Rob Agostini

When the Forbes list of the richest clubs in international soccer was released last week it was no shock to ?nd Arsenal third on the list. Coincidentally on the same day Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger came out with the not so surprising comment that despite the likely availability of transfer funds there would be no major changes at […]

Several teams have managed to put together some pretty decent runs in the Championship this season. All of them, though, are susceptible to poor form and bad results. This is partly because this is a tight league with little difference between top and bottom – especially compared with the Premier League – but also because […]

It's difficult to argue too much with Newcastle's recent decision to appoint Chris Hughton as their permanent manager. After all, Newcastle are two points clear at the top of the table, averaging two points per game and are undefeated at home. Yet if I was a Newcastle fan I would have deep concerns about the […]

It is probably against all the rules of a blog to direct the reader away in the first paragraph, but I think it's worth it. Before you read this little ramble, have a listen to the BBC interview with Kevin Blackwell, conducted after Sheffield United's 3-0 defeat at Blackpool a week ago last Saturday. Fun, […]

Newcastle and Middlesbrough entered the Championship from the wrong direction yet still boasted two of the most talented squads in the history of the division. With Newcastle's off-field dramas threatening to do serious damage, many expected Middlesbrough, with their more settled structure, to prosper. Newcastle were always likely to lose the likes of Owen and […]

Less than two weeks to go until the new Championship season. Squads are coming together. Some managers are content, others are panicking. Fans are enjoying a final fortnight of optimism before reality sets in. With this in mind, here are five random predictions for the coming season, hung on a flimsy animal theme: Dark Horses: […]

Of the 24 teams that kicked off the Championship just under a year ago, eleven now have new managers. In the majority of cases, the manager was removed due to perceived failings. Being a Championship manager is like being a duck at a shooting gallery. It's a question of 'when', not 'if', no matter how […]

Newcastle fans must have watched Leeds United's loss to Millwall in the League One play-offs and shuddered. It was like watching The Ghost of Football's Future. Two clubs of similar size with similarly raucous fans, they are teams that by rights should never experience relegation from the top flight, let alone into League One. But […]

As we near the end of what has been and still is an exciting season in the EPL, the various gongs and awards are being given out. As usual, they create plenty of controversy, particularly in the case of Ryan Giggs, who was named Footballer of the Year despite only starting 12 league games this […]

Sheffield Wednesday, QPR, Manchester City, Wimbledon (aka MK Dons), Leeds, Oldham, Nottingham Forest, Swindon, Leicester, Barnsley, Bradford. Soon to be joined by another two and probably three in Charlton, Southampton and Norwich. All these clubs have tasted the sweet nectar of life in the Premier League only to later sup at the workaday bitterness of […]

Supporting QPR requires a person to be able to switch emotions between exasperation, anger, incredulity, despair and, on rare occasions, joy on an almost daily basis. 1st September 2007. I stood outside Loftus Road looking in silence at the memorial laid by fans for our young striker Ray Jones who had been tragically killed in […]

There were some tremendous games at all levels of British football on Sunday. Cardiff and Swansea battled out a thrilling 2-2 draw. Luton gave the Football League a poke in the eye by winning a wonderful Johnstone Paint Trophy Final 3-2 against Scunthorpe. And finally we had the gasp-inducing 3-2 stormer at Old Trafford. It […]

Back in the day, commentators, football writers and outfield players all used to laugh at goalkeepers. They were sometimes described as 'a breed apart' but mostly they were bluntly referred to as 'mad'. Keepers were allowed to have rushes of blood and make silly mistakes, because that is what they were there for. They provided […]

If I asked 23 fans who individually supported all the teams of the Championship except Wolves whether they would welcome Mick McCarthy with a smile as their new manager, I suspect I could count the number of affirmative answers on my grubby little hand. At the end of last season, even a faction of Wolves […]