Good morning and welcome to another edition of your EFL Championship Roundup, where the hoddle takes a monthly look at where things stand in the second tier of the football pyramid. Today’s edition comes at the halfway point in the Championship season, which gives us a perfect time to take a look at where things […]
Good morning and welcome to another edition of your EFL Championship Roundup, where the hoddle takes a monthly look at where things stand in the second tier of the football pyramid. Today’s edition comes at the halfway point in the Championship season, which gives us a perfect time to take a look at where things stand. So, without further ado, let’s take a brief look at the table:
Automatic promotion contenders: Coventry (51 Pts), Boro (43 Pts)
Frank Lampard’s Coventry City have seemed like a lock for promotion for months now. They’re currently 13 points clear of third and it’d take an epic second-half meltdown to squander that. They’re just too darn good. Middlesbrough are also quite fun to watch, but I think they’re not quite there for the automatics just yet.
Playoff spots: Ipswich Town (38 Pts), Hull (38 Pts), Preston NE (37 Pts), Bristol City (36 Pts)
The reason why I’m not quite sold on Boro yet is because of Ipswich Town, who are just five points back. And this is after a pretty rough start to the season. I like to look at the goal differential to determine who are the true contenders. Right now that tells me that Ipswich (+15) are likelier to get promotion than Boro (+9). I’m still not sure what to make of Hull, Preston or Bristol City. They can all finish in promotion spots, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re also outside the top 10.
In the hunt: Millwall (36 Pts), Watford (35 Pts), QPR (35 Pts), Stoke (34 Pts), Derby (32 Pts), Southampton (31 Pts), Wrexham (31 Pts), Leicester (31 Pts), Birmingham (30 Pts)
This is where things get interesting. There’s a huge slate of teams that, at one point or another, were in the top six. I like Millwall more than the rest, but the South London club have a recent history of capitulating. I’d also keep an eye out for Southampton, while I’d sell Stoke City and QPR in a heartbeat.
Mid-table whatever: West Brom (28 Pts)
Not good enough for the playoffs, but too good for relegation. They’re the only ones not fighting for anything at the moment. But there is one man fighting for his job: Ryan Mason. I’m not sure how he hasn’t been sacked yet. WBA should be fighting for the playoffs, but instead they’re stuck in a terrible run of form.
Relegation fighters: Charlton (27 Pts), Blackburn (26 Pts), Sheffield United (26 Pts), Swansea (26 Pts), Oxford United (22 Pts), Portsmouth (22 Pts), Norwich (21 Pts), Sheffield Wednesday (-8 Pts)
We know Wednesday are going down, but who will join them? Norwich City could escape after sacking Liam Manning, whereas Charlton are cratering. I think Sheffield United and Blackburn both stay up, which leaves Swansea, Oxford United and Portsmouth.
Fitzie’s track of the day:Time After Time, by Chet Baker
And now for your links:
Jack P-B ($$): “Crystal Palace 0 Tottenham 1 – Archie Gray’s first goal eases pressure on Thomas Frank”
Alasdair Gold: “Every word Thomas Frank said on how Archie Gray must improve, Bergvall injury and Fabio Paratici”
The Guardian: “Archie Gray heads Spurs to victory at Crystal Palace to ease pressure on Frank”
BBC: “Uncertainty and lack of form – Palace’s ‘flat’ end to historic year”
Category: General Sports
