2008–09 Football League Championship Explained

Competition:Football League Championship
Season:2008–09
Winners:Wolverhampton Wanderers
1st Championship title
3rd 2nd tier title
Promoted:Wolverhampton Wanderers
Birmingham City
Burnley
Relegated:Norwich City
Southampton
Charlton Athletic
Matches:552
Total Goals:1350
League Topscorer:Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
(25 goals)
Biggest Home Win:Reading 6–0 Sheffield Wednesday,
Preston North End 6–0 Cardiff City
Biggest Away Win:Charlton Athletic 2–5 Sheffield United
Highest Scoring:Norwich City 5–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers,
Watford 3–4 Blackpool,
Charlton Athletic 2–5 Sheffield United
Longest Wins:7 games[1]
Wolverhampton Wanderers (achieved twice)
Longest Unbeaten:13 games
Cardiff City,
Swansea City
Longest Winless:18 games
Charlton Athletic
Longest Losses:6 games
Doncaster Rovers
Highest Attendance:33,079[2]
Derby County v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Lowest Attendance:6,648
Blackpool v Charlton Athletic
Average Attendance:17,938
Prevseason:2007–08
Nextseason:2009–10

The 2008–09 Football League Championship (known as the Coca-Cola Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the league under its current title and seventeenth season under its current league division format.

Wolverhampton Wanderers won the division to return to the Premier League after a five-year absence. They secured the Championship title on 25 April, one week after having confirmed their promotion with a victory over QPR.[3] [4]

Birmingham City were promoted at the first attempt following their relegation. They secured their return to the top flight on the final day of the season by winning at promotion rivals Reading 2–1.[5] Norwich City, Southampton and Charlton Athletic were relegated;[6]

Burnley won the play-offs to reach the Premier League for the first time after a 1–0 win in the play-off final against Sheffield United, who had been in with a chance of automatic promotion on the final day.[7]

Team changes from previous season

Joining the ChampionshipRelegated from the Premier League:

Promoted from League One:

Leaving the ChampionshipPromoted to the Premier League:

Relegated to League One:

Team overview

Stadium and locations

TeamStadiumCapacity
23,009
30,009
9,788
21,497
22,546
22,008
27,111
32,609
26,309
33,597
15,231
30,311
26,034
30,602
19,500
24,500
19,128
24,161
32,609
39,814
32,689
20,532
19,920
28,525

Personnel and sponsoring

TeamManagerKit makerSponsor
Barnsley Simon DaveyBarnsley Building Society
Birmingham City Alex McLeishUmbroF&C Investments
Blackpool Tony ParkesFloors 2 Go/Carbrini
Bristol City Gary JohnsonD.A.S.
Burnley Owen CoyleHolland's Pies
Cardiff City Dave JonesVans Direct.co.uk
Charlton Athletic Phil ParkinsonCarbrini
Coventry City Chris ColemanCassidy Group
Crystal Palace Neil WarnockGAC Logistics
Derby County Nigel CloughBombardier
Doncaster Rovers Sean O'DriscollWright Investments
Ipswich Town Roy KeaneMarcus Evans
Norwich City Bryan GunnNorwich Union
Nottingham Forest Billy DaviesCapital One
Plymouth Argyle Paul SturrockGinsters
Preston North EndEnterprise plc
Queens Park Rangers Paulo SousaGulf Air
ReadingWaitrose
Sheffield United Kevin BlackwellVisit Malta.com
Sheffield Wednesday Brian LawsPlusNet
Southampton Mark WotteFlybe
Swansea City Roberto MartínezSwansea.com
Watford Brendan RodgersBeko
Wolverhampton Wanderers Mick McCarthyChaucer Consulting

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table
QPR Iain DowieSacked24 October 2008[8] Paulo Sousa19 November 2008[9] 9th
Watford Aidy BoothroydMutual consent3 November 2008[10] Brendan Rodgers24 November 2008[11] 21st
Charlton Athletic Alan PardewMutual consent22 November 2008[12] Phil Parkinson31 December 2008[13] 22nd
Blackpool Simon Grayson23 December 2008[14] Ian Holloway21 May 200916th
Nottingham Forest Colin CalderwoodSacked26 December 2008[15] Billy Davies1 January 2009[16] 22nd
Derby County Paul JewellResigned28 December 2008[17] Nigel Clough6 January 2009[18] 18th
Norwich City Glenn RoederSacked14 January 2009[19] Bryan Gunn21 January 2009[20] 21st
Southampton Jan PoortvlietResigned23 January 2009[21] Mark Wotte23 January 200923rd
QPR Paulo SousaSacked9 April 2009[22] Jim Magilton3 June 200910th
Ipswich Town Jim MagiltonSacked22 April 2009[23] Roy Keane23 April 2009[24] 9th
Reading Steve CoppellResigned12 May 2009[25] Brendan Rodgers4 June 20094th, Play-off semi-final

League table

Play-offs

See main article: 2009 Football League play-offs.

Top goalscorers

PosPlayerTeamGoals
1Sylvan Ebanks-BlakeWolverhampton Wanderers25
2Ross McCormackCardiff City21
Jason ScotlandSwansea City
4Kevin DoyleReading18
5Tommy SmithWatford16
6Rob HulseDerby County14
Chris IwelumoWolverhampton Wanderers
Marcus TudgaySheffield Wednesday
Kevin PhillipsBirmingham City

Awards

MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthNotes
width=21%Managerwidth=21%Clubwidth=21%Playerwidth=21%Club
AugustMick McCarthyWolverhampton WanderersRichard ChaplowPreston North End[26] [27]
SeptemberOwen CoyleBurnleyKevin DoyleReading[28] [29]
OctoberDave JonesCardiff CityRob HulseDerby County[30] [31]
NovemberMick McCarthyWolverhampton WanderersChris IwelumoWolverhampton Wanderers[32] [33]
DecemberSteve CoppellReadingStephen HuntReading[34] [35]
JanuaryRoberto MartínezSwansea CityJoe LedleyCardiff City[36] [37]
FebruaryChris ColemanCoventry CityJason ScotlandSwansea City[38]
MarchKevin BlackwellSheffield UnitedRobbie BlakeBurnley[39] [40]
AprilAlan IrvinePreston North EndKyle NaughtonSheffield United
PFA Team of the Year[41]
Pos.PlayerClub
GK Coventry City
DF Sheffield United
DF Cardiff City
DF Wolverhampton Wanderers
DF Coventry City
MF Wolverhampton Wanderers
MF Reading
MF Cardiff City
MF Swansea City
FW Wolverhampton Wanderers
FW Swansea City

Events

Goal controversies

Southampton administration

On 23 April 2009, The Football League announced that Southampton had been placed into administration. The ruling occurred after the deadline for immediate points deduction application, so the ten-point deduction would have to await whether or not Southampton, in 22nd place at the time of the announcement, were relegated.[45] If they had finished above the relegation zone, then the points would have been deducted from their total for the current year to thereby relegate them. However, since their relegation was confirmed following their penultimate match, their point penalty would be applied the next season in League One.[46]

Notes and References

  1. News: English League Championship Stats – 2011–12 . ESPN . 21 October 2012 . 11 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181011210357/http://www.espnfc.com/english-league-championship/24/statistics/assists . dead .
  2. News: Football League Attendance Report . The Football League . 25 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120813012426/http://www.football-league.co.uk/staticFiles/1c/b7/0%2C%2C10794~177948%2C00.pdf . 13 August 2012 .
  3. News: Wolves 1–0 QPR. 18 April 2009 . BBC Sport.
  4. News: Barnsley 1–1 Wolves. 25 April 2009. BBC Sport.
  5. News: Birmingham clinch top-flight spot. 3 May 2009. BBC Sport.
  6. News: Ups and downs. 24 May 2009. BBC Sport.
  7. News: Burnley 1–0 Sheff Utd. 25 May 2009. BBC Sport.
  8. News: QPR part company with boss Dowie . BBC Sport . 24 October 2008. 1 November 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081028025908/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/7689062.stm. 28 October 2008 . live.
  9. News: Sousa is new QPR first-team coach . 19 November 2008 . 20 November 2008 . BBC Sport.
  10. Web site: Boothroyd and Watford part company . BBC Sport . 3 November 2008. 22 April 2009 .
  11. News: Rodgers named new Watford manager . 24 November 2008 . 24 November 2008 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20081204045159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/watford/7744881.stm. 4 December 2008 . live.
  12. Web site: Alan Pardew leaves The Valley . Charlton Athletics . 22 November 2008 . 22 April 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090425194250/http://www.cafc.co.uk/newsview.ink?nid=33276 . 25 April 2009 . dead .
  13. News: Addicks appoint Parkinson as boss . 31 December 2008 . 31 December 2008 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090101142701/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/7806330.stm. 1 January 2009 . live.
  14. News: Grayson appointed Leeds Manager . 23 December 2008 . 23 December 2008 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20081223123047/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/7796182.stm. 23 December 2008 . live.
  15. News: Calderwood sacked as Forest boss . 26 December 2008 . 26 December 2008 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20081227101334/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/nottm_forest/7800688.stm. 27 December 2008 . live.
  16. News: Davies appointed Forest manager . 1 January 2009 . 1 January 2009 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090102134109/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/nottm_forest/7805993.stm. 2 January 2009. live.
  17. News: Jewell resigns as Derby manager . 29 December 2008 . 29 December 2008 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090101030839/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/7802617.stm. 1 January 2009. live.
  18. News: Clough takes over as Derby boss . 6 January 2009 . 6 January 2009 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090110080734/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/7813858.stm. 10 January 2009. live.
  19. News: Roeder sacked as Norwich manager. 14 January 2000 . 14 January 2009 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090120030126/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/norwich/7828617.stm. 20 January 2009 . live.
  20. News: Norwich name Gunn boss for season . 21 January 2009 . 21 January 2009 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090122160038/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/norwich/7841754.stm. 22 January 2009 . live.
  21. News: Poortvliet resigns as Saints boss. 23 January 2009 . 23 January 2009 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090125185324/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/7848414.stm. 25 January 2009 . live.
  22. News: QPR axe Sousa after just 26 games. 9 April 2009 . 9 April 2009 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090412052024/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/7993079.stm. 12 April 2009. live.
  23. News: Magilton sacked as Ipswich boss. 22 April 2009 . 22 April 2009 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090424024136/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/i/ipswich_town/8012301.stm. 24 April 2009 . live.
  24. Web site: Keane appointed Ipswich manager . 23 April 2009. BBC Sport. 23 April 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090425055931/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/i/ipswich_town/8013572.stm. 25 April 2009. live.
  25. News: Magilton sacked as Ipswich boss. 22 April 2009 . 22 April 2009 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20090515094935/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/reading/8047177.stm. 15 May 2009 . live.
  26. News: Wolves boss scoops monthly award . 9 August 2008 . 9 August 2008 . BBC Sport.
  27. News: Player of the Month Awards announced . 9 August 2008 . 9 August 2008 . Setanta Sports . https://web.archive.org/web/20081026064819/http://www.setantasports.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/09/08/Football-League-Powerade-awards-announced/?facets%2Fsport-space%2Ffootball%2Fgreat-britain-locale%2FThe-Coca-Cola-Football-League-Championship%2F . 26 October 2008 . dead .
  28. News: Coyle named manager of the month . 2 October 2008 . 2 October 2008 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20081005044318/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/burnley/7648565.stm. 5 October 2008 . live.
  29. News: Hinton . Mark . 7 October 2008 . Doyle is Championship Player of the Month . Goal . 7 October 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090425201005/http://www.goal.com/en-india/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=900860 . 25 April 2009.
  30. News: Dave is manager of the month – and Chops is back . 6 November 2008 . 6 November 2008 . News Wales . https://web.archive.org/web/20090425222142/http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Sport&F=1&id=15581 . 25 April 2009 . dead .
  31. News: Rob Hulse Wins in Championship . 8 November 2008 . 8 November 2008 . Barnsley Official Site .
  32. News: McCarthy is pick of the bunch . 4 December 2008 . 1 December 2009 . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20090426090847/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ChampionshipManageroftheMonth/0,,10794~1476009,00.html . 26 April 2009 . dead.
  33. News: Iwelumo is Championship's top man . 9 December 2008 . 1 December 2009 . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20091009174923/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ChampionshipPlayeroftheMonth/0,,10794,00.html . 9 October 2009 . dead.
  34. News: Coppell crowned championship's best. 4 December 2008. 17 January 2009. Football League. https://web.archive.org/web/20081029175231/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ChampionshipManageroftheMonth/0,,10794,00.html. 29 October 2008. dead.
  35. News: Hunt named player of the month . 9 December 2008 . 17 January 2009 . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20090228033312/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ChampionshipPlayeroftheMonth/0%2C%2C10794~1517784%2C00.html . 28 February 2009 . dead.
  36. News: Martinez named championship's best . 5 February 2009 . 5 February 2009 . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20090222014329/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/News/ChampionshipNewsDetail/0%2C%2C10794~1546464%2C00.html . 22 February 2009 . dead.
  37. News: Ledley the Championship's best . 9 February 2008 . 17 February 2009 . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20090330020217/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ChampionshipPlayeroftheMonth/0%2C%2C10794~1551426%2C00.html . 30 March 2009 . dead.
  38. News: Coleman hoping to silence oggy. 6 March 2009. 9 March 2009. Football League. https://web.archive.org/web/20090426091117/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ChampionshipManageroftheMonth/0,,10794~1581320,00.html. 26 April 2009. dead.
  39. News: Blackwell speeds to award . 2 April 2009 . 8 April 2009 . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20090427001612/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/News/ChampionshipNewsDetail/0%2C%2C10794~1610504%2C00.html . 27 April 2009 . dead.
  40. News: Blake wins monthly accolade . 6 April 2008 . 8 April 2009 . Football League . https://web.archive.org/web/20090426091148/http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/News/ChampionshipNewsDetail/0%2C%2C10794~1615032%2C00.html . 26 April 2009 . dead.
  41. Book: Barry J. . Hugman . The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10 . 2009 . Mainstream Publishing . 978-1-84596-474-0 . 480 .
  42. Web site: Watford 2–2 Reading . BBC Sport . 20 September 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090116181506/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7614022.stm. 16 January 2009 . live.
  43. Web site: Coppell happy to replay Watford . BBC Sport . 21 September 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090203081832/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7628234.stm. 3 February 2009 . live.
  44. Web site: Bristol City boss Johnson calls for introduction of goalline technology. 8 December 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090425183502/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/bristolcity/news/Bristol-City-boss-Johnson-calls-introduction-goalline-technologyarticle-529315-details/article.html. 25 April 2009. dead. 23 April 2009.
  45. News: Penalised Saints face relegation. 23 April 2009. BBC Sport.
  46. http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/News/ChampionshipNewsDetail/0,,10794~1636735,00.html Statement on Southampton Football Club

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