WITH THE PREMIER League proving to be a little dull due to a runaway leader and a rather boring top-four battle, the Championship is an engaging, interesting alternative these days.
Only one point currently separates the top two while eight teams are still legitimately in the hunt for the play-offs.
Dig a bit deeper and there are plenty of eye-catching storylines regarding the clubs in contention.
At the very top, Rafael Benitez has navigated the choppy waters of English football’s second tier incredibly impressively. He has stayed the course at Newcastle though relations between him and Mike Ashley have become strained in recent weeks as the Spaniard was refused funds to strengthen the squad in January.
Rumours have circulated that Benitez may leave Tyneside but he’s got unfinished business in the top-flight, burned by the dark days at Chelsea and the way things ended at Liverpool in 2010. Should Newcastle make an instant return, he’ll have plenty of cash to spend in the summer.
Chris Hughton’s Brighton are the perennial bridesmaids. They’ve made the play-offs three times in the last four years but last term proved the most heart-wrenching.
They faced Middlesbrough in the final game of the season and knew a win would see them reach the Premier League. But the game finished 1-1 and Brighton were then beaten by Sheffield Wednesday over two legs.
Last week, it seemed like the Seagulls had an edge as Newcastle wobbled at home to QPR. But, Brighton were then thumped 3-1 by Huddersfield and missed the chance to extend their lead at the top. Inevitably, Newcastle got past Derby on Saturday to take control again. With teams bouncing from one extreme to the other on a game-to-game basis, it makes for highly-entertaining fare.
Meanwhile, from the chasing pack, you have Jaap Stam – in his debut season at Reading – doing some terrific work. The Royals have won three on the bounce and currently sit in third spot. And then, it’s perhaps the most intriguing subplot of them all: the Battle of Yorkshire.
Much was made of the Huddersfield victory over Leeds on Sunday and the clash between David Wagner and Garry Monk on the sideline. It showed just how finely balanced all of this is. For Huddersfield it was a third straight win and a second successive victory over a high-profile opponent. It was a derby success. And it moved them to fourth, having played a game less than Reading.
For Monk and Leeds, it’s been a remarkable transformation given how difficult the circumstances were at the beginning of the campaign. They’re still well-placed and are looking to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
Completing the trio of Yorkshire sides is Sheffield Wednesday, who haven’t been in the top-flight since 2000. They reached the play-off final last year only to suffer defeat to Steve Bruce’s Hull City so revenge is high on their agenda.
Wednesday have a big game on Friday night against Birmingham – a win would close the gap on 5th-placed Leeds to just two points.
Norwich, Derby, Barnsley and Fulham are still all in the mix too but the picture will get a little bit clearer over the next few weeks and some of those teams will begin to fall away.
