It all kicks off tomorrow night, as Championship new boys Norwich play host to Watford in the first game of the football league season on a Friday night. This will be the first live game of the English season and I must say that not only as a Championship blogger but also as a football fan I am extremely excited. If you’re a regular visitor on the EPL talk network, you may have seen on Worldcupbuzz that I wrote quite a few live blogs while matches where ongoing and I hope to carry that on for the Championship (although I’m unable to announce particular games yet). There are three live games from the Championship to start the season:

Friday 6th August:

Norwich City V Watford

UK: Live on Sky Sports 3 (and HD 3) – [7.45pm GMT kick off]

USA: Live on FoxSoccer.tv – [2.45pm ET kick off]

Saturday 7th August:

Leeds United V Derby County

UK: Live on BBC One (and HD) [5.15pm GMT kick off]

USA: Live on Fox Soccer Plus & FoxSoccer.tv [12:15pm ET kick off]

Sunday 8th August:

Cardiff City V Sheffield United

UK: Live on Sky Sports 1 (and HD 1) – [12.35pm GMT kick off]

USA: Live on FoxSoccer.tv [7.35 ET kick off]

Ignore the glorified kick about that is the Charity Shield and watch some competitive football this weekend! Middlesbrough are being tipped by many as favourites for promotion this season, but 2010/11 could well be one of the most open and balanced season’s England’s second tier has ever seen. As well as ‘Boro, big things are expected from the likes of QPR, Burnley Nottingham Forest and Reading whereas many predict it will be a difficult season for Gary Hooper-less Scunthorpe, Watford, Barnsley and Millwall. Still, the beauty of the Championship is that it is notoriously hard to predict, last season many tipped Newcastle to have a difficult season and they ended up winning the league! Leicester were promoted from League One and found themselves in the playoff semi-finals. And big spending QPR found themselves in a relegation battle. Last season saw its fair amount of drama and it promises to continue this season! I thought I’d pick out three clubs in particular that I think could have very interesting seasons for different reasons:

Portsmouth:

Narrowly avoiding liquidation, Pompey’s troubles are far from over and the cash strapped club will likely be forced to field a number of youngsters this season as not only do they seem an unattractive proposition for an aspiring player, but their debt’s are so beyond them that they can ill-afford to offer out wages for top players. Steve Cotterill was a great appointment, but Pompey’s goal for this season remains unclear. The club faces a real threat of being dragged into a relegation battle due to the many financial difficulties and in my opinion; anything that keeps them in the Championship should be seen as a success. They may still be a part of the football league, but Pompey are on an uncertain path.

Q.P.R:

Can they finally do it? The 12th man to take charge of QPR in four years, Neil Warnock, managed to keep the club in the league last season and it now appears that he is being backed by many to lead the club onto a promotion push. Some QPR fans are sitting in the fence and are unsure as to whether the club really can aspire to the top of the table, but that doesn’t mean to say that they don’t believe they will have a poor season like last year. The reason QPR will have an interesting season is that there finally seems to be an atmosphere of stability at the club – something they have been lacking ever since the takeover. In my opinion, QPR should be around the play-off area next season, although that could all change if the board decides to keep up its tradition of managerial changes…

Norwich:

The champion’s of League One returned on the first time of asking, something that seemed far from plausible when they were hammered by Colchester at the start of last season. Norwich replied by sacking Bryan Gunn and hiring the very man who had lead Colchester to the Canaries’ humiliation – Paul Lambert. Norwich never looked back and took the league by storm, even avenging the Colchester score by inflicting the same punishment on Lambert’s former team. Lambert is an exciting manager who is plying his trade well and this will be his first chance to manage in the Championship. Top players like Wes Hoolahan and Grant Holt could have easily made my list (below) regarding the Championship players to watch this season and Norwich’s amazing League One form has led many to tip the club for a chance at the play offs. It could be a great season for Norwich and it is great to have their support back in the Championship – the team often filled their stadium last season when in League One.

I wish I could detail every club, but as ever I will be writing throughout the season on various issues and stories that occur. I honestly cannot make a prediction as to who will win the league, although if Kris Boyd remains fit for the entire season then it seems foolish to bet against Middlesbrough. My tip for the season is Nicky Maynard to finish top goal scorer – although Boyd could take the league by storm, Bristol City have shown a lot of ambition in the transfer market this summer and this should help Maynard carry on his great goal scoring record from last season.

Enjoy the season and good luck to your team!

Millwall are up, but how will they cope?

It certainly doesn’t feel like every season we see six different teams in the Championship, and depending what way you enter the league can often dictate expectations for a club. After the weekend’s League One Playoff final, we now know the three teams that will be playing the Championship via relegation from the Premiership and the three that will be entering the fray from League One promotion. It’s farewell to Newcastle, West Brom, Blackpool, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Peterborough and a fond welcome to Hull, Burnley, Portsmouth, Norwich, Leeds and Millwall. Something quite odd about this round of promotions and relegations is how next season might play out for each of these teams, as many have other things on their mind apart from the usual chance to show bouncebackabillity or fight for their life. Instead, these six new contenders offer something quite different to next season and will be fighting much different battles to what would usually be expected:

Hull City:

Hull’s demise really started half way through their second season in the Premiership. They took the league by storm but then suddenly faltered and spent big in order to try and maintain their top flight status. The club is in heavy debt after a number of flops at the club, and failure to offload a number of players could see the club be threatened with relegation. It’s almost certain now that Phil Brown will not be returning from gardening leave, yet the settlement of his contract only chalks up another financial loss for the club. Despite his brilliance, Jimmy Bullard needs to leave the club, as his high wages and lack of playing time have really hindered the Tigers, and despite his commitment to the Yorkshire outfit, Hull will be desperate to let the player move on this summer. Whether anyone will meet his high wage demands is another problem however, as I can’t see many sides wanting to pay that much for a player who has consistently struggled with injuries for the past several seasons. A lot of free transfers can be expected from the club, and there should be a number of youngsters getting a chance to perform. The most important thing for the Tigers is to appoint the correct manager at this point, as I can’t really see them gaining promotion next season.

Burnley:

Many criticised manager Brian Laws last season, and his performance in the first ten or so games at the start of the 2010/11 season will decide his future. Surprising news comes in the form of a massive sale for Steven Fletcher, who impressed quite a few last season (although £7.5m may still need to be justified). Burnley may also gain goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and striker Chris Iwelumo from the deal, both of which would be welcome signings, particularly Hennessey as (I’m sorry Burnley fans!) Brian Jensen certainly has a few ‘rush of blood to the head’ moments. The Clarets have also capitalised on Hull’s financial position, by nabbing Dean Marney for half a million, and relegation to the Championship appears to have just made them more determined to return at the first time of asking. I’d like to see more on Burnley over this summer, but their season appears to be shaping up well, whether the unfavoured Brian Laws will hinder this remains to be seen.

Portsmouth:

When will it end? They’ve been the love of Sky Sports this season, and provided them with plenty viewing figures and stories; the problems of Portsmouth football club have not been kept quiet. Avram Grant has left the club to no one’s surprise, and now there a number of potential managers who have the opportunity to take on what will no doubt be a massive task. You may have heard the goalkeeper David James wants the job, which has come as a shock to many, yet Steve Cotterill would no doubt be a great acquisition for the club, although he probably has a good chance at getting a number of vacant jobs after his spell with Notts County. No matter who the manager is, Portsmouth are in real trouble of getting relegated to League One next season and that is the truth. The whole team is up for sale and there are still quite a few top earners at the club, as the club goes into even more debt. Fair play if they can manage to have a good season, but it could really be back-to-back relegations for Pompey.

Norwich City:

The Canaries came straight back from the drop, and did it in some style as despite an early thumping from Colchester that signalled doom for the side, they hired Lambert from Colchester and have never looked back, Players like Wes Hoolahan, Gary Holt and Chris Martin will most likely again lead the line for City, although Paul Lambert’s recent revelation regarding less loan signings could signal the side’s determination to make clever permanent signings, which would suggest more depth in the squad. The managers and fans are hopeful that they can agree another season long loan of Newcastle youngster Fraser Forster after the ‘keeper made a number of impressive displays between the sticks in League One and the club will probably look to get some experienced heads in to accompany some of the younger players. I think Norwich can beat the drop, they won’t be world beaters but I’m sure they can give it a go, and a good following could help them make their home stadium, Carrow Road, a fortress.

Leeds United:

It was a long time coming, but one of England’s most famous clubs has finally found something to cheer about after well detailed troubles. They were beaten in the playoffs last season, and luck just didn’t seem to be on their side. Even this season just gone, they were made to sweat on their promotion hopes after a dismal run which saw them just clinch automatic promotion to the Championship. Kasper Schmeichel, who bossed League 2, has become the clubs first signing, and many will be expecting more recruits over the coming weeks. Star striker Jermaine Beckford has finally departed however, signing for Everton on a free transfer, a deal which was rumoured as agreed in January after the players heroics against rivals Manchester United; this leaves Leeds looking for a player to fill the void. I know due to the clubs stature many will be expecting the club to challenge for promotion once again, but despite what you may hear I know many of the Leeds fans are realistic about their chances, and they would happily take a chance to just re-establish themselves in the Championship so they can progress to the next level.

Millwall:

“No one likes us, no one likes us, no one likes us – we don’t care!”. The cry of the self proclaimed most hated team in English football. Millwall clinched promotion to the Championship after last seasons heartache via the League One Playoff, and many clubs will be dreading the extra cost of security next season. A few problems arise with Millwall’s promotion, most notably their recent problems with Hull City who they will once again be squaring off with and of course we can continue with the hostile Leeds Millwall rivalry which has seen a number of problems when the sides met in League One. They’ve just gained promotion, but the club will probably be set for a relegation battle next season, although a number of good and experienced signings could see a change to that. They’ve got a great manager in Kenny Jackett, and The Den is not the nicest place for an away team to visit.

So what we have here are different situations, I actually believe that there is a strong chance that the promoted teams could do better than the relegated ones, most notably Hull and Portsmouth who may face a massive struggle this season as their debts could prevent them from really challenging. Overall, these teams provide an open season and it’s hard to say who will get promotion and who will get relegated considering the positions of a number of other teams in the league.

Norwich City 

Founded: 1902

Nicknames: The Canaries, The Musterdman

Ground: Carrow Road (26,164)

Last Season: 17th in the CCC 55 points

League Cup Winners: 1962,1985

Sky Sports has announced its schedule of televised Championship matches for the first few months of the 2008/2009 season. Here’s the schedule:

• Sunday, August 10: Nottingham Forest v Reading
• Saturday, August 16: Bristol City v Derby County
• Saturday, August 30: Watford v Ipswich
• Saturday, October 4: Coventry City v Southampton
• Saturday, October 25: Reading v QPR
• Saturday, November 8: Southampton v Bristol City
• Saturday, November 22: Nottingham Forest v Norwich City
• Sunday, November 30: Swansea City v Cardiff City

Chances are quite good that these matches will also be shown on Setanta Sports for viewers in the United States.