2024/25 Championship, Lower, Non-League & EFL Trophy - On BeIN Sports and iFollow

[SM]

Big 3 points for Hull with 3 of the bottom 5 playing at the same time and all dropping points. Even better to beat Sunderland, hope they don't come back up tbh.

Sunderland would be fantastic for the PL. Far better than Burnley.

 

[offtherails9]

How does one go about watching the odd League 2 game?

 

[Upstart Swan]

How does one go about watching the odd League 2 game?

BEIN Sports show the odd League 2 game, maybe one every 2-3 weeks.
Also I think you can stream individual games through a club's website, but it might be pricey. I know Tranmere Rovers for example were charging £10 to stream a game.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Sunderland would be fantastic for the PL. Far better than Burnley.

I have a perfectly irrational dislike for clubs that were a scourge on the PL. Stoke, WBA, Sunderland etc.

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

I have a perfectly irrational dislike for clubs that were a scourge on the PL. Stoke, WBA, Sunderland etc.

And Burnley weren't?

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

It also speaks volumes of the ever-increasing gulf in quality between the Prem and Championship that Sheffield, who only mustered 16 points and conceded over 100 goals last season, are probably going to go straight back up.

I get Luton are struggling badly, but they are an exception to the rule.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

And Burnley weren't?

I never said anything about them tbh.
And their bus parking anti-football was nowhere near as bad. **** the mackems.

 

[SM]

I never said anything about them tbh.
And their bus parking anti-football was nowhere near as bad. **** the mackems.

Er, have you seen Burnley this season?

Sunderland have an entirely new approach and set up. They'd be fantastic for the PL

 

[largebus]

Scott Parker's first name might as well be Bus at this point.

 

[RossFC]

Sunderland would be fantastic for the PL. Far better than Burnley.

During the Newcastle/Sunderland games. I used to lean towards Newcastle, but since the new ownership, I'd like to see Sunderland go up and beat them.

 

[Sphynx]

It also speaks volumes of the ever-increasing gulf in quality between the Prem and Championship that Sheffield, who only mustered 16 points and conceded over 100 goals last season, are probably going to go straight back up.

I get Luton are struggling badly, but they are an exception to the rule.

It doesn't really.

Often teams need to sell or loan half of their sides when they go back down.

Similarly, when teams go up, they consolidate massively anyway.

Players are still getting bought for a fortune out of the league.

Bournemouth finished 2nd in the Championship in only 2022. Fulham won it that year.

The year prior Brentford went up.

I think the bigger issue is newly promoted sides need to sort out team cohesion almost instantly to be within a chance of staying up, which is difficult with a whole host of new players. Secondly, they don't have the instant squad depth of some clubs who have been there a few years.

Leeds and Sunderland would have larger PSR budgets than more than half the PL based on their commercial size when they get the TV revenue.

It's not really a money thing.

 

[SM]

It doesn't really.

Often teams need to sell or loan half of their sides when they go back down.

Similarly, when teams go up, they consolidate massively anyway.

Players are still getting bought for a fortune out of the league.

Bournemouth finished 2nd in the Championship in only 2022. Fulham won it that year.

The year prior Brentford went up.

I think the bigger issue is newly promoted sides need to sort out team cohesion almost instantly to be within a chance of staying up, which is difficult with a whole host of new players. Secondly, they don't have the instant squad depth of some clubs who have been there a few years.

Leeds and Sunderland would have larger PSR budgets than more than half the PL based on their commercial size when they get the TV revenue.

It's not really a money thing.

It really does. The pool of teams in the PL who could go down is shrinking rapidly. I'd say of the established PL sides at the start of this season only Everton, Wolves and Palace could have gone down and that needed everything to go wrong for those clubs, them to not take any action to halt that poor form, while the promoted clubs needed everything to go right for them.

Similarly when it comes to the Championship promotion race, Sunderland have played out of their skin to even be in the conversation with Leeds, Sheff U and Burnley, and even they're starting to tail off now. Coventry are making a run for it but if it's not Leeds, Sheff U and Burnley going up it'll be a massive surprise. And that's with Burnley playing the most boring, statistically uninspiring football the Championship has ever seen.

 

[Jatz]

I sincerely hope we don't bounce straight back up next season.

I actually think it'll be better long term for the club to take some medicine and rebuild the squad properly.

 

[joop]

To score 4 goals against the team in 2nd is pretty impressive.

 

[Upstart Swan]

To score 4 goals against the team in 2nd is pretty impressive.

I'm happy with this result. Sheffield Utd are just 20 points ahead of Coventry, so still mathematically possible for us to grab an automatic promotion spot!

 

[joop]

I sincerely hope we don't bounce straight back up next season.

I actually think it'll be better long term for the club to take some medicine and rebuild the squad properly.

Honestly this season is weird for me, I’m obviously enjoying it, but knowing what is waiting for us in the premier league kinda makes it bitter sweet.

 

[Jatz]

Honestly this season is weird for me, I’m obviously enjoying it, but knowing what is waiting for us in the premier league kinda makes it bitter sweet.

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. It's fun being the top dog, being canon fodder is awful.

Mind you, you'll do it better than we have so maybe you'll be alright.

 

[99 Problems]

People mocked them but I always thought yo-yo clubs like West Brom were for years had it great. The years in the championship you win lots of games and usually play football that’s better to watch. Then the years in the Prem you get to take on the big clubs and maybe get a few upsets and you’re getting a financial advantage for when you do go back down.

Don’t think there’s a more entertaining league anywhere than the championship either so it’s not like it’s hell if you don’t go straight back up.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

The longer you're in the Champ the harder it is to get out. 22/23 promotion clubs Fulham, Bournemouth and Forest all stayed up and continue to do well. Don't think we could spend anywhere near Forest other two give hope.....if we go up

 

[SM]

People mocked them but I always thought yo-yo clubs like West Brom were for years had it great. The years in the championship you win lots of games and usually play football that’s better to watch. Then the years in the Prem you get to take on the big clubs and maybe get a few upsets and you’re getting a financial advantage for when you do go back down.

Don’t think there’s a more entertaining league anywhere than the championship either so it’s not like it’s hell if you don’t go straight back up.

While that used to be true, those points tallies for sheff utd and Southampton show how unenjoyable it can end up being.

 

[CURVE]

People mocked them but I always thought yo-yo clubs like West Brom were for years had it great. The years in the championship you win lots of games and usually play football that’s better to watch. Then the years in the Prem you get to take on the big clubs and maybe get a few upsets and you’re getting a financial advantage for when you do go back down.

Don’t think there’s a more entertaining league anywhere than the championship either so it’s not like it’s hell if you don’t go straight back up.

A lot of people rate the second tier of German Football (2.Bundesliga) as the most entertaining and exciting league, it contains a few of Germany's biggest clubs including Schalke and Hamburg and up until the last couple of weeks what made it really exciting was that only 5-6 points separated the top 10 teams but a few teams including Karlsruher SC have fallen away.

Schalke, I think are averaging close to 60,000 spectators to their home games despite being just outside the relegation places. It would be amazing to see Schalke in 3.Bundesliga, it would be like Man City around 15-20 years ago

The second tier of most of the top European League seems to be where the most interesting football is played, Spain's Segunda Division has been interesting this season, but that could be because Deportivo La Coruna are back in it and have been competitive after a slow start. France's Ligue 2 has been interesting, but probably for the wrong reasons with the Bordeaux and Ajaccio situations at the start of the season

 

[Upstart Swan]

A lot of people rate the second tier of German Football (2.Bundesliga) as the most entertaining and exciting league, it contains a few of Germany's biggest clubs including Schalke and Hamburg and up until the last couple of weeks what made it really exciting was that only 5-6 points separated the top 10 teams but a few teams including Karlsruher SC have fallen away.

Schalke, I think are averaging close to 60,000 spectators to their home games despite being just outside the relegation places. It would be amazing to see Schalke in 3.Bundesliga, it would be like Man City around 15-20 years ago

The second tier of most of the top European League seems to be where the most interesting football is played, Spain's Segunda Division has been interesting this season, but that could be because Deportivo La Coruna are back in it and have been competitive after a slow start. France's Ligue 2 has been interesting, but probably for the wrong reasons with the Bordeaux and Ajaccio situations at the start of the season

LaLiga 2 is also interesting because currently just 4 points separate the top seven teams. 2 Bundesliga is still pretty tight with 7 points separating the top nine.

 

[CURVE]

I was wrong about Schalke, they are averaging over 61,000 spectators this season, near full capacity despite currently sitting in 13th position.

Here are the top 10 average home attendances in the 2.Bundesliga.


And here the top 10 for the Championship.


Those are some big numbers that even the AFL would be proud of.

 

[Sphynx]

I was wrong about Schalke, they are averaging over 61,000 spectators this season, near full capacity despite currently sitting in 13th position.

Here are the top 10 average home attendances in the 2.Bundesliga.
View attachment 2236267

And here the top 10 for the Championship.
View attachment 2236269

Those are some big numbers that even the AFL would be proud of.

Depends on the infrastructure available obviously.

Leeds has 30,000 on their waiting list for a season ticket and the ground expansion (if it ever occurs) will probably take it close to a 60,000 seater.

 

[RossFC]