If you think the championship is a 'weak' league then you clearly have never watched any football other than on match of the day. There is not one football fan/player/pundit/official in the world that would agree with that.
Serious question here: what makes you think it's a "weak Championship"? I'd say it's possibly the 6th best league in the world, after the Premier League, the top division of the Bundesliga, Serie A, and the top divisions in La Liga and France. Only Serie B, the Bundesliga 2 and possibly the second tier in Spain get anywhere near. I watch quite a lot of the Russian Premier League. It's a league which contains some excellent teams, such as Zenit. But Barnsley would finish comfortably mid-table in it. Last season's team would have been challenging for Europe. Most Championship sides except possibly Bolton would be very competitive in most top divisions in the world. The Championship is by and large very evenly matched, but weak? I'm not sure where you got that one from. It's an absolutely cracking league, both in terms of entertainment and quality.
I think people need to look at what I said. I didn't say it was a league league but a weak championship compared to previous years. I don't think there are a majorly strong team of say a Newcastle calibre in the league. Sheffield United are top of the league. I was talking about this the other day and imo I wouldn't take one of there players bare blackman and Carter-vickers. I don't think they are a strong group of individuals but they are proving to be a strong group as an 11 or 18. Bolton Burton Millwall Ipswich reading Nottingham Preston QPR. they aren't the strongest of teams imo. Look at the teams that joined the league. Out went Newcastle Brighton and Huddersfield. In came Sunderland Hull and Middlesbrough. Two of these teams are a mess from top to bottom. sunderland could possibly be in meltdown. I look at the hull team and it wasn't the strongest. Middlesborough is a team in transition. Take that to the powerhouse of Newcastle and bright and the quality and team build in Huddersfield the league got weaker. Bolton are the worse prepared team to be promoted possibly ever. they are a mess. Millwall a league one clogger outfit. I look at there league and think I wouldn't want one player at oakwell.
Time to ditch Hecky and crawl back to Johnno cap in hand. Sideways-backwards-sideways-backwards-backwards-sideways. I miss those days.
I usually refrain. I actually think he sometimes makes some worthwhile points, but more often than not they're buried under a mound of oddities. This time I'm just quite curious as to his train of thought which led him to the said conclusion.
I'm struggling to make sense of most of this post. I've got 2 things from it though; 1) You cant post or reply without mentioning a premier league team. 2) You're quite possibly in love with the sheff united goalkeeper Blackman.
Weaker than last year...perhaps but debatable. There were 2 teams that were far and away better than the rest but when Reading and Hudds are making the playoffs with +4 and -2 goal difference, i'd suggest the rest of the league was not much stronger than this year. The teams that have come up in Bolton, Milwall and Sheff U are probably better than Rotherham, Wigan and Blackburn. Not hugely important though. The wider point is that it's not a weak championship. Boro spent 30 Million on strikers alone. Wolves brought in a player for 16 Million from Porto....etc etc. "Bolton Burton Millwall Ipswich reading Nottingham Preston QPR. they aren't the strongest of teams imo." Whether you like it or not, this is the bracket of teams we're currently in and while ever we're competing with them...which we currently are, you cannot say that the team is under performing. It's not unambitious, it's not a small team mentality, it's simple facts and the current economy of football. Hecky would have to be a miracle worker to get this squad into the 'top 10 or more' and to expect it of him or criticise him for not being there is unfair. I hope we can stick to the system, get a bit more investment, establish ourselves in the championship and gradually develop into a team that can push for the playoffs but to expect it 13 games into a season where our squads been decimated and we've got young lads making a big jump up.....come on mate have a word? Any way, it's been interesting debating with you and glad i've broke my posting duck. Enjoy tomorrow night and I look forward to disagreeing with your inevitable click bait post on Wednesday morning about Hecky, Yids or our shambolic media department.
I've tried not to respond to him quite a lot of times but sometimes I do, mostly cos I'm ballaxed.He is a nice kid I been told by people I know but on internet he's a attention seeker and he gets it.
Blackman is on 15k a week. 15k Paid in full. Plus a loan fee. Over a million on a player they dont own.
Phil. Please, please, please make a video blog and post it here. I for one, would love it... And man, do I need a laugh...
That's a very fair and well-argued assessment, even if I don't agree with all of it. Honestly Phil, I think you often post some pretty interesting stuff, and people sometimes jump on your back even if you've said something quite reasonable. However, some of your criticisms of certain players and other members of the Oakwell staff I do find difficult to fathom, which is probably why a lot of people don't take your more measured posts very seriously. "Quality, not quantity" is something you should perhaps bear in mind before posting!
It's funny how Blackman is the one player Sheffield United fans on Football Heaven would drop in favour of their own player.
Agree with bits of that to be fair, but where I'd counter argue HT is that when you have a division such as this season, with no stand out team (so far) it shows how competitive and tough the division is, with the margins even finer. I still think that given how much change Hecky has had to deal with in terms of the squad, we are competitive but ultimately are in the lower third in terms of squad quality at the moment, reflecting our budget, player experience and quality at present. There are clubs who have spent millions, paying millions in wages who are definitely underperforming, were not one of them in any way shape or form. They've bought millions of pounds of mediocrity. We had a fine side for 12 months, that took 2 years to develop, unfortunately that golden twelve months included half a season only in the Championship. I know you don't rate Hecky, but I genuinely believe we are in good hands at several levels of the club and like how we are trying to do things. Doesn't mean I don't get frustrated, doesn't mean I miss the absolutely stellar football we've played, but it's the cycle of a club that's a middleweight at best in the heavyweight ring. I reckon we will finish 14th again, but get there steadily rather than fall back to it like we ended last year. But I could be wrong.