A Feeding Ground for Stars

I’ve lost count of the times, after watching Rangers struggle through another game; my English housemate’s have taken great delight in putting it down in comparison with even the Championship. Of course pride takes over, with the Scottish league defended to the hilt but it has come a point that I may have to admit defeat.

The Championship has become one of the most competitive and unpredictable leagues in the world. The attendance figures are staggering for being a second tier league. In the 2008-2009 season it came only behind the top leagues in England, Germany and Spain, beating Serie A and League 1 from France. While the quality may be higher in the Premiership, La Liga, Italy and the like, they are increasingly having only two or three teams fighting it out for the title. Compare this to the Championship where there is only 7 points between 2^nd and 8^th, chasing a QPR side who are quite rightly surging ahead.




Didn't quite work for Strachan

 

As a betting man, the Championship is a proverbial minefield when it comes to the weekly coupon. On any given day one team can beat another, a fact proved by pre-season promotion favourites Middlesbrough currently scrapping it out in the bottom half. The team of proven SPL ‘stars’ has failed miserably; meaning my argument for the SPL is getting even thinner on the ground.

One area in which the Championship holds power over the Scotland’s top league is the standard of player it manages to produce. With talents such as Conner Wickham, Jonny Howson, Shane Long and Scott Sinclair lighting up the division along with a great selection of others; it puts the relative standard of player in Scotland into perspective, for instance I doubt any player from outside the top 2 could hold down a place in a Championship play-off side. One man however has shown how good a breeding ground the division can be.

Adel Taarabt has been an inspiration to his QPR side, who sit with their feet resting on the others at the top of the table. His gaffer, Neil Warnock, described him as ‘talented, exciting and frustrating’ and they are probably the 3 best words to sum him up. With the attitude of a sulking child at times, he looks like he wants to pick up the ball and go home if things aren’t going his way.



Breath of Fresh Air



However the first two are the most important. His movement, skills, assists and goals have been the difference between a playoff place and almost certain title glory. A man who would be chased out of Scotland for his lack of effort at times in a league which prides itself on its work ethic, has been a shining example of confidence producing success. A certain Charlie Adam might just agree with me.

The play-off system in England’s second tier is another reason which further puts down my bias towards the SPL. The top and bottom half split in Scotland has gone drastically wrong and has left the embarrassing situation of 7^th place finishing with more points than those in 6^th. Change is needed and has begun to be addressed recently by the SFA which may help the league in the long-run.



Brilliant spectacle for fans and neutrals



In the present however the Championship has a clear edge. The 2^nd to 6^th play-off structure gives a great end to the season. Last season’s final between Cardiff and Blackpool was a fantastic game of football and a great advert for the league; whereas an end of season game between St Mirren and Hamilton on television doesn’t exactly promote the Scottish game. With Cardiff, Swansea, Forest, Norwich and Leeds all fighting it out at the top at the minute, it leaves a mouth watering line up for the end of the season.

The performance of the promoted 3 from last season is also an encouraging factor in showing the quality of the league. Newcastle, West Brom and Blackpool have made a tremendous fight of avoiding relegation this season, leading to 10 points separating 7^th to 20^th place. This shows the gap between the two is smaller than would be imagined. Even for an Old Firm supporter it is hard to think that we would break into the top half of the Premiership within 5 years of joining.

So as I sit here scratching my head for reasons the SPL is better my mind’s a blank. This may be my own fault but I think I may have to admit defeat to those gloating Englishmen. Apart from the sheer passion, and occasional exciting game, which arrives on Old Firm day, Scotland’s ‘finest’ league doesn’t have all that much to offer.

From now I’ll be keeping quiet when the next piece of bait is cast towards me, resisting the temptation to bite and hoping with everything I’ve got England somehow fail to qualify for Euro 2012 so I have something to fight back with.

Modern day fairytale

When Blackpool F.C. entered the promised land this season, many believed it would be a short lived journey amongst the big boys of English football. The incredible achievement of promotion from the Championship when considered relegation favourites at the start of the season seemed the pinnacle and a few tantalising trips away from the seaside and to Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the Emirates would be all they could take from a harsh season in the top division. However an already rollercoaster season has seen the ‘Seasiders’ delight their loyal contingent with high-profile wins, exciting football and the teasing prospect of being in the queue to buy their season ticket for the 2011/2012 Premiership season.

When Ian Holloway signed a one year deal to take charge of Blackpool, even ‘Ollie’, and his considerable optimism, could not have predicted what was to come. Avoiding relegation was the target set and a realistic one at that. A side with a limited budget even by Championship standards, showed grit and desire to see off their pre-season critics and rise up the league. Fast forward to the 23 May 2010, and the Tangerine dream had come true with a 3-2 win over the favourites Cardiff. An underdog story to rival the best and David would soon be facing Goliath on a weekly basis as the side stepped up to the next level.



Underdogs



The current Blackpool side have been a breath of fresh air in a time where money has become the be all and end all of modern day football. While the other clubs splash out millions on transfer fees and wages, Blackpool have relied on some aspects that are missed by clubs. Belief, Confidence, Organisation are all prominent in the Seasiders style of play and attitude towards their task. Coming up against the big spenders was never going to be easy, to put it in perspective it is estimated that Blackpool have a maximum wage for all players of £10,000 a week while an unhappy Carlos Tevez earns well in excess of £200,000. Therefore a tilt for the title was certainly a bridge too far from this small-time club. The gung-ho and fearless approach they have taken to the Premier League though has given hope to all lower league teams that the dream is possible and the millionaires can be beaten by the less affluent, unfashionable club from the North-west of England.



Breath of fresh air



The success can be nailed down to a few areas and their charismatic manager, Ian Holloway is certainly one of them. This man has lit up the game better than Blackpool’s illuminations themselves. When the great Jose Mourinho left these shores, a gap for a manager with a bit of humour was left and this man has certainly stepped up. When asked if he had any injury worries, the quick-witted reply was “No, I’m fully fit, thank you” and this is a measure of the man who I could quote all day. However a joker off the park he may be, but in-house he has worked with the players to create a side who are unafraid of their opponents and go into each match with the same philosophy of keeping the ball and creating opportunities. On the first day of the season, Blackpool turned up at the DW stadium expected to be Wigan’s whipping boys for the day, and showed the class and determination to leave with a 4-0 win and a crucial 3 points tucked away in their back pockets. This result sent out a message, that Blackpool weren’t there to make up the numbers and the loyal supporters had a season to look forward to.

That brings me nicely onto another factor behind the success which is the Tangerine Army who have followed their heroes around the country so far this season. They have created a tremendous atmosphere at each game they have attended and given their players fantastic backing even during games such as the 6-0 hammering at Arsenal. They have been rewarded for their support with two wins over Liverpool, the 4-0 thumping of Wigan among other brilliant wins and performances. The fans who arrive at Bloomfield Road each home game go there with the right attitude for a team newly-promoted and rarely is a boo heard ringing round the stadium. The results and league position they have achieved at this half-way stage of the season in just reward for fans that have toiled since the days of the great Stanley Matthews and are finally able to see their team successful again after many barren years.



Leader



Finally the players deserve enormous recognition for their performances guiding Blackpool to the top half and a vertigo-challenging 9^th place. A task led by the captain Charlie Adam in fine style. Since being bought for £500,000 from Rangers, Adam has reignited his career with the club and become a key man in the side. Having scored and created in vast amounts he has repaid the belief Holloway has showed in him, and is finally realising the potential many believed he had. He is ably supported by colleagues such as DJ Campbell, Marlon Harewood, Ian Evatt and Matt Gilks among a squad unheard of by many individually but known as a tough outfit collectively. The aforementioned players have stepped up to the mark tremendously this season, Gilks in particular whose performances led to a call up for Scotland although he remains uncapped at that level. They have all showed that quality will only get a team so far and with the right attitude, organisation and belief, anyone can beat anyone on a given day.

Overall, Blackpool have reached the January window in a position much higher than anyone could have thought. If they continue the form and effort they have put into the first half of the season, and maybe add a couple of quality names in the window then it is almost certain, when the illuminations are switched on next year, Blackpool will still be a Premier League club.