HOW THEY’LL FINISH CHAMPIONSHIP James O’Rourke @JamesOR1
1. FULHAM (11/2 Bet365)
CHAMPIONSHIP specialist James O’Rourke (@JamesOR1) delivers his team-byteam verdicts ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, with a 1-24 rundown covering each club in-depth ahead of the new season.
2. WEST BROM (13/2 BET365)
3. BOURNEMOUTH (10/1 SKYBET)
It took long enough but in late June West Brom announced Barnsley boss Valérien Ismaël as the replacement for Sam Allardyce. Whilst it was a long drawn-out process, the Baggies ultimately got a good man in the end. The former Bayern Munich defender was the latest boss to impress at Oakwell and earn himself a move, and having guided the Tykes to a very unlikely play-off appearance, he’ll now believe he can go even further tasked with better players. He’s even brought Alex Mowatt along as well, who was integral to Barnsley’s success last season.
Before I start, I’ll admit that I have found the top of the table much, much harder to predict than the bottom! For as much as I have backed Fulham for top spot, on another day I could have gone West Brom or Bournemouth. I believe the title winner will come from one of those three. In the end, I have just sided with Fulham. They too are another relegated side having to deal with a managerial change, and Marco Silva has decided to dip into the Championship for the first time in his career, having previously coached Hull, Watford and Everton in the Premier League. I don’t think we’re at the point now where a manager desperately needs experience coaching at this level. It helps, but it’s no longer the ‘be all and end all’. The Cottagers have spent big on Harry Wilson, who is proven at this level, and now he finally has a permanent home we could maybe see him reach another level. Regardless, the squad is full of top players for the league, such as Aleksandar Mitrovi and Tom Cairney, whilst those who didn’t make a big impact in the Premier League will feel more comfortable amongst this calibre of opponent.
Ismaël will also likely bring with him the 3-43 formation, and a high tempo game, with maybe more of a possession-based impetus, which should please the Baggies faithful. In addition to Mowatt, Matt Clarke has joined on-loan having been a key component in the Derby defence for a few seasons. He’ll provide balance in the back three. The squad has been trimmed, which was always needed after relegation, but the futures of Sam Johnstone and Matheus Pereira remain unclear. It would be fair to say that they are planning for the season without these two, so it’d be a big bonus if they did decide to stay. Nevertheless, there’s still enough in this West Brom squad to expect to be up near the top. Grady Diangana was most impressive in the promotion season, and he may benefit from dropping down a level again. In an ideal world, they’d have more strength in depth, and maybe that is still to come, but the roster is packed with players that would walk into practically every team in the Championship. A strong start is always needed to brush off any relegation hangover, but much like Fulham and Sheffield United, having a new manager can help overcome that.
Fulham do also have a talented academy to call upon if required, which is headlined by Fábio Carvalho, who is likely to have a bigger role after breaking onto the scene last season. Silva can get a team playing, and this is a side you’d expect to only get stronger as the season goes on. The squad still has the promotion credentials from a few seasons ago integrated from within. We’ll know more about them once the window closes, but there’s not a lot to really knock about Fulham, who will expect an instant Premier League return. 40 | WELOVEBETTING SEASON 21-22 ULTIMATE BETTING GUIDE
T h e r e have been a fair few managerial changes over the summer, as usual, but perhaps one of the most unexpected alterations was seeing Scott Parker swap Fulham for Bournemouth. That’ll spice up a bit of a rivalry between the two clubs even more, especially with both likely to battle for promotion anyway. Nevertheless, it is something of a coup for Bournemouth, who really needed a new face at the helm as Jonathan Woodgate was only ever really a caretaker. Given Woodgate was brought in by Jason Tindall, the previous boss, who in turn was long-time assistant to Eddie Howe, Parker is finally an ‘outsider’ given the task of leading the club. That should help and finally draw a line under the Howe days, which are certainly a thing of the past. One tick in Parker’s column is he knows how to get out this league, and he inherits a strong squad. A replacement for Asmir Begovic is required, and keeping Arnaut Danjuma would be huge, but he remains heavily linked with a transfer. Nevertheless, David Brooks, Dominic Solanke and new recruit Emiliano Marcondes are top, top players at this level. Bournemouth really should compete, even if Danjuma does depart. Parker will want to make his own mark on proceedings with some new faces, but given he has only been in the job for a month he may not change all that much. That is really all that is required considering they came so close last season, and arguably the red card in the play-off semi-final second leg cost them promotion. There are many ticks in the Bournemouth column, but I guess their credentials are fully based on who they can keep beyond the transfer window, but the Cherries should improve as the season progresses under new management.