Championship All Stars

[PistolPete]

Sadly I dont't think any of the Reading team would get in it - perhaps Kebe...

Anyway, if someone were to buy this lot, how do you think they'd get on in the premiership?

I've gone for a Barcelona-esque formation


---------------------------------- Bothroyd (Cardiff)-----------------------------------
---------Taraabt (QPR)-----------------------------------------Sinclair (Swansea)---

---------------- McGugan (Forrest)--------------------Howson (Leeds)-----------------
-------------------------------------Faurlin (QPR)--------------------------------------

Bertrand (Forrest)---------Williams (Swansea)--------Wheater (boro)-----------Brayford (Derby)

---------------------------------------Kenny (QPR)------------------------------------

I've not gone for Commons as he's a winger or the loan players (like Bellamy) from the premiership (apart from Bertrand as I can't think of any other left backs who are especially good!).

Despite (the absurd) call up of Bothroyd, I think that this team lacks a QUALITY striker. I also think that the team could do with a De Jong/Mascherano style midfielder for away games and perhaps a bit more pace in the heart of defence.

Thoughts??

[FiNeRaIn]

Kenny as the goalkeeper?

Get Camp in there from Forest, he's substantially better.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Agree with Pistol P

Kenny is in a team that is top of the league

Camp is a clown who over eggs his own talents ( he let 5 in against Reading once lol)

[PistolPete]

I considered Steele at Boro but for all the good reports, he's clearly not marshalling his defence too well!

Kenny is a winner. At QPR against Reading he wasted time, dominated the defence and made a world class save at 3-1. Yeah some people hate him, but that's what you want in your team, one or two that other teams love to hate!

Gary Neville, Robbie Savage, Didier Drogba etc - all guys that 'win at all costs'

Ps, Camp and Loach were not even in the running imo - Julian Speroni makes the bench though!

[Alan Partridge]

Kieron Westwood at Coventry is a good goalkeeper, but the number 1 for me would still be Mr David James.

[comeonyouroyals]

GK - Kenny
RB- Rangel
CB- Williams
CB- Gorkks
LB- Fox
LW - Whittingham
CM- McGugan
CM- Pratley
RM- Hammil
CAM- Taraabt
ST- Bothroyd

Bench
Kebe, Sinclair, Iwelomu, Monk, Mackie, Kommons Olofinjana.

It was very hard to put any defensive players on the bench when there was so many attacking players I wanted to play.

[PistolPete]

I think your team would get relegated, mine would finish 10th

My Subs:

Speroni
Gunter
Monk
Aron Gunnarsson
Kebe
Commons
Nugent

[TBM]

So how come you've put Bertrand in but not Bellamy?

[Terminal Boardom]

No Shane Long?

[Alan Partridge]

---------------------------------- Bothroyd (Cardiff)-----------------------------------
---------Taraabt (QPR)-----------------------------------------Bellamy (Cardiff)---

---------------- McGugan (Forest)--------------------Pratley (Swansea)-----------------
-------------------------------------Savage (Derby)--------------------------------------

Bertrand (Forest)---------Williams (Swansea)--------Wheater (Boro)-----------Brayford (Derby)

---------------------------------------James (B City)------------------------------------


James - Still the best in the league and should be in the Prem.
Brayford and Bertrand. Both decent attacking full backs I'd go along with those 2.
Williams, excellent footballing defender who has been part of the best defense for the last 2 seasons.
Wheater, Premiership class really surprised no one snapped him up.
Savage - Maybe a controversial selection but although he might not have the stamina and the all action style he used to have, he has been comfortably their best player whenever i have seen Derby this year. Excellent passing range, good on set pieces and is still a pest. Captain.
Pratley - Best all round midfielder in the league IMO.
McGugan bit of a surprise package but has scored some stupidly good goals. Toss up between him and Whittingham to start.
Bellamy and Taarabt - Pick themselves. Too good for the CCC.
Bothroyd been the best striker in the league this season so far. Ideal to play as the lone man.






Subs

GK Murphy (Scunthorpe) - Underrated keeper in a poor side. Always impressed me.
Whittingham (Cardiff) - Harsh to not be playing, get goals from midfield can play in the middle or wide.
Commons (Derby) - Matchwinner, good competition for Bellamy and Taarabt.
Kebe (Reading) - Same as above.
Davies (Leicester) - Very good centre half at this level.
Sinclair (Swansea) - Again similar player to Kebe and Commons but can't leave him out.
Elliot (Bristol City) - Tireless midfield player, chips in with a goal or two as well. Savage is gonna tire so he's the replacement.

[roadrunner]

Despite (the absurd) call up of Bothroyd, I think that this team lacks a QUALITY striker.

Thoughts??

Bothroyd at this level is a superb striker, but agree never internal class, certainly not yet anyway. Chopra too at this level is a very good striker. You seem very hard to please.

[PistolPete]

So how come you've put Bertrand in but not Bellamy?

I moved the goalposts

I decided that as Bellamy was old and on massive wages he did not fit the mould as 'buyable'. Complete cop out I know...

[PistolPete]

Despite (the absurd) call up of Bothroyd, I think that this team lacks a QUALITY striker.

Thoughts??

Bothroyd at this level is a superb striker, but agree never internal class, certainly not yet anyway. Chopra too at this level is a very good striker. You seem very hard to please.

I know - but to do well but in the premiership you need a top rate striker and there are none in this division. Bothroyd, Chopra (and Bellamy, but I am deliberately completely ignoring him in this post!) are SUPERB for the championship, but IF I was a billionaire buying the cream of the championship I would probably have to shop abroad for a striker as I feel you need better to really succeed.

[roadrunner]

Hang on a second, yes agreed regarding those strikers in the Premier League, but they are there to get the club promoted and should do so. Then it's up to the new owners to back the manager and get the players suitable to sustain that level of football. You can't surely expect any Championship club to be able to attract top class strikers ready-made for Premiership life? (Bellamy excluded as that move is simply baffling).

[PistolPete]

---------------------------------- Bothroyd (Cardiff)-----------------------------------
---------Taraabt (QPR)-----------------------------------------Bellamy (Cardiff)---

---------------- McGugan (Forest)--------------------Pratley (Swansea)-----------------
-------------------------------------Savage (Derby)--------------------------------------

Bertrand (Forest)---------Williams (Swansea)--------Wheater (Boro)-----------Brayford (Derby)

---------------------------------------James (B City)------------------------------------


James - Still the best in the league and should be in the Prem.
Brayford and Bertrand. Both decent attacking full backs I'd go along with those 2.
Williams, excellent footballing defender who has been part of the best defense for the last 2 seasons.
Wheater, Premiership class really surprised no one snapped him up.
Savage - Maybe a controversial selection but although he might not have the stamina and the all action style he used to have, he has been comfortably their best player whenever i have seen Derby this year. Excellent passing range, good on set pieces and is still a pest. Captain.
Pratley - Best all round midfielder in the league IMO.
McGugan bit of a surprise package but has scored some stupidly good goals. Toss up between him and Whittingham to start.
Bellamy and Taarabt - Pick themselves. Too good for the CCC.
Bothroyd been the best striker in the league this season so far. Ideal to play as the lone man.






Subs

GK Murphy (Scunthorpe) - Underrated keeper in a poor side. Always impressed me.
Whittingham (Cardiff) - Harsh to not be playing, get goals from midfield can play in the middle or wide.
Commons (Derby) - Matchwinner, good competition for Bellamy and Taarabt.
Kebe (Reading) - Same as above.
Davies (Leicester) - Very good centre half at this level.
Sinclair (Swansea) - Again similar player to Kebe and Commons but can't leave him out.
Elliot (Bristol City) - Tireless midfield player, chips in with a goal or two as well. Savage is gonna tire so he's the replacement.

Annoyingly, probably better than mine!

I wanted to ignore Bellamy, but I agree that Savage in the holding role is probably better than Faurlin - but I love how he'd be able to ping the passes to the quality attackers with his left peg. Agree also that 40 year old David James is probably better than Kenny, I just cant help wondering whether James cares much about his playing career any more? He was just about the only player in the England squad at the world cup that I liked as a person - but at age 40 I think that Kenny is a better option for the team. Whittingham has done amazingly for the last 3 seasons, but for the bench I thought Gunnarsson would have given a bot more bite than him or Pratley. Like your thinking with Elliott, but I can't say he's ever stood out when I've seen him play.

I guess what this thread has shown is where Reading's true position in this division is - mid table. Kebe would make the bench and after that we've got nothing

Mills one day might make this team, Karacan too - and Long may even be on some other fan site's squads. But Griffin, Federici, Harte, Pearce, Howard, Macanuff, Church, Hunt etc wont even make many top 10 in their position lists...

[PistolPete]

Hang on a second, yes agreed regarding those strikers in the Premier League, but they are there to get the club promoted and should do so. Then it's up to the new owners to back the manager and get the players suitable to sustain that level of football. You can't surely expect any Championship club to be able to attract top class strikers ready-made for Premiership life? (Bellamy excluded as that move is simply baffling).

You're right - but my post was two things:

1 - Is this the dream team of the championship?
2 - If a team (like Wigan or Wolves for example) bought the lot of them, how would they get on?