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).

Despite taking Swansea to the brink of the play-offs, Sousa has not endeared himself to the fans, players or board it would appear and the club have decided to allow him to leave sooner rather than later, before too much harm is done within the club.

Leicester City are understood to have agreed a compensation package with Swansea as Sousa still had two years to run on his contract.

Having arrived from a short stint at QPR that lasted just 26 games, Sousa led Swansea to within a point of the play-offs in his first season in charge at the club, but should really have done better in the run in when Swansea picked up just three wins in the final 13 games.

The club boasted 24 clean sheets during the season and the defence shipped just 37 goals throughout, but they also failed to score in 18 of their games and the goal shy attack managed just 40 goals all season.

Despite denials from both parties the relationship between Sousa and club chairman Huw Jenkins has often appeared strained and I get the feeling that Swansea will ultimately be glad to resolve the issue now before too much damage is done.

Nigel pearson joins Hull City

Nigel Pearson has been confirmed as the new Hull City manager, he will replace caretaker Iain Dowie who was hired short term by Hull but failed to keep the club in the Premier League.

Pearson arrives from Leicester City where he has led the club to the League One title and to the Championship play-offs in his two seasons in charge.

Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric said:

“Nigel’s done a fantastic job. It would have been wrong of us to deny him the chance to speak to another club. We were greatly surprised to receive the initial approach from Hull. The past few years have been a turbulent time for both me and the supporters at Leicester City. We have been striving to get a degree of continuity at the club. After speaking to Nigel, we have reluctantly agreed that if he wished to pursue this opportunity at Hull, we would permit it.

I am deeply grateful to him for everything he has done for the club. He has put together the foundations of a strong squad and it is now up to us to find a manager to build on those foundations.”

Hull City’s head of football operations Adam Pearson added:

“We are delighted to welcome a manager of Nigel’s experience and calibre to the club. We feel it is a real coup for Hull City and that Nigel is the best man to mould the existing squad into a competitive Championship squad. Nigel had two outstanding seasons at Leicester City and I feel sure that this experience and winning formula will ensure the very best chance of bringing success back to the club.”

Iain Dowie was hired by Hull with nine games remaining following the departure of Phil Brown in March, he was always on a hiding to nothing but hoped that he had shown enough to be considered as a long term replacement for Brown.

While I am sure he was given consideration, Hull City appear to have shown patience in finding the right man for the job and on the basis of Pearson’s recent managerial history he has to be the right man.

Coca-Cola Championship has retained its place as the fourth most watched league in Europe

English football continues to be a big hit with football fans all over the world.

Coca-Cola Championship has retained its place as the fourth most watched league in Europe with a total audience of more than 9.9m fans. Crowds grew by 0.3% this season and averaged 17,949.

Only Germany’s Bundesliga (13.1m), the Premier League (12.9m) and Spain’s La Liga (11.0m) can boast more fans through the turnstiles, with The Football League’s top division, once again, attracting more supporters than Italy’s Serie A (9.1m) and France’s Ligue 1 (7.6m).

Crowds at matches in the Coca-Cola English Football League have broken the seventeen million mark for the first time in 50 years.

A total of 17.1m supporters attended the 1,656 league matches played during 2009/10, an increase of 4.4% on last season and the highest aggregate crowd figure since the 1959/60 campaign.

The Football League continues to enjoy sustained attendance growth with gates having more than doubled during the last 25 years. The average Football League crowd is now higher than 10,000.

Crowds for matches in Coca-Cola League 1 and Coca-Cola League 2 averaged 9,136 and 3,853 respectively, with crowds in the former increasing by a remarkable 21%.

These figures continue to outstrip those of comparable levels of the game in Europe’s other major footballing nations. League 1 crowds are more than 75% greater than those in Germany and more than three times higher than those recorded in Italy and France. League 2, attendances are twice those of their German equivalents and almost five times those of Italian football.

Football League Chairman, Greg Clarke, said: “Attracting more than seventeen million fans into their grounds is an outstanding achievement by Football League clubs, particularly in the current economic climate.

“Our clubs are focussed on attracting a new, family audience to football and those efforts are clearly working.

He went on to add: “I would like to thank everybody that has been to one of our matches this season for supporting their club and our competition.”

Blackpool one step closer to Premier League

A second half hat trick from Blackpool striker D J Campbell stunned Nottingham Forest in last night’s second leg Championship play-off at the City Ground.

Twice coming from behind, Blackpool’s counter attacking game proved decisive as Forest’s unbeaten home run of 20 games disappeared along with their chance of a place in the Premier League.

The writing may have been on the wall prior to the game as Blackpool were the last team to win at Forest and have now beaten their rivals in all four of this seasons games.

Nottingham Forest had scored the early goal in what many critics assumed would be a tight low scoring game, and for seventy odd minutes there was little sign of what was about to happen.

Forest appeared to grab a hold of the game on 66 minutes when Earnshaw put them back in the driving seat to make the score 2-1, but within minutes Blackpool had levelled the score 2-2 on the night.

The tie went in Blackpool’s favour with two goals in quick succesion leaving Forest with a mountain to climb and although they did score another to make the final score 4-3, it was little consolation.

Blackpool’s 6-4 aggregate win takes them to Wembley for the play-off final, where they will meet Cardiff or Leicester for the chance to make next seasons Premier League.

Why they feel the need to constantly remind us that the teams on show are not as good as the top Premier League ones is beyond me. Perhaps they believe that there are people out there who only started watching football in 1992; as if the existence of the other 72 professional clubs has a sole purpose to provide a structure of promotion and relegation that eventually leads to the Premiership.

This is not to say that fans of Football League clubs should have reason to resent Sky Sports. Their live coverage of the play-offs and league games is an excellent option for both fans and neutrals interested in the outcome of these games; just as live Premiership football gives us the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world week-in week-out. Instead, the issue is the tone used by commentators and pundits when covering league football. How often does one hear a player described as ‘very effective at this level’?

Robert Earnshaw has perhaps been one of the most frequent victims of this label, one of a number of players who aren’t good enough for the Premiership. This is undoubtedly true, he has had opportunities in the top flight and not quite imposed himself, but the very culture that Sky Sports and the Premiership itself creates means that players like Earnshaw, and there are many of them, are frequently underappreciated for their excellence in the Football League because of their inability to shine at the highest level.

If you ask a fan of any club for which players like Robert Earnshaw, Gavin Mahon or Graham Kavanagh have played then you will hear glowing reports as to their consistence and quality. The journeyman footballer evokes images of hard working yet not particularly gifted players moving from club to club in the lower echelons of English football.

This is often not the case and one only has to look at a player like Nicky Forster to highlight the enduring quality of some players. At 36 years of age he has scored 40 goals in 98 games for Brighton, an outstanding achievement from a player who has averaged a goal every three games over a 15 year professional career. This feat has been achieved with a natural talent the like of which so many fans would die for, and there are very few, if any, professional footballers who are where they are as a result of hard work alone.

I recently heard a commentator on Sky Sports describe volleying as a ‘difficult technique to master’ after a player ballooned the ball into the stands from just inside the area. This may be the case for 15 year olds learning the game but for professional footballers earning in excess of £200,000 a year it is just patronising. If a Premiership footballer misses an easy chance then commentators are quick to criticise and the same should be true when one of the many quality players in the Football League does the same.

Indeed, this is all many of us would ask for, to be allowed to watch any televised game for what it is without the constant references to the Premiership. There are of course some outstanding matches played throughout the course of the Premiership season, yet there are also some terrible ones.

Give any avid football fan the choice between a dull, meaningless mid-table Premiership contest and an important, season-defining game in any one of the other professional leagues and they will choose the latter.

This is because we are fans of the game first and foremost, beyond any team or player loyalties, and it is the drama and excitement of it that keeps us watching.

Every so often, Sky could do with acknowledging this and showing us that they are football fans instead of Premiership fans.

coventry city

Coventry City have parted company with manager Chris Coleman following this weekend’s 4-0 home defeat against Watford, although the club stress that the decision is not based merely on that result but on Coleman’s achievements overall since taking charge in February 2008.

Coleman’s appointment helped to keep Coventry in the Championship in 2008 and they finished last season in 17th position. However ther has been no progress for the Midlands club this term when they ended a fairly frustrating 19th in the league.

Coleman made his mark in mangement when he became the youngest manager in the Premier League in 2003 for Fulham, steering the club clear of relegation. He continued with his first full season at Craven Cottage and  surprised everyone when he took the club to ninth place in the top tier.

Having to sell many of the key players in the Fulham team, Coleman struggled to repeat his early success but kept Fulham away form further relegation trouble before losing his job in April 2007 following a winless spell of seven games.

A brief spell in Spain with Real Sociedad ended abruptly for Coleman following disagreements with the newly elected president at the club and Coleman resigned in January 2008, taking up the Coventry post a month later.

Coventry City chairman Ray Ranson says;

“I enjoyed a very close working relationship with Chris and it’s been a pleasure to work with him since his arrival. The board would like to place on record their thanks for his efforts over two and a half years. We will not be rushed into finding a successor and the board will explore every avenue to appoint the right manager to take Coventry City forward.”

A further statement from the club blamed the team’s ‘form deteriorating rapidly towards the end of the season for the second year running’, and insisted ‘that the decision was not a knee-jerk reaction to Sunday’s match.’

mitre tensile football

The Football League have announced that they will be introducing a brand new ball to be used by the 72 League clubs and 12 Scottish Premier League clubs for the duration of next season.

The Mitre Tensile ball is described as the most advanced football in the world.

The Tensile is a revolution in football design and technology, comprised of just 10 panels and has over 30% less stitching. This optimises power and efficiency, improving airflow and reducing drag on the ball. This increases the average speed of a shot, making it a strikers dream. The ball is the first of its kind and will be used in all Football League and Scottish Premier League matches from the beginning of the 2010/11 season.

Tensile’s graphic design is completely unique; with each of the 72 Football League clubs and 12 SPL Clubs for the new season each having their own Tensile matchballs printed in club colours and their club badge.

The Mitre Tensile football will retail at £74.99 and if you fancy one there is a video on the Football League website.

steve coppell

Bristol City have confirmed that former Reading manager Steve Coppell will take over the reins at the West country club, effectively replacing Gary Johnson who left the club back in March.

Caretaker manager Keith Millen will remain in charge of the team for the final two games of the season. Millen had put himself into the frame for the Ashton Gate job, and will remain with the club as Coppell’s right hand man as assistant manager and will play a key part in rebuilding the team during this summer.

With Coppell’s history it is no surprise that Bristol City see him as the man to lead the club to promotion from the Championship during next season and Coppell is relishing the opportunity to prove them right.

City have not been in the top flight for thirty years, but chairman Steve Lansdown says: “Steve arrives with a track record and pedigree that shows the ambition this club has. We are aiming to play at the highest possible level.”

Coppell has won promotion to the top flight on three occasions and that makes him the perfect candidate for Bristol City, wherever he has been the players and fans generally speak highly of the 54 year old former England player and he has the ability to bring out the best in otherwise mediocre players. His Reading side set a Championship points record four years ago when promoted with 106 points.

Coppell said; “Every manager knows that promotion is his brief and I’m no different. No one person can do it by themselves and we will need to work as a team. Football is a week-to-week industry and I will be looking for improvement. Everyone is judged on results and we need to win games but we need to finish strongly this season and look to kick on.”

He added that he will take over as manager of Bristol City at the end of the season and expected a busy summer identifying new players for the club and although no budget has been set, the chairman has promised his full support.

Steve Lansdown added:

“I’m delighted that Steve has agreed to become the new manager of Bristol City. I’d also like to thank Keith Millen for the hard work he has put in over the past seven games and I’m pleased he will stay on as assistant.”

Coppell and Bristol City have agreed a twelve month rolling contract.

Newcastle bounce back to premier league

Newcastle United sealed the Championship title at first time of asking with a comfortable win over Plymouth Argyle last night, sending the Magpies back into the Premier League from where they were relegated around this time last year.

Any fears at the start of the season that Newcastle were on a slippery slope that could see them slip down the league in the same fashion as Leeds United and Southampton, were squashed during the first months in the Championship.

Things may have been different if Newcastle had stuck with Alan Shearer in charge of the team, but the no nonsense approach of Chris Hughton worked wonders this season, he has managed to keep the players feet firmly on the ground, deflated any egos and made the team work for every point they have won.

As always the Championship has been no pushover this season, there are no easy games in this division and the game is as much about work rate as anything and that is where Newcastle have excelled.

Every player has given everything for the cause and ending the season as Champions is justice, given the effort put in. On a personal level it is fantastic to see Chris Hughton given a chance and proving his worth, he has done everything that has been asked of him this season and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to do the same in the Premiership.

Sadly last night’s result also sealed the fate of Plymouth, who are relegated to League One along with Peterborough.