ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS...
Fans give their views on their clubs ahead of the busy Festive schedule
HE’S MAKING a list and checking it twice, he’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice.
Yes, Christmas is on its way and, as Santa Claus fires up the sleigh ahead of coming to town, the halfway stage of the 2017-18 football season is almost upon us.
It seems, therefore, an appropriate time to ask who is deserving of a few presents this festive season from Santa and who could be facing the sack.
Huddersfield Town, as Yorkshire’s sole representative in the Premier League, will enjoy a quite magnificent Christmas this year with head coach David Wagner maintaining his ability to succeed against all the odds.
The weekend victory at Watford, which banished the club’s away-day blues at a stroke, left the Terriers in 11th place in the top flight with 21 points from 18 games.
In recent years, a ‘par’ score of a point-per-game has invariably been enough to guarantee safety and Huddersfield, even allowing for the quality of opposition faced each and every week, are well on course to prove all the doubters wrong again by extending their stay in the top flight.
Ambitions in the Championship, of course, are much loftier than mere survival. Joining Town at the top table is what drives on those in the ultra competitive second tier and this region’s clubs are no different.
The hope before a ball had been kicked was that a quarter of the Championship being made up of teams from within the Broad Acres meant the chances of this campaign bringing a hattrick of White Rose promotion years would be reasonably high.
Hull City and Huddersfield went up via the play-offs in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and it seems those end-of-season promotion deciders look to be the county’s most likely route again this time around.
Sheffield United can be found in the top six despite a worrying slump in form and Leeds United are pushing them hard, just a point separating the two old foes.
Leeds’s fate could be decided by their transfer activity in January with an imbalanced squad still lacking a reliable goalkeeper and natural left-back, while it will be interesting to see how much backing manager Chris Wilder gets in the market at Bramall Lane.
Middlesbrough, meanwhile, are just a few points adrift of the Blades, but more was expected after a summer that brought a £40m spending spree and the arrival of Garry Monk.
Across the Steel City, Wednesday have toiled for much of the campaign and it is going to take an almighty turnaround if a third tilt at the play-offs is to be earned in May. Hull, too, have struggled horribly at times and Nigel Adkins’s job in the new year will be all about avoiding a second consecutive relegation. Barnsley, meanwhile, need the much-touted takeover to finally go through if manager Paul Heckingbottom, who has done such a fine job, is to be given a fair crack at keeping his side clear of trouble.
In League One, Bradford City are firmly on course for another top-six finish, while Rotherham United have ground to make up following an autumn dip and Doncaster Rovers could also do with a new year lift.
All this means, as Santa prepares his sleigh, there can only be one wish for Yorkshire’s senior clubs this festive season: Be good on the pitch for goodness sake.
Joining Town at the top table is what drives our clubs in the second tier.
Chief football writer Richard Sutcliffe on the Christmas wishes of Yorkshire’s clubs.