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 […]

If Wigan had hosted United in mid-August rather than mid-May, they might have thought they had a chance to hold onto the draw as the 80th minute mark passed. Ten minutes to go. A one all scoreline. Why not? But this season has been a long lesson on Manchester's late resolve, and so Michael Carrick's […]

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 […]

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 […]

It has been 40 years since a side from outside the top flight of English football has won the League Cup, when Swindon beat Arsenal 3-1 way back in 1969. However the lose of Liverpool and Chelsea last night has opened the way for the clubs from the Championship to claim some major silverware. Lower […]

Episodes two and three of The Third Half Podcast are now available. If you haven't had a chance to listen to them, click on the player at the foot of this message to hear the episodes via your browser. Or, better yet, subscribe to the EPL Talk Podcast stream via iTunes where you'll automatically get […]

While officially the transfer window isn't open yet clubs are making signings that will become official on July 1st. It might be a free transfer of a player who is out of contract or a transfer involving money or just plain rumors involving players and clubs, the silly season has begun for Championship teams. The […]

Would you rather Bristol City or Hull City be promoted to the Premier League? ( surveys)