Is the Championship all that ?

[Jack of Clubs]

I personally don’t see the fascination of the PL unless you can compete. Very rarely 3pm Saturday games and if we’d gone up a few years ago ago we would fave been battered week in, week out.

 

The Championship is different in that most teams play at the same time on a Saturday and it’s more even and competitive. It was no fun whatsoever a couple of seasons ago with the points deduction and relegation and the 2 seasons prior when we seemed to be under a self imposed embargo of restrictions.

 

A season or 2 in a lower league CAN be good for rebuilding and getting confidence levels up but you have to get out of it eventually if you just have the same scenario in a lower league.
 

We need to be able to get our own players in and not rely heavily on loans because if you get up you don’t want to have to fully rebuild again - you need continuity.

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

7 hours ago, Barnsleyowl1996 said:

The fact the championship has generally been poor  for the majority of our recent years has been nothing to do with the league but our own fault . Championship a miles better league . It’s a league we should be in as a minimum. Appreciate what you are saying regarding playing some smaller sides and the fact we tend to be favourites for every game BUT I’d much rather be up in the top flight .

Even if we have a losing record and financial problems ?

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

6 hours ago, 1963owl said:

We are only in league one because of our points deduction & off field problems. I think we are more than capable of holding our own in the championship when we get back

Without the points deduction we were bottom 6 with a losing record and unable to pay the players we had, let alone improve the squad. If DC remains in charge, how do you see us holding our own. Genuine question. I’m actually interested to know what people enjoy about life in the Championship

[MallorcaOwl]

11 minutes ago, El Toro said:

I personally don’t see the fascination of the PL unless you can compete. Very rarely 3pm Saturday games and if we’d gone up a few years ago ago we would fave been battered week in, week out.

 

The Championship is different in that most teams play at the same time on a Saturday and it’s more even and competitive. It was no fun whatsoever a couple of seasons ago with the points deduction and relegation and the 2 seasons prior when we seemed to be under a self imposed embargo of restrictions.

 

A season or 2 in a lower league CAN be good for rebuilding and getting confidence levels up but you have to get out of it eventually if you just have the same scenario in a lower league.
 

We need to be able to get our own players in and not rely heavily on loans because if you get up you don’t want to have to fully rebuild again - you need continuity.

The problem with your argument is that if we stay in the Championship we fail every season, by either not making the playoffs, or getting beat in them. We are a big club and should strive to play at the highest level.

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

6 hours ago, camffiti said:

The Prem has changed a lot since we were there ... For the worse imo. 

 

The past 20 years, we've been a Champ / League1 yoyo club.

 

We seem to operate at a loss, regardless of which division we're in, but which is more enjoyable to watch? 

 

Top 6 League1 or mid table Championship? 

Thanks @camffiti  This is what I’m struggling with at the moment

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

6 hours ago, Luke said:

What a embarrassing thread 

Why embarrassing?

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

5 hours ago, nethertonowl said:

Its a hell of a lot better than this shity pub league. If you could go back 20 years you could probably find a thread titled is the premier league all that?. Truth is as a club is in decline, despite more investment than at any stage in its history.  We had never been in the third tier until mid 70!s, but now this is our third spell in 16 years !

 

The training ground isnt fit for purpose, the stadium , the second best in the country just thirty years ago isnt in the top 20 now for facilities.Just look at the clubs that have gone past us the last 20 years. teams with poo hole stadiums and poxy followings now have new grounds, huge uplifts in crowds and are better run. A list of clubs that where a million miles behind us in the 1990`s, now are well in front of us, Swansea ,Brighton,Watford, , Fulham, Brentford, Reading, even Luton soon when they move to a new home.The truth is football isnt the working mans game anymore its big business. Money talks and sadly too much of it in this country is in the south. 

 

Reading the op comment saddens me as it highlights how far we have fallen.So yes if our decline is to be reversed we need to get back to the championship asap. If we do that quickly and  DC remains, I hope he has learnt from the mistakes and spends on the infrastructure of the club, not on lining agents pockets.         . 

 

      

Great post. Very thought provoking 

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

3 hours ago, Kevin Pressmans Pen said:

Winning is meaningless unless it’s at a good level competing with your peers.

 

Being in league 1 is like being a heavy weight boxer fighting light weights (and still drawing/losing half the time), it’s embarrassing and there’s no kudos when we do win.

 

If it was just about seeing a team win might as well find a pub side that are top of their league and watch that.

Must admit, I hadn’t thought of it that way. 

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

3 hours ago, sheffield_dave said:

What, suggesting we should be happier in League One than the Championship because we win a few more games?

 

Doesn’t even require an explanation, but for a kick off, I think as a football fan if you’re willing to cap your expectations that low (relative to the club you support) then you might as well pack in and find something else to do.

 

Every football fan should want to compete at the best levels they can. Unfortunately in the modern game the “best level” in this country also sucks for a lot of different reasons, but we’re lucky that the Championship is a brilliant (and somewhat more realistic) alternative.

Why embarrassing?

[Jack of Clubs]

14 minutes ago, MallorcaOwl said:

The problem with your argument is that if we stay in the Championship we fail every season, by either not making the playoffs, or getting beat in them. We are a big club and should strive to play at the highest level.

That’s not what I’m saying at all. We were a dark horse the first season under Carlos and had we gone up were completely unprepared for PL football. Might take us upwards of 5 years but I’d rather a gradual build from where we are now to be competitive again in the. Championship to where we were then. 

 

Unfortunately you can’t compare now to the past as many do because money has overseen the game itself and made it less enjoyable for me. 
 

The ‘we are a big club’ argument means nothing to me. You have to earn that on the pitch, not in the stands. We often out too much pressure on the club and players with this statement. 

[Daniele Giovanni]

8 hours ago, Lawrie’s Left Peg said:

Keep reading how DM has failed because we didn’t get promoted. How this year was our best chance to get out of this Division or we must get out next year. 
I’ve been watching Wednesday since 1979 and have been blessed to see Sgt Wilkos side in the 80s and witnessed the relative success of the 90s and our sortie into Europe. 
However, in this millennium , my favourite seasons have been “mind the gap” , Carlos1 , this season, CarlosI2 and Sturrockos season. 
i enjoy watching us win more than we lose and play exciting attacking football. I also enjoy visiting the new and quirky grounds. Can’t wait to see Forest Greens vegan bamboo palace. 
in the main I haven’t enjoyed the Championship, being mediocre, having nothing to play for, overspending on rank average players , constantly facing financial ruin, umbongos etc. 

I don’t believe we have the finances, structure or infrastructure to be.a Prem team again in my lifetime and would rather enjoy a season like last year than endure one like the season before. 
 

What do people think? (Reaches for tin hat) 

Hope you're 95 years old

[MallorcaOwl]

12 minutes ago, El Toro said:

That’s not what I’m saying at all. We were a dark horse the first season under Carlos and had we gone up were completely unprepared for PL football. Might take us upwards of 5 years but I’d rather a gradual build from where we are now to be competitive again in the. Championship to where we were then. 

 

Unfortunately you can’t compare now to the past as many do because money has overseen the game itself and made it less enjoyable for me. 
 

The ‘we are a big club’ argument means nothing to me. You have to earn that on the pitch, not in the stands. We often out too much pressure on the club and players with this statement. 

There is a difference between  "a big club" and a "successful" club. The size of our stadium and the attendances over the years puts us in the big club category.

[Jack of Clubs]

3 minutes ago, MallorcaOwl said:

There is a difference between  "a big club" and a "successful" club. The size of our stadium and the attendances over the years puts us in the big club category.

Good point. But like someone else posted further up, we have been left well behind now by so many clubs moving to new stadiums and reinvesting in their infrastructure and teams. 
 

Success far outweighs how big you think a club is now. We seem to be putting too much emphasis on the big club statement which is irrelevant if the owners don’t have a long term plan. 
 

We’ve been putting a band aid on an open wound for far too long now and hoping for the best.

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

3 hours ago, NorthernOwl said:

 

No but I think the point is the journey is generally more enjoyable than the destination.

 

Winning league 1 is probably more fun than finishing 18th in the championship.

 

Winning the championship is probably more enjoyable than finshing 16th in the Premier league every year.

 

Of course be ambitious and try to do as well as possible but don't sweat it if you don't quite make it. There is alway next season.

This sums it up better than my OP @NorthernOwl

[parajack]

3 hours ago, NorthernOwl said:

 

No but I think the point is the journey is generally more enjoyable than the destination.

 

Winning league 1 is probably more fun than finishing 18th in the championship.

 

Winning the championship is probably more enjoyable than finshing 16th in the Premier league every year.

 

Of course be ambitious and try to do as well as possible but don't sweat it if you don't quite make it. There is alway next season.

But your forgetting football is ALL about money...each Year we linger in L1 we lose 14 Million pounds,whilst at the same time paying out(currently) many Championship level contracts....& 2 million quid a Year in rent to the Chairman..it cant and WONT go on indefinatley,and that time will come sooner,rather than later

[The coach]

9 hours ago, Lawrie’s Left Peg said:

Keep reading how DM has failed because we didn’t get promoted. How this year was our best chance to get out of this Division or we must get out next year. 
I’ve been watching Wednesday since 1979 and have been blessed to see Sgt Wilkos side in the 80s and witnessed the relative success of the 90s and our sortie into Europe. 
However, in this millennium , my favourite seasons have been “mind the gap” , Carlos1 , this season, CarlosI2 and Sturrockos season. 
i enjoy watching us win more than we lose and play exciting attacking football. I also enjoy visiting the new and quirky grounds. Can’t wait to see Forest Greens vegan bamboo palace. 
in the main I haven’t enjoyed the Championship, being mediocre, having nothing to play for, overspending on rank average players , constantly facing financial ruin, umbongos etc. 

I don’t believe we have the finances, structure or infrastructure to be.a Prem team again in my lifetime and would rather enjoy a season like last year than endure one like the season before. 
 

What do people think? (Reaches for tin hat) 

You say you can’t wait to go to forest green..unless you have more than about 850 pts you’ve got no chance of a ticket,,,that the worse thing about this division..the poo allocations

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

11 minutes ago, The coach said:

You say you can’t wait to go to forest green..unless you have more than about 850 pts you’ve got no chance of a ticket,,,that the worse thing about this division..the poo allocations

Another fair point

[prowl]

League 1 is fine but if you don't strive for promotion at some stage you will end up at the other end of the table and then you can end up in L2. It nearly happened before, we were so close to getting relegated to L2 and escaped by the skin of our teeth.

 

Not all our L1 seasons have been enjoyable, many have been dreadful. It's only a good league if you are winning games, same goes for any league really.

 

I think that in football you have always got to strive to get better, that means going for promotion. If we get to the Championship we have to try to get promoted even though I personally fancy the Premiership. Overpaid stars poncing around the place throwing tantrums and rolling around on the ground like they have been shot if someone gets within 5 yards of them. Getting beaten week after week, no thanks but that's what we've got to aim for.

[MBMitchell]

How can anyone not want to compete at the highest level

 

It baffles me. This has to be fishing.

 

A point I have you have enjoyed watching us win this season, but what's the point if you want to stay in this league. Why want to win and not go up. Surely this is an oxymoron

 

I'd prefer to finish 21st in the championship than 3rd in league one

 

I did think we needed to come down to regroup, but then get out of this league asap

 

I want to try to win in every aspect of my life, and be at the highest level of this.  Football, work, FIFA, fortnite, even bloody tiddlywinks. Otherwise what is the point. Be the best you can be, at the highest level possible 

Edited May 15, 2022 by MBMitchell

[109Waddle]

Would love to see us back in the premier league. Winning games and promotion is what it’s all about imo. Playing good, attacking football and proving ourselves as a quality outfit too. It’s a shame we’re  quite a way off it at the moment, but some shoots of hope coming through after last season.

 

I do struggle to understand what the fans of clubs like Burnley get out of football though. Imagine always, always, always just about avoiding relegation. Can’t be fun.