The Championship 2010/11: Preview

The Championship is a funny league.  Teams can go from promotion hopefuls to relegation battlers in the blink of an eye, Crystal Palace’s faltering form after going into administration being a case in point, and there’s always a fairytale or two on view to add some flavour to proceedings. Who would’ve predicted Blackpool gaining promotion last season?

Next season will, as ever, be impossible to predict accurately. I’m going to give it a damn good go, though.

The Fallen Giants

Of the three relegated teams, Burnley look most likely to bounce back at the first attempt. The sale of Steven Fletcher has led to the arrival of four established performers, who should more than replace him at this level: Dean Marney, Chris Iwelumo, Lee Grant and Ross Wallace. Wallace, in particular, could be one to watch in the coming season.

Nigel Pearson didn't come to Hull to entertain.

The going will be tough, on the other hand, for Portsmouth, who found mere existence a tall order last season. Eight departures and one arrival later, the debt-ridden club look even less likely to mount any sort of challenge in the coming season.

Hull lie somewhere between these two. Shedding contracts from an excessive wage bill has been the main priority thus far, with players such as Dean Marney, Stephen Hunt, Steven Mouyokolo, Boaz Myhill, George Boateng and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, all allowed to leave. The biggest contract still burdens the club, however. Jimmy Bullard has had constant injury problems during his time with Hull.  Arranging his departure has also had its problems, amid rumours that he rejected a loan move to Celtic, due to excessive wage demands.

The arrival of former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson is a real plus though, and free agent signings Nolberto Solano and James Harper look to be prudent ones.

The Newly Promoted Sides

Norwich City, since gaining an impressive promotion last season, have gone from strength to strength. Paul Lambert has made some intriguing and exciting signings, including the talented Andrew Surman and David Fox. John Ruddy and Simeon Jackson are as yet unestablished in the Championship, but have shown their talent elsewhere. Fans will be keen to see how these players gel with the team, and Norwich should comfortably avoid relegation this time around.

To date, Kasper has dealt well with the ghosts of his father's legend

Leeds will undoubtedly find things more difficult this season but should have enough about them to stay up. Kasper Schmeichel replaces namesake Ankergren in goal, players like Neill Collins and Alex Bruce will strengthen the defence, and Billy Paynter will attempt to fill a Jermaine Beckford-shaped hole up front. A big signing would move the team a lot further up the table, but, as things stand, it could be a tough season ahead.

From the outside looking in, Millwall could well have a difficult season ahead of them. A lot will depend on whether talisman Steve Morison can adapt to Championship football, but even if he doesn’t, the unique “No one likes us, we don’t care!” attitude of the club may see them safe.

The Promotion Candidates

Having spent big bucks on new talent, Middlesbrough stand out as one of the favourites for automatic promotion this season, after last season’s bright start was marred by inconsistency under Gordon Strachan. The players added could be the stars of the league: Kris Boyd could be prolific up front, Andy Halliday, Kevin Thomson and Nicky Bailey will add steel and creativity to the midfield, and Stephen McManus would be a good defender for any Championship side.

After complaining of being 'robbed' so often last year, Warnock hopes Shepherd's Bush is a better neighbourhood.

Nottingham Forest, the side that finished third last season, seem obvious candidates for promotion this time around. This season may prove more difficult, though, due to the departures of James Perch and Joe Garner. In addition, Forest have been frustrated in their attempts to buy players, with the Polish international, Radoslaw Majewski, the only arrival so far. Bids for Darren Pratley, Nicky Shorey, and most recently Peter Whittingham are a signal of their intent, and they may yet make a couple of acquisitions by the end of the transfer window.

Another side looking to buy promotion is of course Queen’s Park Rangers, and in manager Neil Warnock they possess a Championship expert. Fans will be looking for him to work the same magic that he did for Crystal Palace in the first half of last season.  Some shrewd signings, by Warnock, of a few former players could lead to a playoff run for QPR.

Coppell is the important signing at Ashton Gate...

For Cardiff City, last season’s playoff final result was a big letdown for players and fans.  With all their financial issues, it seems that this season may be more difficult. The squad has been depleted by the departures of Joe Ledley, Peter Enckelman, Tony Capaldi and Mark Kennedy but what is left of the squad will still perform to a high standard, barring injuries. Midfielder Peter Whittingham, the Forest target, was one of the best players in the Championship last season, and much of the nucleus of last year’s squad remains intact. Unfortunately, their league position may well be dictated by whether the club goes into administration.

...but Robins fans will be happy to see James don the shirt.

Bristol City could be the dark horses of the season. The acquisition of David James is a major coup for the club, but at the same time overshadows some promising new arrivals. Kalifa Cisse, Nicky Hunt and Damion Stewart are impressive additions, but the most important (even more so than that of James) is that of Steve Coppell as manager. For this reason, expect Bristol City to be there or thereabouts, come the end of the season.

There have not been many arrivals at Reading, but continuity could be their greatest asset. Manager Brian McDermott will look to maintain the good form of last season and push towards the playoffs, led by Gylfi Sigurdsson, who managed 20 goals from midfield last season.

Similarly, Leicester City have managed to keep the core of their team together going into the new season. Their greatest loss, of course, was manager Nigel Pearson but Paulo Sousa has established himself at this level, over the past two seasons, and will now be expected to match the results of last season.

The Mid-table Teams

Sheffield United managed a good position in the league last season despite having a number of players on the injury table. They will hope not to have the same problems this season but the revolving door at Bramall Lane (6 players in and 15 out) means that gelling this season’s team could take a while and may mean a season of frustration for the Blades.

If Keane fails to get his players to focus, it will be an axe looming over his head.

Swansea have overachieved for a couple of years now and with Paulo Sousa leaving the club, this may be the year they slide from playoff contention to mid-table mediocrity. If the nucleus of the squad, in particular Darren Pratley, can be retained, though, the Welsh club could push on.

At Pride Park, Nigel Clough has rebuilt the Derby County squad, axing underacheivers such as Jay McEveley, Lee Croft, Lee Hendrie and Gary Teale. Unfortunately though, he has not really made any spectacular signings, so fans may well have to settle for another mid-table finish.

Ipswich Town are another club who seem to have stood still after big-money signings such as Lee Martin and Tamas Priskin flopped last season. Roy Keane will be under pressure to improve on last season’s disastrous start – he’ll be counting on young starlet Connor Wickham to propel the club to mid-table.

Doncaster will be itching to start the new season after Sean O’Driscoll guided the club to a solid finish last season. The signing of Billy Sharp should add an edge to an attractive side and, in the process, ensure another good league position. The real asset, of course, is O’Driscoll himself.

The Relegation Battlers

Coventry are usually in and around the lower end of the table, come the end of the season, and this year should be no exception. Aidy Boothroyd has made a solid but unspectacular set of signings this summer, that should stave off the threat of relegation.

After all of the drama of last season, Crystal Palace fans will be relieved just to be in the division this season. A lot of players have left the club, including first-teamers Johnny Ertl and Danny Butterfield, which leaves the squad desperately short of depth. If they’re to stay up, George Burley will need to sign a couple of reinforcements, not to mention keeping last season’s starlets, Darren Ambrose and Nathaniel Clyne.

Barnsley are another side who will most probably be in the relegation mix, having lost top scorer, Daniel Bogdanovic, to Sheffield United. Jason Shackell and Jay McEveley will help plug up the defence, but the current side look shy of goals.

With Ross Wallace gone, St. Ledger will become a key player for the Lilywhites.

Preston could face similar problems, especially with Ross Wallace leaving the club in favour of Burnley. Fans at Deepdale will be looking to ‘keeper Andy Lonergan, along with the highly-rated Sean St. Ledger, to keep out enough goals to edge to safety – but this may turn out to be an uphill struggle.

Watford face problems in all areas – a lot of senior players have left the club with hardly any incoming. Malky Mackay also relied heavily on some astute loan signings last season, but putting a Championship-calibre team together this time may be a tall order.

Scunthorpe have also lost key players, most notably their front-line of Gary Hooper and Paul Hayes. The Iron punched above their weight last season, and as the smallest side in the Championship, will find the going tough this season.

So there we go. 24 teams with 46 games each and a saturation of expectation that means a lot of teams will be disappointed. I’m licking my lips already.