Nobody is Bored in the Championship

Twenty four hours, before Kevin Keegan said what everybody has been thinking for ages - that the Premiership is boring - the Coca Cola Championship came to a pulsating conclusion.

By my reckoning, on the last day 14 clubs still had something to play for.
Unfortunately, our season had already come to an end and we chose Sunday to put in our worst performance of the campaign.
From our point of view it was a day to forget … and quickly.
Good luck to Palace though. They deserve their success and I hope they win the play offs.
For us it`s been a mixed season, but I have to say that apart from the Blackpool and Palace away games I`ve enjoyed every match.

West Brom and Stoke take the honours, but if they are the benchmark we aren`t too far away.
Against Albion we won at Turf Moor but narrowly lost in a classic at the Hawthorns. Against Stoke we were the better side in both games and were only denied a win at the Britannia by a soft late penalty that went in via our goalkeeper!

Lucky, Lucky Lawrence

Stoke have achieved their success their own way. Tony Pulis` tactics may not be pretty to watch - and don`t expect Sky to take in Stoke v Bolton next season - but it`s led to a Premiership stop.
We live in a crazy world though. Remember, City fans were calling for his head when they were at Turf Moor back in November!

I saw a little bit of Sky's build up on Sunday.
Matt Le Tissier (Southampton) and Tony Cottee (Leicester) seemed really surprised at the demise of their former clubs.
However, once those crazy, inflated parachute payments cease the Championship doesn`t respect past reputations.
The table doesn`t lie but it`s amazing that the Foxes have gone down with the second best defensive record in the division!
To use a Holloway analogy, I bet he`s as sick as a badger at the end of the mating season!

Premiership … You're Having a Laugh!

His chairman may disagree but King Kevin is right; the Premiership is boring.

The top four will be the top four next season and for many years to come and the other sides are obsessed with avoiding the drop.
It`s way, way too predictable.
So much so that they relinquish their chance of cup glory by playing weakened sides to rest their Premiership elite.

The real heart and soul of football lies below the top tier.

When, during the 'Geordie Messiah`s' first coming Newcastle defeated Leicester 7-1 to be promoted to the Premiership, Keegan said in his programme notes, "Watch out Alex, we're after your title".
When we were last promoted from this division (1972-73) I genuinely thought we had a chance of back-to-back titles.
I remember Forest winning the League in 1978 just a year after promotion.
It won't ever happen again.
Promoted clubs and their fans are already dreaming about a fourth bottom finish and another Sky windfall.
Perhaps it`s the same elsewhere in the EU?
Lyon have just won their seventh successive French title, La Liga is dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, Bayern Munich are on top of the Bundesliga again.
The romance has gone.
Back in 1987, when our attentions were elsewhere, the likes of Luton, Wimbledon (pre-Franchise of course), Norwich, Watford and Coventry all finished above Manchester United.
It won't ever happen again.

Deep Fried Berger

Ironically eleven years ago Martin O`Neill was managing Leicester City to League Cup success. Heady days for the Foxes!
His stock rises and rises and he acted quickly this week to terminate Patrik Berger`s employment at Villa Park.
The Czech international recommended Spanish life at Anfield to Gareth Barry, just as O`Neill was trying to use his Irish charm to try and make the former Brighton player stay.
Doh!

Rough Justice

So, Darren Purse was able to play against Barnsley last Sunday when our own Andrew Cole had to sit out the Palace game with his nasty leg injury.
Everyone knows the decision to rescind Purse's red card was absurd but we now know, courtesy of the Wales on Sunday, that the chairman of the Welsh FA disciplinary board was in fact Kieron O'Connor, a Cardiff City season ticket holder!
Justice?
I don`t think so!

Have a great summer!