Middlesbrough – another club with recent Premiership experience – are current favourites. Manager Gordon Strachan has bought in Kris Boyd from Rangers; if Boyd reproduces his outstanding goalscoring record in the Championship, he could be play a vital part in Boro’s promotion bid.

Although the clubs relegated from the Premiership shouldn’t be entirely written off, Burnley look the best equipped for a serious promotion challenge: Chris Iwelumo’s arrival from Wolves looks like a shrewd investment. Both Hull City and Portsmouth have off field issues that could hinder their efforts to make an immediate return to the top tier.

Two of the teams that reached the play offs last season should challenge for promotion places. Nottingham Forest were outstanding at home last season and Leicester City – where former Swansea City boss Paolo Sousa replaces Nigel Pearson as manager – look capable of maintaining their form from 2009/2010. Cardiff City’s prospects are unclear, but they should still be capable of a top ten finish, a prospect that both Ipswich Town and QPR will be hoping to achieve.

It’ll be interesting to see how the new arrivals from League One will perform. Champions Norwich City return after one season but may have to settle for a mid table finish; Leeds United will probably lead the division in attendance numbers, but their season may depend on how well new signing Billy Paynter adapts to the Championship. Millwall should avoid relegation but may have to be content with a bottom half finish in their first season at this level since 2005/2006.

A number of teams look as if they may struggle. Scunthorpe always seem to be punching above their weight but selling Gary Hooper to Celtic leaves The Iron without a proven goal scorer. Barnsley need to improve at home, Crystal Palace entered administration but eventually owed their survival to an outstanding away record that culminated in a win at Sheffield Wednesday on the last day of the season.

However, every club in the nPower Football League Championship will start on equal terms when the season starts on the evening of Friday August 6th, when Watford travel to Norwich City (7:45pm kick off, live on Sky Sports 3).

Gordon Strachan resigned from the post after the last game of the season and being a boyhood Hoops fan, Owen Coyle was immediately touted as one of the favourites.

However, in some news that will please Burnley fans greatly, the Scotsman has distanced himself from the speculation. He said that everyone is ‘putting two and two together and making five’. Just because he supported Celtic as a boy, doesn’t mean that he will take the position.

There is no doubt that his long-term future is uncertain, but as for what Owen Coyle’s next step will be – he is going on holiday. He is taking a well-earned break and doing so ‘as Burnley manager’.

As for the club themselves, well they are obviously very keen to keep hold of the man who has guided them to the top flight. They have offered him a contract extension and stated on their website that they have ‘not received any official approach from Celtic’, nor would they welcome one.

In the end though, it will all come down to what Owen Coyle wants to do. If he decides that the Celtic job is too hard to turn down – he will go.

However, to manage in the Premier League is also a huge opportunity and one that doesn’t come along too often.

The former Crystal Palace boss had been in charge of Reading since 2003 and enjoyed many successful times including two seasons in the Premier League.

Following relegation back to the Championship though, Steve Coppell’s men were unable to secure an automatic promotion spot and have now missed out on promotion altogether.

Speaking about his resignation, Steve Coppell said that he thought it was the ‘best thing for the club’ that he steps down as manager. As for his six year spell at Reading, the 53-year-old said that he had ‘thoroughly enjoyed his time’ at the club.

It was a disappointing end for Steve Coppell though as many expected his team to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. However, their home form slipped at the wrong time and they were beaten to a place in the top two by Birmingham City on the final day.

This meant that they had to play Burnley in the semi-final of the play-offs in order to continue their promotion dream. However, after a 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor, The Royals were stunned at the Madjeski Stadium when goals from nMartin Paterson and Steven Thompson handed Burnley a 2-0 win.

Steve Coppell refused to comment on his future in the press conference after the game, but announced his decision to resign a few hours later.
As for Burnley, they will now meet Sheffield United in the English Football League Championship play-off final at Wembley for a place in the Premier League.

The Championship play-off final takes place on Monday 25th May and it is likely to be a very tense encounter.

There was plenty to play for as all games kicked off simultaneously. Birmingham’s fate was in their own hands as they withheld attempts from Reading and Sheffield United to join Wolves in gaining automatic promotion to the Premiership.  Sheffield United could only draw 0-0 away to Crystal Palace, while inform Burnley (beat Bristol City 4-0) and Preston (beat QPR 2-1) both won their games to join the Reading and Sheff Utd in the Championship Play-off matches.

Cardiff City lost to Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 and as a result missed out on a place in the play-offs on goal difference.

After guiding Birmingham back to the Premier League at the first attempt, manager Alex McLeish attempted to quosh rumours that he would be leaving St. Andrews.  Though less convincingly he said

“As far as I know I’ll be here but you’ll have to ask the board.”

Birmingham chairman David Gold suggested that following promotion, Birmingham will not overspend in an attempt to stay in the Premier League next season. “We won’t bankrupt the club, whilst we are in charge. We won’t be a Leeds, Southampton, Leicester etc,” said Gold.

Last season Birmingham were the subject of a failed takeover bid by Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung.  The disruption of the attempted takeover was partly to blame for thie relegation, and played a big part in losing manager Steve Bruce to Wigan.

The Championship Play-offs:

Friday, 8 May 2009
Preston v Sheff Utd – kick-off 19:45 (1st Leg)
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Burnley v Reading, kick-off 17:20  (1st Leg)

Monday, 11 May 2009
Sheff Utd v Preston – kick-off 19:45 (2nd Leg)
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Reading v Burnley – kick-off 19:45 (2nd Leg)

My money will be going on Burnley as it seems they have peaked just at the right moment.

Throughout much of the season, Birmingham and Reading have been jostling for the second place automatic promotion place to the Premier League, but a run of good results sees Kevin Blackwell’s Sheff Utd now separating two teams looking to automatically bounce back to the top flight of English football at the first attempt.

Reading beat Norwich 2-0 last night at Carrow Road.  A result that has all but sealed The Canaries fate to play League One football next season. And with all clubs playing their final fixtures simultaneously next Sunday 3rd May at 3PM, the fixture list could not be more exciting.

Reading v Birmingham

Sheffield United v Cardiff City

Reading will need to beat Birmingham and hope Sheffield United can only draw against fith place Cardiff City, to finish in second place on goal difference.

Cardiff (74 points) will be fighting for at least a point or they may miss out on a play-off place, altogether. Burnley (73 points) have a home tie with Bristol City, while Preston play at home to QPR.

Preston (71 points) are the only team that can move into the play-off positions but will need to displace either Cardiff or Burnley in the process.  Again, this one could be decided on goal difference.

Once again we head towards the final weekend of the Championship without knowing who is being promoted or relegated.  The 2008/09 Championship season has been another hugely entertaining season and one that has helped to promote the very best in English football.

I had a football bet on Birmingham as I felt they had a stronger squad and more money to spend in the transfer market.

Birmingham had the chance to narrow the gap when they recently played Wolves at Molineux but were unable to hold on to a lead and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

One of the other teams relegated along with Birmingham and Derby last season, Reading are currently in third position with a six point gap of their own between themselves and fourth place League Cup semi-finalists Burnley who have 40 points.

Crystal Palace (5th) and Preston (6th) are on 37 points and currently occupy the remaining play-off places.  But I personally think automatic promotion will be between Wolves, Birmingham & Reading as we head into the Christmas fixture list.

The young Scottish striker scored two goals, one at the beginning of each half; and though Burnley also have their young Danish goalkeeper Brian Jensen to thank, they deserved to beat Arsenal 2-0 and go through to the League Cup semi-finals.

Burnley have now beaten three Premier League teams in this season’s League Cup – Fulham, Chelsea & Arsenal and must be confident of a trip to Wembley. Football league betting also expects them to be there or there abouts in the league, so it could be two trips!

Unfortunately, as always, Arsene Wenger missed the chance to praise Burnley’s plucky performance and simply stated that Arsenal didn’t deserve to lose, in his post match interview.  A shame because all too often Arsene Wenger complains in defeat that teams kick Arsenal off the park and stop them from playing the beautiful game.  But last night at Turf Moor is sub-zero temperature, Burnley turned up the heat and simply out-played Arsenal’s young team, something Wenger should have admired in defeat.

Burnley are currently fourth in the Championship and very much in contention for Premiership promotion this season.  But after last night’s performance, 20-year-old Kevin McDonald has put himself well and truly in the shop window marked ‘January Sale’.

The other League Cup quarter-final played last night between Stoke and Derby also resulted in a Championship team beating a Premier League side; but this game was decided by a striker at the other end of his career – Nathan Ellington.

Both Stoke and Derby had several chances to win the game, none came closer than Ricardo Fuller’s shot that was saved by Derby’s veteran goalkeeper Roy Carroll in injury time, just before Derby were awarded a penalty in the 94 minute after Andy Griffin was alleged to handle the ball by referee Rob Styles.

After the game Stoke City manager Tony Pulis disputed the penalty while Derby manager Paul Jewell simply said, ‘if it wasn’t a penalty we deserve a bit of luck’.

Derby make it into the League Cup semi-finals for the first time in 40 years, whie for Burnley it was 1983.

Another Championship team will attempt to book their place in the last four tonight when Watford take on the League Cup holders Tottenham.  The other quarter-final sees Manchester United play struggling Blackburn Rovers.

Cole has now scored four goals in two games while on loan from Premiership Sunderland and was the difference between the two Championship teams yesterday. QPR fans gave Cole a standing ovation as he left the pitch and several called BBC Radio Five Live to compliment Cole’s classy performance.

QPR went into a two goal lead before Andy Cole helped Burnley win the match 4-2.

He told Radio Lancashire:

“It felt as good as it did on Saturday when I got my first [against Colchester]. It’s the same as when I was a kid – nothing changes.”

The three points helps Burnley climbed to seventh in the Coca-Cola League Championship table, one place and one point behind Ipswich Town and the play-off places.