The Championship is a tough league to get out of at best, but looking at the table at the end of January no one could be the wiser about who’s going to make it to the promised land and the possible £ 45 million. Charlton, Sheffield Utd, Watford were among the favorites to be promoted at the start of the season (not surprising considering their financial advantage from being in the Premier League the previous season). The surprise packages come in the form of Bristol City, Plymouth, and Ipswich. (Powerful at home, still without winning away). Teams that have been built over the last few seasons like Burnley, Stoke and Cardiff are progressing well. Last but not least, the teams that appear to have stalled in the Championship and have been unable to recover are starting to show signs of doing so. Wolves led by promotion expert Mick McCarthy. An Ecclestone-backed QPR and brilliantly fluid West Brom that are the Arsenal of the Championship. All of these teams are in the mix for promotion, which is what makes this league so intriguing to watch and difficult to predict.
Perhaps the proof that the money is spread more evenly makes the league more unpredictable, where relegation strikers can go to the contenders to rise and win. For obvious reasons, this idea would not go very well in the best league in the world. One of the teams not mentioned above and in a group of its own is Crystal Palace.
Seemingly cursed to be a Yo-Yo club until the end of time, the Eagles have struggled to keep up with the promoted end of the deal in recent years, ultimately resulting in the loss of Andy Johnson to Everton and Iain Dowie to Charlton. In June 2006, Peter Taylor, former England and England Under-21 coach, was given the responsibility of bringing Palace back to the Premiership. Their first season was quite spectacular, taking them to 12th place finishing 10 points behind the promotion spots. President Simon Jordan resisted the temptation to fire Taylor and gave him more time to get it right and move on to at least get a playoff position.
This season started off excellently for the Taylors team with a 4-1 away win at a Jekyll & Hyde Southampton. However, this result turned out to be a rarity and it was their only victory in their first 6 league games. (plus a confidence cup loss to Bristol Rovers). They didn’t win again until Sheffield Utd visited Selhurst Park. After the 3-2 win, Taylor was asked what would make his job safe. Approximately 15 wins on the spin! Unsurprisingly this did not happen, they lost 1 and drew 2 of their next 3 games and after a 1-1 draw against former club Hull the team was booed and the Taylors contract was soon terminated.
The club hovered precariously over relegation spots and changes were needed. There is a lot of talk about Simon Jordan, he is considered arrogant by both fans and the media, although hardly one of the good football players (like Taylor, who could eventually have been his downfall) is shown as articulate, hardworking and someone. it does not represent. any shit. I mean, what president would tell his club fans that their next manager would be Neil Warnock? The couple have been friends for many years and on October 11, Warnock (affectionately known as Colin) was appointed manager of Crystal Palace. The news was not popular with Palace fans, but his qualities in the lower leagues are beyond discredit, leading his previous teams to 6 promotions in a 20-year career. Warnock stated that “This will be my last job and I can offer a lot. President Simon Jordan and I are ambitious people who want to achieve. The players have to want to give it their all, otherwise they will just crush you. We have to I want first and foremost. to be able to win anything. That’s what I’ll be looking for. ”Jordan described Warnock’s appointment by saying,“ I know I have the right man. It is the dream ticket. We both say what we mean and we mean what we say. “
The dream ticket got off to a nightmare start with 4 draws and 2 losses in its first 6 games, not exactly what Jordan had in mind. Warnocks’ seventh game in charge, a 2-1 win over relegation favorites Colchester Utd, eased the situation and gave the players a much-needed boost. This victory is part of a 15-game unbeaten streak in the league, including a 3-0 win over Wolves and recent weekends 2-0 win over surprise promotion contenders Bristol City. Going from position 19 to 5 in the table, the positivity returns to run throughout the club. There have been rumors that the team may emulate Ian Dowies’ team in 2004 and come out of nowhere to get a promotion, but it seems the P word has yet to be spoken at Palaces training ground. Nobody talks about promotion or play-offs. We’re just talking about getting more points on the board and hopefully we can keep the streak going.
Warnock has obviously made them work hard and as a team again with Mark Hudson, Ben Watson and Clinton Morrison (second league top scorer), the backbone of the team is particularly instrumental. Shaun Derry and Neil Danns have been brought in from Leeds and Birmingham in the January transfer window to add some steel and goal scoring ability (to play alongside former England U21 and widely admired Watson) The academy is also paying off, Players like John Bostock and Victor Moses are names that have been linked to Chelsea and are likely to hear more about in the not too distant future. Palace has yet to face each of the top ten again this season and only in late May will we know if this has been a bit of luck or the start they needed. Either way, the club and the league will be one to be reckoned with this season and for years to come.
