Which way will Championship promotion pendulum swing next? | Football News

Is it now a three-horse race for the two promotion spots in the Championship?

Coventry City looked like runaway leaders a few weeks ago, but a blip of two wins in eight games has opened the door to the chasing pack.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, also suffered a dip over Christmas as they failed to score in four consecutive games, but then bounced back by putting four past Southampton in the second half of their most recent Championship fixture.

Then there’s Ipswich Town, a menacing threat who are a point behind Boro with a game in hand after their trip to Portsmouth was postponed. They have beaten Coventry twice since the start of December and are the big reason the race for the Premier League has closed.

Conventional wisdom suggests it is now two from three for the automatics. But that would do a disservice to the horde of unlikely challengers queuing up behind Ipswich.

Preston and Millwall are just a point back while Watford, Hull, Stoke and Wrexham are also within swinging distance.

Should Coventry be worried?

There was certainly a feeling that Coventry’s squad was too thin to deal with the intensity of the December schedule, and Frank Lampard has already moved to reinforce his squad.

The additions, plus the relative break of FA Cup weekend, should do his side the world of good, and it is worth remembering they still have a six-point gap at the top.

“This is a moment for Coventry to take stock and look at the overall picture,” Jobi McAnuff told the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast. “Everyone at the football club would have taken this position at the turn of the year. Now it becomes about what they need to do to finish the job.

“Reinforcements in key areas could give the club a real boost and a sense of freshness at this stage of the season. They have to be smart and make sure anyone coming in genuinely enhances the group. I fully expect them to shake off this period and kick on in the second half of the season.”

Even in spite of their recent form, Coventry are still overwhelming favourites to win the title according to the Opta Championship predicted table.

Middlesbrough bounce back

It was such a crucial win for Middlesbrough to reannounce themselves against Southampton. The four games before then had yielded just a single point and no goals, allowing Ipswich right back into the thick of the race.

Whether they can hold course with the Tractor Boys remains to be seen.

“Just like Coventry, if you look at Middlesbrough’s league position and how well they have performed across the season, there is a lot to be positive about,” Tommy Smith said.

“The manager came in, made a brilliant start, scored goals and played attractive football. There were then three or four games where the results did not come. That happens over the course of a season.

“The key thing in moments like this is not to panic. In some matches they were unfortunate not to score, but the overall level remained strong.

“That was backed up by the 4-0 win over Southampton. It was a big win against a strong side with good individual players, and the manner of the victory was convincing.

“It was only a matter of time before chances turned into goals. It should set Middlesbrough up well for the second part of the season.”

Are Ipswich now favourites to go up?

Perhaps the only real surprise about Ipswich’s recent form is how long it took them to get there. The win at Coventry between Christmas and New Year was a statement of intent.

Since they beat them at home in December, there have been five wins from seven games. At a time when the top two stumbled, it was more than enough to lift them into contention.

According to Opta, they should be top.

“They have certainly clicked into gear and are doing what many expected,” McAnuff added. “The biggest challenge for Kieran McKenna during that incredible rise was managing such a settled team. For a long period, the team picked itself, with a few squad players contributing along the way.

“After promotion, significant investment followed and then came a disappointing season with relegation. He now has a full squad, with real depth and competition for places.

“As the run has developed, there has been greater buy in from the group. Everyone understands the manager has a difficult job and that each player has to deliver when called upon. That approach is clearly working.

“The depth and options throughout the squad are as strong as anyone in the Championship, if not stronger. This run was always going to come, and it is easy to see them carrying it into the second half of the season.

“Catching Coventry will take work, but they have given themselves a strong chance. For automatic promotion, they would be my pick alongside Coventry.”

And what about the chasing pack?

Preston North End, anyone? They narrowly avoided relegation last season, but it seems to have given them a kick in the chops after 10 years in the Championship without finishing in the top six or the bottom three.

But is staying in the race for the top two achievable? Smith believes play-offs is more likely.

“We are well past halfway through the season and Preston are where they are on merit,” Smith said. “What they are doing is not down to luck or chance.

“They have a very efficient way of playing and they execute it extremely well. A lot of credit has to go to the manager and the job he has done since arriving at the football club. He has turned them into genuine play-off contenders.

“I fully expect them to be in and around it at the end of the season because of how they are being managed.”

Then there is Watford, who have come from pretty much nowhere under Javi Gracia to burst into the top six. They are the form team in the league right now, and their four-game winning run could have become five were it not for their match with Hull being postponed minutes before kick-off last Sunday.

“What the manager has instilled is consistency, and that is something Watford have lacked for a long time,” McAnuff said. “It has eluded the club in terms of policy, with managers and players constantly changing.

“His understanding of the football club and how it operates has been a big help, and he is getting a more consistent level of performance out of the group.”

The race for the play-offs, meanwhile, goes down as far as Sheffield United in 16th, according to McAnuff.

“The gap is significant at nine points, but teams can put together runs of three or four wins in succession,” he said. “Sheffield United are capable of that.

“Their form under Chris Wilder has improved and has been among the strongest in the league over a long run of games.”

Needless to say, it is set to be a fascinating second half of the season.

Championship fixtures this weekend

All Sat 3pm kick-off unless stated

• West Brom vs Middlesbrough (Fri 8pm) – live on Sky
• Coventry vs Leicester (Sat 12.30pm) – live on Sky
• Ipswich vs Blackburn (Sat 12.30pm) – live on Sky
• Watford vs Millwall (Sat 12.30pm) – live on Sky
• Charlton vs Sheff Utd
• Oxford vs Bristol City
• Preston vs Derby
• Sheff Wed vs Portsmouth
• Southampton vs Hull
• Stoke vs QPR
• Wrexham vs Norwich
• Swansea vs Birmingham (Sat 5.30pm) – live on Sky