Football England's Championship Team of the Season 2008-09

Paddy Kenny (Sheffield United)
Matthew Kilgallon (Sheffield United)
Joe Ledley (Cardiff City)
Robbie Blake (Burnley)
Kevin Phillips (Birmingham City).

Manager: Owen Coyle (Burnley)

Brian Jensen (Burnley)
The Beast has long been a bit of a cult hero at Turf Moor but his performances have always been slightly erratic up to this season. This was never the case during 2008-09 when Jensen was a model of consistency and also turned in several truly memorable displays which were crucial in Burnley’s truly memorable season.

Kyle Naughton (Sheffield United)
The find of the season in The Championship. Previously Naughton’s only first team experience had come during a loan spell with Gretna but given his opportunity at right back the youngster took it with both hands and was not only established in the first team at the end of the season but attracting lots of attention from Premier League clubs.
His obvious asset is his pace to which he allies keen tackling and good crossing ability. An exciting talent.

Roger Johnson (Cardiff City)
Continues to prove himself just about the most dependable stopper at this level and is now entering his prime.

Sean St.Ledger (Preston North End)
St.Ledger is on the small side for a centre half but has tremendous spring and is rarely beaten in the air. Quick across the ground he is an assured tackler and an excellent reader of the game. He also has good skill and can break out of defence to good effect.
Looks good enough to move into the Premier League.

Daniel Fox (Coventry City)
This confident full back continued to impress hugely during his first full season at this level. Solid in every department of the full backs’ craft he may not be quite flamboyant enough to attract big interest from the top flight but that would only be good news for Coventry.

Wayne Routledge (Queens Park Rangers)
After several seasons’ making a vain attempt to make an impression in the Premier League this speedy winger made a sensible move back down into The Championship and was a real threat for QPR. He still needs to improve his end product but his pace and trickery was a severe test for every full back he faced and he will be vital if the Loftus Road club are to mount a serious promotion challenge next year.

Jordi Gomez (Swansea City)
The Swans had to fork out £200,000 just to take this creative midfielder on loan from Espanyol for the season but it was money well spent. Gomez was instrumental in making Swansea just about the best passing side in the section and the playmaker also weighed in with fourteen goals. Outstanding.

Brian Stock (Doncaster Rovers)
Doncaster also prided themselves in getting the ball down and passing it at every opportunity and Stock was central to that ethos. Generally neat, tidy and busy in central midfield his penchant for the spectacular means he is one of the most exciting players to watch at this level.

Michael Kightly (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Kightly was the man who really made Wolves tick and the fact that they ended the season as champions emphasised what an excellent season he had enjoyed. Quick, clever and always looking to hurt the opposition Kightly was a goal threat himself and chief provider for the clubs’ pack of strikers.
Hopefully he can now go on and prove himself in the top flight.

Jason Scotland (Swansea City)
This dynamic bundle of energy was a handful for Championship defences everywhere and finished the season with 21 league goals to his credit. Direct and bullishly strong Scotland provided Swansea, a precise passing team, with a crucial cutting edge.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Ebanks-Blake ended the season as The Championship’s leading scorer with 25 goals and this contribution was crucial to Wolves’ return to the top flight. Quick and rangy his ability to unsettle Premier League defences will be just as vital if the Molineux club is to establish itself at the top level.

Manager: Owen Coyle (Burnley)
This was a remarkable season for Burnley and their young manager has to take maximum credit for their success.
After selling Andy Gray and Kyle Lafferty he had some money to spend and invested it wisely in Martin Paterson and Chris Eagles giving his side extra craft and cutting edge. He fashioned a well organised, passing team that continued developing during the season and Burnley were not only able to mount a prolonged promotion bid but made good progress in both cup competitions. Four Premier League sides (Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal and West Brom) fell victim to Coyle’s team during the season and The Clarets were only two minutes away from a place in the Carling Cup final in the semi final with Tottenham despite having lost the first leg 4-1.
Any tinge of disappointment at their cup exits was forgotten by the end of the season as they did make it to Wembley for the play off final where a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United confirmed a place in next seasons’ Premier League.
This will give Coyle the opportunity to further enhance his reputation and while Burnley are almost certain to struggle in the top flight it is likely that their manager will continue to impress.