Guessing game for promotion candidates
PAUL JEWELL knows a thing or two about the battle for the big time after leading both Bradford and Wigan into the Premier League.
And he reckons this season’s Championship will see the biggest scramble for a coveted place in English football’s top flight.
Never before has a division been so packed – 19 of the clubs have already tasted life in the Premier League and banked the multi-millions guaranteed in prize money.
And Jewell has scoured the long list of contenders, scratched his head about who will climb from the Championship and said: “Take your pick from probably 16 teams.”
The Premier League is no such puzzle when trying to discover the top dogs with any one of the usual top six suspects capable of being champions.
This year’s Championship campaign looks like it will not work like that.
Jewell won promotion in 1999 with Bradford and then six years later announced Wigan’s arrival in the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history when it was easier to predict the 1-2-3.
And he said: “It’s not like that anymore. There are only three teams who are going to get in and, if I’m being honest, there are 16 or 17 teams who now think they can do it.
“It’s not like there are five or six teams favourites for promotion.
“We all know the six teams who will fight it out for the Premier League title but anyone who can give me the Championship top six then I’ll shake their hand.
“Everything is so even and so difficult to call.
“The top two? I haven’t got a clue and that’s not being rude because there are so many big clubs in that division.”
Jewell recognises from experience that many of the Championship contenders will throw big money at claiming a Premier League spot – and that could be fatal financially if they fail.
He added: “I feel sorry for the owners.
“Every supporter wants their club to be in the Premier League.
“My concern is that clubs could lose their identity by throwing everything at it by spending money that they haven’t got.
“If it doesn’t end in success then the quest can actually bankrupt the club.
“You can’t put the history of these famous clubs in jeopardy.”