In the first of a four-parter, our Andy does his best Nostradamus and, based on the first quarter of the season, takes stab at how he thinks the Championship may pan out…
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With the Championship 12 games old, and proper football having ground to a crashing halt while international football takes centre stage, it seems like an opportune moment to take a look at the runners and riders of the best league in the world.
The table is what it is, but who is flattering to deceive and who hasn’t had the results they deserve? Who’s battled against the big teams already and who has them all to come? In the words of Neymar, it’s time for a deep dive.
So…
Sheffield United
8 wins, 1 draw, 3 defeats.
SU 1 – 2 Swansea
M’boro 3 – 0 SU
QPR 1 – 2 SU
SU 2 – 1 NCFC
Bolton 0 – 3 SU
SU 4 – 1 A Villa
Bristol C 1 – 0 SU
SU 0 – 0 Birm
SU 3 – 2 Preston
Millwall 2 – 3 SU
Blackburn 0 – 2 SU
SU 1 – 0 Hull
With Whiny Wilder and David McGoldrick knocking around, these lot are as pleasant as Roy Keane would be as a children’s entertainer. However, they are top for a reason. They’re currently still riding the crest of their second four-game winning streak and have quietly snuck into top spot. Of the top sides they’ve only played Middlesbrough (who thumped them 3-0) and they’ve yet to square up to Leeds, WBA, Forest or Derby. The fixtures are about to get tougher.
They fell away last year after a good start but they have a stronger, deeper squad this time while retaining their entitled arrogant attitude. I hope they crash and burn but I have a horrible feeling they’re in it for the long haul. How they cope with the other big fish will determine how close they get.
Verdict: Promotion contenders
West Bromwich Albion
7 wins, 3 draws, 2 defeats.
WBA 1 – 2 Bolton
NF 1 – 1 WBA
NCFC 3 – 4 WBA
WBA 7 – 1 QPR
M’boro 1 – 0 WBA
WBA 2 – 1 Stoke
Birm 1 – 1 WBA
WBA 4 – 2 Bristol C
WBA 2 – 0 Millwall
Preston 2 – 3 WBA
Sheff Wed 2 – 2 WBA
WBA 4 – 1 Reading
Like Sheff Utd, they’ve lost to Boro, but other than a draw with Forest, they’ve yet to play any of the other sides at the top. What they have been doing instead is smashing goals past teams in the lower reaches of the table. 4 against us, 7 against QPR, 4 against Bristol City, 3 against Preston and 4 against Reading. They’re unbeaten in the last seven games as well.
Kudos to Darren Moore for approaching his first full season in the swashbuckling style that he ended last season. Great to watch as a neutral, and Dwight Gayle was an inspired signing. The team that finishes higher than West Brom will undoubtedly be promoted.
Verdict: Promotion contenders
Leeds United
6 wins, 5 draws, 1 defeat.
Leeds 3 – 1 Stoke
Derby 1 – 4 Leeds
Leeds 2 – 0 R’ham
Swansea 2 – 2 Leeds
Norwich 0 – 3 Leeds
Leeds 0 – 0 M’boro
Millwall 1 – 1 Leeds
Leeds 3 – 0 Preston
Leeds 1 -2 Birm
Sheff Wed 1 – 1 Leeds
Hull 0 – 1 Leeds
Leeds 1 – 1 Brentford
The Marcelo Bielsa impact has been one of the stories of the season so far. While 4 wins in the first 5 games was an impossible pace to continue at, only 2 wins in the last seven has been a backward step without a doubt. Before Leeds fans get twitchy, only one defeat all season is seriously impressive, and Bielsa’s history of fast starts followed by implosive drama does not appear to be on the immediate horizon.
They tonked Derby and City and drew with Boro but have yet to go toe-to-toe with WBA or Sheffield United. There’s no telling which way the pendulum will swing at this moment in time, but the Leeds soap opera is at least entertaining and not depressing for once. They can’t be ruled out of the genuine candidates for automatic promotion.
Verdict: Promotion contenders
Middlesbrough
6 wins, 4 draws, 2 defeats.
Millwall 2 – 2 M’boro
M’boro 3 – 0 SU
M’boro 1 – 0 Birm
Bristol 0 – 2 M’boro
M’boro 1 – 0 WBA
Leeds 0 – 0 M’boro
NCFC 1 – 0 M’boro
M’boro 2 – 0 Bolton
M’boro 0 – 0 Swansea
Hull 1 – 1 M’boro
Ipswich 0 – 2 M’boro
M’boro 0 – 2 NF
4 wins in the first six games saw Boro riding high but losing their first game of the season at Carrow Road saw a run of only two wins in the last six games. On the plus side, they have played nearly all the big teams, beating Sheff Utd and West Brom, drawing with Leeds, and going down at home to Forest in the last game.
Easier fixtures now await Tony Pulis’s men, who are doing exactly what you would expect from one of his side’s: Low-scoring, tight-defensively, and consistently putting points on the board. That is unlikely to change over the course of the season.
Verdict: Promotion contenders
Nottingham Forest
4 wins, 7 draws, 1 defeat.
Bristol C 1 – 1 NF
NF 1 – 1 WBA
NF 1 – 0 Reading
Wigan 2 – 2 NF
NF 2 – 2 Birm
Brentford 2 – 1 NF
Swansea 0 – 0 NF
NF 2 – 1 Sheff Wed
NF 1 – 0 R’ham
B’burn 2 – 2 NF
NF 2 – 2 Millwall
M’boro 0 – 2 NF
Another side that has quietly moved up the table, mainly due to the fact that they’ve only allowed themselves to be beaten once all season. Drawing 7 of 12 games displays how tight their games tend to be with the team having an unusual penchant for 2-2 results, recording one every three games so far.
They’ve drawn with WBA and beat Middlesbrough in their last game but have yet to face the other big boys, including Derby. They are unbeaten in 6 games though.
Aitor Karanka has done well thus far, but whilst I see Forest as similar to the current Boro team in terms of being difficult to beat, I don’t sense the same consistency or firepower, and for those reasons, I think Forest will go no further than challenging for the playoffs.
Verdict: Playoff contenders
Sheffield Wednesday
5 wins, 4 draws, 3 defeats.
Wigan 3 – 2 SW
SW 1 – 1 Hull
Brentford 2 – 0 SW
SW 2 – 1 Millwall
SW 2 – 1 Ipswich
Reading 1 – 2 SW
SW 2 – 2 Stoke
NF 2 – 1 SW
A Villa 1 – 2 SW
SW 1 – 1 Leeds
SW 2 – 2 WBA
Bristol C 1 – 2 SW
One of those dark horse teams that can surprise anybody on their day, Sheff Weds have a strange addiction to 2-1 results, recording six in the twelve games played to date (five of which they won). In fact, every match they’ve won has been by two goals to one.
The Owls have drawn at home with Leeds and West Brom and lost away at Forest, and their five wins all came against teams in the bottom half. Whilst they will always be competitive, I think they’re punching above their weight in the table right now, and I expect them to slide into mid-table as the season progresses and the challenges get harder.
Verdict: Comfortable mid-table.
Tomorrow… teams currently placed 7th to 12th.
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