Legendary Spurs player Jermaine Jenas explains why he “hated” playing in the EFL Championship, saying that Sheffield United players made it “hell.”

Because of its exceptional talent and fierce toughness, the EFL Championship is one of football’s most difficult divisions.

Players will be put to the ultimate test over the course of 46 exhausting games, and only those who can fully adjust to the competition will be able to master English football’s second division.

The difficulty of the Championship is demonstrated by the fact that talented athletes have competed at the highest level in other nations, but have been unable to fully participate.

Jermaine Jenas, who had a successful football career with Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur, is one player who has recently spoken out about the special difficulties Championship playing provides.

Although he helped the Spurs win the EFL Cup in 2008 and was a member of the final Spurs team to win a domestic trophy, Jenas has been outspoken about how difficult it was for him to adjust to life in the second division.

Jermaine Jenas discusses his difficulties in the EFL Championship

After Nottingham Forest was relegated from the Premier League in 1999, Enas experienced Championship football for the first time.

That season, Forest finished 14th in the table with a respectable team that included players like Andy Gray, David Platt, and Carlton Palmer.

When Jenas began playing regular football in the division, he was instantly struck by one thing, and it took him some time to get used to his new environment.

Jenas spoke about his dislike of the division on Adebayo Akinfenwa’s beastmode show.

Jenas said, “That place was hell.” “What I discovered in the Championship is that no one has any regard for anyone.”

“They don’t give a damn about your name. Benito Carbone was playing for Bradford when I played against them. You attended Sheffield United during the time of Keith Curle, Tonge, and Michael Brown.

Every two minutes, Muscat tries to break my leg. I was anxious to leave the Championship. I never once believed that I was too skilled for the Championship.

Technically speaking, I managed everything effortlessly. However, I had to learn about the Championship’s physical component.

The EFL Championship is much admired because of its distinctive difficulty.

The Championship poses a special challenge for football players because, as Jenas noted, even players with the technical prowess to compete at the highest level frequently find it difficult to create an impression.

Players at every level they compete at won’t have to rely only on their technique; instead, they will need to learn, watch games, and gradually adjust to the division. This is why playing in the second division is such an alluring option for those who are willing to push themselves at a particular stage of their careers.

Jenas went on to have a prosperous career in the Premier League and was able to play for Tottenham Hotspur in Europe. But without the knowledge he gained from the Championship—which is not a unique experience for him—that might not have been feasible.

Even Harry Kane, one of the best football players in the world, was unable to enjoy the prolific form that he has since come to be associated with in the division and had to use his time in the league to develop as a player.

The EFL Championship will thus always offer the ideal balance of skill and physicality, making it an alluring product to consume regardless of how much football evolves as a sport.