Every Content Creator’s Player of the Season: The Championship

Everyone has got an opinion on who they think has been their club’s Player of the Season; football is a game of opinions after all. You might be torn between one or two players, or you might disagree completely with the wider choice. Or your club might’ve had a torrid season and you think none of them deserve the accolade. Everyone’s got their own opinion.

So to discover who really are each club’s POTS’s I decided to get in touch with those who dedicate large parts of their lives to creating content on their beloved clubs. The fan-made content creators!

Now FanHub has a lot of content creators involved already, but we always want more. If you’re a content creator reading this then why not get involved? The application form is right here.

For those club’s that I struggled to get content creators on board for, then I’ve involved some pure, brilliant fans.

If you agree or disagree with these choices then let us know below!

Let’s go…

(https://www.90min.com/posts/6290812-asmir-begovic-s-bournemouth-future-in-doubt-after-massive-fallout-with-boss-eddie-howe)

AFC Bournemouth – Asmir Begovic

Bournemouth’s season ended in disappointment with defeat to Brentford in playoff semi finals, but it may turn out to be a good thing as it’ll allow the Cherries to continue a proper rebuild. Kirk from the ‘CherriesRedArmy‘ YouTube channel gives us the lowdown on their key figure.

‘A goalkeeper that returned from loan at AC Milan after Aaron Ramsdale was sold to Sheffield United. Begovic rediscovered his best form this season playing 47 League Games , 16 Clean Sheets, one penalty save and one Assist. Won us and saved us countless points throughout the season with some important saves and was Vice Captain when Steve Cook not available.’

https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/2020/september/michal-helik-signs-for-the-reds/

Barnsley – Michal Helik

A great season was had for Barnsley despite play-off semi final defeat to Swansea, and next season they’ll hope to go that bit further. Carlo from the ‘Reds Report‘ informs us about their big defender.

‘You could argue that the Championship over achievers this season were Barnsley who finished in 5th . A case can be made for any of the Tykes but Michal Helik their Polish Centre back wasn’t voted player of the season for nothing . Dependable, clinical and he chipped in with a few goals as well. As a reward for his outstanding defensive displays he’s been called up to the Polish National squad. After winning his battles on the pitch Barnsley will have a battle off the pitch trying to keep hold of the 25yr old.’

(https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/marc-roberts-birmingham-city-barnsley-14337515)

Birmingham City – Marc Roberts

For a long time now the Blues have fought it out in the lower part of the Championship, and this season was no different. Chris from the ‘WeAreBirmingham’ website chose the Blues’ player of the season, and as he explains, it’s not who you’d first expect.

‘Whilst Harlee Dean won both the official Supporters and Player’s Player of the Season awards, over the full season I would’ve personally gone with his partner at the back, Marc Roberts. Harlee was outstanding during the Bowyer rescue mission, but Roberts wasn’t far behind, if not on a par.

However for me, during the rest of a turbulent season Robbo was pretty solid throughout. He did miss a small chunk of the season, however when he was in the side, he was fairly reliable, and later in the season turned provider with some excellent crosses and, finally, with a goal from a long throw after 1,796 attempts!’

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53917178

Blackburn Rovers – Thomas Kaminski

Rovers’ 15th place will have disappointed the home faithful as the club attempt to return to their good old days. A big summer ahead looms, but they’ll need to keep hold of this man. ‘Rovers Chat‘, specifically Daniel, gives us the lowdown on the POTS situation at Blackburn.

‘For me, Thomas Kaminski takes the player of the year award, although it is a very tight call between himself and Adam Armstrong.

The goalkeeper position is something we’ve struggled with over the last ten years, but the arrival of Kaminski from Gent for a low fee has been a brilliant acquisition from the club. He breeds confidence and has shown himself to be more than capable at this level.’

https://www.brentfordfc.com/news/2021/march/vitaly-janelt-heading-to-the-under-21-european-championships-with-germany/

Brentford – Vitaly Janelt

They finally tasted play-off success as they beat Swansea 2-0 at Wembley to achieved a deserved promotion to the Premier League. Thomas Frank’s have been incredibly exciting, but despite Ivan Toney’s heroics in front of goal, ‘BeesTV’ chose someone else as their POTS.

‘For me it would be Vitaly Janelt. Of course Ivan Toney, Josh Dasilva and Rico Henry are the rest of the big contenders but I’ve picked him because we were all frightened when King Norgaard got injured for half a season. Just one game for Vitaly and he stepped perfectly in, solid as a rock at the back, leads the team, and came up with the crucial equaliser vs Bournemouth in the Playoff Semis. Certainly one of the best this season.’

https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/city-sign-nahki-wells/

Bristol City – Nahki Wells

The Robins’ lowly 19th place finish is not what they wanted at the start of the season, and they’re not going to be happy with a lot of their squad. Though one player did catch the eye at times. Chris, a Bristol City fan, tells us why.

‘It’s been a woeful season, a really poor one. I’d like to choose no one to be honest. But if I had to pick one, I’d go with the striker, Wells. He’s scored a few vital goals and has had a bit of fire in his belly.’

(https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hes-bullied-them-cardiff-city-19382269)

Cardiff City – Kieffer Moore

Mick McCarthy nearly steered the Welsh side into the play-offs after replacing Neil Harris. They’ll be hoping to make those promised places next season. Scott from the ‘View From The Ninian‘ sorted us out, as he updated us on Cardiff’s striker situation, and how he’s won his POTS.

‘Toiling away up front for Cardiff is an often thankless, fruitless task, but they’ve finally found their perfect striker in Kieffer Moore. Benefitting from Wigan’s cruel points penalty, relegation and subsequent fire sale, Moore works the channels and puts the hard yards in, but he can knit play, hold the ball up and is an assured finisher. Cardiff’s best player and greatest asset.’

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53418130

Coventry City – Callum O’Hare

A 16th place finish for Coventry shows another good step towards returning to their glory days as they were able to consolidate themselves in the Championship. I spoke to Callum, creator of the ‘SkyBluesZone‘ YouTube channel, and he chose a player that impressed many this year. The former Villa youngster has made a great start to his career.

‘My Coventry City player of the season is Callum O’Hare. He came in from a free from Aston Villa whilst getting stick off the Villa fans who claimed he “was league one level”. He he came in and despite being unlucky in front of goal he has 3 goals and 8 assists becoming our top goal contributed this season. He’s had countless man of the match awards and i believe also made the most amount of tackles as well as being the championships most fouled player. He’s adapted to Championship level like a duck to water and will only kick on next season’

https://www.derbycounty.news/analysis/derby-countys-graeme-shinnie-makes-spl-title-claim-six-months-after-reported-celtic-and-rangers-interest/

Derby County – Graham Shinnie

They only just survived the drop this season, which turned out to be a harrowing and embarrassing campaign for the Rams. Jason from the ‘Rams Review Podcast‘ chose his POTS for a team that have widely struggled this year. It’s been a tricky one for Derby, and they’ll be hoping the former Aberdeen midfielder can lead the squad next year.

‘In a season where disappointing is an understatement, the topic of POTY is one the fans are not really excited with… but for me there are a couple in with a shout but i will go with Graham Shinnie, the fight and desire in midfield from the fan dubbed “Scottish Pirlo” has had an excellent season by all accounts and i hate to think where the team would of been without him. Exactly what you need in a championship team, Shinnie brings a lot of those qualities, leaves everything out on the pitch his work-rate is second to none & a steady footballer too if only we had a few more like him this season…’

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/huddersfield-town-injury-qpr-hogg-20080032

Huddersfield Town – Jonathan Hogg

Another disappointing season for Huddersfield Town as they finished up in 20th. Their squad needs continued rejuvenation and a few years of rebuilding in the second tier. ‘And He Takes That Chance’ is a Huddersfield fan podcast, and I spoke to Matt to discuss their choice on POTS. It was a rather surprising outcome.

‘HTAFC player of the year: Jonathan Hogg. In truth no one has had an outstanding season in blue and white but Jonathan Hogg’s consistency at the base of midfield has been a key cornerstone of Town’s infrequent successes. Indeed, Huddersfield havent won any of the 9 games that Hogg hasn’t played. Hoggy, a solid performer in the engine room not only deserves this for this past season but also for the heroic and unheralded work he’s put in since joining the club in 2013.’

(https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/brendan-rodgers-reveals-plan-kiernan-5386847)

Luton Town – Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

A brilliant year in the Championship for the Hatters saw them finish 12th in an ultra-competitive league. They’ll try and keep hold of a few players this summer, before they add to the squad and push for a top ten finish next season. Luton fan Alex Peapell (@APeapell) talks to us about KDH.

‘Player of the season must be Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, he was an absolute engine in our midfield who drove the team forward in attack and created countless chances,which if they were taken by the rest of our team it could’ve been a much more successful season. With his wand of a left foot he oozes quality and he will be a huge miss for the Town next season and i’m sure he’ll have a great career in the future. Special player who changed our season since his acquisition and couldn’t of achieved our incredible mid table finish without him. He contributed 3 goals and 6 assists but this could’ve and should’ve been so much more. You can see by all of the man of the match awards he got how big of an impact he had on the team.’

(https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/watch-dael-fry-urges-boro-fans-to-bring-the-noise)

Middlesbrough – Dael Fry

A 10th place finish for the Boro shows a fairly positive season was had. They’ll be desperate to make it to the playoffs next year though, and keeping this centre-half will really help. Tom from ‘The Boro Breakdown‘ podcast tells us why.

‘I’ve chosen Dael Fry as my player of the season due to the massive improvement and consistency we have seen from him this season. We’ve been told for years he was going to be a much better CB than Ben Gibson and personally I never saw that, but I said on our podcast late last season certain managers can get the best out of certain players and I feel that’s definitely the case with Warnock/Fry He’s been a colossus at the back this season, nicknamed “The Boro Lighthouse” and ended up being a big miss towards the end of the season when he got injured. We’re all hoping he can stay injury free next season, keep up his great performances and stay part of our promising looking CB pairing with Grant Hall.’

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51265383

Millwall – Bartosz Bialkowski

Milwall’s 11th finish shows yet another solid year for the London outfit, but they’ll be hoping for a little bit more of a push towards the playoffs next season. I spoke to Eamonn from the ‘No One Likes Us Talkin’ Broadcasting!‘ podcast, and he chose a player that I have to admit, I had never heard of before.

‘Bart as we call him was ever present throughout our league campaign, claiming 17 clean sheets this season and becoming the first Millwall goalkeeper to earn back to back Player of the season awards. Bart’s determined performances were a cornerstone of keeping our defence tight and scoring against us was more often than not difficult due to his positioning and commanding calls to our defenders.’

(https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/aston-villa-transfer-news-buendia-20711748)

Norwich City – Emi Buendia

A superb season for Farke’s men as they returned to the Premier League with ease. Choosing just one player would be hard but the guys at the ‘CanaryCast‘ was able to pick one out for us.

‘My player of the season for Norwich City has to be Emi Buendia. Whilst there are rumours about our football heaven leaving the club this summer it takes nothing away from what he left out on the pitch. 15 goals and 17 assists in 39 games speaks for itself on just how influential the Argentinian has been to this Norwich side but it’s the way he has controlled games for us which has been so impressive.

His first touch, dribbling and through balls are Premier League level and it was a pleasure to have watched him for an extra year. I have no doubt in my mind he will reach the very top of the game and stay there for a number of years, he’s the best player I’ve watched at Norwich City by a country mile.’

(https://theathletic.co.uk/2220931/2020/11/25/the-evolution-of-joe-worrall/)

Nottingham Forest – Joe Worrall

Rish from the ‘1865 Forest Ramble‘ helped me out with this one, and he chose a commanding centre half.

‘It’s an easy one this year to be honest: Joe Worrall. In a season that has been so underwhelming, at least we have always known what we will get with Joe – a local boy and Forest fan with a burning desire to captain his team to the Premier League. A real warrior, he has played with a broken foot and then later a broken rib. He isn’t club captain but he is the leader on the pitch, not scared to call out his team mates, and always leading by example. I just hope we don’t have to sell him in the summer as his performances keep getting better and better.’

(https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/ryan-ledson-stepped-forward-questions-19205374)

Preston North End – Ryan Ledson

Preston’s 13th place finish would’ve disappointed a few of the Lilywhite’s faithful after last seasons positive campaign. Though it’s not all been doom and gloom, with the continued emergence of Ryan Ledson continuing into this season. Preston fan, and football writer, Sam (@SamThomas26) tells us about him.

‘I’d go with Ryan Ledson. It was between Daniel Iversen or him. I just think Ledson as he’s been here a while, waited for his chance and took his opportunity when he got his games. Been a massive figure this season and he’s only going to improve. A great player and person.’

https://www.qpr.co.uk/news/club-news/lyndon-dykes-is-a-ranger/

Queens Park Rangers – Lyndon Dykes

QPR’s 9th place finish signified an impressive season for the London outfit as they continue their re-growth in the Championship. QPR fan, Dave, tells us about their Scottish striker.

‘He’s been called up the Scottish national team and he fully deserves it. His move from Livingston was a risk for player and club, but thank godness we made the move. He’s an excellent goal-getter and has proved that he’s definitely capable at this level this season.’

(https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mark-bowen-reading-fc-laurent-19800092)

Reading – Josh Laurent

Reading’s 7th place finish is a great improvement, and they’ll be hoping to push it further next year. They’ll also be hoping to keep on to this lad, as the ‘Talk Reading‘ crew inform about him.

‘Reading signed Josh Laurent on a free from Shrewsbury Town in the summer… and what a signing it turned out to be! Laurent took to the Championship incredibly well, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Andy Rinomhota. Calm on the ball, strong in the tackle and with a superb range of passing, Laurent has been a revelation. Above all, he comes across as a great guy that’s always smiling and exactly the type of player you want at your club.’

https://www.themillers.co.uk/news/2020/august/signing–millers-complete-move-for-birmingham-city-defender/

Rotherham United – Wes Harding

Matt at the ‘New York Talk’ podcast spoke to me about the former Brum defender. He made the summer move and has began to push on his career now. He might not be at Rotherham next season however, as he’s had a solid season.

‘Our player of the season is Wes Harding – costing around £150k from Birmingham in the summer and has become Mr reliable at right back as well playing everywhere else across our back 5.’

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/josh-windass-sheffield-wednesday-rumour-5378028

Sheffield Wednesday – Josh Windass

James from the ‘Wednesday Til’ I Die‘ Podcast changed his mind on who he was going to suggest, from former Villa man Barry Bannan to son of a former famous man, Josh Windass.

‘In a side that has failed to produce any real quality this season and has found themselves in the bottom three for 45 of the 46 game weeks it’s been a difficult choice but to end the season with 9 goals and 6 assists Josh has been a key member of the team. That’s nearly 40% involvement in all the goals we’ve scored this season (37.5%).

He’s worked tirelessly this season not only with the goals but with the assists too, making him an all rounded forward. Hopefully he can get better service next season but you can’t fault his work rate this season at all.’

(https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nick-powell-man-utd-ferguson-18083673)

Stoke City – Nick Powell

Ben Rowley from ‘The YYY Files‘ chose the natural choice for the Potters. The former Crewe Alex and Manchester United midfielder has serious talent.

‘Stoke have missed out on a play-off finish this season due to their lack of overall attacking prowess in the second half of the season. The same cannot be said for Powell, who has been the shining light for Stoke. Often winning games on his own, the expected traits of silkiness and shithousery in equal measure were there for all to see.

However, his best ever goal scoring season (12), embracing Michael O’Neill’s high press and a relatively injury-free campaign has taken Powell’s status up a level. Stoke fans will be confident that he is a key piece in the jigsaw of promotion, and that the Club need to build an attack around Powell if they’re to return to the Premier League in the near future.’

(https://www.swanseacity.com/news/talking-tactics-matt-grimes-2)

Swansea City – Matt Grimes

With a defeat in the play-off final ruining the end of the season, despite what happened at Wembley, Swansea should be happy with their season. They’re in a great position to push even harder next season. Lee and Luke from the ‘SwansCast‘ chose their key man.

‘Alot of fans will justifiably say Andre Ayew however grimes is definitely the unsung hero of this season and deserved his goal in the play offs.

Since he was handed the captaincy there has been a lot of weight on his shoulders and has received a lot of unjustified criticism from fans over the last few seasons.

This season he has really shown how important he is to this team and the way we play. He is slowly becoming the Leon Britton player that we have been missing since he retired. He is so neat on the ball and despite his size he wins a lot of ball in the crucial area just in front of the central defenders. If you watch a lot of our goals this season, a good percentage of them start with him winning the ball there and playing a ball to start the move.

He’s matured into a true leader.’

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11096/11948384/ismaila-sarr-can-watford-winger-be-the-difference-in-premier-league-survival-race

Watford – Ismaïla Sarr

Immediate promotion back to the Premier LeagueHost of ‘The Voices of the Vic‘ podcast, Mike, took time out to tell me about a Senegalese attacker who’s starred this season.

‘Ismaïla Sarr won my vote for POTS. The fact we managed to keep hold of him despite us being relegated was a shock to many. He could’ve very easily spat his dummy out and kicked up a right fuss. Quite the opposite in the 2nd part of the season. His 13 goals were all crucial in playing a part of our immediate return to the Premier League. His blistering pace had many Championship full backs praying for the full time whistle. It was only fitting that his goal against Millwall was the one that ultimately got us promoted in the end. A fitting way to end a fitting season for the Senegalese international who we all look forward to seeing grace the Premier League once again.’

(https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/sport/19153893.fans-view-anis-mehmetis-future-looks-bright-wycombe/)

Wycombe Wanderers – Anis Mehmeti

Wycombe nearly pulled off the unthinkable, but instead they will be back in League One next season – that doesn’t mean it has been all doom and gloom for the Wanderers. Maxim from ‘The Wycombe Wanderers Podcast‘ tells us all about a young midfielder they’ve discovered.

‘My player of the season would be Anis Mehmeti. Brought in at the start of the season on a short term trial contract, the young midfielder has looked at home all season in our squad. A very talented youngster with an eye for goal, he’s certainly one for the future.’

There you go! A mix of content creators and fans’ player of the seasons, do you agree with your club’s choice? Would you have picked someone else? Let us know!

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