One of the most exciting leagues in European football, games come thick and fast in the English Championship. With teams regularly having to play twice a week, it’s incredibly hard to predict the outcome of matches in the Paddy Power Championship odds and it must be a kaleidoscope of shifting emotions for the passionate fans who have to deal with the thrills and spills of the busy league.
That said, let’s break down an action-packed weekend and take a look at some of the key talking points from gameweek 17. Read on to find out more!
Neil Warnock leaves Middlesbrough via mutual consent — Chris Wilder brought in
Where better to start than with the fourth managerial change of the season? Neil Warnock joins Chris Hughton (Nottingham Forest), Mick McCarthy (Cardiff City) and Markus Schopp (Barnsley) on the list of the Championship managers to leave their post this season. Former Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder is the man tasked with turning things around at the Riverside. ‘Boro may be in 14th, but with just four points separating them from the play-offs, their season is far from a write-off.
Bournemouth bounce back
Having looked ripe and ready all season, Scott Parker’s Cherries turned sour in gameweek 16 as they were stunned by Preston North End at the Vitality Stadium. An Ali McCann goal dealt Bournemouth their first league defeat of the season as the Lancashire side recorded a 2-1 victory. However, they bounced back instantly, beating Swansea City 4-0 at home to ensure they kept their foothold at the top of the table heading into the international break.
Fulham’s unbeaten streak extended to six
There’s no time for Bournemouth to take their foot of the gas again though as Fulham are hot on the league leaders’ tail — just two points separate the two sides! The west London outfit kept the pressure on their south coast rivals with a narrow 1-0 victory over Peterborough at London Road. It is now six victories on the bounce for the Whites with their last defeat coming on the road at Coventry (4-1), they have also conceded just one goal in that time, scoring an impressive 21 to make them the most dangerous attacking side in the league.
Coventry City continue to surprise
16th in the table last season, Coventry City would have been more likely to be relegated this year than book a play-off spot prior to the season getting underway. However, Mark Robins’ men are proving everyone wrong as they currently sit fourth in the table with a four-point cushion in the lucrative play-off spots. Their form has taken a bit of a dip since that aforementioned 4-1 win over Fulham, with just one win in the proceeding five games. But they head into the international break on the back of a 3-2 win, coming from behind twice to beat Bristol City, and the Sky Blues will be hoping to pick up where they left off in a fortnight’s time.
Cardiff City end 10-game run without victory
Having finished eighth last season, the Cardiff City fans will be extremely disappointed with where their team are at this point of the season. They would have hoped that the side could push on for a play-off spot this season, instead they sit a rather disappointing 20th. A win over Huddersfield ended a 10-game run without victory and gave them a three-point cushion from the relegation zone. Having sacked McCarthy three weeks ago, Cardiff would have hoped to hire a new manager by now. The international break is the perfect opportunity to end that wait and the fans will be hoping that the chosen boss can build on the victory over the Terriers and take them away from that dreaded drop zone.
