Championship 1-24 season review 2022/23
Ali & George gather some friends to provide the definitive review of every Championship club's 22/23 season.
Ali Maxwell:
Hello! This is the definitive EFL season review: by the fans, for the fans. A trio of articles that closes the curtain on the 22/23 EFL season - covering every single one of the 72 clubs rather than just the top lines.
George and I decided that - for once! - we were not going to weigh in with our own thoughts. Instead, we have spent weeks mobilising an arsenal of writers, one from every EFL club, to tell us about their season: analysing their team, their key personnel and their overriding emotions. I suppose you could call it a… Fan-Led Review.
League One and League Two will follow over the next few days.
Let’s dive into the Championship, where there is some fascinating insight looking backwards and forwards. And, as you can imagine, lots of admiring glances at the relentless Swede up top for Coventry City…
1st Burnley
Words: Joe Redmond from Turf Cast
This was the best season I have ever experienced as a Burnley fan in my 35 years. We have steamrolled the league playing brilliant football, watched some magnificent players and had the best manager in the league in the dugout. Then to top it all off, we won the league at Ewood Park! Doesn’t get much better.
I think Vincent Kompany will reach the very top. He will manage Manchester City one day and battle for league titles with them. We’re very lucky to have him, and hopefully, he stays for a while. But my guess is, if he keeps us up next year, he’ll be picked off by a top six PL club.
Josh Cullen is my player of the year. He was a brilliant signing who had worked under Kompany before and was integral to our success. He knew the system, knew his job, and did it brilliantly - constantly kept us ticking along.
Anass Zaroury is a special talent. He’s only 22 and was sensational for the first part of the season. He went to the World Cup with Morocco, which may explain his quiet second half, but when he was on his game, he was unplayable—left plenty of full backs for dead.
In terms of opposition players, Viktor Gyökeres was the stand-out. Didn’t manage to score against us in either of the games against us, but his movement is brilliant. Pulls centre backs out of position and creates space for the other players. Would love him at Burnley next season, especially now Coventry missed out in the play-offs.
Next season, we’ve got to do everything we can to keep hold of Vincent Kompany. Everything we have built in the last season is because of him, and I suspect a lot of the players are here because of him. I honestly think if we keep him, we can push for safety very early in the season.
2nd Sheffield United
Words: Ben Meakin from BladesPod
This season was extremely enjoyable. A relatively stress-free promotion where we looked like one of the best two teams in the league from about August onwards and any stumbles were kept extremely brief. Some fans thought Boro would overhaul us but we finished 16 points clear of them and 11 clear of third, powering nervelessly through the last quarter of the season with eight wins in our last 10 games. 91 points is our highest-ever total at this level and one more than Fulham got last year. The cup run was a lot of fun too!
Paul Heckingbottom has done a superb job in difficult circumstances: an owner with an open desire to sell the team and who is either unwilling or unable to fund us; a drawn-out takeover with no positive end in sight; the bizarre situation where we couldn’t afford to switch the undersoil heating on at our training ground; a transfer embargo; an absurd injury list that stretched into double-digits earlier in the season; and only one transfer fee paid in the last two years. Heckingbottom has handled himself with decorum without ever BS-ing the fans.
Player of the Year is easy: Iliman Ndiaye. From Boreham Wood to the Premier League in just a few seasons, with a run-out at the World Cup for Senegal in between. Ndiaye finished the season with 15 goals and 10 assists and routinely makes me laugh out loud at his ridiculous skill. The best player I’ve ever seen in the red and white, and that, plus his work rate and sheer will to win, means he’s destined for very big things.
We have a group of youngsters who were starting to look Championship-ready but may now have to go out on loan to get serious minutes next season. Teenage striker Daniel Jebbison is closest to the first team and has flashed lots of promise during what’s been a stop-start campaign for him due to injury and suspension.
Burnley’s Manuel Benson tore us apart for 40 minutes or so, but QPR’s Ilias Chair really gave us the runaround. I can never really wrap my head around why Chair is still at QPR as he looks great every time I see him and has the numbers to back it up. Anyway, he was one of the few players to give John Egan a hard time this season.
Next season, we need to suck it up. We absolutely cannot allow ourselves to end up in the position we’ve been in this season, where failure to win promotion would have spelled financial disaster. Have a go, yes, but the priority has to be to right the ship, don’t overspend, and make sure that if we do indeed come back down in 12 months then at least there’s a club there for me to support.
3rd Luton Town
Words: Luton Analytics
This season was everything. Finishing third is miraculous enough on its own, but to win the play-offs with Watford’s ex…it honestly beggars belief. Yet, here we are. Okay, so these were not miracles. These were a series of events made possible by hard graft, pragmatism and dogged determination from everyone connected to, in my opinion, the best run club country. We are now, rightfully, being lauded as the blueprint. The sustainable, ethical, forward-thinking, smart-recruiting blueprint.
Everything that happened this season resulted from us learning and adapting from previous seasons. Succession planning, scrapping for every single point, never giving up, relegation battles, the disappointment of losing in last season’s play-off semis. In short, this season was unexpected in every possible way, but looking back on everything that had come before, maybe I should’ve expected it (maybe we all should).
The manager has a lovely smile and a kind heart. When he saw the Tweet from Tom Lockyer’s Dad saying he was okay. It was such a pure moment of kindness and vulnerability for someone who cares so deeply about not only the players and their wellbeing but the entire club. Super Robbie Edwards has the unified backing of the entire Hatters faithful and even if we were to be relegated without registering a single point on the board next season, I’d still want him to be leading us out on the first day of the 24/25 Championship season.
Our Player of the Season is Thomas Alun Lockyer. Not just our player of the season, but he also made EFL and The Athletic Teams of The Season too. Nothing got past the Welsh wall. He combined a heady combination of poise, aerial prowess, strength, tenacity, no-nonsense clearances and a healthy dose of Captain-level-shit-housery. Throw into the mix that he also scored the all-important goal to get us to Wembley, and you’ll understand why we have so much time for him and his unrelenting commitment to the cause.
The emerging talents in our squad are Louie Watson (21) and Elliot Thorpe (22). Signed from Derby and Spurs, respectively, they’ve both been in and around the first team setup, with Thorpe getting fairly limited loan minutes at Burton. Despite neither getting all that much game time, they’ve both looked very astute for our U23s and have taken any first-team opportunities with both hands.
The best opposition player to visit Kenilworth Road has been Swansea’s Nathan Wood. In a game that saw us win fairly comfortably despite Swansea’s dominance of possession, he was a real bright spot for them. He constantly demanded the ball, looked composed with it at his feet and was solid defensively. Hadn’t seen much of him before this, but after that performance, I would be very surprised if he stays at Championship level for much longer.
Next season, we need to enjoy every f’ing minute…
4th Middlesbrough
Words: Dana Malt from the Boro Breakdown podcast
This season was the blossoming of repair and redirection. Under Chris Wilder, Boro looked rather lost, and any pre-season promise amongst the fanbase had waned due to what was our worst start to a season outside the top flight since the mid-80s.
Along came Michael Carrick and, in simple terms, things were looking up again. And I think all fans recognise he has the potential to improve Boro further and end next season on the celebratory note we so hoped this one would.
Our Player of the Season is Chuba Akpom. The first Boro striker since Bernie Slaven in 1989/90 to score 20 league goals. There’s not a Middlesbrough fan that doesn’t love Chuba and his wonderful redemption arc, having looked almost certain to be moved on last summer.
The Emerging Talent in our squad is Hayden Hackney. A confident, slick, fearless, ball-carrying midfielder oozing technical quality and who has a bit of bite to his game
too. It’s amazing to think he was plying his trade on loan at Scunthorpe (the then worst team in the EFL!) last season.
The best opposition player to visit the Riverside Stadium has been Max O’Leary, who single-handedly won Bristol City a point in November. His eight saves kept out an expected-goals-on-target of 2.30! He was superb, annoyingly.
Next season, we need to replace the departing loan players effectively. Cameron Archer, Zack Steffen, Ryan Giles and Aaron Ramsey all stood out in particular, and we’ll do well to get a hit rate as high as we did with those signings.
5th Coventry City
Words: Dominic Jerams from sidewayssammy.com
This season was long! It is incredible to think that the season started in July when we had no idea that our pitch at the CBS Arena had been ruined. At the start of October, relegation looked well on the cards, yet we were within touching distance of the play-offs six weeks later. That was then scuppered by a poor run after the World Cup that looked to have ended our season, only for a series of increasingly impressive wins to give us hope. Those hopes were then crystallised by Ben Wilson's injury-time goal at Blackburn, before wins at a packed-out home stadium made the top six a reality. It's been an incredible journey at Coventry since Mark Robins came back six years ago, but this season was a saga of its own.
Robins has done it once again. There was a strong argument before the season that he was one of Coventry City’s greatest-ever managers; that debate would have ended with victory in the play-offs to get back into the Premier League. His continual ability to play the hand he has been dealt – which this season involved being rock bottom early on due to the CBS Arena pitch issues, Simon Moore forgetting how to be a goalkeeper, and having to sell Dominic Hyam to make ends meet – is truly remarkable. He is the manager with the safest job in the EFL and continues to surpass expectations.
Our Player of the Season is between Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyökeres. Gyökeres just about edges it for me purely because he was available for the whole season – unlike Hamer, who was sent off twice in his first six games, even if he was superlative for the remainder of the campaign. So often, the plan has been to send the ball in the vague direction of Gyökeres and see what happens, but his explosive pace and physicality, along with his dribbling ability, make that simple plan so effective. There’s room for him to improve his finishing and hold-up play, but he ended up with 21 goals and 10 assists, having carried the team on his back for the majority of the season.
Josh Eccles is our emerging talent. With so many of the team’s best young players having been on loan – with Callum Doyle and Luke McNally the standout of that bunch – you could say that Eccles wins it by default, but that would detract from what has been a quietly impressive breakout season for him. Starting the campaign out of position at right wing-back allowed him to settle into first-team football before getting a run in central midfield, where his energy and tackling have kept things ticking over nicely. As his confidence has grown, he has started to make more of an impact on the ball, but that is where he’ll need to target improvement to nail down a starting spot next year.
The best opposition player to visit the CBS Arena has been Iliman Ndiaye. Even though he didn’t score or assist on the day, I was mightily impressed by him when Sheffield United came to visit in October. The pace, the dribbling ability, the energy levels he possessed made him a constant threat on the night. Premier League football for him next year looks to be well-deserved.
Next season, we need to sign a new defence – with all five of our loan players having been defenders – and replace Viktor Gyökeres and Gustavo Hamer in the likely event that they depart over the summer. Already, that’s seven players to sign – on top of replacing a number of out-of-contract squad players like Liam Kelly, Michael Rose and Tyler Walker. It is going to be an almighty rebuild that will give Coventry City a very different look next year. I’d back Mark Robins to make it work, but it is likely going to take more than one campaign to repeat this season’s top six finish.
6th Sunderland
Words: Ian Bendelow from the Roker Report
This season was a season almost unlike any other in the history of Sunderland AFC. Expectations were modest, but the end result was hugely satisfying. That's not the reason why it's been unique; it's just the desperation to escape League One had evaporated, and it was clear pretty early on this team would have more than enough to stay up. As such, we strapped ourselves in and enjoyed Uncle Tony's magic carpet ride. And boy, did we play some good stuff; we scored goal after goal which would have brought even Martin Tyler to his feet. We put in performances away from home against the likes of Preston, QPR, West Brom and Wigan which were tactically perfect. It underlined that this is a team with players in it that know one day, very soon, they will be playing at a far higher level than this. Hopefully it's with us.
I think Tony Mowbray has the complete backing of the players and fans right now. In the dying embers of the season, we saw the utterly absurd rumours that Mowbray was about to be jettisoned despite achieving something that few others could. He embraced the owners' philosophy and their recruitment structure, placing trust in some very young, and inexperienced lads - they flourished as a result. Crucially he made sure this bunch of 19-, 20- and 21-year olds didn't get high on their own supply. As such, if you think he isn't the man for the job, you should probably go and support Newcastle United.
Our Player of the Season is Amad Diallo. I accept, however, that only about 15% of fans will agree with me on this one. The reason why? Well, the pool of potential winners had more depth to it than the conversation between two kebab-laden drunks waiting for a taxi after a Saturday night on the tiles. There are honourable mentions for Clarke, Batth, Roberts, Hume and the chef de mission of the shithouse, Luke O'Nien. However, the impact our sweet Ivorian had on countless matches was there for all to see. His contributions came in the form of world-class strike after world-class strike, but arguably his true influence was his ability to knit together the intricate dribbling of Patrick Roberts to the man who Jack Grealish wished he was, Jack Clarke. As such, the trio formed a formidable attacking force which was a joy to watch.
Trai Hume is a big talent. Hume has made the right back position his own from the moment Mowbray thrust him into the action following an injury to, well, almost anyone else who could play that position. Happily, he hasn't looked back and has owned his responsibility. Also despite having a terrible moustache, he looks really really cool.
The best opposition player to visit The Stadium of Light has been Anis Mehmeti. Firstly, I should say I wasn't at the Burnley match when I imagine one of their players would have taken the accolade. There was something about the way Bristol City's new signing ran at our defence, showing them absolutely zero respect, that I liked, even if it did make for uncomfortable viewing.
Next season, we need to push on. Yes, we came up short in the play-offs, but there's a sense this was probably for the best because this squad will return later in the summer with a drive and hunger to improve on what was a really enjoyable season. Add to that the invaluable experience players like Dan Neil, Pierre Ekwah, Anthony Patterson and so many others will have picked up then something exciting could be on the horizon on Wearside. We also must not forget this was a side shorn of its spine in Ballard, Evans and Stewart for swathes of the campaign, so the future's bright.
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7th Blackburn Rovers
Words: David Judge
What might have been? From being minutes away from an FA Cup semi-final to missing out on the play-offs on goal difference. The 2022/23 season will ultimately be considered a frustrating one for Rovers fans despite some encouraging signs of progress on the pitch. The sight of our most hated rivals clinching the league title at Ewood topped off a disappointing end to the campaign.
Jon Dahl Tomasson had a tough assignment replacing Tony Mowbray after five and half years in charge but quickly won fans over with his affable nature and promising early results. The style of play evolved over the season as Rovers became a side more comfortable in possession while still carrying a threat in transition. The majority of Rovers fans are fully behind the Dane going into his second season in charge.
Player of the season? Dominic Hyam. The summer signing from Coventry scooped player of the season honours with a string of consistent performances at the heart of the Rovers defence. Hyam narrowly edged out marauding right back Joe Rankin-Costello, who was a revelation in the second half of the season.
Adam Wharton is our emerging talent. The classy eighteen-year-old midfielder is destined for big things. A confident ball carrier with a magnificent range of passing and an eye for goal, Wharton is the brightest talent to emerge from the Rovers academy for many years.
I should be magnanimous and say the best opposition player to visit Ewood Park was Manuel Benson after his league-clinching wonder strike in April. But I can't quite bring myself to say that. So instead, I'll go for Alex Scott, who caught the eye in Bristol City's 3-2 victory back in September.
In 23/24 we need to replace the goal output of Ben Brereton Diaz and Bradley Dack. A Rovers team that struggled to consistently find the back of the net in the latter part of the season have now seen their two most reliable sources of goals depart the club. A reliable Championship goal scorer to supplement an exciting core of youngsters will be top of Jon Dahl Tomasson's shopping list this summer.
8th Millwall
Words: Adam Bissett from Millwall Analysis
It was an exciting and promising season for Millwall, yet ultimately a tad disappointing considering the end finish (still not over the 4-3 Blackburn defeat!). Going into the season, I was hopeful of play-offs based on our finishes under Gary Rowett and my believing the league was generally quite weak. Therefore, being in the play-off spots for so long and not finishing there was disappointing, but I believe we still need improvements in the squad to be considered serious play-off contenders. On the contrary, I would label it a good season.
Some fans think Gary Rowett's time at Millwall has run its course after finishing (again) just outside the play-offs, and many feel he's taken the side as far as he can. I am of similar belief in terms of the fact that I don't think he can take us further, but more put that down to the quality and depth of the squad. However, I would compliment Rowett on how he has used the squad this season, i.e. playing to Bradshaw's strengths, which saw him score 17 goals this season. But, I feel some pressure is building upon GR for next season.
Our player of the season is Zian Flemming. Arriving from Holland, he has had a great first season in English football and has adapted very well with 18 goal contributions this season. He's provided us with more of an attacking threat, which was lacking prior to him joining. Although, I still believe there is even more to come from Zian. In certain games he could become non-existent and wouldn't impact games as much as us fans would hope. There are also other players that deserve special mention such as Bradshaw and Saville who were also excellent this season.
The emerging talent in our squad is Billy Mitchell. I am a big fan of Billy and believe he will become a top player. His game has matured so much since his breakout season and is becoming a tidy, hard-working central midfielder at this level. His range of passing has improved significantly, his reading of the game is improving. With Billy in the side, I believe we are better. Get to know Billy Mitchell. Special mention to Romain Esse (18) who is thriving at u21 level and has shown in his small cameos great potential!
The best opposition player to visit the Den, for me, has been Josh Cullen. An outstanding player who I couldn't believe was playing in the Championship this season. Technically very good, dictates games and makes the game look very easy. I have been a big admirer of Cullen previously whilst he was at Charlton. I am looking forward to seeing him play in the Prem next season, and I am sure he will do very well.
Next season, we need to strengthen our quality in forward areas (GR has mentioned that this is his aim for the upcoming window). With Burke returning to his parent club, Bennett being let go, players such as Burey being on the periphery, and Esse maybe not being quite ready for this level yet, we are left quite weak going forward. We also conceded too many goals this season, which is unusual for Millwall as we are quite a robust team to break down and don't concede many, which made it harder for us in certain games. We need to add more spark within the team, with a squad where goals come from all over, as we heavily relied on Flemming and Bradshaw this season in terms of output.
9th West Bromwich Albion
Words: Pete from Albion Analysis
This season was the proverbial Big Dipper. We started off with Steve Bruce in charge, who won 1 in 13 and had us bottom. Then Corberán came in, turned it around and took us on an unbelievable run of results, especially at home. He gave us hope of a play-off spot, but we ended up falling at the final few hurdles. Mixed in with the football, we've had big problems with the ownership and the formation of Action for Albion to combat these issues.
I think Corberán has huge potential. He's already proved his ability this season. I'm excited to see where he can take us if he's able to mould the squad in the transfer window.
Our player of the season is Jed Wallace. He's played almost every minute this season, always bringing energy to the team, and has shown his ability to create chances for his teammates and get chances himself.
The emerging talent in our squad is Josh Griffiths. He's an England under-21s goalkeeper that spent half of the season on loan at Pompey. He made a couple of appearances for Albion and impressed me with his distribution and willingness to claim crosses.
The best opposition player to visit The Hawthorns has been Scott Hogan. He gave our defenders nightmares, was very clinical and bagged a hat trick.
Next season, we need to get promoted. We've got players on big contracts, loan repayments dangling over our heads and an uninterested owner. If we don't get promoted next season, then I think we'll seriously struggle in the years afterwards.
10th Swansea City
Words: Alex Thomas
This season was a mixed bag, to say the least. One win in the first seven games, followed by seven wins in nine. You'd be forgiven for thinking Streaky Lee Johnson was in charge! We stumbled into the World Cup break with five draws and two defeats and never really got going after it; with three wins in sixteen (two of those against ten men) a lot of the fans were starting to question the manager.
Russell Martin split the fanbase prior to joining Southampton (NB - still not confirmed but expected), as did his predecessor Steve Cooper. So it's a pretty hard fanbase to please. At time of publication, we have no idea who's going to step into the managerial hot seat but his style of play will be a big factor when it comes to popularity among the fans.
Player of the season has to be Ryan Manning. The metrics back it up; the eye test backs it up. He's been outstanding with 14 direct goal contributions from left back. When the going got tough, he was still producing brilliant performances. And with all the uncertainty surrounding his future, you'd almost understand if he wasn't fully committed and his form dipped, but it never did.
The emergence of Ollie Cooper has been one of the main positives from this season. After just one loan spell at League Two level he came into the first team and for long periods of this year was one of the first names on the team sheet, his excellent form has been rewarded with the first of hopefully many Wales caps. Whatever happens in his future, he'll always be remembered around here for a stunning goal in a South Wales Derby victory.
The best opposition player to visit the Swansea.com this year for me would be Will Smallbone, on loan at Stoke from Southampton. He pressed us into oblivion and showed real quality on the ball, I expect him to have a strong campaign for his parent club in the Championship next season.
We need to appoint a manager quickly, whoever we get will have a huge pre season on his hands. Key men in Manning and Latibeaudiere have departed; I expect Joel Piroe and potentially Matt Grimes to go as well, so it's a huge summer for the football club. We need to ensure we have the majority of our squad settled come opening day, however we are almost notorious for leaving absolutely everything until the 31st of August/January. I'm expecting it to be a tough season, especially early on but I suspect we'll filter into midtable.
11th Watford
Words: Luke McKenzie
You can debate all day about the ability of the three head coaches, but in truth, they were all set up to fail. The fact Wilder is arguably the most popular because of what he says as opposed to the football being served up, well… that says a lot!
Our player of the season was Joao Pedro. Pedro played as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, winger, and striker this season. He carried us completely with his creativity, dribbling, goals, and work rate. Tailed off slightly recently but can’t blame him for that. Good luck at Brighton, Joao!
We do actually have quite a number of emerging talents in our squad. Ryan Andrews has looked comfortable at this level playing right-back. Yaser Asprilla and Ismaël Koné have got bags of ability, but they’ve been inconsistent within a bad team. Excited to see what they can do next season.
The best player to visit Vicarage Road was Viktor Gyökeres when Coventry beat us 1-0. Gyökeres man-handled our entire backline, scored, and carried Coventry forward with his ball-carrying ability. Just couldn’t live with him.
It’s good we’ve appointed Ismael - sold Joao Pedro - early. It means we can plan on incomings straight away. My hope is Ismael gets backed with the profile of player he wants as it’s an extremely demanding system, and when we inevitably go on a bad run, like every team does, I want our board to stay patient and not sack him. Our head coach, and recruitment team have not been on the same page since, arguably, Flores in 2015 was here.. and that was a great season. We need to go back to that — it sounds so obvious but it needs to happen.
12th Preston North End
Words: Olly Dawes from Deepdale Digest
This season was a bit of a rollercoaster ride, as much as that is a real cliche. The season started with so many 0-0’s, but we suddenly sat fourth after the World Cup break. Form tailed off to put Ryan Lowe under pressure, but he turned results around to give us hope of a play-off finish, only to fall short again.
I think the manager has largely done a good job. North End isn’t the easiest job in the world, as expectations tend to be fairly high despite a very low budget. The football maybe hasn’t been quite as good as Lowe wants or thinks, but he’s done a decent job in testing circumstances, given the lack of money available.
Our Player of the Season was Freddie Woodman. Quality goalkeeping throughout the season and hasn’t missed a minute of league action. Ben Whiteman and Ched Evans would run him close, though.
The emerging Talent in our squad is Jacob Slater. Lowe has really high hopes for him and thinks he could already be a League One player. If Greg Cunningham doesn’t stay, we could see Slater emerge as a left-sided defender.
The best opposition player to visit Deepdale has been Manuel Benson. I’ll stick to league games rather than pick out Son Heung-min from the Tottenham FA Cup tie. Benson just sticks out in my mind, causing real problems with his pace and trickery. It really isn’t a surprise that he has been conjuring moments of magic in a title-winning campaign for the Clarets.
Next season, we need to actually build a squad! We’re so reliant on loans and short-term free transfers that fans are so confused by the direction of the club. Lowe still hasn’t had the chance to truly build anything yet, and it’s hard to judge him without that opportunity.
13th Norwich City
Words: Jack Reeve from Talk Norwich City
The manager has something to prove. The start under Wagner was impressive, but he now has a record worse than Dean Smith, and that got Smith sacked. He's got time to make it right, but the complete stop in progress is a concern.
Our Player of the Season was Gabriel Sara. Stuart Webber has struggled with recruitment for a few seasons now but Sara is a real gem. It's clear to see he has it all, and if he can consistently put everything together, we'll be able to sell him on for a decent fee.
The Emerging Talent in our squad is Andrew Omobamidele. It's easy to forget the Ireland international is still just 20 years of age when he's captaining the side. He reminds me a lot of the attributes Ben Godfrey had but with more defensive awareness.
The best opposition player to visit Carrow Road has been Anass Zaroury at Burnley. A class above the majority of players this season and one that constantly made you wary when he had the ball. Really excited to see how he does in the Premier League next season.
Next year, we need to regroup. This season proved that asking players who've been there and done it two/three times before to get up and do it again is really tough. Building a team of young, hungry players who are willing to play Wagner's way will be key.
14th Bristol City
Words: Sinéad Bird
The season was an improvement on 2022/23. Three places higher, four more points, five more goals, fourteen fewer goals conceded. We gave debuts to five academy graduates, with five or six academy products regularly making the first team—that’s something we can be proud of even though we never truly threatened the play-offs. The season was a bit up and down. It started well, but November and December were atrocious, and I wasn't sure we'd get over it. But we found ourselves on a twelve-game unbeaten run before being beaten by the Premier League Champions in the FA Cup, and that gives me a lot of hope for next season.
I think the manager has been decent and honest. Perhaps from outside, Pearson is seen as an ageing manager. However, he's restructured the squad and brought through numerous academy products. Losing to West Brom on boxing day, Pearson and the team were subject to boos and chants of "Pearson out" but the recovery from that game was impressive, and we competed in most games afterwards, even with injuries to quite a few of our starters. The general consensus in the fanbase is one of trust towards Pearson, and I am always impressed with how he comes across regarding the women's team and the club as a whole, rather than just Bristol City Men's first-team squad.
Our Player of the Season was Zak Vyner. A centre back that has been with us since he was seven and has been written off many times by different managers and the fans. But has been the one constant in our team this year. He’s become a leader in the defence, often having to play with full backs as his CB partners. He's been excellent all season and deserves a lot of praise for an improvement in our defence. Special mention deserves to go to Alex Scott, our most talented player and a player that I am confident will go to the very top.
We have a few emerging talents in the squad with five academy debuts this season. I'd have to say Tommy Conway. He scored 12 goals with 4 assists. He's pretty good at everything, a great finisher but brilliantly aggressive off the ball and presses high, which brings the other attackers in our team into play. His ceiling looks pretty high, and no doubt he will play an important role next season. I was hoping that this would be Ayman Benarous' breakout season but he managed to rupture his ACL for the second time in a year in December. If injury free, then he's one to watch next season.
The best opposition player to visit Ashton Gate has been Ellis Simms. The first game back in the Championship for Sunderland, and he ran our defenders ragged and dragged them to their first win of the season.
Next season, we need to carry on with steady improvement to push us up nearer to the play-offs. We've managed to trim and mold our squad to Pearson’s liking, and now is the time to add some quality to push us up the table. Alex Scott will be a big miss (assuming he gets his deserved move to the Premier League), but any sale would be an opportunity for us to bring in some exciting players. Perhaps a couple of centre backs and midfielders to bolster our spine and make us more difficult to beat.
15th Hull City
Words: Tom Griffin from To Hull & Back podcast
With three different managers, a whole host of foreign signings and several injuries to key players, this season was always going to be about finding stability. We began the season with Shota Arveladze. Then we appointed Andy Dawson as our interim manager. Then we struck gold with Liam Rosenior.
Since Acun Ilicali took over in January 2022, it’s been an exciting time to be a Hull supporter, and the appointment of Rosenior has embodied that excitement. He’s a young and hungry manager who speaks well and has brought a total football philosophy to the club. If we can keep him for the long term, we hope that he can be the man to lead us back into the Premier League. When he took the job, we were one point above the bottom three and had the worst defence in the football league. He’s since fixed our defensive problems (keeping 13 clean sheets), got us playing an attractive style of football and dragged us towards safety.
Harry Vaughan looks to be one of our best-emerging talents. A 19 year old winger, who we signed from Oldham Athletic in January. Vaughan was rewarded with his Hull debut against Blackburn in April and has looked the part ever since. He’s pacey, direct, presses well and is going to play a big role in our squad next season. Despite only making five appearances for the club, he’s already been compared to Jarrod Bowen and Keane Lewis-Potter… huge praise for a player who was playing National League football only six months ago.
The best opposition player to visit the MKM Stadium has been Nathan Tella. Burnley were on a mission to wrap up the title, and Tella was at the heart of that, tearing our backline to shreds with a hat trick.
In 23/24, we need to become more clinical in the final third. For all of our possession-based football, we’ve struggled to break down opposition sides, especially those who operate in a low block. We’ve shown shades of what we’re capable of in the final third in the 4-4 draw against Sunderland and in the 3-0 victory over QPR, but for the most part we’ve been inconsistent. Since Rosenior arrived at the club we’ve had seven 0-0’s and if we are to challenge towards the play-offs next season, this is a statistic that has to change.
16th Stoke City
Words: George Weaver from Potterlytics
A disappointing, abject, forgettable season. There was a spell of 6 weeks in March and April where Alex Neil’s pressing 433 clicked into place, and suddenly we were dreaming of a magical late run into the play-offs. Fatigue, lack of squad depth, and a return of those pesky individual mistakes put the nails in that coffin, though, and this will be another season that I’m sure almost no Stoke fan will remember in years to come.
The manager has pressure on him, definitely. With only a dozen or so senior players under contract for next season and a dour end to this one, Neil needs a good start in August to stave off the doubts. The rebuild is a huge job, but given the slight loosening of the P&S worries for the first time in 3 or 4 years, there’s some expectation that we should be building a play-off team this time round.
Our Player of the Season is Ben Wilmot. Wilmot’s been the only real consistency in a squad full of inconsistent performances. A strong, intelligent centre half whose timing and aggression was a crucial part of Stoke’s brave man-to-man pressing traps in the best run of the season. Add onto that his quality in line-breaking passes and progression of the ball, and you have a real player to watch for next season, should his recent back injury fully heal.
There’s a core of players who should be starting to move into their peak years; NTT20 favourite Tyrese Campbell, Jacob Brown and Josh Tymon are all ones to look out for next season, particularly maverick, pacy, skilful attacker Campbell. We also have two or three really high-quality academy prospects coming through, including very highly-rated 17-year-old striker Emre Tezgel, who was subject to a transfer bid from Leeds last summer, and could be a tip for some first-team game time in the coming season.
Overall, Moises Caicedo in the FA Cup game against Brighton was something to behold, such a big step up in quality on the ball from anything I’ve seen since relegation at Stoke. In the Championship, Rotherham’s Viktor Johansson had an absolute corker of a game against us in October, saving 11 shots and somehow getting his team a 1-0 win despite them being hammered for 85 minutes.
Next year the team needs to inspire some hope! Since relegation in 2018, Stoke haven’t finished above 14th, and with 4 seasons over by March, fans really just need something to get excited about. Tactically, Stoke need some more variety and depth in the squad. A fantastic few weeks in March was never sustainable given the lack of different options in the squad, and some players with different skillsets to tweak the team would’ve made a huge difference.
17th Birmingham City
Words: Ryan Deeney
The season was a success. Almost everybody expected us to go down, thanks to a lack of depth and ongoing off-field issues. To survive with games to spare was no mean feat.
John Eustace has bored some folk at times but held the ship together admirably. Offered little, kept everything behind closed doors, offered no excuses and ensured his side are competitive in almost every game.
Our Player of the Season is, for me, John Ruddy. Not just a top goalkeeper but a real leader too. Others will argue Auston Trusty, who has learned a lot this year in various roles.
There a three obvious emerging talents in our squad, but George Hall is ahead of the pack right now. Quick, technically strong, gets into the box, diligent off the ball. England U19 international who has all attributes to make it.
With shout outs to Matt Grimes and Amad Diallo, the best opposition player to visit your ground has been Jonny Howson. Howson absolutely ran the show at St. Andrews and found it easy to punish us whether we pressed him or not.
Next season, we need to start by praying the takeover happens, then allow the new owners to rebuild the club from the top down. The club has been poorly run for too long, and heads of department need upgrading, along with the stadium and training ground.
18th Huddersfield Town
Words: Elliot Wheat-Bowen
This season was the dictionary definition of tumultuous, although the return of Neil Warnock brought a real hit of nostalgia courtesy of a great escape akin to ones he’s masterminded before, both for Town and others.
Fans think the manager has the keys to the town and the respect and admiration of generations of Town fans (I’m talking about Warnock here, not Fotheringham or Schofield) and whoever takes over this summer will have enormous shoes to fill.
Our Player of the Season was Michal Helik, a throwback. A no-nonsense centre half and a brick wall, particularly in those crunch moments.
The Emerging Talent in our squad is Jaheim Headley, impressed when out on loan at Harrogate and has a made strong case to be our starting left back going into next season, athletic, comfortable on the ball and an eye for goal, what’s not to love!
The best opposition player to visit the John Smith has been Victor Gyökeres, who tore us apart and ran us ragged from the very first minute. One of the few games where a Warnock side was dismantled, and he was a big reason why.
Next season, we need to capitalise on the second chance we’ve got in the Championship, having scraped survival by the skin of our teeth. To do so, we need to establish an identity, find consistency, and make smart recruitment (both on the pitch and on the touchline).
19th Rotherham United
Words: Will Daniels
This season has been: a rollercoaster ride! But we’ve finally broken the yo-yo, and it feels incredible.
I think Matt Taylor has made a strong start. Some questions over his in-game decision-making at times, but this is his first experience at the level, and let’s be honest, the boy done good.
Our Player of the Season is Viktor Johansson, by a country mile. Flabbergasted that he didn’t get into the team of the season. One of the best goalkeepers Millers have ever had.
Our emerging talent is Cam Humphreys. Confident in possession post a Man City youth education, he’s been a rock this season. Would be surprised if there wasn’t Champ interest in him this summer.
The best opposition player to visit the New York Stadium was Jean Michael Seri. Literally couldn’t get near the bloke for 90 minutes. A proper Rolls Royce of a player.
Next season we need to recruit new leaders and make a good start to avoid the pressure of an almost inevitable relegation dogfight. That would be helped if we could keep and use the ball better than we have done this season.
20th Queens Park Rangers
Words: Jack Supple
This season was hugely disappointing for QPR. After an excellent start under Mick Beale in which QPR were top after 16 games, the form began to nosedive, and Beale jumped ship to Rangers. The R’s endured a historically bad run of two wins in 28 matches, with four different managers taking charge in this period. Neil Critchley came and went, suitcase packed with the unwanted record of the worst win rate in the club’s permanent managerial history. In came club hero Gareth Ainsworth whose style of play marked a huge change in direction from Warburton/Beale/Critchley. Ainsworth struggled to turn the tide until gritty consecutive away wins at Burnley and Stoke saw the R’s clinch survival. Those performances felt like they were straight out of the Wycombe Championship handbook.
I think the manager has done what was asked of him when he arrived (keep the club up). It will be interesting to see how a fully functioning Gareth Ainsworth QPR side will operate going forwards. In the hugely important wins at Stoke and Burnley, QPR had less than 20% possession in each game, and I doubt that style will be sustainable long term. There’s nothing wrong with direct football if it’s well executed so I’m intrigued to see what sort of players Ainsworth will recruit and how the team is set up to play next season.
Our Player of the Season is Sam Field. A mainstay in the QPR side, who never hid when the season was its bleakest. Impressively, Field started all 46 Championship games this season. He’s developed into a very dependable and hard-working central midfielder and has even added a few goals to his game (see Burnley away). An excellent character and a player growing in stature with every passing game.
The Emerging Talent in our squad is attacking forward Sinclair Armstrong. At 19, Armstrong is still very raw in terms of his positional awareness and technical decision making but physically he is incredibly impressive. He’s a player with lightning pace and is exceptionally strong, although because of this he’s picked up a few minor injuries along the way. Recently, he made a fine cameo at Burnley and really showed signs of the player he could become. The fans absolutely love him and his enthusiastic attitude. Once he gets that first goal, I predict many more will follow.
The best opposition player to visit Loftus Road has been Viktor Gyökeres. A player that will no doubt be in the Premier League next season with or without Coventry. Gyökeres’ physical prowess and intelligent movement destroyed us this season. I found him to be a canny player with and without the ball and a tidy finisher to boot. He’s been impressive all season (both scoring and creating chances) and even netted a brace both home and away against QPR.
Next season, we need to recruit sensibly and give the manager time. Too many of last summer’s signings fell foul to injury and didn’t contribute in the way I’m sure was intended. Therefore, I’d hope for a more robust assessment of player injury records. Ainsworth expects there to be a high turnover in the squad this summer, so expect a bit of a rebuild where possible with the shackles of FFP continuing to be felt.
21st Cardiff City
Words: Scott Johnson from Roathboy.
Most thought Sabri Lamouchi had done enough to earn a new deal by keeping Cardiff up and fostering a renewed team spirit, but Vincent Tan disagreed and Cardiff are back on the hunt for another new manager. Hopefully whoever gets it will have the luxury of a two-year deal because some stability is in urgent need.
Perry Ng was the supporters and players player of the year. While that was deserved, I thought Callum O’Dowda, picked up as a free agent last summer, might have pipped him, having excelled at both left back and left wing.
The Emerging Talent in our squad is Rubin Colwill. He’s been emerging for a while now, but is still growing and picking up lots of knocks as a result. A full pre-season and sustained fitness could result in a breakthrough season.
The best opposition player to visit Cardiff City Stadium was probably Amad Diallo, which you would expect from comfortably the most valuable player in the division. It felt like the year where loan signings really excelled and made their mark.
Next season, we need to improve in almost every area. Cardiff scored the second lowest number of goals, scored from only one of over 200 corners and missed the most penalties in the EFL. Unfortunately, they’re still restricted to signing freebies and loans, so that is easier said than done.
22nd Reading
Words: Simeon Pickup
This season was a frustratingly avoidable disaster. Although Reading were written off in the summer as relegation certainties due to severe transfer restrictions, a surprisingly good first half of the season meant we really should have got the job done. However, a dire second half of the season meant we sleepwalked into the third tier, where we hadn’t been in over two decades.
The manager isn’t to blame for relegation. Interim Noel Hunt had an impossible job of clawing Reading out of the bottom three in only five games, having inherited a mess of a team. Predecessor Paul Ince had run the squad’s morale into the ground, given it barely any individual or tactical development, and should have been fired in February – not April.
Our Player of the Season was Tom Ince, although there weren’t any other strong contenders. Even though he (a winger) wasn’t a natural fit as a central midfielder in our 3-5-2, he was comfortably our best source of creativity from open play and set pieces. He also earned plenty of plaudits for energetic, committed performances out of possession, particularly in the early stages of the season.
The Emerging Talent in our squad is Kelvin Abrefa, a 19-year-old right-back who can also play at centre-back or wing-back. He’s energetic, versatile, technically adept and really positive in possession, but now needs a run of games at first-team level. The silver lining of relegation is that he (and other youngsters) are likelier to get that at Reading next season.
The best opposition player to visit the Select Car Leasing Stadium has been Patrick Roberts, who scored twice as Sunderland took us apart in mid-September 3-0. While we were poor that night, the Black Cats (especially Roberts) played excellently and were the first team to take even a point at our ground this season after four home wins on the bounce.
Next season, we need to go up, simple as. While it’s really important that we set longer-term foundations by building a squad and developing young talents, the bottom line is that we need to be back in the Championship at the earliest opportunity. The longer we’re in League One, the more the club’s status drifts.
23rd Blackpool
Words: Conor Hamilton
The manager(s) were all poor appointments. Appleton was a controversial appointment, given his last spell at the club, and he never gained enough momentum to quell dissenters. McCarthy was a failed gamble, helping us to only blunder further towards relegation while sacrificing any notion of club philosophy/identity. Dobbie was appointed far too late, but at least helped us go down swinging with three wins in our last six games.
Our Player of the Season is Jerry Yates— a talisman for the club and at one point was the league’s (joint) top scorer. With fourteen goals, he’s proven he can score in the Championship, even in struggling sides like Blackpool. With bids circling from Championship clubs, Critchley will be hoping that he can keep Yates in the side.
The Emerging Talent in our squad is Rob Apter. Blackpool’s academy and training facilities were long neglected under the previous ownership, and as a result we’ve given almost no minutes to academy products over the last decade. Many just can’t make the leap in our current structure. The closest to doing so is Rob Apter, who impressed last pre-season and went on loan to Scunthorpe this season. Fingers crossed he can continue to progress.
The best opposition player to visit Bloomfield Road has been Ryan Giles. His performance for Middlesborough was electric. You rarely see a left-back dictate a game, but Giles consistently cut Blackpool open with driving runs and quality final balls.
Next season, we need to return to winning ways. Relegation was a disappointment, but with the re-appointment of Neil Critchley, Simon Sadler is clearly hoping to replicate our promotion from 2020/21. Much of the squad is still intact from that season, and there is no reason why - with a few quality additions - Blackpool shouldn’t be competing for promotion.
24th Wigan
Words: Will Patterson
This season was a disaster on and off the pitch! While we picked up some decent results at the start of the season, the limited business we did during the summer, combined with a couple of Deadline Day panic buys soon had their impact as performances and results quickly tailed off. Appointing Kolo Toure as Leam Richardson's replacement will go down as a massive mistake, and what confidence was left had evaporated by the time the club had failed to pay the players and staff for the fourth time, leading to our second points deduction in three years.
Fans think the latest manager, Shaun Maloney, has done enough to steady the ship. While he is a club legend, many were sceptical about his appointment, particularly after his unspectacular stint as Hibs manager. But bringing in former boss Graham Barrow as his assistant has built confidence, and he’s brought some much-needed stability, in particular by shoring up the defence. We think he’s earned the right to rebuild the squad in League One.
Our Player of the Season for me is Jack Whatmough. Particularly with Jason Kerr out for most of the season, he really has brought composure to the defence when needed. In a difficult season, he’s stood out as being able to cope with the demands of the Championship and his absence when he was injured really was noticed.
The Emerging Talent in our squad is Charlie Hughes. It has to be really – he stepped up to the First Team as part of a makeshift defence when injuries were really hitting us hard, and he quickly established himself, rightly overtaking other centre backs in the pecking order. He’s still got a lot to learn, but with some solid performances, the ability to pick out long passes that actually reach their target, and getting on the scoresheet at Reading, we know there’s a lot to come from him.
The best opposition player to visit the DW Stadium is Burnley’s Nathan Tella. Given how many teams and players have performed well against us at the DW, it’s a crowded field, but I’d say Tella was the first one to get the measure of our defence and cut it open, creating and getting on the end of chances that our players just couldn’t stop.
Next season we need to consolidate in League One. Our signings ahead of the 2021-22 season got us promoted, but left us with a wage bill that the owners couldn't sustain in 2022-23, leading to repeatedly paying wages late and missing an EFL deadline to set up a dedicated UK-based account with 125% of the total cost kept in it. Those failures have led to EFL sanctions which mean we start this season on -8 points. So we'll have to build a squad that can make up the ground on other teams quickly, but on just over a third of the budget we had two years ago. Hopefully, the new focus on developing our youth players will deliver.
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And as ever…go well!
Excellent analysis here and good insights for next season! Good work chaps👍