We have just passed the quarter mark on the season and it’s time to take a look at how the clubs are faring.  This is the first of three installments covering each of the 24 clubs in the nPower Championship.  I hope you will feel free to add your comments to each club.

First up?  Queens Park Rangers.  Neil Warnock has led QPR to the top of the table with 29 points and a goal difference of 21.  Last weekend’s come-from-behind draw at Bristol City showed great spirit and the club has to be considered a favorite for promotion.

Even with QPR on points but behind in goal difference is Cardiff City.  The high flying Welsh team is looking to roar into the Premier League next season led by recent loan signee and hometown product Craig Bellamy.  Manager Dave Jones has his team looking strong after an impressive 4-0 win away to Leeds United.

Sitting third in the table is the other Welsh side playing in the league, Swansea City.  With 23 points, but only a +5 goal difference, Swansea City has been inconsistent so far.  They have put consecutive league wins together only once this season.

Also sitting in the playoff position at fourth is last year’s League One Champions Norwich City.  Having spent only one year outside of the top two flights of English football in the last 50 years, Norwich City made wholesale changes to club management which saw them bounce right back and have them right in the mix for promotion to the Premier League.  They are even with Swansea City on points with 23 and only one behind in goal difference.

At fifth is Watford on 21 points and +7 goal difference.  A club with pedigree going back almost 130 years, and even playing in the UEFA Cup in 1983, Watford has struggled to stay at the highest level, having been promoted to the Premier League and bounced right back the following season twice in the last ten years. Watford’s fine run of form came to an end at home in a 2-0 loss to Scunthorpe United.  Watford will look to get back on track away to Derby County this weekend.

Coventry City is currently holding the final promotion playoff spot even with Watford on points but with only a  +4 goal difference.   A 3-0 defeat of visitors Barnsley this past Saturday saw Coventry City climb into the sixth spot, although it took the entire 90 minutes to put away a struggling Barnsley side.

Burnley is just one point off of a playoff spot, relinquishing that spot due to a 4-0 defeat at home to Reading.  With a trip this weekend to top of the table QPR, Burnley must be looking for at least a point, as there are several teams right behind them in the table.

The team immediately behind them in the table, and our final club for this first article is Reading.  They are the first of four clubs with 19 points and lead that pack due to their +7 goal difference.  The aforementioned 4-0 win on the road at Burnley propelled them to shouting distance of a playoff spot.  Hosting Doncaster this weekend, another of the clubs on 19 points, could help clear up the logjam a little.

Your comments are welcome and encouraged.  I read about these clubs, watch highlights when I can, and occasionally get to see the actual matches, but your opinions count at least as much as mine.  What do you think about these eight clubs?

Less than two weeks to go until the new Championship season. Squads are coming together. Some managers are content, others are panicking. Fans are enjoying a final fortnight of optimism before reality sets in.

Can Billy Davies take Forest to the top?

With this in mind, here are five random predictions for the coming season, hung on a flimsy animal theme:

Dark Horses: Nottingham Forest

When Billy Davies took over in January, Forest looked likely to go down. In fact, even with a few weeks of the season left they were still teetering, but now they mean business.

Billy Davies has brought in Lee Camp, Dexter Blackstock, Dele Adebola, Paul McKenna, David McGoldrick, Chris Gunter and Joel Lynch. It’s reminiscent of Davies’ last full season at Derby, where he transformed a team of strugglers into promotion material in just 12 months. I’m not saying they’ll win the league, but with all their attacking options and a proven manager, this could be an enjoyable season for the Tricky Trees. Prediction: 5th.

Stinking Skunks: Newcastle United

You can see what I did here: skunks are black and white and so is Newcastle’s kit… well, the one that doesn’t contain shades of urine-yellow, anyway.

Newcastle are in serious trouble. They looked bereft of desire last season after Keegan left and this year they won’t even have the excitement of playing against Manchester United or Fulham.

Currently, they have no manager. Their owner is desperate to sell, but no one really fancies buying them for the asking price. Their squad holds enough quality to win this league with some ease, but it’s a club with more than a whiff of Leeds about it. Every game they play will be against a team desperate to knock over the largest team in the division. Every team will get a big gate against Newcastle. Fans will back their underdogs all the way. I just can’t see, at the moment, how Newcastle will be able to cope.

New owners, a strong manager and a bit of stability could change all that. After all, Sunderland were flailing around like a flock of drowning giraffe a couple of years back until Roy Keane dragged them from bottom to top. But at the moment, 23 clubs are rubbing their hands at the prospect of playing the Magpies. Prediction: 14th.

Irritating Wasps: Peterborough United

Peterborough are at the other end of the scale to Newcastle. They have a much-coveted manager. After years of worrying if they have enough money to pay for the floodlights on evening games, they are now financially stable. They have just been promoted. The club is possibly in its best shape ever.

The problem is that despite these positives, every fan of every club will look at Peterborough and say: “We have to be beating teams like this.” Peterborough are still a small club, but they possess a genuine sting and players, especially of the larger teams, are going to feel pressure to swat them aside. I can’t see that happening. They have a winning mentality and that will continue, at least for this season. Prediction: 9th.

Suicidal Lemmings: Coventry City

What is going on here? The rumour is that Cov are selling off their players so that they can buy their cavernous stadium that can make a tremendous noise when full, but echoes horribly the rest of the time. Two of their best performers last season, Scott Dann and Daniel Fox, have both gone. Michael Mifsud has been released along with Leon McKenzie. It’s not even as if they were much of a force last season and with the Championship now spitting out former Premier League clubs on an annual basis, I fear the same fate could be about to befall poor Cov. Prediction: 22nd.

Harmless Pussycats: Reading

That 100 point+ season now seems a long time ago. The player turnover since then makes alarming reading: Leroy Lita, Dave Kitson, Graeme Murty, Kevin Doyle, Marcus Hahnemann, Nicky Shorey, Steve Coppell… They still have the Hunt brothers and Shane Long, but this season smells like transition to me.

Clubs who lose long serving managers often seem to struggle for a while afterwards as the club creakily adapts to a new regime (just look at Charlton) and although Brendan Rogers has a fine reputation in the game, he’s still inexperienced and is now charged with re-building a Reading force.

The Royals were poor for much of the second half of last season, their vaunted attacking force failing to score in 50% of their last dozen games. Royals fans are going to need to show some patience. Prediction: 13th.

The thrid round of the FA Cup draw is out and here is who the teams of the CCC will face. The ties will be played the weekend of January 3, 2009. If the tie is tied then a replay will be played.

Portsmouth v Bristol City – Ashton Gate

Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham – Hillbrough

Preston NE v Liverpool – Deepdale

Birmingham City v Wolves – St. Andrew’s Stadium

West Ham United v Barnsley – Upton Park

Manchester City v Nottingham Forest – Eastlands

Cardiff City v Reading – Ninan Park

Ipswich Town v Chesterfield/Droylesden – Portman Road

Charlton v Norwich – The Valley

Torquay v Blackpool – Plainmoor

Leyton Orient v Sheffield United – Brisbane Road

Southampton v Manchester United – St. Mary’s Stadium

Histon v Swansea City – Bridge Road

Forest Green Rovers v Derby County – The New Lawn

QPR v Burnley – Turf Moor

Leicester City v Crystal Palace – Walkers Stadium

Morcambe/Cheltenham v Doncaster

Arsenal v Plymouth – Emirates Stadium

Watford v Scunthorpe – Vicarage Road

Coventry City v Kidderminster – Richo Arena

After another action packed weekend the sides in the Championship look like they are sorting themselves into the areas we can expect to find them in for the remainder of the season. Reading and Birmingham looking like they are going to bounce straight back whilst Doncaster and Notts Forest look destine to be involved in a relegation battle for the next 8 months.

However there are those that prove the rule that the Championship is the most unpredictable league with Plymouth currently occupying fourth whilst Watford and Crystal Palace are currently struggling near the bottom. However I don’t expect that to be the case come the end of the season, although following the relegation of Leicester and the promotion of Hull you can never say never.

Everyone knows that the Championship is unpredictable but it seems unlikely that we will have a season like the last with Hull and Bristol contesting the play-off final and Stoke going up. This season looks like it is going to go by the book though with Birmingham and Reading, who have managed to keep hold of their best players and use their parachute payments to their benefit, certainly looking like two of the best sides in the league.

Even Derby are starting to take steps in the right direction and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they were up there come the end of the season. It seems then that the £30m the Premier League give to relegated clubs is starting to effect the Championship whilst newly promoted clubs, with the exception of Swansea, are struggling to make the step up. It seems then that if the Football League wanted the Championship to be more like the Premier League then they are succeeding.

Whilst it may now be easier to bet on the Championship parachute payments are in danger of taking the unpredictability of the league away, one of the elements which makes this league so watch able.

As for the future well normally I would say who knows what it will hold but this season things look a little more predictable. The only thing that will change the way this season is going is the January transfer window. QPR have plenty to spend whilst others may stick their hands in their pockets if they believe there is a chance for promotion or to save themselves from relegation. At the minute though the odds for the Championship look like they aren’t going to change until we find ourselves at the play-off final again.

Here are the scores for the Championship teams that were still alive in the Third Round of the Carling Cup.

Arsenal 6 ( Bendter 31′, 42, Vela 44′, 50′, 87′, Wilshere 57′) Sheffield United 0

Burnley 1 ( Rodriguez 88′) Fulham 0

Rotherham 3 ( Fenton 20′, Harrison 56′, Broughton 69′) Southampton 1 ( John 61′)

Swansea 1 ( Gomez 57′) Cardiff City 0

Stoke 2 ( Pericard 9′, Sidibie 50′) Reading 2 ( Henry 45′, 75′) Stoke win 4-3 on penalties

Watford 1 ( Mullins 70′ (og) ) West Ham 0

Aston Villa 0 QPR 1 ( Stewart 58′)

Ipswich 1 ( Walters 61′) Wigan 4 ( Cattermole 52′, Kapo 64′, Sharner 70′, Camara 90′)

Manchester City and Brighton Hove and Albion played thier 2nd Round tie today after it had been postponed due to Manchester City’s involvement with the UEFA Cup. The winner will face Derby County.

Brighton 2 ( Murry 89′, Anyinsah 95′) Manchester City 2 ( Gelson 64′, Ireland 108′) Brighton win  5-4 on penalities

Brighton will face Derby at Withdean Stadium, the date has yet to be determined.

One of the bizarrest goals you’ll ever see was awarded this past weekend in the Watford against Reading match. You have to see this “ghost goal” to believe it:

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It was an obvious mistake by assistant referee Nigel Bannister as he believed the ball had gone in the back of the net when it was nowhere close. The end result in the game was 2-2.

Expect to see the clip on a ton of highlight DVDs in years to come.

The draw for the third round of the Carling Cup has been made and here are the draws for the Championship Clubs still alive. The matches will be played the week of 22 September.

Arsenal v Sheffield United

Brighton Hove& Albion/Man City v Derby County

Burnley v Fulham

Rotherham United v Southampton

Swansea City v Cardiff City – This is a tasty all Welsh tie!

Ipswich Town v Wigan

Stoke City v Reading

Watford v West Ham

Aston Villa v QPR

The Second Round of the Carling Cup is finished and the 16 CCC teams that made it to the Second Round, 10 made
thier way to the third round which will be drawn live on Sky Sports Saturday August 30th and played the week of the 21st of September. I will have the Third Round draw on Monday for the advancing CCC clubs.

Ipswich 2 (Counago 28′,Lisbie 56′) Colchester 1 (Gillespie 87′)

Coventry City 2 (Morrison 45′,Dann 90′) Newcastle 3 (Dann(og)21′, Milner 38′, Owen 97′)

Cardiff City 2 (McCormack (pen)45′, Whittingham 58′) MK Dons 1 (O’Hanlon 75′)

Swansea City 2 (Pintado 63′,Gomez (pen) 105′) Hull City 1 (Windass 11′) AET

Rotherham 0 Wolves 0
Rotherham win on penalty kicks 4-3

Leeds United 4 (Douglas 11′, Beckford 32′, Becchio 52′, Showunmi 76′) Crystal Palace o

Crewe 2 (Elding 24′, Moore 76′) Bristol City 1 (Wilson 79′)

QPR 4 (Stewart 48′, Ledesema 56′,63′,85′) Carlisle United 0

Reading 5(N. Hunt 11′, S. Hunt 15′, Pearce 54′, Karacan 55′, Henry 76′) Luton Town 1 (Charles 80′)

Preston 0 Derby County 1 (Green 40′) Wooo Hooo

Watford 2 (Francis 37′, O’Toole 116′) Darlington 1 ( Blundell) AET

Southampton 2 (Holmes 17′, Lallana 56′) Birmingham 0

Burnley 3 (McCann 12′, Paterson 63′, 79′) Oldham Athletic 0

Huddersfield Town 1 (Flynn 34′) Sheffield United 2 (Henderson 82′, Naughton 83′)

Nottingham Forest 1 (Earnshaw 60′) Sunderland 2 (Bardsley 86′, Healy 93′) AET

Here are the match-ups for the CCC clubs that have advanced to the Second Round of the Carling Cup. Ties will be played on August 26th and 27th at 7:45 GMT unless otherwise changed.

August 26th 

Burnely v Oldham Athletic (League One)

Cardiff City v MK Dons (League One)

Coventry City v Newcastle United (EPL)

Crewe(League One) v Bristol City

Ipswich Town v Colchester United(League One)

Leeds United(League One) v Crystal Palace

Preston NE v Derby County

QPR v Carlisle United (League One)

Reading v Luton Town (League Two)

Rotherham United (League Two) v Wolves

Southampton v Birmingham

Swansea City v Hull City (EPL)

Watford v Darlington (League Two)

August 27th

Huddersfield Town (League One) v Sheffield Untied

Nottingham Forest v Sunderland (EPL)

On Saturday the CCC season officially started as 24 teams battle to win promotion to the English Premier League and the riches that would come with that promotion. For the three promoted teams, Swansea City, Nottingham Forest and Doncaster, they are looking to establish themselves and avoid an immediate return to League One while Reading, Birmingham and Derby County look to bounce straight back to the EPL. One thing that is known about the CCC, there is no sure thing in this division and anything can happen. Here the results from the first weekend of action.

Birmingham City 1 (Kevin Phillips 90′) Sheffield United 0

Blackpool 0 Bristol City 1(Steve Brooker 90′)

Cardiff City 2(Steven Thompson 41,Roger Johnson 90′) Southampton 1 (David McGoldrick 45′)

Charlton 2 (Mark Hudson 3′, Andy Gray 85′) Swansea City 0

Coventry City 2 (Elliot Ward,pen 48′, Leon McKenzie 86′) Norwich City 0

Crystal Palace 0 Watford 0

Derby County 0 Doncaster 1 (Lewis Guy 59′)

Ipswich 1 (Kevin Lisbie 2′) Preston NE 2(Paul McKenna 21, Simon Whaley 34)

Plymouth 2 (Rory Fallon 7′, Marcel Siep 55′) Wolves 2 (Michael Knightly 19′, Sam Vokes 78′)

QPR 2(Fritz Hall 29,31′) Barnsley 1 (Iain Hume 5′)

Sheffield Wednesday 4(Marcus Tudgay 1′,65′, Apko Sodje 4’17′) Burnely 1 (Martin Paterson 6′)

Nottingham Forest 0 Reading 0

The Carling Cup is next up for the CCC teams on Tuesday and Wednesday then back to CCC action on Saturday.