Last season only 14 points separated relegated Peterborough and playoff contenders Leicester, who finished 6th. To put this into context, last year 6th placed Everton finished 17 points ahead of Swansea in 9th in the Premier League.
I bring you the Championship; the best league in the world.
24 teams will start the season playing for 3 of the most coveted spots in all of football; each one being a place in the Premier League, worth an estimated £100 million through the new and improved TV deal recently agreed. The league is made additionally fascinating by the differences in club stature involved. Yeovil Town are in the second tier of English football for the first time and will come up against former European Champions Nottingham Forest with the results never being completely certain. After all, Norwich and Southampton found themselves in League 1 just a few years ago. So who is going to prosper and succeed in their quest for the Premier League, and who will fall into the doldrums of League 1? It’s almost impossible to call.
In theory QPR should win the league. They have an experienced team full of long time Premier League players, as well as having the funds available to add to their squad should there be a need come January. Despite releasing high calibre players like Djibril Cisse and Jose Bosingwa their team is littered with internationals and former Premier League winners such as Ji Sung Park and Shaun Wright Phillips. These players should possess the quality to see them through the season, and due to their high wages are in many cases unlikely to leave the club, meaning only a poor attitude could lead to QPR not doing well next season. In Harry Redknapp they have a tremendously experienced manager, able to unite and inspire a team, albeit if his tactics are not flawless. However, as the main issue for QPR may be their attitude and application, he could be the perfect man for the job. Make no mistake, anything but promotion for QPR next season would be deemed as a massive failure.
Reading as well should benefit through retaining the vast majority of their squad from last season’s exploits. They are well placed for an immediate return as last year they didn’t break the bank with new signings so their wage bill will still be relatively low, as the clubs finances will be boosted by the parachute payments of £15 million a year for the next 4 years (unless they are promoted back to the Premier League in that time). Players such as Adam le Fondre and Jimmy Kebe should be prolific in the second tier, with the former notching 12 goals in their 2011/2 Championship campaign.
Nottingham Forest under Billy Davies are likely to be hot on the heels of QPR and Reading, but similarly to the 2006/7 promotion season the Scottish manager enjoyed at Derby County, they will have to settle for a playoff spot. Last season they did occupy a place in the top 6 for 11 weeks in the season, and only dropped down to 7th and 8th place in the final 5 games of the season despite a turbulent season where 3 fulltime managers were required after Steve Cotterill, then Alex McLeish were sacked midway through the season. This means that with the right manager the group of players could well finish highly in the league, with Billy Davies having an immediate impact last season with his arrival coinciding with a 10 game unbeaten run.
Bolton Wanderers should also be able to grab a playoff place, which they so nearly attained last year with their 7th place finish decided by goal difference after a disappointing home draw to Blackpool on the final day of the season. Last year they struggled to adapt to the Championship, with a poor start of just 11 points in 10 games, but had a spirited rally towards the end of the season losing just 3 of their last 17 games. Dougie Freedman should be able to maintain this form with the addition of Jermaine Beckford to his squad although long time servant Kevin Davies has left for Preston. One major concern for them though could be the fitness of Stuart Holden. The talented American international suffered a serious knee injury 2 years ago and potentially may have another career threatening issue. However, the Trotters should still be able to seal a playoff spot with the firepower of former Liverpool forward David N’Gog up front and last season’s top goal scorer, Chris Eagles, playing on the wing.
Leicester City had playoff heartbreak just a few months ago, when Anthony Knockart missed a penalty to claim a place in the final, only for it to be missed along with the rebound leading to a Watford counter attack producing the tie winning goal just 20 seconds later. They will have a chance to right this wrong come May next year as they should enjoy a fruitful campaign. They were almost a permanent fixture in the top 6 last season with brief dalliances in the automatic promotion positions, with David Nugent being crucial to this with his 14 league goals. Despite Jermaine Beckford leaving, the Foxes should still have the fire power to progress well in the league. However, their away form may need to improve as last season they only managed 6 wins on the road out of a possible 23 which included defeats away to the relegated Wolves and Peterborough.
There’s normally one outsider in the playoffs by the end of the season; often a team totally out of the blue which can go on to gain promotion such as Ian Holloway’s Blackpool in 2010. Mick McCarthy started managing the Tractor Boys when they were bottom of the league with only one league victory from their opening 13 games. He sparked a mini revival as they finished the league in 14th position. A job well done for Mick as in the end he only finished 8 points off the playoff spots. He also has a track record of taking teams from the Championship to the Premier League which he did for both Sunderland and Wolves so could work his magic once again.
There are some notably absences from my top 6 predictions; mainly Watford and Wigan. The Hornets certainly have potential to figure at the top of the table at the end of the season, but their demoralising defeat in the playoff final last year and the likely loss of last season’s top goal scorer Matej Vydra will be huge setbacks for them, and will reduce their chances of a success significantly. Wigan are also unlikely to have an especially strong league campaign with the turmoil which will inevitably take place through their relegation and manager Roberto Martinez leaving. The exodus has started with Arouna Kone moving to Everton for £5 million and he will likely to be followed by their other talented players such as Callum McManaman who will be on the radar of Premier League clubs due to his impressive form last year, not to mention the tough Europa League campaign which will kick off in the Autumn.
Summary of predictions:
1. QPR (Champions)
2. Reading (Promoted)
3. Nottingham Forest (Playoffs)
4. Bolton Wanderers (Playoffs)
5. Leicester City (Playoffs)
6. Ipswich Town (Playoffs)
The Sunderland Supporter 