Predicting the Championship Table 23/24

Welcome back to my blog and today I will be predicting how I think the Championship table will look like at the end of the season. Ready? Let’s get started!

24. Rotherham United

The Millers were quite fortunate to stay up last season due to the excellent work of their manager, Matt Taylor, but I see them struggling to stop the rot after losing key players and failing to make game-changing additions. Their stale squad will be bottom by December and flit in between 23rd and 24th before finishing rock bottom come May.

23. Birmingham City

Birmingham City have pulled off some decent transfers this summer, but I think this is the season the Blues implode and go on a winless streak from February to May, leading to a brutal relegation that has been coming for years.

22. Leeds United

Yes, I know this makes me look like I drink paint thinner for breakfast, but I have my reasons for this. Relegation has caused a massive shake-up at Elland Road, with new owners, a new manager, and numerous player departures all causing quite the mayhem. Leeds are a massive club with a huge support, much like Sunderland when they went through two painful back-to-back relegations. Both clubs were in a state of unrest and lacked clarity, which is why I believe that these coincidences are one too many and can only mean one thing: relegation. They have signed a decent player in Ethan Ampadu, but I think that this much change will rock their players’ confidence and they will slip into the abyss that is League One.

21. Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday had a fairytale promotion this summer, and I think they’ve made some decent additions to bolster their squad. Their manager Xisco Munoz also had a decent spell at Watford and should do enough to keep them up comfortably.

20. Bristol City

The Redbirds have made some decent additions to the squad, but the departure of Dasilva and the potential departure of Alex Scott will derail their season initially before Pearson is sacked and someone like Mick McCarthy comes in and helps keep them up.

19. Stoke City

I think that this Stoke City project is going to go horribly wrong. Alex Neil is on thin ice after a mediocre first season and should be booted out of the door by March. His replacement will struggle to do much to improve their position, resulting in a disappointing 19th come May.

18.Hull City

Hull have made some decent signings like Vinagre and Conolly but their squad still lacks quality compared to the other teams ahead of them, resulting in an 18th place finish.

17. Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town have a semi-decent squad, but I think they will continue to struggle in the Championship and end up near the bottom of the table once again.

16. Swansea

Swansea have completed a couple of decent transfers, but they have also had a number of player departures. On top of this, their manager, Russell Martin, has also left, which will leave Swansea in turmoil, resulting in yet another underwhelming season.

15. Plymouth Argyle

Many feel that Plymouth may struggle to cope with the Championship, but their stellar season in League One last year leads me to believe that they’ll do pretty well. Nothing extraordinary, but they will overachieve for the squad they have before reinforcing next summer and potentially challenging for promotion.

14. QPR

QPR are another club with a cloudy future due to some horrendous form and a lack of quality squad depth. I think they’ll do decently for the first half of the season before going on another winless streak from February to April to confine them to a disappointing 14th place finish.

13. Preston North End

Preston did surprisingly well last season, but I believe that it was simply a stroke of fortune that will fail to repeat itself this season. They’ll finish 13th, which isn’t too bad for a team of their stature.

12. Coventry City

Coventry City overachieved last season, but I think the Sky Blues will struggle to do much despite some impressive signings. Ellis Simms will not hit the ground running, and they will quickly revert to grinding out 0–0 or 1–0 results, which will help them finish in the top half (barely).

11. Cardiff City

Many feel that Cardiff are potential dark horses for next season after signing Aaron Ramsey, but I think they lack the quality or defensive solidity to fight for promotion this season. They’ll perform decently week in and week out, and their diligence will be rewarded with a respectable 11th place finish.

10. Norwich City

This may seem a bit counterintuitive, but hear me out. Norwich City’s decline was appalling last season, and they haven’t really rebuilt their squad to an extent where I can back them to get promoted. They have a semi-decent squad, but I think they’ll struggle to be anything more than ‘meh’ and will finish 10th.

9. Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers are always around the promotion spots but somehow always fail to get the job done. I think it will be the same old story this season, with Blackburn doing stupendously well in the first half of the season before ending it on a terrible run of form, thus missing out on promotion.

8. Watford

Watford are a decent team and SHOULD be aiming for promotion, but I think their story will be the opposite of Blackburn’s. Valerian Ismael will fail to deliver in the first half of the season, and he’ll get sacked to be replaced by someone like Alex Neil, who’ll bring them back into contention. However, it’ll be too late by then, and they’ll narrowly miss out by 5 points.

7. Sunderland

Sunderland are a team I hope to see get promoted next season, but I think they haven’t done enough this summer window to be promotion or even title contenders. Tony Mowbray has done an exceptional job, but I think he’ll be gone by March for the ‘grave’ error of being stuck just outside the promotion spots, and the arrival of a new face will be too late to push the Black Cats into the play-off spots.

6. Ipswich Town

This prediction is really just a crazy scenario I want to see happen, and I think Ipswich Town do have quite a number of talented players who could make it happen. Their coach, Kieran McKenna, has been exceptional since joining them, and should at the very least keep them up.

5. Milwall

This is bound to happen, isn’t it? This has GOT to be the season Millwall finally finish in the play-off spots and make it to the Premier League. Their intense rivalry with West Ham would be a treat to watch, and I believe the Lions are perfectly set up to finally make that step up to the Premier League.

4. Leicester City

Leicester City will do decently with the respectable squad they have in the Championship and dominate most games, but I do think they’ll struggle at times and go on one or two losing streaks, which will lead to them finishing 4th rather than in the auto-promotion spots. They’ll fail to make it past an inspired Middlesbrough, which would be quite sad to see but will definitely allow for a more concrete rebuild next summer.

3. Middlesbrough

A Michael Carrick-led Middlesbrough will do wonders this season, impressing with their attacking style of play but ultimately fall short of automatic promotion. They’ll reach the finals, but I’m not entirely sure if they’ll get promoted this season.

2. Southampton

The Saints have one of the most youthful and well-equipped squads in the division, and they should do amazing things this season. Even if JWP leaves, Southampton are still by far the best team on paper in the Championship, and should easily get promoted. It will be a tight title race, but I think they will ultimately lose out to West Brom. An immediate return to the PL should be good enough for the Saints, though.

1. West Brom

This is a prediction that could backfire spectacularly, but I am (for some reason) CONVINCED that the Baggies will win the Championship this season. Carlos Coberan is an amazing manager, and he will lead this enigmatic West Brom side to an unexpected title win. They have an amazing attack and midfield, and if they make one or two defensive reinforcements, the Baggies could be on course to dominate England’s second division.

So, there you have it. Rotherham United, Birmingham City, and Leeds will all succumb to the pressure and slide into the abyss that is League One, while West Brom, Southampton, and Milwall will all get promoted. Do let me know what YOU think will happen as well as which predictions you agree or disagree with. In the end, this is all a bit of fun for you readers to enjoy, and I’m sure you can’t wait for an electric season of English football.

Till my next article, adios! (P.S. Do let me know if you would like my predicted table for the PL in the comments below, though I have briefly gone over that in my earlier article.)