Latest Championship Odds: Level Playing Field

The Championship title fight is, perhaps, in the best position it has ever been in, and it is difficult to call who will be heading up to the Premier League this season. Things are simpler at the bottom, definitely.

No Lead Anymore

What is happening in the Midlands? At one stage, Coventry City looked untouchable at the top of the table, and it seemed like they had the Championship title wrapped up before the second half of the season had even begun.

However, another loss this weekend, this time against QPR, means that they have now lost the grip that they held at the top. There is no longer a gap between them and second place, and it looks dangerously close to falling apart…

For the first time in weeks, most football bookmakers have them above Evens to win the title, so it certainly shows that confidence has dropped.

If others weren’t progressing, that confidence would probably be there. Yet, it is hard to deny that it has perhaps shifted to the North East, where Middlesbrough look excellent value for money currently. Winning their last five Championship games on the bounce, Kim Hellberg’s side are in a fantastic place.

14 goals in five games also shows the firepower that Boro have available to them, and with 58 points now, they are the strongest rivals to Coventry for the title. In fact, it would not be a surprise if a few people began to turn to the Red side of the race, rather than the Sky Blue side, which has dominated conversations so often this season.

There is a lot of football left to play, but it is undeniable that the race has gotten much better in the past few weeks.

Four Team Title Race?

Hull could, perhaps, feel a bit harshly done by with their placing inside the play-off category, and with a game in hand, there can certainly be a debate about whether they are in the title race. However, it is undeniable that they are currently one of the favourites for promotion. 

This weekend, they got a big result away to Blackburn Rovers, making it four wins in a row for the Tigers, putting them on 53 points. With that aforementioned game in hand, they could be two points behind the leaders. Stranger things have happened this season…

Ipswich’s failure to get three points at home to Ipswich means that they are forced to settle for a place in the play-off spots for this week. Sitting two points behind Hull, they had a chance to apply more pressure to the top with a win. 

However, they could not capitalise this weekend. Like the Tigers, though, they also benefit from a game in hand. They cannot be ruled out for a title fight, either. 

Millwall, though, probably can be ruled out for a title push at this moment, given they sit eight points off the top two. The Lions are deserving of their play-off spot, but failing to beat a hit-and-miss Sheffield United side means they will probably have to settle for a top-six place.

Nevertheless, several positives can be taken, given they are ‘safe’ in the play-offs by five points. 

Finally, a win against Sheffield Wednesday this weekend has kept Wrexham inside the top six. The Red Dragons didn’t win attractively, only going ahead by a goal. However, it is another big result, and they have massively turned things around. At 11/4 with Spreadex, there is certainly a bit of a debate to be had about whether they can stay in the fight. 

Elsewhere, Derby’s pressure continued with a third win in their last four games, and they did so in style, hammering a fellow play-off contender in Bristol City. Sporting Index is offering 15/4 for a top six spot there, which could be worth considering. 

In other words, there is plenty of value in the market still.

Worries for West Brom

Looking at the bottom, it was not a weekend of change, with Oxford United unable to get a win against Birmingham. They were certainly not the favourites in the clash, so it is not really a surprise that they were unable to better their position. 

With five points from their last five games, something really needs to change for the U’s to have a hope of staying up. 

Taking the other spot in the bottom three is Blackburn Rovers, who could finally make the drop to League One this season. In recent years, they have flirted with relegation, but their chances look bleak this season. 

Their last Championship win came before Christmas, and that in itself is a worry. Something must change, but there are no signs that it will. In fact, them being above Evens to go down might look like a bit of a gift…

West Brom are in a real bit of trouble too, sitting outside the bottom three by three points; they are in massive danger of relegation to League One.

Four defeats in their last five, including this weekend’s 3-0 loss to Portsmouth, is rather damning. 9/2 could even be seen as a little generous for them to go down, with no signs of improvement showing.