I Love The Championship

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ucandomagic

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I’ve just watched Jimmy Ramble’s mate on his Leeds YouTube channel and he was great. He melted down about Leeds drawing with Hull and their Keeper, and I thought this is my football. I pointed out on here last week that Meslier was by far Leeds’ worst stat!

Don’t get me wrong I want us to get promoted and stay up as long as possible to milk the $$$. But I love being strong and getting stronger and stronger in the Champ. If we had 5 Argentinians in our side competing in the Prem with half the England team against Spurs or City would I enjoy it more? Fuck no .

So I guess I don’t want to sell our soul to win the Champions’ League - but I do want Sky TV money to win the Championship every other year or so.

I was so proud of our guys tonight - that was worth a Top 4 Prem finish to me. My first game was nearly 55 years ago, but tonight was up there. I also thought that Wilder came back out of the “up his own arse media darling” to really being one of us again tonight.

So just getting Prem Money next season to get stronger and still being us - a proper football target.

UTB & Slava Ukraini!
 

I’ve just watched Jimmy Ramble’s mate on his Leeds YouTube channel and he was great. He melted down about Leeds drawing with Hull and their Keeper, and I thought this is my football. I pointed out on here last week that Meslier was by far Leeds’ worst stat!

Don’t get me wrong I want us to get promoted and stay up as long as possible to milk the $$$. But I love being strong and getting stronger and stronger in the Champ. If we had 5 Argentinians in our side competing in the Prem with half the England team against Spurs or City would I enjoy it more? Fuck no .

So I guess I don’t want to sell our soul to win the Champions’ League - but I do want Sky TV money to win the Championship every other year or so.

I was so proud of our guys tonight - that was worth a Top 4 Prem finish to me. My first game was nearly 55 years ago, but tonight was up there. I also thought that Wilder came back out of the “up his own arse media darling” to really being one of us again tonight.

So just getting Prem Money next season to get stronger and still being us - a proper football target.

UTB & Slava Ukraini!
I think this needs to be plan. We need to make all
Attempts to stay up but basically buy the best young players from the championship. Expecting us to go down and come back stronger. It allows us to build infrastructure, stadium , training ground etc.

We don’t go overboard but we have a plan that we will come down.

Some fans will lose first 3 and go mad, blame manager , chairman etc. Unless there’s game changing investment (even then expect us to go down) it’s a tough ask.
 
I can agree the economic argument about being a yo-yo club, but can you honestly say you enjoyed last season at all?

I've been going for forty odd years and I hated last season. It was an embarrassment.

I understand the case for trousering the cash, and the yo-yo and stick model, but the gap is getting larger. It's no accident that the three promoted clubs were relegated last season, ourselves and Burnley without trace, whilst Luton were down with six weeks to go, and look at the EPL this season, who are the bottom 3 again??

We have to give it a go if we get promoted.
 
I can agree the economic argument about being a yo-yo club, but can you honestly say you enjoyed last season at all?

I've been going for forty odd years and I hated last season. It was an embarrassment.

I understand the case for trousering the cash, and the yo-yo and stick model, but the gap is getting larger. It's no accident that the three promoted clubs were relegated last season, ourselves and Burnley without trace, whilst Luton were down with six weeks to go, and look at the EPL this season, who are the bottom 3 again??

We have to give it a go if we get promoted.
Completely agree with this.

You’ve got to give it a go.

Luton went for this and everyone said they had built a squad ready to go back to the championship and promotion again - looks like they built a squad for a relegation battle again!

Norwich were the club everyone wanted to be like yo yo between champ and Prem, now look at them, firmly a mid table side in champ who don’t look anywhere near promotion chasing.

Get promoted and go for it
 
The plan has to always be to progress as a club. The chasm in quality difference and the extra resources as well as effort needed to progress is often what causes clubs to go for it and then almost bankrupt themselves in the process. This has to be avoided

Last season was spectacularly poor for many reasons, Southampton finding it this season and it will be depressing for them as it was for us.

However, I think with incremental improvements or finding that unique model that works for SUFC is the key. We will most likely come back down if we go up, but whatever happens, it shouldn't become a millstone or become a case of throwing everything in to succeed.

The models of Brentford, Palace, Brighton and Wolves need looking at, to a lesser extent forest because they could've easily blown it.

The academy is our building block, as is bringing in the better championship players, but there should not be a static approach, we have to do a Brentford and accept that we will sell players for profit but have the next player ready to come through...
 
The season we finished mid table in the Prem was one of the top two or three seasons in my 30+ years of being a Blade.

I just want to see us go up and give it a go. Last season we gave up before it even started. Our starting 11 for the first match was worse than our current team. It won’t be that bad again even if we come back down.
 
Ipswich nearly have as many points now (15) as we managed across the whole season last year! Mind you, Luton also had 15 points after 19 games last season and now look at them.

Makes our 54 points in 2019-20 look even more remarkable.
 
Ipswich nearly have as many points now (15) as we managed across the whole season last year! Mind you, Luton also had 15 points after 19 games last season and now look at them.

Makes our 54 points in 2019-20 look even more remarkable.
It’s all about squad rather than team - that’s why promoted teams like Luton often start OK and progressively slide down over the season as injuries and fatigue kick in.

2019/20 was really all about JOC - we thought he was unbreakable, and he was certainly irreplaceable. He was the key component to our success.

Every successful team has that little bit of magic dust that is the heartbeat of their performance. Everybody could see Rodri’s quality at City, but with their army of quality nobody would have predicted the “devastating” (for them!) downturn in their results without him.

2019/20 was great, because we weren’t playing to stay up we were playing to move forwards. Taking that approach, and accepting that it may take a few cycles up and down, is better for the club and for the fans than desperately trying to build a club that can just survive each year.

UTB & FTP!
 
It’s all about squad rather than team - that’s why promoted teams like Luton often start OK and progressively slide down over the season as injuries and fatigue kick in.

2019/20 was really all about JOC - we thought he was unbreakable, and he was certainly irreplaceable. He was the key component to our success.

Every successful team has that little bit of magic dust that is the heartbeat of their performance. Everybody could see Rodri’s quality at City, but with their army of quality nobody would have predicted the “devastating” (for them!) downturn in their results without him.

2019/20 was great, because we weren’t playing to stay up we were playing to move forwards. Taking that approach, and accepting that it may take a few cycles up and down, is better for the club and for the fans than desperately trying to build a club that can just survive each year.

UTB & FTP!
Ipswich nearly have as many points now (15) as we managed across the whole season last year! Mind you, Luton also had 15 points after 19 games last season and now look at them.

Makes our 54 points in 2019-20 look even more remarkable.
54 points - goodness me
 
It’s much better watching us in a league where we’re capable of winning games, however if we don’t go up and take the occasional season long hammering for the money then we’ll turn into Preston and won’t even be able to enjoy the Championship.

As others have said we’d ideally go up and look to compete but it doesn’t seem to be remotely viable anymore unless you throw loads of cash at it, we’re not going to do that. Even shit like Wolves and Everton always manage to pull it around when they have a bad season.

In my opinion we need to move away from the parochial nature that we seem to revel in, but it’s working at the moment so until we’re getting pumped week in and week out in the PL then it’s unlikely anything will change, by that point it’s too late!
 
Completely agree with this.

You’ve got to give it a go.

Luton went for this and everyone said they had built a squad ready to go back to the championship and promotion again - looks like they built a squad for a relegation battle again!

Norwich were the club everyone wanted to be like yo yo between champ and Prem, now look at them, firmly a mid table side in champ who don’t look anywhere near promotion chasing.

Get promoted and go for it
The problem with that is if you really go for it & it doesn’t work you’re looking at bankruptcy.
 
We did 100% the right thing last time. Made some astute signings but largely pocketed the cash and put us in a strong position for coming back. Personally I would rather bounce between the divisions than be an Everton or Wolves. We’ve had a far more exciting 5/6 years than those teams who have repeatedly finished 14th-17th in the Prem even though we’ve taken a few batterings.
 
What’s the point of football if you don’t want to be at the top of the league ?

In the case of the PL, the journey is better than the destination IMO. The Championship and our time in it have been the highlight of recent times. The first season back in the PL was the sprinkles on the cream but really, the best bit was getting there. I shudder at the thought of being another Palace or Fulham. Season upon season of winning nothing but survival. Fuck that.
 
In the case of the PL, the journey is better than the destination IMO. The Championship and our time in it have been the highlight of recent times. The first season back in the PL was the sprinkles on the cream but really, the best bit was getting there. I shudder at the thought of being another Palace or Fulham. Season upon season of winning nothing but survival. Fuck that.
But we have to try and win in the championship to enjoy that, which we end up near the top
 

To help show how the championships divide from the prem is widening a year ago we were awful destined for a quick return with just 9 points from 20 games. Southampton are now sat with 6 points from 20 games so it's clear it's getting harder without mega money to pay 100m a year in wages to get some sort of a challenge ready they've got 18 games to get q0 points to catch us up
 
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I just want to see us go up and give it a go. Last season we gave up before it even started. Our starting 11 for the first match was worse than our current team. It won’t be that bad again even if we come back down.

Agree.....me and a few others on the Kop feared the worse when we saw the line up.
I know we only lost 1-0 to Palace but they were so many levels better than us...it was frightening.
Think they had 3 or 4 goals disallowed for offside.

After the match....we all shook our heads and admitted there and then...that this team had no chance of staying up (and that was after 1 game).
 
I shudder at the thought of being another Palace or Fulham. Season upon season of winning nothing but survival. Fuck that.

I'd much prefer us to be a Palce or Fulham watching us keep our better players and being ambitious in the transfer market buying some talented players.

The alternative is being like a Stoke or Preston, where we are forced to sell our better players most season and we just drift along in mid table at best unable to compete against the parachute club with all the big money.
 
I don't enjoy the championship the quality outside a handful of clubs is not great and most games are very dull
 
I don't enjoy the championship the quality outside a handful of clubs is not great and most games are very dull

Agree, once you've been in the Premier league it's initially shocking how low the standard is, in the Championship.
As a spectator, you need to adjust because it's almost like watching a different sport.

Also it's noticeable how players in the PL seem much bigger, quicker, athletic and muscular and of course the quality of finishing is so much higher.
 
I’m literally confused how people want to stay in the championship but cheer us on to win 🤔🙃
Because, like most things in life, it's not coldly, disinterestedly rational or logical. In this case, it's about the chase not the catch. I want us to win the League and I do not want us to get fucking promoted. Makes no sense at all.

Best case scenario - mooted in one of the takeover threads - is the Yanks (in general) buy up the "Premier" League clubs, do away with promotion and relegation, and make it a closed shop. Then, as long as we are in the Championship when that happens, we can win the League as often as we like.

This is heavily coloured by VAR. If in the unlikely event that we ever get rid of that utter fucking abomination and we can actually celebrate a goal when it's scored rather than referring it to a committee, then promotion might be more attractive.

As it stands the "Premier" League is not football. It's VARball. Dramaball. WWEball.

Why the fuck anyone wants to be at a game when you can't celebrate a goal is utterly beyond me.

Lundstram's Toe.
 
Because, like most things in life, it's not coldly, disinterestedly rational or logical. In this case, it's about the chase not the catch. I want us to win the League and I do not want us to get fucking promoted. Makes no sense at all.

Best case scenario - mooted in one of the takeover threads - is the Yanks (in general) buy up the "Premier" League clubs, do away with promotion and relegation, and make it a closed shop. Then, as long as we are in the Championship when that happens, we can win the League as often as we like.

This is heavily coloured by VAR. If in the unlikely event that we ever get rid of that utter fucking abomination and we can actually celebrate a goal when it's scored rather than referring it to a committee, then promotion might be more attractive.

As it stands the "Premier" League is not football. It's VARball. Dramaball. WWEball.

Why the fuck anyone wants to be at a game when you can't celebrate a goal is utterly beyond me.

Lundstram's Toe.
So when var comes into the EFL as they are looking to do I suppose you will be pro the national league
 
I don't enjoy the championship the quality outside a handful of clubs is not great and most games are very dull
Who actually watches football for the 'quality' though? For me football is about the drama, the unpredictability, the competition, the rivalries, the fans, the history, the comedy. Give me any of those things over 'quality', however that is defined.
 
Who actually watches football for the 'quality' though? For me football is about the drama, the unpredictability, the competition, the rivalries, the fans, the history, the comedy. Give me any of those things over 'quality', however that is defined.
I think you get a lot of that at any level of football. I have watched all the way down to ryman league division one south and West reserves so it's not snobbery but for me the championship is more of a slog. I don't think it is particularly unpredictable bar a handful of clubs a year.

I actually enjoyed the gaps between games in the premier league it made it more of an event. Yesterday I didn't realise Watford's home record was so good until after the game where I checked after heading it be mentioned
 
It’s much better watching us in a league where we’re capable of winning games, however if we don’t go up and take the occasional season long hammering for the money then we’ll turn into Preston and won’t even be able to enjoy the Championship.

As others have said we’d ideally go up and look to compete but it doesn’t seem to be remotely viable anymore unless you throw loads of cash at it, we’re not going to do that. Even shit like Wolves and Everton always manage to pull it around when they have a bad season.

In my opinion we need to move away from the parochial nature that we seem to revel in, but it’s working at the moment so until we’re getting pumped week in and week out in the PL then it’s unlikely anything will change, by that point it’s too late!
Spot on
 
Reading this thread it's clear to me that the path for all supporters is to enjoy the Championship season and the elation of promotion.

Then take a year long sabattical, possibly to the Himalayas or South America. Perhaps a Pacific Island.

Then come back the following August and enjoy the Championship all over again.
 
Reading this thread it's clear to me that the path for all supporters is to enjoy the Championship season and the elation of promotion.

Then take a year long sabattical, possibly to the Himalayas or South America. Perhaps a Pacific Island.

Then come back the following August and enjoy the Championship all over again.
Sounds about right.

Maybe we should just extend the promotion party for 365 days, then we'd be so inebriated that the Premier League season would just be a happy hazy drunken blur before going back to the Championship and sobering up.
 
I think this needs to be plan. We need to make all
Attempts to stay up but basically buy the best young players from the championship. Expecting us to go down and come back stronger. It allows us to build infrastructure, stadium , training ground etc.

We don’t go overboard but we have a plan that we will come down.

Some fans will lose first 3 and go mad, blame manager , chairman etc. Unless there’s game changing investment (even then expect us to go down) it’s a tough ask.
Basically what Ipswich have done this season?
 

To help show how the championships divide from the prem is widening a year ago we were awful destined for a quick return with just 9 points from 20 games. Southampton are now sat with 6 points from 20 games so it's clear it's getting harder without mega money to pay 100m a year in wages to get some sort of a challenge ready they've got 18 games to get q0 points to catch us up
The thing with Southampton is they're not even a Championship club trying to get a foothold, they were an established PL club for over a decade but that one year away from the money hose has been enough to leave them miles off the pace. Same with Leicester this season. It's not just a problem for "new" PL clubs trying to break into the closed shop.
 

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