Championship Finale; Canaries Soar, Bluebirds Fall and Rangers Kept on the Edge

The 2010/11 Championship season has been a fiercely contested affair but the end is nigh. Norwich confirmed their back-to-back promotion to bring the Canaries back into the Premier League at the expense of Cardiff after their lacklustre performance against Middlesbrough on the same evening. Whilst QPR have been crowned as champions... for now.

QPR - Quiet Point Reduction or worse?

[caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Faurlin: Could the third party ownership of the Argentine throw QPR's campaign into disrepute?"][/caption]

Rangers will be on a knife edge until their FA hearing on May 3rd where they will find out if a points deduction will be enforced on them and what difference that will make to the league. The Alejandro Faurlin fiasco has thrown Neil Warnock's side into a debacle that the manager was once on the other side of after Carlos Tevez, then of West Ham, helped Warnock's Sheffield United side get relegated from the Premier League. Warnock could taste a bitter irony if QPR are given a heavy point deduction, but what are the options for the FA?

Currently they are 5 points clear of Norwich and 9 points clear of 3rd placed Cardiff so a deduction of 10 points or more (due to their superior goal difference to Cardiff) would see them drop from 1st place to 3rd and dramatically dipped into the play-offs.

But will the FA dish out such a harsh penalty with such consequences? The only other case this season involving ineligible players was between Hereford United and Torquay United down in League Two but the clubs were given a small point reduction of 3 and 1 respectively. However the ineligible players in this case were discovered and dealt with over a 1 game period, not the full season like Faurlin's case.

39 - that is the number of games that Faurlin has had some part to play in this season for QPR, plus in the past few months it has been revealed that he was under third party ownership for the entire 09/10 season during his time in London. There is no doubt that this is a more severe case of registration-related breaking of rules than the aforementioned case in League Two. What the FA will do? Only time will tell.

Norwich do "The Lambert Walk" up the leagues

[caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Glaswegian Glory: Lambert joins a host of Glaswegian managers in the Premier League after his success at Norwich."][/caption]

Paul Lambert has done a fantastic job at his time at Carrow Road, achieving back to back promotions from League One to the Premier League in an impressive two seasons at the helm of the East Anglia club.

Norwich re-adapted to Championship football almost instantly when they returned to the league this season, integrating new signings such as John Ruddy, Andrew Crofts and Simeon Jackson into the squad seamlessly alongside key members of the League One winning season.

Their easy on the eye style and ability to never let go of a game, scoring in injury time no less than 12 times this season, has been key to Lambert's path to promotion, congratulations to the Canaries.

The Play-Off Fracas; who will play who?

[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Play-Off Permutations: Who will end up victorious in play-off glory?"][/caption]

That just leaves the play-off's to be decided on game 46 in the Championship. Cardiff, Swansea and Reading have confirmed their places whereas Nottingham Forest will have Leeds on their trail if they slip up at the last hurdle, however a 6 goal difference between them will have to see Leeds humiliate QPR or Forest being humiliated by Crystal Palace - suggesting that Forest should have the final position in the bag.

Cardiff were held back from the automatic promotion chase after a 3-0 loss to mid-table Middlesbrough on Bank Holiday Monday. Despite being unbeaten in the past 8 games, the capital club seemed to crumble under the pressure of requiring a win to keep the chase alive, conceding the 3 goals within 20 minutes. Dave Jones will be hoping that last year's play-off experience will act as a benefit for his players and not hang as a bad omen over the squad.

Even though their play-off position is secured, Swansea will be on the heels of South Wales rivals Cardiff for 3rd spot, which will be theirs if they secure a win at home against relegated Sheffield United and Cardiff fail to win away at Burnley. In a highly unlikely scenario, if the FA decide to place a 10 point penalty on QPR then the race for automatic promotion will be blown wide open yet again with all three teams being involved. What is for sure is that 3rd place will give Swansea a tie against 6th, most likely to be Nottingham Forest, which they may favour to a tie against Brendan Rodgers' former team Reading.

However Forest are in top form at the moment with on-loan striker Kris Boyd finding his goalscoring boots and the fans will be hoping that he'll be extending on his current 5 in 5 record. Forest were in contention for an automatic place before Christmas but after a torrid time in the league they dropped out of the play-off spots completely. Could this final surge back into contention give them the momentum, similarly to Blackpool last season, for the play-off games?

One team that may be concerned coming into the play-off run-in, despite confirming their place in the final fixtures, is Reading. Their form has hit a blip at the wrong time of the season, gaining only 2 from 9 in the past 3 games, they will not want this bad run to continue and will be looking toward top goalscorer Shane Long et al to fire them back into form in their final game against Derby at the Madejski.

So until QPR find out the results of their hearing on May 3rd and the referee blows the final whistle at around 4.45 pm on May 7th it is down to the players on the pitch to decide who will play who.

Will London suffer a Welsh invasion?

[caption id="attachment_623" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="War of Wales: The Swansea-Cardiff rivalry could come to a prestigious head at Wembley."][/caption]

Lastly, the fixture that the neutrals will love but the fans will not - Swansea City vs Cardiff City may well rear it's head for the third time this season but this time the stakes could not be higher. It's only possible for these two clubs to meet in the final and if they end up triumphant in the semi-finals then it'll be a reality.

Asides from it being a logistical nightmare for the policing of 80,000 fans at each others necks on the same lines of transport to the capital, it could go down as one of the most heated play-off finals in history.

Why are English Youngsters Behind the Rest of the World?

Whilst listening to the Chappers Premier League Podcast, guest panelist John Salako pointed out that the lack of great players being produced from England can be attributed to the lack of players that make it out of the country. A fair point considering that England are one of the few countries who have a near 100% rate of players playing their trade in their native country for the national squad. But why do English players rarely leave the United Kingdom?

[caption id="attachment_531" align="aligncenter" width="216" caption="Rare Exports: Hughes and Lineker were part of a generation of British players that did make it abroad"][/caption]

If we were to go back to the 20th century, having British players playing abroad was a common sight. Mark Hughes and Gary Lineker at Barcelona, Kevin Keegan at Hamburg, John Charles at Juventus, Chris Waddle at Marseille, many great British players had spells abroad. However returning to the 21st century and seeing a British or, more to the point, English player abroad is a rare occurence.

The most notable players who have left the country include;

Player	Club	Season(s)	Appearences	Goals
Steve McManaman	Real Madrid	1999 - 2003	94	8
Stan Collymore	Real Oviedo	2001	3	0
Jay Bothroyd	Perugia	2003 - 04	28	5
David Beckham	Real Madrid	2003 - 07	116	13
Michael Owen	Real Madrid	2004-05	36	13
David Beckham	LA Galaxy	2007 - present	48	9
David Beckham	AC Milan	2009 - 10	29	2
Jermaine Pennant	Real Zaragoza	2009 - 10	25	0
Darius Vassell	Ankaragucu	2009 - 10	22	4
Matt Derbyshire	Olympiakos	2009 - present	19	6

Eight English players, who have played some part in the national squad or U21 squad, not a fantastic figure to display how much foreign clubs are attracted to English talent.

One thing you have to take into consideration with this argument is, how strong is your native league to other leagues in the world? The Premier League obviously ranks highly, along with La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A. It is also worth noting that the Spanish, German and Italian national squads also feature a vast  majority of players playing in the native league but this statistic is completely redundant when you compare the success of those teams to the recent success, or lack thereof, of the English squad.

[caption id="attachment_530" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Extortionate: Andy Carroll's £35m move proved how expensive young English talent can be to foreign clubs"][/caption]

The most likely reason that foreign teams do not buy English players is their ridiculously inflated price tags. The latest player to enter this world of mad figures is Andy Carroll with his recent £35m move from Newcastle to Liverpool. The transfer market is a buyers market with Liverpool needing a replacement for Fernando Torres and Newcastle negotiated fantastically to get that figure. However, comparing this deal to other players that have been bought around the continent, the pricing was obscenely high. However, is it purely because we want to keep English players in England? And will pay top dollar to do so?

What Salako suggested in the aforementioned podcast, to improve the quality and talent of our young players, is to get them playing abroad - to experience different styles of play, different tactics and probably more game time too. I whole-heartedly agree with his sentiments, but another aspect (which was also briefly mentioned in the same podcast) was the introduction of more competitive reserve leagues.

Referring back to two of the other, more successful, countries who dominantly have their national team playing in their native country; Germany and Spain. Both the third level and second level of the league pyramid, respectively, have reserve teams playing within the league, with obvious restrictions. In Germany, reserve teams can go no further than the third tier and Spanish reserve teams can not be in the same league as their first team counterparts (not too sure what would happen if, for example Barcelona get relegated to the Segunda and Barcelona B are competing in the Segunda, Germany's implementation is certainly more sensible).

If the English league were to incorporate a similar system it certainly would be interesting, and how they would integrate into the already huge league pyramid was also be a bit tricky. On the other hand, why not just use affiliated teams more to their potential? If a reserve team was to compete in a competitive first team league, they're oppositions would be the same if not worse to players being loaned out to Football League teams. In theory, this argument makes is totally feasible but how do we explain the way that the Spanish and German giants of Barcelona and Bayern Munich use the system so well to develop their youth talent?

[caption id="attachment_528" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Feeder: Royal Antwerp have made the most of their links to Manchester United in the past"][/caption]

One system, combining the the aspects of gaining experience abroad and an affiliate system is simple - foreign feeder teams. Manchester United have exploited this excellently with Royal Antwerp. Players such as Jonny Evans, John O'Shea and Frazier Campbell all joined Antwerp at some period throughout their career. However not many other teams spring to mind instantly who take advantage of such schemes within the English leagues.

And lastly, but probably most importantly, is the lack of quality coaching in England. Foreign experience may widen a players scope on the game but nothing can replace being taught at a high level. The severe lack of coaches was outlined last year when figures shown that England have 10% or less of the number of UEFA B, A or Pro coaches in comparison to their European neighbours Germany, Italy or Spain.

These figures have caused the FA to take action in the youth development department, with Gareth Southgate being recently appointed as the "Head of Elite Development" and will work alongside Sir Trevor Brooking. What will come of his appointment is yet to be seen, but after an unsuccessful World Cup bid and "falling out" with the current FIFA regime putting another bid in doubt for the foreseeable future, the FA will surely have to have this issue as their key development in years to come.

[caption id="attachment_529" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Hope: Jack Wilshere has proven there is hope for England's youth system (Source: Action Images)"][/caption]

To end on a lighter note, it's not all doom and gloom for England's youngsters. The recent "generation" of players coming through the ranks such as Jack Wilshere, Andy Carroll, Kyle Walker, Jordan Henderson and Chris Smalling are all receiving call ups to the first team squad sooner than expected in their careers. Plus, the newest batch of players within the U21 squad; Josh McEachran, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Connor Wickham are all showing bags of potential.

Picklive Game of the Week: Arsenal v Barcelona

[caption id="attachment_105" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Get involved: Join Picklive today and become part of the Five Minute Fantasy Football revolution"][/caption]

Picklive's 'Five Minute Fantasy Football' game has been revolutionsing the way that football fanatics in the UK can watch live sport, and thanks to a newly established relationship with The Twelfth Man , it could do the same for you too. The game is a thrilling cross between fantasy football games and in-play betting, and allows punters to compete in real-time for cash prizes during televised matches.

If you are watching tonight's action this evening then why not sign up before and during the match to get three free games. Contestants then select a team of three players who accumulate points for all of their actions on the pitch; including passes, tackles, interceptions and shots. The three teams  that earn the most points in each five minute spell are guaranteed a cash prize.

So just as you thought that the tension around Arsenal v Barcelona could not get any more palpable, Picklive - in association with The Twelfth Man - introduces another realm of excitement and emotion into the already potent mix present in live football.

Tonight's live game is possibly the most mouthwatering yet to appear on Picklive's roster, with Arsenal taking on Pep Guardiola's imperious Barcelona side. Both sides favouring fast and flowing football, and place a premium on ball retention, which is bound to be a incredibly high scoring game in Picklive terms.

You would be mad not to pick either Xavi or Wilshere in your side, as these are the focal points through which both teams direct their play. In fact the Catalan is just about the greatest player ever to feature on Picklive, amassing record score after record score - and on occassions out passing the opposition on his own.

So if you want to add more excitement into the mix during tonight's game, then click here to sign up. In 10 seconds you could be winning cash from other fans whilst watching the match unfold.

Arsenal v Barcelona: ITV 1 7:45 K/O

Acceptable in the 90′s: Kits

Acceptable in the 90's is a new regular feature we'll be running where we'll be reminiscing about everything football in the glorious era of the 1990's.  First on the agenda is the kits.

Where the 1980s saw the introduction of sponsors to kits in the English game, the 90's set the bar high for unique designs. Kit manufacturers decided to opt for a myriad of geometric shapes and as many colours as they could fit on a palette. Even the teams who would normally opt for the single colour on their strips would have contrasted stripes, accents or even a faded image of your home stadium.

This creative notion could be attributed to the advent of the beginning of "the modern game".  Revenue's were starting to escalate with the introduction of Sky's live broadcasting and media exposure of the game, stadia were modernised to become fully seated, transfer fee's were becoming higher than ever so why should the kit manufacturers remain in the past too?

Although the kits in the 90's were more colourful than any other era, it was only in 1992, when the Premier League was created, that not only referees were allowed black kits. Manchester United jumped straight on this opportunity but the colourful trend dominated the decade.

Shirts like Scunthorpe's 1996/97 away shirt wouldn't be seen out of place at an acid-infused rave, whereas Arsenal's 1991/93 away kit involved so many triangles it would even give Pythagoras a headache.

But were these kits a burden to the period? Alex Ferguson might debate they were after he blamed United's 1995/96 camouflaging second strip for their loss against Southampton however to the fans they are one of the many fantastic aspects that we loved about 90's football.

So without further adieu, here is The Twelfth Man's top selection of football kits of the 90's;


[slideshow]

Goals Galore at London Road

Records were broken in the Premier League this weekend, an astounding 41 goals were scored during the day's action on Saturday 5th February, and it is goals that today's article focuses on.

However it isn't just in the Premier League where the goals are flying in, London Road has also been the scene of many big score-lines. You can go as far back as the 1960-61 season where Peterborough managed a record that still remains today - 134 goals in a season in the old Fourth Division - but they have started to make a name for themselves yet again as a consistent goal scoring side in recent years.

The late Keith Alexander revived the trend for the Posh in the 2006/07 League Two season with some impressive 4+ goal home wins against Bristol Rovers, Accrington and Torquay. Darren Ferguson took the helm in January 2007 where his reign began with a stutter, picking up the pieces from the end of Alexander's run of six straight defeats. He had to wait 4 games for a win (against former team Wrexham) but then the goals started flowing once more, finishing the season in 10th but also notching up the most home goals in the league with 48.

[caption id="attachment_422" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Deadly Duo: The McLean/Mackail-Smith partnership was a big part of the free scoring Peterborough regime."][/caption]

It was in the 2007/08 season where Peterborough won promotion into League One where they really started to find their goalscoring feet. Their three most efficient forwards; George Boyd, Aaron McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith could not stop hitting the back of the net with 78 goals between them in all competitions. Notable scorelines included a 7 goal drubbing of Brentford and an even more astounding 8 (EIGHT) - 2 win over Accrington. You know their big results when you need a worded description on the vidi-printer. Yet again they managed to take the title of most goals scored at home with 46 proving that London Road was quick becoming the place for goals.

Pessimism was not favoured in the following season which saw the team gain promotion yet again, defying what was expected of the League One new boys. Although not achieving a third successive most home goals record, the trifecta of Boyd, McLean and Mackail-Smith were efficient as ever with 57 goals between them in all competitions.

[caption id="attachment_423" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Flying Scotsman: Boyd was an interest for fellow Scot, Billy Davies, but remained a Posh player."][/caption]

The Championship was where Ferguson suffered his demise, with the second successive promotion proving too much for Peterborough, finishing the 2009/10 season in 24th place and leaving the club just 2 months into the season. In terms of goalscoring, the aforementioned trio of forwards only managing 31 goals in all competitions between them however there were glimmers of the hope within the three. George Boyd's talent was obvious to Billy Davies et al, finishing the season on loan at Nottingham Forest but returning back to his parent club after a deal was not negotiated. One notable game for the club came at home against Cardiff coming back from a 4-0 deficit to level the game at 4-4.

The 2010/11 season saw Peterborough back in League One and the big results have been coming in thicker and faster than ever. Not even the sale of striker Aaron McLean to Hull for a record £1.3 million has stopped the goal train at London Road. 70% (7 in 10) of Peterborough's home wins in the league so far have resulted in the home side scoring at least 4 goals. With 19 games remaining, they have already scored 45 goals at home - more than any other team in the whole Football League and Premier League thus far.

[caption id="attachment_417" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Familiar Faces: Ferguson's existing relationships with the Peterborough players can only add to their aspirations."][/caption]

What is the secret to their attacking prowess? It's a tried and tested formula with familiar players leading the front line consistently and with Darren Ferguson returning to the club the familiarity can only further flourish. Peterborough also appear to be very effective on the break, with players like Boyd, Mackail-Smith and new signings Lee Tomlin and Wolves loanee Nathaniel Mendez-Laing all possessing plenty of pace to burn. George Boyd, for me, is the catalyst for the goals though. I'm very surprised Forest didn't pick him up after his loan spell or that any other clubs haven't swooped for him. He is a very technically gifted player with a mean left foot for not only scoring but creating chances too.

Even though the defence may be leaky, with these high scoring affairs more often than not involving the opposing team getting on the scoresheet too, the entertainment at London Road is must be stellar. I would love to see my own team, Swansea, scoring in abundance like the Posh do, but I'm not sure whether my heart could take the drama of such events after being lulled into a defensive, no score, Paulo Sousa induced coma from last season - it'd certainly be different.

League One is a very tightly contested league this year, Brighton have taken a firm grasp of the top spot, but the play-off and automatic places could be open to any of the top 8 with no clear favourites. If Peterbrough can continue they're free scoring ways throughout the rest of the season under Ferguson's second tenure at London Road then there is no reason why they may not find themselves too surprised to be back in the Championship next season.

South Wales Derby: Straight from the Jack’s Mouth

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="90" caption="@thetimmorgan: Apparently more man than Action Man."][/caption]

One of the most heated rivalries in British football is ready to re-ignite for the second time this season on Sunday when Cardiff make the short trip down the M4 to play Swansea at The Liberty Stadium.

The derby guarantees a great football match, not only for home and away fans, but for the neutral too and the stakes will be high with Swansea looking to do the "South Wales double" in the 82-year history of the feud.

So, instead of harping on about the facts, stats and history of the match, we thought we'd go straight to the fans. Representing the North Stand will be Mr. Picklive himself, Tim Morgan. He's taken a break from his duties at Picklive to answer a few questions about his derby memories and the prospects for Swansea and Cardiff in the future.

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The Twelfth Man: When was your first derby game?

Tim Morgan: A 1-1 draw at the Vetch in 1989. The most memorable game was my first visit to Ninian Park on a Monday night in January 1993. It was a glorious 2-1 extra time win for the Swans, a memorable bus journey home and a tremendous night out in Swansea afterwards. Me and the other lads that went were giving it the big one about that night for a couple of weeks afterwards.

TTM: Have you been to any other games that come close to the atmosphere at the South Wales Derby?

TM: Hmm the one that sticks in my head was Scotland vs England in Glasgow in 1999. I used to live in Birmingham and hung around with a bunch of Blues fans. We all applied for tickets and I was the only one that came out of the ballot so I went up on my own. Glasgow is a hostile place for England to play and the atmosphere was similar to Swans Vs Cardiff but it was weird for me because I was standing in the England end and a part of me was hoping Scotland would equalise (England won courtesy of two Paul Scoles goals - what a player he is).

TTM: With your busy schedule dishing out cash left, right and centre on Picklive, will you be making the trip to the homeland?

TM: I'm in Pontardawe as we speak but sadly I'm going back to London tomorrow morning  - there is a big pile of cash stacked up on my desk and I've got to give it away to lucky Picklive winners before it ceases to be legal tender.

TTM: Out of the Cardiff squad, who would you love to see don the white shirt?

TM: Aaron Ramsey - he's perfect for the 'Swansea City Way'.

TTM: Who do you think will be the most important players in the match?

TM: You have to say that Cardiff's attacking lineup is terrifying. If Ramsey can get the better of Prats and Leon and dictate the pace of the game then we could be 3 down by half time. If he can't then we've got pace to get around their full-backs. Scott Sinclair is lightening and Nathan Dyer is the most under-rated player in the Championship. Luke Moore is looking more likely to score his first goal with every passing minute. If I have to choose one person I will leave you with this Swansea Valley mantra, "when Nathan Dyer plays well, the Swans play well".

TM: After the loss of Martinez and Sousa, do you think Swansea have the right manager now in Brendan Rodgers?

TM: Yes its unbelievable how well we're doing with our wage structure and transfer budget. When you throw into the mix the fact that we've had three managers in three seasons its nothing short of a miracle. Martinez created a style of play in the lower leagues that has since been copied with great success by Blackpool, Doncaster and Brighton. Rodgers is the man to take this on to the next level. Credit should go to the Chairman as he's the one constant in all of this (and Huw if you're reading this I will make the trip down on Sunday if I can sit next to you. We're covering the game on Picklive so you can play along on my iPhone, I'll even slip an extra bonus in your account for doing such a good job with the Swans).

TTM: With Cardiff and Swansea both performing very well in the domestic league, do you think it's a good sign for the future of the Welsh national squad?

TM: It's fantastic. Fans of both clubs should be united in their gratitude to each other for that. Ash Williams, Adam Matthews, Jazz Richards, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen, Craig Bellamy, Joe Ledley (actually not Joe Ledley) - a stellar list of local talent. England in the 90s were net beneficiaries of the work being done with Man United's youth system and I hope we have a similar knock-on effect from the high standards being achieved at Swansea and Cardiff.

TTM: Will we see two Welsh teams in the Premier League next year?

TM: No but we'll see two Welsh teams in the playoffs...

TTM: And finally, the toughie - the double over Cardiff or promotion to the Premier League?

TM: I can take or leave the premier league but I'd like to be try it for a season while I'm young and able to go to the matches so let's go for promotion.

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Don't forget, Picklive is the most modern take on football betting, breeding fantasy football with betting.  Join up here and be part of la Revolución!

We Literally Need a Replacement, Richard.

January is normally the month that is dominated by the transfer window in terms of football, however with the recent sexism row at Sky, it's had to settle with second place.

Typically, I was expecting to be writing an article about a pending multi million pound move of <insert player here> to <insert team here... probably Manchester City> which would be a waste of money/worth it's weight in gold [delete as appropriate] but I certainly didn't expect to be speculating over who will be taking the leading seats for Sky's football coverage.

So after the stream of videos being leaked about Gray's chauvinistic tendencies and Keys' live publicity funeral on talkSPORT we are left with two empty seats at one of the world's biggest sports channels.  Sky are hardly scraping the barrel for cash, so the may not necessarily internally recruit for the position, but there are also a lot of prospective applicants within the company too.

Who will be 'cut' out to be the new Keys?

Ben Shepherd (Best Odds*: Evens)

Shepherd has recently joined Sky to present their Champions League shows during midweek, this could be the chance of a lifetime for him if he manages to jump to Sky Sports' flagship show in his first year at the company.  However, I think this will be his hindrance - would the Sky exec's want to rush him straight into the role?  He is a well known presenter after all... albeit not in sport.

Jeff Stelling (5/2)

Stelling has already proven himself to be an esteemed presenter who has an excellent chemistry with all the members of the Soccer Saturday crew.  He combines a good mixture of humour, knowledge and passion for the game but will his other commitments hinder him from taking the position? Would Sky want to risk losing the "unbelievable, Jeff" (unless Kammy comes with him of course) moments by moving him from Soccer Saturday to Super Sunday and Monday Night Football?

David Jones (7/2)

Jones has risen up through the ranks at Sky, starting as a pitch side reporter for the Premier League games, he moved to become a presenter for Sky Sports News and regularly hosts the prime time reports for the channel.  He also takes the presenter role for any Football League games, so he has experience already.

Ed Chamberlain (10/1)

Chamberlain, like Jones, started off as a presenter for Sky Sports News and has worked his way up the chain landing a role as the  host of the midweek Soccer Special programmes.  Like Stelling, he has experience interacting with the crew but always does seem like the "midweek replacement".

Gabby Logan (12/1)

Logan would certainly be a very interesting choice, appointing a woman to take over from a man who was fired for being sexist? It makes a lot of sense.  She is already hosting the BBC's equivalent of Sky's Soccer Saturday, in the form of Final Score and is a renowned presenter within entertainment and sport.  She has the CV for it, she would prove that Sky are not a "sexist company" but would it all seem a  bit forced?

James Richardson (20/1)

The absolute outsider, but if Sky want to go in a different direction then Richardson would be the answer.  Renowned as a charismatic presenter who has a fantastic knowledge of the game and has vast experience in the hosting role after the success of Football Italia and the Football Weekly podcast via The Guardian.  But would Richardson take the role?

* - correct as of 27th January 2011.

Who will bring the colour back to Gray's old seat?

Jamie Redknapp (Best Odds*: 8/13)

Redknapp has been nurtured into this role and it almost seems a given that he'll be taking the lead pundit role from Gray.  He's been one of the secondary pundits alongside a mixture of relative guest pundits relevant to the covered match for the past couple of seasons and has cemented his position in the television booth at the matches.  Jamie does literally have some odd interpretations of the word 'literally' but we've all grown to love it, right?

Graeme Souness (9/2)

Souness, like Redknapp, is a regular in the studio for Sky's live matches.  As an esteemed an experienced ex-pro and manager, he comes with all the right credentials to give the interesting and inspired views for the thinking points of the matches, hence his re-appearances on the show.  But when you think of Souness, do you think Sky presenter? Or do you think ex-pro/manager who gives his thoughts on Sky?

Chris Kamara (10/1)

Kamara and Stelling, the "dream team" of Soccer Saturday, could they make the move to Super Sunday and Monday Night Football in a way that people would not just be hoping Chris spurts out the word "unbelievable" followed by his colleagues Christian name?  There is more to Kamara than the token catchphrases we've grown to love, though.  He's the host of Sky's Goals on Sunday and comes across in a much more professional way on the Sunday programme in comparison to his pitch side demeanour on Soccer Saturday.

Ron Atkinson (250/1)

...Nah, scrub that thought.

* - correct as of 27th January 2011.

So from the potential candidates, whom I have only just brushed upon, there is plenty of competition both within and outside Sky. Certainly more candidates for the punditry position, but it once Gray's successor is made, will he be the new partner to Martin Tyler? Or just merely a studio pundit? A lot of questions, soon to be resolved.