In the fourth of a series of pre-season reports, HarryFromBath assesses the mood around the Championship clubs by delving into their forums. Blackpool, Wigan Athletic and Birmingham City are under the spotlight in today’s notes.
"A bit of cash being spent would be nice.” "Another day closer to kick off and nothing.” The Tangerines have found the transfer market tough going this summer. "We should be progressing our squad, not scrabbling to maintain it from last year.”
"Our first league game is eight days away and there are still not enough players! OK, some will come in before window closes but the two new players have only a week to train with the rest of the team! Maybe it’s just me! But I'm still waiting for it all to go Pete Tong!”
The late additions this week of two strikers in the form of Michael Chopra from us, and Steven Davies from Bristol City (in a £500,000 deal) have added some welcome gloss to what has been a frustrating transfer window.
The only other experienced newcomers to Bloomfield Road have been 27-year-old former MK Dons defender Gary McKenzie and 23-year-old striker Bobby Grant, who joined from Rochdale.
Fans are more relieved that they have retained attacking midfielder Thomas Ince and winger Matt Phillips, both of whom signed one-year contract extensions. These have been welcomed almost as new signings. Rumours about Ince are keenly monitored, with Everton the latest club seen to be on the prowl.
"We need a right-back urgently and a left-back either as cover or quality to go straight into the team.”
With defenders Alex Baptiste joining Bolton, Neal Eardley leaving for Birmingham and Stephen Crainey joining Wigan, supporters are concerned about the thinness of the defensive side of the squad.
"My only concern about our back four is a lack of pace especially with Gary MacKenzie. They seem to make up for it though in organisation.”
It is best to start with Chopra, whose arrival at Bloomfield Road has been warmly welcomed by the majority of Seasiders, although this may be partly out of relief that they have at last signed one big name.
"Chopra and Davies sign and all will be forgiven.” "I am really, really happy with this. He has the experience and finishing ability we've been lacking for a few years.”
"Potentially a very good signing if he can re-find his goal scoring form. He can be a 20-goal-a-season player. If he can do that, we should have a good chance of being competitive.”
"Well pleased with this signing, makes next week not so dreaded now, few more signings like this and the Promised Land will be back sooner rather than later.”
"If Ollie was here, Chopra would have scored a hatful. With Ince we need any goalscorer we can get. We have to create chances for him. I wonder if we stay 4-3-3 or go 4-4-2 with Bobby Grant next to him. I hope that Ince and Phillips can create the chances for him but no doubt a fit Chopra increases our chances fourfold.”
"I think we're a season away from crying and rocking in the corner.” "We’re excellent with waifs and strays.” "Ipswich didn’t exactly perform brilliantly when he was playing in their side.” There were a couple of dissenting voices. "Getting him on a free...that explains everything...thanks.”
"Steven Davies. That would be a great signing.” "Even last year he scored 13 goals in a struggling Bristol side. I would be very happy with this signing; perhaps even more so than Chopra.” The former Derby striker has slipped into the club almost unnoticed.
"In Bobby Grant, you've got a cracking player with bags of ability. The problem you'll have is keeping him on the pitch. He's a goalscoring wideman with an absolute wand of a left foot but it becomes annoying seeing him banned for ten games a season.” Several Rochdale fans were happy to pop across and offer feedback on the newly acquired frontman.
"Captain Kirk!” The news that defender and one-time Ipswich transfer target Kirk Broadfoot decided to stay at Blackpool was greatly welcomed: "You can't blame him for weighing up his options and the fact he probably could have got a better contract elsewhere shows how much he enjoys it at Blackpool. Big player for us.”
"It's a bad sign when the only thing the club seem to talk about is the pitch.” "The green, green grass of home.” The lamentable state of the pitch last season has left ‘Pool fans gripped by the almost daily progress reports.
"Why do we continue to have these ridiculous tinpot problems, like birds eating our grass seed?” "I'd be more wowed with a training ground announcement.”
There were no prediction threads, but I found this ITFC-related piece of ‘def info’: "A taxi driver has stated that he took Michael Chopra to the station and during the conversation informed the driver that his mate Titus Bramble was on the verge of signing for us.”
"Why do we have to go round worrying about everything all the time?” "Don’t build your hopes up too high. We start in earnest on 3rd August. The teams in the Championship are no dummies. All will be revealed in the next couple of months how we will fare.”
These anxious comments are widely echoed across all Wigan message boards. It is curious that fans should be so anxious. Looking from the outside, it is clear that the club have been rebuilding all parts of their squad effectively after their relegation.
In defence, they have brought in players such as keeper Scott Carson from Bursaspor, full-back Stephen Crainey from Blackpool, defender James Perch (for £750,000) from Newcastle, Norwegian defender Thomas Rogne from Celtic and this week has seen 25-year-old Honduran defender Juan Carlos Garcia arrive from Olimpia.
Further up the park, arrivals have included midfielder Chris McCann from Burnley and two strikers in Marc Antoine Fortune from the Baggies and Grant Holt from the Budgies (for £2 million).
Notable departures have included Honduran defender Maynor Figueroa to Hull City, Argentinian forward Mauro Boselli to Leon in Mexico, striker Aruna Kone (for £6 million), defender Antolin Alcarez and keeper Joel Robles to Everton, and striker Franco di Santo, who was released by the club.
"If we are looking to win promotion this season, our squad is not strong enough. Not that I want to put a dampener on this season before it's even begun, but if this season ends in mid-table mediocrity, are we stuffed?”
Latics greatest fear is that the best players may yet leave the club. "I think James McCarthy will be gone and I agree with that, but we shouldn't be selling either James Maloney or Callum McManaman unless we get a ridiculous offer for them.”
"If the likes of McCarthy, McManaman, Ivan Ramis (if he's fit), Shaun Maloney all stay, we will have a very strong squad to quickly exit the Championship! Put these current Premier League quality players with some good new additions we're making we will have a more than capable squad for this season.”
"As it stands, I can well and truly see Maloney staying. If so, brilliant. He can unlock some of the best defenders in the Premier League, think what he'll do the level below. As for McCarthy, absolutely no denying he is the best player at the club, and still has so much time to improve, no one willing to match Dave Whelan's price tag and the player hasn't publicly stated he wants to leave.”
"If Ramis stays fit this season, there is no denying we have the best centre-half in the division! As to McManaman, again there is no doubt he is an excellent player and again his price tag is too big and will put big teams off. Hoping he will stay!”
The jury is out on Owen Coyle. "Owen Coyle deserves another crack at the Premier League. Bolton were very unlucky to go down when he was manager, so give him a chance.”
"Coyle wasn't unlucky at Bolton. He just wasn't good enough there. That's not to say he won't be good enough at Latics, as a manager can often be great at one club and flunk at another. I think Latics is a make or break appointment for him as far as his managerial career is concerned.”
"We’re not giving away soft goals and the players have really taken to that.” Some Latics interpreted this remark by new manager Owen Coyle as a dig at his predecessor. "I shall reserve judgement until after the first few weeks of the season to see whether or not we have stopped ‘messing around at the back’.”
"I have been told that Coyle lost the dressing room at Bolton early on as he wanted to be ‘one of the boys’. I sincerely hope he steps back at Wigan and shows the team that he is the boss, like Paul Jewell and Steve Bruce did.” It is funny how managers can be perceived so very differently at different clubs.
"Holt is undoubtedly a prolific goalscorer at this level can expect about 20 goals from him.” "In the Championship you need players like Holt who are of good standard but will graft!” "Holt has proven himself at every level.” Wigan supporters are happy with their new forward.
"Holt may well turn out to be unstoppable in the Championship. He wasn’t a regular in the Premier League last season.” "When Holt was a regular 90-minute player for Norwich he scored more goals.” They are agreed that consistent game time will improve the ex-Budgies sharpness.
There are no prediction threads to inspect, but Aaron Cresswell attracted kind comments. "Another quality signing! Apparently was very impressive last year! Good young prospect!” "If we were to sign him, he would be Coyle’s best signing by a country mile.” "This lad is pure class.”
Mick was briefly linked with a move to Wigan this summer. "I just don't see him fitting in with the ethos at the club. The days of hit and hope football are numbered.”
"The tippy-tappy days are over! Time to get back to basics. Proper solid defending and a solid midfield and two up top. I would rather play combative and win 1-0 than lose but play fancy stuff.”
"This Mick McCarthy slant is very interesting. Because working with him down there in Ipswich is another ex-Wigan player who Dave Whelan was more infatuated with than his buddy Bobby. He was one player that would carry much clout with the supporters. That player is (the ITFC fitness coach) Sir Andy Liddell.”
"On last season's showing there are definitely some very poor teams in this division, but you can't deny a bare analysis of the facts shows how much uncertainty there is about us next season. I don't want it to happen but I think we are going to really struggle.”
With 19 of their squad out of contract in June, the Blues have been the busiest Championship team in this summer’s transfer market. They have signed or renewed contracts with 15 players and added four further loanees.
The most notable defensive players joining include keeper Darren Randolph (from Motherwell), and defender Neal Eardley (from Blackpool). In attack, midfielder Andrew Shinnie (from Inverness) and striker Lee Novak (from Huddersfield) and striker Matt Green (from Mansfield) have been added.
In addition, centre back Kyle Bartley joins from Swansea on loan as does winger Shane Ferguson from Newcastle.
Two of the new faces have impressed Blues in pre-season: "I was very impressed with the Matt Green. Another Blue tweeted how he’s reminiscent of Clinton Morrison and I can see the comparison — he’s hard-working, runs the channels and didn’t allow the defence to settle.”
"Eardley was a player who I thought looked very competent and assured. In a 3-5-2 formation a team relies a lot on its wing-backs for any width and there’s a lot of pressure — however, Eardley handled it well. His defending was solid but his distribution was excellent.”
Their most notable departures are defender Curtis Davies (to Hull for an estimated £2.25 million) and winger Nathan Redmond (to the Budgies in deal worth up to over £3 million). Midfielders Morgaro Gomis and Keith Fahey, and defenders Pablo Ibanez and Steven Caldwell were released.
Birmingham rescued an erratic pre-season, in which they drew 1-1 at Oxford and lost 4-2 to Shrewsbury last Tuesday with a good 2-1 win over newly promoted Hull on Saturday. They have moved to a 3-5-2 formation, and this is the primary topic of conversation.
The starting XI against the Tigers was: Darren Randolph; Hayden Mullins, Paul Robinson, Dan Burn (on loan from Fulham); Neal Eardley, Callum Reilly, Tom Adeyemi, Scott Allan (on loan from West Brom), Shane Ferguson; Andrew Shinnie, Matt Green. Lee Novak (hamstring) and Nikola Zigic (back) were not fully match-fit.
"The 3-5-2 system requires switches of play to the outlet of the opposite wing back, but the distribution from the wide centre-backs - Robinson and Mullins was very poor. Cross-field balls kicked out for throw-ins, and there were one or two that were very close to be intercepted by opposition strikers.”
"However, it wasn’t the case that we struggled. Bar a couple of moments the defence looked fairly solid, the midfield were in the main neat and tidy and the forward line were industrious and hard-working.”
"We've actually got some decent options going forward but we need a reliable midfield anchor. I think there's a case for Mullins playing, because at least in the new system he needs how to hold his position. The issue during many games last year was that runners from midfield were going through us at will.”
"I certainly believe we have far more chance of being relegated than promoted.” The club’s owners (who are deeply mistrusted by the supporters) sold two outstanding players for over £4 million, and the failure to reinvest this money has darkened the fans mood.
"The best odds I've found for Blues to go down were 10/1. This seems generous, considering our circumstances. I'm rather ashamed to admit that I'll be having a punt on it before the season starts.”
In a pre-season survey, the overwhelming view is that the club will finish between 14th and 18th this year.
"With one or two exceptions we've signed unproven or simply lower league players. We have sold or released four of our best players and may lose more, if not now, then in the winter window. Our main goalscorer is apparently frozen out. Clark had a mixed season, to say the least. There will be low crowds, a quiet atmosphere and ongoing uncertainty in the board room.”
"I'll be checking out the odds for Clark to walk as well. He must be as p***** off as you can be right now.”
"I can't see that happening for two simple reasons. He prides himself on being a hard-working, committed Geordie who backed out of no challenge as a player and will back out of none as a manager. Secondly, bad as things may seem at Blues, he won't get another job at a Championship club for a while if he fails here.”
With prediction threads looking at local West Midland teams, there was no ITFC discussion to report.
The most active Blackpool forum is Back Henry Street. Wigan’s busiest forum is Wiganer.net,
and Birmingham City’s best forum is Small Heath Alliance.
In the fifth part of the series, I shall turn my attention to the three East Midlands clubs of Leicester City, Derby County and Nottingham Forest.