As is the way of the football world, the collective gaze of many football fans is currently centred on the Barclays Premier League with its closest season in ages rolling on. While the audience is justified for the Premier League, another English league is going through a rollercoaster season that is bringing 10 times the excitement the Premier League has.
The NPower Championship (Old Division Two for the old timers) is considered the 6th biggest league in Europe. Fox Sports have very light coverage of the league with the odd game live on TV and a weekly highlights show.
The Championship is the pathway to the Premier League and it fought with high passion and vigour as promotion to the Premier League gives clubs a 60 million pound boost from increased TV Revenue and Sponsorship. This league I feel also produces the purest football with most teams trying to attack hard.
The 2010/2011 though, has become one of the closest on record. As of the 2nd of January, 12 points separate teams placed between 5th and 19th (Teams finishing 3-6 have playoffs for the final promotional place).
Anyone can beat anyone on any given day with no match easy to predict. In the last few weeks the runaway leaders QPR, have stumbled with 3 losses after an unbeaten start to the season and Cardiff who have been perennial runners up have slipped down the ladder.
This environment is creating volatility I have never seen in sport before. For example 14th place Doncaster are only 2 games out of a possible playoff place at a time when mid-table mediocrity should set in. At the other end of the table Reading, who were 5th, dropped to 11th without playing a match. Such is the competition between teams. Burnley who sacked manager Brian Laws for lack of direction in getting his team into the Premier League, are 8th and still fighting.
It has been bemoaned in modern football that competition has been lost due to the rise of big-money clubs and their poaching of players. This league is the league you need to watch for close, passionate matches.
Every result until the end of the season will have serious implications for who goes up to the glory of the Premier League and who stays down. To all football fans, take one weekend off the big leagues and tune in to a league where every match is so crucial.
Derby County FC
Guest
Johnhunt92 Cheers mate for this article. The obsession with the EPL is nauseating in my opionion. Even if my beloved Derby do go up what hope do we have? We wait for the scraps thrown to us by the "big boys". The Championship is much more open, the football is of a good standard and pretty much anyone can win it. In fact give me any of the lower leagues in England. To be honest, i think the EPL is so overrated, same teams contest the top every year, the other teams are just happy to avoid relegation and take the cash making average teams like Wigan, Villa et al nothing more than teams that are there and nothing else, they are however too rich and buy players that keep them in the big league. Money is killing our wonderful game and even this is creeping into the Championship.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
This is only maringally related, but there is an interesting debate occurring in the SPL at the moment as to whether they should reduce back to 10 teams. http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/192921,clubs-shy-away-from-10team-spl.aspx Might be relevant for the A-League as well.
johnhunt92
Roar Guru
Nope, just an article not gushing about the Premier League
THE NSL
Guest
Is this a paid advertisement?
tommy_doleman
Roar Pro
Very refreshing article John, I love the lower leagues of England as well as the English Premier League. The high octane, end to end, fast tempo is something that particularly attracts me. As you rightly point out in your piece the competition is fantastic and any team can beat any other in unpredictable fashion. Crowd of 17,000 at Huddersfield last night for the derby with Sheffield Wednesday created an awesome pure football atmosphere. While the football might not be "technical enough" for some people, the excitement factor should not be ignored. Sky in the UK also do a magnificent coverage of the game in my opinion. As for my boys Leeds - expectations have massively been exceeded and while i would have ripped your arm off for a top half finish, you just never know... **crosses fingers**
Atawhai Drive
Guest
Just wish we could see more of it, Nick. But all going well, QPR will be back in the top flight next season after 15 years, and I'll have a good reason to follow the Premier League more closely.
Jared Newton
Roar Rookie
I'm keeping a close eye on QPR, especially if my beloved Fulham stay in the relegation zone. As a side note I'm pretty sure Betfair TV televise many of the games through the web.
Nick
Guest
QPR and espically their captain Adel Tarabt play some beautiful football at times, and Tarabts dribbling is probably up their with the best in the world behind Messi and Ronaldo.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Od you should write this now as Leeds vs Middlesborough was on the TV so I watched out of interest to see the Aussie boys in action (I have no affiliation with either club). It was good fun to watch.