May 16 2006

The Football League

For the definitive review of every Championship team during the season, read the Saint's verdict.

Preston North End - Playoffs

Final Placing: 4th

Last Season: 5th – Playoff finalists

Manager: Billy Davies

One to watch: Dave Nugent

My Prediction: 8th

How will we do? : 4/6

How did we do? : 1/6

What I said: “It is always hard to repeat the feat in the 2nd season. Jose Mourinho will find this out at Chelsea and so will Billy Davies at Deepdale, but there the similarities will end. I fancy Chelsea to retain their title, but Preston won’t manage a repeat of their playoff appearance”

If you want to talk about bogey teams, then look no further than Preston. Making a mockery of my prediction, they lost only 6 games all season and had an unbeaten record of over 20 games during the middle of the season, which took them from mid-table into the playoffs and they stayed there all season. A run, which began on October 1st and was only ended by Reading at the end of February.

When David Nugent got injured, Preston had to prove that they are not a one man team and with players like Patrick Agyemang and Chris Sedgewick, the goals may not have flowed as they have in previous seasons, yet Preston seldom lost matches and this was due to their all round team quality. Incredibly difficult to beat at home and very difficult as away opposition, Preston founded their success on a mean defence that conceded only 12 goals at home, averaging 1 goal every 2 games.

A few clubs this season have drawn a lot of games but Preston (who drew every match during October) turned a lot these would be draws into victories and defeats into draws. 15 clean sheets during the season meant that Preston only needed to score once to win, which they did with regularity.

Goals came from all over the team. Nugent only managed 10 during an injury hit season, but everyone weighed in with their fair share. Only Daniele Dichio didn’t hit the target with any regularity, but he does not have a reputation for this. Although, he still managed to get the winner against us in the FA Cup!

Preston is one side that in the playoffs that are extremely dangerous. We failed to beat them all season, given the 4 games we had and only a late, late equaliser against them at home prevented a defeat. Away, we were conclusively beaten 2-0.

Another reason to be concerned is the fact that they have signed Marcus Stewart. He always likes to score against us and has done so while playing for Huddersfield, Ipswich and Sunderland with the latter being in the playoffs in 2004. He is one bogey player in this season’s bogey team and although the only way we will play them is at Cardiff, if we both get through to the final. They have play-off experience and their 4th place finish is no fluke, being built and hard work and commitment. 2 things that any team will need if Preston are to be beaten.

Leeds United - Playoffs

Final Placing: 5th

Last Season: 14th

Manager: Kevin Blackwell

One to watch: David Healy

My Prediction: 4th - Playoffs

How will we do? : 4/6

How did we do? : 3/6

What I said: “Leeds can only perform better this season and will do so, as they do not have to get a whole new team to gel in the opening weeks. A more settled approach would see Leeds cement a playoff spot, without ever really threatening the automatic places. Rob Hulse, Robbie Blake and David Healy can all score goals for fun and 4th place is certainly not beyond them, providing they start and finish well. They won’t be an easy team to play in the playoffs either, so they could end up in Cardiff. At least the long suffering fans will be looking more positive now, than in any of the last 3 years and Leeds can make headlines, finally, for all the right reasons.”

Averaging one defeat a month (or less), Leeds are deservedly in 5th place and only Preston managing to beat them in the last match, denied me a correct prediction. A great home record (only 3 teams, us being one of them beating them there) and a solid away record, Leeds have been a threat since the season kicked off. Healy, Blake and Hulse have all made double figures and consistency has been the byword and Leeds have not always been fortunate with injuries, with players like Healy, Steve Stone and Richard Cresswell out for long spells. However, players like Neil Sullivan, Paul Butler, Shaun Derry and Gary Kelly were the models of consistency so any injuries were not felt too strongly.

Kevin Blackwell has been under pressure, even to the level of getting hate mail which is totally unjustified. He has unified a club which was in turmoil only a season ago and got highly paid flops such as Ricketts and Seth Johnson off the wage bill and got a squad that is hungry to reach the Premiership. Leeds fans should be happy that they have a side that is winning. With the amounts of debts that they had, they should be thankful that they have a club at all.

We fared averagely against them this season. We never showed up for 70 minutes of the home game in March, as Leeds won 2-1 while our re-arranged fixture from August saw us go to Elland Road and with a superlative performance, return with a win. 3 points is a fair return against a very organised and combative team.

Leeds will not have it easy in the playoffs, but over 2 legs they will be hard to beat as any of the teams in it and they could make it to Cardiff. Would anyone back against them going all the way?

My concern for Leeds is what could happen if they don’t go up. Will Blackwell get the sack? Will the side that is so well constructed be broken up? Will Healy get his move to the Premiership?

For Blackwell and Leeds’ sake, they need to get promotion this season. Ken Bates is not the most patient of men and the Leeds fans demand success. Expectation could outstrip results and it might be the one factor that stops the one-time Champions League semi-finalists going back into the big time.

Crystal Palace - Playoffs

Final Placing: 6th

Last Season: 18th (Premiership)

Manager: Iain Dowie

One to watch: Andy Johnson

My Prediction: 1st – Champions

What I said: “I know it may seem like the rantings of an over enthusiastic Palace nut, but I cannot see any team stopping us to the title this season.”

Ok, It was over-enthusiastic but we limped over the playoff finishing line against Crewe in April and we never looked like ever troubling the automatic spots. In fact, from the opening day of the season, we never looked like adjusting to this division to become a leading frontrunner for promotion. Add to that injuries to Aki, AJ, Popovic, Butterfield and Granville (who has been out all season), we just didn’t have enough to trouble the leaders.

We bought quite well in preseason with Macken, Ward and McAnuff but on the opening day we got a shock as Luton Town beat us at home. Defeat at Wolves and a draw away to Norwich added to our poor start and we only managed our first win against Plymouth, but by then it was the end of August.

Dowie added Clinton Morrison to the squad before the transfer window closed and added Marco Reich in September, while letting Sandor Torghelle go out on loan and Joonas Kolkka departed after a season. Morrison made an instant hit as he set up the goal for AJ against Stoke and scoring himself against Hull. However, defeat at Reading was made all the worse by an injury to AJ, who would be out for 3 months. It was no surprise that our form was patchy as we came into Christmas on a run of matches without a win and in mid-table.

This then provided a springboard to our season, as it did in 2003. We won all 4 fixtures over this period and we remained unbeaten until the end of January, when we played Preston 3 times in 2 weeks and they halted our run in the league, while knocking us out of the FA Cup.

But by this time we were in the playoff frame and our form reverted to that of the early part of the season, picking up wins, draws and defeats in almost equal measure as we made 6th place our own. This was more by virtue of teams below us being equally inconsistent, rather than us being simply that much better.

High points of the season were victories against Liverpool in the League Cup, the 4-1 thumping of Norwich City and the run at Christmas. Low points were watching some thoroughly lacklustre football at the start of the season and our over-confidence in taking this division to task.

Which brings us to the playoffs and we can do well in this, as we always get to the final. Can it be 4th time lucky? We have the squad to do it and with the play-off experience still amongst the majority of our squad, there is no reason why not. AJ might have the outside of outside chances and promotion back to the Premiership will only help his cause. Whether we do or not, lies at the feet of our leading scorer as without him, we just look like a side that can’t score goals. A glimpse into the future then as if we don’t go back up, that might the situation come next August.