It’s the competition that has persuaded Sky to allocate nearly £1bn to television coverage over the next five years. Welcome to the fantastic world of the EFL, England’s historic football league that spawned Jude Bellingham and turned Harry Kane from boy to man.
Last season, more supporters attended Championship games than France’s Ligue 1, then home to global superstars Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. League One – the third tier of English football – attracts more fans than the Dutch Eredivisie, where European giants Ajax and Feyenoord compete. Sunderland’s average crowd last season was higher than Juventus’.
But for all its success, the championship is also dysfunctional. Clubs regularly spend more than they earn to chase the Premier League dream and their survival is threatened. It’s the league of points deductions and transfer embargoes, with stories of financial mismanagement that will blow your mind.
Covid led to tightening – players are rarely offered more than £10,000 a week these days – but not everywhere. What about the club who re-contracted an unwanted player just to spread his wages over a longer period, reducing them from £2.5million a year to £1.25million? Or the one that regularly hands players between £70-80,000 a week? Fortunately, such agreements are largely a thing of the past.
The parachute payments to relegated clubs Leicester, Leeds and Southampton make them favorites for promotion, but it is still far from a foregone conclusion. As we prepare for a 10-month ride, Mail Sport spoke to a player, a manager, a sporting director, a CEO and a fan to take the temperature.
Enzo Maresca’s (centre) Leicester are the bookmakers’ favorites to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, following their relegation from the top flight last season
The Player – Jake Bidwell, Coventry City. Over 500 games for Everton, Brentford, QPR, Swansea and Coventry
The level in the championship seems to get better every year. The level you needed even five years ago to perform consistently in this league will no longer be good enough.
The young players coming into the league now are so fit and athletic that you have to do everything you can to keep up off the pitch. For example, I rarely touch alcohol in season these days.
Tactically, a lot has also changed. In recent times we have seen managers like Marcelo Bielsa and Rafa Benitez in the Championship and Pep Guardiola’s influence has now spread to the younger coaches in the EFL.
Until five years ago, many games were “crash, bang, wallop.” Usually you knew exactly what to expect from the opposition. Now coaches switch lineups mid-game, adjusting positions and tweaking styles. You always have to think about it.
I enjoy the challenge. Today’s best players are not just those with the best technique or the strongest. They are the ones who understand the game best. They are the ones who will reach the top.
Jake Bidwell claimed that the standard in the Football League continued to grow year on year
The manager: Michael Appleton. 425 games as manager of Portsmouth, Blackpool (twice), Blackburn, Oxford, Leicester (caretaker) and Lincoln
Players at this level want to know a lot more these days. They expect to be sent into a game with a high level of detail about exactly what to do.
They ask a lot of questions before competitions, but that’s a good thing. I want them to really understand what the opposition is all about. I want them to come and ask me questions if they are not sure about a certain player.
If you’re a former player who has had a very successful career, you get instant respect, but that respect probably won’t last as long as it did 10 years ago. Players want more from you than that.
You should also be more careful when speaking to players. Many of the players in the EFL probably earn more than their managers, and they often outlast managers. It’s not always easy. I like to be honest and realistic, but sometimes you have to be more of a politician when dealing with different people in the club.
Analysis and statistics have changed the game, but there has to be a balance. Statistics can’t tell you everything and the eye is still a fantastic tool.
Former Blackpool boss Michael Appleton spoke of the “high level of detail” in the competition
The Managing Director: Richard Gould, Bristol City (June 2021-January 2023). Now CEO of England and Wales Cricket Board
Luton’s promotion has shown the way for a number of clubs. Finances are important, but Luton has proven that there are other ways to reach the promised land.
That said, the parachute payments for clubs relegated from the Premier League mean it’s a much narrower funnel for everyone else, but I don’t see the Premier League changing anything in that regard.
The property issue is so important. These clubs are community owned and you can’t involve people who have opaque working practices. There will always be clubs that are struggling and I think more will be done to monitor owners who see get-rich-quick schemes that they ultimately can’t afford.
The key is this: does the future owner have enough money to get the club through to the end of the season and much more? The Lansdown family in Bristol City is an example of good owners doing great things for the wider community
But the Championship and League One and Two are in a unique position. The base is very strong. It’s real, it’s local, fans can support a club nearby and the level of football is good. The Sky TV deal announced in May was worth nearly £1 billion. In general, it is located in a pretty good place.
Former Bristol City director Richard Gould claimed Luton’s unlikely promotion last year proved that big spend isn’t the only way to secure promotion
The sporting director: Chris Badlan. Held recruitment roles at Wolves, Norwich, Coventry and Blackpool
Covid has changed a lot. Before the pandemic, you might have watched two games on a Monday — one at lunchtime and one in the evening — and on the go in between. When we were all sitting at home, people realized they could watch four of them on video in a day before going live scouting.
Brexit also changed the kind of players you could recruit. You knew there was no point in watching players from the Dutch or Norwegian second division because they wouldn’t get a work permit. You were forced to look at different markets outside the European Union.
As a result, the market for English players became more competitive. At Coventry we often aimed for the best players in the first and second divisions, but suddenly we found that wealthier clubs were picking them up. Everyone had to be creative.
I cannot overestimate the influence of data. You would never just look at a player a few times and then sign him. And it’s not just used in recruitment either. The medical department, the analysis department, training, tactics, recovery. Data supports everything.
Ten years ago there might have been animosity towards it, but now younger coaches like Rob Edwards and Steve Cooper have grown up with it. And older managers realize that it can no longer be ignored.
Sporting director Chris Badlan (not pictured) added that younger managers have had more success embracing the importance of data analytics
The fan: Alistair Jones, West Bromwich Albion home and away since 1981
We’ve set up our supporters’ group, Action for Albion, to raise awareness of the serious concerns we have about our club’s ownership – and we’re far from the only ones in trouble. More needs to be done to protect clubs from unsuitable owners and we will continue to raise awareness of this issue.
The championship is virtually unique in all of Europe as the 24th-placed club can beat the league’s top team and I expect it to be just as competitive this season. It is an expensive affair though.
Ticket prices vary wildly across the league and I’d like to see a £25 price cap for away supporters. If you factor in travel and other costs, there is a risk that high ticket prices will make the whole thing unaffordable and a large following does a lot to improve the atmosphere.
In recent seasons I have noticed a somewhat unpleasant edge in the atmosphere at certain matches. Maybe it’s a post-Covid trend, I’m not sure, but there certainly seems to be more people out there looking to cause trouble than there were 10 years ago.
Hopefully this season will be memorable for all the right reasons, both on and off the field.
West Brom fan Alistair Jones called on clubs to introduce a £25 price cap for away supporters