This weekend sees the long-awaited return of the English football season. In preparation, we at the TheHardTackle, have surveyed a fan from each of the 24 Championship clubs, in order to give you the best possible preview for the upcoming season.
We started off looking at the six clubs beginning with the letter B, then moved on to the next half-dozen clubs ranging from Cardiff City to Hull City. The next part of the series, we take a look at Ipswich Town through to Millwall. So, over to the fans..
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IPSWICH TOWN F.C.
About the fan:
Ashley Symonds started supporting Ipswich when he was 13. Now in his early twenties, he has been a season-ticket holder for the past 8 seasons. He has seen Town reach highs and lows, with managerial changes common. Stuck in the championship for ten solid years now, Ashley is hoping Ipswich can soon return to the Premier League.
Follow Ashley on Twitter @ashleysymonds92
How was the Summer Transfer market for your club?
Quite decent. Signing the likes of Michael Chopra, Jay Emanuel Thomas, Lee Bowyer have been the highlights for me, but the signing of Nathan Ellington was an interesting but cunning addition. I have also heard good things surrounding the youngster Aaron Cresswell, whom we have snatched off of Tranmere Rovers.
What are your hopes for the upcoming season?
As in the past 10 seasons, promotion is my hope for the season! We were so close with Joe Royle back in 04/05, and to miss out on automatic promotion by 1 point was heartbreaking; but if we don’t go up this year, the hope for Ipswich would be to play good attractive football, re-establishing the club as a play-off contender, at least.
Who are your key players?
Ones to watch are Michael Chopra who always finds the net and has a history of supplying the goods. Also, young N. Ireland international Josh Carson burst onto the scene for the blues last season and has pace, ability and an eye for the net. After selling Connor Wickham he is the one I would tip to go for big money next!
Which team MUST you finish above?
West Ham, The team all Ipswich fans cringe about when it comes to play-offs. Ipswich have had their fair share of defeats against the Hammers, who on their day can beat anyone.
Opposition players you love to hate?
David Nugent (Leicester City) – no matter who he plays for, he always scores at Portman Road, then celebrates in front of the Sir Bobby Robson stand. Ipswich fans hate him, but in truth, all would very much like him to join our club.
Opposition players you secretly admire?
I would have to say Billy Sharp. Quick, good on the ball and always finds the back of the net. He scored twice for Doncaster in a 3-2 loss at Portman Road last season, in what was a brilliant game of football to watch.
Predict a finish for your team.
With a mix of old and new, combined with the squad, management, backroom staff, and fan base; I can realistically see Town finishing in the top 6 this season. But as we always seem to end up worse, a top 10 finish would do nicely. It’s about time Ipswich Town football club stepped up to the plate and re-live the good old days.
Who, according to you, will get promoted?
Ipswich, West Ham, Leicester City
Who, according to you, will get relegated?
Brighton, Doncaster, Crystal Palace
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LEEDS UNITED F.C.
About the fan:
David has been going to Elland Road since the early nineties, so has been through his fair share of “ups and downs” (as the Leeds anthem Marching on Together goes). By far the best moments for him was following the team across Europe in the UEFA Cup and Champions League. Travelling around with all the Leeds fans and seeing places he’d have otherwise never visited was pretty special. The lowest was the financial meltdown and subsequent relegations.
Follow David on his Leeds blog www.theScratchingShed.com, on Twitter @ScratchingShed1 or on Facebook TheScratchingShed
How was the Summer Transfer market for your club?
Pretty uneventful really. Kasper Schmeichel was the biggest sale, but has been suitably replaced by Andy Lonergan from Preston. We’ve also added Michael Brown and Paul Rachubka, but the core of the squad was already in place from last season and the most important thing for me was keeping hold of Snodgrass, Gradel and Becchio.
What are your hopes for the upcoming season?
Following our narrow play-off miss last season I’m hoping we can build on that and challenge for promotion this time round. Anything less than a top six finish would be a disappointment for me.
Who are your key players?
The three I mentioned earlier for a start. With the two wingers Gradel and Snodgrass, and Luciano Becchio feeding off them we were deadly going forward last season. Patrick Kisnorbo is another key player in the centre of defence, although he missed almost all of last season so he’s a bit of an unknown entity at the moment. Homegrown lad Jonny Howson deserves a mention too.
Which team MUST you finish above?
The third from bottom is the big one. After that, it’d be nice to finish above the 7th placed team, and better still, the 3rd placed team. In all seriousness though, we don’t really have any rivals in this division so it’s a tough one. Can’t stand Millwall or Cardiff though so if we could in any way ruin their season, that’d be a bonus.
Opposition players you love to hate?
Michael Chopra and Craig Bellamy are the two that stand out there. Neil Harris from Millwall was a particularly horrible one, but he’s left for League Two and Southend. Shame.
Opposition players you secretly admire?
Chopra and Bellamy again. They’re the kind of players only their own fans could love. While ever they’re against us, I hate them. But I’d love to see them both in Leeds shirts.
Predict a finish for your team
I’d be happy with fifth or sixth.
Who, according to you, will get promoted?
West Ham will likely walk it, followed by Leicester I suspect. Hopefully Leeds will join them via the play-offs.
Who, according to you, will get relegated?
Always the toughest one to call in the Championship because the bottom half of teams are so evenly matched. The only one I’m pretty certain will be relegated is Peterborough. No disrespect to them, but I can’t see any way in which they could possibly survive.
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LEICESTER CITY F.C.
About the fan:
Mike McCarthy went with his dad to Filbert Street for his first match on Boxing Day 1993, a game which finished Leicester 4-4 Watford, with the foxes netting a last-minute equaliser. He has been hooked ever since. He fondly recalls the great moments during the Martin O’Neill years but as he was young, he believes he didn’t really appreciate what a privilege it was to be a Leicester fan at the time. One of his favourite memories is being at Wembley to see Leicester win the League Cup in 2000 (after watching them lose in the 93rd minute to Spurs in the final of the same competition a year previously). His worst memory is of sitting in a Sheffield pub trying his best to ignore the celebrating Stoke fans who, in playing out a goalless draw with Leicester, had secured promotion to the Premier League whilst condemning the Foxes to their first ever relegation to English football’s 3rd tier.
Follow Mike on his Leicester blog http://foxblogger.wordpress.com or on Twitter @foxblogger.
You can also download his Podcast from http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-foxblogger-leicester-city/id402013534
How was the Summer Transfer market for your club?
Pretty spectacular. With add-ons Matt Mills might turn out to be the most expensive signing in the club’s history, and the fee might even become the largest sum paid between two clubs outside the top flight. Sven’s approach last season was to draft in as many Premier League loanees as possible. They turned out to be an impressive bunch on the whole but ultimately it was fruitless quest for promotion from what was quite frankly a terrible starting position. There was criticism that the players who were brought in last year didn’t have enough Championship experience, but that’s certainly not a charge you can level at the likes of Nugent, Danns, St Ledger and Schmeichel. As the time of writing there’s talk of a few other players still on the shopping list too. The club certainly can’t be accused of a lack of investment in the playing squad.The biggest disappointment of the summer was the loss of Kyle Naughton, who looks set to play his football elsewhere following the end of his season long loan.
What are your hopes for the upcoming season?
A title challenge. There is a real expectancy amongst Leicester fans this season, fuelled not least by owners who want promotion yesterday. It isn’t as if Sven is unused to pressure, and he’ll need to keep the squad grounded until they have won a few games and earned the right to call themselves promotion contenders.
Who are your key players?
Leicester conceded 71 goals last season. The only teams to concede more finished in the bottom four. No fewer than 20 players (including four goalkeepers) started at least one match in the back line, so Mills will be expected to steer a defence that often appeared rudderless last year.Further up the pitch, Andy King will be expected to find goals from midfield and Paul Gallagher will need to continue to flourish as one of Leicester’s most creative forces.
Which team MUST you finish above?
Derby Country haven’t put up much competition in the last few years and I suspect if Leicester finish above Nottingham Forest they will at least have a playoff place, so it has to be them.
Opposition players you love to hate?
I can’t say there are that many I have a personal grudge against, although Chris Morgan continues to be a figure of hate following his ‘challenge’ on former Leicester forward Ian Hume (who was playing for Barnsley at the time of the incident).
Opposition players you secretly admire?
West Ham have done some terrific business in bringing Kevin Nolan to the Championship, he will be an essential part of their promotion campaign. As for strikers, Leicester haven’t seen a player score 20 league goals a season in the top two divisions since Gary Lineker, so Shane Long is admired and feared in equal measure.
Predict a finish for your team.
2nd.
Who, according to you, will get promoted?
West Ham,Leicester,Cardiff
Who, according to you, will get relegated?
Peterborough,Doncaster,Coventry
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MIDDLESBROUGH F.C.
About the fan:
Claire Bowdler started supporting Middlesbrough in 1994/95, their last season at their Ayresome Park home. Claire has followed Boro ever since, watching them win their first major trophy in 2004 (The Carling Cup). She also rates the 2006 UEFA Cup comebacks against Basel and Steaua Bucharest amongst her favourite moments. However, getting relegated at Leeds in the last game of the 1996/97 season and an FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Cardiff in 2008 feature on her list of low points.
Follow Claire on her Boro blog http://followingtheboro.blogspot.com/ and on Twitter @cbstar82
How was the Summer Transfer market for your club?
We have seen a lot of players leave the club, with only 2 players coming in on free transfers. We hope to add a few more players in next few weeks.
What are your hopes for the upcoming season?
To continue the football that was played the back-end of the season and be in the top half of the table challenging for a playoff place.
Who are your key players?
Rhys Williams, Matthew Bates, Joe Bennett, Marvin Emnes and Scott McDonald.
Which team MUST you finish above?
Leeds, West Ham, Cardiff and Leicester.
Opposition players you love to hate?
Craig Bellamy, Lee Bowyer, Michael Brown
Opposition players you secretly admire?
Luciano Becchio, Kasper Schmeichel, Scott Parker, Jimmy Kebe.
Predict a finish for your team.
Heart says 6th, Head says 10th.
Who, according to you, will get Promoted?
West Ham, Leicester, Ipswich
Who, according to you, will get Relegated?
Peterborough, Doncaster, Barnsley
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MILLWALL F.C.
About the fan:
George Richards was handed his first Millwall kit at the age of just 3 months old. His favourite memory supporting the Lions is beating West Ham at the Den. It was his first real experience of the Millwall v West Ham rivalry, a feeling he doesn’t think can be bettered. Beating Swindon 1-0 in the 2010 League 1 Play-Off final is another highlight. A major disappointment for George was the decision to sell star Tim Cahill to Everton, for what he describes as pennies. Relegation from the Championship also features high on his low point list, with morale so low that attendances at the New Den dipped dramatically.
Follow George on Twitter @GeorgieboyMFC
How was the Summer Transfer market for your club?
So far the transfer window has been deeply disappointing for Millwall fans. We sold striker Steve Morison for £2.8 million when he was worth so much more than that. We have also lost club legend Neil Harris. Manager Kenny Jackett doesn’t seem to be replacing them with quality, in fact the signings of Darius Henderson from Sheffield United and Terry Rhacon from Charlton, have been very disappointing. However, our new left back Jordan Stewart looks very promising.
What are your hopes for the upcoming season?
My main hope for Millwall this season is to reach the play-offs. We came so close last year, only to fall on the last few games because of two red cards and injuries all to key players. This made the choosing of the squad very hard and it just seemed like at certain points in the games we lacked the finishing touches. I hope to come higher than we did last season (9th) however this is a huge achievement as it will be on ly our 2nd season back in the Championship.
Who are your key players?
I think our key players this season will be James Henry, David Forde, Josh Mcqouid and Darius Henderson, I think these players will be key to our promotion hopes. The squad as a whole looks very promising. All of the players seem to be in high spirits and so do the back room staff.
Which team MUST you finish above?
Of course the team I, and most Millwall fans want to finish above the most is West Ham United. There is genuine hatred between both sets of supporters. You will never find another rivalry like this!
Opposition players you love to hate?
I think Jermaine Beckford when he used to play for Leeds was one of the players I hated the most. Danny Grahame for Watford was another, just because of the way he celebrated when he scored against Millwall in our 1.0 defeat at their ground. Both have now left the Championship, so it will just be current and ex-West Ham players who we hate!
Opposition players you secretly admire?
A player that I think will be good in any squad is Shane Long. He shows that he is a rising star and shows that he will be brilliant in any squad he plays for. I also liked the look of Andros Townsend and Jason Puncheon, both of whom impressed whilst on loan to Millwall.
Predict a finish for your team.
My predicted finish for Millwall this season is 6th. For this to happen, I think we need to change our style of play, stop booting it up the field, instead adopting a more fluent passing game. We also need to tighten up at the back. 1-0 and 2-0 wins would do, as at the end of the day it’s still 3 points on the board
Who, according to you, will get promoted?
Millwall, Cardiff and Birmingham
Who, according to you, will get relegated?
Crystal Palace, Brighton and Coventry
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TheHardTackle would like to thank the fans for their time and contribution!