Championship Season Preview

With the new season upon us and squads gradually taking shape ahead of the transfer deadline at the end of the month, C offers a view on the final Championship table...

Champions: Middlesbrough

I don't know, eh! All these other Championship clubs crying foul at QPR's spending ought to sit up and take notice of Middlesbrough's financial clout - over £5m splashed out on Stewart Downing, £2.5m on a striker from Espanyol, the vast majority of last year's playoff finalists still in the squad and even an EIGHT figure bid for Jordan Rhodes!! I genuinely thought Boro were going to win the playoff final this year and definitely think that Aitor Karanka will ensure they don't "do a Derby". Many of the bookies' favourites, and easy to see why.

Runners Up: Hull City

Another club flexing their financial muscles, this time using parachute payments following their relegation. Moses Odubajo is an excellent signing and I can't help but think that they got a better deal in going for him than Norwich managed for Robbie Brady. Andre Gray is also linked and it does look likely that Hull's business for the Summer isn't finished just yet. Defence is just a bit too suspect for me to have them down as champions - losing James Chester was a big blow. They'll be back up in the Premier League come May I am sure.

Playoffs: Derby County

I still don't see these guys as the finished article. Paul Clement is an appointment I am definitely jealous of, but it feels like the same calibre of players as last year and the year before that have finished up as bridesmaids (or capitulated in the case of last season). They are what Cardiff were for many years - stuck in a rut. Maybe the playoff lottery will deliver for them this year. At least they feel like a cert for the playoffs this time around. Predict that they will lose fewer than five home games at the iPro, but it's the Tuesday night away game problem again that will trip them up. Carlo Ancelotti won't be able to advise you on those, Paul.

Playoffs: Wolves

This is a solid outfit that is hard to beat. They will miss Bakary Sako but Dicko and Afobe will be banging the goals in and there were no further losses to the squad which took the Championship firmly in its stride after winning the League One title the year before. They look capable of taking the next step but are not good enough for automatic promotion.

Playoffs: Burnley

Burnley have lost some but recruited adequate replacements in Matt Lowton and Jelle Vossen. Crucially, they have kept Sean Dyche on to manage them and he found an excellent formula to Championship success which made a little go a very long way last time around. I predict the same again, albeit with some better teams to compete with this time. 

Playoffs: QPR

I can't help but think there is a great deal of unknown about QPR this year under Chris Ramsey, with some solid Championship signings made and it not being clear yet if there will be any high profile departures before the transfer window is out. Let's hope this time we've not decided on one formation to use for the season, bought players to play that formation and then abandon it after two matches of the season. That's what happened to the 3-5-2 wing back formation Hoddle and Redknapp recruited for last Summer!!!

Tjaronne Chery is highly rated in his home land as a free kick specialist and creative midfielder but how will he cope on a Tuesday night away to Blackburn?

Jamie Mackie and James Perch have brought much needed professionalism and determination to the QPR squad and I am certain our defence against Charlton is still not the fully assembled defensive lineup for the new season.

I do think QPR can make the playoffs - just because I think there are as many as 18 squads worse than ours in the division!

Relegation: Rotherham United

This isn't only because I hate Steve Evans, by the way! I toyed with the same three going down that came up but I am convinced that MK Dons will be hard enough to beat to stay in the league. Evans has signed a couple of Sheffield Wednesday cast offs and Emmanuel Ledesma, who in spite of a number of spells at Championship clubs and his obvious talent, hasn't managed to deliver the goods on a sustained basis in his career thus far.

I sure am glad they stayed up last year though - The New York Stadium is required!

Relegation: Bristol City

These guys stormed to the League One title last year however there were a number of players let go and the Championship really does require strength in numbers. As it stands going in to the opening day they have just eighteen senior players on their books, including highly rated Ryan Fredericks, signed in the week from Tottenham. That size of squad will not cope with the Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday demands of the Championship, as Blackpool found last year. I have real concern for Cotterill's paper-thin side.

Relegation: Preston North End

Simon Grayson has a solid League One outfit that appears to have accidentally pitched up in the Championship after buying a winning lottery ticket in the playoffs. Jermaine Beckford will score goals but the supply line to him doesn't look of the standard of the new division they are in. Will Keane has made a career out of having Manchester United on his CV so far, and failed to impress in spells at QPR and Sheffield Wednesday. I hope I am proved wrong as Preston and Bristol City do feel like Championship clubs, but I can see them both returning to League One after one season in the sun.

Predicted table:

1	Boro
2	Hull
3	Derby
4	Wolves
5	Burnley
6	QPR
7	Ipswich
8	Brentford
9	Blackburn
10	Foolham
11	Forest
12	Birmingham
13	Cardiff
14	Leeds
15	Sheff Wed
16	Bolton
17	Charlton
18	Brighton
19	Reading
20	Huddesfield
21	MK Dons
22	Rotherham
23	Bristol City
24	Preston

So there you have it! Straight to the Bookies now I presume!

Match Review - Wolves bite back to beat Leeds at the Death

J was in attendance at Molineux on a glorious Monday evening to witness a spectacular match that encapsulated this madcap Championship season.

Wolves 4 - 3 Leeds



Wolves have been on a great run at the moment, but if this season has taught anyone in the Championship it is that there are no easy games (except Blackpool) and that one result can change so much (see Middlesbrough's fall from 1st to 4th with one result on Monday).

Wolves came into the match unbeaten in 5 and having won their last 3 games and sitting just outside the playoff places. In contrast, Leeds were languishing in mid-table, and had lost their last game to Blackburn. Leeds have been again mired in controversy off the pitch - Neil Redfearn said that he was considering his position after his assistant, Steve Thompson, was fired in the week; Redfearn had also been requested not to play striker, Mirco Antenucci in their game against Blackburn as it is reported that he will be automatically given a new contract with 2 more goals this season; and there have been more rumours about takeovers from Red Bull amongst others.

However, at this stage of the season the pressure of a promotion chase can either make or break teams (note: Derby for 'break'). This pressure appeared to get to Kevin McDonald. He allowed himself to be pressured into slamming his clearance straight into Richard Stearman right in front of his own goal in the 11th minute, gifting Charlie Taylor his first senior goal for Leeds with a relative tap-in.

The goal came completely against the run of play and Wolves seemed confident in their game and continued to play as they had before, dominating possession and constantly looking for their deadly trio up front - Dicko, Sako and Afobe.

This paid off in the 19th minute as Afobe got the ball from the adventurous Dominic Iorfa on the right hand side. Afobe took his man on and flashed a shot across goal which was going wide until Dicko stole in at the back post to finish from an extremely acute angle.

J has been to a couple of Wolves games this season now and a key feature in their game is the directness of the passing that looks to feed one of Sako, Dicko or Afobe. When there is pace to burn in all 3 it is a very effective tactic. Just before half time a similar through ball from Sako played in Dicko. He was one on one but still around 20 yards out but chose to hit it early hard and low at the goalkeeper's near post. It took him by surprise and it flashed in off the post. Silvestri will probably think that he should have saved it, but it meant that Wolves went into the break in high spirits.

This showed from the outset and they scored again 3 minutes into the second half. A cross caused mayhem in the Leeds box and it looked for all the world that Danny Batth would score when he struck a shot from about 12 yards out until it hit Dicko in the six yard box, luckily the ball rebounded to Benik Afobe who gobbled up the rebound for his 29th goal of the season.

Afobe now has 10 goals in 16 games for Wolves and has been worth the money spent on prising him from Arsenal. Wolves upturn in fortune has coincided with his capture and he now has more goals than Harry Kane in total this season. According to whoscored.com he has 2.4 shots on average per game for Wolves, proving he has a keen eye for goal with a goal in every other game for them so far this season on average.

At this point in the game it looked like Leeds were there for the taking, but Wolves seemed to be struck by nerves and sat back. They invited pressure from Leeds who duly obliged with Alex Mowatt seemingly at the heart of all their good moments. Mowatt was based in the middle but also on the right hand wing with licence to roam inside as and when he wanted to put the ball on his favoured left foot. One such foray inside the pitch brought Leeds a way back in as his cross was turned into his own net by Batth. Carl Ikeme in goal must not have given him a shout as he came out to collect the cross and it was a comical own goal that invigorated Leeds.

They pushed forwards in search for an equaliser and were getting increased control in the middle of the park. Kenny Jackett responded by throwing in Dave Edwards to go into midfield in place of Dicko. It was a bold choice and Jackett clearly wanted the numbers in midfield and added defensive protection that Dicko just wouldn't provide.

It didn't stop Leeds equalising when Mowatt again cut inside on his left foot taking on the defence before curling a glorious left footed strike into Ikeme's right hand post, sending the travelling Leeds fans wild.

The game was then anyone's and it seemed like Wolves were happy to settle for a point having weathered the storm. But then on 88 minutes up stepped Dave Edwards to gloriously flick a header into the far corner sending Molineux into raptures. Kevin McDonald atoned for his earlier error with the beautiful in-swinging cross which was begging to be headed in. This was McDonald's 11th assist of the season meaning he has the joint second highest number of assists in the division.

Wolves held on for the win and look like they are peaking at precisely the right moment for a tilt at the play-offs. But then again, we all know how quickly things can change...

Man of the Match - J will give this to Dicko for his brace with special mention to Afobe who was given MOTM by whoscored.com. Leeds couldn't deal with Nouha Dicko in the first half and his finish for both goals showed that he has a lot of quality. Wigan should be kicking themselves for offloading him given their travails this season!

J