The paragraph above was to be the first in the report of the weekend results and the news in the Championship. I'd made a start on the report this morning, before leaving for an appointment, with the intention of completing it on my return home. That all changed when I received a text that just simply read: "Appleton sacked".
I'd heard a rumour yesterday that things might be happening down the road but dismissed it as the pure nonsense it surely had to be. Oh no it wasn't as the pantomime club gave Burnley fans some real entertainment with the third managerial sacking in under six months.
Agent Kean, who officially resigned, departed in September. Henning Berg followed him in December and 67 days after they'd wrestled Michael Appleton out of Blackpool they've shown him the same door with suggestions of an altercation with the brilliant Shebby Singh.
We might not have beaten them this season, although surely would have done on Sunday but for two shockingly poor offside decisions that went against us, but this club is now giving Burnley fans more laughs than we've had in years.
Chickens on the pitch, snowballed owners, managers and coaches coming in and out so fast they've run out letters for the training tops and, as the vicar said at my friend's funeral yesterday, Burnley are still above them in the league.
Hull, Watford, Palace and Leicester did all lose. Cardiff won and if they blow it this time it will be even worse than in previous years but that news hardly seems worth reporting now.
The results, stats and fixtures are below but one other piece of news worth reporting is that which has hit Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme. He let a ball roll through his legs on Saturday to give Bristol City the lead.
Wolves did win the game but Ikeme was substituted at half time. It's now been reported that he sustained an injury during the half time interval after reacting angrily to criticism from manager Dean Saunders and has been ruled out for the season. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Judan Ali for Bolewood anyone?
The Results Tuesday 12th March Barnsley 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Leeds United 1 Peterborough United 1 Cardiff City 1 Leicester City 1 Saturday 16th March Barnsley 1 Watford 0 Ipswich Town 1 Bolton Wanderers 0 Blackpool 0 Peterborough United 1 Leeds United 1 Huddersfield Town 2 Charlton Athletic 0 Millwall 2 Middlesbrough 0 Birmingham City 1 Derby County 2 Leicester City 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0 Cardiff City 2 Hull City 1 Nottingham Forest 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Bristol City 1 Sunday 17th March Blackburn Rovers 1 Burnley 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 3 Crystal Palace 0The Stats Biggest Win Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 v Crystal Palace (home) Total Goals Scored 32 (16 home - 16 away)
Player Scoring Most Goals
2 - Leonardo Ulloa - Brighton & Hove Albion v Crystal Palace Highest Attendance 28,499 - Brighton & Hove Albion v Crystal Palace Lowest Attendance 7,869 - Barnsley v Brighton & Hove Albion Total Yellow Cards 57 Total Red Cards 1 Most Cards in a Game Hull City v Nottingham Forest (7Y) Ref: Graham ScottLeading Goalscorers (League Only) 29 Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace) - includes 7 penalties 23 Charlie Austin (Burnley) - includes 3 penalties 22 Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers) - includes 2 penalties, 2 with Huddersfield Town 20 Matej Vydra (Watford) - includes 2 penalties 18 Tom Ince (Blackpool) - includes 3 penaltiesChris Wood (Leicester City) - 11 with Millwall 15 Luciano Becchio (Leeds United) - includes 4 penalties 14 Troy Deeney (Watford) - includes 2 penaltiesDavid Nugent (Leicester City) - includes 1 penalty 13 Marlon King (Birmingham City) - includes 3 penalties 12 Steven Davies (Bristol City) - includes 2 penaltiesSylvan Ebanks-Blake (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - includes 2 penalties 11 Dwight Gayle (Peterborough United)Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough)Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton & Hove Albion) - includes 2 penaltiesJamie Ward (Derby County) - includes 4 penalties 10 Almen Abdi (Watford) - includes 2 penaltiesDJ Campbell (Blackburn Rovers) - 10 with Ipswich TownCraig Davies (Bolton Wanderers) - includes 2 penalties, 8 with BarnsleyBilly Sharp (Nottingham Forest) - includes 3 penalties
Hat Tricks Date Player & Game 01/09/12 3: Pete Whittingham - CARDIFF CITY v Wolverhampton Wanderers 15/09/12 3: Charlie Austin - BURNLEY v Peterborough United 22/09/12 3: Glenn Murray - CRYSTAL PALACE v Cardiff City 22/09/12 4: Craig Davies - Birmingham City v BARNSLEY 23/09/12 3: David Nugent - LEICESTER CITY v Hull City 29/09/12 3: Emile Sinclair - Hull City v PETERBOROUGH UNITED 02/10/12 3: Charlie Austin - BURNLEY v Sheffield Wednesday 23/10/12 3: Marlon King - Millwall v BIRMINGHAM CITY 06/11/12 3: Glenn Murray - CRYSTAL PALACE v Ipswich Town 17/11/12 3: Jordan Rhodes - Peterborough United v BLACKBURN ROVERS 12/01/13 3: Chris Wood - Bristol City v LEICESTER CITY 19/02/13 3: Radoslaw Majewski - NOTTINGHAM FOREST v Huddersfield Town 02/03/13 3: Dwight Gayle - Blackburn Rovers v PETERBOROUGH UNITED 02/03/13 3: Leonardo Ulloa - BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION v Huddersfield Town 05/03/13 3: Kevin Phillips - CRYSTAL PALACE v Hull City
Disciplinary Record (League and Cup) Club Y R Y R Club Y R Y R League Total League Total Barnsley 51 1 60 2 Huddersfield Town 69 4 78 4 Birmingham City 52 3 56 3 Hull City 45 1 48 2 Blackburn Rovers 58 0 72 0 Ipswich Town 41 2 43 2 Blackpool 44 1 46 1 Leeds United 59 2 69 2 Bolton Wanderers 70 2 73 2 Leicester City 42 1 46 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 54 3 59 3 Middlesbrough 49 1 59 1 Bristol City 44 0 47 0 Millwall 68 3 81 3 Burnley 71 3 79 4 Nottingham Forest 63 4 63 5 Cardiff City 65 2 68 2 Peterborough United 49 1 52 1 Charlton Athletic 52 2 53 3 Sheffield Wednesday 70 1 76 1 Crystal Palace 50 2 61 2 Watford 66 4 69 4 Derby County 52 2 53 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 3 50 3
Highest and Lowest Attendances Highest Lowest Att Fixture Att Fixture 33,010 Derby County v Nottingham Forest (19/01) 5,435 Peterborough United v Bristol City (18/09) 28,707 Nottingham Forest v Derby County (30/09) 5,633 Peterborough United v Blackpool (01/12) 28,595 Wolverhampton W v Ipswich Town (29/12) 5,997 Peterborough Utd v Blackburn Rovers (17/11) 28,582 Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United (19/10) 6,050 Peterborough United v Charlton Athletic (05/03) 28,499 Brighton & HA v Crystal Palace (17/03) 6,188 Peterborough United v Millwall (21/08) 28,229 Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday (09/11) 6,214 Peterborough United v Hull City (19/01) 27,437 Derby County v Sheffield Wednesday (18/08) 6,348 Peterborough Utd v Huddersfield Town(23/10) 26,938 Nottingham Forest v Huddersfield Town (19/02) 6,600 Peterborough Utd v Bolton Wand (23/12) 26,727 Brighton & Hove Albion v Watford (29/12) 6,612 Peterborough Utd v Middlesbrough (08/12) 26,684 Brighton & HA v Nottingham Forest (15/12) 6,648 Peterborough Utd v Burnley (02/02)
The Next Fixtures Friday 29th March Blackburn Rovers v Blackpool Leicester City v Millwall (19:45) Crystal Palace v Birmingham City (17:30) Watford v Burnley Derby County v Bristol City (19:45) Saturday 30th March Charlton Athletic v Bolton Wanderers Peterborough United v Cardiff City Huddersfield Town v Hull City (17:20) Sheffield Wednesday v Barnsley Ipswich Town v Leeds United Wolverhampton Wanderers v Middlesbrough Nottingham Forest v Brighton & Hove Albion
Source: Clarets Mad
Source: FOOTYMAD
