World Soccer Talk https://worldsoccertalk.com EN Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:52:09 +0000 World Soccer Talk https://statics.worldsoccertalk.com/img/logos/512x512_Dark_BG.png https://worldsoccertalk.com https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/lower-table-premier-league-clubs-need-to-believe-in-themselves-and-stop-fawning-opposition-20120124-CMS-38809.html Lower-Table Premier League Clubs Need to Believe In Themselves and Stop Fawning Opposition Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:16:18 -0400

In this day and age it is somewhat accepted that the “big clubs” will dominate all across the board in English football. Somewhat stale air breathes on football as the stranglehold of money dictates all.

Is it possible a manager could overcome these shackles of expectations and pessimism to follow in the footsteps of Brian Clough, OBE?

Mr Clough and assistant Peter Taylor did the unthinkable of taking not one — but two — second division teams to win a series of silverware. Nottingham Forrest won the European Cup twice under Clough’s guidance.

What has happened to the belief and ability to match the game’s heavyweights? I’d like to think it is still possible for greater competition with the simple addition of belief to a side.

How can anyone deal with such dominance by the top teams?

In any given game either team can win or lose. Hunger to win coupled with the genuine thought that it is possible can often outweigh any form of quality difference. Players at any team in the Barclays Premier League should be able to execute. And the belief is something that can be seen in how the manager approaches the press.

Look at the boys from Bloomfield Road last season. Blackpool had a go at it and along the way grew in the hearts of many with a comic manager in Ian Holloway. Blackpool beat Liverpool twice in the league and also beat this year’s title contender Tottenham.

“I call us the Orange club – because our future’s bright!” said Holloway, in one of his many funny quotes.

On Sunday January 15, 2012 Swansea beat Arsenal 3-2. Swansea may have been at home but they definitely served up a performance holding Arsenal to 45% possession throughout the game. Arsenal is not used to seeing so little of the ball given they are known for passing and holding on to it so well.

When Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers was asked if Arsenal was a side he enjoyed watching given the manner in which his own team play, he replied: “I enjoy watching Swansea, I think we are fantastic, some of the football we play, the statistics are up there with the top teams in European football, so I really enjoy watching Swansea.”

Maybe teams should approach games looking to earn their own respect rather than respecting the opposition to a point of mentally discarding their own chances. As a fan it is easy to get behind a man who shows that he thinks he can lead a team above expectations.

In December 2011 Wigan Athletic faced Arsenal. Roberto Martinez found himself caught up in Robin van Persie mania in the pre-match press conference. “Obviously he’s a world class player and I don’t think you can describe many players nowadays with that title, but the truth is he’s got all the individuals around him as well that can really hurt you if you leave yourself exposed.”

Martinez went on to further flatter the opposition by saying that Arsenal can not be contained even if van Persie can be stopped. The Dutchman had scored 13 league goals at that point in the season. Instead the Spaniard was quick to note a number of other threatening players at Wenger’s disposal.

“Gervinho, Walcott, Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, they are players that are very, very good at one on one situations, so you have to be very, very careful.”

Arsenal went on to win, crushing Wigan’s 4-0 after their mini revival in the league. Wigan looked somewhat uninterested, displayed negative body language and seemed beaten from the kick-off. Martinez should probably concentrate on his own side in the run up to matches not praising the superior opposition as there are no points awarded for making friends in this league.

Brian Clough was known for his controversial encounters but would very rarely be found offering respect to the opposition. Just a thought… believe.

You may not agree with what he had to say but the way Brian Clough put it across showed real belief:

“If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there.”   On the importance of passing to feet.

“I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one.” Looking back at his success.

“Manchester United in Brazil? I hope they all get bloody diarrhea.” On Man United opting-out of the FA Cup to play in the World Club Championship.

“I bet their dressing room will smell of garlic rather than liniment over the next few months” Not too impressed with the amount of French players signed by Arsenal.

A world away from the comments given by Wigan’s Roberto Martinez, ‘eh?

In memory of Brian Howard Clough, OBE (21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004)

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/from-the-big-money-flops-to-successful-deals-examining-wigan-athletics-transfers-20120115-CMS-38526.html From The Big Money Flops to Successful Deals: Examining Wigan Athletic's Transfers Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:17:06 -0400

For season after season Wigan Athletic has overcome the difficulties of remaining in top flight English football. The success of this fairytale story has heavily relied upon chairman Dave Whelan. The Wigan chairman has expressed an interest in stepping down at the age of 75 and handing the reins to grandson David. Needless to say for continuing success, the buying and selling of unproven players is a must if the club is going forward with no uncle Whelan to lean on. Wigan has backed the right players on several occasions, helping keep the dream alive, which is somewhat understandable. When a player is brought to the Premier League and takes the plaudits, then it is an almost certainty bigger clubs will swoop in for those players with big money offers.

On the other end of the balance sheet we Wigan supporters have the flops who can really sink a small club as there is no room for passengers in a squad. Unfortunately some of Wigan’s biggest money signing have all fell into the category of “flop”.

Wigan’s Most Successful Deals

Player Bought For Sold For Profit
Charles N’Zogbia £6,000,000 & Ryan Taylor £9,500,000 Arguably no money profit due to the inclusion of Ryan Taylor but not a bad deal for a player in the last year of his contract. Worth his left leg in gold whilst playing, helping hugely in one of football’s great escapes.
Luis Antonio Valencia Undisclosed- around £5 million £16,000,000 Around £11,000,000 profit on a well grounded star, proved to be a great asset on the pitch and financially.
Jimmy Bullard    £275,000 £2,500,000 Playmaker of the most successful Wigan side to date and almost a 10 fold profit- not the biggest numbers but definitely worth a mention! £2,275,000 profit.
Lee Cattermole       £3,500,000 £6,000,000 A true servant of Steve Bruce and a good workhorse whilst playing at Wigan. £2,500,000 profit.
Leighton Baines      Youth £6,000,000 A “failed” Liverpool youth player who joined low down in the Wigan ranks. Baines came through the leagues with Wigan and was a valuable member to the team for the full duration. Sold to Everton for a cool £6,000,000 having cost nothing.
Wilson Palacios    £1,000,000 £12,000,000 The best holding midfielder to put on a Wigan shirt- which is backed by the huge profit of £11,000,000 for Palacios.
Nathan Ellington   £1,200,000 £3,000,000 Nathan Ellington aka “the duke” will go down in Latics’ folklore as a striker that propelled the little town team up the leagues. £1,800,000 profit made on the lower leagues star.
Pascal Chimbonda   £500,000 £4,500,000 Chimbonda did not leave Wigan in the best fashion having handed in a transfer request whilst still kitted up. Pascal got his transfer and Wigan profited by £4,000,000.

Big Money Flops

Player Price Tag Description of Player’s Time At Wigan Athletic
Mauro Boselli £6,500,000 Wigan’s most expensive player signed from Estudiantes de La Plata. Boselli has one goal for Wigan having signed two years ago yet is on loan for the second consecutive season and at his previous employers. Still two years on his contract but it is safe to say Mauro Boselli is a big money flop.
Jason Koumas £5,300,000 Koumas never got out of first gear at Wigan. Blame the failure of the Welshman on the lack of first team opportunities or the fact his time came under three different managers, but it remains Koumas was a flop. Released from service at the end of last season and remains a free agent
Marlon King £4,000,000 King signed for a three and a half year deal following a failed Fulham medical-a sign of things to come? He was signed in January 2008 and loaned that summer to Hull FC. King was returned to Wigan early due to unacceptable behaviour  and shipped back on loan in January 2009 to Middlesbrough. Returning again to Wigan in the summer of 2009 King was a benchwarmer at best. King was sacked in October 2009, following his conviction and sentencing on serious criminal charges. Chairman Dave Whelan was somewhat disgraced by the player.
Olivier Kapo £3,500,000 Kapo was a player of the Steve Bruce era. During his 2 years and 20 appearances managed to score once. His contract was mutually terminated in August 2010.

Looking Forward

Looking on toward more successful years, Wigan need to continue bagging the right players and making a substantial profit on them. It is safe to say that given the nature of top flight football, in the current day, money really matters and realistically a boring mid-table season for Wigan is an achievable target but also a limit. Current players that could really boost the bank include the likes of James Mccarthy, Victor Moses and even £4,000,000 goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi.

Worryingly, Wigan could miss out on cashing in for star striker Hugo Rodallega, with him currently in the last year of his contract. Hugo has been out of form for most of the present season having not scored a goal since the header against Stoke which kept Wigan in the Barclays Premier League. With January not showing much in terms of transfer action, it is likely that Hugo will go for free at the end of the season. The double edge sword that is the Hugo contract saga has left Wigan shutting off contract talks. This dicey move was made in the hope of helping the Colombian hit man to focus on scoring some goals.

Mohamed Diame is another torment for Wigan. His contract expires in the summer and despite transfer speculation of an offer coming during this period there is still none to date. On a more positive note Diame is in contract talks with Wigan. The resulting contract may not lead to much longer at the club but will at least stop Wigan from losing him for free.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/show-schedule-20080513-CMS-73098.html Show Schedule Mon, 12 May 2008 16:10:04 -0400 Apologies, it turns out there will be no new Championship Talk shows for the remainder of this football season.

I’m really sorry about the continued recent false alarms of the show starting back up again soon. The lack of new shows is no longer because of my move, which is now complete. This was instead an unexpected change of plans due to personal reasons.

Feel free to continue to visit the new look website here, with recent play-off postings from Shakira.  Additionally, please note there has been a temporary issue with the championshiptalk email addresses not working, which is currently being looked into.

Thank you very much for your support of the the show throughout this season.  –Brian

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/how-to-get-promoted-20080215-CMS-73157.html How to Get Promoted Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:41:00 -0500 Thank you to Eric Piazzoni (South Bend, Indiana) and the Ipswich Town FC Supporters Club for the following historical breakdown on the required Championship league point totals for potential promotion to the Premiership. Eric’s blog is http://ericpz.wordpress.com and his supporters club chapter is http://www.itfcnasc.com.

Points needed for the final (6th table position) playoff berth:

2003-2004: 72
2004-2005: 72
2005-2006: 68
2006-2007: 75

Points needed for automatic promotion (2nd table position):

2003-2004: 80
2004-2005: 86
2005-2006: 82
2006-2007: 85

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/new-facebook-page-20080215-CMS-73156.html New Facebook Page Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:32:00 -0500 Please note that we have a new show Facebook page. As with the prior site, it is an individual page (as opposed to a group site), and can be found under “Championship Talk”. The prior site was accidentally disabled. Feel free to be our Friend all over again!!

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/name-that-caption-2-20080109-CMS-73155.html Name that Caption: Jan. 8, 2008 Wed, 03 Nov 2021 09:16:20 -0400 Please send caption suggestions to brian@championshiptalk.com regarding this recent perplexing gesturing from the animated Ian Holloway.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leicester_city/7144144.stm

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mislead-zeppelin-20071218-CMS-73174.html Mislead Zeppelin Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:12:00 -0500

Please contact the Lancashire Police at 0800 555 111 with any information regarding Burnley’s missing blimp, photographed here. Much like the Clarets’ recent home form, the aircraft has escaped Turf Moor, and bears a striking resemblance to Diego Maradona. Speculation persists that at this point, the Identified Inflatable Object could even have departed England, and is headed abroad. In light of QPR’s potential involvement, and the West London club’s ties to influential Italian families, you need not leave your name at the Crime Stopper’s hotline number listed above in order to protect the innocent.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/the-mouth-that-roared-20071216-CMS-73173.html The Mouth that Roared Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:49:00 -0500 Please feel free to submit you caption ideas regarding this inspiring photo linked below of Cardiff’s reticent forward Steve Thompson to brian@championshiptalk.com. The winner will receive a “Championship Talk” tee-shirt in January.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7122584.stm

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/this-weeks-show-delayed-until-wednesday-2-20071210-CMS-73175.html This Week’s Show Delayed Until Wednesday Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:59:00 -0500 The “Championship Talk” show originally scheduled as per usual for Monday, 10 Dec. has been delayed to Wednesday, 12 Dec., due to unexpected technical glitches and scheduling conflicts this week. Apologies for the inconvenience…if signs of withdrawal syndrome are starting to set in, please refer to our 5 suggestions below on how to cope with the pain:

1. Older episode(s) may be fun to listen to…especially for the first time in the case of new listeners. “Gaffer Go Round” and “Glad All Over” are two of our personal favourites.
2. Sleeping pills until Wednesday….some of the over-the-counter stuff these days is not bad.
3. You might get an emailed photo from Georgie if you ask nicely. Brian’s on Facebook.
4. There may be subliminal messages if you play the recent shows backwards (or not).
5. Alcohol….Brian recommends Johnnie Walker Black….Georgie enjoys red wine, especially during the “festival” season.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/this-weeks-show-delayed-until-wednesday-20071210-CMS-73171.html This Week's Show Delayed Until Wednesday Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:59:00 -0500 The “Championship Talk” show originally scheduled as per usual for Monday, 10 Dec. has been delayed to Wednesday, 12 Dec., due to unexpected technical glitches and scheduling conflicts this week. Apologies for the inconvenience…if signs of withdrawal syndrome are starting to set in, please refer to our 5 suggestions below on how to cope with the pain:

1. Older episode(s) may be fun to listen to…especially for the first time in the case of new listeners. “Gaffer Go Round” and “Glad All Over” are two of our personal favourites.
2. Sleeping pills until Wednesday….some of the over-the-counter stuff these days is not bad.
3. You might get an emailed photo from Georgie if you ask nicely. Brian’s on Facebook.
4. There may be subliminal messages if you play the recent shows backwards (or not).
5. Alcohol….Brian recommends Johnnie Walker Black….Georgie enjoys red wine, especially during the “festival” season.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/the-wise-new-owl-20071210-CMS-73170.html The Wise New Owl Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:23:00 -0500 Congratulations to

legendary “Championship Talk” listener Karl Krause of Daytona Beach, Florida (and yes Georgie, Houston too!) for making the monumental life decision on which Championship club to support (Sheffield Wednesday). Brian is hoping that Wolves (his suggestion for which club Karl should support) beat Wednesday like a red-headed stepchild on 29 Jan., in light of Karl opting for Georgie’s recommendation.

All kidding aside, its great to receive photos from listeners, and we’re more than willing to assist with club support selection at no charge (customized for an individual’s tastes). Since divorcing is not an option when it comes to English football fandom, it really is a more crucial decision than marriage proposals! Best wishes to Karl and his Owls this season.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/name-that-caption-20071127-CMS-73169.html Name that Caption: Nov. 27, 2007 Wed, 03 Nov 2021 09:15:58 -0400 As mentioned on our 26 Nov. show, please send us your caption ideas regarding this alluring visual!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/carlisle_united/7109033.stm

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/can-you-out-predict-georgie-20071120-CMS-73168.html Can You Out-Predict Georgie?! Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:22:00 -0500 To review, here are Georgie’s predictions regarding our friendly competition mentioned on today’s show (19 November):

–Next Player to be Sent Off: Ricardo Fuller (Stoke)
–Next Manager to be Fined: Neil Warnock (Crystal Palace)
–Next Manager to be Sacked: Dave Jones (Cardiff)
–Next Club to Concede 5 Goals: Blackpool
–Bottom of the Table at Boxing Day: NorWich

Please submit your forecasts to Brian (brian@championshiptalk.com). Those of you with more correct prognostications that the astute Ms. Frost (good luck) will be entered into a drawing. Five winners will be randomly drawn and will receive “Championship Talk” tee-shirts in January. Please email Brian with any questions. Thank you for your interest in the show!

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/upcoming-show-schedule-20071026-CMS-73163.html Upcoming Show Schedule Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:54:00 -0400 “Championship Talk” will be back on Monday, 29 October, featuring Alex Rice of “The Beautiful Game” fame, Brian Koski, and more Crystal Palace interviews. Georgie is sadly on holiday in Asia, but will return for the Monday, 5 November episode. Thank you for your continued patience, the show aims for more regular weekly episodes slated for release each Monday throughout November.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/the-official-championship-talk-mascot-20071010-CMS-73161.html The Official Championship Talk Mascot Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:10:00 -0400

The infamous Holiday Inn Southampton supporter, who was ejected from this Norwich match on 18 August for standing, delights the Saints faithful by striking a svelte shirtless pose from his mate’s hotel room overlooking Carrow Road.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/henderson-watford-stun-southampton-20070918-CMS-73160.html Henderson, Watford Stun Southampton Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:28:00 -0400 Bristol City’s stay at the top of the table was short lived, as Watford moved into first position with a dramatic come from behind victory over Southampton Sunday at Vicarage Road. Darius Henderson, coming in as a substitute with his playing time diminished due to the Nathan Ellington acquisition, scored on 81 minutes as well as in injury time.

Grzegorz Rasiak and Nathan Dyer scored for Southampton, who remarkably had the opportunity to climb from 19th to 4th in the table if they had held on to a 2-1 advantage. The Saints on Wednesday host Colchester at St. Mary’s, while Watford are away to Cardiff on Wednesday.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/bristol-city-top-of-the-table-20070916-CMS-73159.html Bristol City Top of the Table Sun, 16 Sep 2007 07:44:00 -0400 Bristol City now sit top of the Championship table following a surprise 3-0 result away to Coventry at the Ricoh. Midfielder Michael McIndoe opened his account for the Robins, in addition to contributing to a Coventry own goal. City are top with 11 points after 5 matches, pending Watford’s result on Sunday. Despite Coventry’s defeat, Sky Blues’ gaffer Iain Dowie commented that Coventry were the better side throughout the majority of their match on Saturday.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/highlights-from-round-2-20070820-CMS-73218.html Highlights from Round 2 Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:55:00 -0400 Stoke and Watford are top of the Championship table following home conquests over Charlton and Sheffield United, respectively. Jon “The Beast” Parkin scored the Saturday Night Football match winner for the Potters (2-1 result), who face Southampton next Saturday. The Saints have arguably had the most disappointing league campaign to date, with supporters’ frustrations mounting over Southampton’s off-season sell-off of key players to avoid administration.

Wolves recovered from a crushing opening day setback vs. Watford by defeating Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday. Freddie Eastwood opened his season account for Wolverhampton. Midlands rivals West Brom continued Preston’s woes with a 2-0 result. New Boy Ishmeal Miller, on loan from Man City, scored impressively on his Baggies debut.

Best wishes to Ian Holloway, who was sent to hospital Saturday suffering from kidney stones. All indications are that Ollie, who missed Plymouth’s draw with Ipswich, will be back to his engaging self in the near future.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/latest-championship-transfer-news-20070709-CMS-73215.html Latest Championship Transfer News Sun, 08 Jul 2007 17:52:00 -0400 WEST BROM: Curtis Davies’ agent has expressed disappointment in the media at West Brom’s lofty valuation of the defender, which has potentially turned Tottenham off from acquiring Davies.

Reports persist that Aston Villa are in for Jason Koumas, attempting to sweeten the deal by offering Gary Cahill and Isaiah Osbourne out on loan to the Baggies.

CARDIFF: The Bluebirds are pursuing Robbie Fowler, who is also being courted by Glasgow Rangers and New England Revolution of MLS. Fowler is appealed by the close proximity of Cardiff and regular playing time, but the offer may be significantly less than that of other clubs.

PRESTON: David Nugent has been asked to report to the Preston camp, as talks prolong with Portsmouth and Sunderland to acquire the international striker.

IPSWICH: Negotiations are ongoing to purchase striker Francis Jeffers from Blackburn. Jeffers was on loan to the Tractor Boys towards the end of last season.

WOLVES: Freddy Eastwood has signed with Wolves from Southend, having chosen Wolverhampton over Charlton due to a greater confidence in Wolves’ promotion chances this season.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/leeds-relegated-20070429-CMS-73204.html Leeds Relegated Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:48:00 -0400 Leeds have been essentially relegated to League One football next season, following a 1-1 home draw with Ipswich on Saturday, combined with Hull winning away at Cardiff 1-0. Although Leeds can still finish even with Hull on points, Hull are ahead of Leeds by 9 in goal differential. The Leeds-Ipswich match was tainted by a chaotic Elland Road pitch invasion (following Alan Lee’s 88th minute equalizer for the Tractor Boys), which delayed the match by 30 minutes.

At the top of the table, Birmingham moved back into first with a massive 2-0 result over Sheffield Wednesday at St. Andrews, which eliminated the Owls from playoff contention. In light of Sunderland’s 3-2 win on Friday v. Burnley, the pressure is now firmly on Derby ahead of their Sunday fixture with Crystal Palace in London. A Derby draw or loss against Palace would virtually secure top flight football next season for both Birmingham and Sunderland.

In addition to Sheffield Wednesday, Colchester United’s hopes of qualifying for the playoffs realistically ended Saturday with a 3-1 loss at Stoke (due to an inferior goal differential to Stoke and Southampton). That leaves five clubs competing for the final three playoff positions going into the final round of fixtures (West Brom, Wolves, Southampton, Stoke, and Preston).

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/current-odds-to-win-championship-20070408-CMS-73190.html Current odds to win Championship Sat, 07 Apr 2007 21:59:00 -0400 from William Hill:
(after April 7 matches)

Sunderland: 11/8
Derby: 7/4
Birmingham: 21/10
Preston: 80/1
West Brom: 100/1
Southampton: 150/1
Wolverhampton: 200/1

QPR had a massive week, with two wins now pulling the West Londoners 5 points clear of the drop zone. Leeds quieted their naysayers (for now), by moving out of the relegation positions with a 2-1 victory over Plymouth Saturday at Elland Road.

While Birmingham suffered a devastating home loss to Burnley on Saturday, the Blues still have a valuable game in hand over all clubs near the top of the table. Stoke is now a strong contender for a Playoff spot after defeating West Brom at The Hawthorns 3-1.

Please feel free to contact me at brian@championshiptalk.com or www.myspace.com/briankoski with your thoughts on the Promotion/Relegation races in the Championsip. The Podcast is still on course to commence in late June. It was a pleasant surprise to be contacted recently by the Tractor Boys of North America (Ipswich supporters group). Their website is http://www.itfcnasc.com/ if you’d like to touch base with them.

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/fourfourtwos-football-league-top-50-2-20070318-CMS-73193.html FourFourTwo’s Football League Top 50 Sat, 17 Mar 2007 23:42:00 -0400 Listed below are a few highlights from the recently unveiled FourFourTwo Top 50 Football League player rankings. Please let us know what your opinions are on the ratings, either by commenting here, or emailing (brian@championshiptalk.com). I was mildly surprised by the results, and had predicted that David Nugent would be #1 this season.

Top ten:

10. Giles Barnes (Derby)
9. Rob Earnshaw (Norwich)
8. Michael Chopra (Cardiff)
7. Grzegorz Rasiak (Southampton)
6. Curtis Davies (West Brom)
5. Diomansy Kamara (West Brom)
4. Gary McSheffrey (Birmingham)
3. Gareth Bale (Southampton)
2. David Nugent (Preston)
1. Jason Koumas (West Brom)

Championship clubs with the most Top 50 players:

West Brom (4)
Birmingham (3)
Colchester (3)
Derby (3)
Preston (3)

Youngest ranked player: Gareth Bale (Southampton, 17 years old)
Top rated goalkeeper: Matt Murray (Wolves, #16)
Last year’s #1 ranked player: Phil Jagielka (Sheffield United)

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/fourfourtwos-football-league-top-50-20070318-CMS-73182.html FourFourTwo's Football League Top 50 Sat, 17 Mar 2007 23:42:00 -0400 Listed below are a few highlights from the recently unveiled FourFourTwo Top 50 Football League player rankings. Please let us know what your opinions are on the ratings, either by commenting here, or emailing (brian@championshiptalk.com). I was mildly surprised by the results, and had predicted that David Nugent would be #1 this season.

Top ten:

10. Giles Barnes (Derby)
9. Rob Earnshaw (Norwich)
8. Michael Chopra (Cardiff)
7. Grzegorz Rasiak (Southampton)
6. Curtis Davies (West Brom)
5. Diomansy Kamara (West Brom)
4. Gary McSheffrey (Birmingham)
3. Gareth Bale (Southampton)
2. David Nugent (Preston)
1. Jason Koumas (West Brom)

Championship clubs with the most Top 50 players:

West Brom (4)
Birmingham (3)
Colchester (3)
Derby (3)
Preston (3)

Youngest ranked player: Gareth Bale (Southampton, 17 years old)
Top rated goalkeeper: Matt Murray (Wolves, #16)
Last year’s #1 ranked player: Phil Jagielka (Sheffield United)

]]> https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/championship-talk-podcast-details-20070312-CMS-73178.html Championship Talk Podcast Details Sun, 11 Mar 2007 16:12:00 -0400 The Championship Talk podcast is scheduled to debut in June, and will be a weekly show (30-40 mins. in length). The program will involve myself, Brian Koski, as host, along with a cast of characters from England (correspondents, guests, etc.). Although I am physically based in the US (Seattle), the podcast will primarily have a British sound and feel to it. I try and visit the UK annually, and will likely be back in September for a football holiday.

“Championship Talk”, the podcast, will cover news and views on the Football League Championship, along with some entertainment, contests, interviews, etc. To my knowledge, it will be the first podcast solely focused on the Coca-Cola Championship…quite remarkable since judging by attendance, TV revenue, supporters clubs, etc., The Championship in my opinion is the 2nd most significant and compelling English-speaking football league on the planet.

Please feel free to contact me with suggestions on show format and content through this website, email (brian@championshiptalk.com), or MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/briankoski). I have been a Guest Co-Host and Correspondent on a handful of other football shows, and am looking forward to this new opportunity. Special thanks to The Gaffer at EPL Talk for his continued support with this project.

Cheers,

Brian Koski

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