With the beginning of the 2015-16 English Championship campaign on the horizon, Outside90’s Tom Harle takes a look at how each team is set to fare between now and next May.
Leading the pack
Derby County have taken a gamble on Paul Clement, handing the former Real Madrid assistant his first job. They have shelled out over £10 million on Darren Bent, Jason Shackell, Andreas Weimann and Tom Ince, clearly intent on automatic promotion, which they should achieve with some defensive improvement.
Middlesbrough enjoyed their run to the play-off final last season, and will compete in the upper echelons of the league once more. The addition of Stewart Downing is a byword for ambition, while they retain Grant Leadbitter, perhaps the division’s most influential midfielder. Replacing Patrick Bamford’s goals will be the challenge.
Despite Steve Bruce’s frustrations at losing several key players, Hull City still have the nucleus of an imposing squad. Young defenders Harry Maguire and Andrew Robertson will shine at this level, and they will profit from a full season of a fit Robert Snodgrass.
Burnley have been forced to let go of their three standout individuals, much to Sean Dyche’s ire, but they remain a superbly well-run club and have the nous to mount an improbably immediate bid for a return to the top flight. Right-back Matthew Lowton, signed from Villa, is an astute acquisition to replace Spurs-bound Kieron Trippier.
Wolverhampton Wanderers fans, whose hope has been rebuilt from the ground upwards by the likeable Kenny Jackett, will be salivating at the prospect of watching Benik Afobe and Noah Dicko in tandem all season long. There is a lot of noise around young defenders Dominic Iorfa and Kortney Hause, although question marks remain over their ambition in the market this summer.
Play-off prospects
Brentford, perhaps the league’s most-talked about club, plunge headlong into a zeitgeist-defining experiment this season. Dutchman Marinus Dijkhuizen has been brought in to implement owner Matthew Benham’s data-driven, ‘Moneyball’ policy. Its exposition will provide one of Championship’s more intriguing storylines.
Queens Park Rangers were living proof that money cannot buy you love, plummiting out of the Premier League at the first attempt. Their financial clout, added to the clear thinking of Chris Ramsey, has seen them sign well, with Jamie Mackie a gritty Championship performer, Australian Massimo Luongo and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, capable of almost anything, both of the sublime and the ridiculous.
Mick McCarthy managed to haul a distinctively average Ipswich Town squad into the play-offs last term through organisation, discipline and teamwork – do not make the mistake of thinking he will not have another go this time round. If Teddy Bishop’s star continues to rise and Daryl Murphy rediscovers his goalscoring form early on, the possibilities are almost endless.
Nottingham Forest have been hampered by upheaval over the last three campaigns, and will be saddled by a transfer embargo in this, their 150th anniversary. Yet, the signings of Matt Mills, Ben Hamer and Jamie Ward, alongside the youthful exuberance of Ben Osborn and Oliver Burke, could spring a surprise.
Mid-table security
Fulham, under Kit Symons, will look to run a more streamlined operation this year, resting on a young, English core. New signing Tom Cairney was the division’s outstanding creative-midfielder last term, and in Emerson Hyndman they have a highly promising young technician.
Bristol City strode through League One at a canter, making their title triumph seem embarrassingly easy at times. They need not worry about looking downwards, and in spite of a restrained approach to spending this summer, could profit from the momentum of last season’s unabated surge.
Blackburn Rovers are stable to an extent that was unforeseeable a few years ago, due in no small part to the safe hands of Gary Bowyer. The breakup of the league’s most dangerous strike partnership, between Jordan Rhodes and Rudy Gestede, and the loss of Tom Cairney will be a roadblock to their lofty aims this term.
It has been a summer of change at Sheffield Wednesday, with their new ownership finally appointing their own man in Carlos Carvalhal, a head coach whose experience lies almost solely in Portuguese football. They are solid defensively, featuring Kieron Westwood, the foremost goalkeeper in the league.
Preston North End are no-one’s tip to go down, but you will not see many backing them for promotion either. Mid-table stability will surely ensue, with further goals from Joe Garner and Jermaine Beckford, as manager Simon Grayson seeks to prove himself in the second tier.
Teetering on the brink
Birmingham City are blessed with the most impressive young manager at this level, Gary Rowett, who is developing an enviable penchant for pragmatism that could serve him well in higher places. His focus will be progress at St Andrews, though, spearheaded by the precocious Demarai Gray.
A club stuck in some kind of torpor, Reading seem unsure how to define themselves as Premier League memories fade. A Wembley run injected some spark last season, and Steve Clarke is a good manager, but the sales of Jem Karacan, Alex Pearce and Adam Federici hardly reek of ambition.
Bolton Wanderers are an expertly led side, with Neil Lennon at the helm. He is fighting against all the odds, with the club up for sale, and battling away with an inexperienced squad. The onus will be on youngsters Max Clayton, Zac Clough and Oscar Threlkeld to repay Lennon’s faith in their abilities.
What to say about Leeds United that has not already been said. Having dumped Neil Redfearn, Cellino’s latest punt is on Uwe Rosler, who has a point to prove after failing at Wigan. It’s tempting to tip a year of stability, with relegation warded away by Alex Mowatt and the goals of summer signing Chris Wood, but Leeds being the team they are, we should know better.
Charlton Athletic are suffering an existential crisis under owner Roman Duchatelet, relying on an ungainly mish-mash of Standard Liege rejects and bargain basement buys. They must give Guy Luzon time to shape a team, of which striker Tony Watt will surely be a fundamental part.
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Set to struggle
To call Rotherham United unfancied would be to flatter them – almost everyone calling this season’s Championship have the Millers somewhere near the bottom. Their summer signings are comprised mainly of players unable to settle or unfancied at their previous clubs, but manager Steve Evans has made a career out of defying the odds and could easily galvanise them.
Huddersfield Town seem destined to dwindle in the lower reaches of this season’s Championship, operating with a small, youthful squad. The Terriers are fortunate to have a natural goalscorer in the shape of James Vaughan, and a tireless young manager in Chris Powell.
Milton Keynes Dons have done well to get this far under Karl Robinson, with such little goodwill behind them. Robinson will surely make waves in the division, but both he and his team lack experience at this level and, without a good start and Dele Alli, could really struggle.
Cardiff City are tired of being a club turned against itself, although somewhat relieved that Vincent Tan is a less prominent figure in South Wales these days. Russell Slade’s offer of route one football, inconsistent results and cut-price Football League trade-ins is not a compelling one.
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