Championship Predictions 2016/17 (Part 4/4)
So here we are, after three quiet months without competitive domestic football, England's second tier is back and promises to be as competitive as ever.
Fulham host Newcastle in the first match of the season tonight and ahead of the hotly anticipated fixture, I have attempted to predict where each of the 24 teams will be placed come the final round of fixtures on May 7.
Parts one to three have focused on the teams placed 24th - 7th, and that leaves this final blog to preview the sides that I have positioned in the top six.
Which team will have their hands on the English Championship trophy on May 7?
6th – Ipswich Town
Ipswich fans have been crying out for owner Marcus Evans to spend some money on new players, with manager Mick McCarthy – now the division’s longest serving boss – incredibly only paying a fee for five players ahead of this summer’s transfer market.
The Yorkshireman has been given money to spend of late however, even if it scarcely compares to that of many of the other clubs who would be considered their promotion rivals ahead of the 2016/2017 campaign.
With academy product Matt Clarke going the other way, Town have captured arguably the most promising young defender from the lower leagues in Adam Webster, while Paul Digby, Grant Ward, and Conor Grant have all joined the 21 year-old at Portman Road ahead of the new season.
Another relatively quiet window in terms of players joining the club, the Ipswich faithful will be reassured by the lack of activity in the other direction.
The likes of Luke Varney, Kevin Foley, and Jay Tabb have all been shown the exit door by McCarthy, but, crucially for the Tractor Boys, strikers David McGoldrick, Freddie Sears and Daryl Murphy all remain at the club, while talented midfielder Teddy Bishop is back fully fit after missing almost the entirety of last season.
5th – Derby County
Derby have been promising their fans promotion for what seems an eternity, falling just short in each of the previous three campaigns (3rd, 8th, 5th).
The club have also been through five managers in that short period of time, including former England boss Steve McLaren.
Nigel Pearson is the latest man to be tasked with finally guiding this underperforming side back into the Premier League after what has already been an eight year absence.
Somewhat surprisingly given their transfer activities of recent years, Pearson has not brought in any new players this summer. But new faces were not what the club needed, with a squad that oozes class at this level, the former Leicester manager has more than enough quality to be aiming for the play-offs at the very minimum.
The Rams could miss the experience of Jake Buxton and Stephen Warnock, who are both on their way to Wigan after a number of successful seasons at Pride Park. Where some might interpret the lack of activity as a sign of Pearson’s struggle to bring in new faces, I would argue that it should be viewed as a positive that the squad are content with their new boss and the ideas that he has brought to the club during pre-season.
The charismatic Nigel Pearson has returned to football management to take charge at Derby County.
4th – Brighton & Hove Albion
Aside from a manager who will feature later on and has continued his tenure at Newcastle United, Brighton boss Chris Hughton is, in my opinion, the top coach outside of the Premier League.
The former Republic of Ireland international has already guided former club Newcastle to a Championship title during a season in which he was also named manager of the year, and his new four-year deal at the Falmer Stadium is yet another sign of how content the board are with their current boss.
Moving away from the coaching staff and towards the players, many at Brighton will be disappointed with the departure of Iñigo Calderón, who has been an excellent servant for the club, but, perhaps more importantly, those joining The Seagulls will certainly excite.
Highly rated midfielder Oliver Norwood has been brought in from Reading and will join fellow addition Steve Sidwell in challenging Beram Kayal and Dale Stephens for a place in the middle of the midfield.
Meanwhile, former fan-favourite Glenn Murray has returned on a season-long loan deal from Bournemouth and will take some of the pressure off Tomer Hemed to score the goals that are required to lift the side towards the Premier League.
3rd – Norwich City
Following promotion to the Premier League in 2014/15 through the play-offs, Norwich were relegated straight back to the Championship last season, where they will begin as one of the division’s favoured sides to replicate that feat from just 15 months ago.
Alex Neil remains in charge of The Canaries following a disappointing first full season at Carrow Road, and he will know just what it takes to gain promotion to England’s top division after successfully replacing former boss Neil Adams before turning the club’s fortunes around last time they were at this level.
Just days ago, Norwich fans might have been curious as to why so little had been spent by a club that had just exited the most expensive league in the world, but the addition of winger Alex Pritchard from Tottenham for a fee believed to be in the region of £8 million should galvanise those supporters who would have been saddened by the departure of Nathan Redmond early on in the window.
Sergi Canós has also joined the club for a sizeable fee of £2.55 million from Liverpool, adding further creativity out wide, but it is Norwich’s lack of options up top that could cost them an automatic promotion place in May, with only West Brom and bottom-club Aston Villa netting on fewer occasions in the Premier league last time out.
That said, fans would still have been delighted to see £8 million flop Ricky van Wolfswinkel leave the club this summer, even that sale has stained the balance sheet.
Nathan Redmond's departure could hurt Norwich's hopes of earning promotion back to the Premier League.
2nd – Sheffield Wednesday
Carlos Carvalhal‘s nearly men from last season, Sheffield Wednesday missed out on promotion to the Premier League with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Hull at Wembley Stadium in the play-off final back in May.
After managing just 13th in the 2014/15 season, Carvalhal guided Wednesday into sixth position last time out, as a wonderful first season at the helm came to a dramatic close for the Portuguese and his players.
A further progression this time out would see the Yorkshire club return to the top flight for the first time since the turn of the century, and such an achievement looks by no means out of reach for a side that has kept hold of its key men, while adding further firepower in the shape of midfielder Almen Abdi.
Will Buckley and Steven Fletcher have also joined the club and will add further quality to an attack which already boasts the likes of Gary Hooper, Atdhe Nuhiu, and the exceptional Fernando Forestieri, undoubtedly one of the best players at this level.
1st – Newcastle United
Hardly a bold statement to place Newcastle at the top of the pile. The Magpies not only boast the most accomplished manager that the division has to offer in former Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Chelsea boss Rafael Benítez, but their supporters will also be excited about what appears to be the strongest squad in England’s second tier as well.
The Spanish coach may have lost a number of key players in the likes of midfielders Georginio Wijnaldum and Andros Townsend, along with the experienced Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor at the back, but money has been spent to replace those key names, and the replacements are sure to excite the St James’ Park faithful.
Winger Matt Ritchie and striker Dwight Gale have both dropped down a division to join the club, while one of the Championship’s star performers from last season has been acquired in the form of Scottish central defender Grant Hanley.
Add to that Ciaran Clark, Mohamed Diamé, and the highly-rated Belgian goalkeeper Matz Sels, and Newcastle could well have the title wrapped up by Christmas if this exceptional squad are able to gel from day one.
Dwight Gayle will be backed by many to be the Championship's top goal scorer, as Newcastle United are expected to take the division by storm this season.
