Murderball, moneyball and Championship blueprints for Stoke City to beat the system
Since Stoke City was demoted to the Championship, 70% of promotion-winning teams have received parachute payments.
The issue for Stoke is that they spent so much money trying to return to the Premier League in 2018 that they were too busy making sure they didn’t violate Financial Fair Play regulations the rest of their time with parachutes and beyond after that transfer deal fell through and the EFL rules were changed.
In 2023, they trimmed spending and saved money to finance a significant squad revamp, but that one, which was led by Alex Neil, Ricky Martin, and Jared Dublin, didn’t go as planned either, and their successors had to fight back even harder.
All of this has resulted in seven consecutive bottom-half finishes, yet the Potters have occasionally given the impression that winning the Championship is impossible. Even Gary Rowett, who oversaw the 2018 transfer flurry, is now aiming for a top 10 finish with Oxford United on a significantly reduced budget.
Additionally, six clubs have managed to win promotion without receiving parachute payments since 2018. As the underdogs in a play-off final against Sheffield United, Sunderland will be looking to make it seven this afternoon.
They have outperformed the trend with a dash of managerial brilliance, teamwork, and astute hiring—and, most importantly, huge bets that pay off.
celebrated on the field on the last day at the bet365 Stadium after finishing second and earning automatic promotion under manager Chris Wilder.
With tactical innovations like overlapping center-halves, Wilder had led Sheff United from the bottom of League One, and the nucleus of the team remained together. He won the LMA manager of the year award that year, defeating Pep Guardiola.
Together, strikers David McGoldrick and Billy Sharp scored 38 goals and spent £635,000.
“There is no checkbook culture,” Wilder stated at the time, “and I would like to think we have struck a blow for recruitment, training ground, teaching, and all the other stuff which goes on behind the scenes.”
After missing out on the Premier League title in his first season, Leeds made a 16-year comeback when Marcelo Bielsa led them to victory. They had been in the Championship for eight seasons prior to his arrival, but they had never placed higher than seventh.
Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas, Luke Ayling, and Kalvin Phillips all became super-fit Championship superstars after Bielsa’s amazing coaching transformation of an underperforming team.
Bielsa’s notorious “murderball” training sessions helped them develop their stamina, and they scored some vital late goals as they outran and surrounded opponents while applying constant pressure.
Under Thomas Frank’s leadership, Brentford advanced through the playoffs, led by Ivan Toney, who scored 33 goals. They would be playing in the top flight for the first time in seventy-four years.
Owner Matthew Benham’s Moneyball-style data-driven recruitment plan paid off, but even if they had lost that day at Wembley, they were still wagering more than they could reasonably afford under FFP regulations.
“If you look at the amount of money Championship clubs routinely spend on wages, on average, it’s in excess of 100 percent of turnover,” stated EFL chairman Rick Parry. Going back to Brentford, it was around 250 percent, while Brighton had more than 150 percent.
People may say it’s worth it if you take a chance and win a promotion. On the other hand, if you look at teams like Derby County or Reading, who tried their best and paid much over the going rate, they failed, and for whatever reason, the owners decide they will no longer do it.
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