<div id="attachment_840" style="width: 160px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2010/06/Slat_Wall_Stores_Fixtures.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-840" loading="lazy" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-840" src="/files/2010/06/Slat_Wall_Stores_Fixtures-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150"></figure></div></a>Don&apos;t mention the F word!</div>
You may have been on EPL talk this morning and read The Gaffer’s blog, which tells you that <a href="http://epltalk.com/2010-11-premier-league-opening-day-fixtures-fiasco/21003?utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EPLTalk+%28EPL+Talk%29&amp;utm_content=Twitter">2010 is the year that f*xture lists have&nbsp;become a commodity</a>. It seems that now the Bundesliga has taken over the Premiership as the richest league in the word, they’re clawing onto any money they can, and no doubt there will be a few independent bloggers caught out. To be fair though, I was about to list the opening day f*xtures on this website until I caught The Gaffer’s article via Twitter, I went onto an unofficial Newcastle United website to see when we’ll play Sunderland next season and I did wonder why they put a copyright at the bottom of the fixtures. In any case, I find fixture day one of the most over-hyped days in English football. It’s nice to see who you’ll play first and when your derby games are, but it’s hardly novel that you’ll be playing every team twice across the season. If you’re one of these odd people Sky have caught at 9am to talk about their excitement regarding their team’s f*xtures, then you’ll probably know every game off heart and will not see this blog because you’ll be too busy in a dark room studying the list. I still think I can do the opening day, so instead of “f*xtures”, I’m going to use the term “opening day battles”. See if you can get who your team is “battling” on the opening day:
1. It looks like those boys will be driving their tractors down up to the Riverside t0 take on the Scotsman’s boys.
2. The capital of Wales hosts the capital of steel!
3. There will be swans floating around the Humber bridge, but the tigers will be on the prowl.
4. The clarets look set to lay down the law when they find the forest around them.
5. Delia Smith welcomes Elton John for a feast of football.
6. The rams go marching on together in a united Yorkshire.
7. For the first time in history a robin will be favourite to beat a lion.
8. The irons can expect a royal welcome when they travel down south.
9. The north end is being invaded by vikings!
10. Law instilling monarchs look to fend off some feisty tykes.
11. A clear place for royalty has a fox problem.
12. The sky will be blue, but a darker shade will look to play up to the occasion.
Remember – I am in no way suggesting that this has anything to do with the Championship or the F word. These are battles, that will all occur on the 7th August and possibly the 6th, 8th and 9th depending on television. In any case, there’s a World Cup on!

I'll Hint The Championship F*xtures Your Way

I'll Hint The Championship F*xtures Your Way - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_837" style="width: 160px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2010/06/speed.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-837" loading="lazy" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-837" src="/files/2010/06/speed-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150"></figure></div></a>Speed to recieve MBE from the Queen</div>
It’s almost as if international football is all that exists when the World Cup is on, La Liga, The Premiership, Serie A and The Bundesliga don’t even get commonly mentioned too much due to the importance and focus on the main world game. But many teams are still in business, and it’s likely that a number of stories from the domestic game (Championship in particular) have gone over most people’s heads, I don’t blame you though – if you have seen me over at <a href="http://www.worldcupbuzz.com/">Worldcupbuzz</a>, I have been glued to the action in South Africa. Here’s a couple of stories from the Championship in the past few days:
<a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_6202516,00.html">Gary Speed Recieves MBE</a>:
Rightfully so. Anyone who has been lucky enough to have Speed in their team will appreciate how good he actually was, and I know for a fact that he is a club hero at places like Sheffield United, Newcastle United, Everton and Bolton. There’s usually been an uproar whenever he was sold, I remember Everton fans were shocked when he was snapped up by Newcastle, and Newcastle fans were then disappointed when Sir Bobby Robson decided his time in the North East was over. He’s the most capped outfield Welsh player and was once upon a time the record holder for most Premiership appearances. He’s currently on Sheffield United’s coaching staff and I wouldn’t put it past him to get a managerial job in the future, I predict that he will become Sheffield United manager after taking the job on a temporary basis in the future. I’m a massive fan of Speed and think he’s one of the most under rated Premiership players ever. Well done Gary!
Sheffield United Quick To Strengthen:
Speaking of the Blades, they’ve made one or two signings the past few days. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_utd/8735762.stm">Leon Britton is a big signing for the club</a>, considering there were a number of Premiership teams keeping an eye on the former Swansea midfielder, and the fact it is on a free transfer only sweetens the deal. United have also taken advantage of the Crystal Palace exodus by <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_utd/8731445.stm">snapping up Austrian Johannes Ertl</a> on a free transfer, and of course they already captured Daniel Bogdanovic from (sort of) local rivals Barnsley. There’s also the likes of Cresswell, Morgan and Montgomery that have all signed new deals, showing that despite Paddy Kenny moving on, the core of the team will remain along with a lot more depth for next season. Scottish left back Charlie Mulgrew may also be on his way to Bramall lane, and it’s more a case of ‘watch this space’ for the time being. They might be worth a bet for a playoff push…
<a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_6204164,00.html">Southgate Uneasy On Subject Of Pompey Job</a>:
There’s quite a few teams that are looking for new managers, although considering the majority of the football world is on media duty for whatever country is paying them, they may have to wait until after the World Cup in order to announce anything. Southgate is currently in South Africa, and I’ve just seen him make the bold half time prediction that Elia might come on as a half time substitute for the Dutch team. No score prediction – just that outlandish statement that a good and bright youngster might make an appearance for his country. The commentator Southgate for that call as Elia came onto the pitch. He’s been named as a favourite to get the Portsmouth job, although it’s likely that any manager will want to wait until there is a new owner in place at least, as Pompey’s future looks uncertain at the moment. Southgate isn’t focusing on any speculation at the moment and if he will become the new Pompey manager it’ll probably be sorted a week or two after the World Cup. Hull and Crystal Palace are also in search for a manger, and it’ll be interesting to see who is brought in to take over these teams next season, considering the amount of problems each of the three clubs face.

And Back To Domestic Football &#8211; Championship News

And Back To Domestic Football - Championship News - World Soccer Talk

And Back To Domestic Football – Championship News

<div id="attachment_832" style="width: 160px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2010/06/Crystal-Palace-006.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-832" loading="lazy" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-832" src="/files/2010/06/Crystal-Palace-006-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150"></figure></div></a>They were all out to save their club - even that dog</div>
I’ve covered Crystal Palace a lot recently, they seem to be involved in every big Championship news story lately, and it’s surprising that a club that was minutes away from liquidation wasn’t covered in greater detail by Sky Sports who usually go weak at the knees for this sort of stuff. But the World Cup is a bit of a distraction I suppose, and in case you hadn’t heard, Crystal Palace were saved from becoming extinct. I was quite surprised by this, considering the morning of the 3pm deadline, stories were running that <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11706_6182625,00.html">doubted a chance for a deal to be made</a>, but eventually, after fan protests and much talk, the club was saved after both sides agreed on an issue regarding the sale of Selhurst Park. Palace’s collapse may have seen the much feared domino effect in English football, as many have analysed in the past that once one club falls from grace, many more will follow, and it will most likely hit the football league hardest.
The football league next season will be filled with a number of clubs attempting to balance the books; Notts County, Portsmouth, Hull and Accrington are just some of the teams desperately trying to sort out their finances and will most certainly be seeing more players heading towards the exit door as opposed to the entrance. You put this on top of a number of top flight clubs having risky debt, Man Utd and Liverpool as a prime example, and English football is being hit hard after years of growth – a situation very similar to what happened in Italy not too long ago. And will more clubs go into debt? Patrick Barclay of The Times, who was recently interviewed by EPL Talk, <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/patrick_barclay/article7139452.ece">certainly thinks so</a>, and the only thing that saved Palace on this occasion with a <a href="http://www.skysports.com/fanzone/blogs/story/0,24015,16833_6184843,00.html">loyal fan base</a>, many of whom were wealthy supporters of the club that were ready to step up in order to save the club they love.
Palace have cleared their debt, but they are still losing a lot of money and I would predict that some high earners may be leaving. Darren Ambrose may be on his way to link up with former Palace boss Neil Warnock at QPR and Julian Speroni, who has been fans player of the season on numerous occasions, may also be ready for the exit door. In truth, the Palace team will look very different next season, and there is still a chance that they will be unable to bring in true quality as they attempt to spend within their means. Could Palace get relegated? I think they may be in for another scrap, as you look at a club like Sheffield Wednesday, whose spending philosophy will hopefully be implemented by the new Palace owners, and they got relegated. When the new owners are a group of some of the richest supporters, they are unlikely to want to put the team they love into massive amounts of debt, as they aren’t rich oil tycoons from a far away land. If you clicked the above link under ‘loyal fan base’ you’ll see that Palace fans now have high hopes for their club to put everything behind them and challenge once again. I believe that is looking too far forward – if anything Palace need slow progression and look to bring in a few loan signings at first.
But then there are the smaller clubs that are also learning a valuable lesson in business, and for them, their future may not look so bleak. Chester recently went out of business, but if a Championship team was to cease to exist, it would send shockwaves through English football. How many more times must we see clubs go into administration? UEFA have got the right idea, <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=790800&amp;cc=5739">forcing teams to only spend as much as they can make</a>, but it is a pipe dream to see the English F.A implement this for all clubs. We’ve seen a number of clubs go into administration and then be taken over in recent seasons that it almost feels like a natural process, but Crystal Palace should be thanking the God’s for their close shave as it really was too close for comfort. At some point the sword is going to fall on clubs, and although it doesn’t need to be that way, there is nothing the single fan can do.

The Palace Saved From Falling &#8211; But Will Future Clubs Be As Lucky?

The Palace Saved From Falling - But Will Future Clubs Be As Lucky? - World Soccer Talk

The Palace Saved From Falling – But Will Future Clubs Be As Lucky?

<div id="attachment_803" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2010/04/Sheffield-Wednesday-vs-Crystal-Palace.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-803" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-803" src="/files/2010/04/Sheffield-Wednesday-vs-Crystal-Palace-300x138.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="138"></figure></div></a>One of the biggest relegation battles ever...</div>
Football can be cruel some times and that will be all the more apparent this Sunday when one of the biggest and most important last day games in English football history takes place as, Sheffield Wednesday take on Crystal Palace with both teams needing to gain some form of points to stay in the Championship. Despite the fact Wednesday have the home advantage playing at Hillsborough, Crystal Palace may well be considered favourites due to their position which means a draw may be all that is necessary in order to condemn the owls to league 1, yet even then you’d be a brave man to bet high stakes on this game. Wednesday have won once in the last ten games whereas Palace have two precious wins and currently stand two points above their relegations rivals. Palace could have sealed their safety in the dying minutes of their game against West Brom on Monday, although when looking back on the match as a whole it would be hard to argue that West Brom didn’t deserve to score at least a second.
I cannot remember (apologies if there was one) in my lifetime as a football supporter there being a fixture quite like this one. It’s effectively a play off game and even though both teams have terrible form, you’d have to think that both sets of players would be fired up for this game and will be ready to give it their all to keep their club in this division. <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11706_6119082,00.html">Confidence has been expressed</a> by both the Sheffield Wednesday chairman and the Palace player Johannes Ertl has claimed that he<a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11706_6123403,00.html"> cannot wait for Sunday’s game</a>. Take what you want from this, but even the best of players would be feeling the nerves before a game like this, we can definitely expect a tense opening ten minutes and it will ultimately end up with one of these two teams throwing the proverbial kitchen sink in before the final whistle is blown.
But let us remember how horrible relegation is. Both of these teams have had a difficult season, Palace were one of the latest clubs to take a ten point penalty for <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crystal_palace/8481549.stm">going into administration</a> and Wednesday had some success under Brian Laws last season, but have never really gotten it together and failed to appease their massive support. Relegation will spell disaster for both these clubs, as Wednesday know all too well the league 1 surroundings and for Palace, they will see this as another financial set-back and may become one of the football league clubs in favour of the <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_6123490,00.html">controversial new parachute payment proposal</a>.
Palace’s relegation also raises an interesting point about teams that go into administration, and Wednesday chairman Lee Strafford has complained that Palace should automatically be relegated for <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/28/crystal-palace-sheffield-wednesday-relegation">spending outside their means</a>. Strafford is one of the voices in favour of bigger punishments for teams that build up heavy debt and has claimed that administration is ‘the escape route out’. Crystal Palace have built up their debt over the years after promotion to the Premiership saw them spend it big, and the club have attempted to re-create this success ever since relegation from the top tier. It’s an issue that is starting to become more noticed in football ever since the recent issues with Portsmouth in the Premiership and it’s hard not to agree with Strafford in saying that it is somewhat of an escape route for teams who build up high risk. The future for Palace seems shady, but will become a more violent and ugly one if the club is playing in league 1 next season (although they will get a chance to revisit rivals Brighton).
The Sheffield Wednesday servers crashed on Tuesday, as people raced to get the final tickets for what is now a sell-out so if you’re like me you’ll be watching this one on the box. Ticket prices dropped to a mere £10 for adults, with cheaper options for concessions, OAP’s and students, which is a wonderful thing to see in English football considering some of the ridiculous pricing that now exists at particular stadiums. Wednesday will also unveil their new shirt, which will <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7880470.stm">sport a local children’s hospital</a> as its logo, following the same route the likes of Barcelona and Aston Villa have gone down in recent seasons and it is nice to see a football team support such a cause.
So here is a game that has a lot riding on it and for the neutral it is a must see match this weekend. The horrors of relegation loom for both sides and the tension may be unbearable at times; whoever goes down has my utmost sympathy as Palace and Wednesday are two great teams with a large support and it will be a shame that I won’t be able to write about one of them as a Championship side next season. Although I have that ‘I can’t wait feeling’ it’s marred by a certain empathetic feeling towards both sets of supporters and I know that while one will be partying into the night, the other will be down on their luck and in a world of hurt. Good luck boys.

Wednesday And Palace Set For Big Relegation Showdown &#8211; A Must See

Wednesday And Palace Set For Big Relegation Showdown - A Must See - World Soccer Talk

Wednesday And Palace Set For Big Relegation Showdown – A Must See

<div id="attachment_639" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-639" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-639 " src="/files/2009/10/beefy__mike_ashley-225x300.jpg" alt="beefy__mike_ashley" width="225" height="300"></figure></div>Ashley: no longer on the fans good side</div>
Since his takeover of Newcastle United in 2007, Mike Ashley has had a turbulent tenure as owner of the Toon Army. Ever since I left the North East to attend university in Leeds, I get asked quite a lot what I think about Mike Ashley and why the fans have such a strong dislike towards him. I hope I can answer a few questions that I (and I imagine other Newcastle fans) get asked frequently and explain a few reasons why we’re so keen to see him leave.
1. The Kevin Keegan saga
When Kevin Keegan was <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/8286967.stm">awarded £2m</a> this month just about all of my housemates, classmates, work mates and even 2 of my lecturers asked ‘you must hate “King Kev” now eh?’. Well, no. The <a href="http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2009/09/i-love-kevin-keegan-love-him.html">wonderful George Caulkin can explain it in no better way</a>. But to echo that statement (or if you can’t be bothered to read it) Kevin Keegan has done so much for the club and in my opinion has every right to have that money. He stood up for what he believed in, which is the same reason Alan Curbishley left West Ham weeks before Keegan left his post at Newcastle. He was brought into that club and signed into a contract under false promises; I’m pretty sure if all responsibility was taken away from your current job you wouldn’t best be pleased. There is no way Ashley, Llambas, Wise or anybody can defend signing a player to appease two agents and directing the manager to ‘go watch him on Youtube’. When I first started supporting Newcastle KK was in charge, so I can personally never thank him enough for getting a whole city excited and making me as enthusiastic about supporting the team as I am today.
2. Hiring Dennis Wise
This does relate somewhat to the first point, but it has it’s whole own story. What infuriates me most is Dennis Wise all of a sudden coming out on sky sports trying to seem like his was right all along and how innocent he feels. I don’t care if he ‘did what he was told’; he made a lot of bad decisions. Xisco and Ignachio Gonzalez being two names that spring to mind, Gonzalez being signed for what I feel is the equivalent of what is known as a bung in football; which is illegal. The way Gonzalez came to the club alone shows his lack of commitment and Wise’s neglect while in the director of football position.
3. “Hiring Alan Shearer is the best decision i’ve made since I bought the club”. Ok…and then…?
That was a rare quote from Ashley after Newcastle were relegated from the Premiership. I’m pretty sure the bookies weren’t taking bets on the next permanent Newcastle manager at that point, so it begs the question, why does Shearer not manage the club now? I take nothing away from Chris Hughton, I’ll admit that Hughton has done a great job at Newcastle and I respect him for the job he has done; I hope he keeps his job no matter what happens with the ownership of the club. A lot of people I know have said he should have the full time job, but I don’t think so. He’s made a good start, but what about when things take a turn for the worse and we start to lose a bit of form, is Hughton the sort of man who can fire up the players? I think Chris would be the first to admit he works best as an assistant manager and it is my belief that Alan Shearer would make a great manager and should of learnt his trade in the same manner as Kevin Keegan did. People also comment on the fact that Shearer didn’t manage to save us in the end. But he tried, he is a true professional that loves the club and the region; if Newcastle were 2-0 at half time this season I can guarantee you Shearer could get a message across to the players a lot better than Hughton could because he has the passion. Alan Shearer in charge of the team would inspire the city once more and get home attendances back up (even though the club still gets a higher average crowd than a lot of premier league clubs…Sunderland). Also just to note <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1204473/Joe-Kinnear-Newcastle-want-I-return-St-James-Park-December.html">Joe F’in Kinnear’s comments</a> at the start of the season, claiming he was offered the job on a full time basis. So when were you going to install Shearer exactly?
4. Not speaking to the fans
Freddie Sheppard and Sir John Hall were some what shady in their dealings, but at least they made some effort to speak to fans, you can barely get a word out of Ashley. Even when Newcastle fans do hear from Ashley they have to hear it from some outside source, <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article6396030.ece">mainly national newspapers</a> rather than a local source or even the clubs own website. And then there’s the club’s bizarre relationship with sky sports who are shall we say slightly selective of what they claim and the fans they broadcast. Even after KK got sacked the club made no comment, proving how very wrong they were. The fans are in the dark about everything at the moment, which is a shame because they still show their faith week in, week out.
5. No structure
A football club is not a business in a normal economic sense. Mike Ashley brought in a number of old associates to help make up the hierarchy of Newcastle United and help run the club to make us have a structure a lot like the top 4 English teams. What he didn’t understand however is that Peter Kenyon was hired by Chelsea because he knows how a football club should work. It would have been fair of Ashley to stay out of matters and merely watch games if he had put in the right structure and hired people who know how a football club should be run. Instead he hired Chris Mort, who although had built a slight rapport with the fans in some respects, quit and returned to his expert field of business. He was replaced with Derek Llambas – who still lives in Essex. This is also a man who was apparently <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1208411/Nude-castle-United-Llambias-runs-naked-St-James-Park-losing-bet-Ashley.html">dared by Mike Ashley to streak across the St. James’ pitch</a> and obliged. Oh an that was only in August when the club is supposed to being the process of getting sold (allegedly) and being described as ‘in turmoil’ from every news source on the face of the planet. Great job guys!
6. Lack of bodies
Newcastle played all of last season with one recognised left back at the club. That is a Premiership team with one left back. In the January transfer window all our dealings came in the last 3 or 4 days. At one point in this season we had about 13 players in our squad that had actually made a senior start in a league competition. I’m pretty sure that Chris Hughton has had a word in Ashley’s ear this season and told him that he needed the bodies and thankfully we’ve managed to get in three loan signings (Danny Simpson, Marlon Harewood and Zurab Kish…you know the one). We have managed to keep hold of quality players and Peter Lovenkrands has returned after he found out the hard way that nobody in the Premiership wants him. Oh and he got a 3 year contract, quite a lot for a championship club who are struggling with debts most would agree. And not forgetting our two Argentina internationals…
7. The sale of Newcastle United
You could say anything you wanted about the sale of Newcastle United Football Club and you’d probably have as much evidence as any other news outlet. I am sick of hearing phrases coined like ‘South African businessmen shown around St. James’ Park’. I know selling a club or major organisation can be a long process, but something tells me that Ashley is merely holding out for his ridiculous valuation of the club. I think it was several weeks ago the club issued a statement on their website that a bid had been received, yet they’ve said nothing since. All I have heard is rumours, and it makes me wonder why state that bid has been received to the public if you are not going to then say anything else within a month. The price tag of £100m is ridiculous and it doesn’t surprise me that all of these businesses most likely came in with lower offers. I always hope every day that I’ll be able to wake up to the headline ‘Newcastle sold to [insert name/multibillionaire sultan here]’ but I just give up. It is a strange feeling when I return to Newcastle; when I grew up the people from the area actually knew what was really happening at the club.

7 Reasons Why Newcastle United Fans Dislike Mike Ashley

7 Reasons Why Newcastle United Fans Dislike Mike Ashley - World Soccer Talk

<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Sky_Bet_Championship.png"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2013/08/Sky_Bet_Championship-532x191.webp" alt="Sky_Bet_Championship" width="532" height="191" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-80648" sizes="(max-width: 532px) 100vw, 532px"></figure></div></a>
Everyone is used to hearing the Premiership being called the best league in the world, I disagree, I don’t even think it’s the best in its own country!
At the beginning of the season you can be pretty sure of predicting the top four in the Premiership, and usually it’s a two horse race for the title; this is where the Championship comes into its own, the Champions from the previous season aren’t there anymore so it’s a very open competition. A perfect example of the openness is Bristol City last season; their aim was to stay up and they came tantalizingly close to having consecutive promotions. Can you imagine Stoke spending most of their first season in the Premiership in second place?&nbsp; Obviously the teams coming down from the top flight have an advantage in as much as they have at least £50 million more than the other teams (including parachute payments), but the atmosphere on the pitch is completely different. The Premiership is hugely more physical than the European leagues, but for Premiership teams coming down into a lower league the physicality level is upped again. It takes valuable time for the relegated teams to adjust, and whilst they are doing so they won’t play to their full potential, which gives other clubs an opportunity.
The physicality gives another advantage to the Championship; less diving. The level of ‘simulation’ in the Premiership is a disgrace, it is blatantly cheating to try and fool the referee. The virtual absence of diving in the Championship makes the beautiful game more pleasant to watch. Also you don’t get the referee being mobbed in the same way that happens in the Premiership; the&nbsp;saying ‘the referee is always right, even when he’s wrong’ still applies.
Every game in the Championship is competitive. In the Premiership Chelsea will beat Stoke, no doubt about it, but when Reading play Coventry there are no such certainties.
The fact that Championship players get paid less also helps; the ordinary man on the street will have more chance of relating to a player who earns three times his annual salary per year, than a player who earns three times his annual salary per week.
In lower league football there isn’t the same problem with executive boxes; whenever the top four play in the Premiership the boxes are empty for 15 minutes after half-time, and this leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of those who have had to work hard for a ticket to see their favorite team play.
There has been a very interesting and competitive start to the best league in England, with only one team taking the full nine points available to them, let’s hope it continues this way!
If you want to read my blog again I will be posting on Championship Talk every Monday.

Why the Championship is better than the Premiership

Why the Championship is better than the Premiership - World Soccer Talk

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