By Tomi Rantanen
Easy promotion for the big hitters - or not
The English second tier football league, Championship kicks off the 2016/17 season on Friday. Described as one of the hardest leagues in Europe, 24 teams are fighting for the coveted promotion to the Premier League, playing 46 games each. This Championship season is highlighted by traditional Premier League giants Newcastle and Aston Villa joining the ranks, after being relegated last season. With world class quality still available for them, it’s widely expected to turn out to be a French visit. But the other 22 teams might have a different opinion.
With Accuscore simulation engine, we too are able to take a look in the future and predict who will earn the spot with the big boys – and who will need to pack their things and relegate to dreaded FA League One down below.
Here is how the simulations play out for the Championship season 2016/2017:
|
1
|
Norwich City
|
98
|
|
2
|
Derby County
|
90
|
|
3
|
Brighton & Hove Albion
|
88
|
|
4
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
88
|
|
5
|
Wolverhampton
|
87
|
|
6
|
Sheffield Wednesday
|
86
|
|
7
|
Aston Villa
|
73
|
|
8
|
Cardiff City
|
70
|
|
9
|
Newcastle United
|
68
|
|
10
|
Leeds United
|
67
|
|
11
|
Fulham
|
61
|
|
12
|
Ipswich Town
|
60
|
|
13
|
Rotherham United
|
58
|
|
14
|
Reading
|
57
|
|
15
|
Preston North End
|
56
|
|
16
|
Birmingham City
|
53
|
|
17
|
Nottingham Forest
|
49
|
|
18
|
Bristol City
|
47
|
|
19
|
Huddersfield Town
|
46
|
|
20
|
Burton Albion
|
45
|
|
21
|
Brentford
|
41
|
|
22
|
Barnsley
|
37
|
|
23
|
Queens Park Rangers
|
35
|
|
24
|
Wigan Athletic
|
32
|
According to Accuscore simulations, it will not be a walk in the park for the relegated giants, but rather a triumph of another relegated team, Norwich who are back in the Championship after a one-season stint in the Premier League. The other promotion candidates include last season’s playoff teams Derby, Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday, while Blackburn and Wolverhampton are making a run for it as well. Both of the big newcomers, Newcastle and Aston Villa are in position to make the top six but as always it will be a tough battle. With almost a month remaining in the transfer window, there’s a chance of bigger names yet leaving and making it even harder for the teams to adjust to grizzly Championship football.
The other end of the table sees plenty of teams promoted last year to go down again, with Wigan and Barnsley in relegation spots. Burton Albion, last years’ phenomenon in League One, however escape the drop according with Queens Park Rangers continuing their respective demise despite high expectations.
Positive surprises:
Norwich, 1st with 98 points – the up and down movement has become so common, the squad barely knows which league they play in. Winning the Championship and promotion wouldn’t be an actual surprise, but passing both of the relegated companions is.
Blackburn, 4th with 88 points – the traditional team has fallen from grace, but the signs are positive this time around. After a disappointing last season, Rovers look to challenge for top six and have an excellent chance with key acquisitions in place. Avoiding relegation is already a win, but according to simulation engine they’re ready for much more!
Disappointments:
QPR, 23rd with 35 points – things haven’t gone right for a long time in Loftus Road, despite a couple of bright spots last season. Looking at the roster they should do better, but for one reason or another it doesn’t show up in the scoreboard. No one would expect QPR to go down, but that’s what the simulations suggest.
Nottingham Forest, 16th with 49 points – Another complicated season for Forest, who at some point were considered the next promotion candidate. That was years ago and after some tumultuous times, it definitely doesn’t look good. Avoiding relegation seems to be a success once again.
