Five Of The Best From The Championhip

After the raving reviews of Championship starlets Wilfred Zaha and Charlie Austin we look at another 5 players hidden in the shadows the Premier League.

      1. Thomas Ince (Blackpool)

The son of former England captain Paul Ince has the qualities every winger should have, comfortable on the ball, good with both feet and also having the ability and confidence to beat their opposite number in a one v one situation. “Tom” was signed by Blackpool from Liverpool in the summer of last year in the hope of having more chance of holding down a starting eleven position. Tom didn't waste any chances and repaid Ian Holloway’s faith in him scoring 8 goals from 41 appearances in all competitions which included a goal in the play-off final against West Ham. However it was not until this season that Ince’s merits are starting to really make Premier League clubs sit up and notice, 11 goals in 17 appearances has seen Liverpool try to sign back their ex youth prospect for a sum of 5 million along with the red side of Manchester also battling for his signature.

2. Peter Whittingham (Cardiff)

The Cardiff midfielder has been on the radar of West Brom and Fulham over the last couple of months with Fulham having a 2.5 million pound bid rejected. Whittingham is central to the way in which Cardiff play and has been integral to the team’s solid performances this season which has seen them sitting 2 points off top spot. Usually playing on the left of a three man midfield, his vision and composure on the ball means he is able to dictate the pace of the game, rarely surrendering possession. Whittingham has the wonderful ability to utilize space on the football pitch putting the opposition team on the back foot and creating opportunities for his teams’ forward players. However arguable his greatest asset is his set piece delivery, Whittingham possess the ability to land the ball on a blade of grass from any area of the pitch with his magic left foot. The results of this skill can be seen in his 7 league goals this season.

3. Sam Byram (Leeds United)

In what for far has been a hit and miss season for Leeds United fans Byram has been the shining light amongst hoof after hoof ball and takeover drama. One of the few players who always looks to take the ball forward and attack the opposition, both working an opening for a shot and beating his full back and getting a cross into the box. Comfortable at both full back and wide midfield his stamina and pace causes most teams to double up on him to try and contain his quality. Along with immense attacking virtues he also backs the skills of a steady and reliable defender, marking England international Matt Jarvis out of the game in a Leeds victory over Wolves. His goal against Oxford City is a perfect example of the skills this kid possesses, weaving in and out of defenders and finishing it off with a delightful dink over the oncoming keeper has left premier league clubs like Everton showing an interest.

4. Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)

Having a surname like Schmeichel was always going to bring pressure onto Kasper who would always be compared to his father whenever he plays. However the Dane has shown he is not just living off his father’s name. Although small in stature his presence fills the back four in front of him with valuable confidence especially when defending set pieces where he commands his area well barking instructions at his defenders. His ability of being able to ever accurate with kicking both from hand and off the ground gives his team Leicester City another form of attack which can be deadly if successful. His catching of crosses and cat like reflexes has earned him plaudits from numerous managers who have describing Schmeichel as the best goal keeper in the entire league. Rumoured interest from Arsenal and Real Madrid.

5. Matthew Connolly (Cardiff)

A summer signing for Cardiff from Queens Park Rangers has made a brilliant start to his career in Wales. His no nonsense style of defending was shown in QPR’s title winning season in the 2011-2012 season and Cardiff manager Malky Mackay wasted no time in adding the defender to his squad for this season. A commanding presence in the air defending and a threat from set pieces and corners have seen him notch up a total of 4 goals this season. His good awareness and positional sense means he is rarely caught napping or ball watching. Originally slotted in at centre-half, Bluebirds’ boss Malky Mackay has now moved him out to right-back top accommodate Ben Turner in the side and the defender seems to be relishing this new role, putting in a number of high quality performances which have seen Cardiff come out victorious in 11 matches so far this season.

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Liverpool's Andy Carroll And Other January Transfer Disasters

Ah January, time for clubs to open their chequebooks and, on the evidence of this list, make an absolute cock up of it...

Liverpool’s Andy Carroll And Other January Transfer Disasters…

Andy Carroll Newcastle to Liverpool (£35 million)

After relegation with Newcastle from the top flight at the end of the 2008-2009 season Carroll ripped apart Championship defences creating a formidable partnership with Peter Lovenkrands and finished the season as the clubs top goal scorer with 19 goals. Suddenly the long haired boy from Gateshead was the name on every Newcastle fan’s lips and was awarded the famous number 9 shirt for the 2010-2011 season. However the 50 million received from Chelsea for Fernando Torres and burning a hole in Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish’s pocket and decided to splash 35 million of it on Andy Carroll, yes that’s right, 35 million pounds. This sent Geordies into fits of rage at their owner Mike Ashley, accusing him of selling their best player to fund his own back pocket. However in hindsight this was a good move, the amount of money was phenomenal for such an unproven player and someone who had been involved in a number of incidents which involved leaving Steven Taylor with a broken jaw in training, being charged with assault on an ex girlfriend and his habit of drinking too much. Although Mr Dalglish was quoted to say that he, “had been with him at Boyzone concerts, and not once had he bought him a drink”, Yeah right Kenny. Andy Carroll statistics stand at 28 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 5 goals. Not a great return for 35 million, lay off the jaeger Andy.

Fernando Torres, Liverpool to Chelsea (£50 million)

Fernando Torres arrived at the door at Stamford Bridge on transfer deadline day for a British record fee of 50 million pounds which also made him the most expensive Spanish player ever, he made 102 appearances for Liverpool between the years of 2007-2011 scoring 65 goals. With such a large price tag came a huge burden for which El Niño was to carry on his shoulders which were Chelsea’s premiership title contentions. However the Spanish star failed to deliver in his first game as a Chelsea player lasting only 66 minutes against his former club Liverpool who won the game thanks to a Raul Meireles goal. Things went from bad to worse for the striker and he had to wait till the 23^rd of April to score his first goal for his new club against West Ham United after an antagonising 903 minutes of football without one. Come the 2011-2012 season and Torres is still stuttering, red cards, horrible misses and a change in tactics by the manager Andre Villas-Boas has seen Fernando end up on the bench. Rumours began circulating that Chelsea would be willing to cut their losses and sell the striker for as much as half of what they paid for him in the summer, much to the amusement of rival fans. Is Torres football’s biggest ever flop? Or simply just out of touch? Sometimes a face just doesn’t not fit a club, but in this case as they say in Spain, “La cabeza erguida hijo”, head up son.

James Beattie Rangers to Blackpool (Loan)

With Blackpool promoted from the Championship via Wembley Stadium and the play-offs, the manager Ian Holloway was looking to strength his side after an outrageously good start to their Premier League campaign. He saw striker James Beattie as a perfect solution due to his top flight experience with ex clubs Everton, Southampton and Stoke City. Beattie was currently on the books of Scottish champions Rangers but was limited to 5 first team starts due to injuries and just generally playing rubbish. An end of season loan deal was churned out on deadline for a loan deal till the end of season. Beattie was excited to be back in England’s top flight and also excited to be playing in the tangerine of the Seasiders. However everything didn’t go well for James and despite playing 9 times for the club he failed to find the net. Blackpool were relegated on the final day at Old Trafford and Beattie had his contract torn up at Rangers. The fallen striker can now be seen wearing the white and red stripes of his former club Sheffield United in League one and is helping the Yorkshire club push towards promotion.

Stephen Ireland Aston Villa to Newcastle (Loan)

Another player looking for a fresh start and more first team football via a loan deal was midfielder Stephen Ireland. Ireland made the trip to the Toon till the end of the season, the star mainly remembered for his antics off the pitch which included night club brawls before games and driving the stupidest black and pink Range Rover money can buy had a lot to prove. Ireland signed for the Magpies despite being still injured and suffered continuous setbacks in his recovery. He finally made his debut as a 65 minutes sub in a goalless draw against Manchester United, however an ankle injury ruled him out for the rest of season and he returned to Aston Villa with just playing 49 minutes of football. Despite this horrible loan deal Ireland vowed to fight for his place at Aston Villa and was rewarded for his hard efforts with his first goal against Chelsea on New Years Eve. Every cloud has a silver lining eh Steven?

John Carew Aston Villa to Stoke City (Loan)

Big John, the “Norwegian Powerhouse” saw his loan move to Stoke as a great chance to play first team football in a team who were battling in the top half of the table. He spoke about how he was the type of player who suited their style of football. Good in the air, **** on the ground and someone who would run over players because they couldn’t run round them. The La Liga winner and Champions League runner’s up loan didn’t really go to plan with Carew only playing 12 times scoring a total of two goals due to a back injury. Returning to Aston Villa he found his contract would be terminated as he now found himself behind Heskey in the pecking order, the ultimate humiliation. Carew now applies his trade in the Championship with West Ham and is still abused by opposition fans about being worse than Emile Heskey.

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