• The forums will be unavailable for a few hours on Saturday 6th June, when they do return they will initially be in a degraded state with some features missing, but normal posting/reading will be possible. The main website will not be affected by these updates.
    New user registrations are currently disabled.
    Some other features of the forum are also currently disabled.

The Championship

Turnip from the Tip said:
I can understand some people wanting to be back in the Premier League asap, but for me the Championship is a brilliant, competitive division, full of big clubs, some great fixtures, difficult to predict and for those that go away regularly, some big allocations. And loads of midweek games to enjoy too (and by that I do not mean U21’s in the Papa Johns Trophy).

I’d like to see Derby (next year) and Sheffield Wednesday back up this season, Leeds and Leicester or preferably Everton to drop down and it will be even better and tougher next season.

League 1 to championship - huge gulf in terms of enjoyment and entertainment. It was awful.

Premier league to championship - less so. If anything, it’s more exciting. Personally no problem at all with another couple of seasons at least being a big draw in the 2nd tier.

End of post.
Click to expand...
It’s that good of a league we’ve closed the upper tier,
 

I honestly have no desire to see Sunderland in the Premier League until we are properly ready.

I'm only just enjoying it again after at least 5 years of premier league struggles, championship relegation and the league 1 wasteland. The thought of premier league struggles does absolutely nothing for me personally at this moment in time.

But if we build the club up and go back to the premier league in a good place then great. But I never felt that it was this season.
 
Turnip from the Tip said:
I can understand some people wanting to be back in the Premier League asap, but for me the Championship is a brilliant, competitive division, full of big clubs, some great fixtures, difficult to predict and for those that go away regularly, some big allocations. And loads of midweek games to enjoy too (and by that I do not mean U21’s in the Papa Johns Trophy).

I’d like to see Derby (next year) and Sheffield Wednesday back up this season, Leeds and Leicester or preferably Everton to drop down and it will be even better and tougher next season.

League 1 to championship - huge gulf in terms of enjoyment and entertainment. It was awful.

Premier league to championship - less so. If anything, it’s more exciting. Personally no problem at all with another couple of seasons at least being a big draw in the 2nd tier.

End of post.
Click to expand...
We are a very big club…..the day we accept being in the second tier is the we cease to be a very big club.
 
The Premier League is awash with social media obsessed whoppers and armchair 'supporters', who seem to have every football phone-in show on speed dial.

'Next up we have Tarquin from Stevenage who supports Liverpool, he would like to discuss sacking Jurgen Klopp and bringing in Harry Redknapp for the remainder of the season.'
 
Hendon Mad Frog said:
Chelsea and West Ham? :D :D :D

Chelsea will never be relegated unless something catastrophic happens, this season was a one off.

West Ham are averaging 58,000 attendance and on the verge of winning a european trophy.
Click to expand...

I could see West Ham dropping in the future like. They have before and unless they're pushing top 4 they're always at risk of getting their best players poached. I agree about Chelsea though, I could never see them going down.
 
Football is much more enjoyable when you win & are working towards something. We almost got a free hit this year by getting into the play offs. Whilst we wanted to win, even after defeat, the majority could see we’re progressing in a positive way, it’s not a devastating result. Next year, if we get to the play offs it’s a completely different situation. We’d be gutted & the progression is faultering.

Hanging around in this league means we’re not winning consistently enough to enjoy a season. Getting promoted would be enjoyable. The Premier League would be tough, we’d win less, but at least you’ve got an excuse not to win every week. Getting relegated & promoted would mean shit year’s & disappointment in May. Whether you like it or not you’ve always got to strive to move higher rather than have an easy ride in the championship
 
Turnip from the Tip said:
I can understand some people wanting to be back in the Premier League asap, but for me the Championship is a brilliant, competitive division, full of big clubs, some great fixtures, difficult to predict and for those that go away regularly, some big allocations. And loads of midweek games to enjoy too (and by that I do not mean U21’s in the Papa Johns Trophy).

I’d like to see Derby (next year) and Sheffield Wednesday back up this season, Leeds and Leicester or preferably Everton to drop down and it will be even better and tougher next season.

League 1 to championship - huge gulf in terms of enjoyment and entertainment. It was awful.

Premier league to championship - less so. If anything, it’s more exciting. Personally no problem at all with another couple of seasons at least being a big draw in the 2nd tier.

End of post.
Click to expand...

Agree to an extent but the reality is our better players will be picked off if we look like hanging around. Whilst upwardly mobile our ‘stature’ will undoubtedly ensure players can be persuaded to hang around but as soon as we look like perennial also rans they’ll be off. Good chance a couple will be off this season. That means the recruitment you talk about in the Prem needing to be spot on also applies here otherwise we get sucked down to the bottom of this league… it’s a tightrope spud.. a f***ing tightrope
 
I have no interest in the Prem league, I don't watch can hardly name 6 players in it, so from my personal stance I like the Champ. I do realise from a club perspective the Prem is the place to be. So when my club Boro failed miserably in the playoffs I wasn't to upset about it.
 
Turnip from the Tip said:
I can understand some people wanting to be back in the Premier League asap, but for me the Championship is a brilliant, competitive division, full of big clubs, some great fixtures, difficult to predict and for those that go away regularly, some big allocations. And loads of midweek games to enjoy too (and by that I do not mean U21’s in the Papa Johns Trophy).

I’d like to see Derby (next year) and Sheffield Wednesday back up this season, Leeds and Leicester or preferably Everton to drop down and it will be even better and tougher next season.

League 1 to championship - huge gulf in terms of enjoyment and entertainment. It was awful.

Premier league to championship - less so. If anything, it’s more exciting. Personally no problem at all with another couple of seasons at least being a big draw in the 2nd tier.

End of post.
Click to expand...
I like the champo (and I can’t even use L1 as a context because it was demeaning).Everything you say, I agree with. But I still think the Prem has to be aspirational.

I don’t suppose that the authorities will ever get to grips with these who bend the rules and commit financial doping and/or just skew the transfer market with their wealth. Either that, or their accountants and legal teams are smarter than those of the authorities.

So… we just would have to compete as well as we can. I have no doubt, with the correct governance in place, we can be a force in the Prem. We have stared down the barrel, and hopefully have learned from those dark days. We also have fantastic templates such as Brighton and Brentford to refer to.

Onwards and upwards, and in the meantime we are all enjoying our football again at Sunderland.
 
Frankey said:
Sooner all the oil state owned clubs fuck off into their own shit super league, the better football will be in this country
Click to expand...
The better football in already in this country although I agree with the sentiment. If the Super League, or whatever the fuck it will be called, got going then the English League could reset. All it needs is a fairer share of the money. Let’s be honest who prefers watching your team lose to the ‘big clubs’ that being competitive against the ‘lesser’ teams?
 
Being a decent team in the championship is way better than being a lower half premier league.

Being a lower end championship team battling relegation is absolute rubbish and I pray we never go back to being that bad.
 
Bada Bing said:
I like the champo (and I can’t even use L1 as a context because it was demeaning).Everything you say, I agree with. But I still think the Prem has to be aspirational.

I don’t suppose that the authorities will ever get to grips with these who bend the rules and commit financial doping and/or just skew the transfer market with their wealth. Either that, or their accountants and legal teams are smarter than those of the authorities.

So… we just would have to compete as well as we can. I have no doubt, with the correct governance in place, we can be a force in the Prem. We have stared down the barrel, and hopefully have learned from those dark days. We also have fantastic templates such as Brighton and Brentford to refer to.

Onwards and upwards, and in the meantime we are all enjoying our football again at Sunderland.
Click to expand...
Good post, agree with all of that. There’s a lot to be said about being geared up for it once you get promoted. Whether that’s an immediate return (Fulham last season, Burnley this) or gradual improvement. I’d much rather do it the right way and be a ‘bit part’ club in the premier league than a Man City or Newcastle. Brighton and their achievements of late might well focus a few minds.
 
Frankey said:
Sooner all the oil state owned clubs fuck off into their own shit super league, the better football will be in this country
Click to expand...
I agree with this but then some other mega rich person/organisation will come in and buy the top remaining clubs and repeat the process again
 
Zidane said:
I honestly have no desire to see Sunderland in the Premier League until we are properly ready.

I'm only just enjoying it again after at least 5 years of premier league struggles, championship relegation and the league 1 wasteland. The thought of premier league struggles does absolutely nothing for me personally at this moment in time.

But if we build the club up and go back to the premier league in a good place then great. But I never felt that it was this season.
Click to expand...
So you don't want to win enough games in this league either
 
Honess10 said:
Agree to an extent but the reality is our better players will be picked off if we look like hanging around. Whilst upwardly mobile our ‘stature’ will undoubtedly ensure players can be persuaded to hang around but as soon as we look like perennial also rans they’ll be off. Good chance a couple will be off this season. That means the recruitment you talk about in the Prem needing to be spot on also applies here otherwise we get sucked down to the bottom of this league… it’s a tightrope spud.. a f***ing tightrope
Click to expand...
Our best players will always be picked off whichever division we are in. The better we are the bigger clubs will take our players that’s all. There are only 2 clubs in the world who don’t lose their best players and they both play in the racist country. You could argue that City now get (and keep) the best too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top