The
Championship is a much more honest and traditional football league than the
Premier League could ever be. It's refreshingly lacking in hype and
gamesmanship. A fortnight ago Chelsea were going to win the title and now
suddenly it's all over because of the Diego Costa saga; or you've got Jose
Mourinho, who has gone from being totally unsuited to Manchester United to
being the next Fergie. At least in the Championship it's a bit more sedate.
Don't get me
wrong, I don't want to have more than one season in the Championship, but I am
certainly enjoying it. The last time we were down here under Chris Hughton [in
2009/10], it was a real healing process for the club because it brought everyone
back together and stopped the exclusive focus being on hysterical supporter
anger at Mike Ashley’s latest nonsense. Now we've got Rafa Benitez and I've not
known a manager this popular since Bobby Robson or Kevin Keegan, when he came
for the second time. We're all singing from the same hymn sheet.
When you're
fighting at the bottom of the Premier League it's just depressing. It must be
like working for a failing organisation where redundancy is always in the air.
There is no level of enjoyment there. Even our biggest victory last season came
after we had been relegated when we beat Spurs 5-1. It's a miserable existence.
There was
always the sense that the stakes were almost too high in the Premier League.
We've actually lost four games at home this season, which always makes people
miserable, but people haven't been storming out of the ground or saying they
will never go back. Defeats have brought disappointment, rather than fury.
Of course,
this is all dependent on us going back up at the end of the season. If this
time next year we're sat 14th in the Championship then it might be a different
case. Championship? We're certainly
having a laugh, but you have to be in the Premier League - for the money if
nothing else.
Verdict:
Premier League (grudgingly)
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