Who will win the race for the final play off place in the Championship?

 

Swansea- last years play off winners

By Tony Alvarez
With only a single fixture left in the regular season in the Championship all matters of relegation are decided as are the Champions and it would take an almighty collapse for Southampton to now not take the 2nd automatic promotion spot.
With that in mind all that’s really left in the balance is who will take the play off spots, especially the final spot which is still very much up for grabs. As well as that the positions are important as it determines who a side will play in the semi final. I will look at the contenders especially for that final spot.

Will Mowbray’s young Boro side reach the play-offs?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

After a hectic Easter period for all English clubs, we have now reached the decisive point of the season where every game and every point is critical for a team’s objective.

For Tony Mowbray and his Middlesbrough side, they will hope that they can maintain the kind of form that got them into contention for the play-offs in the final four games of the season.

Going into March, Boro looked assured of a top-six place after the Teeside outfit won four out of five league matches to leave them firmly in the frame for promotion from the Championship.

However, a run of eight games without a win has left them outside the play-offs with just 12 points left to play for, and while their top-flight dreams are still intact, Mowbray needs to find a way of galvanising his troops for the crucial run-in.    

Is Lennon running out of time at Celtic?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Celtic suffered another setback in their stuttering season last weekend with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Hibernian at Celtic Park.

It was a result that left them 12 points behind Rangers in the SPL title race, as well as three behind Motherwell in second position, albeit with a game in hand.

Things are not faring much better in Europe either; having been given a Europa League lifeline following FC Sion‘s expulsion, the Bhoys find themselves struggling in their group after four games.

The latest loss of points has only served to increase the pressure on Lennon as the squad’s deficiencies continue to rear their ugly head.

Celtic are currently depleted with injuries to key players such as Scott Brown, Emilio Izaguirre and Mark Wilson as Lennon’s fringe players struggle to step up in their absence.

What makes it all the more frustrating is that going into the new campaign there was renewed vigour after pushing their Old Firm rivals close last time around, and then going on to win the Scottish Cup for Lennon’s first trophy in management.

In his first full season in charge, the former midfield stalwart that helped the club to ten trophies and a UEFA Cup final during his playing career was pushing the club in the right direction following a woeful period under Tony Mowbray.

The last couple of seasons have seen the board back the Northern Irishman in order for him to create the squad he feels can achieve the sort of success that the supporters have been starved of in recent years, with their last Scottish title coming in 2008.

So it must be all the more frustrating for the fans that Ally McCoist is having to work under considerable financial restrictions in his first season in charge at Ibrox, yet is managing to develop an even larger gap between the two sides.

Eight of the starting eleven in Saturday’s draw were Lennon signings, and yet the squad seem to be falling further behind on both fronts.

They can look frail defensively, shown not only in the first Old Firm clash of the season which they lost 4-2, but also just a couple of weeks ago when they had to produce a stunning comeback to salvage a draw at Kilmarnock having been 3-0 down.

However, going forward the side look dangerous with Anthony Stokes and Gary Hooper forming a good parntership up front and the likes of Ki Sung-Yueng and Joe Ledley capable of creating the goalscoring opportunities for the front two.

There’s no way that Lennon’s commitment to the cause can be brought into question; he’s had to deal with threats and actual attempts against his own life to carry on trying to bring success to the club he loves. The 40 year-old deserves huge acclaim for the way he has handled that adversity.

He also can’t be judged as a manager less than a season and a half into his career, especially as he has put together a young side that may not reach their full potential until a year or two down the line.

But the longer that results continue in the pattern they’ve adopted, and the bigger the gap becomes at the top of the SPL, then the more the pressure will increase on Lennon.

Having overcome so much difficulty off the pitch, he deserves to be given the chance to overcome the issues on it before a decision is made on his Celtic reign.

While the fans will back him, he needs to make sure that the players that he has placed his faith in show the same kind of commitment in order for Lennon to become a legend as a manager as well as a player of this proud football club.

So what do you think? Will Lennon be given the chance to turn things round? Do you think he is still cut out for the job? Leave a comment and let us know your views.

Can Middlesbrough maintain early form to fight for promotion?

 

By Tony Alvarez

Despite many people writing them off before a ball was kicked this season Middlesbrough currently occupy second place in the Championship table with 18 points from 8 games and lie just a single point behind current leaders Southampton.

  As mentioned above many people wrote off Boro’ thinking they had found their level at mid table in the Championship and would not progress much further than that, in my predicted table I put Boro to finish in 12^th place.

Of course its still possible for Tony Mowbray’s men to have a slump and finish in 12^th or lower but I don’t see that happening, its not just the clubs results that have impressed but the level of performance and the togetherness of the side.

There can be many reasons given for Boro’s upturn in form from a side that frankly were awful at times last season and didn’t look like they were going anywhere, the main reason in my opinion is the shock form of hit man Marvin Emnes.

It is reported that when Emnes signed his new contract at the beginning of the season Mowbray challenged the Dutchman to add more goals to his game and show everyone what he can really do.

This is a challenge Emnes has clearly embraced, after only finding the net a disappointing 5 times last term he has already hit 5 League goals and another 3 in the Carling Cup, in total Emnes record reads 10 starts and one substitute appearance finding the net on 8 occasions.

This spectacular scoring form as well as an impressive level of all round play also saw Emnes pick up the Coca Cola Championship player of the month award for August.

Despite the impressive start which has seen Boro go unbeaten with draws against Portsmouth, Ipswich and Coventry the only blotch on their record things look like they could soon get tougher as they host big spenders Leicester on Wednesday night with Sven Goran Eriksson’s men on a 5 game unbeaten record themselves.

Following that Middlesbrough make the long trip down south to face an unpredictableReadingside who on their day are a match for anyone in the division.

So far the problem for Middlesbrough has been the smaller teams who do not expect to get anything out of the game, they have seen off clubs like Leeds, Burnley and Birmingham with some level of comfort but as mentioned above have struggled with clubs with less ambition in terms of promotion such as Coventry and Portsmouth.

I don’t think Boro are strong enough to keep up this form for the entire campaign and compete for Automatic promotion however having now seen what their squad can actually do I think they will compete for the play offs and should they make it they would have a very good chance of winning it as they can beat anyone in one off fixtures.

The main reason I do not think Boro can challenge for automatic promotion is the depth of their squad is not the most impressive, I am far form saying they are a one man team but without Emnes in the past few weeks they would of struggled and I do not believe he can keep up his present form for long enough to put them in the Championship driving seat.

What are your thoughts? Can Middlesbrough keep up their present form and challenge for the title? Is Emnes the key to their challenge? Can they cope without him? How do you think they will fare against Leicester on Wednesday? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts

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Carling Cup Preview: Crystal Palace vs Middlesbrough

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Tomorrow night sees the resumption of the Carling Cup as the third round gets underway.

This is the stage of the competition where the biggest Premier League teams enter following a bye in the previous round because of their European commitments.

But for many that have reached this stage, it is the reward for famous scalps in the previous rounds, and a prime example of that are Crystal Palace.

Having beaten League Two side Crawley Town in a delayed first-round encounter, they then faced Premier League outfit Wigan Athletic.

The Eagles took their opportunity of an upset with both hands, with an impressive 2-1 win over the Latics at Selhurst Park last week.

Now they have a home tie against Championship rivals Middlesbrough with both teams looking to build on good starts to the campaign.

Palace sit mid-table despite being many people’s tip for relegation, while Boro are second in the table after an unbeaten start to the season.

Neither side will need to do too much homework on each other; they faced each other at the weekend with Tony Mowbray‘s team running out winners thanks to a Marvin Emnes goal.

They now return to Selhurst Park with a place in the last 32 up for grabs, and there will be plenty of talent on show.

Dutch striker Emnes has been a man revitalised under Mowbray after a decent loan spell at Swansea last year, and his goals have played a big part in Boro’s excellent early season form.

The 23 year-old’s eight goals in nine matches have given Boro the prolific striker needed for a promotion push, but it’s been the organisation of the side that’s stood out above all else.

With the midfield anchored by the tireless Barry Robson and a defence marshalled by skipper Matthew Bates, the foundations of their early success has been to become tough to beat, and that’s certainly been the case.

However, their unbeaten run in all competitions will be severely tested with their return trip to South London against a Palace team full of pace and attacking threat.

There’s always a chance of goals with the striking options of Jermaine Easter and Sean Scannell, who are developing a real understanding together.

Not only that but it looks like Palace have unearthed a real gem in 18 year-old Welsh midfielder Jonathan Williams, epitomised by his brilliant performance and goal against Wigan in the last round.

Manager Dougie Freedman knows he has to manage the squad carefully throughout the coming months with resources limited in comparison to other Championship clubs.

But victory tomorrow evening could create another Premier League tie with financial rewards always welcome, something that should make this fixture a hard-fought encounter.

Prediction: It’s going to be tight with both sides having one eye on concentrating more on the good starts made in the league, but home advantage could give the Eagles the edge, so i’m going for Palace to win 1-0.

So what do you think? Will Boro maintain their unbeaten start to the season? Or will Palace make it three home wins on the spin in this year’s competition? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.

Burton Albion aiming for Cup adventure

By Laurie Fitzgerald

As its FA cup week myself and Tony will both be picking a side from the Football League’s and following them throughout the tournament, we will provide a brief history of the club along with a preview. We will then post a brief match report after the game. Should the side lose we will then follow the side that beat them and so on.

Here is the first edition I hope you enjoy.
The FA Cup Third Round weekend is one of the best moments of the English football season. The tradition and magic that is associated with the famous competition is something that millions of fans still cherish.

While it pits up potential David against Goliath clashes, it also gives teams the opportunity to go on a cup adventure that fans will remember for many years to come. One team hoping for this will be Burton Albion.

Albion go into their tie at home to Middlesbrough on Saturday knowing that a famous win against the Championship side will give them their best ever finish in the Cup, whatever happens in the Fourth round. They have reached the Third round on three previous occasions – Losing to Charlton in 1955-56, Leicester City in 1984-85, and Manchester United in 2005-06.

But the Brewers have come a long way since taking United to a replay five years ago, thanks largely the outstanding efforts of Nigel Clough. In his decade at the club, Clough Jr took Albion from the South Football League Premier division to the brink of the Football League before leaving to take over at one of his father’s former clubs, Derby County, leaving a lasting legacy that the fans will never forget.

Despite the loss of Clough in the 2008-09 season, Albion did make it to the promised land of the Football League, and finished mid-table in their first season in League Two last year, an excellent effort under rookie manager Paul Peschisolido.

The Canadian has found it slightly tougher so far this campaign, with the Staffordshire side currently lying 17th in the table. But with over half the season still remaining, there is plenty of time to build momentum and make a push for the play-off spots.

The cherry on top of the hard work they’ve put in during recent years would be to have a memorable run in the cup. Wins over Oxford United and Chesterfield at the Pirelli Stadium have given the chance to take on Tony Mowbray’s ‘Boro, and Peschisolido will not need to motivate the players for a game that could give them the opportunity to take on a Premier League side in the next round.

All the best to Burton Albion this Saturday; After the strides they’ve made in the English football ladder in the past 12 years, it would be fitting for a fantastic run in the FA Cup to add another memorable chapter for Albion fans to look back on.

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Just what has happened to Middlesbrough?

A glance at the championship table will not be good reading for Middlesbrough fans; they currently lie second from bottom in the table with 18 points from 20 games.

This is a far cry from the side who contested a UEFA cup final in 2006, relegation from their 11 year stay in the Premier League in 2009 and a mediocre 11^th placed finish in their first season in England’s second tier have been a huge let down for the Boro fans.

The club are continuing to let down their fans and are currently on a dismal run picking up just one point from the last 12 and with a tricky looking tie against second placed Cardiff up next you wouldn’t bet on them adding to that tally.

But where has this sudden failure come from, more importantly does current manager Tony Mowbray have the ability to turn things round or are Middlesbrough destined for the third tier of English Football for only the third year in the clubs history?

Many of the Boro faithful I have spoken to about this topic believe the blame lies with former manager Gordon Strachan and his Scottish experiment, for those fans who are not in the know Strachan came to Middlesbrough following the end of his tenure as Celtic manager and quickly made a point of signing players he had worked with or against in the SPL.

Strachan amongst others snapped up his star striker at Celtic Scott McDonald as well as midfielder Barry Robson and defender Stephen McManus thus installing a whole new spine to the side, all of whom were untested in the Football Leagues.

Strachan later added the record goal scorer in SPL history Kris Boyd in the hope of adding some much needed fire power to his goal shy front line.

Following a poor start to the season Strachan left his post as manager with the club lying in 20^th place in the Coca Cola Championship, probably down to a mutual agreement with Chairman Steve Gibson exactly a year after Middlesbrough’s former Manager Gareth Southgate was sacked.

Another former Celtic manager was hired to steady the ship. But the clubs league position has only got worse. He has secured only two victories in his reign so far although it must be said you can’t judge a man on his first few fixtures.

So what do you think can Mowbray turn things around? Will Middlesbrough be plying their trade in the third tier of English Football next September? Will the club turn things around once Mowbray has had time to get used to his squad and make it his own?

Leave a comment and let me know what you think and how Middlesbrough will fare in the future.

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