Lovin' the Championship

BY SAM BUCKLE

I'll admit, until last year I'd paid scant attention to the Championship. Other than an occasional curiosity triggered by its annual Wembley promotion playoffs or the relegation of big-name clubs like Leeds or Newcastle United, the English football second tier was - to me - not much more than a hole, into which Premiership clubs disappeared or from which they emerged. Well, my interest in the Championship has been completely revolutionised in the course of six months - thanks, almost entirely, to the burgeoning collection of Kiwi footballers now plying their trade the division.

This time last year, the complement of Championship All Whites totalled nought. Thanks to one relegation and one Fifa rule change, there are now three, with recent media speculation of a possible fourth. And, remarkably, waking up on a Sunday, trawling the internet for the overnight Championship results has established itself as the day's first and most important task, with the Premiership slipping down the pecking order (the kids' breakfast languishing a distant third or fourth). I'd much rather read about a goal or performance of an All White in the Championship than any result in the Premiership (although it's still very important to check that Ryan Nelsen hasn't stuffed his knee again).

Chris Wood was the first to alight my Championship consciousness, courtesy of West Brom's Premiership relegation in May 2009. His meteoric rise from the club's youth team to first team regular in 2009 and his enormous footballing potential make West Brom results my number one Championship priority. It was great to see him pick up a goal in the weekend's FA Cup win over Huddersfield (view here), coming just a couple of days after the club granted him a new and extended contract. The manager, Roberto di Matteo, clearly has a big rap on the 18-year-old. If West Brom stay on course for promotion (they lie second behind Newcastle) Wood will be a Premiership striker next year. They are gold.

I knew absolutely zero about Plymouth Argyle (and only a bit more about Rory Fallon) until Fifa generously decided playing youth internationals for one country shouldn't prohibit you representing another. I'm not going to pretend I'm all of a sudden a die-hard Pilgrims supporter. But, I can at least tell you they're coached by former England international Paul Mariner, they play at Home Park (typically in front of a little under 10k fans) and Rory Fallon is regarded with remarkably mixed views by Pilgrim fans - it's a spectrum that extends from heroic to woeful. The bad news for Plymouth and Fallon is they face a battle for survival in the Championship (currently sitting 3rd bottom). The good news is they've picked up two good wins on the trot and seem invigorated by Mariner's recent appointment. The trend is upward.

Fifa's also delivered Ipswich's Tommy Smith to the All Whites. Similarly, I'm pretty Ipswich-ignorant and I've taken little interest in the Tractor Boys since their 1980s adventures in the First Division. But, it's a decent-size club with some good history. Smith was starting regularly for Ipswich during the first part of the season but thanks to an injury and a good run of results in his absence he's now struggling to get time on the park. In fact, I've just this moment read that Smith is being loaned to League One side Brentford. The loan is only for a month, so he's going to be back at Portman Road soon and with a few games under his belt. Hopefully, Smith can grab his opportunity for Ipswich on his return, play some more Championship football pre-World Cup and help Ipswich finish strongly. After a tough start to 2009-10, Ipswich have found their feet and become a very difficult side to beat (albeit they suffer the same costly tendency for stalemates as the Phoenix).

Finally, Sky Sports UK has just hinted that Chris Killen might also be destined for the Championship. It's very much speculative stuff, with Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan rumoured to be interested in bringing Killen to the Riverside. With Killen not featuring at all for Celtic in recent months, with his contract at Parkhead up in the summer and with his need for game time pre-World Cup, I say it'd be a good result for the big Kiwi - not to mention adding another All White ingredient to the Championship mix.

Given the All White presence in the Championship and given the looming World Cup, it's a shame our sports media has been so slow in showing any imagination and taking any interest. Sure, it's only the English second tier, but it's still a highly regarded competition (albeit league comparisons are highly dubious, it seems to be considered among the top 10-15 leagues in Europe), with some big clubs (Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest) and a great deal of tradition and heritage. Let's not forget it's also the pathway to the Premiership (the world's top-ranked and highest-profile league in the world's biggest sport). I'm not expecting blanket coverage or a full wrap every week, but I'd like to think one or two football-minded journos are keeping an eye on the draw and results - because, at some point, Chris Wood or Rory Fallon may be marked by Tommy Smith, which is, to me at least, more interesting than Bolton playing out a one-all draw with Hull (and don't get me wrong, I do love the Premiership).

For those who are capable of thinking beyond the Premiership, West Brom host Nottingham Forest tomorrow morning in a crucial second versus third encounter, Plymouth are away to Crystal Palace on Saturday and Ipswich travel to Leceister on the Sunday. And if you dare contemplate fixtures any further ahead than that, definitely etch January 18 into the back of your mind - that's when Chris Wood and West Brom travel to the northeast to take on Championship leaders and heavyweights Newcastle United in front of 50,000 at St James Park.