Home thoughts from abroad
Today sees the final fixtures in the Championship — and what a riveting season it has been for all sorts of reasons.
Unfortunately, as my side Bolton try to cement a play-off place against Blackpool — managed by my former boss Paul Ince — I will be a long way away from the action, doing rehabilitation for my Achilles injury in Qatar. I’m going to be here for a few weeks so I will do a column on this amazing place very soon.
The main reason I signed for Bolton was to be a big part of getting a very good, traditional club back to the promised land of the Premier League. With the squad they had at their disposal and assurances from the then manager Owen Coyle that he was under no pressure to sell key players, I genuinely felt this was a massive opportunity to get another promotion on my CV.
When you look at the three relegated sides from the Premier League last season — ourselves and, ironically, two of my former clubs Blackburn and Wolves — then it’s clear to see that a lot of teams find it hard to adapt to life in the Championship.
As we struggled in the early part of the season it was, unfortunately, Owen Coyle who paid the price and lost his job. I know this was a big decision for the football club as Owen was somebody they very much liked and, if you met him, it would be easy to see why.
I felt terrible when I heard the news he was losing his job, not least because he was the man who had brought me to the club. But, football being football, it wasn’t long before our new manager, Dougie Freedman, was installed and the show went on.
There was a big difference in styles, and the work and vision the manager was putting into training in those first few months in charge really started to pay off with performances and, more importantly, results becoming more consistent.
If we do cement that fifth or sixth-place finish today then we will be going into the playoffs with great momentum and belief.
At times, the squad has had to show a lot of character in the face of criticism — some of it fair, I have to say — yet, despite losing key players with injuries, we have still maintained our consistency in recent weeks.
Champions Cardiff have been knocking at the door of promotion for some time so I’m glad to see them get their rewards. Their manager Malkay Mackay always impresses me when interviewed and he’s done a fantastic job there.
It tells you all you need to know about why Cardiff have been successful this season that, when I was choosing my team of the year, I realised I wasn’t even considering many of their players, because I regarded the side, first and foremost, as a unit. In other words, they are the best team, if not necessarily made up of the best individuals.
Don’t get me wrong, they have some very fine and talented players, but not one of them has caught the eye more than Thomas Ince, Wilfred Zaha, Glen Murray or Matej Vydra. It just shows you how far you can go with a team that buys into a philosophy and who all want to go in the same direction.
If that sounds like I’m not giving Cardiff enough credit here, let me be clear: they are very worthy champions of this gruelling league. I believe they will also hold their own next year if they make the right additions to the squad and, with the financial power at their command and the manager they have in place, I’m sure they will get the right personnel.
They just need to look at the likes of Swansea, Norwich and West Brom to see inspiring examples of teams getting promoted and staying in the Premier League — and doing so without putting the club at financial risk.
Some teams who were fancied strongly before a ball was kicked in anger back in August have fallen short, some a long way short.
I spoke about Wolves’ precarious league position a couple of months ago and the downward spiral they’ve been in since the departure of Mick McCarthy as manager in February of last year.
Having spent nine years at Molineux from the age of 15, I know what a big club it is and how important it is to the community. So I really find it hard to believe that, barring a miracle today, they will be playing League One football come August.
Personally, I find it sad to think of a club where I learnt my trade going from playing derbies against Villa and West Brom to doing so against Walsall in the space of a year.
Another old club of mine, Blackburn Rovers, were also in a very tricky position with a couple of weeks remaining in the season but, fortunately for them, they pulled a couple of results out of the bag to rescue themselves from back-to-back relegations.
Back at the top, Hull City or Watford will join Cardiff in the Premier League next season and it’s going to be a nerve-wracking afternoon for both sides. With Hull a point ahead, they at least have their destiny in their own hands.
Both these sides have overachieved this season. Both managers, Steve Bruce and Gianfranco Zola, took over their respective clubs less than a year ago and have done really well to mould their squads into promotion-winning contenders.
A lot of people have questioned Watford’s loan signings, the sheer amount of them and whether it’s even fair in principle. Well, they aren’t breaking any rules so you can’t really blame Zola or the owners for utilising what they have at their disposal.
It’s often remarked that, because of fixture congestion and the physical nature of a lot of the games, this is a really tough league.
There’s no doubt you have to have a different mindset to play in the Championship as opposed to the Premier League.
I personally relish the different stadiums that you play at which is just as well because, if you don’t embrace the experience, you can quickly become unstuck.
A painful example: I played for Ipswich at Peterborough once and we came off the pitch with nine men, having conceded seven goals. So, yes, it’s a tough league, trust me.
All in all, we’re in for an intriguing two hours from 12.45 today. And rest assured, though I might be a long way from home, I’ll be on the edge of my seat here in Qatar, fervently hoping that we are still in with a chance of promotion by the end of it.
