The race hots up for the £90m Premier League jackpot
The Npower Championship resumes this weekend after the international break with eight games left of the season and much still to play for in the second tier of English football. A mere 11 points separate second and tenth with bookies and fans alike still undecided as to which three teams will go up and claim the estimated £90million windfall deliver by promotion to the Premier League.
Queens Park Rangers have led the way since their 4-0 drubbing of Barnsley on the opening day of the season and are a side galvanised since Neil Warnock took over in March of last year. They not only have the best defence in the league but posses a mercurial talent and Championship Player of the Year in young Moroccan Adel Taarabt. With 15 league goals to his name so far, the ex-Tottenham attacker has mesmerised defences throughout the country with his vision and fantastic dribbling skills. Currently 9 points clear of second-placed Norwich, QPR are clear favourites to go up, even with tricky away games to Cardiff and Leeds yet to come. However, this month the club were charged by the FA for seven separate breaches of player ownership laws regarding their purchase of Alejandro Faurlin in 2009. A similar rule breach cost West Ham a £5.5m FA fine and £20m in compensation to Sheffield United for their ownership of Carlos Tevez in 2009. Bearing in mind the club’s wealthy owners, fans will hope they receive a similar sentence rather than a possible points deduction that you feel could be the only wail to derail Warnock’s team.
Norwich City currently occupy the second automatic promotion slot and have been in fantastic form of late as they chase back-to-back promotions under Paul Lambert. Having scored in all but four games this season they have the third best offensive record and powerful striker Grant Holt has recently been joined by loan signings Henri Lansbury and ex-Barcelona starlet Daniel Pacheco. However, the Canaries’ defence has been far from watertight only managing nine clean sheets and with tough games against Swansea, Nottingham Forest and fierce local rivals Ipswich still to come, only time will tell if Lambert’s men can continue their fine form.
Welsh sides Swansea and Cardiff will both have designs on automatic promotion. After a slow start, Swansea have found some consistency boosted by Scott Sinclair’s seventeen league goals. And, boasting a strike force of Michael Chopra, Jay Bothroyd and Craig Bellamy, last season’s playoff finalists Cardiff will be hoping to end their current run of four games without a win. With six of their remaining eight games against teams in the bottom third, Dave Jones’ men are in a strong position to make a final push.
Aiming to match Norwich’s campaign for back-to-back promotions is Leeds United. Whilst the Elland Road club haven’t lost at home in twelve and have scored the most goals in the division, they have had a fairly inconsistent season and have the fourth-worst defence in the league. Leeds are closely trailed by last year’s playoff semi-finalists Nottingham Forest. After a slow start, they have built one of the best defences in the league and made a late surge into the playoff positions. However, Forest are yet to win in seven and have struggled away from home all season. With tough trips to Leeds and Norwich still to come, you feel maybe this won’t be their year.
Loitering just outside the playoff positions each on 57 points with a game in hand are Reading and Burnley. After an indifferent season, Shane Long’s eighteen goals have inspired Reading to a late surge towards the playoffs. Still to play four of the current bottom five clubs, if Brian McDermott’s men can maintain their current form then they really should fill a playoff berth. Burnley, on the other hand, have to play four of the top six teams and perhaps it is too late for them to push on this season.
Unless they are docked points by the FA, therefore, QPR have got to be favourites for the title this year. A win against Norwich could see Swansea pip the East Anglian club to second place and leave them to fight it out for third and fourth with Cardiff. Reading’s late surge should see them capture the third playoff place, whilst it seems too late for Burnley who will most likely be beaten to the final playoff spot by Nottingham Forest.