Coca Cola Championship season is speeding up and we bring you a brief prediction for each club this season. Many things have changed in the squads, especially on benches. It seems that it will be tougher than ever and many so-called favourites might just prove otherwise…
LEICESTER CITY
When a pretty big club like Leicester city suffers such a failure like a drop to the Third league and then makes it to an express return to Championship, then other clubs should beware of their self-esteem and courage. The club from Walkers used last season in third league to get rid of all the unmotivated veterans and introduce youngsters from their football academy (Andy King, Max Gradel, Joe Mattock). Unfortunately, the best of “the kids”, left back Mattock just went on to reinforce WBA but the Foxes didn’t waste time this summer and brought many quality players.
The team is boosted by Hull defender Wayne Brown, and Doncaster midfielder Ritchie Wellens, excellent players in their rank. Captain Stephen Clemence, one of the best League one players last season is expected to return, while striker Matty Fryatt is expected to show even more potential… After an excellent start and a fall later on, Foxes are destined for a midtable spot. Manager Nigel Pearson has been in charge at Walkers since last season.
Tip: 13. place
MIDDLESBOROUGH
Although the fans want and honestly believe that Boro will take a stroll through the Championship, the truth is that they are in for a hard work if they are after the express return after the failure last season. Only three years after playing in UEFA Cup finals, manager Gareth Southgate is faced with
terrifying facts: the team he leads will play in the second league, he will have to let, most expensive players go to cut the budget and great number of fans don’t really like him, while the management gave him the last chance, so he must return to Premiership…
That will be much harder than it seems at first, as the biggest star, winger Stewart Downing left the club to boost Aston Villa, undisciplined Egyptian striker Mido (Zamalek) and keeper Ross Turnbull (Chelsea) left too, while Alfonso Alves and Tuncay Sanli are at the door and probably experienced German international Robert Huth. The biggest acquisition is young striker Leroy Lita (Reading) and there are also keeper Danny Coyne (Tranmere) and winger Mathew Yeates. Nevertheless, Boro are still strong and they have good financial background and there aren’t many teams that can match them. Even if they don’t kick off well, they will have plenty of time to fix things with loans, so a play-offs spot is theirs this season, to say the least…
Tip: 3. place
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Everyone must be tired of the story that Newcastle United are falling apart. In a desperate attempt to sell the club as soon as possible, owner and president Mike Ashley c
ompletely gave up his work in the team like hiring a full-time manager (Alan Shearer is on the waiting list) or signing some new players to boost the team in Championship campaign. Caretaker manager Chris Hughton ris working with a blindfold, as he doesn’t know if any of his players will be sold or appear on training. Precisely that is what happened with Obafemi Martins this season, who moved to Wolfsburg for 9 million pounds and his coach had no idea about it. Sebastian Bassong (Tottenham) followed the steps of Martins and Michael Owen (Manchester United) a while Habib Beye (Hull), Nicky Butt and Mark Viduka (Portsmouth) are at the door.
Not knowing which of the players will be at his disposal Hughton has nothing to hope for on the start of Championship season. This chaos will cost the club dearly, as even if someone buys the club, it will be too late to make up for what they missed in the meantime. This is definitely the season when popular Magpies, as a really serious English club will aim to survive, believe it or not. As the breaking news is that Ashley will trust the bench with David O’Leary, my message to them is: Get used to playing in Championship, as you won’t get out of it soon…
Tip: 15. place
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
The list of new signings and ambitions of the club from the City ground to finally fight for promotion shadowed all other clubs in the Championship. Manager Billy Davies brought even nine new players and knowing his ability to turn a group of average players into a fantastic team, you should consider Forest as a serious club this season. In his mission to reinforce the team that barely survived last season, Davies signed excellent striker Dexter Blackstock from QPR, as well as young ex-Southampton striker, David McGoldrick and his experienced colleague dele Adebola from Bristol City. Paul McKenna is an excellent midfielder, Davies’ old acquaintance who played in Portsmouth till recently. They brought defender Chris Gunter from Tottenham, Joel Lynch from Brighton, winger Paul Anderson from Liverpool signed the contract after spending last season in the club on loan, while midfielder Radoslaw Majewski arrived from Polish Polonia.
Having in mind that Davies was the man who lead the average derby to Premiership two seasons ago and Preston to play-offs two years in a row, then we definitely count that Forest will look much fresher this season. Championship has the habit of surprising us in the last two seasons by introducing a team that appears out of nowhere and jumps right into the Premier League (last season it was Burnley, the season before that Hull City). This time we predict Nottingham Forest as the biggest surprise of the season, a candidate for automatic promotion even…
Tip: 2. place
PETERBOROUGH UNITED
Twice in a row popular Posh climbed up in English football hierarchy, which is certainly a respectable result. Manager Darren Ferguson’s (son of much more famous father Sir Alex) men are a compact team, that fergie junior didn’t change much in the last few seasons, as he wanted to stick to the winning combination. Last season they got off to a slow start in League One (newly-promoted) and managed to reserve the second place only in the finish by winning Colchester. They weren’t particularly active in the transfer window, while all of the offers from big clubs were refused without thinking twice. Will the same squad be enough for this rank remains to be seen.
We should mention the players like George Boyd who will definitely end up in a Premiership club soon, as this 23-year old has reached the peak of his career. However, the biggest quality of the club is still the manager, who will probably be trusted with some of the Premiership clubs in the future. Although he is the son of a famous father, Darren showed skill and maturity learning the ropes in lower leagues. Peterborough definitely have the quality to survive, but it won’t be so easy. The bottom part of the table is reserved for them, but without the danger of relegation…
Tip: 17. place
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
Even though the club is financially stable after Japanese-American consortium bought them, Plymouth simply don’t have the quality to better the last season when they barely managed to survive. The signings like Carl Fletcher (played in the club on loan
last season), international Rede Johson and the Icelander Kari Arnason simply don’t give the reason for optimism and they are not enough to shake things at Home Park. In an average team with many young and unestablished players, the only signing worth mentioning is Bradley Wright-Phillips, Southampton winger, but his indiscipline and bad temper might only contribute to a poor season.
Experienced, but somewhat forgotten manager Paul Sturrock had problems to motivate the team last season, especially at home and we feel that it will be the same this year too. We are not too optimistic when it comes to Pilgrims and it seems that they will be the victims of a tough relegation battle…
Tip: 22. place
PRESTON NORTH END
Under the brilliant lead of former David Moyes’ assistant in Everton, Alan Irvin, Preston managed to survive the first two seasons in the league and then last season they exploded to get hold of the play-offs. Even though they were weaker than Sheffield United in the semifinals, the spring campaign showed that they can beat almost anyone.
Manager Irvine caught the eye of WBA and some other clubs, transfer window wasn’t fruitful for the club from Deepdale stadium and influential midfielder Paul Mckenna left the team. Still some players did arrive at Deepdale (winger Paul Parry from Cardiff and midfielder Velice Shumulikoski from Ipswich) and Irvin now has a much more difficult task than last season. The league is stronger and everyone is aware now that Preston can be very dangerous. They will be in the top part of the standings but they can hardly repeat the success from last season and reach the play-offs.
Tip: 9. place
QUEENS PARK RANGERS
The club whose owners are one of the richest man on earth (Flavio Briatore and Bernnie Eclestone) didn’t live up to expectations last season. Flavio kept on changing coaches (Ian Dowie, Gareth 
Ainsworth, Paulo Sousa), as obviously none of them wanted to be a puppet in owner’s hands, but they had a mind and ideas of their own. Now they signed young and promising Jim Magilton, who in the last few seasons failed to lead Ipswich to the top.
Adel Taarabt is the new signing from Tottenham (a one-year loan and certainly the biggest acquisition for the Hoops) and overpaid David Norris (Ipswich), while young Spanish midfielder Jordi Lopez, back Damien Delaney and striker Dexter Blackstock left. Still, the team is definitely not stronger than last season and the Rangers are again in for a midtable spot. The only thing more certain than that is that Magilton won’t be there to see it…
Tip: 11. place
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