The Championship is
back and with it has come excitement, excellent football and that unpredictable
factor the Championship is renowned for. New managers, new look teams and the
anticipation for fans that it could be their side’s year. The first month of
the season has brought the opening 6 games of the new season with Leeds and
Middlesbrough flying high at the top while Reading prop up the table along with
Ipswich and QPR.
Leeds have burst out
the blocks under the charismatic Argentine Marcelo Bielsa. The Whites have
taken 14 points from their opening 6 league games beating the likes of Stoke
and Derby in their charge to the top. However, Leeds won’t be getting too excited
having started well last season under Thomas Christensen only to fade down to
mid-table. The form of Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez and Samuel Saiz has been
the highlight of Leeds’s enterprising start to the new season. Bielsa has them
well drilled and will be confident their good league start can continue into
September. Likewise, Middlesbrough have also made a strong start to the season.
Boro have been brilliant defensively as we expect with any Tony Pulis side
having 5 consecutive clean sheets since the opening draw at Millwall. Pulis has
adopted a back 3 system which has seen the best of them defensively shutting
out the likes of Leeds, Sheffield United and West Brom in their run of clean
sheets. Middlesbrough have carried last seasons momentum into this and are
becoming a force to be reckoned and once new signings George Saville and Danny
Batth are fully integrated it will add something different to the options
already available to Pulis. Like Leeds and Middlesbrough, both Sheffield United
and Derby have made strong starts to the campaign. Sheffield United opened the season
with consecutive defeats to Swansea and Middlesbrough however, 4 consecutive
victories including thrashing Aston Villa have seen the Blades soar to 3rd
place and looking strong. Derby have also started well under rookie Frank
Lampard who has overseen 4 wins in their opening 6 games and the form of Mason
Mount has caught the eye. Mount is becoming a player Lampard can rely on to
creative chances and drive Derby forward and Lampard will be confident his form
can continue going into September. The two
other sides making up the top 6 are Bristol City and Brentford. Bristol City for
the last three seasons have made excellent starts and the fans will be hoping
their form continues for a whole season rather than half a campaign. Many people’s
favourite side to watch in the Championship is Brentford and Dean Smith yet
again has made them an excellent side despite losing key members of their squad.
The Bees like Bristol City have 11 points and are looking as slick as ever
going forward.
What a magnificent start
to the season it has been for Phil Parkinson and Bolton Wanderers. The trotters
who are many people’s tip for relegation have started the season with 11 points
from their opening 6 league games including an unbeaten record away from the
home. Bolton have been excellent on the road this season beating West Brom on
the opening day and winning at Reading and fighting back from 2-0 down to earn
a point in the Lancashire derby with Preston. Parkinson has built a largely new
team and they have gelled well and while other sides who gone down this route
and made a disappointing start, the trotters have firmly announced themselves
into the new season and they will be confident going into September their form
can continue.
The relegated sides
from the Premier League always take time to adapt to a new league and certainly
Swansea, West Brom and Stoke have quickly realised how difficult the
Championship truly is. Swansea have made the best start under new boss Graham
Potter having collected 11 points in the opening month. Potter has revolutionised
Swansea with a completely changed squad from the relegation season, but the
nice, enterprising football remains. However, Potter has installed a desire to
never give up highlighted in their brilliant win at Millwall where they played
with 10 men for virtually the entire game. West Brom are point worse off and a
couple places below Swansea in the table but Darren Moore will be relatively
happy with his team’s start to the season. The baggies are banging in goals
including 7 against QPR and they are looking a force at times. However, inconsistencies
in form and poor defending at times is why the Baggies don’t have more points. In contrast, it has been a much tougher start for
big spending Stoke and Gary Rowett with the Potters only collecting 5 points from
their opening 6 games. Stoke have struggled for victories at home and away in 2018
and Stoke must make the Bet 365 Stadium a fortress and certainly consecutive
wins over Hull and Huddersfield in League and Cup will certainly have helped
that cause. A slow start to the season was the last thing Gary Rowett would off
wanted and Rowett will be expecting a strong September to get Stoke near the
promotion picture.
The three promoted
sides from League 1 are certainly making their presence known in the Championship.
Wigan, Blackburn and Rotherham have all collected at least 2 wins in their
opening 6 games. Wigan are the highest having collected 10 points from their
opening 6 games and they are certainly winning fans for their attacking style
and going for everything in each game and they are becoming an entertaining
side to watch in the league. Blackburn have also started well collecting 9
points and the form of Bradley Dack has carried on into a new division for him.
He has started superbly and has already caught the attention of other managers
in the league and his is a huge asset for Blackburn and Mowbray will be
confident his terrific form can continue throughout the season. Rotherham have
collected 6 points from their opening 6 games and certainly the Rotherham fans
and Paul Warne will be delighted as it is a vastly improved performance from
their last Championship season. They will be hoping to continue their solid as the
September fixtures beckon. Their home form will be vital to survival and
certainly Ipswich and Millwall have found out how difficult a trip to the New
York Stadium is having been beaten while Hull just about escaped with 3 points
have almost squandered a 3-1 lead. Their away form is dreadful, and Rotherham
must quickly pick up the odd points here and there if they are going to survive.
Another side excellent
at home and does struggle away from home is Sheffield Wednesday. However, the Owls
do have an away win which has come in a 3-match winning streak and despite only
adding a couple of new players on the deadline of the loan window, Jos Luhaky
will be pleased with his sides start to the season. The Owls have quality in
their ranks with Barry Bannan and Lucas Joao in particular showing their talents
in their 3-match winning streak and they will certainly carry this momentum going
into September. However, a side desperate to put things right is Aston Villa.
Steve Bruce’s side started excellently with back to back wins over Hull and
Wigan. However, a run of 4 without a win has seen Villa dropped to 12th
with 3 draws against sides they should be beating in Reading, Ipswich and Brentford.
The month ended with a shocking defeat at Sheffield United and the pressure has
mounted on Steve Bruce with the fans unhappy with their displays so far this
season. Villa’s problems are defensively with only one recognised centre back
at the club in James Chester while 3 of Villa’s back 4 are out of position with
Axel Tuanzebe at right back, Alan Hutton left back, and Mile Jedinak alongside
Chester and Villa can’t stop conceding and they are dropping points far too
easily. Steve Bruce renowned for building promotions on a solid defence needs
to quickly sort his defence. However, with Bruce ready to unleash Yannick
Bolasie and Tammy Abraham, September must be a month where Villa go on a strong
run and win some matches.
In contrast, Villa’s
city neighbours Birmingham have showed plenty of good signs but are winless in
the opening 6 league games. 4 draws for Garry Monk’s side leaves them
languishing dangerously above the bottom 3. Monk has stressed he is happy with
their performances but one for reason or another the Blues can’t register that
allusive first win of the season. The game at Nottingham Forest was the perfect
chance but they squandered a 2-0 lead leaving them down on their luck and
confidence and the longer the winless continues, the pressure will continue to
grow on Monk and the players. Another side feeling the pinch of a winless start
is rock bottom Reading. The royals have 2 points so far collected in draws at
Blackburn and Aston Villa. The royals have lost all their home games and the
Madejeski faithful are getting frustrated with the players and Paul Clement and
the Royals must quickly find a win in September or it could be curtains for Clement
with performances also severely lacking. Another side on a winless run is Ipswich under
new boss Paul Hurst who hasn’t the start he maybe wanted. The tractor boys have
3 draws and 3 defeats and Paul Hurst is still searching for any sort of win in
charge. Paul Hurst has completely transformed the playing squad and while they
have showed some signs of gelling as a team, they are struggling to collect a
victory. Two other sides also struggling are QPR and Hull. Steve McClaren’s QPR
lost their opening 4 league games conceding a lorry load of goals along the way
however, a priceless win over Wigan and a draw with Birmingham has got their
season up and running. QPR are a young side and Eberechi Eze is their prized
asset and he has shown glimpses of quality in midfield however, McClaren’s decision
to sign experienced heads in Tomer Hemed, Nahki Wells and Geoff Cameron could
be exactly what this young Rangers side need and they will hope September sees
them begin to clear from the relegation zone. Like QPR, Hull also have a young
side and have struggled in the opening month. Adkins has so far stuck with an
extremely new and young back 4 including centre backs Reece Burke and Jordy De Wijs.
While both have shown they can compete at this level, the Tigers are struggling
defensively and to be honest going forward they are no better with goals being
hard to come by for Hull. Adkins will hope Tommy Elphick adds stability at the
back and Chris Martin fires the goals to move Hull clear from trouble and
September could prove to be a big month in their season and could give an
indication as to where they end up in May.
The final 4 sides are
all teams languishing in the bottom half. They are Nottingham Forest, Millwall,
Norwich and Preston. Despite only losing once so far in the league, Forest have
drawn 4 of their games and their form leaves them sitting in 14th.
Karanka has stripped the entire squad and has brought in 15 new faces however,
it is home grown, Forest fan Matty Cash who is sparking for Forest. He has been
excellent in the opening month of the season scoring goals and making chances
for his teammates. Karanka has full faith in him as he charges Forest forward.
However, we have yet to see the quality of record signing Joao Carvalho who is
so far struggling to find his way into the Forest side and Karanka must find a
solution of getting the best out of him. Forest fans will be divided as to how happy
they are with their sides start to the season with Forest have to rescue draws
against Wigan and Birmingham while largely dominating at Bristol City and only
drawing. A mixed start and Karanka will hope September see Forest click. Both Millwall
and Preston were excellent last season, and both narrowly missed out on the
play-offs and their starts to this season almost suggests a hangover from the
previous season. Both Neil Harris and Alex Neil overachieved with the squads at
their disposal and certainly because of that expectations amongst fans would
have increased and both have accumulated 5 points from their opening 6 games.
Both have shown glimpses from last seasons’ form while have struggled to secure
victories as often as they did last season. Both Harris and Neil will hope September
kickstarts their seasons. Norwich are also struggling to live up to expectation.
Norwich were largely disappointing last season and they haven’t started this
campaign very well and the pressure is on Daniel Farke with the club surely
aiming for a play-off spot this season. The losses of James Maddison and Josh
Murphy has hit them hard on the pitch with their replacements not having the
best starts and filling the Norwich fans with optimism. However, Orel Hernandez
has been the spark in a flat start to the season having scored goals that rescued
at point at Birmingham. Farke and Norwich must improve in September or another disappointing
campaign looms for the Canaries.
The Championship will
no doubt entertain in September and the managerial merry-go-round could start
to get into the swing with many managers under pressure for different reasons. Let’s
hope the Championship brings more excitement, goals and unpredictability as
September rolls in.
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