Proven Performers

[Tom Fleuriot]

Out of interest, does anybody know how important "proven league experience" actually is in the Championship in City's context.

 

I think that you can say there are three types of teams in the Championship during a close season:

 - "momentum reversing": those relegated from the prem in the last 2-3 seasons, or with a disastrous second half to the season looking to take existing quality players but reverse a losing mentality;

 - "momentum seeking": those who have been in the Championship for a while, have some solid players and know the division, but are a bit stop-start and looking to fill in the last few missing pieces, get a new manager, or maybe a new chairman;

 - "momentum maintaining": those who have upwards momentum - i.e. have been promoted into the Championship in the last 2 seasons or had a great finish to the previous season, are used to winning, and are looking to seize the moment.

 

City are clearly in the third category.  Teams that have been in that category and successfully converted it into promotion (or at least migrating to the second category then promotion soon after) are Southampton, Swansea, Bournemouth, Norwich (first time around), City (2006), Brentford.

 

Cotterill is clearly adamant that City need Championship / Prem experience.  We clearly are having trouble attracting those players.

 

My question is: what proportion of Southampton, Swansea, Bournemouth, Norwich (first time around), City (2006), Brentford etc first team squads, in their first season in the Championship after promotion, actually had any Championship / Premiership experience?  As opposed to proven lower league success or Prem league U21 experience.

 

I ask because from City in 2006, we signed: Elliott (who has Ch experience).  We had Orr, Fontaine from Prem youth teams.  Anyone else? Maybe Byfield had Prem experience.

 

Then when you look at promoted teams to the Prem, it seems the more successful ones actually don't have many players with Prem experience.  QPR filled their team with Prem experience and went down.  

 

So my question is: what actual evidence is there that Championship experience (as opposed to lower league quality or Prem youth team) leads to a promoted team establishing itself in the Championship?

[FreemansOnFire]

I think it's a case of bringing in players who are used to this division and the nature of it. 

 

Last season we were, by far, the strongest team in the league without question. Now we're in the Championship and we still have most of the squad from last year, I don't think our boys are used to being the underdogs. We're gonna be playing against teams who have played in the Premiership as well as teams who are aiming to get there. That's a huge jump from League One.

 

We need to bring in players who have played in the higher leagues before who have composure to take the nerves out of the squad. At the moment, it's a case of finding our feet in a new league. 2 or 3 signings who have done this before would quicken the process.