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Time for everyone to reach for their crystal balls. Starting with Sunday’s finest.

6th August 2007 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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Britain's biggest selling Sunday newspaper has decided that the Canaries will finish the forthcoming season exactly where they finished the last – down among the also-rans in 16th spot.

The News Of The World's pre-season predictions did, at least, off one small consolation – City would regain the Pride of Anglia crown as the paper foresaw Ipswich finishing two places below their Norfolk rivals in 18th, while last season's surprise package Colchester United would narrowly avoid being returned to their League One sender as they finished in 21st spot.

Doomed were Barnsley, Scunthorpe United and Queen's Park Rangers; promoted were West Bromwich Albion and Charlton; slogging it out in the play-offs were Sheffield United, Watford, Wolves and a Robbie Fowler-inspired Cardiff City.

All of which is all quite good, crystal-ball gazing fun. Everyone will be doing it between now and the start of the new season this Saturday.

Well, almost everyone. What was more telling still was the fact that neither The Sunday Times nor The Mail On Sunday bothered with a Championship preview at all.

The second tier of English football simply isn't on their radar. Page after page of Premiership news and views; not a word on the Championship.

The News Of The World's efforts at least give an indication of how the rest of the world sees Norwich's season shaping up; others beg to differ.

Baggies' boss Tony Mowbray, for one. Speaking earlier this summer as he chased the wantaway Youssef Safri, Mowbray had clearly taken note of events at Carrow Road – he sensed a club 'going for it…'

“A lot of clubs seem to be having a go this year – the likes of Leicester, Norwich, Coventry have spent a few quid, as well as Charlton, Sheffield United, Watford and Wolverhampton,? said Mowbray. “It will be a very competitive league…?

Up at Deepdale, however, and Lilywhites' boss Paul Simpson saw the world in a different light – even if he agreed that it will be as competitive as ever.

“I think the Championship will be even tougher this season,? said Simpson. ?You look at the three clubs who have come down, then you have West Bromwich Albion, Southampton, Wolves, Crystal Palace who will be strong, while Stoke and Leicester have spent money.

“There is a hell of a lot of money going into the Championship. We want to stay up there in the top places, and somehow we have got to be able to compete without having the resources that some other clubs have got,? added Simpson, yet to really splash the David Nugent cash on anyone of note.

According to the News Of The World, Preston can expect to slip back into the mid-table pack and will finish 13th – above the two other Championship new-boys, Bristol City (14th) and Blackpool (15th).

Southampton are a good example of where pundits will beg to differ. Not figuring large in Mowbray's thoughts, they are a threat in Simpson's. The News Of The World have the Saints down to finish in seventh – a whisker away from the play-offs.

And yet George Burley's side could well head to Crystal Palace next Saturday without a recognised centre-half – Claus Lundekvam is still struggling to regain match fitness after lengthy spells on the sidelines while Darren Powell will be suspended.

One other alternative, Pele, is by all accounts currently discussing a ?600,000 switch to West Bromwich Albion as Burley is left to get one out having brought one in in the shape of Safri.

And all at a club that trousered ?13 million this summer from the sale of boy wonder Gareth Bale to Tottenham and player of the season Chris Baird to Fulham.

Palace (11th)? Well, despite kissing good-bye to Jobi McAnuff to Watford for ?1.75 million and Darren Ward to Wolves for ?500,000, the only money that boss Peter Taylor has spent is a quarter of a million odd on ex-Lincoln City left-back Jeff Hughes. Tony Craig arrived on a free; Jose Fonte on loan. Michael Hughes has rejoined his ex-Palace boss Iain Dowie at Coventry.

Stoke (10th)? Well having already waved good-bye to Darel Russell, Tony Pulis was forced to pull Carl Hoefkens out of their final pre-season warm-up game last Friday night as he, too, started to talk to West Bromwich Albion. The terms on offer at The Hawthorns were, said Pulis, ?unbelievable? as he wished the lad all the best.

Pulis, in fairness, has started to fill certain gaps in his armoury – Jon 'The Beast' Parkin has arrived on a full-time deal from Hull, all 6ft 4in and 14 stone of him, while Richard Cresswell is the latest arrival at The Britannia Ground.

Both fit the Pulis mould; will you get 40 games a season out of either?

Cardiff (6th)? They are interesting after watching Michael Chopra disappear for ?5 million and opting to go down the free agent route with the likes of Fowler, Trevor Sinclair and two, one-time City targets in Rangers' Gavin Rae and Plymouth's Tony Capaldi.

Decent names, but putting so many of your eggs in Fowler's basket could be where the Bluebirds stand or fall.

Leicester (12th)? As ever, Milan Mandaric has given his manager cash to splash – most of which has ended up lining Birmingham's pockets as Stephen Clemence, DJ Campbell and Bruno N'Gotty all cross the Midlands to join the fun at The Walkers Stadium under 'Mad Dog' Martin Allen.

They won't be dull. Not with the 'naughty chair' lurking for the last player to arrive at training. As Jonathan Hayes discovered.

“Jonny was made to sit on a seat on the side of the pitch on his own for 15 minutes while everybody trained,? Allen told BBC Radio Leicester earlier this summer.

?To sit on the side of the pitch like a little kid who had been naughty for not being on time or not being early.

“All the other players thought it was hilarious, but the message was get into training early, don't be last but get in early and do your stuff.”

That, you sense, will go one of two ways – the Foxes will either fly or fall. But Mowbray was right, they are going for it.

Just as he felt Norwich are. Time for the real fun to start…


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