The Championship: What We Learnt In Midweek

On Tuesday and Wednesday night, the sides fighting down the bottom picked up a setback. Millwall, Yeovil and Barnsley, all of whom won on Saturday, lost in midweek. But here, the main focus will be higher up the league. We will look at whether a new role for Robson-Kanu could benefit Reading, how Cairney’s absence has hindered Blackburn, and Jamie Vardy’s chances of thriving in the top flight, as Leicester’s inevitable promotion draws ever-closer. Here is our review of the games.

Can Robson-Kanu’s new role revitalize Reading?

Hal Robson-Kanu

Reading have scored the third-highest number of goals in the league. However, they have only netted more than once in a game five times from a possible nineteen since the start of December. Those two facts tell you what an unpredictable team they can be. In recent weeks, a 7-1 win over Bolton was followed by a 2-0 loss at Ipswich. Similarly, a 3-1 victory at QPR was followed by a 1-0 home defeat to Blackburn. Considering previous disappointments, Royals fans can be forgiven for not getting too excited by the 4-2 win at Leeds on Tuesday.

But manager Nigel Adkins was rewarded for his decision to drop strikers Adam Le Fondre and Pavel Pogrebnyak from the starting eleven. Hal Robson-Kanu, usually used as a substitute winger, excelled in his role as the lone striker, scoring a goal and netting an assist. It was his sheer pace, persistence and strength that created his chance, which he took confidently. Previous criticisms of Robson-Kanu have often been that he lacks guile and key decision making. However, he may be able to offer Reading’s attack something different off the ball, in terms of stamina and harrying defences. A partnership of his tenacity, alongside a natural goalscorer such as Le Fondre or Pogrebnyak, could bode well for Reading.

There is no doubt that much work is still to be done if the Royals, currently sixth, want to hold down a play-off place. Brighton and Wigan are both in good form, and significantly both have games in hand on the Berkshire side. But, if Nigel Adkins can get the best out of Robson-Kanu in a striker role, that is likely to boost Reading’s chances.

Could Vardy surprise us in the Premier League?

Jamie Vardy

Let’s face it… we all know Leicester are going up. Mathematically speaking, they just need seven wins and a draw from their last twelve games to guarantee promotion, and that’s in the extreme scenario that teams below them take maximum points. The Foxes’ fate is already decided.

In Leicester’s 3-0 victory at Barnsley, Jamie Vardy scored a brace, and set up the other one for the impressive Danny Drinkwater. Not for the first time, Vardy’s pace helped Leicester on their way to victory, and he has now scored five goals in his last four games. It raised a few eyebrows when Nigel Pearson signed the striker in summer 2012 from Fleetwood, a Conference club at the time, for over £1 million. That gamble has certainly reaped its rewards.

Arguably, Vardy goes into the Premier League at the perfect time. He is now 27, the peak age for a striker. While he has been one of Leicester’s highlight performers, it is not as if he has scored all of their goals, or that his side have been noticeably reliant on him. Much of the focus could be on the more experienced striker, David Nugent, and Vardy could go into the Premier League somewhat under the microscope.

With his tireless energy and blistering pace, Vardy has potential to surprise a few people in the top flight.

Has Cairney’s absence scuppered Blackburn’s play-off chances?

Tom Cairney

It seems Blackburn can forget about breaking into the top six, for this season at least. When they won 1-0 at play-off rivals Reading a few weeks ago, with a solid defensive performance, they looked capable of dislodging those above. However, any momentum that that result might have generated, was knocked away by a crushing 4-0 loss at Bolton. Defeat in the Lancashire derby, and most recently, at home to Bournemouth, has rubbed salt into the wound. Unless Blackburn string three or four wins together instantly, Gary Bowyer will start planning ahead for this summer, with a Championship budget in mind.

The main reason they have lost games recently, has been the absence of Tom Cairney. He had put in much improved performances since the turn of the year, with four assists, two goals, and two man of the match performances. In the last eight league games Blackburn have played - with Cairney in the side - they took fifteen points. Cairney picked up a slight ankle injury after the win at Reading, and Rovers have now scored just one goal in three games since, losing each of them. This is no coincidence.

Another factor has been Jordan Rhodes’ loss of form. The Scot has only netted once since New Years’ Day, yet remains by some distance Blackburn’s top scorer, which highlights how reliant they have been on his goals. Keeping Cairney and Rhodes this summer, and getting them fit and in-form next season, will be key to future success at Ewood Park.