Alan pardew: fa cup semi-finals show championship quality

By Rob Virtue on March 26, 2008 2:05 PM |

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ALAN Pardew will be watching the FA Cup semi-finals with a sense of satisfaction next weekend.

While Premier League fans have looked down on the second tier in recent years, West Brom, Cardiff and Barnsley are flying the flag for the underdog.

In a season that’s too close to call, many critics have said Championship sides are all as bad as each other. But as the Premier League scalps in the cup will testify, it shows anyone can beat anyone else on their day.

“It backs up what I have suggested about this league,” said Pardew. “I feel it’s a very strong league all the way through.

“On a given day, if you’re not scoring two or three – like we’re not – you’re always in danger of a team having enough quality to score and turn you over.

“Looking at the quarter-final results, I have to say I tipped Barnsley to win. They’ve only lost two at home all year. I thought it was going to be a tough game for Chelsea and so it proved.

“Cardiff’s performance I have to say was a top level performance which I didn’t quite expect; I thought Middlesbrough would win that.”

Pardew believes that the quality of footballers attracted to the Championship has increased over the past few years. This is because the English game has raised its profile.

“It just goes to show that the organisation and the managers in this division are of a very high
quality,” he said. “The coaching’s better and the drip feed from the Premier League down is
making an impact so it is a difficult league to get out of and that’s why nobody’s run away with it.

“To get top, top quality, and to run away with it you would need to spend a lot of money and no-one has been able to do that.

“It’s a tough division, there’s absolutely no doubt about that,” he added. “And I think the respect that the Championship sides have gained is a reflection on the strength of the division.”

rob.virtue@wharf.co.uk