I'm back baby! The 2023-24 EFL Championship

[Dummy Hoy]

The league is absolutely stacked this year, with three teams coming down that should all look to bounce back up and three teams coming up that should be good to stay (yes, I understand Wednesday's summer was a mess but things are better than the general consensus. I hope).

Season starts Friday afternoon at 3:00 on ESPN+ as Southampton travels to Hillsborough (there will be a small gathering of Owls at the Phoenix Landing). Tough opener for the Massive as Southampton still has all of the guys they are going to sell (JWP, Lavia, Adams, KWP, Livramento, etc)...curious if Russell Martin rolls out some of those guys or if he tries to play with the guys who will likely be there in 3 weeks.

Season should be a good one as always in this division.

 

[nolasoxfan]

Ipswich Town, baby!

 

[OCST]

I was backing Coventry all season and as much as you had to love the Luton story I was gutted for that poor guy who missed the penalty in the playoff (and the rest of their team and fans).

Love it when clubs with proud histories win promotions after long spells out of the top flight. I think a resurgent Newcastle needs its derby partner back. Would love to see Wednesday make the jump. Bristol City would be cool. A few others. (Middlesborough, Huddersfield, Watford, meh, sorry to any of their fans here, just doesn't make my pulse race).

 

[bsj]

Another season to watch QPR be mediocre to bad.

Last year was so weird. We were "going up!" at the 1/3 mark of the season and ended up BARELY hanging on.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Ipswich Town, baby!

Very impressive season...I think they're a little overhyped this year but they should be a solid top half team.

Another season to watch QPR be mediocre to bad.

Last year was so weird. We were "going up!" at the 1/3 mark of the season and ended up BARELY hanging on.

Not sure this season is going to be better. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Leicester v Coventry and Sunderland v Ipswich are the matches to see this weekend.

I figure two of the three that came down will go back up, but I'm not sure who. This league is so interesting.

 

[bsj]

Not sure this season is going to be better. I hope I'm wrong.

Yeah. I don't have much hope here. This is a club with EPL roots that no longer seems interested in making the moves necessary to get back there.

They've made a couple of decent adds but are positioned by the sports books in the bottom 4 teams, which is an unsettling place to be. In fact I just read an article that had us in last place with a 62% chance to drop.

If they go to League 1 they will likely never made the EPL again, and here in the States, it's unlikely I will ever be able to see a game on TV for the rest of my life.

It's a bad feeling going IN to a season knowing the absolute ceiling is likely mid table.

 

[bsj]

This is going to be a really long season

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Yeah, that’s a brutal start. Sorry.

I wasn’t super disappointed with Wednesday’s loss. We ceded possession and lacked the quality in CM to counter as quickly as we wanted, but for a team with a new manager, new formation, some new players, and playing a team with a substantial budget difference (£350m to £14…Ward-Prowse alone is worth 3x our 23 man roster), I thought we did alright. Keep our shape (largely), limited their chances (largely), and looked positively frisky at times, especially in the second half after some changes. I had them pegged for 19th or so and I didn’t see anything that tells me I’m wrong.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Nice bounce back for QPR- I had Cardiff to go down so their week one performance was a surprise.
Norwich and Southampton played to a wild 4-4 draw at St, Marys.
Wednesday played like crap and got the beating they deserved. Huddersfield, and surprisingly Boro and Sunderland join them as winless teams.
Ipswich and Leicester remain the only two perfect teams after two weeks.

 

[Stanley Steamer]

Leeds are a dumpster fire at the moment. We just have to get to September then reassess. The contracts the club handed out, with relegation escape clauses, are coming back to bite them. I do think we have a good manager, and won't be surprised if ownership proves to be decent in time. For now, it's just a matter of picking up a few points to avoid a horrible start. Forget about going straight back up. That's 2024 talk.

 

[Royal Reader]

Bring on Leeds vs West Brom then, who are also a dumpster fire with a decent manager.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Bring on Leeds vs West Brom then, who are also a dumpster fire with a decent manager.

West Brom are managed by the Bielsa assistant who Leeds fans might still be annoyed isn't managing their club, yes?

 

[Stanley Steamer]

Well DH, I know the season hasn't really gotten off to a bang yet, but Wednesday is due a win one of these days. Saturday perhaps? Has a reverse-lock feel about it to me.
It's been a hard time being a Leeds fan of late, but I do feel they are righting the ship, with Farke and recent much-needed new recruits restoring hope of a good season.
Good luck.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Well DH, I know the season hasn't really gotten off to a bang yet, but Wednesday is due a win one of these days. Saturday perhaps? Has a reverse-lock feel about it to me.
It's been a hard time being a Leeds fan of late, but I do feel they are righting the ship, with Farke and recent much-needed new recruits restoring hope of a good season.
Good luck.

Cheers bud. A Leeds supporting friend of mine came over to watch the game. We drank some coffee stouts from our in-town brewery and had a lovely time.

Leeds looked very dangerous in patches, especially early on with their attacks from out wide. Wednesday was forced to drop into a back 5 and that ended up basically killing the rest of the game. Leeds with some moments of individual brilliance almost unlocked things but it wasn't to be (Djed Spence playing for Farke is going to be scary). Thought Wednesday looked spritely after their subs and had a couple of chances to steal 3. Given that we desperately needed anything, grabbing a point at Elland Road wasn't a bad result for us at all. Thought Wednesday showed some improvements in team tactics off the ball...we pressed a bit better and were definitely more cohesive at the back. Hopefully an extra week on the training pitch will only help that. I really want to see Xisco continue to try to install his system, even if it looks bad at first or we need to drop some veterans who just don't provide what we need.

 

[bsj]

Well, we still stink but I have seen enough spirit that I have at least some hope we may be able to avoid relegation this season. And I'm pretty excited about the addition of Team USA's Reggie Cannon who, while likely a short timer auditioning for bigger things, is absolute upgrade on the back line

https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-reggie-cannon-passes-qpr-medical-and-agrees-four-year-deal/

 

[Stanley Steamer]

And the first league win of the season for a Sheffield club goes to..... Wednesday!

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Very promising start under new manager Danny Rohl (youngest in the EFL) and of course the batshit crazy owner goes and lights everything on fire.

This fucking club

 

[ernieshore]

I'll be at the Den for Millwall v Southampton on Saturday. I'm pretty excited. Looks like it will be a pretty full house.

Not an awful start to the season for Millwall, but not great either. Their manager left by "mutual consent" a couple weeks ago (which actually seems to be the true reason) and they have an interim manager now. They just need a couple wins and will be back in the higher end of the table.

 

[Stanley Steamer]

Very promising start under new manager Danny Rohl (youngest in the EFL) and of course the batshit crazy owner goes and lights everything on fire.

This fucking club

Yes, asking the fans for £100 each to maintain liquidity is.... interesting

 

[Stanley Steamer]

I'll be at the Den for Millwall v Southampton on Saturday. I'm pretty excited. Looks like it will be a pretty full house.

Not an awful start to the season for Millwall, but not great either. Their manager left by "mutual consent" a couple weeks ago (which actually seems to be the true reason) and they have an interim manager now. They just need a couple wins and will be back in the higher end of the table.

Sounds like a good time, and I hope you beat them. That said, supporting Millwall seems like a hard row to hoe-- what's your connection to the club ernie?

 

[ernieshore]

Sounds like a good time, and I hope you beat them. That said, supporting Millwall seems like a hard row to hoe-- what's your connection to the club ernie?

I was living/studying in SE London in 1995 when they had a big FA Cup run - beating Chelsea and Arsenal. I knew nothing about the club (or much about English soccer at all) - just that they were "my local team," so I latched on to them. The next season I was back in the U.S. and would sometimes check in how they were doing. As I remember, at Christmas they were in a promotion spot for the Premier League. I then checked in at the end of the season and they had been relegated to what is now League One. I said to myself "yeah - this seems like the team for me."

I've been to the Den about 8 times - and seen them twice at Wembley (old and new). Not much glory, but they definitely keep it interesting.

 

[bsj]

Love our new gaffer. 2 wins in a row. Maybe we have a chance of surviving. At least we have hope.

 

[Stanley Steamer]

Doesn't anyone care about the Championship? I know I do, as well as a few others.
Time for an update, about 2/3 of the way through the season. Up top, Leicester look all but assured for promotion, with an eleven point lead on second. There should be a good battle for second, and automatic promotion, between white-hot Southampton and red-hot Leeds. So, all the most recently relegated clubs. Ipswich is still right in it, but fading a bit. As most of you know, the playoffs are a crapshoot, and many clubs are in with a shout, with West Brom being the most likely to feature.
At the bottom end, Rotherham appear to be on a greased slide to oblivion, or League One if you prefer. Wednesday made a spirited run to revive their chances, but seem to be slipping again. The last relegation spot is up for grabs, with QPR in pole position, but 5 or 6 teams in some danger. I feel certain Birmingham would have gone down had they not given Rooney the sack. Man, can that guy not coach!
That's most of it, but the football is of good quality, and the competition benefits from not having clubs too big to go down. We can always make room for Everton, hopefully Man U one day.
Chime in, if you have anything to add.

 

[bsj]

Doesn't anyone care about the Championship? I know I do, as well as a few others.
Time for an update, about 2/3 of the way through the season. Up top, Leicester look all but assured for promotion, with an eleven point lead on second. There should be a good battle for second, and automatic promotion, between white-hot Southampton and red-hot Leeds. So, all the most recently relegated clubs. Ipswich is still right in it, but fading a bit. As most of you know, the playoffs are a crapshoot, and many clubs are in with a shout, with West Brom being the most likely to feature.
At the bottom end, Rotherham appear to be on a greased slide to oblivion, or League One if you prefer. Wednesday made a spirited run to revive their chances, but seem to be slipping again. The last relegation spot is up for grabs, with QPR in pole position, but 5 or 6 teams in some danger. I feel certain Birmingham would have gone down had they not given Rooney the sack. Man, can that guy not coach!
That's most of it, but the football is of good quality, and the competition benefits from not having clubs too big to go down. We can always make room for Everton, hopefully Man U one day.
Chime in, if you have anything to add.

All I got is hoping for QPR to hang on. Big 3 points yesterday but a very big hill to climb

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Yeah…I’m currently in too much pain to comment on this league

 

[Stanley Steamer]

I hear you, DH. Wednesday lose away tonight to Leicester, but there's no shame in that. There's a lot of football left to be played.
I'm stoked to finally see Southampton lose, 3-1 to Bristol City, halting a 25 game unbeaten run. Quite amazing, really.
Leeds stomp Swansea 4-0 to move up to 2nd place, having played a game more. But it rewards them for their excellent recent play, and could be a psychological lift.
As I type that, I no longer believe it.

 

[bsj]

lets goooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! huge 3 pts at Leicester. Changes to survive are growing.

 

[Kliq]

Pretty tight race for the two automatic promotion spots. Leicester with 88 points and a game in hand, Ipswich also with 88 points and Leeds lurking with 87 points. Leeds currently has the top GD as well, although they are only +1 on Leicester, who has the game in hand. WBA and Southampton looked locked into the play-off, and Norwich has a decent edge on Coventry and Preston with four games to play.

The fight at the bottom is just as vicious. Rotherham are already going down, but Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth, Stoke, Blackburn, Millwall and QPR are all at potential risk and will be stabbing each other over the final four matchdays.

 

[ernieshore]

The fight at the bottom is just as vicious. Rotherham are already going down, but Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth, Stoke, Blackburn, Millwall and QPR are all at potential risk and will be stabbing each other over the final four matchdays.

In their last three games: Millwall gave up 90+ minute goals to lose to both Rotherham and Huddersfield - and looked to be headed towards certain relegation. But then on Tuesday, they beat top-of-the-table Leicester with a golazzo (see below) for a vital 3 points.

It's never dull being a Millwall fan.

View: https://youtu.be/ToVxNkiUS0M?si=5XMs6b1C8r4bGOsW&t=36

 

[Dummy Hoy]

And both fucking Leeds and Leicester lose to relegation candidates to start the weekend.

I fucking hate football

 

[Stanley Steamer]

Me too.

 

[ernieshore]

Millwall avoids relegation with 2 games to spare. Club legend Neil Harris manages a miracle.

Doing the Safety Dance tonight!

 

[Dummy Hoy]

QPR with a huge win today as well.

Wednesday with a must win at Blackburn tomorrow morning at 7:30. A win pulls us out of the relegation spots and allows us to control our own destiny. Annual Owls Americas meet-up takes place NEXT weekend in Halifax NS...be nice to have some hop going into the final two fixtures.

 

[bsj]

QPR with a huge win today as well.

Wednesday with a must win at Blackburn tomorrow morning at 7:30. A win pulls us out of the relegation spots and allows us to control our own destiny. Annual Owls Americas meet-up takes place NEXT weekend in Halifax NS...be nice to have some hop going into the final two fixtures.

QPR is in a good spot now. Not 100% safe but probably 95%. Phew.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

QPR with a huge win today as well.

Wednesday with a must win at Blackburn tomorrow morning at 7:30. A win pulls us out of the relegation spots and allows us to control our own destiny. Annual Owls Americas meet-up takes place NEXT weekend in Halifax NS...be nice to have some hop going into the final two fixtures.

In Halifax? Whereabouts?

 

[Dummy Hoy]

we're drinking at Niche Lounge for the game and then off to the Wanderers game. Rest of the weekend is a drunken blur

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

we're drinking at Niche Lounge for the game and then off to the Wanderers game. Rest of the weekend is a drunken blur

I’ll try to drop by - you will have a great time ! Wanderers games are a blast.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

11:00 KO…not sure what I’ll be in but it’d be great to see you.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

There’s a Liverpool bar up the street aways (Dirty Nellies) which I’ll probably drop in on - they have the early game - 8:30 - then wander down to Niche

 

[bsj]

Well, this was the performance of the campaign. QPR is now officially safe and Leeds inexplicably is likely headed to the playoff

 

[Stanley Steamer]

Well, this was the performance of the campaign. QPR is now officially safe and Leeds inexplicably is likely headed to the playoff

Yes, playing their worst football at the worst possible time. Anyone have any religious iconography or powerful nerve tonics?