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).

paul hart qpr coach

Queens Park Rangers have parted company with suspended manager Jim Magilton, the former Ipswich manager left the club late on Wednesday night by ‘mutual consent.’

Claims that Magilton had head butted midfielder Akos Buzsaky following the game at Watford on December 7th were denied by the outgoing manager, but QPR have decided to move on with yet another new coach at the helm.

Former Portsmouth coach Paul Hart has been handed the job at Loftus Road and he will be joined by Mick Harford who will work as his assistant at Rangers.

Hart becomes the fifth ‘full time’ manager to arrive at QPR in the last two years, Harford is among the list of caretaker managers that have served during that same period.

What can Paul Hart bring to QPR that John Gregory, Luigi de Canio, Paulo Sousa, Iain Dowie and Jim Magilton couldn’t manage?

Portsmouth believed that Hart was instrumental in keeping the south coast club in the Premier League last season in what was a difficult season for the club both on and off the field.

However the coach was not offered a full time contract until this season was well under way and then within a few weeks of signing he was sacked by Portsmouth with the club at the bottom of the league table.

It is fair to say that Portsmouth have been a better team this season than their results suggest, but moreover it is impossible to assess a club that has struggled financially and seen many of its key players move away.

QPR do not have those problems, but they do face the problem of expectancy, they are a well financed club that expects to be fighting for promotion and are currently falling well short.

Personally I cannot see Hart or anyone else for that matter, getting a long enough run to win over the management at QPR and as I said when Magilton joined the club it is akin to accepting the poison chalice.

Jim Magilton managed the club for 23 games, Paolo Sousa lasted for 26 while Ian Dowie stayed for 15 games. Not a great record, and I believe the results of those constant switches can be seen in the results on the pitch.

Good luck to Paul Hart, a really nice guy who deserves a break, but I can’t really see him being at Loftus Road come the end of the season.

jim magilton

Queens Park Rangers have suspended manager Jim Magilton pending an internal investigation relating to an incident in Monday night’s 3-1 loss to Watford at Vicarage Road.

The suspension takes immediate effect and Magilton has been told to stay away from the club until they have conducted a thorough investigation into the incident that is believed to involve a ‘bust up’ between the manager and QPR player Akos Buzsaky.

Magilton is reported to have been involved in an angry confrontation with the player in the changing room after the game, with Patrick Agyemang attempting to calm the situation. Buzsaky is alleged to have left the dressing room early in the wake of the confrontation.

A statement on the QPR website gives no further information, saying:

“The club can confirm that manager Jim Magilton has been suspended with immediate effect, pending an internal investigation. The suspension relates to an incident which occurred at Monday’s Championship fixture against Watford at Vicarage Road.”

No doubt what Magilton needs right now is a holiday, maybe a  cruise.

QPR started the season in fine form, losing just one from the first nine games, but recent results have gone against them and they have picked up one point from the last four games. To add to their woes, Monday’s beating by Watford followed a more humiliating 5-1 home loss to Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Magilton was brought in this summer as a replacement for Paulo Sousa who lasted for 26 games in charge of the perhaps over ambitious London club.

Newcastle had an early chance to equalise when they were awarded a penalty following a hand ball by Damion Stewart, but Danny Guthrie’s soft spot kick was easily saved by the Rangers keeper Radek Cerny.

Wayne Routelege and  Ben Watson were particularly impressive as QPR threatened to add to their one goal advantage, but Newcastle fought their way back into the game during the second half and Marlon Harewood, on loan from Aston Villa, levelled the score with twenty minutes remaining.

The Newcastle striker had a chance to steal the points minutes later but could not quite direct Jonas Gutierrez’s cross goalwards.

Both managers spoke after the game about the strength and quality of the Championship this season and seemed content with a share of the points.

In last nights other Championship game Nottingham Forest beat Scunthorpe 2-0 in a hard fought battle, their first back to back wins this season. Luke Chambers and Dexter Blackstock scoring the goals.

Barnsley

It is the second defeat on the trot in the Championship and third in a week including the Carling Cup loss at Arsenal for the Baggies and has put a temporary dent in their attempt at marching straight back to the Premiership.

Barnsley, who are at the other end of the Championship table, were much the better team and deserved the win with a performance that belies their position in the league.

Michael Chopra scored four in Cardiff’s mauling of Derby County as the Welsh team found their early season form and thrashed Nigel Clough’s side 6-1.

Promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough and Preston were both beaten, the latter by lowly strugglers Reading who won away 1-2 and lifted themselves up the table but will need to build on this result to avoid a relegation battle later in the season.

Gareth Southgate was booed by the home crowd following the 0-1 defeat by Leicester who are now just one point behind Middlesbrough after an indifferent start to the campaign.

Roy Keane’s Ipswich were robbed yet again as Sheffield United scored an equalising goal in injury time to make the score 3-3. Ipswich had led 3-1 and will be disappointed at letting the game slip away, although one point is better than none.

Ipswich Town’s Simon Clegg was quick to dispel any rumours that Keane’s time at the club was coming to an end by issuing a statement to say there is no pressure on the Irishman.

Coventry staged a late comeback to take all the points from their visit to Watford, trailing 2-1 the Sky Blues scored twice in the last ten minutes or so to seal the win 2-3.

Bristol City beat Blackpool 2-0 who are now both on 16 points just outside the play off places which is becoming very congested with five teams on the same points.

Crystal Palace were held to a 0-0 against visitors Sheffield Wednesday, the same result as at Doncaster who entertained Swansea. The bottom of the table clash between Darren Ferguson’s Peterborough and Plymouth was won by the south west team 1-2, their first win of the season.

Newcastle have the chance to stretch their lead to five points at the top of the league when they take on QPR tonight, while Nottingham Forest will host Scunthorpe in the other game.

sir bobby robson stand portman road

A hat trick from Kevin Nolan helped Newcastle United to beat Ipswich Town at Portman Road and move two points clear of West Bromwich Albion at the top of the Championship.

It was an emotionally charged afternoon at Portman Road where both Ipswich and Newcastle paid generous tributes to Sir Bobby Robson before the game and also at half time, when the North Stand was officially renamed the Sir Bobby Robson Stand by his widow Elsie.

But there was no sentimentality shown on the pitch where three goals in four minutes on the half hour mark, effectively wrapped up the game for Newcastle. A fourth goal just after the break sealed the win  and left Ipswich with their worst home defeat in six years.

Roy Keane’s patience was visibly deserting him in the dug out where he looked furious for the best part of the game. The disappointed manager said after the game;

“Clearly we are disappointed. We started alright but the first goal knocked our confidence. You have to persevere and encourage players. We have given teams a helping hand and we can’t keep doing it. I’m sure Kevin Nolan thought it was Christmas with the first goal and before we knew it we were three down. We certainly have to defend better.

I don’t like losing football matches, the expectations are high but we have got to deal with it and get on with it.”

Meanwhile the coach that Keane replaced at Ipswich, Jim Magilton, now at Queens Park Rangers saw his team secure their first home win of the season, beating lowly Barnsley 5-2.

Rangers had led the game 3-0 at half time, but a spirited fightback by Barnsley in the second half reduced the deficit to just one goal. However looking for the equaliser left the Barnsley defence exposed to the counter attack and QPR took full advantage snatching two more goals for a comfortable win.

Magilton saw his team move into eighth place in the league, nine points behind leaders Newcastle, and insisted that his QPR team have ‘raised the bar’ in their Championship campaign.

The Football League Cup

To celebrate the competition’s Golden Anniversary, The Football League is asking fans to nominate their favourite League Cup moments, with 50 pairs of tickets up for grabs for this season’s Carling Cup Final. The League will reveal the all-time Top 50 League Cup moments in the lead-up to the match at Wembley Stadium on February 28.

Whether its Ben Foster’s iPod inspired penalty heroics in last season’s final, Ronnie Whelan’s glorious curling winner for Liverpool in 1983, Dennis Tueart’s stunning overhead kick for Manchester City in 1976 or Division Three Swindon Town’s famous win over Arsenal in the Don Rogers Final of 1969, The League wants to hear your views.

So get your thinking caps on, I am going for the classic 1967 final when QPR came back from two down to beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in the first league cup to be held at Wembley.

Send your nominations for your special League Cup moments to;  leaguecup@football-league.co.uk

Manager Jim Magilton said via club’s official website:

“Alessandro has done well with us during his trial period.He’s a natural goalscorer and we’re delighted to add him to the already healthy attacking options we have at our disposal. He’ll take time to settle over here, but we’re really excited by his arrival.”

The 28 year old striker became available after being released by Italian league Serie B club Avellino.

Blackstock becomes the eighth signing to be made by manager Billy Davies during the summer and has always been high on the Forest managers list of targets.

The former Southampton and Plymouth player will find himself as one of six strikers at Forest, where competition is going to be very keen for a starting place. Blackstock’s good friend and team mate at Southampton, David McGoldrick joined Forest earlier in the summer and DeleAdebola is also a new addition. They will be fighting for places with last seasons strike force of Robert Earnshaw, Nathan Tyson and Joel Garner.

Exciting times ahead for Forest without a doubt.

The 22 year old has signed from Argentinian second division side Instituto, where he attracted interest from European teams in Spain, Italy and Greece, before opting to join the ambitious London team.

Faurlin still needs to get international clearance before becoming latest QPR manager Jim Magilton’s first signing for the club.

Rangers are also giving a trial to 32 year old forward David Connolly who has been released by Sunderland.