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    Championship much more enjoyable and unpredictable than Premier League and it doesn’t have s*** VAR either

    HERE we go then, another marathon season in the most unpredictable league on Earth.And while I’m not going to pretend to you that I wouldn’t rather be playing in the Premier League – there’s all that money for starters – England’s second tier is a unique and thrilling competition.
    The Championship season gets back underway this weekendCredit: Getty
    The Championship is more enjoyable and unpredictable than the Prem – but it doesn’t have the riches of the top-flightCredit: Reuters
    There are plenty of reasons why the Championship is more enjoyable than the top flight.
    Everyone says a 46-match league campaign is a slog – and if things are going badly, that’s true.
    But if you’re in form, you just want the next game to come around, then it’s, ‘Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, bring it on!’
    With a mid-season break for the World Cup, it will stretch from July into next May, making it longer than ever.
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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}THE BIG KICK-OFF .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}The Championship is BACK but who will get their £200m Prem payday?
    And then there’s that unpredictability.
    Let’s be honest, when I was with Watford in the Premier League and we were playing Manchester City or Liverpool, I can’t honestly tell you that I’d expect to win.
    In the Championship, you go into every single match knowing you can win or lose.
    You have to respect every team but also you are never overawed.
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kit RELEASED, Gunners CONFIRM Okonkwo Crewe exit
    PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW FOR FREE WITH £100k IN PRIZE MONEY
    This season looks more open than ever.
    And while I keep hearing that my Birmingham team are going to win about three matches all season and get relegated, that is definitely not how we see it internally.
    On Saturday afternoon we kick off our campaign at Luton, where I’m sure I will get a lovely, warm reception!
    But Luton are a prime example of how a team can take everyone by surprise in the Championship.
    Nathan Jones’ side stormed into the play-offs last season despite having one of the smallest budgets in the league.
    They are proof of what can be achieved.
    Our new boss, John Eustace, was my captain at Watford a few years ago and I believe he is going to be an excellent manager.
    And I’m going into this campaign feeling positive both personally and collectively.
    Another thing I prefer about the Championship is that we don’t have VAR. I hate it. It’s s***.
    It was supposed to stop arguments and give us justice but it’s done nothing of the sort.
    At least in the Championship you can celebrate a goal without fearing a killjoy in Stockley Park might rule it out because of a toenail offside decision.
    I also think that referees in the Championship let the game flow more, they allow a bit more physicality and, unlike some refs in the Premier League, they are not looking out for their two minutes of fame on Match of the Day.
    As a result the relationship between players and match officials is more relaxed.
    The Championship does not use VARCredit: PA
    Matches in the Championship do tend to be more honest and physical, which I also appreciate.
    Having said how unpredictable the Championship is, I’d make Norwich favourites for the title.
    They have won the league on the last two occasions they’ve played at this level, they’ve had minimal disruption to their playing staff and they have a management team of Dean Smith and Craig Shakespeare who know their way back into the Premier League.
    Burnley did plenty of early business and it will be interesting to see how they fare under Vinny Kompany — and it really does make me feel old when players I used to play against turn up in management!
    My old club Watford are difficult to evaluate.
    It feels like they are yet to make the signing that makes you sit up and say ‘wow’ and they may still sell Ismaila Sarr and Emmanuel Dennis.
    But they will still have a squad depth which should see them competing for promotion.
    Stoke are my dark horses to go up.
    They impressed me last term and have signed guaranteed goals by recruiting Dwight Gayle from Newcastle, as well as a top Championship centre-half in Aden Flint from Cardiff.
    Then there are some impressive youngsters, including D’Margio Wright-Phillips — the grandson of Ian Wright, which makes me feel even older…
    West Brom should be up there, too. They’ve signed the excellent Jon Swift from Reading and Jed Wallace from Millwall.
    The Baggies were disappointing last year and you expect more from them this season.
    Middlesbrough, under Chris Wilder, finished last season well and I’d expect them to be in the play-off places.
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    But like I say, you can never predict the Championship and that is what makes it so much fun.
    Even when you’re being widely written off, like Birmingham are, you just never know where momentum can take you in this division. More

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    Newcastle ‘are ready to trigger Maxwel Cornet’s £17.5m release clause’ as they join Chelsea and Everton in transfer race

    NEWCASTLE are set to beat Chelsea and Everton to the signing of Maxwel Cornet by triggering his release clause, reports suggest.The Magpies are looking for ways to bolster their attack after enduring a frustrating window in trying to bring in competition for Callum Wilson.
    Maxwel Cornet contributed 10 league goals in 26 games for Burnley last seasonCredit: PA
    Their search has led to them Burnley star Cornet, who was relegated with The Clarets last season as the club’s top scorer with nine goals.
    According to talkSPORT, Newcastle are ready to trigger Cornet’s £17.5million release clause.
    Cornet is highly sought after from Premier League teams this summer.
    Everton have already seen a loan bid rejected for the Ivorian, while he also failed to agree personal terms on a move to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest.
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    However, Everton have instead struck a deal to sign English winger Dwight McNeil in a £20m transfer.
    Chelsea have considered a move for Cornet as an alternative to Raphinha, who joined Barcelona earlier in the window.
    However, they have thus far not pursued this any further despite enduring a difficult window.
    Should front-runners Newcastle land Cornet he will represent their fourth signing of the summer, following on from Matt Targett, Nick Pope and Sven Botman.
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#dcdddd;background-color:#ffffff;}.css-14dqn90{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(4px/2);margin-right:calc(4px/2);}.css-12an5ma{font-family:The Sun;font-size:20px;line-height:1.2;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;padding:1px 0px;}.css-12an5ma::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.261875em + -1px);}.css-12an5ma::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:calc(-0.25em + -1.3px);}.css-1tob514{color:rgba(32,134,98,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;margin-right:4px;}.css-1tob514:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}THE MAGIC TUCH .css-1efa55o{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1efa55o:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Thomas Tuchel holidays with new Brazilian girlfriend, 35, days after divorce
    PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW FOR FREE WITH £100k IN PRIZE MONEY
    Cornet, as mentioned earlier, was Burnley’s top goalscorer despite missing 12 games across the season.
    In fact it is easy to see why Burnley suffered relegation heartbreak when Cornet was top of the list by six goals.
    Prior to his transfer to Burnley last summer, Cornet starred for Lyon, operating primarily as a left-back for the Ligue 1 side.
    He made 252 appearances for the French club, scoring 51 goals and contributing 29 assists. More

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    Daryl Dike desperate to graduate with West Brom to the Premier League to add to his first class honours rollcall

    DARYL DIKE hopes to graduate from this season with two more first-class honours.The first is to represent the USA at this winter’s World Cup and the second to finish the campaign as a Premier League striker.
    Daryl Dike wants to play in this winter’s World Cup for the USA and become a Premier League star with West Brom
    West Brom ace Dike, 22, graduated with a first-class honours degree in finance this summer at the Southern New Hampshire University.
    And now his focus is on football honours. The USA are competing in Qatar in a group including England, Wales and Iran — while the Baggies are chasing top-flight football.
    Dike heralds from Oklahoma and has three goals from eight internationals.
    And he told SunSport: “As I kid I had two dreams — to play in the Premier League and compete in the World Cup.
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    “Hopefully I’ll be doing one this year and then next year the other.
    “It’ll also be exciting to play a team like England at a World Cup so that’s one game we’re looking forward to.
    “I’d love to come back from Qatar and be able to make a few jokes and banter with everyone here!”
    Dike fulfilled a promise he made to his family by completing his degree after pulling out of university to chase his football dream.
    Daryl Dike graduated with a first-class honours degree in finance this summer
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    He said: “Before I got drafted to Orlando City, I was in the University of Virginia and the MLS has a programme for players who leave school early to help fund college.
    “So I told my parents I’d continue my education while I was playing.
    “Every day I was doing my classes online and this summer I completed it.
    “The hardest part was keeping on top of it as I had to do it in my own time.
    “Football has also been huge for me but the importance of education has always been ingrained into me and my siblings.”
    Daryl Dike and our man Justin Allen share a laugh ahead of the new season
    Daryl Dike is in good spirits ahead of the latest Championship slog
    Dike hopes to eventually get into “green finance” as he sensibly plans for life outside football because “I clearly cannot play until I’m 75.”
    And the striker believes all footballers should get another string to their bows.
    He said: “I always knew what I wanted to do. I’ve always been a numbers guy so it figured I should do something that involves that.
    “A lot of players have more time than you think so it’s good if you can think about giving yourself something else to rely on because you can’t be kicking a ball forever.”
    West Brom will be relying on Dike to score the goals that help them win promotion but he has endured a frustrating start to his Hawthorns career.
    Dike has only managed 84 minutes of competitive action since signing from Orlando City in January.
    He picked up a hamstring injury that curtailed his season against Peterborough in his second appearance. 
    Daryl Dike only managed two appearances for West Brom after getting crocked
    Former boss Valerien Ismael — also Dike’s manager during his loan spell at Barnsley two years ago —was sacked by the Baggies in February as the team floundered. 
    Dike said: “Valerien was a good manager and different from my previous ones. His playing style was direct and it was demanding on workrate.
    “And that’s where he helped me most — the mental side of things, to have that fighting mentality to go every game from minute one to minute 90 and be pressing physically.
    “It was frustrating I was on the sidelines and couldn’t help the team but it only fuelled my hunger and desire for this season.”
    Dike has enjoyed working under Steve Bruce this summer and believes his man-management skills are second to none.
    He said: “I’ve never been at a club where they’ve changed managers like that and you can have doubts at that point.
    Steve Bruce is a great man-manager. He and his staff have done a good job in personalising stuff for each individual and they realise each and every player isn’t going to just fall into a system.”DARYL DIKE
    “It’s not that you think you can’t adapt to a new manager but you get little doubts because ultimately you want him to like you.
    “But also you think, ‘This is a top manager, this is a manager who has done so much in English football and been around the game a long time.’
    “Then you’re excited you might get an opportunity to play under him because you realise this is a man who had a great playing career and achieved so much.
    “He’s a great man-manager. He and his staff have done a good job in personalising stuff for each individual and they realise each and every player isn’t going to just fall into a system.
    “They’ll see you’re good at some things but maybe not so good at others and give you tips to work on your strengths and weaknesses as well as how you can fit into the system and get the best out of yourself. That’s something Steve Bruce has done a good job at.”
    The Baggies are among the favourites to get promoted after an underwhelming season last time round, which saw them finish tenth and eight points behind the play-off spots.
    Considering West Brom were alongside Fulham as favourites to go straight back up, it was an awful campaign.
    Daryl Dike has a moment to relax in training ahead of the new season
    They had the best Championship defence, only conceding 35 goals, but scored only 52.
    On paper, their attack is one of the best with Dike, Jed Wallace, Karlan Grant, Grady Diangana, Matt Phillips and Jonathan Swift.
    And Dike said: “No matter who plays, it’s a great group. Everyone offers something different — craftiness, goalscoring, lots of other things. We’ve so many options and you need that in a Championship season where you’re playing Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday all year.”
    Dike, during pre-season, has struck up a good understanding with Wallace, who was signed this summer from Millwall.
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    And the striker said: “I’ve never seen someone run as much as he does. He just runs, runs and runs. He’s always pressing and doing everything. He also crosses the ball well and he’s a good passer of the ball.
    “Anything in front of me, it makes it very easy and he gets on the ball, is good with the pass and can score as well.” More

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    Ex-Arsenal kid Dan Ballard had career fears after training with David Luiz but ready to prove people wrong at Sunderland

    WHEN Dan Ballard saw David Luiz strutting his stuff during a training session at Arsenal, he thought his chances of making a decent career were a million miles away.Yet Ballard has loved proving people wrong and now wants to prove Sunderland right
    Sunderland defender Dan Ballard left Arsenal in the summer after 14 years
    David Luiz used to woo Dan Ballard with his incredible skills
    The centre-half was once deemed too slow, too short and not technically gifted.
    But this weekend he makes his Black Cats debut at what will be a packed Stadium of Light against Coventry as they mark their return to the Championship after four years in League One.
    Ballard, 22, came through the Arsenal academy and left the club he joined aged eight this summer after being snapped up by Alex Neil in a £2million deal.
    The Stevenage-born ace has worked hard on his game and moves to the north-east on the back of two superb loan seasons.
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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-xpuujo{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-tqcu81{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-bq4915{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,97,108,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}THE BIG KICK-OFF .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}The Championship is BACK but who will get their £200m Prem payday?
    First he helped Blackpool win promotion from League One and then played a major part in Millwall’s surprise challenge for a Championship play-off spot last season.
    And he told SunSport: “The biggest thing I learned at Arsenal was hard work because I was never the best player in my age group or the one who they thought would go on and make a good career. 
    “They drilled into me that I had to work the hardest, respect the coaches, listen and learn.
    “You of course learn football but I also learned about resilience too.
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nine, found stabbed to death on lane
    PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW FOR FREE WITH £100k IN PRIZE MONEY
    “Naturally I like hard work. That comes easier to me than some people and that’s perhaps because football has never been easy for me, it’s always been tough. So I’ve had to work hard otherwise I’d not be in the position I am today.
    “As I was growing up in the younger age groups, I was a late developer. Even at 18, I still wasn’t a centre-back because I wasn’t tall enough.
    “I was one of the slowest, couldn’t move my legs and I wasn’t a technically gifted player.
    “Yet I’ve always been naturally good at defending but compared to the other lads with the ball I was always below the curve whereas now my body is stronger, I feel comfortable on the ball and all that work at Arsenal has worked out better in the long run.
    “I don’t feel below the curve or as though I’m the one struggling — but rather that I can make a major impact.”
    Daniel Ballard and Tolaji Bola tussles in an Arsenal training session
    Dan Ballard had to work harder than others at Arsenal to develop
    Ballard had the privilege of training with the first team under Arsene Wenger alongside Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil — and later got blown away by the skills of Luiz.
    He said: “I did four or five sessions while Wenger was around. Even though I was only used as a training player, it’s great to be able to always say I trained under him.
    “I was blown away by how good Wilshere and Ozil were — they were on another planet and they just seemed world beaters to a youngster like me.
    “Luiz was someone I was particularly taken aback by in terms of how good he was on the ball and the style of play he had. It made me understand how far away I was to that level and how hard I had to work.”
    EFL BAPTISM
    Ballard had a tough baptism to EFL football on loan at Swindon, where he barely played and suffered an injury, but the last two seasons have seen him really improve his game.
    Under Neil Critchley — who knows a thing or two about developing youngsters from his time running Liverpool youth teams — the centre-half grew in confidence and stature during what was a breakthrough season.
    And he capped it with a fine performance at Wembley as Blackpool came from behind to beat Lincoln 2-1.
    And Ballard said: “It was one of the best years of my career. Everything about that loan was great … the timing of it, the opportunities it gave me and the chance to develop under that manager and team. To win promotion was the icing on the cake.”
    Last season was a different challenge as he stepped up to the Championship and performed so well that Millwall boss Gary Rowett wanted to keep him at The Den.
    And Ballard said: “It was a different style in what was a hostile stadium at times. You couldn’t ask for much more. I had a slight problem with an injury but apart from that little setback, I learned so much and had a successful year personally. 
    “It was a frustrating start to the season with so many draws but the boys always thought we’d pick up after Christmas when the games started catching up on people. When it was cold and horrible, we expected to win games and we did.”
    ‘SCARY JUMP’
    But now Ballard is looking forward to what he describes as a “scary jump” from a kid on-loan with the protection of Arsenal behind him to now having to fend for himself as a permanent Sunderland signing with all the expectation that brings.
    He said: “It was tough leaving Arsenal and it does seem strange not having that label to my name that I’ve had all my life and not being able to go back there if something goes wrong.
    “It’s a scary jump leaving completely but I needed to pick the right club and don’t think I could’ve picked a better one to go to.
    “Also I knew a few of the lads already — Corey Evans and Tyrese Dyce from Northern Ireland and Elliot Embleton who I pretty much lived next door to at Blackpool, where we struck up a good friendship.”
    Alex Neil only took over the reins in February and had an immediate impact by winning 10 and drawing seven of his 18 games in charge, which led to a promotion play-off final win against Wycombe.
    And this summer the Scot has also added Portsmouth keeper Alex Bass, made the loan transfers of forward Leon Dakaku from Union Berlin and Jack Clarke from Spurs permanent. 
    Ballard said: “I was surprised by the quality of the squad when I arrived here. Even compared to playing in the Championship last year, this squad feels special.
    “The manager is someone who has impressed me so much with his knowledge and the demands he puts on the players. He’s the type of boss I really like — someone who will tell you how it is.
    “I don’t think there are any worries going into this season. If anything, we’re going to try to dominate games and have a great chance of doing well.”
    Millwall was a great loan spell for Dan Ballard last season
    Dan Ballard helped Blackpool win promotion from League One More

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    Peter Whittingham’s No7 Cardiff shirt retired in classy gesture following his tragic death in 2020

    CARDIFF have retired the No7 shirt worn by the late Peter Whittingham.The legendary Bluebirds midfielder tragically died in March 2020 at the age of 35 having sustained head injuries following a fall at the Park Hotel in Barry.
    The football world was left stunned when Peter Whittingham died in 2020Credit: PA
    Whittingham’s No7 shirt has now been retired by CardiffCredit: Reuters
    A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death as football was left in shock at the loss of the ex-England Under-21 and Aston Villa star.
    Whittingham cost Cardiff just £350,000 from Villa in 2007 and went on to help Malky Mackay’s side win the Championship and reach the Premier League for the first time in the 2012/2013 season.
    And the stylish playmaker has been honoured after 459 games and 98 goals between 2007-17 which puts him seventh on the club’s all-time appearance table and ninth on the scorers’ list.
    Whittingham then spent a year at Blackburn where he ended his career.
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    At the time of Whittingham’s death, Cardiff team-mate Jay Bothroyd called on his former club to retire his shirt number and the Welsh outfit have now acted on the eve of the new season.
    A Cardiff statement read: “The club has taken the opportunity at this juncture to retire the number 7 shirt in honour of Peter Whittingham.”
    The Championship club are planning a memorial game for Whittingham in November and a flag is also displayed in his honour at every home match.
    Cardiff have also appointed Joe Ralls as their new captain to replace Sean Morrison, who is recovering from a serious knee injury.
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#dcdddd;background-color:#ffffff;}.css-14dqn90{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(4px/2);margin-right:calc(4px/2);}.css-12an5ma{font-family:The Sun;font-size:20px;line-height:1.2;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;padding:1px 0px;}.css-12an5ma::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.261875em + -1px);}.css-12an5ma::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:calc(-0.25em + -1.3px);}.css-1tob514{color:rgba(32,134,98,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;margin-right:4px;}.css-1tob514:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}SCHOOLGIRL HORROR .css-1efa55o{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1efa55o:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Two arrested after girl, nine, found stabbed to death on lane
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    The Bluebirds were sensationally linked with a free transfer swoop for Welsh hero Gareth Bale this summer.
    But fans were left gutted when the 33-year-old move to the MLS with Los Angeles FC
    Cardiff fans left shirts and flowers in tribute outside the Welsh club’s stadium after the shock news of Peter Whittingham’s tragic death at the age of 35 in 2020Credit: Getty More

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    The Championship is BACK but who will get their £200m Prem payday or suffer relegation heartbreak ahead of big kick-off?

    WHENEVER I see managers like Luton’s Nathan Jones it makes me glad I’m now only watching football in my armchair rather than getting het up on the touchline.Nathan doesn’t just bite his nails but knuckles too. I’ve never seen anything like it — and it makes me think, ‘Thank goodness, I’m retired.’
    Watching Nathan Jones makes Neil Warnock feel glad he retired
    Neil Warnock runs his rule over the Championship this season
    The emotional rollercoaster you go through in the Championship is like nothing else and it’s a league where you can toss coins all week and still struggle to pick out who will get promoted. 
    There are no certainties and that is why it’s one of the world’s best leagues.
    This season is going to be yet another wide-open race and here, exclusively for SunSport, I run the rule over every single team.
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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}LIVING THE DREAM .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Time to pick your Dream Team and win up to £100k along with monthly prizes
    MY TOP SIX
    NORWICH
    THE Canaries are best equipped and with Dean Smith as manager they’ll definitely be there or thereabouts. 
    He knows the Championship inside-out, having done a great job at Brentford before leaving to take Aston Villa back into the Premier League. 
    Dean has a good squad, knows what they need and the club will back him because they have the parachute payments that give relegated clubs a huge advantage.
    The Finnish lad Teemu Pukki will be massive. He has again been loyal by staying after relegation, as he did a couple of seasons ago. Norwich will create chances and Pukki will put them away.
    Championship title oddsFrom Sky Bet

    Norwich 4/1
    Watford 11/2
    Middlesbrough 7/1
    Sheffield United 7/1
    West Brom 8/1
    Burnley 9/1

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    Teemu Pukki will massive once again in the Championship for Norwich
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#dcdddd;background-color:#ffffff;}.css-14dqn90{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(4px/2);margin-right:calc(4px/2);}.css-12an5ma{font-family:The Sun;font-size:20px;line-height:1.2;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;padding:1px 0px;}.css-12an5ma::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.261875em + -1px);}.css-12an5ma::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:calc(-0.25em + -1.3px);}.css-1tob514{color:rgba(32,134,98,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;margin-right:4px;}.css-1tob514:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}THE MAGIC TUCH .css-1efa55o{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1efa55o:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Thomas Tuchel holidays with new Brazilian girlfriend, 35, days after divorce
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    BURNLEY
    WITH the Sean Dyche era over, the club have gone for an up-and-coming manager in Vincent Kompany. He’s recruited an excellent assistant in Craig Bellamy, who is full of energy, and they’ll do a good job together.
    They’ve let some players go that in all honesty needed to leave. It was a much-needed freshening up.
    You must give Burnley credit for signing Scott Twine from MK Dons. I watched him destroy Plymouth by scoring a hat-trick and thought, ‘Wow, this lad is going to be a good player’ so I told two managers higher up, ‘Sign this lad.’
    Scott Twine is a great signing for Burnley from MK Dons
    Vincent Kompany is a good up-and-coming manager
    Neither did so well done to Vincent and Craig for doing so.
    He plays behind the striker, has a great touch and good finish. The scouting is obviously spot on at Burnley.
    Another interesting signing is the midfield lad, Josh Cullen, from Anderlecht. He had done well during his loan spells from West Ham at Charlton and he even captained Anderlecht, which tells you lot.
    WATFORD
    IT’S always a risk when a club decides to appoint a manager like Rob Edwards from the lower leagues. 
    He did a great job getting Forest Green promoted from League Two but the Championship is different gravy and a hard league if you’ve not prepared right. I’m genuinely interested to see how he gets on.
    Watford have taken a risk by appointing Rob Edwards from the lower leagues
    Watford go through so many managers but it has in the past worked for them — although not so much in the last year.
    They plummeted. Although they had good players, the spirit wasn’t there. And the one thing you do need in the Championship is spirit.
    WEST BROM
    STEVE BRUCE took over from Valerien Ismael and will have been expecting a lot more from the team towards the end of last season. In the end, it was just about getting through to the summer and starting from scratch.
    I expect them to be far better this time with a pre-season under their belts and players like Daryl Dike getting back to fitness. They should be pushing the top group.
    SHEFFIELD UNITED
    EXPECTATIONS will be higher after Paul Heckingbottom enjoyed  a free ride when he took over last season and so narrowly missed out on taking the club back to the Premier League.
    It was a smart move from Paul to bring in Stuart McCall as his assistant because he has seen it all.
    They’ve a good group of lads. Billy Sharp up front isn’t getting any younger but he continues to surprise me and is playing the best football of his career if they keep him fit.
    Anel Ahmedhodzic cost Sheffield United £4m from Malmo
    It sounds as though the Swedish lad they signed from Malmo for £4million [Anel Ahmedhodzic] is the type of ball-playing centre-half Paul likes and midfielder Ciaran Clarke, on loan from Newcastle, certainly is comfortable in possession too.
    I expect the Blades to be up there.
    MIDDLESBROUGH
    I HAD expected my last club to go up because they were the best team out of all those pushing for a play-off spot last season — but fell short as they didn’t have the striker. 
    They brought some in during January but it didn’t really come off for them.
    They’re going to have to score more goals so will be looking to sign a striker. 
    An evening with Neil Warnock JOIN record breaking legendary manager Neil Warnock as he talks you through his unique and astonishing career, in front of a live audience for the first time.
    Record number of games as a manager, 16 clubs and eight promotions, from non-league to Premier League and a thousand stories along the way that have never been told.
    No holds barred ,delivered in Neil’s unique and imitable style with stories that will make you laugh, cry, gasp and laugh again
    Hear about Neil’s early career as a player in the lower leagues, making over 300 appearances, and what then inspired and drove him on to succeed and reach the highest level in management.
    Watch footage with Neil of some of the highlights and lowlights of his career, on the large interactive screen, that will allow you to be part of the evening in a very unique and innovative way.
    Learn all about the explosive moments and controversial incidents, taking you right back to when they happened , giving you the full inside story.
    There will be lots of special guests joining Neil, former players and staff that have shared the good times and bad with him over the years.
    Hear about his thoughts on coming up against Fergie, Pep, Jose and Klopp and who he rates as the best of them all.
    He might also have one or two things to say about referees he has crossed paths with!
    A unique evening of chat and entertainment in the company of one of football’s biggest characters, who has spent over 60 years of his life in the game and has a lot to tell you about.
    Book you tickets HERE to watch this colourful character of the game at the following places across the country.
    Cardiff (Sep 6) 
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    Plymouth (Oct 28)
    Middlesbrough (Nov 18)
    Scarborough (Nov 19)

    SURPRISE PACKAGES
    LUTON
    MAKING the play-offs last season was remarkable — but even if Nathan Jones leads them to a mid-table finish it will have been another good year.
    They have a good dressing room — which you need in this league — and will be looking to ruffle a few feathers.
    Cauley Woodrow from Barnsley is a good attacking signing for them.
    COVENTRY
    MARK ROBINS is one of the unsung heroes of the Championship and I’m surprised he’s still at Coventry because you’d have thought a club higher up would have taken him by now.
    He’s one of the brightest managers in the league but just goes about his business. He doesn’t get flustered and has a way of playing. I do like Viktor Gyokeres up top for them. Mid-table, pushing for the play-offs, is a realistic expectation.
    MILLWALL
    BENIK AFOBE has signed permanently from Stoke. He is a striker who I’ve looked at a few times and thought, “Wow, if he can put his mind to it … what a player.”
    Then other times I’ve thought he has been terrible. 
    Championship odds… to get promotedFrom Sky Bet

    Luton 8/1
    Coventry 7/1
    Millwall 15/2

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    Benik Afobe has found the perfect manager for him in Gary Rowett
    Gary Rowett seemed to get the best out of him and Afobe needs that type of manager: one who will allow him some freedom but drum into him to do the basics.
    Gary is a good manager and I expect the Lions to be mid-table, possibly pushing for the play-offs.
    THE CLUB TO WATCH
    SUNDERLAND?
    ONE of my biggest regrets was not taking the Sunderland job when I was at Notts County. 
    They’re a sleeping giant and have one of the league’s best strikers in Ross Stewart.
    Ross Stewart will be one of the best strikers in the Championship
    I was told last year to go and watch this Sunderland striker called Charlie Wyke, who would soon be available. 
    I went to watch him but ended up saying, “One of the best strikers in the league has got to be Stewart.”
    I like his movement, unselfishness and attitude.
    That is one department where they don’t need to strengthen.
    He’s good as any striker in the Championship.
    RELEGATION BATTLERS
    ROTHERHAM
    THE Millers are always going to have a fight on their hands with the league’s lowest budget and they’ve lost top-scorer Michael Smith and centre-half Michael Ihiekwe to Sheffield Wednesday as well as striker Freddie Ladapo to Ipswich.
    Paul Warne has developed as a manager and has stayed loyal to the club. He’s always ready to roll his sleeves up.
    I’ve a lot of time for Rotherham and Warney. They’re a club that is backs against the wall and they’ll be odds on to go down.
    Championship relegation oddsFrom Sky Bet

    Rotherham 6/4
    Birmingham 13/8
    Reading 13/8
    Wigan 9/4
    Blackpool 10/3
    Bristol City 10/3

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    Paul Warne’s back will be up against the wall again this season
    BLACKPOOL
    THE SEASIDERS punched above their weight last season and their home form is going to be paramount.
    They’ve good players there like Jerry Yates and Gary Madine, one of my old strikers.
    They do have a strike force. It’s whether they can tighten up at the back a bit to keep away from the bottom part of the table.
    HULL
    THEY’VE a new owner in Acun Ilicali and their Georgian manager Shota Arveladze. I didn’t like how they ended their relationship last season with Grant McCann, who did a good job there.
    Hull have brought in players from abroad but let’s see how they do on a dark and wet Tuesday night in Humberside.
    READING
    I CAN’T see them having a great season because of the state of the club and the squad at Paul Ince’s disposal. They only stayed up last season because of Derby’s points deduction.
    THE REST
    BLACKBURN
    JON DAHL TOMASSON had a brilliant playing career and was a top Danish international but management is different.
    Jon Dahl Tomasson has taken over at Blackburn
    He isn’t someone who has seen much of the Championship so it was a gamble bringing him in to replace Tony Mowbray.
    It’ll be fascinating to see how he does at Ewood Park.
    QPR
    MY old club have taken a bit of a gamble in appointing Michael Beale but seem to have done their homework.
    They’re not paying silly money out and will be giving youth a chance.
    If Michael can get them on a bit of a roll, Loftus Road will be electric.
    BRISTOL CITY
    CAN’T see them pushing top half although I’ve always liked Andreas Weimann.
    He’s a natural striker I’ve tried to sign and is always good value for at least 15 goals a season. They need to tighten things at the back.
    HUDDERSFIELD
    LOSING Harry Toffolo and Lewis O’Brien — their two best players — will be too much for them to recover from this season.
    Gary Schofield has taken over from Carlos Corberan and knows the squad but it’ll be tough to replicate what they did last time out by reaching the play-off final, losing to Nottingham Forest.
    PRESTON
    RYAN LOWE’S first full season at Deepdale is likely to be steady. I can’t see them struggling because they’ve a good home record and a nucleus of a good side.
    CARDIFF
    STEVE MORRISON has gone down the younger route for players and has brought quite a few in, including experienced ex-Brentford midfielder Romaine Sawyers, 30, from West Brom.
    They need to get them blending quickly. Mid-table I reckon.
    SWANSEA
    JOE ALLEN has returned to the Liberty and fits nicely into their brand of football.
    I can’t see the Swans pushing because Championship teams work out how to play against them.
    They have an attractive style and don’t change it — but there are certain times you need a Plan B.
    Joe Allen is back home at Swansea
    BIRMINGHAM
    A LOT will depend on the new owners and how new manager John Eustace does. They certainly could do with some stability.
    WIGAN
    LEAM RICHARDSON has a good squad and I expect them to be comfortable mid-table. Will Keane up front should score goals for them.
    .css-16e4f55{margin:16px 0;}.css-1546w7m{background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);margin:16px 0;}.css-1tapza8{padding:20px 15px;}.css-1bk4jdt{padding:20px 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    STOKE
    COULD possibly push for a play-off place but I think it’ll be another mid-table finish for the Potters.
    NEIL WARNOCK was talking to SunSport’s JUSTIN ALLEN
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    Supercomputer predicts final 2022-23 Championship table with Sunderland in for solid season but Burnley struggling

    NORWICH, Watford and Middlesbrough will battle it out for the Championship title with Burnley well off the pace, a supercomputer has predicted.And it will be a solid first season back in the second tier for Sunderland.
    Norwich are aiming to win the Championship for the third time in five years
    How the predicted Championship table will look
    However, crisis club Birmingham could be staring down the barrel of relegation come May.
    The OLBG number-crunching machine has Norwich as the favourites to win the league for the third time out of five at 5/1 with Watford 13/2 and Middlesbrough 8/1.
    The Canaries and Hornets were both relegated from the Premier League last season following promotion the year before.
    Vincent Kompany has a huge task on his hands trying to guide Burnley back into the top flight.
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    The Clarets have lost key players Nick Pope, Ben Mee, James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil – plus Maxwel Cornet is attracting plenty of interest.
    And the bookmakers have Burnley down to finish sixth, snatching the final play-off spot with West Brom and Sheffield United as Swansea and Luton just miss out.

    Millwall, Coventry, Blackburn and Hull look set for drama-free mid-table finishes, with the first three of those all 5/6 to end the campaign in the top ten.
    But as always with the Championship, any number of teams could be in the mix to go down – with the bottom three demoted to League One.
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    Perennial yo-yo side Rotherham are favourites to go down at 6/4 and therefore tipped to finish 24th with Birmingham and Reading (both 13/8) joining the Millers.
    That means the likes of Bristol City, Blackpool, Wigan and Preston will survive.
    Huddersfield, who lost last season’s play-off final to Nottingham Forest, are predicted to come 17th and are 6/1 to go down.
    That is just behind Sunderland, winners at Wembley in the League One showdown, in 16th at 7/1, with Stoke, QPR and Cardiff filling the spots from 13th to 15th.
    The new Championship season gets underway tomorrow night with Huddersfield hosting Burnley before heavyweight ties Middlesbrough vs West Brom and Watford vs Sheffield United later in the weekend.
    Vincent Kompany will be hoping to enjoy success with Burnley
    Sunderland are preparing for their long-awaited return to the ChampionshipCredit: Getty More

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    I genuinely thought I was a s*** footballer during nightmare Birmingham spell as toxic split took over club, says Deeney

    TROY DEENEY says “people got away with murder” at Birmingham City last season.The ex-Watford striker admitted he ended a miserable campaign at St Andrew’s questioning his own ability.
    Troy Deeney endured a frustrating campaign at Birmingham City and says people ‘got away with murder’Credit: Getty
    Deeney revealed he was thinking “Am I s***?” after not getting games under ex-boss Lee Bowyer.
    His first campaign at his hometown club was an unhappy one as Blues struggled in the Championship.
    Only Derby County and Reading’s points deductions stopped them being sucked into a relegation battle.
    And Deeney, 34, admitted things were no better behind the scenes.
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    It was a season that ended with Bowyer being sacked and replaced with John Eustace. And Deeney made it clear the atmosphere at St Andrew’s was not great — in contrast to now.
    He said: “We made a lot of excuses for things that happened, we got sloppy in our approach to things.
    “People got away with murder and were rewarded for it.
    “It ended up making a divide, in any business it’ll do that. We’re glad it’s over and that we stayed up.
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    “Hopefully, we can move on to bigger and better things. But lessons had to be learnt from that.
    “If you can reflect and look back, and maybe think: ‘Things didn’t work out right, but what more can I do?’
    “That’s when you know things have been pretty poor.”
    Deeney started the season aiming to revive Birmingham – but ended it doubting himself after making just 15 league starts and scoring four goals.
    He added: “This summer I turned the phone off and sat with the kids and understood who I am. Football can beat you up.
    I genuinely thought: ‘Am I s***?’ Troy Deeney
    “But I was fit for the last six weeks or two months of the season, and I played one game.
    “I genuinely thought: ‘Am I s**t?’ “Maybe I wasn’t that good any more.
    “Then I remembered that eight months earlier I was playing in the Premier League.
    “And I thought, maybe it wasn’t just me.
    “I wasn’t getting games, I wondered if I’d suddenly got old overnight.
    “When you’re seeing the team lose, and you’re not playing, then you’re being told from outside you’re the problem.
    “One and one normally equals two, how am I getting 13? “I took it to heart, I’m local, everyone knows where I’m from and people are asking me what’s going on.
    “It’s a hard one to swallow and not say anything.
    Everyone’s written us off but we are as fit as we can beTroy Deeney
    “Now I just want to – along with the rest of the team – prove everyone wrong. We’re in a great situation now.
    “Everyone’s written us off but we are as fit as we can be.
    “We have probably gone a bit Burnley style we have 18 first team players and some young boys and let’s bring it on.
    “We need to roll our sleeves up, get the elbow grease out and start elbowing people in the dish!”
    Deeney also wants to help Brum’s younger players – including Jobe Bellingham, brother of England and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude.
    I don’t know what their mum and dad feed their kidsDeeney on Jobe Bellingham
    Jobe will will sign a professional deal at St Andrew’s when he turns 17 on September 23.
    Deeney said: “He’s unbelievable. I don’t know what their mum and dad feed their kids, but they’re special, I need the recipe for my kids. He has a chance.
    “But I feel so sorry for him at times. He has a brother who’s two years older and has absolutely burst on to the scene. That’s the comparison.
    “But Jobe has only just done his GCSEs two weeks ago. Let him be a kid.
    “I said to him the other day because he was getting so frustrated because he wants it so bad.
    “I said go to a waterpark, go play football with your mates, go and do something that is not here. Just be a kid for a day and he came in the next day and was like you were right.
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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}FENCE ROW .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}We’re furious after verge we’ve parked on for 35 years was blocked with 40m fence
    “It’ll all come in good time. He has this pressure and expectation from himself to be the best at everything.
    “It takes time, some people get it straight away, some take time.”
    Jobe Bellingham has plenty of talentCredit: Rex More