The Championship is one of the most competitive leagues in the world of football, and while there are many positive aspects to all of the teams who enter and exit the division, there must also be some negative elements.
Each year, 24 teams compete in the English second tier, with six clubs being relegated from the Premier League and three teams being promoted from League One, with six new teams joining the mix each year.
This season, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Southampton were relegated from the top division, while Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic, and Wrexham were promoted from League One to the second tier.
The Championship never gets boring because there is always something going on, good or bad, at one of the 24 clubs in the division.
Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City are also facing point punishments this season, with the former already losing 12 points after going into administration, while Hull City has been issued with a transfer embargo until January 2027.
Meanwhile, Coventry City have emerged as early favourites for the Championship crown, since their promotion from League Two to the Premier League is nearly inevitable.
There are multiple feel-good factor sides and some on the opposite end of the scale in the division right now, therefore Football League World has asked AI chatbot ChatGPT for its opinion on the worst thing about each of the 24 current EFL Championship clubs.
Birmingham City
ChatGPT said: Chronic financial instability: massive debt, unclear ownership, and reliance on parent corporations.
Birmingham scored an incredible 111 points in League One last season, shattering the EFL points record while under Tom Wagner’s controlling ownership.
The Blues appear to be a more financially solid club in recent years, with significant investments in the team and infrastructure to fuel genuine Premier League ambition in the future years. The opaque ownership seems to be a thing of the past.
Blackburn Rovers
ChatGPT stated: Dysfunctional board/ownership: insufficient communication, absence of long-term clear plan.
The Venkys have long been a contentious Blackburn ownership, with a perceived lack of investment in the club causing the Lancashire club to languish in the Championship for much of the past decade.
Valerian Ismael is tasked with keeping the team afloat this season, and as long as the existing ownership remains unchanged, Premier League objectives will always be impossible to achieve.
Bristol City
ChatGPT stated, “Inconsistency: often seen as underachieving, lacking ambition to push beyond mid-table.”
Last season, Liam Manning led Bristol City to the play-offs for the first time in 17 years, however they were eliminated in the semi-finals by Sheffield United.
Now under Gerhard Struber, the Robins are seeking to duplicate that process and have a good chance of completing it by the conclusion of the season, thanks to a strong start to the new season.
Charlton Athletic
ChatGPT stated: Limited resources: as a lesser London club, they struggle to compete financially with larger clubs.
Nathan Jones, a former Stoke City, Southampton, and Luton Town manager, is performing wonders at one of London’s historically smaller clubs, which has been forced to operate on a tighter budget in the shadow of its competitors. Charlton Athletic could pull off a miracle if they keep outperforming their budget.
Coventry City
Coventry City has been on the rise for numerous years, most recently competing in League Two in 2018. Under Mark Robins, they came close to promotion to the Premier League in 2023, losing to Luton Town on penalties in the play-off final.
They have now emerged as early favourites for the Championship title, and after being reunited with ownership of their stadium for the first time in 25 years, thanks to owner Doug King in August, the feel-good factor around the club is at an all-time high, with seemingly nothing standing in their way of Premier League football next season if they continue at this rate.
Derby County
hatGPT stated: Financial baggage: persisting financial concerns from previous toeholds make long-term planning harder.
Derby entered administration as recently as September 2021, and the club was relegated to League One at the end of that season, where they would spend a few years rebuilding before returning to the second flight in 2024.
Under David Clowes’ management, the Rams spent extensively in their squad this summer, signing Patrick Agyemang and Max Johnston, and their financial difficulties appear to be behind them. Under John Eustace, the team has legitimate ambitions to finish in the top six this season.
Hull City
ChatGPT stated: Some believe there is a lack of identity and ambition in football.
Hull, owned by Turkish millionaire Acun Ilicali, has had a rocky couple of seasons, finishing just outside the play-off places in the 2023/24 season. Following that, the Tigers nearly avoided relegation last season.
Hull was placed under a transfer ban until January 2027 this summer due to financial issues, but manager Sergej Jakirovic has the club in a strong position.
Ipswich Town
ChatGPT stated: Overreliance on youthful talent: occasionally criticized for not spending enough in seasoned players.
This season, Ipswich have the sixth-oldest squad in the Championship, and the club has invested in young talent in recent seasons to solve that issue, with the additions of Jaden Philogene, Jacob Greaves, and Sindre Walle Egeli, to mention a few.
Manager Kieran McKenna has invested in more experience this summer, signing Darnell Furlong, Cedric Kipre, and Ashley Young, all of whom he hopes will help propel them back to the Premier League right away.
Leicester City
ChatGPT stated: Falling from grace: as a previous Premier League club, the descent is more dramatic, as expectations weigh heavily
Matching the heights of the 2015/16 season for Leicester was always going to be impossible, but being relegated for the second time in three years will leave Foxes fans feeling a million miles away from where they once were.
The team did not pay a fee for a permanent signing this summer, and they have struggled to rediscover the form expected of them this season.
Middlesbrough
ChatGPT stated: Stagnation: extended periods without serious promotion pushes, feeling “stuck” in the Championship.
Middlesbrough are in their ninth consecutive Championship season, having finished in the top ten in seven of the previous eight, but have yet to advance past the play-off semi-finals.
With Rob Edwards having left for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, the club remained in a strong position in the promotion chase.
Millwall
ChatGPT stated: Toxic fan reputation: the club has a strong relationship with hooliganism and a poor spectator image.
Millwall’s fan base has long overshadowed the club, with films like Green Street and Football Factory contributing to the club’s negative reputation.
However, the fandom has embraced the culture, and with the club having its best successful season on the pitch in over 30 years, Millwall fans on the terraces at Premier League stadiums are not out of the question.
Norwich City
ChatGPT said: Yo-yo club curse: frequently jumps between divisions instead of developing stability.
Norwich is known as a ‘yo-yo club’ since they are frequently promoted only to be demoted the following season.
However, the Canaries now risk damaging their name this season while also yo-yoing in the opposite direction.
Oxford United
ChatGPT stated: Financial limitations: a smaller fanbase and stadium capacity limit expansion potential.
Oxford are currently one of, if not the smallest, clubs in the Championship, with the smallest stadium by capacity, trailing only Wrexham, and have received limited investment over the years, but have largely steadied themselves as a competitive second-tier team.
With Gary Rowett at the helm, Oxford must continue to punch above its weight to stay in the division, though the U’s do intend to build a new stadium in the coming years, which will help to strengthen the club’s profile. However, for the time being, they must continue to battle beyond their means in order to remain in the Championship.
Portsmouth
HatGPT said: Commercial constraints: struggle to earn Premier League-level revenue, which limits ambition.
Portsmouth, like Oxford, has failed to earn enough cash to compete with the division’s wealthiest clubs over the years, despite spending significant time in League One over the last decade.
Pompey were once Premier League regulars, but have spent the last 15 years outside the top flight, and with the club unable to match other clubs’ financial levels in the division, their main issue is their finances, which means they will have to continue to punch above their weight, as Oxford has.
Preston North End
ChatGPT stated: Lack of recent success: haven’t been aggressively pushed for promotion in a while, thus ambition seems plateaued.
Preston have been Championship regulars for the past 10 years, and this is their 11th consecutive season in the division.
Aside from last season, when they narrowly avoided relegation, Preston have finished between seventh and 14th in each of the previous nine seasons, and have never had just enough to make a meaningful promotion push; however, now under Paul Heckingbottom, the Lilywhites will hope that this season will be the one in which they finally crack the top six.
Queens Park Rangers
ChatGPT stated: Identity crisis: generally perceived as neither a legacy club nor a growing force, locked in limbo.
QPR, like many others, has been stuck in the second tier for over a decade, although they have spent much of that time in the bottom half of the table, looking up, with the AI blaming an identity issue.
The R’s have frequently failed to properly invest in their squad with the goal of developing talent and selling for a profit, with only academy graduate Eberechi Eze among the club’s top ten sales of all time, having been sold within the last eight years, something that French manager Julien Stephan must work to change.
Sheffield United
ChatGPT stated, “Playoff heartbreak: a narrative of coming close but failing to make the final step up.”
Sheffield United’s 2-1 loss against Sunderland in the most recent Championship play-off final marks the club’s tenth loss in a play-off final, and its fifth at Wembley Stadium.
To get to the Premier League, this plan only gives them the choice of finishing in the top two, which appears unachievable at this stage of the season.
Sheffield Wednesday
ChatGPT stated: Financial risk: concerns about finance and long-term sustainability.
Sheffield Wednesday went into administration this season and lost 12 points as a result, with the Owls looking like they’ll be playing in League One next season.
Their search for a buyer following Dejphon Chansiri’s departure continues, with Wednesday fans hoping for financial stability and a brighter future ahead.
Southampton
ChatGPT stated: Rebuilding blues: following relegation, rebuilding feels shaky, and fan trust is frail
Last season, Southampton came close to breaking Derby’s Premier League record for the fewest points ever, finishing with 12.
The Saints hired Will Still as head coach in the summer, hoping to usher in a new era, but 15 games later, he was fired, and Southampton is rebuilding again.
Stoke City
ChatGPT stated: Ambition mismatch: historically a “solid but not exciting” club; difficult to recruit top quality.
Stoke have spent the last seven seasons in the Championship’s bottom half, never finding the right manager to move the club ahead despite the support of the Coates family, who control bet365.
Signings of elderly players with little to no resale value have hampered the club’s progress, which has been addressed in recent windows, and now, under Mark Robins, Potters fans will be hoping that their days of finishing between 14th and 19th are behind.
Swansea City
hatGPT stated: Financial fragility: depends on strong reconnaissance and lean operations – less margin for error.
Swansea have spent a significant chunk of the last 15 years in the Premier League, but they have generally been one of the smaller sides in the Championship, with a lack of financial strength in comparison to certain other clubs in the division placing them at a disadvantage.
This summer, however, they did splash out on the likes of Adam Idah, Zeidane Inoussa, Marko Stamenic, and Ethan Galbraith, but now that Alan Sheehan has been fired as head coach, a new manager will be forced to use the tools at his disposal, as the Welsh club risks falling out of the play-off places once more this season.
Watford
ChatGPT stated: Lack of direction: frequent changes in managerial and ownership structures dilute long-term strategy.
Watford’s ownership arrangement is unique in that the Hornets have had 21 different permanent managers/head coaches since 2011, and the Pozzo family, who own the club, is notorious for being somewhat trigger-happy.
This has resulted in a complete lack of consistency at Vicarage Road over the years, and while they have had two separate spells in the Premier League during that time, their high-risk, high-reward style has seen them languish in the second tier for the past few years, with little prospect of returning.
West Bromwich Albion
ChatGPT stated that leadership upheaval, together with board and investor difficulties, made steady advancement difficult.
Shilen Patel, a Florida-based billionaire, bought West Brom for £60 million in February 2024, but investment in the squad has been scarce, with the Baggies relying on sales in recent years.
Under head coach Ryan Mason, West Brom will aim to finish in the top six this season, as they have never finished lower than 10th in the second division since 1999/2000.
Wrexham
ChatGPT stated: Concerns about sustainability: fast rise following promotion raises problems about infrastructure and long-term planning.
Wrexham are a wildcard this season, having been promoted back-to-back, with many unsure where to expect them at the start of the season, despite significant investment in the squad, with Nathan Broadhead, Lewis O’Brien, and Kieffer Moore joining over the summer on multi-million pound deals.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Wrexham fan who predicted this meteoric rise, with fans content with their current situation, with the only major concern being whether the club’s investment will continue in the same manner if they fail to achieve their ultimate goal of Premier League football within the next few years.
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