Category: Football League

The latest football league news and analysis, covering the Championship, League 1, League 2

Two staggering Euro 2016 stats about Norwich City and Joe Hart

Vincent Van Genechten

The Brexit at Euro 2016 is almost complete, as England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland were all eliminated in the round of 16. That means only Wales remain in the tournament, but Gareth Bale and his fellow Welshmen are facing a strong Belgium side in the quarter-finals on Friday July 1. Belgium’s golden generation produced an extremely polished performance to beat Hungary 4-0 and breeze into the quarter finals of Euro 2016, where they will play the Inspired by the brilliance of Eden Hazard who set-up one goal and scored another…

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Newcastle land goalkeeper from Champions League sensation

Vincent Van Genechten

Newcastle United are on the verge of signing goalkeeper Matz Sels from Belgian side KAA Gent, according a report by Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. The 24-year-old is reportedly set to undergo his medical tests at the club before signing a five-year contract with the Magpies. The transfer fee Newcastle will be paying is currently unknown, but it is said Gent rate their goalkeeper at £5 million. The Belgian side surprised the football world with a stellar run in the Champions League last season. They were able to qualify for the…

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Leicester offer star to Real Madrid, make bid for defender

Vincent Van Genechten

Leicester City star N’Golo Kante has been offered to Real Madrid, according to Spanish source AS. The France international has a £ 19.8 million release clause and has been linked with a number of big clubs after impressing during the Foxes’ surprising Premier League title run. With another busy season ahead, the 25-year-old will bring further defensive cover to the team alongside Casemiro, who’s Real’s only true defensive midfielder. Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has been open with his praise for the France international, who joined Leicester from Ligue 1 side Caen…

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Championship Season Review – Reading, Rotherham, Sheff Wed, Wolves

Stephen Donovan

Reading: 17th It was clear that Reading underachieved badly in 2014-15, so manager Steve Clarke quickly set about building a squad that would make a bid for the play-offs at the very least. Some high profile loan signings arrived including Chelsea starlet Lucas Piazon and Benfica’s Ola John, but it did not spark a flying start as results early on proved tough to come by. That was until the end of August, when something clicked and they were suddenly unplayable, wiping the floor with both Brentford and Ipswich Town in…

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Championship Season Review – MK Dons, Nott’m For, Preston, QPR

Stephen Donovan

Milton Keynes Dons: 23rd (relegated) After knocking on the door for several seasons, MK Dons finally achieved promotion to the Championship in 2015, and having wiped the floor with many of the teams in the third tier it appeared as though they would have little trouble acclimatising to playing at the higher level. Some key players departed over the summer, but their absence was not felt initially as a resounding win at Rotherham United on opening day was not long followed by victory at home to Bolton Wanderers. However, things began…

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Championship Season Review – Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Middlesbrough

Stephen Donovan

Hull City: 4th (promoted via play-offs) Manager Steve Bruce offered to resign after failing to keep Hull in the Premier League in 2015, but the club managed to convince him to stay on. That persuasion eventually paid off as the club returned to the top-flight at the first attempt by coming out on top in the play-offs. They were in the mix all season as a strong start immediately had them among the promotion contenders. The only early blemishes came in away defeats to Charlton Athletic and fellow pace setters…

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Championship Season Review – Charlton, Derby, Fulham, Huddersfield

Stephen Donovan

Charlton Athletic: 22nd (relegated) A season which began in encouraging fashion soon became one to forget as Charlton descended into turmoil, suffering relegation to the third tier after four seasons back in the Championship. It was never in doubt once the downward spiral began, with results on the pitch eventually marred by the sheer weight of protests towards the club’s Belgian owners. After a mid-table finish in 2015 there was optimism around in South London and that was enhanced by an opening day victory over Queens Park Rangers. Further positive results…

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Championship Season Review – Brighton & HA, Bristol City, Burnley, Cardiff

Stephen Donovan

Brighton & HA: 3rd In almost any other season, 89 points would be more than enough to win automatic promotion, and comfortably at that. For that reason Brighton can consider themselves massively unlucky not to have secured top-flight football for the first time since 1983, with a second chance in the play-offs having also failed to deliver the status befitting of their stadium, facilities and their fan base. There was clearly ability within a squad that had been added to by the signing of Israeli striker Tomer Hemed and left-back…

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Championship Season Review – Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Brentford

Stephen Donovan

Birmingham City: 10th For the second year in a row, Birmingham City have finished 10th in the Championship, but the contrast between the two seasons is massive. In 2014-15 Gary Rowett took over a side that looked to be headed for relegation and galvanised them, whereas this time around they were very much in the play-off picture until fading away during the closing weeks as a strong home record deserted them. At the beginning the aim was to stay clear of danger and maybe push for another top half finish,…

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League Two Season Review 2015-16

Stephen Donovan

They may have been plagued by off-field tribulations due to a tumultuous change of ownership, but throughout the 2015-16 season Northampton Town were a machine, powering past and reigning over all those who stood in their way. Having the look of a strong outfit from the start, they won the title at a canter and ended with a 24-match unbeaten run. Manager Chris Wilder had been managing in League Two for several seasons without being able to sustain a promotion bid, but this time his charges were unstoppable and he…

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League One Season Review 2015-16

Stephen Donovan

Many clubs in recent seasons have found the going tough upon being relegated from the Premier League, so much so that they slip almost inexorably into the third tier. Wigan Athletic were that team going into 2015-16, just two years after winning the FA Cup under Roberto Martinez and now with a new chairman in 23-year-old David Sharpe. The man tasked with reversing the downward spiral was one of the members of that side that upset the odds against Manchester City on that famous day at Wembley, Gary Caldwell. The…

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Middlesbrough linked with two veteran stars, in danger of losing key player

Vincent Van Genechten

Middlesbrough forced their way back to the Premier League, securing promotion to England’s top flight for the first time since the 2008/2009 season. The Boro are primed for a summer transfer spree as they need to upgrade their squad to stay alive next season. Therefore, they have been linked with two veteran players. According to a report by The Sun, Middlesbrough are eyeing a £6 million move for Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel as they plan for their first campaign back in the Premier League. The 31-year-old centre-back has become frustrated…

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Wimbledon star gives one of the most entertaining interviews ever [Video]

Vincent Van Genechten

AFC Wimbledon will play in League One for the first time in their history next season after sealing their sixth promotion since the club’s formation in 2002, by beating Plymouth 2-0 League Two play-off final at Wembley. Adebayo Akinfenwa helped his team by scoring the second goal from the penalty spot: Akinfenwa beast mode #afcwimbledon #playofffinal pic.twitter.com/yCXNknpxIW — Scot Munroe (@ScotM87) 30 mei 2016 The striker then revealed he has been released by the club, in an interview that was very entertaining: Akinfenwa post match interview 🙈🙈🙈 #afcwimbledon #playofffinal pic.twitter.com/8YShQsHm8B — Scot Munroe (@ScotM87)…

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Premier League Season Review – Norwich City

Stephen Donovan

Norwich City: 19th (relegated) FA Cup: Round Three Capital One Cup: Round Four Norwich are quickly earning a status as the new yo-yo team of the top two divisions in English football. After suffering relegation in 2014 they made an instant return to the Premier League through the play-offs, but a further year later they are left to reflect on another failure to make their mark on the top table after failing to win their lengthy battle against the drop. Manager Alex Neil entered the season with a terrific standing…

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Football fans are excited with the latest proposed changes to the Football League [Tweets]

Vyom Chaudhary

English football is set to undergo a major overhaul in the coming years. On Thursday, the Football League announced its plan to increase the number of professional leagues in England from four to five. In 1994-95, the Premier League needed to reduce from 22 clubs to 20. It was managed in one season, by relegating the bottom four clubs and promoting only two from the First Division. The process continued down to the Third Division, which expanded from 22 teams to 24. The new proposed structure will have five leagues with…

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Everton vs Norwich – Premier League preview and team news

Stephen Donovan

Now looking for a new manager, Everton finish a hugely disappointing campaign with a home encounter with a Norwich City side that has already been condemned to an instant return to the Championship. It all began exceptionally well for Roberto Martinez at Everton as he guided the club to its highest Premier League points tally in his first year in 2013-14, but it has been gradually downhill from there despite the quality within the squad never having decreased. The anger towards the Spaniard from supporters reached such a critical point that he…

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Four teams fighting for the Premier League’s jackpot

Vincent Van Genechten

Brighton, Hull City, Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday will compete for the most lucrative prize in English football: promotion to the Premier League. Deloitte claim promotion to the Premier League this season will be worth at least £170 million, which in this case assumes the promoted side gets relegated after just one season in the top flight. It is estimated clubs can count on an additional £95 million in revenue per season in the Premier League plus £75 million in parachute payments across the following two seasons if they are relegated,…

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Norwich vs Watford – Premier League preview and team news

Stephen Donovan

Norwich City are fighting to keep their increasingly bleak chance of Premier League survival alive, and they know that even a win at home to Watford on Wednesday evening might not be enough to save them. The current scenario sees the Canaries four points behind 17th-placed Sunderland with just two games remaining, which means that they must win both to have any hope of making an unlikely escape. Sam Allardyce’s side are in action at the same time against Everton, and if they pick up three points they will be…

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Arsenal have made a bid for highly-rated Championship defender

Vyom Chaudhary

Arsenal are closing in on a move for highly-rated Bolton Wanderers defender Rob Holding, according to the latest rumours on the transfer market. The 20-year-old was voted Bolton’s player of the year this season, as he was one of the few bright sparks for the Trotters in a season they suffered relegation to the League One. According to Marc Iles, chief football writer at the Bolton News, Holding was dropped from Bolton’s squad for the 1-0 defeat against Fulham because of a possible bid from the Gunners. Bolton’s caretaker boss Jimmy…

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Norwich vs Man Utd – Premier League preview and team news

Stephen Donovan

The odds are beginning to go against Norwich City in their battle to survive relegation from the Premier League, so victory in Saturday’s early kick-off against Manchester United will act as a timely boost as well as a pivotal result. There was every reason for manager Alex Neil to be extremely pleased with Norwich’s performance in their most recent outing at Arsenal, but we have reached a point in the season where results are much more important and some very good chances went to waste as they fell to a…

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Small champions in big competitions: these teams set the example for Leicester City

Vincent Van Genechten

Leicester City were crowned the most surprising Premier League champions ever as Tottenham drew 2-2 at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea on Monday. However, despite the Foxes’ amazing accomplishments, they are not unique in football history, as there have been more “small” champions in Europe’s five biggest competitions – England, Italy, Germany, France, and Spain. Premier League: Blackburn Rovers (1995) Before Leicester won it this season, there were only five teams who had won the Premier League since 1992: Manchester United (13), Chelsea (4), Arsenal (3), Manchester City (2) and… Blackburn…

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Liverpool have to pay big for “free transfer”

Vincent Van Genechten

Liverpool have been told they must pay Burnley up to £8m for striker Danny Ings, a record for a tribunal ruling, according to The Guardian. The 23-year-old striker arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2015 on a free transfer. However, it turns out there was nothing free about the transfer at all. Ings left the Championship club last season as his contract had expired, but because he was under 24 years of age, his former employers were entitled to compensation from the Reds. However, a tribunal was needed as…

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Arsenal vs Norwich – Premier League preview and team news

Stephen Donovan

Norwich City have slipped back into the drop zone, and with the pressure on and so few games left to save their season they must take at least a point from what is a very difficult game at top four hopefuls Arsenal. The home side are making immensely hard work of securing a Champions League place, to the extent that they are looking over their shoulders a little. There were few reasons to be encouraged in their last match as they were held by another struggling side in Sunderland, where the likes…

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Premier League’s relegation battle is heating up: who will stay up?

Vincent Van Genechten

With just a couple of matches left to play in this season’s Premier League, the relegation battle is heating up massively. So who will stay up: Norwich City, Sunderland, or Newcastle United? With just 16 points from 34 matches and conceding 65 goals, Aston Villa are already certain of playing in The Championship next season. Three teams are battling to remain in England’s top flight, with two of them joining the Villains in the second tier. Newcastle are currently ranked 19th with 29 points and four matches left to play.…

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IYCMI: A penalty miracle in The Championship [Video]

Vincent Van Genechten

On Saturday, Preston and Milton Keynes Dons faced each other on matchday 42 in The Championship. They drew 1-1, with goals from Jermaine Beckford for the home team and Nicky Maynard for the visitors. Preston had the ultimate chance to win the fixture, as Dons’ goalkeeper Cody Cropper received a red card in the 81th minute and Joe Garner would have been able to secure a Preston win from the penalty spot. However, striker Alex Revell put on the gloves and produced a miracle by saving Garner’s penalty kick!

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