David Cameron Walker

Posts Tagged ‘Championship’

An excellent first season at the Amex

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Well, the play-off dream didn’t happen after all. After tempting fate by checking the play-off dates ahead of my last blog, Albion failed to win another game all season, ending the campaign in 10th place, nine points adrift of that elusive sixth place.

Despite tailing away during the last month of the season, 2011/12 has been a season to remember for everyone involved at Brighton & Hove Albion. The opening of the Amex Stadium has, of course, been the biggest change of all, and has changed the club beyond all recognition.

I’ve watched about 30 games there now, yet I still get goosebumps every time I go through the turnstiles. As someone who remembers all the protests and petitions required to get the planning permission in the first place, it still seems barely believable that the place really is ours. To say it is a different match day experience to Withdean would be an understatement!

The club could never be accused of sitting on its laurels though, proven by the application to expand the Amex’s capacity to over 30,000. The proposal was granted planning permission by Brighton & Hove City Council less than two weeks ago, yet work is already well underway. An extra 5,000 seats will be ready for use by the start of the new season, with the rest completed by the start of 2013. If the Amex is great now, I can only imagine how good it will be when 30,000 fans are packed inside.

It isn’t just the new stadium that has made this season so special though. Our 10th place finish is the highest the club has achieved in over two decades, further proof that the club is moving in the right direction at a rapid pace. We’ve also finished above arch-rivals Crystal Palace for the first time in just as long, which is particularly pleasing for those of a blue and white persuasion!

On the pitch, Albion has signed players of staggering quality. Inevitably, that leads me onto Vicente – a man who has graced the Champions League on a regular basis, and won 38 caps for Spain during a glittering career.

It is no understatement to say the Spaniard has been a revelation on the south coast. The way he can run past opponents with such ease, always have that extra yard of pace, and see passes that no-one else can is a pleasure to watch. Chuck in the stunning goals he has scored as well, and that is some player.

Naturally, all the talk now concerns whether Vicente will sign a new contract with the club, or decide to head back to Spain. My head says he’ll choose the latter option, but then again, I never thought he’d join us in the first place! If it turns out he has appeared in an Albion shirt for the final time, he will leave us with dozens of brilliant memories, including his spectacular solo strike at Ipswich and his match winning strikes against Portsmouth. I feel honoured to have been around to witness him play for my club, as I will constantly remind my grandchildren in about 50 years time!

As well as Vicente, other players more than warrant a mention for a superb season, particularly Liam Bridcutt and Will Buckley. Despite going own goal crazy during our 6-1 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool, Bridcutt has been a rock in our midfield this season, culminating in him being named Player of the Season by the fans. Aside from trying to tempt Vicente into signing a new deal, tying Bridcutt to a long term contract is Gus Poyet’s main objective this summer. It is only a matter of time before bigger fish come sniffing otherwise.

Buckley couldn’t have started the season better when he scored both goals in a 2-1 win against Doncaster in the first ever league game at the Amex. His performances during the rest of the campaign were hardly shabby either, particularly in the FA Cup win over Newcastle where he virtually beat the Premier League high flyers on his own.

For all of the players that have had great seasons, some have slipped below the standard expected, including £2.5m signing Craig Mackail-Smith. Maybe the huge price tag weighed him down, or maybe he hasn’t managed to adapt to our style of play yet – either way, I’m sure scoring just 11 times this season and ending the campaign as an impact sub isn’t what he hoped for when signing from Peterborough.

With the season now completed, attention has turned to who Poyet plans to keep for the 2012/13 assault on promotion. Poyet has already played tough in that department with the surprise release of midfielder Alan Navarro. The Liverpudlian had been a virtual ever present since the turn of the year, so would have been forgiven for being confident over a new deal.

Poyet clearly has his own ideas though, and obviously feels he can bring in players of a better calibre than the likable Navarro. If that is the case, we are set to enjoy another thrilling season in 2012/13. Roll on August!

Written by Liam Dawes – We Are Going Up’s Brighton and Hove Albion Blogger

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Posted in Brighton & Hove Albion, Championship | 1 Comment »

Seventh Heaven or Missed Opportunity?

Friday, May 4th, 2012

If you’d have said to me at the start of the season these statistics:

- Middlesbrough would finish seventh
- They would still be in with a shout of promotion on the last day
- They would only suffer defeat 12 times all season

I would have bitten your hand off right there. To also win ten games on the road to equal our second best record of away wins in a season, throwing in a win at Elland Road, I would have been more than pleased with the season ahead.

That is all well and good, but it’s these statistics that make the season a matter of what could have been:

- Boro only picked up six wins since the turn of the year
- After winning four out of five in February the Boro would go on a run that would see them not win for another eight games from March 10th till April 21st
- Over the season the Boro would throw 21 points away from winning positions
- On New Year’s Day Boro where second in the npower Championship

In fairness to Mowbray he hadn’t suffered any injuries during the period of August till December, apart from the pre season injury of Kevin Thomson. The turning point seemed to be when Nicky Bailey picked up his injury on New Year’s Eve against Peterborough. Then everyone dropped like flies, including long term injuries over the first half of 2012 to Scott McDonald, Faris Haroun, Rhys Williams and Matthew Bates. Throw in the fact the discipline of Joe Bennett and Barry Robson, including sending’s off to Tony McMahon, Kevin Thomson – twice, Julio Arca and Rhys Williams and the Boro’s squad was bare.

Perhaps the inexperience could be a factor as the Boro fielded eight first team academy players regularly this year in Jason Steele, Bates, Williams, Bennett, McMahon, Seb Hines, Curtis Main and Richie Smallwood as well as appearances for Adam Reach and keeper Connor Ripley.

That being said given their experience of winning the SPL and playing in the Champions League, the likes of McDonald, Stephen McManus, and Kevin Thomson have failed to deliver whereas Barry Robson’s form, which was incredible in the first half of the season, seemed to tail off once he signed a pre-contract agreement with Vancouver Whitecaps in February. Also the return of long term injury victims McDonald, Bailey and Thomson was too late as they failed to rediscover any form that they had experience previous. One more problem was that top goal scorer Marvin Emnes was playing through injury since March, so you can see just what a good job Tony Mowbray has done.

The main issue that has got Boro fans’ backs up is the dreaded home form. The Reds have only won seven at home all season and have seen the Reds win by a two goal margin twice this season. Big games at home have seen the team crumble and incredibly falter in the promotion race. Defeats to West Ham, Cardiff, Burnley, Reading and Leeds, which all ended 2-0, left a bad taste in fans’ mouths. The thing that topped it all off for the Riverside faithful was the drab 0-0 draw against all ready relegated Doncaster that ultimately cost Boro the play-offs in the short run.

With credit to Mowbray, he has acknowledged the fact that his Boro side have faltered this season in terms of where they were on January 1st  and also the fact they have not done enough at home this season, a subject that needs to be addressed not only for Mogga’s tenure, but previous regimes. In five years the Boro have played 110 home games, the number of games won by the Reds – 39. Having said that you can’t ignore the fantastic job he has done since he arrived in October in 2010, in brief he saved the Reds from relegation, was forced to cut the wage bill and still finished seventh the following season.

The consolation for Boro fans is that their team is in a good place, although more cuts are to happen in the summer. Nine players are out of contract including top wage earners such as Robson and Hoyte. With eight people out and maybe the sales of more big earners Mowbray can start to create his own team and show is credentials as a top manager which saw him take West Brom out of this division playing the type of football that was hailed by the national press

Written by Scott Easby, We Are Going Up’s Middlesbrough blogger

Scott tweets at @SEasby12

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Posted in Championship, Featured, Middlesbrough | No Comments »

Positive. Mental. Attitude.

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

When Coventry City visited St Mary’s on the last day of the season, we needed a fair amount of good fortune for an already relegated Sky Blues to cause a shock against Southampton to keep 2nd place and an automatic promotion spot a possibility for West Ham. Alas, a 4-0 Saints win meant they clinched 2nd and we would have to settle for 3rd and a play-off spot.

Saints have played good football this season, spearheaded by Rickie Lambert’s goals, and deserve to go up rather than us. Even if Billy Sharp’s Oscar worthy theatrics getting Matty Taylor sent off at The Boleyn Ground leaves a sense of resentment, they have applied themselves far more consistently than we have and have shown good character to bounce back whenever they have slipped up.

It’s certainly hard to begrudge Champions Reading achieving automatic promotion. Reading’s lauded run of 15 wins from 17 games since Christmas under Brain McDermortt is all the more impressive when you take into account that The Royals were 16th at the beginning of November.

With West Ham United, you would have to say it’s a case of the team and the manager not getting the job done. Big Fat Sam came in with confident statements of automatic promotion and with our squad it was expected.

It’s all the more frustrating when in February, after an immensely satisfying 10 man win against some team from Bermondsey, we were top of the league and 4 points clear of Southampton.

Our poor home form cost us automatic promotion. You simply don’t get promoted if you drop 28 points at home in a season. From February 14th to 9th April, in our seven home games, we had 6 draws and 1 loss and it certainly fuelled the fire for sections of the crowd to get on Sam Allardyce’s case.

There is no denying that at times, in particular during that terrible run of home games where it felt like a 1-1 Groundhog Day, we played some completely aimless stuff. Allardyce was giving his detractors ammunition and even loading the gun. The ‘We play on the floor’ song, sadly, became a terrace favourite in the latter part of the season.
Where the manager should be criticised is the lack of mental strength he had instilled at key points of the season. As Southampton and Reading won games, our games became far more important and I have lost track of the number of ‘must wins’ we have come up short in the last couple of months.

This was no more apparent than in the home game against Reading. 1-0 up and totally dominating Reading, we decided to have a good old fashioned West Ham Balls Up ™. Poor defending from a corner resulted in Reading’s equaliser and then Jason Roberts and Ian Harte ran riot and eventually we lost 4-2.

Now those of you who know this writer are fully aware that my glass tends to be of the half-empty variety, in particular when it’s regarding matters claret and blue, but play-off time is a period where we should try and forget these negatives and take a more positive outlook.

You could argue a haul of 86 points would normally be enough to win automatic promotion. You could also argue that this season our away form has been a breath of fresh air. Granted, it’s at a lower level than what a lot of fans are accustomed to, but Allardyce has masterminded a record 13 away wins this season.

We must also remember that for all the bad stuff we have played this season, we have also played some really entertaining football and handed out several drubbings including the majestic 6-0 win against Brighton.

And, although mental strength had been lacking in most big games this season, the way in which we came back from 3-1 down at half-time against Birmingham to claim a point was certainly encouraging, as was the way the team applied itself when 1-0 down at The Crisp Bowl against Leicester recently.

And so, to the ‘lottery’ of the play-offs and a trip to play the perennial bridesmaids Cardiff on Thursday. The common misconception that the team who finished 3rd don’t win is dispelled by the fact that 4 of the last 6 play-off winners finished the season in 3rd. Conversely, in 2005, when we won the play-offs, we had finished 6th. So, those stats are about as useful as a Julien Faubert cross.

Allardyce has been typically confident, as well he should/needs to be, but has also stated that ‘if you start thinking about that game (the final) before the semi-finals, you won’t get there’. It would be foolish to not respect Cardiff, as it would any side in the play-offs. Former Hammers target Peter Whittingham has been impressive as have Mark Hudson and Ben Turner at the back for the Bluebirds.

Looking at this season’s two meetings between the clubs offers no clues to predicting a winner, as we traded away wins. The Bluebirds’ Don Cowie has said that the pressure is on West Ham, and he’s right. Allardyce has not succeeded what he set out to do, but he has yet to fail either.

These two games are massive and it’s now that we need to forget the dodgy home form, build on the positives and finally get the job done. Carlton Cole looked in good nick against Hull, in particular his coolly taken second and Richardo Vaz Tê’s 10 goals in 15 games shows what a good purchase he was in January. We can also take encouragement in the fact we are unbeaten in 6 games.

We do, however, need experienced players to step up over the course of two legs. Mark Noble has been solid all season and I expect nothing less from him. There are mild injury doubts in James Tomkins and Kevin Nolan, but it is expected both are to be fit for Thursday and Nolan, in particular, has a bit to prove. Granted, he has scored some very important goals this season but perhaps has not been the Captain Fantastic that his reputation (and wage) have demanded. The play-offs would be an ideal stage to fully convince me.

I know I don’t need to request anything of the fans as the away support will be fantastic in South Wales. If we can get a good away result and then Cardiff come to a rocking atmosphere at The Boleyn, there is no reason we won’t get to the final. So let’s keep the faith, think positive thoughts and we’ll be Wembley bound. We’ll then start to worry about Birmingham or Blackpool come May 19th.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Written by Oliver Duffin, We Are Going Up’s West Ham United Blogger

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Posted in Championship, West Ham United | No Comments »

Safe at last

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

For Nottingham Forest, this season has largely been one to forget. Having reached the Championship play-offs in 2010 and 2011, the Reds kicked off in August with hopes of promotion, instead they battled to avoid the drop into League One. Thankfully safety was secured last week by virtue of Coventry City losing at home to Millwall, while Steve Cotterill’s Forest watched Reading celebrate promotion back to the big time as they lost 1-0 to the Royals.

At the beginning of the campaign it was hoped such jubilant scenes would be witnessed at the City Ground, instead the relief was palpable as Forest earned themselves Championship football for next season, which is some form of success given the events of the last eight months. There were times when it seemed the club were doomed to the drop, but much improved form since February hauled them out of the bottom three to secure safety with two games remaining.

With the high-profile managerial appointment of Steve McClaren being replaced by Cotterill in October after a sluggish start, Chairman and club owner Nigel Doughty stepping down from his chairmanship before tragically passing away in January and the financial uncertainty which has arisen, many are glad to see this tumultuous campaign nearing its end.

Steve Cotterill may still not have won over the Forest faithful, but he deserves credit for the turnaround in the last couple of months. Working with a squad which was top-heavy with strikers but woefully short on defensive cover, Cotterill addressed the problem with the astute loan signings of George Elokobi, Danny Higginbotham, Scott Wooton, whilst bringing in midfielder Adlene Guedioura, who has been nothing short of a revelation since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers until the end of the season.

Nigel Doughty put funding in place before his death, promising to fulfill contracts signed during his time as chairman and that will continue until 2013, but his resignation in October left Cotterill – and new Chairman Frank Clark – working on a tight budget without the luxury of spending money to reshape the team.

The January sales of Wes Morgan to Leicester City and young striker Patrick Bamford to Chelsea brought in £2.5 million, which funded the loan signings to provide a more balanced squad, which ultimately led to improved form and Forest’s climb out of the relegation zone. Cotterill then brought in Sean O’Driscoll as First Team Coach and the former Doncaster Rovers manager has also played a part in the revival. The quality of football had decreased after Cotterill joined Forest and the results were not forthcoming either. Since O’Driscoll’s arrival the Reds have improved on that front, playing some attractive, passing football once more and picking up points in the process.

That magnificent 7-3 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road was the undoubted highlight of a forgettable campaign and it is the Reds’ away form that has propelled them to safety. With the worst home record in the division, Forest collected impressive wins at Blackpool, Birmingham and Crystal Palace amongst others – which is quite a contrast to previous seasons when their home form was excellent but their away form patchy.

The fact Forest will be in the Championship next season is significant, as the club can now expect greater revenue and can begin to plan for a new campaign knowing which division they will be in. With the club up for sale, they are a more attractive proposition than if they were a League One outfit, so this will hopefully attract more potential investors.

As we head into the summer, the club’s ownership is the most pressing issue. Rumours are already circulating of investors from Kuwait battling a consortium from the United States to buy the club. Whether it is one of those two or another party who takeover the club, the financial stability it will provide is vital for Forest’s future. As it stands the club have to spend within their means and work to a tight budget, which makes the signing of new players and the offering of contracts difficult.

As many as six players could walk out of the City Ground when their deals expire in the summer including captain Luke Chambers and Paul Anderson, with a further eight seeing their contracts ending in 12 months time and Steve Cotterill has already expressed his concern with the club’s policy over retaining players.

Garath McCleary and Joel Lynch, two of Forest’s stand-out performers this season, have been offered new contracts but the club’s financial plight means it may not be easy to offer new deals to other out-of-contract players. Until the ownership issue is settled, there isn’t much Cotterill or anyone else can do.

Recent defeats to Reading and Hull City only served to highlight some of the shortcomings which have blighted Forest’s season. Despite performing well and carving out good opportunites at the Madejski and KC Stadiums, the Reds lost 1-0 at Reading and were beaten 2-1 by Hull, with Radoslaw Majewski’s strike a mere consolation. A lack of cutting edge has cost Forest crucial points across the season so a new striker will be top of the list of transfer targets.

Garath McCleary’s explosive form under Steve Cotterill, including a four goal haul at Leeds, has seen him go from squad player to first-choice winger in a matter of months. The former Bromley man, signed for £25,000 in 2008, could also end up being the club’s top scorer, he currently sits top of the list with nine for the season. Despite having the likes of Ishmael Miller, Matt Derbyshire, David McGoldrick and Marcus Tudgay on the books, Forest’s striking options have not delivered the goods this season. Dexter Blackstock has arguably been the best performer of the lot since returning from injury in January, netting six times.

The players brought in on loan have largely performed well and many supporters would like to see their stays made permanent, none more so than Adlene Guedioura. The Algerian midfielder arrived at the City Ground in January from Wolves and quickly caught the eye with some dominant displays in the middle of the park. He has provided both defensive steel and attacking threat and he could easily be the best midfielder in the Championship next season. Hopefully he will be proving that in the Red of Forest rather than the Gold of his parent club.

Fellow Wolves loanee George Elokobi and Manchester City defender Greg Cunningham have ably filled the left-back spot and either of them would be welcomed back should they return. Danny Higginbotham would be a good signing, his experience and leadership skills were crucial in defence during a period when Forest were battling for their Championship lives. Scott Wooton has also done well, the 19-year-old centre-back is highly rated and if Manchester United were willing to let him go, either on loan again or permanently then Forest could do a lot worse than bringing him back.

Steve Cotterill could potentially have a strong squad on his hands should his loan signings become permanent, but again that would all rest on the finances being in place to make that happen. It only makes it all the more important that Forest can secure new investment through owners who want to take the club forward.

It is going to be a nervy wait until those new investors are in place, as everyone associated with the club hope the ownership issue can be resolved sooner rather than later. The football club and all parties involved will rightly remain silent until a deal is struck. For now though we can all breathe a big sigh of relief that Nottingham Forest will be a Championship side next season and happily draw a line under the current campaign.

Written by Steven Toplis, We Are Going Up podcast member and Nottingham Forest blogger

Steven tweets at @steven_toplis

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Say hello to your 2011/12 Champions!

Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

Did someone say Premier League? On Tuesday night, after a frankly unbelievable past three months, what every Royals supporter dared to dream finally became a reality when the team clinched promotion to the top flight of English football with a 1-0 defeat of Nottingham Forest.

For me it capped off a truly wondrous season, and I felt immense pleasure not only in knowing I could watch my team get picked apart by Hansen, Shearer et al. on Match of the Day every weekend, but for our boys who have performed admirably in getting the club back into the league it dropped out of four years ago. People outside the Reading supporter circle must be sick and tired of hearing it, but the bunch of boys we’ve got at the club really are second to none. They work hard for each other, there’s great relationships between them all and the manager, and most importantly they have such a passion to get to the Premier League.

Kaspars Gorkss and Matt Connolly, statistically the Championship’s most effective defensive pairing last season, both joined our cause from QPR after being deemed surplus to requirements for their Prem campaign, whilst Leigertwood joined the season prior. Neil Warnock was seemingly intent on breaking up his team that romped to the Championship title and replacing them with big money signings, and look where that left him.

He cheekily takes credit for our success too. Jobi McAnuff, made captain in summer, has never played in the top flight, despite trying with five other teams. Noel Hunt follows his brother’s footsteps in gaining promotion with us, and could play against Stephen if Wolves beat the drop. Adam Federici was the Royals’ reserve goalkeeper during their last Premier League stint, and the likes of Jem Karacan, Alex Pearce (two of three players up for Player of the Season), Simon Church and Hal Robson-Kanu have all made their way up through the club’s fantastic academy. Andy Griffin, Ian Harte and Jason Roberts provided the experienced heads, whilst Adam Le Fondre will become a top flight player less than a year after being picked up from League Two and chipping in with 12 goals.

I can honestly say that I didn’t think I’d see a team I loved more than the fabled 106ers of 2005/06, but here they are. It’s a perfect combination of players with varying careers who have such a fantastic bond, and I know that Brian and the rest of the staff will be keen on keeping them together next year. You only have to look at the likes of Swansea and Norwich, and on the flip side QPR, to know which transfer policy works best.

In my last piece, I wrote how the run-in to the season’s end could make or break Reading’s season. It featured five of the top ten at the time, and despite our good form, I was concerned for how well the players would cope with such a tough set of games. What I didn’t anticipate, was that Reading would win 6 of the final 8 fixtures – we face Birmingham next weekend – including games against the top two in West Ham and Southampton, and playoff challengers Leeds, Blackpool and Brighton.

Each and every game was momentous, and with each three points my belief grew. McDermott’s men wrapped it up on Tuesday with a well-fought win against Forest, and as news filtered through that Bristol had held West Ham, the Mad Stad went mental. I really advise checking out some of the promotion videos online, they’re absolutely fantastic. Jem Karacan discharging himself hours after an operation on his broken foot showed what it meant to him, and despite being high as a kite on the medicine, the boys welcomed him like a hero.

Although yesterday’s game against Palace maybe showed traits of complacency in the team, we wrapped up the title later in the day, watching Middlesborough beat Southampton in the late kick off. It would have been nice to have done it with a win at the Madejski and at the same time as the Saints game, but a title is a title, especially considering our position but three months ago, and I ain’t moaning.

What remains important is that we don’t act like there’s nothing to play for at St. Andrew’s in a week’s time. Technically there isn’t, but let’s make it a fine finish to a finer season. Remember 2008/09 boys? We’d been fighting with Wolves and Birmingham for automatic promotion the whole season, and Birmingham condemned us to the playoffs on the final day with a 2-0 victory. Perhaps it’s time to return the favour.

The media have already started paying attention now that Reading are back in the limelight of the Barclays Premier League, and it’s about time too. We’d slipped under the radar, and many people didn’t quite trust in our promotion credentials over West Ham and Southampton’s until it was confirmed. The outright favourites are still battling for that 2nd position, and I certainly wouldn’t want to be the one to drop into the ridiculously strong playoffs this year. Birmingham, Blackpool and Cardiff? No thank you. I don’t imagine Reading would have fared too well in that cauldron. The stats don’t lie though: 47 points gained out of a possible 54 in the last 18 games is promotion form of the finest. That, my friends, is unreal. I’m hella’ proud of the lads, the manager, the chairman, and the club, and there’s just one thing left to say.

Bring on August.

Up the Royals!

 

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Stuck in the middle with you

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Being a Coventry City fan is abject torture.

I’ve just this minute finished watching a poor Bristol City completely outdo a much poorer Coventry City 3-1 in what can only be described as the archetypal relegation six pointer, and honestly I feel like I’ve had my face sliced up Reservoir Dogs style.

Cruel, isn’t it, when your team fights it’s way back from almost certain Yuletide oblivion to go on a seven game unbeaten streak, raising everybody’s hopes and expectations, only to go and lose in such a unspirited and meek minded way at the single most pivotal moment.

Yes, credit where it’s due, the players have played out of their skin in recent games to at least put us in charge of our own destiny, and there have been some gallant performances to boot (most of all from poor old Richard Keogh, who even got the warpaint out to assure us, if we didn’t know it already, that our boys were willing to go out of their way to look like a bunch of tits in our name), but after all’s said and done it was always going to be about today and they totally bottled it.

It’s blown a hole in the soul; tangibly can you feel the deflation amongst a support resigned to a fate seemingly sealed if not yet signed. Once again, we stare relegation in the face like we’d stare down the barrel of a .45 Beretta (Bewetta) clasped in the steely, anti-perspiring hand of an East End gangster with a speech impediment you once mocked.

The chink of light we’ve hung onto feels like it’s narrowing, stained red through bloodshot eyes, watching as the lock up door we fought to force open slowly shuts once more.

You fear the end is near; what fight do we have left?

PUSB. 

Written by Paul Martin, We Are Going Up’s Coventry City Blogger

Paul tweets at @AgeSechsLokashn and @SchemeTweets

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The final six: Promotion the hard way

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

Is it safe to peek through my fingers yet? Last Saturday was one of those days. The match at Upton Park was one of the most important of the season. Lose, and West Ham would once again take control of second place. Winning, no mean feat in itself, would open up a four point gap between ourselves and the play-offs. So that’s exactly what we did.

It wasn’t the greatest first half performance. West Ham had 80% of the possession in the first 30 minutes, and they were closing down balls as if they had 15 men on the pitch. The fact that we came away 4-2 winners, had a fifth wrongly ruled out and pretty much soaked up all the pressure was fantastic. It was such an excellent result that in the hours following the game, added with Blackpool’s hammering of Southampton, I felt so confident that we were in the right mindset to go up automatically this season.

But then I remembered the remaining fixture list, and that’s a sobering thought in itself. If we are to achieve access to the promised land, we’re truly going to have to earn it. There’s a lot of football yet to be played. The next six matches are as follows:

- Leeds United (H)

- Brighton & Hove Albion (A)

- Southampton (A)

- Nottingham Forest (H)

- Crystal Palace (H)

- Birmingham (A)

Hardly what you’d call an easy run-in. When compared to the same six games of Southampton and West Ham’s, ours is by far the toughest. Leeds always prove stern opposition, and when we barely scraped a 0-0 draw at this time last season it rocked our form. Brighton have run up the table in recent weeks, and the AMEX will surely be rocking when we go down there for what they see as a bit of a derby. Then we have to go to St. Mary’s for a possible top placed showdown which could really go down to the wire. There’s the potential to clinch promotion if everything has gone our way by that time. It all depends on what kind of form both teams take into the tie. The last game both sides played at the Madejski was a cracker, and with so much more at stake this time it could be one of the games of the Championship season. Forest and Palace both have the potential to cause upsets, especially if the latter are fighting against relegation, but I believe they could be overcome without too much bother. Which leaves us with Birmingham. Hopefully it won’t come right down to the last day, because a promotion decider at St. Andrews only brings back bad memories from the Coppell Capitulation in 2008/09. That year we were comprehensively dumped out of the playoffs by eventual winners Burnley, and I don’t fancy a repeat.

One saving grace, along with our ridiculous 11-wins-in-13-games form, is the strength in depth that we have at the club. I don’t think I’ve seen a team as strong as this since the Premiership years. They say never change a winning team, and Brian has pretty much stuck to his guns throughout this amazing run, but as we saw on Saturday, players can get injured, and those that come in have hardly harmed their own reputations. Karacan and his replacement Tabb both had to go off at Upton Park, so Robson-Kanu – a bench regular came on, and McAnuff shifted into the middle. McAnuff kept spraying passes from the centre, whilst Robson-Kanu showed flashes of pace and skill to beat several players during the 25 minutes he was on for.

Add to that the likes of Tomasz Cwyka, Joseph Mills and Andy Griffin who don’t even make the bench and Le Fondre, Mullins, Connolly and Andersen who occupied the injury table, and we’re a team beaming with confidence and talent. Afobe came off the bench to replace Kebe on the right side, and impressed, despite it not being his natural position. It’ll be interesting to see how Brian juggles things with the games coming thick and fast over the next month, but he’s praised those not making the starting 11.

“When I got this job I promised myself two things – I’d try to win every game and I would go with my gut on every decision and never question that. Even if it seems harsh. We want to be happy but this is not a soft environment, it’s a focused environment. The toughest part of the job is telling people they are not playing. I have a quote from Cantona up in the dining room: ‘I was a small piece of the jigsaw, but I was never more important than the Team’. I want everyone to feel they are a valued part of what we are doing.

“I spoke to Churchy and Alfie, they’re really important to me. Their reaction was first class. I agonised over the decision, it was a big decision for me but their reaction sums up the group. They both want the team and the club to do well.”

Slowly, I’m beginning to believe more and more that we can do it. This could be our year. There’s still plenty of football to play, but it’s looking good. C’mon you Royals, it’s now or never. This is it.

Ie-ai-ie-ai-ie-ai-o…

Written by Ben Barker, We Are Going Up’s Reading blogger

Ben tweets at @benjambarker

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Play-off push is on at Brighton

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

Throughout Brighton’s first season back in the Championship, I have always been quick to pour cold water on any talk of the club playing Premier League football next season. Every time any talk of the play-offs was muted, I was quick to talk about consolidation in the second tier, and dismissed fans saying it was possible as people who clearly didn’t understand just how tough the Championship is.

Not anymore though. Just one defeat in 16 since the turn of the year has fired Albion into the top six, and left me munching on humble pie. The side that Gus Poyet has assembled is now one of the very best in the division, and has a play-off place in their hands if they can keep this form up.

A huge amount of credit has to be given to Poyet for the work he has done. The Uruguayan, who was rightly awarded the Football League’s Outstanding Managerial Achievement Award last month, has been justified in every signing he has made this season – Billy Paynter aside – and has brought huge strength in depth to the squad at a time of the year when legs will inevitably be getting tired.

That strength in depth is now so strong that over £4m of talent wasn’t even in the 16 for the recent game at Nottingham Forest, a game Poyet’s side led until Joel Lynch’s 94th minute equaliser. As soon as a player becomes unavailable through injury or suspension, there is another waiting to step in.  At this stage of the season that is invaluable.

However, it is only fair and right to exercise an element of caution before we start singing ’We are Premier League’ (wow, I got all the way to paragraph five before turning negative again!) With three of the top four still to play, there is no doubting that the run-in is extremely difficult. I anticipate Brighton will need at least five points from the games with Reading, West Ham and Birmingham to hold onto a top six berth.

The ability to hold onto one of those sought after spots could also depend on the form of Craig Mackail-Smith. After becoming turning down attention from bigger clubs to become Albion’s record transfer signing last summer, it has to be said that his season is becoming something of a disappointment.

There is no doubting his work rate – he will chase after defenders all day long – but in front of goal it just doesn’t seem to be happening. Nine goals in 39 league appearances isn’t exactly what the Amex faithful was expecting when Poyet spent £2.5m on the Scottish international, but if he can find his shooting boots soon and fire us into the Premier League, no-one down here will care one bit.

Replacing Mackail-Smith in attack during the last few games has been Wolves loanee Sam Vokes, another shrewd Poyet signing. The 22-year-old has done a brilliant job at holding the ball up for others over the last few games, and has chipped in with a few vital goals himself, but I can’t help but feel the team would benefit even more if Mackail-Smith was on the pitch to run onto his flick-ons.

The two had a rare chance to play together during the closing stages of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough, and showed the makings of a very promising partnership. A few assists from Vokes could do wonders for Mackail-Smith’s confidence, and secure that all important top six finish at the same time.

Unfortunately though, I’ve just tempted fate by checking what dates the play-off fixtures will take place on. Fellow Brighton fans, if we miss out, the fault lies solely at my door!

Written by Liam Dawes – We Are Going Up’s Brighton and Hove Albion Blogger

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R’over and out: A look back on this season

Monday, March 26th, 2012

As Billy Sharp slotted home his second goal at St.Mary’s he pretty much summed up the season Doncaster Rovers are having. Less than two months ago Sharp was a Rovers player.

Those two months seems to have gone by very slowly indeed and Rovers are now five points off safety with eight games to play. The games are running out and the great escape seems more unlikely with each passing day. Doncaster Rovers look as good as condemned to be leaving the Championship in the next month after four great seasons of entertaining football and punching well above their weight. But it was only 16 months ago the club were being described as the ‘next Blackpool,’ so what has gone wrong so much for Rovers to now be fighting against all odds to stay in this division?

Let’s begin on the opening day of the season; away at Brighton and 1-0 up at half time after a great first half performance. The second half saw injuries to both James Hayter and Sharp and Rovers were defeated by a 99th minute Brighton goal. That would be as good as it got as one point was picked up from the first seven games of the season and Sean O’Driscoll was sacked, despite Chairman John Ryan declaring the day before that his job was as safe as Sir Alex Ferguson’s.

Things were beginning to get stale under O’Driscoll, however in his defence he did have a very much depleted squad, and little money to bring in anybody of a calibre who could lift the confidence which had been shattered after a 19 game winless run. Although the manager may not have left on very good terms with the club, he will be remembered by many fans as bringing the glory days back to the town of Doncaster after 50 years.

Who was chosen to take over from the tactical mastermind? Dean Saunders, a prolific goal scorer in his career but with little managerial experience at Wrexham, and whether that was much a success can easily be debated. He had been with the Welsh club for three seasons. In his first two seasons, despite bringing in around thirty different players and expected to win promotion back to the Football League, they could only finish in 10th and 11th respectively, in his third season it finally began to tick and they claimed 4th spot but lost out in the play-offs. Before he left his post, Wrexham were sitting top of the Conference.

Saunders started his managerial career at Doncaster very well, picking up seven points in his first three games and lifting the Rovers out of the Relegation zone. If that didn’t make Rovers fans smile, they had signed Pascal Chimbonda and were being linked with El-Hadji Diouf, Frederic Piquionne and even Carlos Tevez! People were beginning to ask questions on how this was making sense and soon enough a man with the answers stepped into the limelight to receive his praise from the Rovers faithful; transfer agent Willie McKay. However this was not met with the optimism that the club would have hoped for and since making that interview for a Sunday newspaper, a divide has been created at Doncaster Rovers between the fans that will take a very long time to heal.

Since then Doncaster Rovers have signed Chris Kirkland, Damien Plessis, Mamadou Bagayoko, Habib Beye, El-Hadji Diouf, Carl Ikeme, Frederic Piquionne, David Button, Herita Ilunga, Herold Goulon, Habib Bamogo and Lamime Diatta. There was even talk of the club pushing for the play-offs, but it’s fair to say this has quite panned out how anybody expected. Despite the big names coming to Rovers, the team have struggled to shake off that losing mentality and have been stuck in a relegation fight ever since.

It isn’t as if Saunders andMcKay haven’t been genuinely trying to help the club, but the same can’t be said about some of the players, and that doesn’t just include the players that have come here since the pair decided to help the struggling South Yorkshire club.

Relegation would be a blow to Doncaster, the chairman has already stated that the club are operating at a loss at this level and should they go down the loss in TV revenue would mean financial losses in the region of £6 million. I fear for the stability and safety of the club after relegation, wondering what will happen if Rovers do go down.

Some are speculating this will be the end of the ‘McKay experiment’, others believe it will continue, while some fans are unsure and refusing to accept that relegation is a possibility. Some supporters blame Sean O’Driscoll for the current predicament, some are blaming McKay’s transfer policy, questioning whether it is right to allow one player to train with Rovers for two days a week and spend the rest of the week in France.

Are Doncaster Rovers going down the right path? I don’t think anybody knows the sure, especially when earlier this season the club’s future was left in jeopardy when two of the biggest shareholders resigned from the Board of Directors, leaving Chairman John Ryan as the last man standing.

No one can question Ryan’s commitment as a fan of Doncaster Rovers or his loyalty as a Chairman. If ever there was a man who could take on the role of being a Chairman of a business and lookout for the interests of the supporters before his back pocket, and support the team as a boyhood fan, it is John Ryan. And while he remains at Doncaster Rovers, many fans will feel more comfortable with whatever happens because they know everything John Ryan does is in the best interests of the club.

So our future may look bleak, but Rovers still have a fighting chance of surviving this season and I will see it out to the very end. Hopefully that the rest of the Rovers faithful will be doing the same, cheering on the boys, loud and proud until the final ball is kicked. Keep The Faith. R’over and out…

Written by Lee Croft, We Are Going Up’s Doncaster Rovers blogger

Lee tweets at @mr1croft

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Seventh Heaven

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

In November, a 4-0 home defeat to the hands of Leeds United was one of the lowest points in Nottingham Forest’s season. On Tuesday night came one of the highs as the Reds gained glorious revenge, running riot at Elland Road to secure a memorable 7-3 victory.

The result was remarkable given Forest’s struggles in front of goal this season, despite improved results in recent weeks. The fact that Leeds won 4-1 the last time they hosted Forest and are now managed by Neil Warnock – a man Forest fans have loved to hate down the years – makes the victory all the more sweet.

It is the first time Leeds have conceded seven at home, the first time Forest have scored seven on the road since a 7-1 demolition of Sheffield Wednesday in 1995 and is a victory which moves Forest seven points clear of the relegation zone. For those who like stats,  the 3-7 scoreline cropped up in Forest’s 37th league game of the season and it came the day before what would have been Brian Clough’s 77th birthday. An omen perhaps?

From a Forest perspective, the performance could not be more different to their last outing a week before when they were beaten 1-0 by bitter rivals Derby County. That match at Pride Park was a completely dour affair, with both sides doing their best to avoid playing football.

A major gripe of that Derby defeat was Forest’s reluctance to keep the ball on the floor, instead resorting to belting it upfield whenever possible, which only kept inviting their hosts to pile on the pressure. Had the Reds tried to play some passing football they may well have found some success. They did it at Elland Road and reaped the rewards.

Radoslaw Majewski had become somewhat of a forgotten name at the City Ground since Steve Cotterill took charge, but the Polish midfielder was a surprise inclusion in the starting lineup on Tuesday night, coming in to replace suspended striker Marcus Tudgay. Many fans have been clamouring for the skillful Majewski to be given another chance by Cotterill, to bring his passing ability and creative influence to the team. He wasn’t necessarily the most influential man on the field at Elland Road, but he gave the Leeds defenders something different to worry about in his attacking midfield role whilst helping Forest to play a passing game.

Majewski’s inclusion was the only change to the starting eleven which faced Derby, with the 25-year-old playing in an advanced berth behind lone striker Dexter Blackstock to make up a five man midfield. The system gave the Reds defensive steel whilst allowing the attack-minded players to cause Warnock’s side problems.

Having fallen behind after five minutes despite a good start, many Forest fans were fearing the worst but Adlene Guedioura soon changed the mood, as the on-loan Wolves man hit a thunderbolt from 35 yards to equalise just two minutes later, a goal well worth looking up. Forest continued to play with a confidence not seen at Pride Park, as they were keeping the ball on the deck and having the better of the game. It cast aside any thoughts that Cotterill’s side would repeat the ugly performance seen a week previously, trying to matching the often direct nature favoured by Neil Warnock’s teams.

Deservedly 2-1 up at the break thanks to Garath McCleary, Forest extended their lead early in the second half when Dexter Blackstock nodded Andy Reid’s left wing cross into the net, then followed an incredible sixteen minutes of football which produced five goals. Leeds hit back through Luciano Becchio and equalised two minutes later thanks to Michael Brown’s excellent strike. “Here we go again” was a phrase running through the minds of Forest fans everywhere, as another good away performance would no doubt end up turning into a nightmare.

However this was different. Two minutes after Brown’s leveller, McCleary was played into space down the right and unleashed a tremendous volley over Andy Lonergan to make it 4-3 to the Reds. The wonderful technique from the Forest winger makes it another must-see goal, Van Basten-esque! Over the next fifteen minutes McCleary scored two more to take his tally for the evening to four and send over 1,000 travelling Forest fans, plus the thousands more listening to the radio at home in Nottingham, into delirium.

By the time Dexter Blackstock made the score 7-3 with ten minutes remaining, Leeds supporters were streaming towards the exits while Reds fans were wondering if it was all some wonderful dream. The unexpected result is not only a scoreline which will make the rest of the Championship stand up and take notice, it also shows that Forest have got the quality in their ranks to avoid the drop into League One.

Several of the team impressed on the night, but the man grabbing the headlines following the win is Garath McCleary after he got on the scoresheet four times. He has been given an extended spell in the side by Cotterill and is now finally showing his ability on a consistent basis after previously struggling to make an impact at the City Ground.

McCleary has been a Reds player for four years, having been signed by Colin Calderwood in 2008. The former Oxford trainee impressed scouts whilst playing for non-league Bromley and after a trial with Forest, the club paid £25,000 for his services. He made his debut against Carlisle United in League One in March 2008 and netted his first Reds goal in a vital 2-0 win against the same opponents a month later, as Forest eventually won promotion back to the Championship later that campaign.

Prior to this season, McCleary was mainly used as a squad player, with many of his Forest appearances coming off the bench. When he was given a chance in the team, either starting or as a substitute, he showed promise but was often lacking that crucial final product. With pace, skill and trickery in his locker he always looked a decent prospect, but it seemed as if he would never quite make the grade at Championship level.

However Cotterill is the first Forest manager to give McCleary a lengthy run of first-team games and his faith in the 24-year-old is paying off. McCleary has quickly developed into a major attacking threat, creating goals for the team and finding the back of the net himself. Before his four-goal heroics at Elland Road, he had scored nine goals in 117 games – five of them this season. That £25,000 investment looks like a bargain now, but McCleary’s contract is expiring in the summer so the club has to offer him a new deal, and quick.

Favourable results both on Saturday and Tuesday now see Forest seven points clear of the bottom three, with a game in hand on most of their rivals. In-form Brighton and Hove Albion visit the City Ground on Saturday and the Reds will no doubt be buoyed by the magnificent seven against a Leeds side who still harbour hopes of a play-off spot.

Steve Cotterill deserves much credit for the Leeds success. There are many fans, myself included, who’ve felt the former Portsmouth manager has failed to deliver since taking the Forest job in October, but he got his tactics and team selection right on Tuesday. Having witnessed the poor display at Derby, he encouraged the team to play in a style which suited them and will hopefully stick with a winning formula from now on. If he does keep Forest in the Championship then he will have utlimately done his job for the season.

Tuesday’s result should rightly be enjoyed by the team, fans and everyone associated with Forest, but more importantly it should act as the springboard for the team to go into a tough run of fixtures with renewed optimism. After the Brighton match, successive away trips to Leicester City and Crystal Palace follow, plus a televised home fixture against fellow relegation candidates Bristol City a week later.

The manner of victory at Elland Road also highlights the inconsistencies which have continually blighted Forest’s survival hopes all season, especially in recent months. Good displays against Birmingham City, Coventry City and Millwall have been undone by equally poor ones in the matches with Doncaster Rovers and Derby County, to name but two. Ideally the Leeds success will give players the belief to produce consistent displays, which will lead to them taking the points needed for survival from their remaining games.

But for now let’s celebrate one of the best performances seen from a Nottingham Forest side in the last fifteen years. It has been a tough season for the club with very little to shout about and Tuesday was a truly memorable night. Hopefully, there are more reasons to be cheerful to come between now and the end of the campaign.

Written by Steven Toplis, We Are Going Up podcast member and Nottingham Forest blogger

Steven tweets at @steven_toplis

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