Manager has told his players before facing Sheffield Wednesday it is time the club found new legends after 45 years out of the top flight of English footballLocal knowledge is overrated. Two years ago Carlos Carvalhal and David Wagner were virtually unknown in England but now they are jousting for the right to lead one of the country’s former champions to Wembley and perhaps on to the Premier League. Huddersfield host Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final and it has been a long time since fans of either club have been so excited.Both managers have excelled to guide their clubs this far. For Carvalhal it is the second impressive exploit in a row,...
Will the Gunners continue their late dash for the top-four, Liverpool may have to dig in at West Ham and Fulham have history on their side in the play-offsThough a top-four finish remains out of Arsenal’s hands, the thought of them maintaining the comforting status quo with another late spurt of form is no longer so outlandish after Wednesday’s win at Southampton. It is more of an unconvincing crawl than a relentless charge for the finishing line, with the recent defeat at Tottenham brutally exposing this team’s deficiencies, but momentum belongs to Arsenal after their strong response to last month’s humiliation at Selhurst Park. Without playing with any particular coherence since that harrowing defeat by Palace, they have willed themselves...
Steve Lansdown’s decision to stick with his manager was rewarded in a sack-happy Championship and keeps Bristol City’s broader ambitions on trackIt is the final day of the Championship campaign and Lee Johnson, Bristol City’s head coach, has just welcomed Steve Lansdown, the club’s owner, into his office at Ashton Gate, where a candid discussion about a rollercoaster season, including the need for “big balls” in the dugout, has strayed into a broader debate about a hire-and-fire epidemic in the second tier.Twelve managers were sacked in the Championship between October and April, another two resigned, one departed by mutual consent and one returned to his academy role after his contract until the end of the season was cut short. They...
Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and (almost certainly) Fulham sealed play-off places, Wigan went down and it’s still tight all round in League Two• Blackburn Rovers took the fight for Championship survival to the final day of the season with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Ewood Park, courtesy of Danny Graham steering home after 54 minutes. The win brought Rovers level with Nottingham Forest, who lost 2-0 at QPR, confirming Rangers’ safety in the process. Both sides have 48 points; Forest host Ipswich in their final game, and Blackburn head to Brentford. Related: Harry Redknapp’s 10-man Birmingham City sink Huddersfield Related: League One finale: what’s at stake in the promotion and relegation battles #EFL media advisory - @leytonorientfc v @ColU_Official...
Rafael Benítez’s side have secured promotion to the top tier but plenty of questions remain about the future direction of the clubRafael Benítez and Newcastle United are back in the Premier League – but have they underachieved or overachieved this season? And, most importantly, what happens now? Related: Rafael Benítez puts owner Mike Ashley on notice after Newcastle are promoted Related: Newcastle United crush Preston North End to seal return to Premier League Continue reading...