Fair play Ipswich, they never know when they are beaten.
That being said whoever goes up (and I include Leicester in this) are likely to be whipping boys in the PL. The disparity is vast and FFP means newly promoted sides can't just spend their way to safety. So whoever goes up will most likely be straight down - even the best Championship side of recent years (Burnley) have been totally outclassed in the PL.
The three promoted sides have always struggled in the PL but at least one usually manage to stay up. In fact, last season, all three managed it.Originally Posted by ryanb741
This season could be the first one that the three promoted teams go straight back down.
Whilst I do agree, it’s tough and the gap between the PL and championship is getting wider, newly promoted sides are certainly easy meat for the top teams but the gap between the lower PL teams is quite narrow. I think a season of success in the championship gives teams a head start compared to a season of struggling to stay up by the lower finishing PL sides.
I think that if the three promoted this season will all survive next season in the PL.
I think we'll need to agree to disagree here. Perhaps Leeds may stay up but Leicester and Ipswich/Southampton would plummet straight down without significant investment and I don't believe they have the funds for that.
It’s really a bit early to be predicting who will be relegated next season but, should Everton go down this year, the first two on my list would be Luton and Forest.
Started off like a steam train and got out goal when we should have been 2 or 3 up
Other than the long range hit, our goalie was not that busy despite us ceding possession
We were a bit ropey really
That’s it now…. Anyone wanting top 2 can not have a slump
Ok…. We’ll see i guess ( I hope)…. But, I don’t agree….
Leeds would probably do ok and I think we have a strong enough squad (with a couple retained and a couple of additions) to be mid table
I'm not sure how you reach that position Ryan. I think Leicester will have the experience, finance and coach to have the best chance of any of them of staying up. Ipswich would struggle badly and I'd put Leeds and Southampton on a par. The Leeds coach has already proven he's not EPL quality and the club lacked real finance to stay up last time.
All opinions of course.
Unfortunately David, I have to agree with your assessment.
We’ve still got to get up yet though.
Although The Championship is a great league, it's still unusual for there to be four really good sides shooting it out this late into the season. I watch a lot of games and IMO I really can't split Leicester and Southampton as the two best Teams I've seen. I like the way Maresca sets up and Rylan is doing a great job at Saints.
Let's not forget how Ipswich have been sensational at times. To be keeping up with the three big teams is incredible. It's going to be a great end to the season.
the stats for this year are mental throughout the EFL, here are the comments from the QPR preview for our match with Baggies tonight.......
There are four unbelievable teams streaking far away at the top hoovering up record amounts of points, and one absolute whipping boy at the bottom essentially giving up six points to everybody. Since Sky invented football in 1992, the top four of this division has never had as many points after 35 games as Leicester, Leeds, Ipswich and Southampton have now. Over the past ten seasons the amount of points required for automatic promotion has averaged out at 85.5 with 89 the highest (twice) and 81 the lowest (last season, though Sheff Utd in second did get 91). Leicester are on 81 already. Sunderland, meanwhile, have the lowest points total (47) for a team sitting tenth at this stage.
QPR are one of four teams from 19th to 22nd who all have 38 points – no team sitting third bottom after 35 games has ever had that many before in the modern era. Two seasons ago, 2021/22, albeit affected by points deductions, 38 points would have kept you up. Over the last ten years the number of points required to survive without the need to resort to goal difference has varied between 38 (21/22) and 52 (16/17) averaging out at 43.8. In 18/19, and 15/16, 41 points would have kept you up; in 17/18 and 14/15 the total required was 42 – QPR can effectively get to that tonight, and still be deep in the shit.
QPR have won three in a row, Sheff Wed have now won four. Swansea have won three from five, Stoke two from four, Millwall two in a row, Huddersfield three out of six. On Saturday, as the previous week when QPR narrowly beat Rotherham at home, news filtered through from elsewhere that everybody else had won. As well as being a really bad year to be shit, it’s also an incredibly dangerous season to get in that check in queue to Mykonos too early – looking at Middlesbrough, Bristol City and Watford all suddenly losing for fun on 44 points.
Only once (Peterborough in 12/13 relegated with 54) has 52 points not been enough to survive in this league. What on earth the total is going to be this year is anybody’s guess at this point.
It is that point of the year now where you cannot but help look at other fixtures and pray for favours from elsewhere. We’re in the uncomfortable position of suddenly wanting Leeds to win games, with Huddersfield and Stoke this week and Sheff Wed and Millwall to come shortly. Our opposition on Wednesday could be kingmakers at the bottom as well – West Brom play six of the bottom seven including ourselves, all of them away bar Rotherham at home. Watford, meanwhile, having already gifted points to Huddersfield and Millwall now have Swansea and Birmingham in the next week or so.
You can drive yourself insane tossing the permutations until you conclude it’s about us. We’ve got to look after ourselves. On Saturday, really for the first time in two years, it looked like we might just be capable of doing that.
if anyone wants to read arguably the best fan journo in the division you could do worse than read our Clive's full piece which the above was taken from; or one of his brilliant and very honest match reports
https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/footba...%80%93-preview
https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/footba...2%80%93-report
sorry to the Leicester fans for the second but it's still a good read.
Leicester have a team that can overpower Championship teams but they lack the raw pace of Leeds which is why I think Leeds may do better in the PL because whilst they will undoubtedly ship a hatful of goals, having that explosive pace is a real asset and always gives you an outlet and platform to cause damage.
Leicester don't have the finance, the King Power Group are less interested in ploughing all their cash into the team particularly as they already wrote off the debt. Southampton just don't have the firepower to compete and re Ipswich, the manager is working miracles there but City/Liverpool/Arsenal away is going to be an absolute bloodbath for that side.
We’re still maxed out up to FFP (And possibly beyond based on some news)
No sign of them bailing yet
As quickly as those little runs of form start they are just as quick to stop.
Southampton losing three in the last five after going unbeaten from September 30th.
Leicester loosing three on the bounce before last night.
Alternatively shelf weds have won five out of six, prior to that they looked doomed.
A late goal for QPR tonight affects both relegation and playoffs, the result for both not helping their cause.
It's going to be an interesting run in.
Farke was with Norwich then who were always likely to struggle given their financial position. Leeds' current owners lack neither ambition or the funds to support the club.
That said there's a lot about the Championship that I prefer to the PL playground for despots, crooks and billionaires.
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