Kristian Downer

Qatar were not favourites to win the rights to host the tournament and if there finishing does not improve then I will certainly not fancy their chances of winning the competition on home soil. Congratulations to Qatar on winning the hosting rights and to the bitter nations that missed out here is a clip from the Asian Games that will cheer you up.

Last night Ipswich Town defeated Premiership side West Bromwich Albion by a solitary Grant Leadbitter goal, to secure a place in the last four of the Carling Cup. The only team in the Championship remaining in the competition, this is a welcome boost for a team that is struggling for form and still reeling from a rout in the East Anglian derby last Sunday.

Despite the unpredictable British weather there is much to look forward to for the avid football fan. Today marks the beginning of advent, the countdown to Christmas; this day also signifies that the beginning of the most important period in the English football season is about to begin.

Queens Park Rangers extended their lead at the top of the Championship with an important come from behind victory over second placed Cardiff City. The game did not start the way the London side would have hoped as Craig Bellamy gave the Welsh side the lead after thirteen minutes, as Jay Bothroyd capitalised on a slip by Kaspars Gorkss slip to provide an assist to the on loan Manchester City striker.

Overall the draw is a tough one for the Championship with more than 10 sides facing Premiership opposition, whilst increasing the chances of a relative upset it also means that a strong Championship presence in the fourth round and beyond is limited.

Norwich City moved back into the play off places as they routed ten man Ipswich, as Grant Holt bagged a derby day hat trick which may just signal the end of Roy Keane’s tenure at Portman Road. Recent snowfall and near freezing conditions did little to thaw a heated derby atmosphere, as a record crowd witnessed a fiery and incident filled derby that will put an entire city on a high as they return to work on Monday morning..

This week saw a flurry of loan activity in the Championship, as the loan deadline day came and went. This saw a number of players from Premiership clubs make their way to the Championship to gain some first team experience or maintain their match fitness at a competitive level. Some of the more interesting deals to take place this week include:

Current Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric has today told BBC Sport that he was ’24 hours or less’ from rescuing cash strapped and administration bound Sheffield Wednesday. So would Milan Mandaric be good for Sheffield Wednesday?

One of the results of the weekend was Nottingham Forest’s two goal away at Cardiff, which was significant not only due to Cardiff’s position in the table but because it flies in the face of Forest’s recent away form, which has limited them to just one other away win against bottom of the table Preston so far this season.

This week’s game of the week was the Saturday evening kick off at Bramall Lane, which was screened live on BSKYB. Those fortunate enough to catch the game either from the stands or via their television were treated to a five goal thriller featuring two sending offs, three penalties and a bucket load of late drama.

Henri Lansbury has joined play off chasing Norwich on a 28 day emergency loan to cover for a lengthy injury list that includes midfielders Korey Smith, Stephen Hughes and Matthew Gill.

This weekend in the Championship Cardiff City lost their briefly held lead at the top of the Championship, as they lost at home to Nottingham Forest who recorded only their second away win of the season against the Welsh side.

Like Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers can both boast that they are unbeaten in the league so far this season. However despite this impressive record neither club currently occupies top spot in their respective leagues. So far this season QPR have drawn around half of their games this season dropping 16 points or the equivalent of 5 defeats in the process.

In an interview with the BBC Michael Chopra has revealed that he is actively pursuing becoming an Indian international in the near future. With his grandparents on his father’s side born in India, Chopra is eligible for the Indian national side, but could be delayed in making his debut due to the technical issues around securing the correct paperwork.

The winger/striker has found a new lease of life since leaving the champions, finding the form that inspired Chelsea to sign him aged just 15 in 2005. He has started his Swansea career with a bang scoring 12 goals in 15 games, helping to propel the Welsh club to third in the table and mount a promotion challenge this season.