A calmer Eddie Mitchell in the Championship?

While our Chairman is perhaps known as one of the most colourful characters when he was happy to speak out at fans on the pitch and discuss his views openly in front of the cameras in League One, the club is speaking with more of a united voice these days.

In past seasons we have been entertained with Eddie's verbal expressions of passion for the club and his anger at those who did not share his views. Of late, Mr Mitchell has bot been so vocal except when the end was nigh for Paul Groves and Shaun Brooks. Since then it has been mainly smiles from our larger than life chairman. 

To be fair he has had no reason complain about much that has been happening over the last six months. He has seen his decision (or was it his wife's?) to bring back Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall come off exceptionally well, the team has performed above most peoples' expectations and he still has more building projects under way.

So why do I think Eddie Mitchell may choose his words more carefully in the Championship? Well, I feel the club has been striving for better communication with its fans for a while now and it is starting to show. The recent question about which kit to wear in the final home game was quickly resolved when the fans asked for it to stay the red and black home kit rather than the new all black third kit. Better communication with the fans and the media in general is a real positive for AFCB.

That's not to say that controversy is easy to avoid. Just look at the problems clubs like Blackburn Rovers have had with the Venky family. Bolton have had a dressing down over their sponsorship deal and Cardiff's Malaysian tie-up through its owner has proved particularly troublesome. The need for such big teams to achieve Premiership football seems to drive them to some crazy decisions. The pressure in the Championship will be on for Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Reading, Blackburn, Leeds, Bolton and Birmingham. For AFCB it is a chance to enjoy our newly won position and hopefully play with the shackles off unlike many other sides.

Undoubtedly, the spotlight will really be on our club though as a newcomer to the Championship, but at the end of the day the club is in it together. I expect AFCB to concentrate on getting the important things right, on and off the pitch. Mr Mitchell and the club have done a pretty good job in this respect in the last few months.