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Should Chelsea manager be surprised that his massive squad of world-class players are challenging for title?

After all, the Blues have quality all over the park. Chelsea’s second string would probably finish sixth or seventh in the Premier League, so why have Avram Grant’s expectations been exceeded by his team’s strong finish to the season, which could mean a domestic-European double this season?

Look at the players he has at his disposal! Perhaps Arsene Wenger should be the man that is making the below sort of quotes, considering the smaller squad and the terrible luck with injuries that Arsenal have experienced in the past few months. To hear Grant speak (through the medium of Sky Sports), anyone would think he was manager of Aston Villa or Everton.

“From day one our target was to be in the Champions League final and to improve our game,” he said.

“We’ve done more than I even expected, so we want to believe the season will end well and we will fight to the last minute.

“United have had a fantastic season. They’ve been champions many times before but this year we have given them a good battle and it is not finished yet.

“Even if they win the title on goal difference you must give my team respect.”

Hmmm, can’t see many neutrals ‘respecting’ Chelsea for their achievements, particularly as their success is down to a Russian billionaire deciding to pick them as his pet project and investing hundreds of millions to ensure that they become one of the world’s leading clubs and brands. Surely, Everton, Villa, Portsmouth and Sunderland deserve more respect for having decent seasons, while Stoke and West Brom should also be praised for scrambling out of the Championship without having a bottomless pit of cash.

Watch Chelsea live online

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Leicester chairman fumes from across the pond after Stoke draw sends them down

Quite why Milan Mandaric wasn’t at the Britannia Stadium to watch his Leicester City team draw 0-0 with Stoke is a puzzle in itself. After all, Potters chairman Peter Coates travels the length and breadth of the country to watch his team in action, collaborating with manager Tony Pulis every other day. It appears to be quite the opposite at the Walkers Stadium, where the Foxes chairman describes his role at Leicester as a ‘project’ and appears to be unconvinced that Ian Holloway is the man to take the club forward.

Sky Sports report that the former Portsmouth chairman is fuming after seeing Leicester get out of the Championship, but not in the way he intended. Poor Milan, he’s not going to make a profit out of selling the club at this rate. Get the violins out for this likeable fellow.

“It is not an easy moment. It is one I have never experienced before in any project, whether business or football,” Mandaric, speaking from the United States, told Sky Sports News.

“It is a dreadful experience. It is a shame. I feel let down and right now I am not a very happy man.

“You don’t have to be Einstein. If you look at the support I have given to my managers and my players, both financially and morally, and what do you get in response?

“You expect rewards and results. We didn’t get it and you have to feel let down.”

Perhaps Mandaric let himself down at Leicester. After all, there was a distinct lack of continuity, with four managers taking charge at various points in the season. Who knows whether the club would have found themselves in this position if he’d stuck with Martin Allen for a few more months.

Watch Portsmouth live online

West Brom and Stoke - any chance of staying in the Premier League?

They’ll be dancing in the streets of Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme after Stoke City bagged themselves the second automatic promotion spot on Sunday. The Potters have done magnificently this season, coming from behind on several occasions to land wins or draws against Championship opponents and it’s hard to argue that they don’t deserve their place in the Premier League next season.

Quite whether they’ll stay there for longer than a season is another matter. Many have commented that this season’s Championship has been bereft of quality, with West Brom winning the league with the lowest points total for over two decades. Not that the Baggies or Stoke care at this particular moment in time, with the BBC reporting Tony Pulis, the manager of the latter, in a bullish mood.

“I have to say a special ‘thank you’ to the chairman. Peter showed a lot of character to buy this club and spent a lot of money on it.

“This is a great day for this club and an opportunity for us to build and push on for next year.”

However, the fun starts next week when Pulis and Coates have to start planning for next season. With just eleven points on the board this season, Derby County have demonstrated how promotion to the top flight can go terribly wrong and while the Rams will be much richer for their season in the big time, it’s obvious that the promoted three will be desperate not to disgrace themselves in such a manner.

The new boys will take heart from Sunderland’s efforts this season, a team who were floundering in mid-table of the Championship when Roy Keane took over and have now completed a successful season of consolidation in the Premier League. Birmingham too have shown that the gulf between the teams at the bottom of the top flight and the top of the second division isn’t that great, while the Baggies and Potters will also be confident of finishing above at least one other team - the one who is promoted through the play-offs and has less time to prepare for the new campaign.

Watch West Ham live online

Watch Birmingham live online

Fulham, Birmingham, Bolton and Reading - who are your picks to ‘go down with the Derby’

There’s an almighty scrap at the top of the Championship to determine who will be playing Premier League football next season, which teams will the likes of West Brom and Stoke City be replacing? The bookmakers still don’t give Fulham much of a chance, despite their heroic comeback at Manchester City last weekend. A victory against fellow-strugglers Birmingham on Saturday would mean that their top flight safety could potentially be in their own hands!

Surely Reading fans are a touch on the concerned side, considering their team’s inability to score, let alone win a game. OK, so they managed a creditable 0-0 draw at Wigan last weekend, although the decision to bring back Leroy Lita from his loan spell at Charlton smacked of desperation, while the Daily Mirror report tension in the camp ahead of Saturday’s game against Spurs. The Royals record signing won’t play for his ’stupid team’ anymore apparently.

“It is not clever at all to suspend your own players, it is stupid,” said the 24-year-old. “The sanction is heavy - two weeks!

“I cannot understand their attitude. I refused to play with the reserves and they said: ‘Okay let us meet on Thursday’.

“But in the meantime I received a letter saying I am axed.

“They are not courageous enough to tell me things in the eyes, man to man, in five minutes.

“I am an adult, I can recognise when I make mistakes. I can also admit to people when I am wrong. The team needs all their players for the last two games.

“For sure my future is not with Reading.”

Not exactly what you need when you’re teetering on the edge of the drop zone, although perhaps this will galvanise the rest of the Reading squad, who face a last-day trip to Derby after the weekend game against Spurs. Bolton are in action at home to Sunderland and will at least have the comfort of the Black Cats having nothing to play for after their 3-2 win over Middlesbrough last weekend.

Watch Fulham live online

Watch Birmingham live online

Can Robins Premiership Dream Still Fly?

Everyones favourite little overachievers Bristol City are in danger of running out of steam before the finishing line. The previous Championship toppers have finally fallen into the play-off spots. With 2 games to go, 4 points between them and automatic promotion and their horendous playoff record, the Robins look set to miss out on the big time and spend another year in Championship. West Brom and Stoke are leading the way and Hull are sitting in 3rd blocking City’s path. All three are looking like they have come into form just at the right time, just as the Robins fall on hard times.

However, although they have only won once in the last nine games, it is not all doom and gloom at Ashton Gate. Last year they were in the League One, trapped in a division they should have escaped on several occasions over a 7 year period. Will fans be dissapointed if City fail to reach the ‘promised land’ or will they simply reflect on the outstanding achievement of a newly-promoted team, seemingly lacking in goalscorers? (City have a goal difference of -1)

I personally think Gary Johnson has done amazingly well to get City out of League One, let alone challenge for promotion to the Premiership. I think next season will be more of a reality check for Robins fans. Yet, not everyone agrees with me. Defender Bradley Orr seems to think promotion is still possible.

I’m not going to say ‘we can’t', we’ll go right to the end and see what happens. We’ve just got to go and do the job that we can do, affect the games we can and hope other people do us favours. We’ll go right to the end and see where it takes us.

The last two games are going to be exciting and we’ve got to get over this disappointment [Losing to rivals Stoke] and go again.

Thoughts?

Spurs get closer to ridding themselves of a right donkey! They might even get £2m for him!

Anthony Gardner is by no means the worst player in the Premier League but fans at White Hart Lane might suggest he is far too poor to be considered as anything other than fifth or sixth choice for a Tottenham berth.

West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City are interested in 2m rated Tottenham defender Anthony Gardner, currently on loan at Everton from Spurs, he has failed to make an appearance for the Merseyside outfit. (various)

I guess the proof, if it was needed, that Gardner was not up to scratch in north London is the fact that his suitors are playing at Championship level? Can you believe he got an England cap, A dog will fly an unmanned spaceship into the heart of the sun whilst eating jaffa cakes before he wins a second England call-up!

Watch Tottenham live online

Will ‘Newcastle misfit’ fire Stoke into Premier?

It’s fair to say that Shola Ameobi’s footballing career has never really got going. The gangly striker has made just 95 starting appearances for Newcastle United in the past eight seasons and it’s therefore a surprise that he’s only decided to go out on loan at this stage of his career. Sky Sports report that Championship table toppers Stoke City have taken the player on loan until the end of the season as they make a final push for the promised land of the Premier League.

Can the England Under-21 international be the final piece in the jigsaw as far as the Potters’ promotion quest is concerned, or will he flatter to deceive, much as he’s done throughout his time at St James’ Park? It’s certainly a risky move when you consider Ameobi has featured for the Magpies on only eight occasions this season, many of them as a substitute.

Watch Newcastle live online

Now Stoke declare interest in Portsmouth striker

It’s looking increasingly likely that David Nugent’s future lies outside of the Premier League. Earlier this week, the Portsmouth striker was linked with a loan move to Ipswich Town, before discussions broke down. Now, it appears that promotion challengers Stoke City are interested in acquiring his services, according to the BBC website.

Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke: “I don’t know what’s happened with Ipswich, but if we’re going to do business then we’ll do it with Portsmouth.”

“If there’s an area that we need another player it is up front.”

There is an obvious question mark over the player’s fitness that needs to be resolved, although the Potters might think Nugent represents the final piece in the jigsaw as far as their charge towards the top flight is concerned. However, can the former Preston striker ever cut it at the highest level or is he forever destined to be plying his trade in the Championship?

Newcastle’s hilarious manager: “We controlled game…”

Contrary to most people’s take on the Stoke v Newcastle match, the BBC report that Magpies manager Sam Allardyce thought his team controlled the game and were unfortunate not to land the victory. The Potters had two or three genuine goalscoring opportunities, as well as a legitimate penalty claim turned down, yet it’s amazing what black-and-white tinted spectacles can do for you.

“The rain made life awkward, but we controlled the game well and just couldn’t find the goal.

“I’m disappointed over the 90 minutes not to have won but it’s a very good draw and we will try to finish the job at St James’ Park.

“We dealt with their size and strength very well and but for 15 minutes they didn’t cause us too many problems.

“Overall it was a satisfying performance. We should have broken them down better than we did, but still had many chances to win it.”

Which chances would they be then? The several skewed-over-the-bar shots from Nicky Butt which didn’t exactly trouble the keeper? Or the goalmouth melee where Michael Owen would have needed to be 6ft 8in to direct the ball into the net? It was get out of jail free for Allardyce last night and nobody should believe otherwise, unless you are Big Sam or his wife… who we will call Big Betty.

Watch Newcastle live online

From Barnsley to West Brom, via Hull City: BBC to broacast Football League matches

It’s not been a great year for Auntie, what with losing a load of funding, being found out to be dirty rotten cheats ripping of quiz contestants and Gary Lineker still smirking at the camera. So it with a smile on our face that we bring you better news from White City, the Beeb will be broadcasting Football League matches from 2009. Well, it worked for ITV Digital.

So, what are the details?

The BBC will show Football League and Carling Cup matches from the 2009 to 2012 seasons after winning the contract in a joint bid with Sky.

Oh yeah, the Carling Cup too, we forgot that.

It means Championship matches will be screened live on the BBC for the first time, with 10 first-choice games per season exclusively live on the BBC.

And what’s more…

The Carling Cup final will be simulcast live with Sky, and two semi-final legs shown exclusively live on the BBC.

No, we don’t know what that means either. So, is this a step forward for the Championship or just another sign that BBC sport ain’t what it used to be?

Is Man Utd’s most promising young Englishman actually at Stoke?

Apart from Man Utd Real Madrid and the LA Cowboys or whatever they are called, who has David Beckham played for?….Wrong!

The answer is Preston, who he was briefly loaned to before becoming the 6th Spice Girl. You see, there is nothing wrong with proving your worth at a lower level to get Alex Ferguson’s attention, no not you Terry Cooke. Here is a man that is doing it properly.

Stoke City’s on-loan Manchester United defender Ryan Shawcross has been named as the Championship’s player of the month for October.

Well he must be quite good then as defenders never win these prizes, it’s always just people who score a load of goals.

He found the net three times during the month, scoring against West Brom, Colchester and Crystal Palace.

Oh. So is he a future partner for Rio Ferdinand in the Man Utd defence? Or maybe just a future partner for Anton Ferdinand in the Leyton Orient defence?

Who is the best player outside the Premiership?

For a while it was Kevin Phillips, for ages it was Jason Koumas, there was even some rubbish talked about Robert Earnshaw at some point. But who is currently the best player outside the Premiership? Well, here are some options, but feel free to pick your own?

Kevin Phillips (West Brom) - Is he past it? Probably, but a bit of expeience never hurt anyone.

Darius Henderson (Watford) - Scores a shed load of goal, but is he just a flash in the pan?

Zolton Gera (West Brom) - Top class midfielder, who really should be playing in Premiership soon.

Robbie Fowler (Cardiff) - Stop laughing at the back, he used to be the next Jimmy Greaves, that’s got to be worth something.

Jimbo Beattie (Sheff United) - The only good thing about Bryan Robson’s reign?

Peter Halmosi (Plymouth) - An outsider for the title, this Hungarian winger is leading Ollie’s Argyle revolution.

Any better suggestions?

Three Things You Learned From The Weekend’s Championship Matches?

It was back to the rat-race for Championship players at the weekend and they looked more than happy about it; turning in some great performances.

Sheffield Wednesday continued to get their season back on track with a impressive win at Stoke while Watford continued to steamroll their way to the Premiership as Marlon King grabbed another goal against Hull. Meanwhile, Neil Warnock almost got off to a winning start before Palace returned to their usual form and Man Utd’s Lee Martin proved to be a wise loan signing for Plymouth with a man of the match performance.

But here’s your chance to tell everyone what you learned from the weekend’s Championship results, and to see what others thought as well. Sort of a lower-league love-in, only not quit as disgusting.

Barnsley 1-1 Burnley

Blackpool 1-1 Palace

Colchester 3-2 West Brom

Norwich 1-3 Bristol City

Plymouth 1-0 Coventry

Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Ipswich

Scunthorpe 0-0 Leicester

Sheffield United 1-1 Preston North End

Stoke 2-4 Sheffield Wednesday

Watford 1-0 Hull

Wolves 2-0 Charlton

Championship Prediction Mania

Like the first day back at school after half-term, domestic football returns tomorrow and it doesn’t look too appealing. But wait, don’t run off to MFI to buy that decking for garden just yet, their are some appealing fixtures in the Championship. How about Neil warnock’s first game in charge of Crystal Palace? Then, of course, there is the battle of the B-ley teams at Oakwell (ok, we’re stretching it here). What will happen is anyone’s guess, but why not show your guess is better than ours by challenging our predictions, below:

Cut and paste into the comments with your own predictions, or just put down a few thoughts:

Barnsley v Burnley - away win

Blackpool v Crystal Palace - draw

Colchester v West Brom - home win

Norwich v Bristol City - home win

Plymouth v Coventry - draw

QPR v Ipswich - home win

Scunthorpe v Leicester - away win

Sheff Utd v Preston - draw

Stoke v Sheff Wed - home win

Watford v Hull - home win

Wolves v Charlton - draw

Southampton v Cardiff - away win

Who has the most violent fans - not Everton, Liverpool, or Tranmere!

SO who do you think has the most violent, rampantly neanderthal drunkard fans? The Liverpool Echo is reporting that: “The number of football hooligans arrested on Merseyside plummeted last season.” The news that Merseyside has impeccably behaved fans is reflected in new Home Office figures that indicate a rise in football related nastiness nationally but a decline in hooliganism on Merseyside.

Whilst all three Mersey clubs were behaving like well groomed lap-dogs last season, nationally just under 3,800 ne’er-do-wells were taken into custody last season, which marked a increase of 300 on the previous year.

Top of the teams with a definite hooligan element were Leeds United who were the club with the most banning orders, taking them to a HUGE total of 118. Cardiff City were second with 114, closely followed by Millwall with 111 and Stoke City with 102.

Merseyside teams behaving like good boys, Leeds being declared the most vicious for the umpteenth time, any thoughts from those of you who get to these games regularly?

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