Premier League Teams Relegated XI

The transfer window is upon us. This is the time of the year when some of us are excited about who are sides could buy, while there are some of us who dread this time of the year, as it means some of our heroes and idols could be prized away from our beloved clubs.

The latter feeling is probably what most of the relegated sides are feeling like. This season, there are some brilliant players who face the raw reality of playing in the Championship. And with this, it means clubs in the higher divisions are sniffing about these relegated sides to find themselves a bargain on good talent.

So what I’ve done is made my best XI of the relegated Premier League sides (Wolves, Blackburn and Bolton), with the help of stats.

Here it goes.

Goalkeeper: Paul Robinson: Picking out of the keepers Bogdan, Robinson and Hennessey was surprisingly hard. At times all three have been dour, while at other times they have kept their teams in games. 

Green =best, Red = worse

I chose Paul Robinson as the former England international hasn’t been that bad this season. You could easily argue he’s been Blackburn’s best defensive player this season. But what makes Robinson stand out ahead of the other two relegated keepers, is the fact he’s made a good amount of saves but most importantly he’s made the fewest mistakes too. Robinson offers more than just good goalkeeping, the former Spurs man is a good leader and is very experienced. 

Right Back: Jason Lowe: This was yet another tough choice, simply because I feel none of the right backs for the trio of clubs have been that great at all. 

Stats via EPL Index

 I’ve gone with Blackburn’s Jason Lowe, for two simple reasons. Reason number 1 is the lad is 20 years old and point 2 is the kid has shown glimpses of potential during this season. However, on the same token, I feel Lowe has quite a bit of improving and developing to do. I feel he could win more ground duals and tackles. But with experience and confidence in his technical ability this will naturally improve. What excites me about Lowe is that at 20 he’s near enough at the level of right backs who are at their supposed peak years. Lowe has also created 15 chances which demonstrates his willingness to go forward. It also shows the creativity and intelligence in his play. At 20, Lowe’s stats show he is a competent Premier League right back. Blackburn may struggle to keep hold of this talented young lad. 

Centre Backs: Rodger Johnson and Grant Hanley

Rodger Johnson: I think Johnson has been a decent signing for Wolves. However, he hasn’t covered himself with much glory during certain parts of the season. However, when focused he is a Premier League standard defender, although in the past two years, he’s been relegated with two different clubs. So he’s hardly a great omen to have knocking about. But I feel Johnson is a well rounded defender who can not only tackle, he challenge sufficiently in the air and he reads the game relatively well too.

Grant Hanley: I’ve picked another young Blackburn kid for the defence.  At 20 years of age, Hanley has shown good promise for the future. The Scottish youngster has won a relatively impressive 76% of his tackles this season. Hanley also reads the game very well for a young lad too. This season Hanley has averaged 1.9 interceptions per game. But there is room for improvement in the kid. I feel he could be a bit more aerially dominant especially as he’s 6 ft 2 inches.

Left Back: Martin Olsson: This was one of the easiest choices. The Swedish international has been a solid customer for Blackburn this term. Olsson has shown he is more than competent enough to venture forward and create chances. He has shown solidity defensively too. Olsson won 74% of his tackles and 60% of his aerial duals too. Which isn’t bad at all. At 24 and his ability to play as a left midfielder, I can see quite a few clubs sniffing about him.

Defensive Midfield: Karl Henry: This was quite hard. None of the relegated sides had many good holding players. The two who I thought were the best out of the limited options were Wolves’ Karl Henry and Nigel Reo-Coker (who is a free now). 

I’ve gone with Henry as I think he’s a safer bet at defensive midfield. His tackle record is good and no Wolves player has won more tackles than him. Being a good passer in defensive midfield is crucial too. Henry’s passing abilities are very good, he had a 86% pass accuracy, which for a relegated side isn’t always a common thing.

Centre Midfield: Steven N’Zonzi: The Blackburn midfielder hasn’t been outstanding by any means this season. But he certainly is a Premier League standard player. At 23, he’s become a key part of Blackburn’s setup and this is demonstrated by the fact he’s made the most passes for the Rovers this season (1736). But what’s just as impressive is that he had a pass accuracy percentage of 84% which shows he is a player who is very comfortable on the ball and distributing it. N’Zonzi’s distribution and creativity has been fantastic too. The Blackburn man has assisted 5 times this term. Defensively, N’Zonzi has strengths too. He has won 89 aerial duals this season, no player for any of the relegated sides have won more aerial duals than him. 

Centre Midfield: Mark Davies: Bolton really missed this guy when he was out injured at the start of the season. But when he returned, it’s no surprise Bolton’s fortunes began to change. Mark Davies is an intelligent footballer, one who can pass the ball very tidly. In fact, Davies had a pass accuracy of 87% which is brilliant. Not only this he made 332 final third passes with a pass accuracy of 80%, an impressive feat for a relegated player. I certainly feel Davies will be a good signing for most Premier League sides, especially those who like to keep the ball on the ground. He is one of those players who can command the ball and can his side ticking over. At 24 years old, I hope he stays in the Premier League. 

 

Right Midfield: Matt Jarvis: I’ve gone for Matt Jarvis, although he predominantly plays on the left, I still feel he has to be in this team. At 26, Jarvis is reaching is peak and this season he has proved he certainly has the ability to stick around in the Premier League. Jarvis to me is a traditional winger, he can run at defenders and put in great balls into the box. This term Jarvis managed 8 goals and 4 assists, which is encouraging. I feel this lad could be the most expensive relegated player to move this summer. His creativity, work rate and good finishing make him a very useful player.

Left Midfield: Junior Hoilett: This boy is special and he’s made that bit extra special by the fact he is a free agent. Hoilett 21, is interesting all the big boys this summer. The Blackburn wizard has shown great promise this term, by often by popping up and getting crucial goals for his side. But what impresses me most about Hoilett is his dynamism and technical abilities. Hoilett has the ability to change games within a second, if you look at his successful dribbles he dominates. The young Canadian has great feet, great dribbling skills and a great touch. He certainly will be a brilliant free transfer signing for someone this summer. But I’ve got one issue with Hoilett. Comparing his chances created to the others, I feel he could create more and during some games he does go missing. If Hoilett wants to become a real top, top player he must get more involved in every game he plays in.

Striker: Yakubu: Like the wingers, picking the striker was hard and it was made even harder by the fact I went with a 4-3-3 system here. I chose Yakubu for a relatively straight forward reason. His goal scoring record this term has been outstanding. To score 17 goals for a side that have been relegated is nothing short of amazing. The Nigerian’s experience, along with his goal scoring prowess will make him of strong interest to a number of clubs. However, a stumbling block could be the price Blackburn put on him. You’d expect Blackburn to want quite a bit for a guy who has just come off the back of scoring 17 Premier League goals. But at 29, clubs may baulk at a high valuation of him. 

Subs: Wayne Hennessey, Richard Stearman, Stuart Holden, Morten Gamst-Pedersen, Martin Petrov, Steven Fletcher, Ivan Klasnic. 

So, here's how the team would look:

(Stats from EPL Index)

The Wonder of Wigan’s New Tactic

Tom Moseley explains to The Football Front the beauty of Wigan's new system which has been reaping rewards instantly in the Premier League.  

Wigan’s new tactic has moved them away from the relegation zone, and 3 points clear from the bottom three, with a drastic turn in form, that’s put them 3rd in the Premier League form table, with four wins in their last seven. Their tactic can be ultra-defensive and be 5-4-1 with one striker left upfront, or it can be ultra-attacking and be 3-4-3, but the best part about it, is the fact it switches between the two in a matter of seconds.

In defence (especially against Arsenal) it very much looked like this…

Which, as you can see from the picture and presumably saw from the Arsenal game, it’s very hard to break down. Not only is there five at the back, the central midfielders also get back and defend deep, almost playing as holding midfielders. This results in almost a seven man defence and all practically on the edge of the box, meaning no space in behind for teams to exploit.

So Wigan can sit there and watch teams pass in front of them for however long before getting the ball and counter attacking. In a matter of seconds, and this is the main strength of this tactic. Wigan have the ability to turn a ‘backs against the wall’ situation to a ‘throw the kitchen sink at them’ situation and the most important people to do this are the full backs and winger, in my opinion. When they counter attacked against Arsenal, and got their two goals, the tactic went from the one above to something more like this…

I know it isn’t perfect or exact, but you can see what generally happens. The two wing-backs push forward down the line, providing the width, then the two ‘wingers’ from before, (if we’re talking about the Arsenal game,) Gomez and Moses, push inside and support the lone striker Di Santo. This works brilliantly as these two are inverted, so it’s similar to how Barcelona used to play, when their wingers were Henry and Messi or Ronaldinho and Messi and they used to be inverted, so they’d push inside and support Eto’o and then the full-backs, Alves and Abidal, would push up the line and provide the width.

But the only difference being Barcelona had one less defender and one more midfielder, but it's the overall same sort of mentality. Wigan's inverted wingers system works well because Moses and Gomez are two very creative players, which you can see from the game against Arsenal, with Gomez playing a lovely ball across the pitch for Wigan's first and Moses scoop turning then crossing for the second goal. It also leads to good passing as lots of channels would open up, if the opposing full-backs had to mark the attacking wing-backs because it means the inverted wingers could ‘float’ and get into the gaps between the full backs and centre backs, so that stretches defenders and also means there can be a nice bit of interplay between the wing-backs, wingers and forward in these kind of areas. However, the centre-midfielders are extremely important as well, as they provide the balance in the team, thus being able to control the tempo and help the team keep possession in attack. McCarthy and McCarthur had a passing accuracy of 94% and 88%, against Arsenal. Even though, they didn’t make lots and lots of passes, that is still tidy and crucial, especially when holding a lead, like they were. So, as you saw against Arsenal, the counter attacking ability of this tactic is amazing, with basically five attackers, which most defences, would struggle to deal against, as Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea all will tell you.

However, there is another transition, that’s different to these previous two mentioned above. This transition is in-between Wigan's ‘backs against the wall’ and ‘throwing the kitchen sink.’ The third system could be used when leading 1-0 and wanting to attack, but being balanced on not being caught on the break yourself and is basically a 4-2-3-1 and look like this…

This would happen when Beausejour pushed forward down the left, he would become the main left winger, then Figueroa would move over from centre-back and go left-back, creating a standard back four. Moses would then shift from the left to the right and Gomez would play just behind Di Santo, which is a good, relatively-attacking, formation, but also brilliant in my opinion, because Boyce wouldn’t push forward, he’d hold and play right-back, which means they can attack but still have a ‘normal’ back line so it would be hard to be broken against. As they aren’t throwing several bodies forward, then if they want to get back and go ‘backs against the wall’ again, it’s easy to do. All Wigan need is Beausejour to get back and Figueroa to move inside, then the two midfielders to track back as well.

I have to admit, I love this tactic.

I’ve always wanted a team to play with 3/5 at the back in the Premier League, as it’s what Cruijff did with Total Football. I've always been intrigued to see if it would work in the Premier League. And so far it has. Martinez has got it spot on.

I love the versatility of it, the way you can be defending for you lives, and then attacking at will in a matter of seconds. The middle transition, just makes the system that one bit better as you can be balanced as well and don’t have to go between the two ‘extremes’. The tactic has also been effective, with wins against Manchester United and Arsenal, I think, if they start better next year and continue to use this tactic and generally don’t do a ‘Wigan’ I think, they could have a comfortable finish. Well done Martinez, I think you’ve got it spot-on.

This article was written by Tom Moseley, you can follow him on Twitter: @PlayedOfThePark .Check out his website too: http://playedoffthepark.blogspot.co.uk/

More of Tom's work can be found here

The Rise of Norwich City

Welcome, I’m Callum Rivett and in this weeks blog for The Football Front I’m going to show you just how far my beloved Norwich City have come in these past few years. And it is really quite astonishing if you hadn’t heard it before.

At the moment, Norwich are sitting pretty in the Premier League, mid-table, safe by Easter and everything is going to plan. But look back two and a half seasons and we were 23^rd in League One, having just been hammered 7-1 by Colchester on the opening day. That was inexplicably the turning point in the Canaries fortunes, as the club soon went on to overturn an 11 point deficit to beat Leeds United to the title by 9 points, then gain promotion to the Premier League a year later.

3^rd May 2009.

A terrible day in Norwich’s history, yet one that set off a remarkable chain reaction. Norwich City lost 4-2 to a Charlton side on the final day of the season and were relegated to League One, the third tier of English football for the first time since 1960. A lacklustre performance by the yellows summed up our season. A lot of new signings were made by Bryan Gunn during the summer, one of whom was Grant Holt, a legend at the club. At that point, City were very, very close to going into administration and possibly liquidation, a truly dire situation. But we were bailed out, and look where we are now.

Paul Lambert was hired on the 18^th of August, 2009, and we have never looked back since. He took a team low on confidence, of relatively poor quality and turned it into a back-to-back promotion winning team. Ironically, Norwich were promoted when they won 1-0 at Charlton, the same place they got relegated the season before. Football can be ironic like that. He made a lot of signings in the summer before the return to the Championship, one being midfield maestro David Fox who is so unbelievably underrated by the media it’s unreal. Without him in the team, Norwich lack the cutting edge needed and he keeps us ticking over in midfield, playing brilliant passes and winning vital duels.The 2^nd of May, 2011, is the date that will go down in Norwich City’s history. When Cardiff lost 3-0 to Middlesbrough earlier in the day (we are indebted to you, Middlesbrough, and we thank you very much!), Norwich just needed a win at Fratton Park against Portsmouth to guarantee Premier League football next season. Elliot Ward went close, chances were missed, and it looked like that goal would never come. But, on the fiftieth minute, a delicious David Fox cross was met with a superb diving header by Simeon Jackson to send the 3,000 Norwich fans behind the goal into raptures.

At the start of this season, I predicted Norwich and Swansea to stay up comfortably, with QPR to be relegated. That looks like it may happen, and I’ll tell you the reasoning behind my predications.

Team Spirit.

Look at Norwich and Swansea, indeed they play good football, but they are also playing with confidence and looking like a team. Whereas QPR on the other hand, look like individuals playing for a move to a bigger club. Joey Barton and Djibril Cissé are names that are too big, I suppose, to play for a team that are fighting for survival. Norwich and Swansea have stuck with players that have a point to prove in the Premier League, and look how well we’re both doing.

It’s a pleasure being a Norwich fan, and I hope it continues.

Follow Callum on twitter: @calriv97

Swansea – The team who represent the beautiful game beautifully

Swansea have exceeded many people’s expectations. The team have won over the hearts of a growing number of football fans who love the Premier League. When Swansea were promoted, many questioned whether the Welsh side could apply their neat passing game to England’s elite league.

Seventeen games into their Premier League season, the team have managed to maintain their passing strategy to fantastic effect.

The evidence backs up just how effective their passing system has been in England’s top flight.

Firstly, the team have a possession record which is joint third best in the Premier League. The team average possession of 56% in each game which is a stat shared with Chelsea. Not only this, Swansea have a possession record which is better than, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham. This is outstanding. The Swans have pitted their wits in England’s highest league and yet they can still retain the ball. The players, managers and coaches deserve huge praise for their mental strength and belief in their way of playing. After all, some teams in the Premier League, have often discarded their philosophy because of the pressure the opponents are putting them under on the pitch.

There is more glorious evidence of the effectiveness of Swansea’s philosophy. So far, Swansea have the third best passing accuracy in the whole of the Premier League. The Swans of passing accuracy of 86.5%, Chelsea shade Swansea in second place by 0.30%. It’s pretty incredible. Swansea have a better passing accuracy than the league champions Manchester United and arguably, ‘the best passing side’ in England Arsenal.

What makes this more incredible is that Swansea are a newly promoted side and many of their players have not played Premier League football before. Not only this, the Premier League is played at an incredibly high tempo most of the time, yet Swansea have managed to keep a cool head and maintain their accuracy. It shows Swansea’s system was built for the Premier League and the highest levels. After all, the philosophy is evidently working. The team are passing more accurately than far more established Premier League sides.

However, Swansea need to be praised for effectively executing their philosophy. After all, its one thing to attempt to play attractive keep -ball football and it’s another to actually be able to do it. Swansea to their credit have managed to implement it. Most clubs, pay multi millions in players, coaches and managers in the dream of playing like Swansea. But very shrewdly, Swansea have managed to be able to execute it without having the most technically gifted players in the world.

The Swans compensate the lack of sheer technical excellence in the side through working incredibly hard. A clear example of this is the defensive work of Swansea’s wingers. Although their system demands the wingers to be on-top of their game offensively, Swansea’s wingers, Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge track back ferociously to win the ball. Against Newcastle, Routledge made 5 tackles, four were successful. Collectively Swansea are hungry and motivated to succeed in the Premier League. This has been an underlying reason as to why the team’s system has been so impressive.

Furthermore, this determination to win the ball back has made Swansea so hard to be break down. So far, the Swans have conceded 21 goals. This is a decent record for a newly promoted side. It’s better than the other two promoted sides, Norwich (31 goals conceded) and QPR. (31) This solid defensive record also links very closely to Swansea’s ball retention ability. After all, the opposition struggle to get the ball back from The Swans, let alone get a chance on goal.

There is evidence of Swansea’s solid defensive record. Swansea have the best defensive home record in the Premier League. After 8 home games, the team have only conceded 2 goals. This is nothing short of outstanding. Swansea’s home record is as solid as any established Premier League side. It’s almost unheard of that a promoted side can have such a sturdy defence at home. Most promoted sides often make woeful defensive lapses. But this has not been the case with Swansea. The team look competent, solid and cohesive as a collective unit.

But the simple maths will tell you 18 out of 20 of Swansea’s goals have been conceded on the road. The team are clearly not as strong on the road as they are at home. On the road, Swansea struggle to restrict the amount of chances the opposition create. This has been a leading factor as to why the team have struggled to win a single game on the road.

At the moment, the team are seriously craving players with Premier League experience.

The lack of experience has cost Swansea points on the road. For example their away game at Wolves. For most of the game Swansea were two up and in control, but when the momentum was with opposition, the Swans crumbled and surrendered their two goal lead. If the team had more Premier League experience it would lead to the team feeling more assured and restricting the team falling deeper into their own half, thus asking for the opposition to attack Swansea.

Another reason why Swansea have been so poor on the road is because the team have struggled to create sufficient chances. This season, Swansea have created 151 chances, which is the 4^th worst in the Premier League. What makes this statistic worse for Swansea is the team normally spend most of the game in possession of the ball. But even when dominating possession, the team struggle to consistently penetrate the final third of the pitch.

However, over time, the team will create more chances per game. After all, as the team’s philosophy develops and the teams coherence grows, the Swan’s tentative mindset will transform into confidence. But this confidence will take a massive boost if Swansea manage to bring in more technically gifted attacking players. Swansea are missing someone who can create something out of nothing. Yes, Mark Gower has been fantastic in the middle. But if the Swans are to create more chances, more creative players are needed within the side.

This struggle to create chances explains why Swansea have not scored enough goals this season. Swansea have scored 16 goals this season, which is the second worst in the league. However, if Swansea could create more chances, the goals which will eventually flow in. But the Swans have also been guilty of missing clear cut chances. Take Swansea’s game at home to Man United. The likes of Scot Sinclair missed guilt edged chances which perhaps cost the club at least a point in that game.

Besides this, Swansea have been a great addition to the Premier League. The team have been a joy to watch and look completely at home in England’s highest division. Indeed, the team may not have taken the Premier League by storm. But the Swans have made a lasting first impression on many.

Long may the Swansea revolution continue.

Statistics from EPL Index. (Stats taken on 22/12/11)

Can Wigan save themselves from the drop again?

Wigan have started the season off poorly. Its simple as that. Three wins from 16 games is hardly inspiring form. Not only this, the team have a winning ratio of 20% which is frankly quite frightening if you’re a Wigan fan. But this woeful start to the season and a reflection on last season’s results, spell one question, Is this the season when Wigan fall through the relegation trap door?

Possibly. But the side have shown some fight. Recently Wigan picked up two away wins at Sunderland and West Brom. Furthermore, the team managed to hold Chelsea at home last weekend. These results are utterly vital, especially the away results. It shows Wigan have the ability to take points from the teams in and around them. Not only this, very few of Wigan’s relegation rivals can boast two away wins on the bounce.

Many pundits argue Wigan’s ability to keep possession of the ball has been the difference between them and their relegation rivals. Perhaps they have a point. After all, Wigan have a impressive passing accuracy of 81% this season. Wigan have also made more accurate passes (5268 passes), than Wolves (4938 accurate passes), Aston Villa (3876), Blackburn (3738), and Bolton (4470).

So, Wigan keep the ball better than the teams in and around them. That’s all well, and good but is it really working for the side? Some may comment that it does work for them. After all, under Martinez’ Wigan have never been relegated. However, against certain sides, Wigan’s passing strategy seems like its suffocating some of the Wigan players.

For example, when Arsenal and Spurs visited Wigan at the DW, the London sides high pressure system continuously caught Wigan out. Wigan would look to slowly build from the back and progressively go forward. However, Arsenal and especially Spurs did not allow Wigan’s defence to settle on the ball. Thus causing the players to misplace passes or worse, pass the ball straight to the opposition.

These missed place passes have proved to be fatal. As Wigan have often found themselves trailing games because of defensive mishaps.

But another problem Wigan are encountering is the team are not scoring enough goals.

This season, Wigan have scored 15 goals in 16 games. It is the worst goal scoring record in the Premier League. Indeed, Wigan are craving the return to form of Hugo Rodallega. Last season the Columbian scored 9 goals. While in 8 games this season, he failed to net.

Wigan’s struggle to score goals is a significant issue. Especially if one follows the trends of the last few seasons.

Last season, Wigan had the second worst goal scoring record in the Premier League. They scored 40 goals last season. While the team who had the worst goal scoring record, Birmingham City scored 37 goals and were relegated on the final day. Furthermore, in the 2009/10 season, Hull and Portsmouth scored the least amount of goals (34 goals) and both were relegated. Finally, three seasons ago, in the 2008/09 season, Middlesbrough scored (28 goals) and found themselves going through the relegation trap door.

This is a cause for concern for Wigan. Under Martinez, the team have a history of not being able to score goals. In Martinez’ first season, Wigan managed 37 goals, the third worst in the division. While as stated before, last season, the team had the second worst goal scoring record in the division. And so far this season, the team have the worst goal scoring record. Perhaps this is symbol of the yearly decline of Wigan.

The statistics also paint a vivid picture. If you cant score, you cant win and if you cant win, you cant survive.

Wigan’s goal scoring statistics foreshadow a worrying end to their Premier League dream. Of course there is a long way to go. But if Wigan’s statistics continue to follow the same trend, there really is one inevitable route which Wigan will be taking. Relegation.

But scoring goals are not Wigan’s only problems. The club are also conceding a hell of a lot of goals too.

Wigan have the third worst defence in the league. They have conceded 30 goals already this season. Wigan are far more exploitable than some of the teams around them. After all, the teams who often survive in the Premier League are often the most efficient. They can either consistently score, or they are very strong defensively. Wigan have been neither under Martinez. If the team could score far more goals, perhaps their goals conceded statistic would not be a big issue, as their total points tally would do the talking for them.

The problem Martinez is facing is a reoccurring problem. Relegation. In Steve Bruce’s final season at Wigan, he left the club 11^th. The team were 13 points away from relegation. While under Martinez, the team have always finished 16^th. In his first season, 2009/10 season, they finished 6 points away from the relegation spots. While last season, The Lactics finished an alarming three points away from the relegation zone.

This is clearly a worrying trend. With every season, the club are getting closer and closer to the relegation trap door. Only three years ago, the club were safe in mid-table. But now, under Martinez, the team have not had any progressive improvement. The team have been in a freefall of decline.

Wigan Athletic are aesthetically pleasing with their tidy keep ball philosophy. But the stringent issue is the team cant do anything productive with it. The club have won their last two away games, but that does not hide away the fact the team have severe underlying inadequacies such as not being able to finish or concede which have been crippling the club for years.

This may well be Wigan’s final dance in the Premier League.

Why Aidy Boothroyd and Northampton Town are a perfect match

The Football Front’s Lower League Expert Matt Bruce explains why Aidy Boothroyd is a fantastic appointment by Northampton Town.

Northampton Town are a confusing club to get to grips with. With a wealthy benefactor and a healthy fanbase, this club has bags of potential, yet for some reason they find themselves continually locked in a battle for Football League survival.

Northampton are something of an enigma; a forward-thinking club reduced to looking over its shoulder at the abyss of the Conference.

When David Cardoza and his pot of money arrived at Northampton in 2003 they were labelled 'the Chelsea of League Two'. At a time when other Football League clubs were frantically trying to slash budgets, Northampton were throwing money at anyone who would take it. However, eight and a half years later all Cardoza has to show for his investment is a meagre three seasons of League One football, all of which must seem like a long time ago now. The club is currently fighting to stay in the same division it was in eight years ago.

Perhaps the root of Northampton's troubles is short-termism and lack of a defined long-term strategy. Since Colin Calderwood left to take over at Nottingham Forest in 2006 Northampton have had five managers, none of whom have fared particularly well. With a high turnover of managers and a revolving door of players which inevitably follows as each new boss tries to bring in their own staff. It was this which almost cost Northampton their place in the Football League last season, when Gary Johnson arrived at Sixfields with a thud. He immediately criticised the club's players in the press and undermined the side's already-fragile confidence, triggering a spectacular collapse of form which saw Northampton only secure safety in the penultimate match of the season.

Having narrowly survived relegation last season Northampton began rebuilding during the summer. Johnson presided over a clearout and was given funds to replace the entire squad for this campaign, bringing in marquee signings such as Adebayo Akinfenwa (back for a second spell at the club), Jake Robinson and Arron Davies. It was made clear before the season began that Johnson had been backed to assemble a promotion-winning side and hopes were understandably high amongst the Cobblers faithful, but so far this season has been no better than the one that preceded it.

Early results suggested that the side wasn't ready for a promotion push, with home reverses to Cheltenham and Morecambe coming within the first month of the season. As results gradually deteriorated and the Cobblers began to sink towards the bottom, Gary Johnson's behaviour got gradually more erratic; selling star signing Shaun Harrad on transfer deadline day amid rumours of a physical altercation between the two, then retreating to the dugout during home games and refusing to patrol the technical area, and finally placing ten first team players on the transfer list. Defeat to non-league Luton Town in the FA Cup capped a run of six defeats in seven matches and cost Johnson his job.

What followed has really set alarm bells ringing in Northamptonshire, as a rudderless Cobblers were smashed 7-2 at home to Shrewsbury and followed that up with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of basement side Plymouth Argyle to leave them slumped in 21st place, just 3 points above the dreaded relegation zone. Northampton's poor start to the season has left their team demoralised and totally lacking in organisation and so far they have been getting consistently worse. What the club need most from a new manager is someone to reinvigorate the current players and spread some positivity through the changing room, identify transfer targets for January, improve organisation and leadership and stop the defence from leaking so many goals.

This is why Aidy Boothroyd was appointed as manager a week and a half ago. He is the perfect match for Northampton. Boothroyd has previous successful experience at clubs in similar difficulties, having steered Watford from troubled waters and onto promotion to the Premier League in his first job in management. His upbeat and positive demeanour would seem to be just what is required to boost spirits in what must be a pretty demoralised squad of players and perhaps Boothroyd will be able to instil some confidence back into the team. Boothroyd's style of football has often been subject to criticism (they don't call him 'Hoofroyd' for nothing!), but he has always made it clear that he is a results man first and foremost. Entertainment is a luxury that Northampton can ill afford in their perilous position.

Northampton fans who may feel uneasy about using such tactics need look no further than their own history for a justification. Ian Atkins, renowned for his ugly but effective brand of football, managed the club for four successful years, earning promotion from the fourth tier and competing right at the top of the second. In later years he carved out quite the reputation for saving clubs from relegation against all the odds – coming within a whisker of pulling off the most unlikely great escape at Chester in 2000, saving Carlisle from the drop in 2001, and pulling off a miracle escape with Torquay in 2006. Northampton fans must hope that Boothroyd can achieve similar results.

No matter what methods employed.

This piece was written by Matt Bruce, you can follow him on his Twitter - @tbfuth, You can find Matt’s blog here too: theboysfromupthehill

Premier League predictions 22/06

It’s the final Premier League week. But, there is still plenty to fight for. The relegation spots are by no means a done deal. Birmingham, Wolves, Wigan, Blackpool, and Blackburn could all join West Ham in the Championship next season.

This week, our predictors are, James Taylor and Liam Blackburn.

Fixture	Ibby Akkas prediction		James Taylor prediction		Liam Blackburn prediction		Actual Result
Aston Villa v Liverpool	1-2		1-1		1-1		1-0
Bolton v Man City	1-1		1-2		1-3		0-2
Everton v Chelsea	3-2		1-1		0-0		1-0
Fulham v Arsenal	1-1		2-1		1-2		2-2
Man United v Blackpool	3-1		2-0		2-0		4-2
Newcastle v West Brom	2-1		1-1		3-1		3-3
Stoke v Wigan	2-1		2-2		1-1		0-1
Tottenham v Birmingham	1-0		2-0		1-0		2-1
West Ham v Sunderland	2-1		2-1		0-1		0-3
Wolves v Blackburn	2-0		1-0		2-2		2-3
Total Correct Scores	Correct Results - 4	Perfect Results - 0	Correct Results - 4	Perfect Results - 0	Correct Results - 4	Perfect Results - 0

The Results

James Taylor - 4 Points

Liam Blackburn - 4 Points

Ibby Akkas - 4 Points

The Point System

Correct Result = 1 point

Perfect Result = 3 points

You can follow James Taylor on his Twitter - @James11Taylor

Take a look at his blog too - bringingthegameintodisrepute.wordpress.com

Our other predictor is on Twitter too - @liamblackburn

His blog is definitely worth read as well! - samenamedifferentgames.wordpress.com

Things you may like to read

Premier League relegation predictions - http://tiny.cc/y943d

Stoke City – The symbol of progression - http://tiny.cc/azbvf

Why it’s only right Kenny Dalglish got the Liverpool job - http://tiny.cc/ttj43