You've never had it so good?
Norman Hubbard
Lauded by its members for its competitiveness and criticised by outsiders for its lack of quality, the Championship has enjoyed and endured arguably its strangest season so far. It has provided three FA Cup semi-finalists, with Barnsley blazing a trail for the second flight by beating the superpowers of Liverpool and Chelsea, but supplied the worst team in Premier League history.
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Tony Mowbray: Boss of the year in our Norman's Championship reckoning.Yet Derby County's haul of 84 points, 12 months ago, would have made them champions this season. No wonder, then, that pessimistic predictions have abounded for any sides' prospects after promotion.
But whereas the Premier League boasted a big four, the Championship had a middling 24. It is rare that a division is quite so equal; several teams have entertained play-off hopes and relegation fears within the same campaign.
The pleasing conclusion for the purists is that the best side won it. West Bromwich Albion made no pretence of fielding a midfield enforcer and showed a continuing inability to defend set pieces. But they played attractive, open football and if Plan A failed, well, there wasn't a Plan B. Manager Tony Mowbray mumbled his way through the campaign, but his players had a unique eloquence and played with a unique elegance.
Kevin Phillips possessed the sharpest footballing brain in the division and the surest finishing. Alongside him, Ishmael Miller had the bulk of a boxer, but preferred the ball at his feet. Jonathan Greening and Robert Koren ran countless games from the centre of midfield and Zoltan Gera was the pick of a group of talented wingers. The second-best footballing side was, at various points in the campaign, Bristol City, Charlton, Ipswich, Barnsley and Cardiff, but none were comparable with Albion.
At times, it felt as though the division was witnessing a debate over the direction of football - principally, between those who favoured hitting it high and long and those who attempted to retain possession. In the clash of styles, Watford were the pariahs. Nine points clear at one time, Aidy Boothroyd's methods were brought into question during an extended slump when neither results nor performances were admirable and opponents started to combat the bruising Darius Henderson. Ultimately, they were fortunate to end up with a play-off place.
Stoke were also on the direct side of the divide. Tony Pulis' men attracted few eulogies, but they were the dead-ball experts. Liam Lawrence's delivery from the flanks and long-range shooting meant he was involved in more than 40 goals and was invariably the provider for the two central defenders, Leon Cort and Ryan Shawcross, who had a combined haul of 16. Their resilience brought a return to the top flight after a 23-year absence and, while total football may be anathema to Pulis, by the season's culmination it was Boothroyd who had established himself as the 21st-century John Beck.
The travails of Watford, Charlton and Sheffield United showed the difficulties of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Arguably, all underachieved. The impact of on-loan players made relations with the elite managers imperative. Miller and Roman Bednar contributed a total of 33 goals for West Brom and Pulis, displaying a typical fondness for short-term signings, borrowed astutely, but arguably none had the influence of Fraizer Campbell, whose pace helped Hull accelerate from mid-table and into promotion contention.
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Neil Warnock salvaged Palace while Aidy Boothroyd sticks manfully to his Watford blueprint.In a season of surprise developments it was, for many, the most unexpected. Hull manager Phil Brown had managed perhaps the most eye-catching signing of the campaign, luring Jay-Jay Okocha to East Yorkshire, but his contribution was negligible; rather, their success was attributable to their solidity and the irrepressible Dean Windass.
Bristol City were other intruders in the top six, sustaining their momentum for three-quarters of the season while more fancied clubs laboured in the lower half. As with Blackpool's eventual survival, they showed that resources are not essential. While financial muscle did not always triumph, it was no coincidence that the two smallest clubs, Colchester and Sc**thorpe, were relegated.
Much of the division had a stint in the bottom three, though. The catalytic impact of a change in management was apparent (presumably to the fury of the LMA). Queens Park Rangers, Norwich and Preston were in serious danger of heading for League One before the appointments of Luigi De Canio, Glenn Roeder and Alan Irvine respectively. Each can present a claim to be named the division's manager of the year and, funded by the super-rich trio of Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore and Lakshmi Mittal, the Italian might well win that award next season. Roeder, who lent a hapless side much-needed direction, produced arguably the best salvage job of all.
At the other end of the table, Simon Jordan's decisiveness was rewarded when Crystal Palace, in the bottom three in November, were revitalised and organised by Neil Warnock to such an extent that they earned a play-off place. Regardless of their prospects, two of the talented teenagers the Yorkshireman blooded - midfielder John Bostock and winger Victor Moses - should be seen in the top flight at some stage.
Warnock's achievements presumably grated in South Yorkshire where a swifter change at the helm might have resulted in Sheffield United procuring a top-six finish. An end-of-season charge under Kevin Blackwell almost rectified the damage done by the mistaken choice of Bryan Robson but, as at Charlton, one of the division's most admired squads ultimately fell short. The January departure of their outstanding player, Andy Reid, harmed the Addicks; now the Blades have a summer to attempt to keep theirs, James Beattie.
His former club were involved in the greatest drama of the final day as two terribly-run clubs attempted to avert the drop into the third tier. Southampton survived but Leicester, rendered a laughing stock by Milan Mandaric as he employed five managers in 2007, did not. They depart the division with its second best defensive record; they were a side capable of winning 4-1 away at West Brom; and, besides that envied rearguard, they boasted players of the calibre of Stephen Clemence, Steve Howard, Matt Oakley and Iain Hume. Mandaric's revolving door policy and the failings of manager Ian Holloway can only account for so much.
AllsportYet there was an inexplicable element to Leicester's relegation as, indeed, there was to much else in the Championship this season.
Team of the season: Hennessey (Wolves); Hoefkens (West Brom), Turner (Hull), Shittu (Watford), Robinson (West Brom); Lawrence (Stoke), Greening (West Brom), Koren (West Brom), Howard (Barnsley); Fuller (Stoke), Phillips (West Brom)
And the 2nd XI: Myhill (Hull); Stearman (Leicester), Hudson (Crystal Palace), Shawcross (Stoke), Hill (Crystal Palace); Gera (West Brom), Elliott (Bristol City), Watson (Crystal Palace), Ledley (Cardiff); Beattie (Sheffield United), Ebanks-Blake (Plymouth/Wolves).
Manager of the Year: Tony Mowbray (West Brom) - The ultimate, and deserved, triumph of Mowbray's principles means he merits it.
Best managerial appointment: Neil Warnock (Crystal Palace) - Yet to win a popularity contest, but another promotion could beckon as a rejuvenated Palace enter the play-offs as favourites.
Signing of the Season: Stern John (Southampton) - Several West Brom and Stoke players, plus Bristol City's Marvin Elliott, merit a mention, but John mustered 19 goals for a struggling side, including an equaliser and a winner in the final-day victory against Sheffield United.
Loan Signing of the Season: Fraizer Campbell (Hull) - Helped transform a mid-table team. No wonder managers are so keen to have a good relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson
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