Transfers after the 30th July 2009 do not feature in this article.

The WATRB Championship Preview
By thegodfather

It’s that time of year again. Fans will be looking over the fixture list, receiving their new “credit card style” season tickets and counting down the days to August 8th. As the first day of the campaign approaches, I feel that now is the time to go through the teams that Queens Park Rangers will face in the 2009/10 Coca-Cola Championship. Will Newcastle, Middlesbrough and West Brom gain promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking? Who will make the play-offs? Will the likes of Peterborough and S****horpe manage to survive the drop? And, most importantly, will our beloved QPR challenge for promotion? Hopefully this preview will give you a better idea of how the various sides will fare.

Barnsley

2008/09 season finish: 20th place

In: Onome Sodje (York City – free transfer), David Preece (Darlington – free transfer).

Out: Muller (to FSV Mainz – 600K), Letherthen (released), Leon (released), Van Homoet (released), Dennis Souza (released).

It’s fair to say that Barnsley have struggled in the Championship ever since their promotion in 2006. Manager, Simon Davey, has narrowly avoided relegation on three occasions. Last season, the Tykes escaped the drop by the skin of their teeth, beating Plymouth Argyle on the final day. And, frankly, it looks like Barnsley supporters will be in for another nerve-racking fight for survival.

Simon Davey has taken a large risk during the summer, bringing in two inexperienced players from lower league clubs and selling popular goalkeeper, Heinz Muller. The lack of transfer activity at Oakwell is concerning for the club’s supporters. Things do not look particularly good for next season.

Barnsley will have to rely on skilful midfielders, Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Iain Hume, to produce the match-winning performances needed to pull the Tykes clear of the relegation zone. I’ve always been very impressed by Campbell-Ryce – he’s given QPR lots of problems on a number of occasions with his pace and trickery. Another talented player is Iain Hume, who has finally recovered from Chris Morgan’s vicious elbow. Capable of changing a match with a single kick of the ball, Hume could be key to Barnsley’s 2009/2010 campaign.

Unfortunately for Tykes fans, I see them really struggling next season. Unless they spend money on some quality players before the end of this summer’s transfer window, they may well find themselves in big trouble.

Godfather’s Prediction: 22nd place

Blackpool

2008/09 season finish: 16th place

In: Billy Clarke (Ipswich – free transfer), Jason Euell (Southampton – free transfer).

Out: Barker (Derby County – 900K), Fox (Colchester – free transfer), Green (Wycombe – free transfer), Bayliss (released), Broomes (released), Carratta (released), Jorgensen (released), Kay (released), Wright (released).

Ian Holloway’s Blackpool will provide QPR with their first test of the 2009/010 campaign when the two sides meet at Loftus Road on August 8th. The last time the two teams played each other on the first day of the season, Rangers (who were then managed by “Ollie”) thrashed the Tangerines 5-0. Let’s hope that history repeats itself!

Last season was a turbulent one for Blackpool. Popular manager, Simon Grayson, left for Leeds United in December and Tony Parkes took charge for the rest of the campaign. Despite relegation concerns, he eventually guided the team to a respectable 16th place finish.

To the surprise of many supporters, Tony Parkes left the club in May following a meeting with the Chairman over finances. Holloway, the former QPR manager, was announced as his replacement. A mass clear-out has left the Tangerines with a rather small squad. To date, “Ollie” has only made two signings, Billy Clarke from Ipswich and the ageing Jason Euell from Southampton. Will the Tangerines be able to cope when players pick up injuries and suspensions? I’m not so sure.

I’ve always liked Holloway and I do hope things work out for him at Blackpool. However, the Championship is going to be really difficult next season and I think the Tangerines might struggle. Despite this, I predict that the Seasiders will narrowly avoid relegation.

Godfather’s Prediction: 19th place.

Bristol City

2008-09 season finish: 10th place

In: Clarkson (Motherwell – 800K), Nyatanga (Derby – 500K), Haynes (Ipswich – 400K), Gerken (Colchester – undisclosed), Blackman (Portsmouth – free), Hartley (Celtic – free).

Out: Adebola (Nottingham Forest – free), Murray (Yeovil – free), Myrie-Williams (Dundee United – free), Weale (Leicester – free), Styvar (Skoda Xanthi – season loan), Noble (released).

Last season did not quite live up to the expectations of the Bristol City supporters after the club’s Play-Off Final appearance in May 2008. Manager, Gary Johnson, found his team sinking into mid-table mediocrity, struggling to keep up with the other challengers for a place in the top six. However, with several new players joining the club, including the skilful Danny Haynes, fans will be hoping that the forthcoming campaign will be one to remember (for the right reasons).

Since their promotion to the Championship, much of City’s success has been the result of a very physical and direct style of play. Last season, I noticed that they seemed to launch long-balls up to Adebola very frequently. I can’t see someone like Danny Haynes having much success with that! The manager needs to work out a way in which to incorporate his new signings into his style of football. Or maybe Johnson needs to adjust his tactics? It will be interesting to see how City’s new signings fare next season.

As already stated, the Championship is going to be very tough next season. Do Bristol City have what it takes to reach a play-off position? I’m not so sure. City are likely to emerge as one of the contenders for the top six positions, but I predict that they will just miss out.

Godfather’s Prediction: 9th place.

Cardiff City

2008-09 season: 7th place

In: Michael Chopra (Sunderland – 4 million), Hudson (Charlton – 1.325 million), Paul Quinn (Motherwell – 300K), Anthony Gerrard (Walsall – undisclosed), David Marshall (Norwich – undisclosed).

Out: Johnson (Birmingham – 5 million), Purse (Sheffield Wednesday – free).

Last season, Cardiff somehow managed to miss out on a play-off place thanks to Preston’s victory over QPR on the final day of the campaign. Their failure to finish inside the top six seemed incredible given that at one point they had looked destined for automatic promotion. Just a few weeks after the end of the season there were calls for manager, Dave Jones, to resign.

The Board, however, has publicly declared its support for the manager and has supplied him with a substantial amount to spend in the transfer market. The signing of Michael Chopra, who is joining the Bluebirds for the second time in his career, has caused much excitement amongst the City fans. Jones will need the former Newcastle and Sunderland man to find his goal-scoring form next season.

The manager faces a fight to keep the talented central midfielder, Joe Ledley, after reported interest from numerous Premiership clubs. Losing him could deal a real blow to Cardiff’s promotion hopes for next season.

Playing at their brand new home stadium, I expect Cardiff to be challenging for a play-off place. However, like Bristol City, I think they will miss out.

Godfather’s Prediction: 8th place

Coventry City

2008-09 season finish: 17th place

In: Sammy Clingan (Norwich City).

Out: Scott Dann (Birmingham – 3.5 million), Daniel Fox (Celtic – 1.5 million), Robbie Simpson (Huddersfield – 500K), Donovan Simmonds (released), Kevin Thornton (released).

Last season was yet another disappointing one for Coventry City. Manager, Chris Coleman, secured a 17th place finish – better than the previous campaign, but still not really good enough for a club that was an established member of the Premier League not so long ago.

Coleman has only made one signing this summer – Sammy Clingan from Norwich City. Last season he made 40 appearances and scored 6 goals – not bad, for a defensive midfielder.

However, Sky Blues supporters will certainly be concerned about next season, especially after the departures of the club’s two star players, Daniel Fox and Scott Dann. Expect Coventry to achieve a similar league finish to that of the previous campaign. If they are not careful they could be drawn into a relegation battle.

Godfather’s Prediction: 17th place.

Crystal Palace

2008-09 season finish: 15th place

In: Ambrose (Charlton – free), Sears (West Ham – season loan).

Out: Fletcher (Plymouth – free), Flinders (Hartlepool – free), Ifill (Wellington Phoenix – free), Scowcroft (Leyton Orient – free), Carolan (released), Dayton (released), Oster (released), Smith (released), Wilkinson (released).

Neil Warnock had to settle for 14th place last season (later reduced to 15th after the club was deducted a point for fielding an unregistered player). Palace were simply too inconsistent to mount a serious play-off challenge. Much of this problem was due to the team lacking a quality striker (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?).

The Eagles, to their credit, have recognised this issue and moved swiftly to secure the services of Freddie Sears on a season-long loan deal from West Ham United. Sears, who apparently rejected a transfer to QPR, has already scored three times for Palace during their pre-season matches.

Despite the optimism surrounding the signings of Sears and Ambrose, I think that Palace lack too much quality to challenge for a play-off spot. I predict that fans of the South London club will have to settle for another mid-table finish.

Godfather’s Prediction: 11th place

Derby County

2008-09 season finish: 18th place

In: Barker (Blackpool – 900K), Moxey (Exeter – 350K), Pringle (Ilkeston Town – undisclosed), Buxton (Burton Albion – free), Croft (Norwich – free).

Out: Ellington (released), Mears (Burnley – 500K), Nyatanga (Bristol City – 500K), Putzinson (Brighton – 100K), Villa (Cruz Azul – undisclosed), Sterjovski (Perth Glory – free), Todd (Perth Glory – free), Price (Brentford – loan), Bowditch (released), Casement (released), Clarke (released), Harding (released), Reason (released), Richards (released), Robinson (released).

Manager, Nigel Clough, guided Derby County clear of relegation trouble last season. Without doubt, he will be hoping to achieve a much higher league finish at the end of the next Championship campaign.

Among Clough’s summer signings are Lee Croft and Shaun Barker. The former became a favourite with the Norwich City fans during his three-year spell at Carrow Road – to me, this looks like a really good bit of business, especially on a free transfer. The latter earned himself a regular place in the starting line-up at Blackpool with some very impressive performances – again, this could turn out to be a really good buy.

I expect the Rams to enjoy a relatively successful 2009/010 campaign. I certainly can’t see them struggling at the bottom of the league like they did for much of last season. For me, the club is likely to achieve a mid-table finish, as Clough rebuilds the squad from that disastrous spell in the Premier League.

Godfather’s Prediction: 10th place

Doncaster Rovers

2008-09 season finish: 14th place.

In: None

Out: Wellens (Leicester – 1.2 million), Greer (Swindon – free), Taylor (Wrexham – free), Ameobi (released), Byfield (released), Price (released).

Doncaster achieved a respectable 14th place last season and I suspect both the club and the fans would be delighted with a similar finish next year. However, I think this will be very difficult in what is likely to be a far more competitive division.

To date, manager, Sean O’Driscoll, has not made any additions to his squad. Perhaps he is happy with the players he already has at his disposal. Or is it because of a lack of funds?

Unfortunately for Doncaster fans, I can see Rovers struggling next season simply because their squad does not contain many players who are proven at this level. The loss of Richie Wellens, who was Donny’s star man last year, could deal a real blow to the club’s hopes for the next campaign. Unless O’Driscoll makes clever use of what remains of the summer transfer window, they could find themselves in real trouble.

Godfather’s Prediction: 23rd place.

Ipswich Town

2008-09 season finish: 9th place

In: Lee Martin (Manchester United – 2 million), Damien Delaney (QPR – 700K), Shane O’Connor (Liverpool – free).

Out: Haynes (Bristol City – 400K), Clarke (Blackpool – free), Harding (Southampton – free), Miller (Sheffield Wednesday – free), Ivan Campo (free).

Ipswich are one of the teams being tipped for promotion. Roy Keane, who replaced Jim Magilton at the end of last season, is a man who has achieved success both as a player and, on the most part, as a coach. With a manager famous for his winning mentality, Ipswich fans will be optimistic about the 2009/010 campaign.

Lee Martin could play a key role for the Tractor Boys next season. The young forward joined Ipswich from Manchester United for £2 million. Through various loan spells with Championship clubs, he has already shown that he has what it takes at this level. Clinical in front of goal, pacey and skilful, Martin could turn out to be a real asset to Ipswich Town.

Keane also splashed out £700,000 on Queens Park Rangers full-back, Damien Delaney. Often accused of laziness, many Rs supporters will be glad to see the back of the Republic of Ireland international.

I think that Ipswich Town supporters are right to be confident about next season. Roy Keane, love him or loathe him, is a winner. Quite frankly, I can’t see him accepting anything less than a play-off place. Expect to see the Tractor Boys challenging at the top end of the league.

Godfather’s Prediction: 5th place.

Leicester City

2008-09 season finish: 1st (League One).

In: Wellen (Doncaster Rovers – 1.2 million), Hobbs (Liverpool – 400K), Brown (Hull – undisclosed), N’Guessan (Lincoln City – compensation), Ajdarevic (Liverpool – free), Neilson (Hearts – free), Verma (free transfer), Weale (Bristol City – free).

Out: Cobb (Wycombe – free), Hayles (Cheltenham – free), Kee (Accrington Stanley – loan), Cox (released), McKay (released).

Leicester responded to their relegation to League One superbly. Taking the division by storm, the Foxes cruised to automatic promotion as Champions.

Much of Leicester’s success was due to Matty Fryatt’s goals. League One defenders simply couldn’t cope against him. However, the question is, will he be able to continue his excellent form in the Championship? I’m not so sure. It must be remembered that he really struggled to find the net during the 2007/08 campaign. Some would argue that he fits into the “too good for League One, not good enough for the Championship” category.

Manager, Nigel Pearson, has made seven signings this summer. The name that sticks out to me is Richie Wellens, the former Manchester United youngster, who played such an important part in Doncaster’s survival last season. In addition, Wayne Brown, the defender, will bring experience and leadership skills to the table.

I have no doubt that Leicester City will survive next season. In fact, with a talented manager and a decent-looking squad, I expect them to achieve a top-half finish.

Godfather’s Prediction: 12th place.

Middlesbrough

2008-09 season finish: 19th (Premier League)

In: Yeates (Colchester – 500K), Coyne (Tranmere – undisclosed).

Out: Downing (Aston Villa – 12 million), Owens (Kilmarnock – free), Turnbull (Chelsea – free).

Despite Middlesbrough’s relegation to the Championship, Gareth Southgate has kept his job. However, the pressure is still well and truly on the former England international defender. Both the supporters and the Chairman will accept nothing less than a good start to the season. If this doesn’t happen, then expect to see a new man in charge before October.

Inevitably the club’s star player, Stewart Downing, has left following Boro’s relegation. Tuncay, Alves and Mido are likely to follow. However, on paper, even without those players, Middlesbrough still have one of the best squads in the Championship. Names like Alliadiere, Arca and Digard will strike fear into the hearts of most teams in this division.

Obviously a lot depends on whether the manager is able to keep most of his squad together, but I think that Boro fans should be confident about next season. With or without Southgate, expect to see Middlesbrough as strong contenders for automatic promotion.

Godfather’s Prediction: 3rd place

Newcastle United

2008-09 season finish: 18th (Premier League)

In: None.

Out: David Edgar (Burnley – undisclosed), Michael Owen (Manchester United – free).

Newcastle is a club in turmoil. As I have said in previous articles, stability is key to a successful campaign in the Championship. Clearly the Board of Newcastle United hasn’t recognised this. Nobody knows who will be playing in black and white stripes next season, nobody knows who will manage the team and nobody knows who the Chairman will be. For the reasons stated above, Newcastle are the most difficult team to write about in this WATRB Championship Preview. As far as I can see, their season can go one of two ways:

1. Talks over the club’s ownership continue throughout the season. The manager is given no money to spend. The squad begins to collapse, as players become worried about the lack of stability at the club. The fans lose interest and attendance figures fall. The Magpies find themselves struggling in the Championship, either occupying the middle positions of the league or possibly trapped in a relegation battle.

2. Mike Ashley either sells the club or declares his commitment to the Magpies. The manager is given a substantial amount to spend in the transfer market. The players, inspired by the renewed sense of optimism at the club, start to perform to the best of their ability. The fans start to return to St James Park. Newcastle establish themselves as contenders for promotion.

It must be remembered that Newcastle is a massive club. If United address the ownership issue, they will attract decent players and coaching staff. In addition, a lot depends on who the Magpies manage to keep at the club. Obafemi Martins, Nicky Butt and Damien Duff are still registered as members of the squad. These three possess bags of talent and experience at the very top level of the English game.

It’s very difficult to predict how Newcastle will fare next season. With some stability at the club, they could mount a promotion bid. If, on the other hand, things remain as they are, one could see the Magpies struggling to even achieve a top-half finish.

Godfather’s Prediction: Option One (play-off place, Forest to drop out), Option Two (16th place).