Plymouth Argyle

It turned out to be a rather poor week last week, especially with Liverpool losing away to Sunderland. I was under the impression that Gerrard and Torres would make it which, as I stated in my preview, played a large part in my tipping of them. Hopefully I’ll get back on track this week.

Saturday 24^th October (12.45)

English Premier League

Wolves v Aston Villa

Tomorrow’s meeting will be the first time these two rivals have played each other in the league for over 5 seasons. Villa will be looking to build on an excellent win over Chelsea last time out whilst Mick McCarthy’s Wolves are winless in their last 4 so will be looking to stop the rot tomorrow afternoon.

Wolves won the Championship at a canter last season but have stuttered on their return to England’s top flight. McCarthy has not invested too much money attempting to bring his squad up to the required quality and quantity to stay in the Premier League. Kevin Doyle, Greg Halford and Stefan Maierhofer have been 3 of his summer signings brought in for a bit of cash. The former Republic of Ireland manager has instead chose to persevere with the players who earned the clubs promotion last season. Stalwarts of that team such as Karl Henry, David Edwards and Richard Stearman have all played more often than not this term. From their opening 9 games, Wanderers have won twice and lost five. One of those wins came against Fulham at the end of September at Molineux. Their other home games have resulted in defeats to Portsmouth and West Ham with a draw against Hull City. If they wish to stay in the top division, their home form will have to improve sooner rather than later. Last time out, Wolves earned a credible draw away from home against Everton.

Martin O’Neill’s Villa have been very impressive for the majority of this season with only a couple of poor performances in matches where they would expect to pick up points in. There’s no secret or magical ingredient involved, it’s down to good organisation, hard work and skill and pace upfront. O’Neill has basically bought an entire new defence for his sides assault on a Champions League place next season, and it was two members of his new look defence that got the goals last weekend against Chelsea. Richard Dunne and James Collins scored from set-pieces in the come from behind 2-1 victory. With the World Cup coming up next summer, James Milner, Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey will be giving their all to earn a place on England’s plane to South Africa. Milner and Agbonlahor especially have upped their game this term and the signs are there that Young is getting back to his best. Villa’s last away match was a 2-1 reverse at Blackburn but they have already won on the road against Liverpool and in another Midland’s derby at Birmingham.

Wolves will be minus Maierhofer after the giant Austrian’s red card at Goodison last week so one of Sylvain Ebanks Blake, Andy Keogh or the fit again Chris Iwelumo will partner top scorer and record transfer Kevin Doyle tomorrow. It may be that McCarthy decides to play one up front with two wide players in support to keep it tight in the middle of the park, however, if he chooses to go this way it will mean an extremely hard shift for Doyle against a disciplined and well-oiled back Villa back four. O’Neill will more than likely play the same XI that started against Chelsea last week with John Carew preferred over Emile Heskey upfront. Luke Young is back training but is unlikely to start with Carlos Cuellar in great form at right back.

Villa have pace in abundance going forward and have the set piece delivery to make their clear height advantage worthwhile. They’ll get their fare share of opportunities in the air with Milner and Young’s expert delivery for the aforementioned Dunne, Collins, Carew and Cuellar. This is where I think the game will be won and as Wolves have already lost several goals from corners and free kicks I think the Villain’s will come through this match rather comfortably.

My selection: Aston Villa to beat Wolves

Best odds available: 23/20 available with several bookmakers including Bluesquare

English Premier League

Hull City v Portsmouth

The proverbial relegation 6-pointer takes place tomorrow at the KC stadium as 18^th placed Hull City entertain bottom dogs Portsmouth.

I, along with many others, expected Hull to struggle this term after the way they finished last season coupled with the loss of a couple of important players in the shape of Michael Turner and Manucho.  The biggest surprise I find is that there are still two teams below them in the table. Phil Brown has invested heavily in the last 10 months to improve results on the park with Jimmy Bullard, Stephen Hunt, Seyi Olofinjana and Kamel Ghilas all coming in for substantial fees. Strikers Jose Altiodre and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink have also been acquired to the ranks in an attempt to score more goals and ultimately, earn more points. Hull have won two and lost two at home this season which isn’t too bad at all. Their wins have came against Wigan and Bolton whilst they lost to Tottenham and Birmingham City.

Portsmouth have been in turmoil for most of the season but things may just be beginning to turn around for Paul Hart and his troops. Takeover rumours, aligned with player sales have meant that it’s never been easy for the Pompey on the park this season. The likes of Glen Johnson, Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar have all departed as has captain Sylvain Distin. Hart has not had much money to play with in his pursuit of replacements but has managed to add a plethora of new faces. The main one’s include Kevin-Prince Boateng, Tommy Smith, Steve Finnan and Jamie O’Hara on loan from Spurs. It has taken a month or two for Hart to assemble his strongest team from a large squad but it looks as though he’s getting closer to knowing what he wants and who he wants. They may only have three points (the win at Molineux) but they have performed admirably in the last month. That win was in between impressive performances in defeat against Everton and Spurs. The Spurs match inparticular was hard to take considering the chances the home side missed, most notably Aruna Dindane’s sitters.

Both sides desperately need a win tomorrow for obvious reasons, Portsmouth especially. Lose and they will be cast further adrift from the teams above them. Michael Brown will miss out after his late ordering off last week but Jamie O’Hara (ineligible to play last Saturday) will slot in for him. Otherwise it should be a similar side to the ones that have taken the field the last few games for the away side. The big news for Hull will be the likely starting place for Jimmy Bullard who was injured in January after his transfer to the tigers. He will be joined in tomorrow’s squad by Anthony Gardner and Nick Barmby.

I’ve been impressed with Portsmouth whenever I’ve seen them. They’re direct, play decent football and create a lot of chances. The only reason they’ve accumulated just 3 points is their poor finishing so I’m taking a chance and going with Paul Harts men in the hope they take a couple of the chances they are certainly going to make.

My selection: Portsmouth to beat Hull City

Best odds available: 15/8 with a couple of bookmakers including Coral

English Championship

Plymouth Argyle v Ipswich Town

Another battle between two sides at the wrong end of the table desperately in need of 3 points this time in the Championship as winless Town travel to Plymouth as Roy Keane’s men look to hold on to the lead for 90+ minutes.

Paul Sturrock’s Argyle have struggled for the most part this season, only recording two wins from their opening 13 matches. This form has led to calls for the manager to be sacked and the word around the club is that Sturrock may well be axed should Plymouth fail to get a result tomorrow against the only side currently below them in the table. Their only home win this season came against Scunthorpe at the start of the month, since then they have lost to Blackpool and Bristol City.

Ipswich have actually drawn more games than they have lost this season but the fact they have not won means they prop up the Championship at this point. They have drawn 3 of their last 4 matches, most recently against Watford at home during the week. Town’s Achilles heel has been conceding goals in the dying minutes of games. This has been the case in 3 of their last four matches, so instead of picking up 7 points in that time, they have only managed to gain a paltry two.

I watched a bit of Argyle’s match away at Blackpool last Saturday and they looked very much like a team who have stopped playing for their manager. There was no drive or energy about their performance and the heads were down as soon as Blackpool scorer their first. The opposite applies to tomorrow’s visitors who have fought and scrapped for everything in the last month. A win is just around the corner and I think they’ll repeat last year’s feat and come away from Home Park with maximum points.

My selection: Ipswich to beat Plymouth

Best odds available: 9/5 available with Ladbrokes

Happy punting and Good luck

Saturday 20^th February

Reading v Bristol City

Bristol City visit the Madejski stadium on Saturday looking to get back on track after losing their first league match since the end of December whilst the host’s will look to continue their very impressive home record.

Reading have been nothing short of sensational when playing at home this season. From 16 matches at the Madejski in the Championship this season, they have picked up maximum points on 12 occasions, losing only once – a 2-1 defeat to lowly Southampton. The key to their success at home has been their ability to hold on to nearly all their big players from last season’s relegation from the EPL. Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt and James Harper have been key to their lofty position and are all Premiership class players. Stephen Hunt’s brother, Noel, has been an inspirational signing as well for Steve Coppell. The striker has already bagged 10 goals despite starting on the bench for most of the first half of the season. As well as quality going forward, Reading also have the best home defensive record in the league, conceding just 8 all season.

Bristol City suffered their first defeat, since losing at home to Burnley in December, against Doncaster on Tuesday night. By all accounts they were poor that night, and also lucky against Southampton last weekend, despite picking up 3 points. Their recent good run has found them just outside the promotion places and credit must go to manager Gary Johnson who stuck by his philosophy of playing good football. Their overall away record has been more than decent. They have been victorious seven times on the road, losing 6. Those statistics may not tell the whole story however. All 7 of their wins have come against sides currently in the bottom half of the table whilst 4 of their 6 defeats have come against teams currently above them in the table.

Reading are currently 4 points off top spot with a couple of games in hand over the teams who occupy the automatic promotion places and know that these kind of games are crucial if they want to go straight back into the top flight. Wolves and Birmingham have been stuttering of late and Reading can put the pressure on them big time. Bristol City may prove stubborn tomorrow afternoon but I expect them to lose for the 4^th time in 5 matches at the Madejski.

My Selection: Reading to beat Bristol City

Best odds available: 8/11 with betfred

Plymouth v Sheffield United

Plymouth manager, Paul Sturrock has been under huge pressure following a run of 7 defeats from 9 games with the other 2 ending in stalemates. It could be argued that the visit of a side who have not tasted defeat in 13 away games, is not what he would have wanted.

Argyle have put up little resistance to the likes of Derby, Crystal Palace and Charlton in the last fortnight. They have conceded a total of 8 and scored just the once in the trio of games preceding tomorrow’s match. There were calls from the Plymouth fans for Sturrock to be sacked following Tuesday’s home match against Palace but the board have given the Scot a bit more time to get it sorted and Sturrock himself has come out fighting.

Sheffield United have had to contend with the loss of star man and top goalscorer, James Beattie, who was sold to Premiership side, Stoke City. Since his sale, the steel city side have struggled to win matches – they have only managed to pick up maximum points once. Having said that they are still proving stubborn to beat and their derby reverse at home to Wednesday, was the only time they have come away with nothing.

Plymouth, as you would expect from a team lying 19^th, have struggled to pick up points at Home Park this season. At what is normally a tough place to visit, they have only managed to take 18 points from a total of 16 matches, losing a staggering 8 of these (incidentally the joint worst in the division). Sheffield United on the other hand are one of the stronger sides on the road. They have won 7 of their 16 games losing just four. They have conceded the least amount of goals when playing away as well, losing just 13 all season.

You can usually tell when a team is not playing for their manager and it looks increasingly like that this is the case with Plymouth Argyle. Just 3 points outside of the relegation zone having played more games than everybody else, they are really up against it. United sit in 6^th place, the last play-off position, but know they must keep on winning to stay there. They will be looking for a repeat of their 1-0 victory in the corresponding fixture last term and I fancy them to get it.

My selection: Sheffield United to beat Plymouth

Best odds available: 5/4 with totesport

Inverness Caley Thistle v Hibs

Since Terry Butcher’s arrival as manager of ICT, Caley have held both Celtic and Dundee United in the league whilst defeating Kilmarnock at home in the last round of the Scottish cup. Hibs have had an indifferent season thus far and find themselves well off the pace for the coveted 3^rd spot behind the Old Firm pair.

Before Butcher took the reins, Inverness were on an abysmal run of 9 defeats in 10 league matches. They looked like a team in desperate need of a change and thankfully for the club, they got just that. They look much more solid and compact as a team, whilst also carrying more of a threat going forward. Dougie Imrie has been a key player for the Highlanders in the last month and he is just the type of player they need to have any chance of survival. Richie Foran has also been signed on loan, as has Filipe Morais, and both have these have added a bit more variety in the final third.

Hibs have struggled for consistency all season long and it shows in their recent results. From their last 6 matches, they have won 1, drawn 3, and lost 2. Derek Riordan is beginning to look more like the player he was 3 years ago when he was first at the club whilst Steven Fletcher and Rob Jones are both set to return to the side. The capital club will be disappointed with last week’s 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock considering their opponents barely had a fit striker. They will be determined to get back on the winning trail this week to salvage any sort of push for a European place.

Hibs’ record in Inverness is nothing short of disastrous. Not only have they failed to win at the Caledonian stadium, they have managed just a solitary goal on their trips through. They have managed an away win over ICT, but that match took place at Pittodrie which was the Highlanders home in their very first season in the SPL. Due to the feel good factor around Caley at the moment added to the mediocrity that has blighted Hibs all season long, I can’t see the home side getting beat tomorrow.

I would urge slight caution in backing ICT outright tomorrow as they have not won in the league for a long time. Instead, I’d advise backing ICT on a ‘draw no bet’. This bet means that if the game ends in a draw, your stake will be refunded or if part of a multiple, it will be declared a non-runner.

My Selection: ICT ‘Draw no bet’

Odds available:  ICT ‘Draw no bet’ = 5/6 with Bluesquare

by Matthew Chapple

With the championship season just four games old, there has already been a few surprise results with both Derby and Crystal palace occupying two of the relegation places. The biggest shock of the season so far came on the opening day with new boys Doncaster defeating Derby at Pride Park. Derby, who are widely tipped by several to be serious promotion contenders, have already given themselves a mountain to climb under Paul Jewell and are without a win after their first 4 league fixtures.

Crystal Palace are the other side who have made a dreadful start to the season. Two draws and two defeats see them lye in 22nd in the league and are also without a win from their first 4 fixtures.

Several have made undefeated starts to the season with Wolves, Preston, Birmingham, and Bristol City all yet to taste defeat. Wolves currently occupy top spot on goal difference which was largely down to their two terrific home victorys over Sheffield Wednesday which finished 4-1 and their 5-1 rout over Nottingham Forest.

Another surprise is that none of the three new clubs occupy any of the relegation places with Nottingham Forest the lowest out of three in the league in 16th. After Doncasters opening victory at Derby they went on to get 4 points from their next 3 matches.

Outright Betting: With Birmingham winning 3 out of the first 4 fixtures they are justified 10/3 favourties to win the league and judging by their early performances, they should go close. Wolves look good value at 11/2. They eased past their first few league games especially at home and look the team to beat in my opinion. Reading will be thereabouts come the end of the season and the bookies think so too and have priced reading up as third favourties at 7/1 while the new rich boys, QPR are currently 9/1 to win the Championship outright.

Relegation Odds: With both Blackpool and Barnsley not getting particularly good starts the bookies have priced them up as favourites for the drop with Blackpool 5/4 and Barnsley 11/8. The value looks to be with Derby County at 7/1. They are winless in 4 games and have just 1 point to their name. Their performances have been poor and haven’t really looked like winning any of the first 4 fixtures. Burnley lack quality and at 11/4 they look a fair bet for relegation and they should be around the foot of the table come the end of the season.

How we rate each team chances individually.

Barnsley
Players In: Luke Steele, Iain Hume, Roberto Colace, Mounir El Haimour, Darren Moore
Players Out: Paul Reid, Sam Togwell
Key player: Iain Hume
Prediction: 21st Despite making it all the way to the semi-final of the Fa Cup last season they struggled in their domestic campaign and finished 18th. They have a distinct lack of quality especially up front and they will struggle for fire-power in front of goal. We expect them to be around the bottom again this season.

Birmingham
Players In: Lee Carsley, Kevin Phillips, Marcus Bent, Kemy Agustien, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie
Players Out: Adam Lezgdins, Fabrice Muamba, Daniel de Ridder, Olivier Kapo, Sone Aluko
Key Player: Kevin Phillips
Prediction: 2nd They were unfortunate to be relegated last season as they got some decent results in the Premiership. They have kept the basic structure of the team while adding the likes of Everton’s Lee Carsley and West Brom’s Kevin Phillips. They have made a decent start to the season and they should be challenging for the automatic spots this season.

Blackpool
Players In: Matt Gilks, Joe Martin, Alex Babtiste, Steve Kabba, Jermaine Wright, Adam Hammill, David Vaughan, Marlon Broomes, Rob Edwards, Sone Aluko, Alan Gow
Players Out: Marcus Bean, Keigan Parker, Michael Jackson, Wes Hoolahan, Kaspars Gorkss
Key Player: Daniel Nardiello
Prediction: 23rd They did extremely well to avoid any sort of relegation battle come the end of the season but with a lack of quality, we fancy them to have a difficult season this time around. With just 4 points from the first 4 fixtures it doesn’t look too good.

Bristol City
Players In: Nicky Maynard, Gavin Williams, John Akinde
Players Out: Alex Russell, Nick Carle, Darren Byfield, Richard Keogh
Key Player: Nicky Maynard
Prediction: 9th They had a fantastic season last year and were unfortunate in the play-off’s. Once again they have made a great satrt to the season and with 8 points from the first 4 games they currently lye in 4th position and look on course for another good season. They were the surprise team last season but we doubt they will beat that and we fancy them to settle in the top half of the table this time around.

Burnley
Players In:Martin Paterson, Kevin McDonald, Christian Kalvenes, Diego Penny, Remco van der Schaaf, Chris Eagles, Russell Anderson, Steven Thompson
Players Out: John Spicer, Kyle Lafferty, James O’Connor, Jon Harley, Djemba-Djemba, David Unsworth
Key Player: Martin Paterson
Prediction: 22nd Burnley finished in mid-table last term and will be lucky to surive this season in our opinion. Chris Eagles should provide them with creativity while fan will be looking towards Martin paterson for goals this season after they let Kyle Lafferty go to Rangers. With just a single points form the opening fixtures the writing looks on the cards already. They lack quality and look set to face a relegation fight this season.

Cardiff
Players In: Darren Dennehy, Ross McCormack, Mark Kennedy, Jay Bothroyd, Eddie Johnson, Peter Encklemen
Players Out: Aaron Ramsey, David Forde, Warren Feeney, Robbie Fowler, Steven Thompson, Jimmy Flyod-Hasselbaink, Trevor Sinclair
Key Player: Joe Ledley
Prediction: 7th Cardiff somewhat sacrificed their league campaign for a great cup run in the FA Cup which seen them lose 1-0 to Portsmouth in the final. They will be disappointed with the departure of Aaron Ramsey who had a lot of potential and doesn’t seem as if Cardiff have found a replacement. Joe Ledley will be key if they are to push for the play-off’s this season but we think they will just come up short.

Charlton
Players In: Stuart Fleetwood, Martin Cranie, Hameur Bouazza
Players Out: Patrick McCarthy, Darren Randolph, Chris Iwelumo, Marcus Bent, Madjid Bougherra, Osei Sankofa, Sam Sodje, Ben Thatcher, Jerome Thomas, Amdy Faye,
Key Player: Marcus Bent
Prediction: 8th We’re not impressed with their lack of incoming transfers but they do posses some decent players in the final third. I think their season will rely heavily on a good start. If they hit a win less streak then they could start struggling. 6 points from 4 games isn’t the ideal start they would have hoped for and we doubt they will make a claim for one of the play-off spots.

Coventry
Players In: Guillaume Beuzelin, Aron Gunnarsson, Keiren Westwood, Freddy Eastwood, Steven Wright, Clinton Morrison
Players Out: Liam Davis, Julian Gray, Donovan Simmonds
Key Player: Freddy Eastwood
Prediction: 10th They had a poor season last year and were lucky not to go down. A new manager at the helm in Chris Coleman and their new signing Freddy Eastwood could one of the buys of the season. The welsh international is a proven goalscorer at this level and his goals this season will be crucial for Coventry’s ambitions. I don’t think they have the credentials to push for promotion and might have to settle for a mid-table finish.

Crystal palace
Players In: Patrick McCarthy, Johannes Ertl, Darryl Flahavan, Jos Van Nieuwstadt, Jose Fonte, Simon Thomas, Nick Carle, John Oster, Leandre Griffit, Alan Lee
Players Out: Jeff Hughes, Lewis Spencer, Mark Kennedy, John Bostock, Tony Craig, Clinton Morrison, Tom Soares, Dougie Freedman
Key Player: Nick Carle
Prediction: 6th Crystal palace made it to play-off’s last season and we fancy a repeat this season despite their poor start to the season. Neil Warnock has built a decent side at Palace and his side have the ability to push for promotion back to the top flight once again. One negative for me was them letting go of Clinton Morrison to league rivals Coventry. The forward bagged 16 goals in the championship last season and will be missed.

Derby
Players In: Kris Commons, Steve Davies, Nathan Ellington, Paul Connolly, Ruben Zadkovich, Paul Green, Jordan Stewart, Martin Albrechtsen, Liam Dickinson, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Rob Hulse
Players Out: Robert Earnshaw, Kenny Miller, Michael Johnson, Lee Holmes, David Jones, Darren Moore, Jason Beardsley, Craig Fagan, Tyron Mears, Eddie Lewis
Key Player: Rob Hulse
Prediction: 12th Despite them dropping down from the premiership we reckon they will have a difficult season. They were the worst ever team to play in the Premiership last season and they haven’t strengthen enough for us to think they will bounce straight back up. Add that to their poor start to the season we reckon they will find things tougher then they first expected in the Championship. Kris Commons and Rob Hulse look decent signings but we’re not too confident of their defence. A tough season ahead predicted which could see the end of Paul Jewell.

Doncaster
Players In:John Spicer, Darren Byfield, Tomi Ameobi, Matthew Mills, Jos van Niewstadt, James Chambers
Players Out: Paul Green, Stephen Roberts, Mark McCammon
Key Player: Darren Byfield
Prediction:19th Doncaster made it into the championship via the play-offs from League one and although they didn’t go up through automatic promotion, we fancy them to do well this season. They have a solid look about them and they could give some of the bigger sides in the league a surprise when they play them. Derby have already found this out when they lsot at home to Doncaster 1-0. Going by their first few performances they should have enough to stay up.

Ipswich
Players In: Pim Balkestein, Gareth McAuley, Kevin Lisbie, Richard Wright, Ivan Campo, Ben Thatcher, Moritz Volz, Johnathan Stead
Players Out: Gavin Williams, Gary Roberts, Nick Colgan
Key Player: Johnathan Walters
Prediction: 3rd Ipswich are a team with a great home record. They were the best home side of last season with just the on defeat at Portman Road. We didn’t think many would beat them at Portman Road this season but with two straight home defeats it has certainly made us concentrate harder. Although they have made apoor start to the season by their own standards, we still fancy them to at least get one of the 4 play-off positions. A distinct lack of transfers into the club is a slight concern but we fancy them to go well and possibly sneak automatic promotion.

Norwich
Players In: Sammy Clingan, Wes Hoolahan, Ryan Bertrand, Dejan Stefanovic, Elliot Omozusi, Arturo Lupoli, David Bell, Stuart Nelson
Players Out: Matt Gliks, Andrew Cave-Brown
Key Player: Arturo Lupoli
Prediction: 14th Norwich finished 17th last season which is unacceptable for a club with their recent history. They lacked goals last season and have brought in some strikers wit h the aim of putting it right this season. However they still lack quality in the midfield and there is a lack of quality creative players in their squad. If they can provide the former Arsenal youngster, Lupoli with regular service then they may go well but they are very incocnsistent and we fancy them to have another poor season.

Nottingham Forest
Players In: Robert Earnshaw, Guy Moussi, Andy Cole, Joe Garner, Paul Anderson, Mickael Darnet, Lee Martin
Players Out: Kris Commons, Matt Lockwood, Alan Power, Sammy Clingan, Grant Holt, Junior Agogo
Key Player: Robert Earnshaw
Prediction: 17th Last seasons League two runners-up Nottingham Forest look to have enough to see off relegation for one season at least. The signing of Robert Earnshaw from Derby County is a massive positive. The welsh international has bags of pace and can score at this level. If Nottingham are to survive then his goals will play a key part. A 5-1 hammering against Wolves won;t go down too nciely with the players but their other 3 performances look good enough for us to think they should settle nicely in the bottom half of table.

Plymouth Argyle
Players In: Jason Puncheon, Karl Duguid, Yala Bolsaie, Graham Stack, Emlie Mpenza, Nicolas Marin, paul Gallagher, Chris Barker, Simon Walton
Players Out: Paul Connolly, Paul Wotton, Najim Abdou, Peter Halmosi
Key Player: Emile Mpenza
Prediction: 15th I live near Plymouth and the fans are not too optimistic about the season ahead. Plymouth have let several of their best players go over the past year with the likes of Ebanks-Blake going to Wolves in January and their most high profile of them all in Peter Halmosi who couldn’t resist the lure of the premiership with Hull City. Emile Mpenza is a fantastic signing for Sturrock and he could be crucial for Plymouth this season. After a decent season last year we fancy them to finish in mid-table this term.

Preston
Players In: Barry Nicholsen, Ross Wallace, Jon Parkin, Stephen Elliott
Players Out: Tamas Priskin
Key Player: Neil Mellor
Prediction: 13th Preston struggled for the majority of last season and spent a lot of the time near the foot of the table. The eventually finished in 15th and with the lack of activity in the transfer market this summer they won’t be too far away from where they finished last season. They have made a great start to the new season though and have 10 points from their first 4 games beating some of the favourites for promotion. Their start to the season is very good but they are a inconsistent side and we doubt they can keep it up throughout the season.

Queens Park Rangers
Players In: Radek Cerny, Peter Ramage, Emmanuel Ledesma, Kaspars Gorkss, Dani Parejo, Samuel Di Carmine
Players Out: Stefan Bailey, Jake Cole, Daniel Nardiello, Zesh Rehman. Simon Walton, Chris Barker
Key Player: Emmanuel Ledesma
Prediction: 4th QPR fans are confident they can win the title this season. With new investors from the world of Formula 1 they have the cash to push for promotion and a minimum of a play-off spot will be expected from the fans. They have brought in a decent keeper in former spurs shot stopper Radek Cerny and Ledesma is a classy winger who can deliver a good ball. The board have already expressed that they aim to be in the premiership within the next couple of season and we think this could be their year but it will take a lot of work.

Reading
Players In: Noel Hunt, Chris Armstrong
Players Out: Adam Bygrave, Ben Hamer, Glenn Little, Dave Kitson, Scott Davies, Ibrahima Sonko
Key Player: Kevin Doyle
Prediction: 5th Despite Reading being relegated from the Premiership they have managed to keep the majority of their best players. Leroy Lite, Steven Hunt and Kevin Doyle have all stayed at the club with their only big departure being Glen little to Portsmouth. They have started fairly well and are in 6th position after 4 games. They have enough quality to regain their premiership status and we expect them to be in the play-off’s come the end of the season.

Sheffield United
Players In: Greg Halford, Sun Jihai, Darius Henderson, Justin Haber, David Cotterill
Players Out: Chris Lucketti, Rob Hulse, Ben Starosta, Luton Shelton, Johnathan Stead, Michael Tonge, Chris Armstrong,
Key Player: James Beattie
Prediction: 11th A disappointing season last term saw them finish in 9th. They are a club expected to push for promotion each season but are very inconsistent. They did well to keep hold of James Beattie who scored 21 league goals last season. Even with Kevin Blackwell at the helm i can’t see them mounting a promotion challenge this season and will have to settle for another average campaign in mid-table.

Sheffield Wednesday
Players In: James O’Connor, Tony McMahon, Jimmy Smith
Players Out: Burten O’brien
Key Player: James O’Connor
Prediction: 24th Sheffield Wednesday seem to struggle each season and were tipped for relegation last season. They do lack fire-power in front of goal and with no recognised signings they will be in for another difficult campaign and a dogfight at the foot of the table looks inevitable.

Southampton
Players In: Chris Perry, Lee Holmes, Paul Wotton, Tommy Forecast, Morgan Schneiderlin, Anthony Pulis, Jack Cork
Players Out: Cedric Baseya, Andrew Davis
Key Player: Bradley Wright-Phillips
Prediction: 20th Another former Premiership club on the decline. After their stint in the top flight they have seriously struggled for results in the championships and were very fortunate not to go down last season and their survival went down to the last day of the season which saw Leicester take their place in the last relegation spot. A team who lack goals and confidence and if they get off to a bad start, their could be no way back for the Saints.

Swansea
Players In: Ashley Williams, Mark Gower, Federico Bessone, Albert Serran, Fabien Brandy, Stefan Morrision
Players Out: Kevin Austin, Kevin Amankwaah, Darryl Duffy, Darren Way
Key Player: Jason Scotland
Prediction: 18th Last season League one champions will be hoping to avoid a relegation fight but with a lack of depth within the squad they could have one on their hands. Despite manager Martinez making some signings over the summer they do lack a potent striker and could struggle somewhat for goals. Going on their first couple of performances they should have enough to pull off survival though.

Watford
Players In: Jon Harley
Players Out: Nathan Ellington, Jordan Stewart, Toumani Diagoura, Steve Kabba, Darius Henderson, Moses Ashikodi, Danni Shittu
Key Player: Tommy Smith
Prediction: 16th After a great start to last season which seen them top of the league at Christmas, they fell off the pace and only just managed to get the last play-off spot. They went out at the first hurdle to eventual play-off winners Hull City. Their does seem to be cash problems at the club also with Boothroyd being forced to sell several key players with Nathan Ellington, Steve Kabba and Darius Henderson all departing the club. With very little coming into the club they look in trouble. They are widely tipped to struggle this season and we reckon they will finish 10 places behind their position last season in 16th.

Wolves
Players In: Sam Vokes, Richard Stearman, David Jones, Chris Iwelumo, Matthew Hill
Players Out: Freddy Eastwood, Matt Bailey, Seyi Olofinjana, Elliott Bennett, Lee Collins, Jay Bothroyd, Charles Mulgrew
Key Player: Michael Kightly
Prediction: 1st Manager Mick McCarthy has made some decent signings over the summer in a bid to improve on last seasons finish of 7th. Wolves had a disappointing season last term and were fancied to at least get a play-off spot. Welsh international Sam Vokes looks a decent proposition for the future while Chris Iwelumo should be what they need to get the goals to push them higher up the league. They have made the best start to the season out of any of the championship clubs and with them currently in first place, we fancy them to remain their aslong as they keep up the good performances.