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Which Side Will Prevail in this Year’s Championship Play-Offs?

After the 2020/21 Championship campaign was wrapped up on Saturday, all focus will now be on the four sides who will battle it out for promotion in the play-offs at Wembley.

Brentford:

The Bees missed out on automatic promotion yet again, finishing just four points off Watford in second. Another impressive season for all at Brentford, especially for top scorer, Ivan Toney, who finished on 31 goals, making him the record goal scorer in a single Championship season.

There is no doubt that several clubs, especially those in the Premier League will have their eyes on a transfer for Toney, but he will certainly be focusing on getting his current side into the topflight for the first time.

Brentford outscored the rest of the league this season, scoring 79 goals and finished on the second highest goal difference, behind champions Norwich.

Their goal threat is clear but the same can’t be said for their defence after conceding 42 goals throughout the campaign.

Manager, Thomas Frank, who also led his side to a League Cup semi-final, will look to continue their 12-game unbeaten streak against Bournemouth in their two legs on the 17th and 22nd of May.

Swansea:

The Swans made up for just missing out on the play-offs in the previous year with a terrific fourth placed finish. The South Wales club finished on 80 points, with 23 wins and 56 goals scored.

Star-man, Andre Ayew, lived up to the title yet again, netting 16 times for his side, making him the club’s top scorer, with new signing, Jamal Lowe, close behind with 14.

Another player who stood out for Swansea this season was Wales full-back, Connor Roberts, who in his 48 appearances this season found the back of the net five times, also finding seven assists from right-back.

They remained towards the top end of the table throughout the duration of the season and will hope that they can get the better of Barnsley in their play-off semi-finals, despite just one win in their last five.

Their manager, Steve Cooper, said after their final day defeat to Watford:

“Going into these play-offs, we should fear nothing and go for it.”

In Swansea’s previous league games against Barnsley, they managed to get the best of them on both occasions, winning 2-0 home and away.

Barnsley:

Arguably the most surprising to reach the Championship play-offs this season is Barnsley. A draw against champions, Norwich and a defeat for Bournemouth against Stoke meant the Tykes finished in 5th position.

Their first time finishing in a Championship play-off place and rightly so. 23 wins, 58 goals scored and some big results in a difficult season for everyone this year.

Cauley Woodrow finished on 14 goals this season for Barnsley, making it another impressive season for the 26-year-old. Another man to make a statement since joining in February was Daryl Dike who initially joined on loan from MLS side, Orlando City.

“I really hope we can now get a big reward in the play-offs because, when you believe in something, you can achieve some great results”, said manager, Valerien Ismael, after his side’s final game.

Barnsley’s biggest weakness is their rocky defence who conceded a hefty 50 goals. The Tykes take on Swansea at Wembley on the 17th and 22nd also.

Bournemouth:

The side no one is shocked to see in a play-off place. Some may be shocked to see that the Cherries finished 6th and not higher but manager Jonathan Woodgate got the job done despite a difficult finish.

After Eddie Howe’s departure after their relegation from the Premier League, Bournemouth fans hoped for a quick return and after experiencing 13 loses in their return to the Championship, a play-off place should satisfy them.

The Cherries managed to keep a hold of most of their players despite relegation and they made the clear difference. Joint-top goal scorer, Dominic Solanke who netted 15 times, along with teammate, Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld.

There’s no doubting Bournemouth’s quality but after their final day loss to Stoke, a sixth placed finish means they will play high scoring Brentford at Wembley.

73 goals this season means we could be in for a memorable play-off semi-final. The league meetings this season saw Brentford do the double over Bournemouth, making them the favourites in this tie.

Which teams will make it into the final at Wembley and which side will win the star prize of Premier League football?

Reviewing Cardiff City’s Season

Cardiff City finished the Championship season with a 1-1 home draw with relegated Rotherham United, meaning they finished the campaign in 8th place.

The Bluebirds finished on 68 points, nine points behind the play-off places. Despite missing out on a top six finish, there are several positives to be taken away from a long Championship season.

The most obvious positive from the 2020/21 season is City’s top scorer and player of the season, Kieffer Moore. The Welshman finished the season with 20 league goals and is the first person to reach this landmark since Peter Whittingham 11 years ago.

The striker arrived at the start of the season for just £2million and has been a revelation in his first season for the club.

The other new faces at the club, Perry Ng, Dillon Phillips, along with Liverpool loanees, Harry Wilson and Sheyi Ojo, also had an impressive season with the Blues.

Wilson will go back to Liverpool with 7 goals and 11 assists. Most notably a hat-trick just last week against Birmingham.

Towards the end of January, Cardiff found themselves on a run of six consecutive defeats, meaning they were sat in 15th place, a mere three points away from the relegation zone.

From this point, the board decided to sack manager, Neil Harris. Harris helped City finish in a play-off place in the previous campaign but his results in the first half of this season meant he would not continue with the club.

Soon after, former Wolves and Republic of Ireland boss, Mick McCarthy was named first team coach until the end of the season.

It took 12 games for McCarthy to experience his first loss as Cardiff manager. Which included an impressive six game win streak. It was he, who got fans believing a play-off place was still possible.

In December Cardiff lost 2-0 to South Wales rivals, Swansea before getting their revenge in March when they held on to get a well-fought 1-0 victory at the Liberty Stadium.

Cardiff players celebrating Aden Flint’s winning goal against Swansea.

City’s biggest defeat this season came late on in the season against, now relegated, Sheffield Wednesday in a 5-0 defeat away.

It was publicly announced in January that Bluebirds defender and fan-favourite, Sol Bamba, has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and was already undergoing treatment.

Bamba made a late appearance in City’s final game of the season against Rotherham.

After the game, manager Mick McCarthy said: “It is always our intention to finish as high as we possibly can”.

“I’m a bit miffed, I thought we could have had more points with some of them draws, but then you could probably look across games and see we got a win when we shouldn’t have done,” McCarthy added.

McCarthy is expected to have a big player haul this summer with six players out of contract. He has also said we will find out soon who will be staying and who will be going.

Can McCarthy get Cardiff a play-off place next season?

Preview: Cardiff City vs Rotherham United

Harry Wilson scored a hat-trick away to Birmingham last weekend.

Date: 08/05/2021

Venue: Cardiff City Stadium

Competition: Sky Bet Championship

Cardiff City are hoping to finish their season off with a win against relegation battlers, Rotherham.

The Bluebirds come into the game knowing that the best position they can finish in the Championship table is 7th place.

After beating Birmingham 4-0 last time out, in a game that saw Wales star, Harry Wilson, score his first senior career hat-trick, Cardiff will fancy their chances against a Rotherham side who are still fighting to stay up.

The away side, who are winless in seven, know that a win could see them keep their place in the Championship next season. United need to see Derby fail to beat Sheffield Wednesday in their match.

It was announced today that City right-back, Jordi Osei-Tutu has returned to his parent club Arsenal after suffering another injury. The defender spent six months out injured before making his final two appearances in April.

“It’s awful, its demoralising and you almost get embarrassed if you keep getting injured”, said Cardiff boss Mick McCarthy, who loved working with the player during his time with the club.

McCarthy has also stated that he admires the way that Rotherham have fought to the final day and expects his opposition to fight “tooth and nail” in a game that means so much to their club.

“I think Paul Warne’s teams play that way anyway, they give everything,” said McCarthy.

“It’s a bit like us, we are not going out to show everybody how to play a wonderful game of football, we are going out to win it.

Kieffer Moore is set to start for Cardiff after netting 20 times this season. The game is also likely to be the final outing for Sheyi Ojo and Harry Wilson, who will both return to Liverpool after their season-long loans with City.

Mick McCarthy is also without Junior Hoilett and Max Watters who are both confirmed to be out.

In the reverse fixture, Cardiff scored late to snatch a 2-1 away win, that meant McCarthy continued his terrific start with the club.

“Toxic Masculinity and Lad Culture Still Massive Issues” says Cardiff Uni Footballer

Cardiff University football player and journalism student, Elliott Peeters-Vanstone, who was involved in team captain’s Ben Marett’s initiative last week, which involved walking girls home, whom did not feel safe to do so alone, says that the initiative, “doesn’t even scratch the surface in terms of impact!”.

Ever since the disappearance of Sarah Everard in London, women’s safety has become a sharp focus across the country. Especially when on the 24th April, an online hoax which suggested girls would be put in specific danger meaning girls were implored not to walk home alone.

On a day where girls across the country feared to walk anywhere alone, the Cardiff University football team, led by captain, Ben Marett, offered their services to any girl who would like to be accompanied home.

Peeters-Vanstone, who was involved in the scheme, said: “The boys thought a lot about how to make sure people were safe and comfortable with us, our red tracksuit tops were mentioned on our post so everyone knew who we were and Ben also sent photos of us to anybody in need of our help so they knew who to look for and had proof etc. We also split into pairs and threes to make sure nobody was on their own as well”.

The players ran a text-help service, which allowed girls to text in if they would feel safer having someone to walk home with. Over 30 girls took advantage of the scheme and all made it home safely and in good spirits.

The players walking a girl home. Credit: Kennedy News and Media.

Elliot also explained how all the boys were really behind Marett’s idea and were all keen to help out.

“I think it’s great exposure for such important issues, I think ultimately this story goes far beyond our football club and really brings to light what anybody can do if they put their mind to it, we are just grateful for all the support we have had and hope that more people do the same”.

And when asked if he and the rest of the team would like to see others looking to help out and see similar schemes come about in the future, Elliot replied:

“It would be absolutely great to see others involved. We’ve barely touched the surface of these issues and support from others and alternative initiatives are vital in making a real sustainable change”.

Ben, Elliot and the rest of the team hope this will make girls feel safer walking home alone also would like to challenge the perception around “lad culture”.

“I think it’s a great story for us to be a part of and a real honour to be perceived that way. But issues like toxic masculinity and macho lad culture are still massive issues amongst men and Uni students especially and were just glad we can be involved in the right side of the conversation”.

The message left by Ben Marett offering his and the team’s services to anyone who wanted someone to walk home with. Credit: Kennedy News and Media.

Ben and the team’s vice president, Jared Evitts, have also been working to encourage men to talk about mental health throughout the Covid pandemic.

Teammate Elliot believes: “ultimately this story goes far beyond our football club and really brings to light what anybody can do if they put their mind to it, we are just grateful for all the support we have had and hope that more people do the same”.

After such a positive response to the scheme, Peeters-Vanstone and the rest of the squad are focused on their football but are still looking to help in any way they can.

“We will be continuing to spread the message and are open to anyone if they have any ideas of how we could help out”.

Cardiff Met Captain, Steph Turner, Says Squad are Still Confident in Their Title Push

Coming into the final few games of the season, Cardiff Met sit in second place and just three points behind Swansea in first. Captain, Steph Turner, promises, squad will not give up “until the final whistle”.

Title challengers, Cardiff Met picked up another valuable win last weekend against mid-table Abergavenny. The match finished 4-0 and Met captain, Turner, recognised the opposition’s attacking capabilities and said it was “pleasing” to get three points away to a strong side.

After fears at the start of the year over whether the season would be scrapped, Turner also expressed the difficulty of not training during a season where her side are pushing for a title. “Questioning whether or not the season would be cancelled made the road running and HIIT training even harder”.

With Swansea ahead by just three points, Met are relying on their rivals to slip up in one of their remaining games and  Steph says there is “pressure on both teams. We won’t give up until the final whistle of the final game”.

Speaking on the squad performance, Turned has said:

“Majority of it has been pleasing. There’s obviously been a couple of games where we haven’t played to our potential, whether that’s in our individual or team performance but overall, so far, we’ve only lost one game so we have been playing well.”

“In terms of the individual girls who have stood out, I think there could be quite a few this season, there’s Chloe O’Connor, she’s come back, just after a serious back injury and I think she’s been unbelievable this season and she’s our current top goal scorer. The likes of Sophie Hancocks, Lucy Finch, they stand our when we play. The girls we signed in January, have also done really well.”

“As a squad, you don’t want to single our individuals, it’s certainly been a squad effort, especially with COVID. It’s been a huge team effort this year.”

Cardiff Met will take on Port Talbot at the Cardiff Met Cyncoed Campus on Thursday the 6th May. Can they maintain their pressure on Swansea?

Why Michael Chandler is Destined to Become the UFC Lightweight Champion

Michael Chandler beats Dan Hooker at UFC257.

With his first shot at the UFC Lightweight title coming up on May 15th, against Charles ‘de Bronx’ Oliveira, this is why ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler will walk away with the UFC belt around his waist.

34-year-old Michael Chandler won his first world title at Bellator 58 against MMA veteran and former UFC champion, Eddie Alvarez in November of 2011. His record currently stands at 22 wins in 27 fights, finishing 17 of those wins.

With a natural wrestling style, wicked knockout power and an infectious personality, it’s clear why many people will be rooting for the newcomer to the UFC, “Iron Mike”, with his first title fight under his new employers, just a month away.

The Missouri born star fought for the USA’s second largest mixed martial arts promotion, Bellator, for 10 years, making his debut in September of 2010. Since then, Chandler has gone on to fight 22 times for the promotion and held the lightweight title with them on three different occasions.

Michael Chandler is the Bellator Lightweight Champion. Credit: MMA Junkie.

At 5 foot 8 inches, the lightweight has an unbelievable range to his fighting. His tricky takedown technique, along with his range of submissions and general striking, there’s no doubt that this guy has the ability to finish every opponent he faces.

Looking at the five losses he has on his résumé, both his first and second came via a split decision. However, the other three have all been classed as technical knockouts. So, it’s worth noting that although the nickname ‘iron’ is justified, Chandler does still have some holes to fill in.

It’s fair to say that, for a lightweight fighter, the now number four ranked UFC 155 pounder, has a wide shoulder physique and is heavily muscled but that by no means slows down his striking. You can see that from his 10 wins by KO, his speed, accompanied by his power, are what allow him to finish opponents with his fists.

After spending 10 years fighting for Bellator, fans began demanding that UFC President, Dana White, sign the experienced fighter for his promotion and in September 2020, that’s exactly what happened.

Michael Chandler signs with the UFC. Credit: Sky Sports.

Chandler left his promotion, coming off the back of a victory against former UFC Champion, Benson Henderson, and was now looking to add some bigger names to his hitlist.

After having to wait a while, ‘Iron Mike’ got his wish of fighting one of the top ranked lightweight fighters in his UFC debut, as he would be taking on Dan ‘Hangman’ Hooker at UFC257, alongside fellow lightweights, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

The event took place on January 23rd with Chandler primed to make his debut as electric predicted. His fight with Hooker acted as the co-main event and it did not disappoint.

He came out the more aggressive and the faster fighter and kept Hooker moving for the opening half of the first round until he was able to connect with a swift left hook and put the ‘Hangman’ down and was then able to finish him with a flurry of ground strikes.

His debut put the rest of the lightweight division on notice and after his victory he called out as many of the top contenders as he could, including; McGregor, Poirier and, now retired, Khabib.

After beating the number six ranked Dan Hooker and after it being made clear that, the presumed challenger for the lightweight belt, Dustin Poirier, was more interested in a trilogy fight against McGregor, it has now been announced the Chandler has a chance to follow in Eddie Alvarez’s footsteps and become the Bellator and UFC Champion.

He will fight Charles Oliveira on May 15th at UFC262, as he challenges for lightweight gold.

Both fighters have a natural wrestling style but with Oliveira coming in as the higher ranked, taller and more experienced fighter, many will have him down as the favourite but after Chandler made it clear we would all see him “at the top” very soon, you can’t argue with his confidence.

Fighting in a sold-out stadium in Texas, and with some top quality fights on this card, the fight is sure to bring fireworks. Will we see ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler lift the UFC Lightweight Championship belt above his head on May 15th?

“See you at the top!”

  • Billie Jean King speaks with host Pat Mitchell at TEDWomen2015 – Momentum, Session 4, May 28, 2015, Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, California, USA. Photo: Marla Aufmuth/TED
  • Robert Glatzel celebrates his goal for the Bluebirds. Credit: Cardiff City FC.
  • Ethan Ampadu on the ball for Sheffield United. Credit: Sheffield United F.C.
  • Wales’ Ben Cabango during the international friendly match at Wembley Stadium, London.

Can Ben Cabango Secure his Wales Spot Against Czech Republic?

Ben Cabango for Wales. Credit: Swansea City.

Swansea City centre-back, Ben Cabango, 20, picked up his third cap for Wales in their well-fought 1-0 win against Mexico on Saturday evening. After having a brilliant season with Swansea in the Championship and now picking up starts in the red of Wales, has he cemented his place for the Euros squad?

Cabango started his career with Swansea and has only had one loan period away – one season with the JD Cymru Premier side, the New Saints. Since then he has gone on to make 48 appearances for the Swans and has been a pivotal part of Swansea sitting third in the Championship, just six points off second.

The defender has made appearances in Wales’ under 17s, 19s and 21s and now finds himself getting regular call-ups to the senior squad and on the eve of the countries European Championship campaign in the summer, it’s clear why many people want to see Cabango in the starting eleven.

With Swansea pushing for automatic promotion and having one of their best league starts for a few years, the Cardiff-born Swan has netted for his side four times this season and has also picked up an assist.

He’s got 18 clean sheets this season across all competitions and helped his country get an impressive 1-0 win against a strong Mexican side on Saturday.

It was his first full-90 for Wales and he certainly impressed interim-manager, Robert Page. At the heart of the defence, he was able to keep Mexico starlet, Hirving Lozano, at bay and keep he and rest of the Mexican side from finding the back of the net.

After his commanding performance on Saturday, has Cabango stirred the pot and properly thrown his name into the hat for a starting spot at the Euros this summer?

Last summer, when we all thought the Euros would be played, many would’ve predicted a back three of Chris Mepham, Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon but now we can expect to see more and more of Cabango.

He can work well in a back four and a back five. Whether he’s partnered with former Swans teammate Rodon or any of the other Welsh defenders, it’s clear he’s able to take advantage of his opportunities.

Wales take on Czech Republic in their World Cup Qualifying campaign on Tuesday with Rob Page’s side hoping to bounce back from their opening 3-1 defeat loss to Belgium.

It’s unlikely Cabango will start after playing the entire match against Mexico but an appearance off the bench would be interesting to see.

International Women’s Day and What it Represents

Women in Sport.

On the 8th March every year, the world recognises the achievements of all women and is a focal point in the history of the women’s rights movement.

The day’s history goes back to the start of the 20th century, where the Socialist Party of America organised a ‘Women’s Day’ on February 28th 1909. After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8th became a national holiday there.

It wasn’t until 1967 that the day was adapted by feminist movements and it was then in 1977 that the United Nations began celebrating the day.

Ultimately, the day exists to recognise and celebrate how far women have come in society, politics and economics. However, it also used to highlight the inequality that does still exist.

What role does sport play in International Women’s Day? Well, again it is for the same reason that the day exists in the first place, to recognise the achievements women have made.

Many will argue it is also the day used to try and tackle the stigmas that face women’s sport, as well as, changing the perception some people may still have. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the message of the day has never been more relevant.

All people in sport will train potentially their whole lives to achieve their goals and succeed and so today, we take time to recognise women everywhere.

Serena Williams: winner of 23 tennis grand slams.

Serena Williams.

Megan Rapinoe: World Cup winner and named best female footballer in the world in 2019.

Megan Rapinoe.

Jessica Ennis-Hill: Olympic gold-medallist heptathlete.

Jessica Ennis-Hill.

Amanda Nunes: two-weight UFC world champion of the world.

Amanda Nunes.

A campaign launched in Australia in 2018 to get more girls and women involved in cricket used the importance of today to highlight how, ‘When equality exists in sport, gender parity is more likely to prevail in communities overall. When women are recognised and treated as equals in sport – both on and off the field – this momentum fuels wider change’.

The campaign was excellent in highlighting how not just in cricket, and not just in Australia, calls for women to get involved in more and more support will only boost the standing of women’s sport.

The idea behind the campaign was to inspire and so the website also included a few motivational videos such as:

This is just one example of how International Women’s Day has been effectively and appropriately celebrated and used to promote women’s sports and encourage young girls to fall in love with sport like so many of us are.

#PressForProgress

How Football Supports the LGBTQ+ Community and How Important its Role is.

It’s no secret that football and the LGBTQ+ community are very relevant topics today. Charities such as, Stonewall, have been set up to help protect all lesbian, gay, bi and trans people and so how can football work with Stonewall to help everyone feel safe and free to be who they are in the sport of football?

Nowadays, it is far more common to find an openly gay female footballer than it is a male, with Thomas Hitzlsperger the only open Premier League player. The German revealed he was gay in January 2014, a few months after he retired.

Many believed Hitzlsperger’s coming out may have paved the way for others in the men’s game to do the same, but it still hasn’t gone that way just yet. The former Aston Villa midfielder himself has said, football has made “progress” and has explained the impact it has had on him.

The Stonewall charity who work all over the UK, have made it their mission to help people feel free to be themselves and although they are not exclusively a charity that just helps those in sport, they also aim to make footballers who are too scared to come out as gay, feel safe to do so.

One of their ambassadors and Wales Women’s most capped player, Jess Fishlock has spoken regularly about her work with Stonewall and about how she is using her platform to impact real change.

She’s said: “the Stonewall campaign that we have in football, specifically, runs just a couple weeks a year, which I personally feel is not long enough and want the campaign to be all year round in it’s different areas.”

Stonewall have also had their own football team since the year 1991 and have gone on to achieve great success both with their footballing achievement and their general growth.

The team’s message has ‘stayed the same’, in it’s commitment to creating a footballing environment where people can be comfortable in their own skin to facilitate their best sporting self.

When speaking about the role that men’s teams take in the push for equality, Fishlock stated that she has noticed the top teams in the Premier League have taken responsibility for what the campaign represents.

Working alongside Stonewall, the Premier League encouraged all their teams and players to wear rainbow laces on their boots between the 3rd and 14th of December to ‘show support to all LGBT people in football and beyond’.

Fishlock: “as soon as the clubs and the players took responsibility for their campaign and made it personal and made it public for them, then the message and the campaign became so much stronger.”

The on-loan Reading midfielder has used her profile to help promote equality to all in football and believes that support, encouragement and empathy for others is how it will happen.

A link to Stonewall’s website can be found below:

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/

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