budget in the bottom half of the division so game has hardly passed him by.
I don’t know if you watch the championship. But Bielsa had that team over preform. They did very well. And I don’t know If you watched just how lucky Warnock was with his 1980’s football and every team arround him falling apart. Shit manager playing shit football. Keep the ball moving and on the ground, that team is easy pickings.
 
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MsNuno

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I wish Biesla would go elsewhere I like him, but I can't want Leeds to do well.
Lots of big teams with decent squads there, interesting to see how Woodgate gets on with Boro and Derby with Cocu.
 

Untd55

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I don’t know if you watch the championship. But Bielsa had that team over preform. They did very well. And I don’t know If you watched just how lucky Warnock was with his 1980’s football and every team arround him falling apart. Shit manager playing shit football. Keep the ball moving and on the ground, that team is easy pickings.
Warnock has a very good record of getting teams promoted from the Championship, so, no, he is not a crap manager in the Championship (Most promotions of any manager in English football). Getting Cardiff promoted wasn't lucky; he just did all he could with a team that has a bottom half level budget in the Championship - Cardiff were also an absolute mess when he took over.

Leeds dropped off last season. We will see whether they can actually maintain results for the entirety of the season. Last 5 game span was poor.
 

lysglimt

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I thought it would be interested if we could try to follow some matches each weekend. Championship kicks off with Luton vs Middlesbrough, a match I will watch since it's live on TV here.

Luton: Simon Sluga, Martin Cranie, Dan Potts, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Simon Bradley, Matt Pearson, Callum McManaman, Elliott Lee, Andrew Shinnie, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, James Collins

Boro: Darren Randolph, Jonny Howson, Daniel Ayala, Ryan Shotton, Hayden Coulson, Adam Clayton, Lewis Wing, Paddy McNair, Marvin Johnson, Ashley Fletcher, Britt Assombalonga

Players With a United Connection: 3

Ryan Tunnicliffe - spent 5 seasons at United before joining Fulham in 2014. Joined Luton in the summer after being released by Millwall in 2019. Played a total of 162 League matches for 10 different Clubs (including loans)

Paddy McNair - 27 matches for United between 2014 and 2016 before joining Sunderland. 7 goals in 27 games for Sunderland before joining Boro in the summer. Northern Ireland international

Ashley Fletcher - left United to join West Ham in 2016 after a good loan-spell with Barnsley. No success with the Hammers and joined Boro in 2016. Spent last season together on-loan with McNair at Sunderland.


The star signing: Simon Sluga - Luton spent £1.5 million to sign the 26 year croatian goalkeeper Simon Sluga from Rijeka. Made his Croatian debut in 2019.

The goalscorers: James Collins and Britt Assombalonga

Collins started With Aston Villa and had a good career With Shrewsbury, Swindon, Hibernian before joining Crawley Town in 2016. The tall and powerful striker scored 20 goals in 45 matches and joined Luton where he was an instant hit. Scored 19 and 25 leaguegoals in his 2 Seasons at Kenilworth Road.

Assombalonga was released by Watford and started his career in non-League football. Eventually joined Peterboro and scored 23 goals in his first season. Picked up by Forest and scored 15 in 29 games before losing the entire season 15/16 to a knee injury. Returned by scoring 14 goals in 32 matches the season after. Boro paid £15 million for the striker who is yet to live up to the expectations. Scored 29 goals in 86 matches for Boro.
 

lysglimt

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Saw that a different thread was created so Close this one
 

lysglimt

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Luton - Boro

Luton:
Simon Sluga, Martin Cranie, Dan Potts, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Simon Bradley, Matt Pearson, Callum McManaman, Elliott Lee, Andrew Shinnie, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, James Collins

Boro: Darren Randolph, Jonny Howson, Daniel Ayala, Ryan Shotton, Hayden Coulson, Adam Clayton, Lewis Wing, Paddy McNair, Marvin Johnson, Ashley Fletcher, Britt Assombalonga

Players With a United Connection: 3

Ryan Tunnicliffe - spent 5 seasons at United before joining Fulham in 2014. Joined Luton in the summer after being released by Millwall in 2019. Played a total of 162 League matches for 10 different Clubs (including loans)

Paddy McNair - 27 matches for United between 2014 and 2016 before joining Sunderland. 7 goals in 27 games for Sunderland before joining Boro in the summer. Northern Ireland international

Ashley Fletcher - left United to join West Ham in 2016 after a good loan-spell with Barnsley. No success with the Hammers and joined Boro in 2016. Spent last season together on-loan with McNair at Sunderland.


The star signing: Simon Sluga - Luton spent £1.5 million to sign the 26 year croatian goalkeeper Simon Sluga from Rijeka. Made his Croatian debut in 2019.

The goalscorers: James Collins and Britt Assombalonga

Collins started With Aston Villa and had a good career With Shrewsbury, Swindon, Hibernian before joining Crawley Town in 2016. The tall and powerful striker scored 20 goals in 45 matches and joined Luton where he was an instant hit. Scored 19 and 25 leaguegoals in his 2 Seasons at Kenilworth Road.

Assombalonga was released by Watford and started his career in non-League football. Eventually joined Peterboro and scored 23 goals in his first season. Picked up by Forest and scored 15 in 29 games before losing the entire season 15/16 to a knee injury. Returned by scoring 14 goals in 32 matches the season after. Boro paid £15 million for the striker who is yet to live up to the expectations. Scored 29 goals in 86 matches for Boro.
 

FootballHQ

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Think lots of squads are much weaker than last year. People saying WBA but they have lost 55 goals from what started last season in Jay Rodriguez, Dwight Gayle and up to January in Harvey Barnes. They signed Zahore from Cardiff for 8m but he's more of a hold up striker, he only scored 9 goals in the season Cardiff went up.

Was crucial Leeds kept Bielsa but again they've sold Pontus Jansson to Brentford and Kemar Roofe is leaving aswell. Without those two they capitulated in the second leg to Derby, I don't rate likes of Liam Cooper or Berardi tbh.

Talking of Derby lost likes of Mason Mount and Harry Wilson, Kieran Dowell who've they signed is going to have big burden of creativity on his shoulders.

I think Fulham will be top 2. Seemed to have shipped out many of the players who inbalanced them last year and they have got a good attack, Ivan Cavaleiero-Mitrovic-Knockaert, not sure there's a championship team with stronger forward line and they also have Tom Cairney back in favour who's a fantastic attacking midfielder at this level.

I think if Brentford could keep Neal Maupay they could be a surprise challenger for top 2 but that'a a big IF. Preston aswell have been a solid team for a few years at championship, they started last season dreadful and were bottom at start of October, after that their form was pretty much top 6 for following 7 months.

As ever no idea really!
 

lysglimt

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Contender for goal of the season - Bradley takes it on his chest and hammers it into the top corner from 25 yards.
 

lysglimt

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2-1 Cranie. Heads home from a corner. Former Boro-man scores against Boro. Both goalkeepers have looked shaky so far....

That is Cranie's 3 career-goal in his 387 appearance. He last scored for Barnsley in 2014/2015
 

FootballHQ

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2-1 to Luton now.

Neither side did much training on defending corners it seems.
Wonder if there's a Boro fan out there on one of their forums brave enough to type...."Bring back Pulis." :lol:

Luton keeper looks a bit dodgy to me.
 

lysglimt

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And the worst defending possible from Luton 2-2. Shinnie first loses the easiest ball and Assombalonga shoots poorly at the near post from 15-16 yards. Sluga somehow manages to lose the ball into the net.
 

lysglimt

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2-2 at half-time. Entertaining but in terms of quality - not impressive. Ashley Fletcher gave Boro the lead on 7 minutes. Luton failed to clear a corner and when Johnson got a new chance he crossed the ball for Fletcher to more or less hit with his shoulder and into the net.

Luton equalized not too long afterwards. The ball was headed out to skipper Simon Bradley who took the ball on his chest and with his left foot sent a rocket into the top corner from 25 yards.

Martin Cranie headed Luton in front after poor defending on a corner. Randolph should have been quicker off his line to clear the ball imo.

Luton now looked in charge, but some of the worst defending you will ever see - gave Boro the equalizer. Sluga kicked an easy ball out to Shinnie with his face to goal about 20 yards out. The Luton-player somehow managed to lose control of the ball and Boro nicked it. Assombalonga got the ball near the edge of the box - his shot was really poor but Sluga somehow managed to let the ball roll between him and the post.
 

lysglimt

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Collins does a Maradona and punches the ball into the net following a cross from the right. But the linesman and the ref spots the cheater and gives him a yellow card. Roughly 246 Boro-players all raise their hand to protest immediately so the chance of missing that one was fairly small. The striker and his teammates of course protest..God knows why :)
 

lysglimt

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McNair almost scores just a minute after when his cross takes a deflection of a defender and hits the crossbar.
 

lysglimt

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Another super-goal. Boro lead 3-2. Lewis Wing with a delightful strike from 25 yards into the top corner. Perhaps Sluga should have got some fingers on it - but what a goal.