Topsy-turvy Championship can offer Yorkshire sides real hope

BOBBY DAVISON

IN a division where we have come to expect the unexpected, predicting how the Championship will pan out has become something of a thankless task.

A side who, during late summer, seem well placed to launch an assault on the title can, by November, be reduced to dreaming of a good FA Cup run in the New Year.

Alternatively, a team priced at 150-1 to win the division before a ball has been kicked – as Blackpool were this time last year – can go on to enjoy such a memorable campaign that the seaside town will be hosting the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in the coming months.

Clearly, trying to make sense of the Championship can, to adapt a Howard Wilkinson saying from his time as Leeds United manager, be a mission similar to that of to, 'trying to push custard uphill with a fork'.

It is a point not lost on Bobby Davison, the former striker who played for six clubs in the county, when asked by the Yorkshire Post to run his eyes over the six clubs from within the Broad Acres ahead of the new season.

The 51-year-old, who returned to England earlier this year after steering Ferencvaros to promotion in Hungary, said: "In recent years, the Championship has to be the most competitive division around and this season will be no different.

"I watched a lot of games at this level after coming back to this country and it really was a case of the teams near the bottom being, on their day, more than capable of surprising those at the top.

"I look at the teams in the division this year and can't see it being any different. A lot of the teams are very similar and it really is a case of any one from 12 to 15 clubs being capable of going on to win promotion.

"The only thing that I feel can be guaranteed is that there will be more twists and turns in the Championship than any other division this season and that should be great for the fans."

As someone who spent all but a five-year spell with Derby County playing for Yorkshire clubs, Davison is particularly looking forward to seeing the six White Rose clubs battle it out in this season's second tier.

The former Bradford City assistant, who was just pipped to the manager's post at Oldham Athletic by Paul Dickov earlier this summer, said: "It is fantastic to have so many Yorkshire clubs in the Championship as it should bring an extra edge to the division.

"On paper, several will be fancying their chances of doing well but Middlesbrough would be my tip to win the title. I know Gordon (Strachan) from our time together at Leeds and his team will work extremely hard.

"The only question mark is how the Scottish lads he has signed this summer will do in English football. Kris Boyd had a great record with Rangers, and if he does half as well for Middlesbrough as he did at Ibrox then I would expect Boro to win the title."

Looking round the rest of the county, no less than three of the other White Rose sides competing in this season's Championship appear on Davison's playing CV.

It means he will have particular interest in how Leeds United, Sheffield United and Hull City all fare.

Davison said: "With regards Hull, my one worry is whether they have the goals in the squad. That is why this needs to be a big season for Caleb Folan, who it didn't really happen for in the Premier League.

"Sides managed by Nigel (Pearson) are well organised and I can see Hull keeping a lot of clean sheets. So, if they get it right up front then they could challenge.

"As for my former club Leeds, their season is also difficult to predict. Kasper Schmeichel is a great signing as I think he could be in for a busy season, even though the back four has been strengthened during the summer.

"Unlike Hull and also Sheffield United, Leeds could concede a few and I can see them needing to score a couple of goals most weeks to get a result.

"In that respect, replacing Jermaine Beckford is vital. Billy Paynter is someone I worked with at Bradford when he was younger and the Leeds fans will love his attitude because he runs and runs. The big question is, 'can he score the goals at this level?' I hope so as he is a smashing lad. And if he does, Leeds might just sneak into the top six."

And Sheffield United?

"They need to start well," says Davison, whose recent stint as manager of Ferencvaros came after the Bramall Lane club had taken over the Hungarian giants.

"If they don't, the pressure will be really on the manager. The problem at Bramall Lane last season was they never had a settled team, and to me it wasn't all down to injuries.

"I believe there was far too much moaning about injuries and that, instead, there was too much chopping and changing, especially up front.

"Daniel Bogdanovic could be a good signing from Barnsley but he has to play alongside a regular partner, week-in and week-out. If he does that, United could sneak into the play-offs."

Completing the trio of south Yorkshire club's in the second tier are Barnsley and Doncaster Rovers.

Davison, who is considering offers from Europe and the United States after failing to secure a job in English football, added: "Mark Robins did a good job last year after taking over when Barnsley were in real trouble but I still believe the best they can hope for is mid-table, especially after losing Bogdanovic.

"Looking from the outside, there probably isn't the money at Oakwell that there was when Barnsley were successful so that will still be an achievement.

"Doncaster, though, could be the surprise package and qualify for the play-offs – especially if they can hold on to Sean O'Driscoll, who has done a superb job.

"Signing Billy Sharp permanently is a real statement of intent. Doncaster have no stars, just a good team and if they can create the chances for Billy then it could be a very good season for them."

Predictions

Championship: Middlesbrough.

League One: Sheffield Wednesday.

League Two: Bradford City.

Player to watch: Billy Sharp or Adel Taarabt, who was very impressive at QPR last year, if Spurs end up loaning him to a Championship club.

The career of Bobby Davison

Born: July 17, 1959

Playing career:

App Gls

1980-81

Huddersfield T 2 0

1981-82

Halifax T 63 29

1982-87

Derby Cty 206 83

1987-1992

Leeds Utd 91 31

1991

Derby Cty (loan) 10 8

1992

Sheffield Utd (loan) 12 1

1992-93

Leicester C 26 6

1993-94

Sheffield Utd 12 1

1994-96

Rotherham Utd 22 4

1995

Hull C (loan) 11 4

Management career:

Guiseley, Bradford City (assistant), Ferencvaros

Derbies can make or break any dreams of promotion

JOHN HENDRIE

HAVING worn the colours of four Yorkshire clubs, John Hendrie thought he knew just how deep inter-county rivalries could run.

The Scot, by then 33 years old, had experienced both sides of the Bradford-Leeds divide, had helped Middlesbrough win promotion to the Premier League and was doing his best to repeat the trick with Barnsley.

Along the way, he had played in countless derbies so was not expecting to be shocked by anything that White Rose rivalry could throw up.

All that changed, however, in March, 1997, as Barnsley, then sitting third in the First Division, prepared to host promotion rivals Sheffield United at Oakwell.

"I always enjoyed playing in Yorkshire derbies," recalls the 46-year-old, who now works as a consultant for the sports law department of Leeds-based firm Blacks Solicitors.

"They were always the games I looked for when the fixtures came out, and that is why it is great for the area that there are so many clubs in the Championship this season.

"There are times, though, when things can go a bit far – as I found out during the year we won promotion to the Premier League at Barnsley.

"We had played Sheffield United at Bramall Lane just before Christmas and won 1-0 in a fierce atmosphere. I got the winner five minutes from time, with the bonus being it pushed us to the top of the league.

"It was probably at that moment we all started to think, 'we could just do this'. The return was set for Oakwell on a Friday night in March and selected by Sky to be shown live.

"A few days before the game, a letter arrived addressed to me that was, basically, a death threat. I opened it and instead of saying 'Dear John' or anything like that, it just read 'you fat b******'.

"At first, I thought one of the lads had sent it as the letter went on to say 'you will die, watch your back'. Darren Sheridan was the one I suspected but I soon realised no-one at the club knew anything about it.

"I never went to the police, I am not sure why. I just decided to give the letter to the physio.

"Whoever sent it, the intention was probably to scare me but it didn't work as I tried even harder when the game kicked off. I even made a point of celebrating in front of the Sheffield United fans when I scored the first of our two goals in a 2-1 win, just to send a message to whoever had sent it."

The coming season will be the first time since 1989-90 that half- a-dozen Yorkshire clubs have competed in the same division.

Hendrie had joined Leeds ahead of that season from Newcastle United, so knows all about what the current crop of players at the county's sides can expect in the coming weeks and months.

He said: "Derbies do bring a bit of extra pressure but any player who doesn't relish that really shouldn't be involved in the game.

"Who would want to play someone from down south when you can play a team from just down the road? The atmospheres can be incredible.

"I know the cliche is that each games is only worth three points, regardless of the opposition. But there is a bit of extra spice when two local rivals meet. The fans are up for it. The lads involved have a lot to look forward to this season.

"Middlesbrough were a bit different to the other Yorkshire clubs I played for in that the fans often wanted to do well against Newcastle. But there was still an edge to games against Leeds.

"Bradford v Leeds was always a spicy one in the Eighties, even though Leeds now tend to look to Manchester United for their rivalry.

"In my one year at Leeds, the Sheffield United rivalry also became a big one because we were both chasing promotion. They were two great games."

Leeds, with Hendrie making 27 appearances and scoring five goals, finished the 1989-90 season as Second Division champions, while Sheffield United completed a notable Yorkshire double by sealing runners-up spot.

Less happily for the county, however, Bradford City were relegated while Middlesbrough only stayed up on the last day by beating Newcastle as Barnsley finished 19th and Hull City 14th.

Hendrie recalls: "It seemed like we were playing derby games every other week during that season, though it wasn't such a problem for the Leeds lads.

"A club like Leeds is always going to be a big scalp anyway, and that season Howard (Wilkinson, manager) had spent a bit of money in the summer to make us even more of a target.

"It meant the derby games were perhaps not as potentially damaging as they might have been because we knew how to deal with hostile opposition crowds.

"We had to be professional whoever we played, which was a point Howard would always drum into us. As a result, we did well against our local rivals.

"In terms of needing to be professional, there was also a Barnsley v Bradford game that sticks in the memory as it was the day we won promotion to the Premier League. I had enjoyed many happy years at Bradford, who were in real danger of going down if they lost. But I had to be professional as we won 2-0. Happily, Bradford stayed up a week later by beating QPR."

In terms of the potential importance of derby football to a team's prospects of success, a quick glance through the history books shows that Leeds claimed 20 points from 10 derby meetings in 1989-90.

Sheffield United, meanwhile, lost just twice to Yorkshire opposition that season, whereas relegated Bradford failed to register a win and claimed a mere three points from derby football.

Sixth-bottom Barnsley bagging 21 points, and completing the double over champions Leeds in the process, may not quite fit the theory, but Hendrie remains adamant that whoever prospers in this season's unofficial Yorkshire League table are likely to be among the promotion challengers.

He said: "I do believe the derby games will be as vital as they were to us at Leeds in the year we won promotion.

"Without the good form we showed against our local rivals, we could not have finished as champions."

Predictions:

Championship: Middlesbrough.

League One: Southampton.

League Two: Bradford City.STORY OF 89-90

1989-90 Final table

Pts

1 Leeds Utd 85

2 Sheffield Utd 85

3 Newcastle Utd 80

4 Swindon Town 74

5 Blackburn Rovers 74

6 Sunderland* 74

7 West Ham Utd 72

8 Oldham Athletic 71

9 Ipswich Town 69

10 Wolves 67

11 Port Vale 61

12 Portsmouth 61

13 Leicester City 59

14 Hull City 58

15 Watford 57

16 Plymouth Argyle 55

17 Oxford Utd 54

18 Brighton &HA 54

19 Barnsley 54

20 West Brom 51

21 Middlesbrough 50

22 Bournemouth 48

23 Bradford City 41

24 Stoke City 37

(* Promoted after play-offs)

YORKSHIRE DERBIES 89-90

August 23:

Leeds 2 Middlesbrough 1

September 2:

Middlesbrough 3 Sheff Utd 3

September 9:

Barnsley 1 Middlesbrough 1

September 16:

Hull 0 Leeds 1

September 23:

Barnsley 2 Bradford 0

September 23:

Sheff Utd 0 Hull 0

September 27:

Middlesbrough 1 Hull 0

October 28:

Bradford 0 Leeds 1

October 17:

Barnsley 1 Sheff Utd 2

November 11:

Bradford 2 Hull 3

November 18:

Sheff Utd 1 Bradford 1

November 25:

Hull 1 Barnsley 2

December 9:

Middlesbrough 0 Leeds 2

December 26:

Bradford 0 Middlesbrough 1

December 26:

Sheff Utd 2Leeds 2

December 30:

Barnsley 1 Leeds 0

January 20:

Sheff Utd 1 Middlesbrough 0

February 3:

Bradford 0 Barnsley 0

February 3:

Hull 0 Sheff Utd 0

February 10:

Leeds 4 Hull 3

February 24:

Barnsley 1 Hull 1

March 3:

Bradford 1 Sheff Utd 4

March 10:

Hull 0 Middlesbrough 0

March 24:

Sheff Utd 1 Barnsley 2

April 7:

Leeds 1 Bradford 1

April 16:

Leeds 4 Sheff Utd 0

April 16:

Middlesbrough 2 Bradford 0

April 25:

Leeds 1 Barnsley 2

April 28:

Hull 2 Bradford 1

May 2:

Middlesbrough 0 Barnsley 1

YORKSHIRE TABLE

Pts

Barnsley 21

Leeds 20

Sheffield Utd 14

Middlesbrough 12

Hull 10

Bradford 3