2021-2022 EFL Championship: 2nd tier but NOT 2nd rate

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,774
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
Figured it was time for a new thread here.

Who's in?

Relegated

Fulham
West Brom
Sheffield U.

Promoted
Hull City
Peterborough
Blackpool


Who's Out

Promoted

Norwich
Watford
Brentford

Relegated
Wycombe
Rotherham
Sheffield Wed


Early odds have the 3 relegated clubs as favorites to go right back up, although I suspect thats the easy play here. I love what my Queen's Park Rangers have done with this offseason, and early returns in friendlies have me hopeful they can make a push towards at the very least a playoff position. Other strong competitors expect to be Cardiff, Barnsley, and Nottingham Forest.

Bookmakers think that Blackpool and Peterborough are going to turn right back around and head back to League One, although they have a bit more love for Hull City.
 

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,774
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
3 very strong pre-season showing.

Opener against Millwall at home. These are the matches the good teams find 3 from most times.

We only get 1.

Sadly is likely what I can expect out of QPR this year.
 

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,774
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
So apparently I am the only fan of a Championship team on SoSH this year...I may just let this one die on the vine if I am just talking to myself.

QPR playing better tho...
 

Pesky Pole

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Jul 31, 2001
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Phoenixville, PA
I have ESPN+ and I have no allegiances but I could get into the Championship. We need a “pick me a Championship team to root for” wizard.
 

swiftaw

Member
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Jan 31, 2009
3,434
I'm rooting for Peterborough, because I believe they are the only team in the championship to have never played top flight football.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
We’ve had other supporters in the past…you’ve got to keep this shit going though. I dragged this thread to at least two pages for more than a few years.

I haven’t followed at all this year other than to be mildly amused at the start the Pigs are off to.

Peterborough is a good call, they’re a really well run developmental club. But the club that I would love to root for is Luton Town- really well run under Nathan Jones, they play fun football and have a cool old park in Kenilworth Road.
 

nolasoxfan

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Jun 11, 2004
6,930
Displaced
I follow Ipswich Town in League One. A less than stellar opening to the season, so far...
And I'll pay attention to what Millwall is doing in the Championship because who doesn't like watching a train wreck?
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Millwall beat Everton in an FA Cup tie a couple of years ago in the most miserable game of footy I've ever seen- at Millwall, winter, raining so hard you couldn't see and the pitch was a swamp, crowd howling, Millwall playing James Caan-Rollerball style. Toffes took two leads and promptly coughed them up. Fancy players from the Continent couldn't hack the atmosphere.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Charlie Austin with an injury time goal to bring QPR level with Barnsley. Looks like it’s been a great game
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Aiden Flint vs Milwall: 2 goals, 3 shots on target, 18 headers won, 3 interceptions, 8 clearances.

A solid 10/10 performance on WhoScored. He’s such a beast.
 

ernieshore

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Aug 24, 2006
2,283
The Camel City
I was away from my computer a few days, but I now get to confess my Millwall fandom of 25+ years.

In 1995, I was living in SE London as a student during their FA Cup run and victories over Arsenal and Chelsea, and started following them then - admittedly before I knew anything about their reputation. In the next league season, they were top of the table in the middle of the season and positioned for promotion to the Premier League. I went back to the States, and when I checked in on them again at the end of the season (this was early Internet days), they had been relegated to the Second Division. That was when I said "yes - this is indeed my team."

I lived in London again in 1997 and went to the (New) Den several times. I've been back several times since then, taken a behind the scenes tour of the stadium, watched them at soccer bars in the U.S. the few times they are on TV, and even seen them twice at Wembley. I've honestly had nothing but great experiences and been treated like one of the family there.

I was right in line behind the goal for this. Their second goal right after this one was the loudest I think I've ever heard a crowd (and yet they still lost):
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_sSqJkkwTU
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Jun 15, 2002
5,846
Bonus Millwall points for that Youtube clip having a content warning for seemingly no reason at all, as far as I can tell.
 

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,774
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
Great showing for QPR yesterday, but they really saved it for the last 40 or so. They were outclassed for the first half and were fortunate to be level.

The first goal really deflated Coventry and the 2nd crushed them entirely.

Can't complain with this start.

43834
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
This Fulham/Bournemouth game is great. Cherries up 1-0 with 10 to go

edit: Cottage goes nuts as the boys in white justifiably equal in the 84th

edit #2: Ends in a draw. Fulham probably deserved more but Bournmouth earned that point. Two best teams in the second division hands down.
 
Last edited:

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,774
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
Gotta agree. QPR was starting to make me believe they were almost at that tier. But they just arent.

Hoops blew a perfect opportunity yesterday to close the gap on the top 2. Sigh. Looks like the best case will certainly be holding onto the top 6. They have so much talent but then have games where they just no show. :|
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,671
I know it's the Championship, but Mitrovic has 27 goals in 24 games for Fulham. He needs three more to break the Championship record of 30 (tied with Glenn Murray and Ivan Toney) and he has almost half a season left to do it.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
I know it's the Championship, but Mitrovic has 27 goals in 24 games for Fulham. He needs three more to break the Championship record of 30 (tied with Glenn Murray and Ivan Toney) and he has almost half a season left to do it.
Fulham are flying high. That Marco Silva fella looks a comer. Maybe Everton could grab him :oops:
 

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,774
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
Fulham are flying high. That Marco Silva fella looks a comer. Maybe Everton could grab him :oops:
Fulham, as much as I hate them, are playing lights out.

That said, i'd love to find a way to that 2nd auto promotion spot and have the two west london rivals going up. QPRs next game vs Middlesbrough is huge. Good team. 3 there would be huge because the following 3 are all against bottom half clubs, including 2 win in 27 match Barnsley

49000
 

67YAZ

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Dec 1, 2000
8,729
Credit to Rooney for sticking things through despite the inevitable and getting a strong performance from a thin squad. Without the deduction, they’d be comfortably safe.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Huddersfield got a late goal from Jordan Rhodes to knock off Luton (which was an incredible story...I've talked him up before but keep an eye on Nathan Jones) and Sheffield United blew another playoff game on penalties (tee hee) to Forest. Forest deserved to go through though, and speaking of coaches to watch, Steve Cooper is one of the best UK managers in the game. Although he has that Wille McGee "looks like he smells something bad" face.




Sorry for the size of that.

Bigger news was following the game when Forest fans stormed the pitch, United striker and Legendary Pig Billy Sharp was assaulted by a Forest fan, requiring stitches. Real ugly stuff, sounds like the club and local police are going after him hard.

View: https://twitter.com/_The72/status/1526688106665152512?s=20&t=vlK1J95i7RSoa8-VfNPo2Q



It's the dude in yellow (way to make yourself even more identifiable you clown)
 

teddykgb

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Jul 16, 2005
11,016
Chelmsford, MA
What style is Huddersfield playing these days? Looking at the stats they seem really defensive. Probably would prefer to see Forest come up
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Carlos Corberan is their coach- he worked closely with Bielsa at Leeds and has a bunch of Guardiola connections. He's big into tactical switches in-game (3-4-3 in attack, 4-4-1-1 in defense or whatever) and playing out from the back with possession. He got burned bad last season trying to use Bielsa's man marking system, so it looks like he's far more cautious this year. I also think their talent level (and budget) aren't that great so the team is greater than the sum of its parts, which is obviously a tribute to Corberan.

But yes, Forest back in the Premiership would be more enjoyable.
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
22,671
I suppose I'm rooting for Forest just on the idea they are a pretty big club with a strong history. Huddersfield have some history of their own of course, especially on 1920s, and they've done well to get back into this spot after crashing out of the EPL.

Happy that their is meaningful soccer on today.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
1-0 Forest at 59’

OG, deflection off a screamer just before half.

Forest has had the better throughout though Huddersfield starting to play more expansive.

some good players on these sides. Forests 9, Kienan Davis, is a unit who can fly- he nutmegged some dude at full gallop, breathtaking.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Huddersfield just got the worst fucking by Jon Moss and VAR.
Forest dude just stuck a foot in on runner on the box, shin on shin, and the attacker was booked for simulation.