Rooney relief as Stoke city receives Fines from the FA, managers sacked and new appointments – Championship talking points.
Rooney relief as Stoke city receives Fines from the FA, managers sacked and new appointments – Championship talking points.
Fines from the FA, managers sacked and new appointments, the ‘Hollywood derby’ – it’s all just been a standard week in the EFL.
Ahead of this weekend’s fixtures, we take a look at some of the big talking points and what to look out for.
While the sacking of Steven Schumacher by Stoke City was a bit of a shock, given the amount of managers the club has gone through in recent years it perhaps shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise.
Schumacher was relieved of his duties after Saturday’s Championship defeat by Oxford United, their third defeat of the season. While the prospect of Ryan Shawcross stepping up from the Under-21s was an interesting one under another ex-player, Jon Walters, who is sporting director now, the club resisted the temptation to get the band back together by moving swiftly for Norwich coach Narcis Pelach.
The 36-year-old Catalan penned a three-year deal but given he becomes the eighth manager at the bet365 Stadium in six and a half years, chances of him seeing out that term must be slim.
He gets a quick start as Stoke kick off the Championship’s matchday six by hosting Hull City tonight (Friday). Hull themselves have had a poor start and sit third bottom. Not the way owner owner Acun Ilicali expected things to go when he sacked Liam Rosenior for finishing seventh last season and appointed German Tim Walter. Given Iliaci’s reputation, Walter must be feeling the strain.
As will Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut who vowed to “never give up” after overseeing the club’s worst start to a season for 35 years. Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan has gone through 11 permanent managers during his 14 years at the club and Bulut is struggling badly after only joining in June.
Cardiff host Leeds United on Saturday and Bulut admitted his job is on the line. “When someone has to pay for something, I have to pay, I have no problem with that. But I take the responsibility for everything.”
In the opposite dugout to Bulut tomorrow will be Daniel Farke. A manager who has a proven track record in the Championship yet who is also feeling the heat. His Leeds side sit ninth after narrowly missing out on promotion last season and grumbles have already started, bizarrely, as Leeds Live reported in the aftermath of Scumacher’s departure.
Stoke were the second team this season to part company with their manager after Preston binned off Ryan Lowe. A third seems likely any time soon.
Rooney relief
Talking of managers, there isn’t any as high profile in the EFL as Wayne Rooney. Fresh from getting their first win of the season courtesy of Joe Edwards’ last-gasp goal in a dramatic 3-2 victory over Sunderland, his Plymouth Argyle side now face another tough ask against top-of-the-table West Brom.
Carlos Corberan is approaching the two-year mark at the Hawthorns and has well and truly turned fortunes around at the Baggies, who are one of only three unbeaten teams in the division this season, with four wins and a draw to their name.
The only club in the top four divisions of English football to name an unchanged side in their first five league games of the season, West Brom are set to stick to their winning formula – although Jayson Molumby’s calf issue has handed them a minor doubt.
For Plymouth, it’s a chance to build on their morale-boosting win last time out, which knocked Sunderland off top spot in the table.
Rooney’s assistant Pete Shuttleworth said it was natural to enjoy a moment of celebration after their win, but that attentions have now fully turned to a challenge that needs to be ‘embraced’.
Argyle have not won at the Hawthorns since 1993 but have all of their outfield players available for the trip, with their only injury being goalkeeper Conor Hazard.
When is a derby not a derby?
Regis Le Bris has certainly settled in well to life at Sunderland, and his suggestion that his side’s battle with Middlesbrough this weekend isn’t a standout fixture – “The most important derby from my knowledge is Newcastle” – has reinforced the view that he already understands the minds of Black Cats supporters.
The Wear-Tees ‘derby’ has always been a complicated rivalry, owing to the fact that Newcastle are the true source of irritation for Sunderland fans and vice versa. But while Middlesbrough may not stir much hatred on Wearside ahead of Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off, a win would still inflict plenty of pain on Le Bris after the Wearsiders’ surprise defeat at Plymouth last week.
Boro have flown under the radar compared to their North East neighbours, frustratingly unable to find consistency in their bid to mount another promotion push. But if there’s one thing Michael Carrick and his men are good at, it’s putting together a run of victories out of nowhere, and three points against their not-so-fierce rivals would be a great way to start.
From Hollywood to New York
Down a rung in League One, the week’s star-laden events at St Andrew’s shone the spotlight on the EFL in an incredible manner.
It was slightly surreal seeing Rob McElhenney, Tom Brady and David Beckham in the stands watching Birmingham City take on Wrexham in a game dubbed the ‘Hollywood derby’ but they were just cameos to what was a great game of football.
Birmingham ran out 3-1 winners to go level on points with the Welsh side at the top of the table. It promises to be an intriguing season in League One with these two clubs, but after the glitz and glamour it’s back to reality this weekend. Not so much Hollywood for Birmingham, but New York – the AESSEAL New York Stadium at Rotherham, to be precise – while Wrexham host Crawley Town. Let’s see how many celebrities rock up to these two fixtures.
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