Wigan: The Premier League Bullying Boys

“Some Saturdays, I Like to go to the DW Stadium. I’m not a Wigan fan or anything. I just like some alone time.”

Picture by illarterate via Flickr

It’s one of the most predictable jokes out there. Every time Wigan have been summoned to appear on the box, social media likes to pick up on the empty seats littered about the DW stadium. Cue the jokes about Wigan fans dressing up as seats and portraying the sad, lonely image of around eleven fans turning up for the match.

And after the FA’s announcement that Wigan were to return around 10,000 tickets for the weekends semi-final against Millwall, social media and message boards around the country were churning out the same, tired jokes.

But is it all a bit unfair on Wigan? Are Wigan slowly but surely turning into the bullying boys in the proverbial Premier League school ground? Call me boring, but I think they are. And it’s all a bit unjustified.

The mass return of tickets would have been a bitter blow for the FA, but it still reads well for Wigan fans. With a 31,000 allocation for both fans, Wigan have still sold around 20,000 tickets. A respectable amount when you look at the figures.

The first figure is the town’s population. Wigan is a relatively small town nestled in Greater Manchester with a population of around 80,000. This means that around a quarter of the Wigan town’s population are heading down to London to proudly cheer their team on. Pretty respectable don’t you think?

The problem with Wigan is its location. It’s around 16 miles North-West from Manchester, home of one of the most successful teams in the world. That means that that Wigan’s catchment area is pretty poor. In 1995, when fan Dave Whelan bought the club, Wigan were floating helplessly in the fourth tier of English football. At the same time United were winning yet another title as the Fergie regime was in full motion. It’s easy to see why the folk of Wigan would have worn the red instead of blue.

Is it fancy dress day? Picture by illarterate via flickr

Another problem is that Wigan isn’t necessary a football town. It’s a predominantly a rugby town, with Wigan Warriors being one of the most prolific teams in the sport. Last year, the Wigan Warriors had an average attendance of 16,000, the highest in the league for the third season in a row. However, the joke books are normally kept shut in regards to rugby.

The second figure I want to look at is Wigan Athletics’ average attendance. For 2012, the D.W Stadium saw an average attendance of 18,634. It appears low, but it’s not bad considering the factors discussed. In fact, it’s not even the lowest in the league. That honour goes to QPR.

But it is an ever-increasing average. It’s more than 10 times as much as it was back in ’95, and 6000 more than 7 years ago when Wigan first broke into the Premier League. And with Martinez attempting to build up the squad, there is potential for that figure to grow.

Roberto Martinez leapt to the fan’s defence regarding the semi-final and rightly so. Football is expensive and we are in bad economic times. Not only will the fans have to pay for tickets, they will have to fork out for tickets, food, drink etc. It all adds up. And they could potentially have to do it again. Also throw into the mix the fact that the late kick off means that the fans will probably miss the last train home. The majority of fans will be waiting for the final, if they were to get there.

So there’s a little plea for the public to take a step back, assess the situation and maybe see that Wigan fans aren’t too bad. After all, they probably have feelings too.

Or maybe I’m just grumpy.

Radio Reports: Child Stroke Awareness

For my Radio Production Project I looked into the issues of Child Stroke’s.

Every year, over 400 cases are diagnosed, with many more being undiagnosed.

I travelled to Manchester, Bristol and to Wrexham to investigate child stroke awareness and to see what is being done to change it.

To find out more about the help available visit Daisy’s website and the Childhood Stroke Support Site

Beating Lawro

I’m a strong believer that those who analyse football on both the BBC and ITV are useless. Especially Mr Mark Lawrenson. I’ve never been a big fan of his ‘analysis’ and never will be. His constant attempt to include humour in his analysis is cringe worthy. However, it’s clear that the BBC like him. He features regularly on Match of the Day and each week predicts the upcoming fixtures.

I thought that if I think his punditry is awful, I should at least try and beat him in his predictions. Maybe he might be a great pundit with an annoying personality after all? Each week I’ll predict each Premier League match and compare it to what Lawro thinks.

It will be the same format as the BBC predictions: ONE point for a correct result while a correct score earns THREE points. I’ll also try and include a guest each week for a bit of competition. To kick it off, Sean Simpson will be predicting the match for the guests.

If only I thought of this in week one.

Saturday

Sunderland Vs WBA (12:45)

Picture by Vagueontheshow

Sunderland come into this match on the back of an uplifting result against Fulham. Despite Fulham being down to ten men, Sunderland still had a lot to do to get the three points and they did the job. Johnson, with two assists showed glimpses of his ability with Sessegnon scoring a thunderbolt to seal the three points.

There is no denying that Sunderland has started badly but you do feel that the team could turn it around.  With Martin O’Neill they have a manager who is very strategic and will be trying to formulate the best way to beat the Baggies. If Sunderland start brightly, set the tempo and remain positive you do feel that the momentum of the Fulham victory could help the Black Cats on the way to victory.

West Brom have been absolutely fantastic this season, finding themselves in the dizzy heights of fourth place. And it’s been totally deserved. Steve Clarke has got the Baggies playing fantastic football and will be confident in every match that they approach. If Sunderland are to get a result, they need to keep Shane Long quiet, who has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season.

It’s going to be a very close match but I can’t help feel that Sunderland, with confidence high, will finally find their form which has been lacking so far.

My prediction: 2-1                Lawro: 2-0                    Sean: 1-1

Everton Vs Norwich (3pm)

You can’t help but feel that there will only be one winner from this match. Despite losing last week, Everton have had one of their best starts ever and with home advantage, they will be strong favourites to grab all three points this week.

Everton have been playing with supreme confidence this season and look confident in scoring all the time. Jelavic, Fellani and Baines have all been their stand out players and if they perform again this weekend, lots of chances will be created.

Despite deserved victories against Arsenal and United, this match will be a lot harder for Norwich. Without home advantage, the defence is going to have to be on their top form to even gain a point. It’s going to be another long day in the office for Ruddy.

My prediction: 3-0                        Lawro: 2-1                      Sean: 2-0

Man UTD Vs QPR

The new man at QPR?
Picture by curiouslypersistant

 

At the time of writing, it’s all going on at QPR. After lots of speculation, Mark Hughes has finally been sacked after finding themselves at the root of the table. There’s no surprise about the sacking, it’s a result business although the timing of it does surprise me. To sack someone the day before a match after a week’s preparation does seem weird.

But that might be down to Harry Redknapp. The day before his agent claimed that he is close to agreeing a deal to become Ukraine boss. Surely this was just a plea for a Premier League club to come and get him. And it looks like QPR are going to do just that.

However, I don’t think that his immediate appointment will make a difference this weekend. QPR are still playing very poor and one man’s appointment won’t make an immediate impact. United will still be far too strong for QPR.

My prediction: 3-0                Lawro: 3-0                   Sean: 3-0

Stoke Vs Fulham

If I was to predict this a week ago, I would have gone entirely differently. However, I feel that with Hangeland suspended, Stoke are going to have more of a physical presence that will help with them the game. Fulham have the better technical players but Stoke and their way of playing has been working so far at the Britannia and I don’t see this changing.

My prediction: 2-0                  Lawro: 2-0             Sean: 1-2

Wigan Vs Reading

This is a very tough game to predict. Both teams are near the bottom, not getting the results that they have wanted. With a home advantage, many people would have gone for a Wigan win, but Reading will be optimistic after their impressive victory against Everton last week. Both defences have been poor so far this season so I can see an entertaining high scoring game here.

My prediction: 3-2                         Lawro: 1-1                       Sean: 0-0

Villa Vs Arsenal (5:30)

It’s been a tough few games for Villa. After the battling display against United the last thing they would have wanted would have been an away game against Manchester City. After being thrashed 5-0, the confidence will be low.

Arsenal on the other hand have had some positive results recently. After a dramatic derby day win, followed by a midweek European victory, Arsenal will fancy their chances against a Villa side that are scoring very few.

Villa will battle away, just like the United game, but you can’t help but feel that Arsenal will have too much for them.

My prediction: 0-3               Lawro: 0-2                      Sean: 0-2

Sunday

Swansea Vs Liverpool (1:30)

A few weeks ago at Anfield, Swansea ran out winners against Liverpool in the League Cup. I really can see something similar this week.

After a strong start followed by a blip of form, Swansea have looked to finally find their feet again and will be confident that they will be able to beat Liverpool at Rodger’s own style of football. Their impressive victory away to Newcastle last week has shown that on the day they can play the right football to beat any day.

Although, it all depends on which Liverpool turn up. It’s been a poor start for Liverpool, but they have been finding the results the last few weeks, mainly down to Luiz Suarez. Liverpool really need to capitalize on their victory against Wigan last week but this will be an entirely different challenge.

My prediction: 2-1                                                           Lawro: 1-1                                                           Sean: 2-3

Southampton Vs Newcastle (3:00)

After a brilliant season last year, Newcastle have disappointed this season. They come into this match on a bad run of form and also missing some key players in the form of Ben Arfa and Cabaye. Their lack of transfer activity is starting to show.

Southampton last week won the ‘6-pointer’ against QPR last week and will be hoping that they can play with the same determination and skill this week. Playing at St Mary’s should give them a massive lift as they hope to try and get themselves away from the relegation zone.

My prediction: 1-0                Lawro: 2-1                    Sean: 1-1

Chelsea Vs Man City (4:00)

Lets me honest, I’m sure Chelsea have had better weeks. After a dismal display in Europe, Roberto Di Matteo was sacked by the ruthless owner. Rafa Benitez has been given the tough task to win over the fans.

Di Matteo’s sacking was harsh. Very harsh. It gave the impression that he wasn’t their first choice anyway, and was only given the job because of his Champions League success last campaign. Yes, Chelsea are on a poor run of form but let’s remember it was only a few weeks ago that Chelsea were sitting at the top of the table.

Benitez is a quality manager but he has a tough task of winning over the Chelsea faithful. However, many people feel that he has been given the chance to manage Torres back to his best. Could this be the week that the Spanish striker turns round his form?

Man City come into this match after a terrible European campaign. After being kicked out of the Champions League, and with a fight on their hands to gain a Europa League spot, the team will be out with something to prove. With Man United expected to top the table Saturday night, the pressure will be on for City to perform when the stage is set.

My prediction: 2-2                 Lawro: 1-0                      Sean: 1-3

Spurs Vs West Ham

Spurs have been a bit and miss this season. After an impressive victory at Old Trafford they haven’t really pushed on like they were expected to do. The pressure is already on AVB to perform and these are the games that they can’t afford to lose.

West Ham has enjoyed a successful return to the top league, finding themselves in 7^th spot, a place above Spurs. I can see this being a feisty affair, but one where Spurs’ class should finally shine through to take the points.

My prediction: 3-1             Lawro: 2-0                           Sean: 1-0

Should Sunderland fans start to worry?

Photo by dkodigital

We were all so optimistic. We thought that this season would finally be the one where we kicked on and where we started to dream about Thursday nights in some exotic city in Eastern Europe.

Oh how wrong we were.

Instead were nervously looking over our shoulder, with the possibility of rainy away days in some industrial town in the championship. It’s hard supporting Sunderland. But should we really start to worry about the dreaded R word, or are we just on a dismal run of form?

The problem with the season so far is the extensive list of players under-performing. With new and exciting additions, the front quartet of Sessegnon, McClean, Johnson and Fletcher looked like they could cause problems to any back line. But it’s been far from that, with Fletcher the only player deserving praise after his five goals. McClean lacks the confidence that we saw when he burst to the scene last year, Sessegnon’s silky skills has deserted him while Johnson is yet to find his groove.

This has led to an appalling scoring record. Adam Johnson’s goal against Everton was the first goal by a Sunderland player in 444 minutes. That stretches all the way back to September. And if it wasn’t for Demba Ba (Sunderland’s joint second highest scorer) it would be a lot, lot worse.

Defensively, it could have been a lot worse. Danny Rose and Carlos Cuellar have had steady starts while O’Shea and Gardener are trying their best. But without doubt, Mingolet has been Sunderland’s player of the season so far. The Belgian stopper is the reason that the Black Cats aren’t in the relegation zone.

With one win in eighteen league games, Sunderland are in horrid relegation form. On paper we have the players, the manager and the fans but on the pitch it’s the total opposite. Players are under-performing while O’Neill seems to lack a real plan B. Far too many times this season, Sunderland are playing far too defensively. A massive shame considering the players we have up front.

So will Sunderland get relegated? No. Thankfully there are teams worse than the Black Cats and it’s only a matter of time till the attacking players start performing. But Sunderland fans should still be worried. Too many times in recent years we have been fighting it out near the bottom, and even though we have a squad capable of a top half finish, we find ourselves just above the relegation zone. Maybe that’s just the Sunderland way and it’s always going to be like that.

Optimism is such a cruel feeling.

The Hidden Impact Of Dementia

Keep Up At The Back…

Still image of Cawley punching Kirkland, posted on line minutes after the incident

On Friday night, Aaron Cawley made the headlines after punching Chris Kirkland during Sheffield Wednesday’s game against Leeds United.

Within hours, Aaron’s details were all over social network sites. His name, his age, his previous conviction, his address, links to his Facebook page and even his mobile night were available on the world wide web.

Aaron even had a bit of spare time to boast on Facebook. He posted:

Fair play to the mindless tails that wanna grass me up tell someone who gives a f**

Yet at around 11pm the same night, despite social networks identifying Aaron straight after the final whistle, South Yorkshire Police issued a plea to help identify the culprit.  Social Media 1 – 0 South Yorkshire police 0.

As the game was live on Sky Sports, there were hundreds and hundreds of still photos and videos circulating on the internet. However, when South Yorkshire Police arrested Cawley, it was on ‘suspicion of assault.’ Was there not enough evidence on the internet beforehand?

I’m not posting to have a go at South Yorkshire Police, but surely a quick search on social sites at the time of need will make their job much easier. Social Networking now is such a useful tool.

 

Salford Vice Chancellor: “I’m Sorry”

Salford University Vice Chancellor Martin Hall has apologised to Staff and Students after the recent problem with this year’s timetables.

Martin Hall being interviewed on QuaysTV

Staff and Pupils received their timetables up to four weeks late, causing widespread anger amongst students and also delays in lectures.

Professor Martin Hall labelled the situation as a ‘disaster’ while speaking on student ran channel Quays News:

“It didn’t meet the standard which we had set for ourselves. It wasn’t fit for returning students and it wasn’t right for new students.”

The Vice Chancellor explained that the error was due to a problem in the new timetabling software.

He said: “Getting 20,000 students around the campus into complicated buildings and locations is a pretty sophisticated and difficult task.

“Like all of these things, were very dependent on complex software. When the software and the programs work, they work spectacularly, but when it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work at all which is what we found out.”

Martin Hall also confirmed that there will be an independent inquiry to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again:

“We already know that there are a number of complicated factors, some were unfortunate coincidences but there are things we should have anticipated and we didn’t do well in doing so.”

However, the Vice Chancellor has promised all students that they won’t be left ‘short-changed’ due to the efforts to reschedule of the courses content. All students concerned with their degree’s content are urged to raise the issue to their course leader or a student representative.

Despite the problems with the timetabling, Martin Hall said how he feels “positive” about the upcoming year:

“It’s great to see new student joining us and to see the returning students coming back after the summer. It’s always good to be getting off to a good start.”

Also on the interview, the Vice Chancellor was asked about the Media City campus. The campus, which cost the University £20million, has now been open for a year, with Martin Hall hailing the year as a ‘success:’

“We started off quite gently with the Media City building because we wanted to see if the systems were up to the pressure on them.

“This coming year is going to see a lot more ramping up at MediaCity. We’re going to see more imaginative shows coming on and to see the full potential of all the kit.”

“There’s going to be an improved buzz this year with a lot more happening. I think the atmosphere here is really going to take off.”

Picture by Raven Photographic

The Vice Chancellor also touched on the new opportunities that students would have, with the news that ITV are set to share the Media City building with the University. He also praised the new bus route linking Media City and the main campus calling it a ‘much improved service.’

With the extra facilities at Media City, it has seen a rise in applications for courses such as Journalism. Martin Hall said that there was a very strong demand for courses, despite the difficult time for national Universities:

“It’s been a very difficult year for Universities particularly in England. Quite a few Universities have under-recruited due to turbulence from the new £9000 fee. It’s changed the way people behave about Universities which I think we understood.

“But what we found here at Salford is that there is a very strong demand at Media City. We had applicants phoning up saying ‘give us anything you got, we just want to be there!

“Potential students can see what we’re doing here and the potential opportunities at places such as BBC and ITV. There making sensible choices looking at the opportunities positioned here.”

FA Fails To Stamp Their Authority, Again

Yesterday, it was all smiles at the FA, as the new National Football Centre in Burton got the Royal seal of approval. There was even a few laughs when Prince William, the President of the Football Association, said to Ashley Cole:

“If you continue to be a naughty boy, they will take your twitter account off you..”

It was a stark contrast to the previous weekend’s mood at the FA’s headquarters.

It all started on Friday when the FA served John Terry the written reasons behind the Chelsea star’s four match ban for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.

The 63-page report claimed that his initial defence wasn’t adequate and that Chelsea had come up with some lies in order to protect their captain. The report, although recognising that Terry isn’t a racist, condemned his behaviour and found him guilty of racial abuse.

Terry: Charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand
Picture by illarterate

There are a few points that can be drawn from the FA’s action. First of all, why had the case dragged on for so long? It’s been over ten and a half months since the incident with the QPR defender, so why has the verdict only been made. Although I recognise that the criminal case was severely delayed but as far as I understood, the criminal investigation was completely separate from the FA’s.

Secondly, why only the four match ban? Back in December Luis Suarez was given an eight match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra, and rightly so. Both of the cases are very similar so the difference in the ban seems puzzling. The difference will only bring up the argument that English players are more protected then their foreign counterparts. Also, what will happen if unfortunately there is another racial abuse case? Will he receive a four match ban or an eight match ban, or something completely different? Whatever happens, the FA need to determine a proper punishment and stick to it for every player.

After serving Terry with the written reasons, it looked like it was the end of the unnecessarily long case and that everyone would try and move on. Until Mr Ashley Cole logged onto Twitter…

The English left back, never shy of controversy, tweeted this just hours after the FA had published the reason:

This would have been the last thing that the FA needed. On the day that the FA try to move forward from the Terry case, the social media outburst only brought the FA back into the limelight. But the main question was how the FA would react.

In my view, the FA should have hit Cole harder than a ton of bricks. The governing body should not stand for that behaviour, whoever it is. The FA run football in the country and gives players like Ashley Cole the honour to represent their country so they should be treated with respect. Cole should have received at least three match ban to teach him and everyone else a lesson.

Cole, who has 98 England caps to his name, deleted the Tweet hours later (and 20,000+ retweets later) and publically apologised. However, the FA yesterday announced that they were to charge Cole for the tweet for bringing the game into disrepute. However Cole is still eligible to play against minnows San Marino on Friday. Although it’s good to see the FA take action, you can’t help but feel that a swift charge and ban would have been necessary. Instead, the charge has the potential for an appeal and it could end up dragging on like Terry. The FA really does need to start acting quickly on cases.

So after an uneasy Friday at FA headquarters, they would have been hoping that the weekend’s fixtures happened without any incidents. But that didn’t happen. And it’s left the FA with more questions to answer.

In two separate games, we saw two notable cases of players diving. Gareth Bale dived at home against Aston Villa while Luiz Suarez dived against Stoke. In both cases, the player’s actions were despicable and at the end of the day: they cheated.

Bale: In the headlines for his dive against Aston Villa
Picture by flierfy

However, they both got away with it. And because of that, diving will unfortunately occur week in, week out. Although players are sometimes given a yellow card by referees, you can’t help but feel that a stronger punishment is needed to stamp diving out of the game.  If players were to receive bans for unsporting behaviour such as diving, then the players wouldn’t do it anymore. It’s as simple as that. But the FA continues to not take any action.

Also, stamps by Huth and Tiote went unpunished despite clear evidence which will only pile the pressure on the FA. I’m sure the FA will be hoping that this weekend runs a bit smoother.

On the same weekend, Rugby League star Paul Wood ruptured his testicle while playing a game but finished the match, finished his interviews before deciding to get some treatment. Just remember that next time you see a player diving and rolling around…

Booking Fees Are No Laughing Matter

The “Queen of Comedy” Sarah Millican has recently announced that she plans to boycott Britain’s biggest theatre chain on her brand new tour.

Picture by the_eggwhite

Millican’s 100 date tour, Home Bird, will not be held at any of the 39 venues owned by ATG (The Ambassador Theatre Group), due to her disagreement with extra booking charges.

South Shields born Millican defended her decision to boycott venues such as The O2 London, Albert Hall and the Liverpool Empire in the latest entry on her blog.

It read:

 In my opinion I don’t agree with the extra charges ATG put on top of the face value ticket price to you the customer and a number of other restrictions they have in place so that’s why I’ve avoided their venues this time round.

Despite Millican having her critics (me included), she has to be applauded the tough stance that she is taking. After making her way through the comedy world, including presenting her own chat show, she is using her position to tackle the issue of promoters and venues ripping off the public.

So how much are ATG charging customers to use their service? Under its system, between £1.90 and £4.90 is added to the face value of each ticket bought online or by telephone in addition to a transaction fee of between £2.85 and £4.

However, we must acknowledge that ATG aren’t the only company to charge ridiculous add on fees. In fact, when I ordered Frankie Boyle tickets, as well as a booking fee, i had to pay £3.50 to be sent an email to print out the tickets.

Also, the charges aren’t just exclusive to comedy performances; music gigs, festivals (over £10 for some) and even Football matches all command the extra fee.

I’m not expecting to be given my ticket for free; charges have and always will be included as its part of the service. But with add on fee’s slowly increasing, it’s not going to be too long before the public are put off buying the tickets all together.

Unless more acts decide to take a stance against it.

Today Jason Manford also joined the effort to fight extra booking fees. On his facebook page, Jason said:

Oh I’ve also brought my ticket prices down to £22.50 from £25 since so many ticket website charge so much of a booking fee, I figure we can go halves on it!

But will these two comedians’ actions have any effect? The simple answer is yes. Companies such as ATG will become worried that major acts will start to avoid its venues because of the fees.

In fact, ATG have announced that they are reviewing the situation and an announcement is expected in the next few months.

Hopefully the ridiculous booking fees will soon be a thing of the past.

Jordan On The Rhode To Success With Blackburn

Jordan Rhodes has today finalised his move to Blackburn Rovers in a record breaking deal for Huddersfield. The bid, rumoured to be £8million, was Blackburn’s fifth bid for the Scottish international this summer until the Terriers reluctantly accepted the offer. The 22-year-old joined on a five-year-deal as he aims to help Rovers return to the promised land of the Premier League. But the question is, with such a high fee, is he really worth it?

Rhodes playing for Huddersfield
Picture by Ben Sutherland

First of all, we must recognise that the £8million figure is the overall fee. It’s rumoured that the initial fee is £4.5 million with the rest being appearance and goals fees. If Rhodes manages to get the goals to help take Blackburn up into the Premier League, then the add-on fee’s would seem relatively small compared to the money they would bring in.  And with Rhodes’s impressive scoring record, there is no doubt that he will help Blackburn on their mission.

In 126 games for Huddersfield, the clinical striker scored 76 times, a scoring record remarkable in any league. Since joining the club in 2009, Rhodes has scored over 20 goals every season, including 40 goals last term. With six hat-tricks throughout the season, Rhodes went on to win the Golden Boot as well as the League One Player of the Year. His efforts helped him gain reputation in the media, coming fourth in FourFourTwo’s best Football League Players as he became heavily linked with Fulham and Everton.

Rhodes was rewarded with his efforts for Huddersfield and Scotland Under-21s (scoring eight goals) by coming on as a substitute for the senior team in November 2011. Then on his first full start against Australia in August, Rhodes scored his first senior goal. There is no doubt that Rhodes has the eye for goal at every level he has played at, and that has been shown by his two goals for Huddersfield in the start of their Championship campaign.

Rhodes’s signing adds to an already impressive Championship squad for Blackburn. With the full backing and money from the Venky owners, Steve Kean has been able to make some key acquisitions such as Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, Nuno Gomez and Colin Kazim-Richards. There is no doubt that Blackburn has the squad capable of a swift return so the signing of Rhodes will give them extra fire power.

There will be questions as to whether Rhodes will have the ability to make it to the next level but time will tell. History shows us that players who perform in the lower leagues don’t always make it at the top level (Jermaine Beckford, Michael Chopra) but Rhodes does have the ability to improve into an all round striker. Rhodes has a fantastic eye for goal which at any level is extremely useful.

However, eyebrows will be raised at the size of the fee. It equals Blackburn’s record signing with Andrew Cole from Manchester United in 2001. For a club who have been in the Premier League for several years, it does seem strange for a record signing to be made in the Championship. Rover’s fans in particular will question why the money wasn’t used in the previous campaign.

Despite the fee being a bit on the expensive sides, you do feel that it will be worth it. Rhodes has the ability to score many goals in the Championship and will be playing in the Premier League whether it will be for Blackburn or another Premier League team.  If there is a striker to watch in the Championship, it has to be Jordan Rhodes.