CC Championship: 4th - 6th Nov

[slick]

Coca-Cola League Championship

04 Nov 07:00 Barnsley v Leeds 2.50 3.25 2.50
04 Nov 07:00 Burnley v Ipswich 1.90 3.25 3.60
04 Nov 07:00 Colchester v Cardiff 2.40 3.25 2.62
04 Nov 07:00 Derby v West Brom 2.50 3.25 2.50
04 Nov 07:00 Norwich v Sunderland 2.25 3.25 2.80
04 Nov 07:00 Plymouth v Birmingham 2.40 3.25 2.62
04 Nov 07:00 Preston v Luton 1.72 3.40 4.33
04 Nov 07:00 QPR v Crystal Palace 2.50 3.25 2.50
04 Nov 07:00 Sheff Wed v Leicester 2.25 3.25 2.80
04 Nov 07:00 Southampton v Hull 1.66 3.50 4.50
04 Nov 07:00 Wolverhampton v Southend 1.66 3.50 4.50
06 Nov 12:00 Stoke v Coventry 2.10 3.20 3.2

odds bet365

[keemanan]

ok shortlist time

Barsnley v leeds , bit of a derby , cant really back any team with any confidence

Burnley look huge there at 1.9! may snaffle that today , Andy gray is a top notch striker at this level , Ipswich may struggle

Cardiff again maybe , they will have been to saltergate a fair bit over the years so no suprises for them , we have a bluebird fan , I'll wait for his thoughts but I'm on as it stands, over evens is a great price .
Derby v WBA - fallen giants do battle etc.. the baggies appeal here , losing that lead midweek will have them on their toes I rekon , a wake up call of sorts . Derby came back well last night so I respect them. I'll wait and see

Norwich at 2.25 at home demand a look , I'll see how their injuries look , McVeigh will be back and he's important , I rekon Hucks shud be fit and earnshaw , Crooks is deffo out mind . Sunderland have spunk but wont hold Norwich if they turn up

Plymouth v Brum - I think Brum are slight faves here as Plymouth love playing at home . Bruce may settle for a draw

Preston at 1.72 I'm on already

QPR appeal but just how long can Palace go on getting beaten? 4 straight I think now

Sheff v Leicester - drawey

Soton should see off Hull but how they can be 1.66 and Preston be 1.72 is madness

Wolves I'm off them for good

Stoke v Coventry , one of them games that will tell you a lot about 2 teams who make you scratch yourhead. I like Stoke more and more but Cov have got 2 wins away on the bounce. They lost to Brum midweek mind so that 2.1 looks nice

[rcgills]

Originally Posted by keemanan

Cardiff again maybe , they will have been to saltergate a fair bit over the years so no suprises for them

And given that Layer Road's an absolute dump, I bet they'd rather be going to Saltergate again this time too I think Jbg might want a word with you if he sees this

Agree with you on Preston, and could also be tempted by Norwich, but that's about all that stands out to me in this league this weekend at first glance.

[keemanan]

ffs , I cant even edit it now RC cheers

soz jbg!

Yeah Norwich maybe quite a good price

Courtesy of daks links:

City swapped their attacking injury woes for a defensive fitness headache as two home points went begging against Colchester United last night.

While forwards Darren Huckerby and Robert Earnshaw beat the odds to return to the starting line-up against the U's, the Canaries finished their 1-1 draw at Carrow Road with central defenders Gary Doherty and Craig Fleming on the treatment table and both doubtful for Saturday's visit of Roy Keane's Sunderland.

A good read this:
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/conte...A19%3A12%3A323

Only Crooks out really now from their frontline.

[jbgb007uk]

MMM Saltergate is falling down falling down Saltergate is falling down. I love the old place and its only one of a few real grounds left. So why don't you go over the new soulless concrete messes that are lower league football grounds.

[rcgills]

Originally Posted by jbgb007uk

MMM Saltergate is falling down falling down Saltergate is falling down. I love the old place and its only one of a few real grounds left. So why don't you go over the new soulless concrete messes that are lower league football grounds.

Think you've misunderstood something there jbgb . No-one's criticised Saltergate on here.

[jbgb007uk]

comparing it to layer road is an insults chaps I mean at Saltergate you don't get a roof in the away end. Layer road is soo posh, I bet they have real toilets too, not a wall with a grate.

[rcgills]

Ah, but Layer Road has a bouncy floor in the away end, and an opaque sheet of plastic splitting the away end in half and meaning anyone stood anywhere near the back can't see what's going on any time the ball is in an area of about 20 yards around the corner flag.

Anyway, this is going a bit off-topic now, sorry Keemanan, I'll leave this thread to get back to the topic of the Championship

[keemanan]

All's not well at the Ricoh

Micky Adams has apologised to the fans he refused to acknowledge after being booed at Saturday's win against Barnsley.The travelling Sky Blues support chanted "You don't know what you're doing" at Adams when Wayne Andrews replaced Leon McKenzie with seven minutes remaining at Oakwell.

Adams said: "One mistake I made at Oakwell was failing to acknowledge the supporters when I left the pitch and for that I apologise". "I was obviously upset with the chanting of some of our fans, but I put my hands up and admit that I should have thanked everyone for making the trip up to Barnsley."

They won that game ffs!
Reading their site it appears Admas is tinkering with his formation much to the fans dismay.
Cov can keep it tight , they are ranked 2nd in goals against but tellingly ranked 20th in goals for. They are missing McSheffrey up front but I notice Hutchinson came on in the second half and sparked a flurry of chances. Hughes may miss the game thru injury but he wont be a big out . Adebola is also touch and go and he will be missed on the bench.
Stoke look to be going in the right direction , Hendrie is reakky giving the place a lift and by all accounts they were kicked off the park v Leicester on saturday. Back at home now where they are on a nice run defeating both Norwich 5-0 and Sunderland 2-1. Bangoura was on the bench on saturday and if he's fit he will add another dimension to their attack .

yeah , I'm on but only 2 pts as Cov have shown some away form
Stoke 2.2 SJ 2 pts

[marque]

Only 1 pick
Luton +3/4 @1.975

[rcgills]

Gone off Norwich now with those defensive problems. Still definitely like Preston, will be backing them. Other one I'm considering in this league is overs in the Burnley v Ipswich game. Both sides pretty high scoring this season, and the last
8 meetings between the two have seen 29 goals. One thing that worries me though is that Burnley had 2 successive 0-0s last month against Plymouth and Southend. Did they have any kind of injury problems in those games (i.e. top scorer out), or did they just struggle to find the net? Anyone know?

[rcgills]

Hmm, price on Preston appears to have dropped quite a bit. 1.6 now

[kompressaur]

Barnsley v Leeds
Defender Bobby Hassell is expected to miss the Yorkshire derby clash with Leeds through injury.
Hassell gave the Tykes a first-half lead before they went down 2-1 at Derby in midweek, but was forced off at the interval with a groin injury.

Manager Andy Ritchie has confirmed Neil Austin will start against fellow strugglers Leeds at Oakwell.

Midfielder Brian Howard shrugged off an Achilles injury to start at Derby and is expected to retain his place with Colin Healy again on the bench.

Strikers Paul Hayes and Daniel Nardiello both began on the bench at Pride Park and will be hoping for a place in the starting line-up.

Ritchie has no other new injury or suspension worries as his side look to leapfrog Leeds out of the bottom three.

Jonathon Douglas is expected to return to Leeds' starting line-up.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder missed the midweek defeat at Preston through suspension but could be a straight swap for Ian Westlake.

Manager Dennis Wise will not be able to call on Frazer Richardson. The 24-year-old was hoping to return to the first-team squad following a midweek reserve-team run-out, but suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury.

Wise must decide whether to stick with on-loan Reading goalkeeper Graham Stack for a third successive game or recall either Neil Sullivan or Tony Warner.

On-loan striker Geoff Horsfield will be hoping for a start against his hometown club after stepping off the bench at Deepdale, but he will be vying with David Healy, Robbie Blake and Richard Cresswell, with Ian Moore expected to resume on the right of midfield.

Burnley v Ipswich
Burnley boss Steve Cotterill will make a late decision on Wayne Thomas ahead of the home clash with Ipswich.
The defender sustained a knee problem in the win over Preston that kept him out of the 2-0 victory at Luton in midweek.

Midfielder Garreth O'Connor and striker Gifton Noel-Williams both missed the game against the Hatters with flu but Cotterill is hopeful they will return.

Defender John McGreal (knee) will be sidelined for at least another month.

Striker Darryl Knights is included in the Ipswich squad after scoring a brace of goals in his last three reserve-team games.

The 18-year-old made his debut as a substitute at Sunderland in November 2004 and will be cover as Billy Clarke is a doubt with a knee injury.

Either Gary Roberts or Danny Haynes is likely to partner Alan Lee in attack if Clarke is ruled out.

On-loan striker Jon Macken has a hamstring problem while Fabian Wilnis - the first player in Ipswich's history to be sent off three times - is suspended.

Keeper Lewis Price will be out for two more weeks with a fractured rib.

Ipswich, who are unbeaten in three games, will be playing their third match in seven days having beaten Luton 5-0 at home on Sunday and drawn 1-1 at Plymouth on Tuesday.

Colchester v Cardiff
Colchester will be without defender Chris Barker when they host Cardiff at Layer Road.
The left-back is ruled out under the terms of his loan deal from Ninian Park, so John White and George Elokobi are on standby to come in.

Midfielders Richard Garcia (ankle) and Kevin Watson (calf) are edging closer to fitness, but manager Geraint Williams could opt to stick with Johnnie Jackson and Kevin McLeod, who have performed well in their absence.

Marino Keith (ankle) remains a long-term absentee as Colchester put their five-match winning run at home on the line against the league leaders.

Veteran striker Kevin Campbell will make his full Cardiff debut in place of Steve Thompson.

The 36-year-old played the entire second half of Tuesday's match at Sunderland after replacing Achilles-injury victim Thompson, who has since undergone surgery and will be sidelined for the rest of the month.

The Bluebirds will again be without Arsenal loanee Kerrea Gilbert, who serves the last game of a three-match ban, with Watford loanee James Chambers continuing to deputise.

Derby v West Brom
Midfielder Morten Bisgaard is pushing for a recall to Derby's starting XI for the Pride Park clash with West Brom.
A hamstring concern meant the Dane started the 2-1 midweek win over Barnsley on the bench but then featured as a second-half substitute without any ill effects.

Giles Barnes, who scored both goals against the Tykes, has been passed fit despite minor nose and eye injuries.

Fellow midfielder Matt Oakley is expected to miss out with a bout of sciatica which is affecting his hip and thigh, while a hamstring niggle will also keep Michael Johnson on the sidelines.

Striker Paul Peschisolido continues to be ruled out by a thigh injury and midfielder Bob Malcolm is not expected back until January after an ankle operation.

West Brom manager Tony Mowbray is pondering whether to switch goalkeepers.

Mowbray has admitted first-choice Pascal Zuberbuhler is suffering a crisis of confidence and Russell Hoult is now on standby to replace the Swiss international.

Left-back Paul Robinson will be forced to miss out again as he serves the second game of a three-match ban.

Meanwhile, Darren Carter's hamstring problems mean the winger is unlikely to be risked, and an ankle knock has ruled out Nigel Quashie.

Long-term absentees Neil Clement and Thomas Gaardsoe have yet to complete their rehabilitation following respective knee and groin operations.

Norwich v Sunderland
Norwich manager Peter Grant is sweating on the fitness of defensive duo Gary Doherty and Craig Fleming for the visit of Sunderland.
Doherty suffered a back problem in Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Colchester and replacement Fleming has a tight hamstring. Both are rated doubtful.

Dion Dublin could revert to defence as cover or Grant could give a start to youngster Michael Spillane.

Lee Croft will definitely be missing after turning his ankle in Saturday's defeat to Stoke. The former Manchster City winger will see a specialist on Tuesday to find out the extent of the damage but looks set to spend four to six weeks on the sidelines.

Grant welcomes back Paul Mcveigh and Jamie Ashdown from suspension but Paul Gallacher looks set to keep his place between the posts after impressing in midweek.

Fit-again pair Rob Earnshaw and Darren Huckerby are likely to keep their places after coming through the full 90 minutes against the Us.

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is hoping striker David Connolly will be passed fit.

A hamstring injury kept the Republic of Ireland international out of Tuesday's home defeat to Cardiff but he is in line to face the Canaries.

Nyron Nosworthy, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, should also return to the squad.

Graham Kavanagh (knee) and Stephen Elliott (ankle) both featured against the Bluebirds in midweek and should continue their comebacks at Carrow Road.

Defender Steve Caldwell is also set to be named in the squad after recovering from the knee injury which has sidelined him since early-August.

Ross Wallace completes a two-match suspension and Kenny Cunningham and Stephen Wright remain long-term absentees.

Plymouth v Birmingham
Plymouth are boosted by the return of two defenders for their home clash with top-six rivals Birmingham.
Left-back Lee Hodges had a 90-minute run-out for the reserves in midweek and as long as he suffers no reaction should come into contention.

Hodges injured his knee in the 1-0 defeat at Southampton on September 16.

Defender Hasney Aljofree should also come into the reckoning after missing the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace and Tuesday's 1-1 home draw with Ipswich. Aljofree was on compassionate leave.

Otherwise, manager Ian Holloway has a selection poser in attack where he can choose from Nick Chadwick, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake or five-goal top scorer Barry Hayles, who was introduced as a substitute during the second half of Tuesday's draw after serving a suspension.

Midfielder Damien Johnson will be missing from the Birmingham side after undergoing surgery.

The Blues captain has undergone an operation to fix the broken jaw he sustained in the challenge which earned West Brom's Paul Robinson a red card in City's 2-0 win at St Andrews.

A knee injury is expected to keep striker Mikael Forssell out of action while David Dunn continues to be troubled by hamstring problems.

An ankle knock keeps Neil Kilkenny on the sidelines and centre-half Matthew Upson remains short of fitness despite his recovery from an Achilles tendon rupture.

Preston v Luton
Preston manager Paul Simpson is hoping Patrick Agyemang will be fit to face Luton at Deepdale.
The striker, who underwent hernia surgery in the summer, missed the 4-1 win over Leeds with a slight groin problem.

But Simpson is optimistic he will come into contention with in-form Danny Dichio serving a one-game ban.

Defender Callum Davidson is likely to return to the bench after being rested in midweek, while goalkeeper Chris Neal will also be among the substitutes with Andy Lonergan having joined Swindon on a month's loan.

Striker Neil Mellor (knee) and midfielder Adam Nowland (broken leg) remain sidelined and defender Youl Mawene (knee) is a long-term absentee.

Luton boss Mike Newell is desperate to have some of his regulars back.

The Hatters were without first-choice quintet Kevin Foley, Lewis Emanuel, Sol Davis, Sam Parkin and Chris Coyne for the home game with Burnley in midweek, and it showed as they were beaten 2-0 at home.

Foley could recover in time after failing a late fitness test before the Clarets clash, but Davis will certainly not be involved as he continues his recovery from the stroke he suffered on the way to the match at Ipswich last weekend.

Defender Coyne and midfielder Emanuel (both knee) face an uphill struggle to make the game, as does forward Parkin (ankle).

The Hatters need to get back to winning ways after losing their last three fixtures, conceding 11 goals and failing to score in the process.

Utility-man Paul Underwood continues to recover from illness and is a long-term casualty along with young forward Calvin Andrew (knee).

QPR v Crystal Palace
QPR boss John Gregory is unlikely to make many changes to his team for the home clash with Crystal Palace.
Some of Rangers' key players are working their way back to full fitness and Gregory's squad looks far stronger than it has in recent weeks.

Midfielder Marc Bircham could come back into contention after missing the last two matches due to a hamstring injury, but otherwise Gregory is poised to field the same players who started the 3-3 draw at West Brom in midweek.

Marc Nygaard is also pushing for a recall in attack after stepping off the bench to score the equaliser at The Hawthorns.

Defender Pat Kanyuka (hamstring) is likely to miss out along with forward Paul Furlong, who is still building match fitness following a thigh injury.

Crystal Palace hope to have forward James Scowcroft back.

The summer signing from Coventry has missed the Eagles' last three matches with a hamstring injury but has a good chance of returning for the clash at Loftus Road.

Jobi McAnuff could also regain his place in the starting line-up after coming on as a second-half substitute during the 3-2 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in midweek.

But McAnuff's fellow winger Marco Reich could struggle to recover in time after suffering a knee injury in the first half at Hillsborough.

Midfielder Michael Hughes (knee) is likely to be sidelined again, as is young defender Rhoys Wiggins, who is a long-term casualty with a knee injury.

Sheff Wed v Leicester
Sheffield Wednesday skipper Graham Coughlan will have a late fitness test ahead of Leicester's visit.
The central defender aggravated a hamstring injury in the midweek win over Crystal Palace. It was his first match back after an initial two-game lay-off.

Teenager Tommy Spurr could stand in should Coughlan fail to make it.

The 19-year-old was knocked out at Wolves and sidelined for the win over Palace, but will consult a doctor later this week to ascertain whether he can play.

Caretaker manager Sean McAuley also has the option of handing a rare start to Lee Bullen.

Otherwise, McAuley will pick his starting line-up from the same squad with no new injury or suspension problems.

Leicester manager Rob Kelly has been handed a timely defensive boost ahead of the trip with Gareth McAuley and Alan Maybury available.

McAuley missed the midweek win over Stoke as he served a one-match suspension for his sending-off at QPR, and a groin injury kept Maybury sidelined against the Potters.

Their returns could present Kelly with the opportunity to rest Paddy McCarthy. The Foxes captain has been rushed back to action ahead of schedule following a broken nose and wore a protective mask on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, centre-back Patrick Kisnorbo is doubtful for the Hillsborough clash as he faces a fitness test on his knee problem.

James Wesolowski (leg) is also doubtful and fellow midfielder Gareth Williams is likely to miss out for the fifth successive game with an ankle injury, but forward Chris O'Grady (also ankle) could be in contention.

Southampton v Hull
Grzegorz Rasiak, Gareth Bale and Nathan Dyer will all undergo late fitness checks ahead of Southampton's home clash with struggling Hull.
Top-scorer Rasiak is still a doubt with the rib injury which forced him out of the win over Wolves, although George Burley may opt to stick with Bradley Wright-Phillips and Kenwyne Jones in attack even if the Pole is fit after both found the net in midweek.

Left-back Bale has a tight hamstring and may not be risked, and winger Dyer has picked up a calf injury.

Midfielder Jhon Viafara is available, however, after missing the Wolves game with a virus.

Hull duo Danny Mills and Ian Ashbee miss the trip through suspension - but new loan signing Jason Jarrett goes straight into the squad.

On-loan Manchester City defender Mills has collected five bookings this season and serves a one-game ban.

Skipper Ashbee was sent off in Hull's 3-2 midweek win at Southend and begins a three-match suspension.

The win at Roots Hall was only their third in 15 Championship games and lifted Phil Parkinson's men off the foot of the table.

Jarrett has moved to the KC Stadium from Preston for an initial month and is in line to start, with John Welsh (hamstring) is missing along with Steve McPhee, Sam Collins and David Livermore (all knee).

Wolverhampton v Southend
Defender Jody Craddock is expected to be recalled to the Wolves side for the home clash with Southend.
Centre-back Craddock missed the 2-0 midweek defeat at Southampton while recovering from head and knee injuries but should be fit to face the Shrimpers.

However, Sunderland's Neill Collins, who has arrived at Molineux on a two-month loan deal, could provide cover should manager Mick McCarthy decide against Craddock's involvement.

Striker Jay Bothroyd is likely to miss out again due to a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, knee problems continue to keep Mark Davies on the treatment table and Gabor Gyepes is not expected back from cruciate knee ligament surgery until Christmas.

Championship basement-boys Southend are still without strikers Billy Paynter and Lee Bradbury.

Paynter is out for six weeks with a hamstring injury while Bradbury has suffered another setback as he attempts to shake off a hip problem.

Steve Tilson will therefore ask either Matt Harrold or teenager Gary Hooper to partner Freddy Eastwood in attack.

Full-back Che Wilson is also unavailable, having suffered a recurrence of the calf injury which sidelined him earlier in the season, and Jay Smith has picked up an ankle niggle.

[Quandram]

Preston AH-1 @ 2.23 on Betfair. Seems a decent price to me and more appealing than the 1X2

[GETT1NLOTS]

Wolverhampton v Southend 1.66 3.50 4.50

Wolves are overpriced here as the odds comilers are taking into accounts a 2-0 loss away to Southampton, their 3-0 loss against WBA (away again) and a disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Sheff Weds. However I think that Southend are simply far too crap to take anything away from Wolves today and irrespective if you are to worrry about the above form (against much better sides than Southend anyway) I still think 1.66 is a good price.

I did have a look at Southampton but their erratic form makes them difficult to back at 1.66. Hull have a worrying habit of popping up with the odd away win too.

Just Wolves for me then.