What is specific for Coca Cola Championship (and other minor leagues in England) ?

I know, you’ll say you’ve heard all about it. Let me just say I didn’t refer to:

1) Crowded stadiums and loyal, noisy fans, displaying fantastic support, going on 600-kilometer journeys by bus or thumbing, etc. We have already mentioned here that as far as the attendances are concerned things are not like they appear to be, despite the fact that Championship is still the second most watched league in the world, and fifth most attended European league (after the Premier League, Bundes League, Primera and Calcio)

2) Leftovers of a typical and slightly forgotten Island style marked by the long balls and tough, tackling play we no longer can see in the Premiership, except partially with the teams such as Stoke City and Hull City…however, they are still rookies in the Premier League, set for an express return to Championship if they don’t change their style and conception…

3) Young, teenage talents who are trying to prove their worth in order to play in the big league, or the experienced veterans who are counting their last career days. There is plenty of those even in the Premiership, and they are not the topic here.

I was referring to something else, something you could hardly find anywhere in Europe or Premier League. That SOMETHING will be explained by the stats from the game Reading – Southampton (1-2) played in the 18th round this season. Before that, a small introduction for the ones who are not so familiar with the action.

Reading: freshly relegated from the Premier League, extremely strong squad for this level of competition (same team from the Premier League) and their legendary manager, Steve Coppell, at helm. Getting off on a good start to the season, being very dominant at home with the average of three goals per game at their Madejski Stadium, they grabbed the third place on the standings with seven wins and a draw in seven home games. Line-up for Southampton game the strongest possible, no injuries, absent regulars mainly Irish, Scottish and other internationals.

Saints

Southampton: the team hit the rock-bottom, the worst position in the last fifteen years or so, barely avoided being relegated from Championship last year. They sold all the players that could be sold entering the new season with the young, teenage squad. The club appointed the Dutch coach, Ian Poortvliet (former coach of the Dutch statures such as Telstar, Roosendal, Hemmond and FC Den Bosch), the club is penniless, without the money for further investments, just sits waiting for the takeover. They are still playing poor, fighting against the relegation.

The stats from the game played on Madejski Stadium in Reading: Goals – 2:1 for Saints; Shots on the target – 8:3 for Saints; shots of the target – 9:4 for Saints; corner kicks – 3:3; Saints controlled the entire game and had the ball possession on their side.

So, that is exactly what we wanted to point out. Manchester United can lose on Old Trafford or Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to some minnows, but it will ALWAYS happen due to some unfortunate circumstances or due to guest’s crazy luck, and the stats (apart from goals) will ALWAYS be on the side of the favorites. Same thing goes for Barca and Real in Spain, Inter or Milan in Italy, or Bayern in Germany.

Conclusion: Coca Cola Championship is, generally, highly LEVELED league where each team can beat the next, home or away, doesn’t matter. It is not the case with Premier League or other European Leagues where you always have the untouchable, big, strong two, three or four.

Charlton-Wycombe

I still remember the legendary Carling Cup 2006 Finals: Charlton Athletic – Wycombe Wanderers 0:1. Never mind the result which was utterly insignificant. Guests should’ve won on the margin of five or six. They just kept hitting posts and cross bars countless of times. The game saw Wycombe Wanderers (fourth tiers at the time) perform like the Brazilian national team on the Valley Stadium in Charlton, who were in the Premier League at the time fielding the stronger line-up in the game.

There it is, something that might be the biggest distinctiveness of English lower leagues, rather than anything else…

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