The Championship, like any other season in the division, has had its share of drama from the start.
However, some argue that, while the current second-tier season is the most open in many years, particularly with freshly relegated and promoted teams experiencing divergent fortunes thus far, it reflects a lower standard of play across all 24 sides.
It is also fair to argue that the Championship remains a hotbed for promising young players to exhibit their abilities, while also being managed by several who have been projected to someday reach the top level themselves.
As a result, in a list that is sure to cause a lot of controversy, given the nature of the beast, Football League World has constructed a ranking of how enjoyable each of the division’s clubs are to watch, regardless of their current league position, though some may seem obvious.
24Sheffield Wednesday
As a result, it should come as no surprise that Sheffield Wednesday top this list, with the majority of the drama at Hillsborough occurring off the pitch.
After entering administration, the Owls’ weakened squad’s goal of retaining their Championship status has been rendered nearly impossible by an 18-point deduction.
23Norwich City
Norwich City have struggled for goals this season, despite being able to keep USMNT international Josh Sargent.
The Canaries will hope that fortunes improve under newly appointed Phillipe Clement, but fears of a return to League One since the Paul Lambert period at Carrow Road are growing.
22Portsmouth
Portsmouth has had a similar difficulty, despite John Mousinho’s attempts to strengthen his forward line in the summer with signings like as Adrian Segecic and Conor Chaplin.
Aside from Josh Murphy’s sustained spark, there have been concerns about goal scoring, with Colby Bishop struggling for form and opportunities after a 16-goal season the previous year.
21Oxford United
Many predicted that Oxford United would struggle this season, and that appears to be the case.
Regardless, despite having one of the smallest budgets in the Championship, the U’s have been able to find a number of creative sparks, with summer acquisitions such as Tottenham loanee Will Lankshear and Brian De Keersmaecker joining Cameron Brannagan as Gary Rowett’s primary outlets.
20Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic supporters will acknowledge that Nathan Jones’ style of play isn’t the most enjoyable to watch.
That is not to detract from the Welshman’s management of the SE7 team, which has built its success mostly on strong defensive foundations. However, summer additions such as Isaac Olaofe and Charlie Kelman, who cost ยฃ5 million, have struggled to kickstart their seasons, leaving Sonny Carey as the Addicks’ main creative force.
19Swansea City
Swansea City, like Norwich, will be hoping for a turnaround after appointing Vitor Matos.
Swans fans were frequently irritated by a lack of identity despite an ambitious summer recruitment push, with goals drying up in recent weeks following an initially modest start to the campaign.
As such, much more is expected of a team that includes Zan Vipotnik, Adam Idah, Ronald, Ethan Galbraith, and Manuel Benson, among others.
18Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers have had a mixed start to Valerien Ismael’s first full season at Ewood Park, with the entertainment on offer alternating.
To their credit, Rovers have beaten two newly relegated sides, Leicester City and Southampton, but the aforementioned fortunes are mostly due to a lack of consistent goal threat.
17West Bromwich Albion
Despite an excellent start to the season, West Bromwich Albion have struggled to find a consistent spark under Ryan Mason.
Much was expected of the Baggies following an impressive recruitment drive that included the signings of Samuel Iling-Junior and Aune Heggebo to bolster their creative ranks, which already included Isaac Price and Mikey Johnston, but Albion’s lack of reliable centre-forward options has persisted beyond the Norwegian.
16Leicester City
15Sheffield United
Sheffield United are up next.
Despite having a good pool of talent at his disposal after taking over for the third time, Chris Wilder’s Blades season has been marked by inconsistency, yet they have begun to show indications of turning a cycle and reviving Ruben Selles’ dismal six-game reign.
14Wrexham
Wrexham have undoubtedly begun to properly acclimatise to the rigours of the Championship following a record-breaking summer of expenditure.
It must be acknowledged that Phil Parkinson’s direct style isn’t for everyone, but many in North Wales won’t mind if it produces results, with Kieffer Moore continuing to be the club’s major supplier of goals alongside Nathan Broadhead, who has previous promotion experience.
13Derby County
Derby County’s style under John Eustace has elicited mixed reactions, with an unusually busy transfer window and a poor start to the season.
There were signs, however, that the Rams could routinely fight for the play-offs, with the majority of that work being attributed to Carlton Morris, who had scored double-figures by November following his summer arrival from Luton Town.
12Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers exemplified the inconsistency that many teams have experienced thus far, with one fairly positive run of form sandwiched by two periods of concern to begin Julien Stephan’s tenure.
The Frenchman oversaw an exciting first transfer window at Loftus Road, and after a disastrous start, the likes of Richard Kone, Koki Saito, and Rumarn Burrell, in particular, have all had a positive impact on proceedings in W12, with the latter looking like one of the season’s bargains after joining from Burton Albion.
11Preston North End
Preston North End’s fortunes have dramatically changed under Paul Heckingbottom’s management, with the one-time promotion winner obviously leveraging his expertise to get the most out of a dynamic team.
The Lilywhites have been untouched by a significant squad overhaul, making many astute signings, including Thierry Small, Alfie Devine, Harrison Armstrong, and Lewis Dobbin, who all impressed after moving to Deepdale in the summer.
10Southampton
Southampton begin the top ten, having made substantial improvements under Tonda Eckert’s management, who has been rewarded with a permanent position at St Mary’s.
Following Will Still’s dismissal, the German has overseen a rapid turnaround in fortunes, with players such as Adam Armstrong, Leo Scienza, and Finn Azaz all having an impact in a possession-based system that has obviously brought out the best in a talented squad.
9Millwall
Millwall are a team aiming to shed their clichรฉd ‘long-ball’ label, and they’ve come a long way in doing so under Alex Neil.
With players like Femi Azeez, Thierno Ballo, and Mihailo Ivanovic recently demonstrating their full potential, who knows what the South London side may achieve come May, as they stay firmly among the handful of sides aiming for a play-off position.
8Watford
Watford’s season has been incredibly chaotic, as is typical at Vicarage Road.
Since the end of September, a youthful side has been one of the most fascinating to watch, with Paulo Pezzolano and current manager Javi Gracia able to call on young talents such as Rocco Vata, Othmane Maamma, and Nestory Irankunda.
Furthermore, the Hornets’ season may have turned out quite differently if not for the quality of deep-lying midfielder Imran Louza, who has already scored his highest number of goals for the club.
7Bristol City
The next stop is Bristol City.
Gerhard Struber’s high-energy style of play has brought out the best in Scott Twine, Anis Mehmeti, and Emil Riis.
It also says volumes that the Robins have remained within reach of the play-offs for much of the season, despite the Austrian’s well-documented injury crisis.
6Birmingham City
Birmingham City’s season has sparked a lot of debate, but when they’re on form, Chris Davies’ team can be entertaining to watch.
Some major changes, such as starting Marvin Ducksch as a focal point in attack, as well as the flair supplied by Tommy Doyle in the middle of the field and Patrick Roberts out wide, have resulted in significantly more opportunities created, notably at St. Andrew’s, which remains a fortress.
5Stoke City
Stoke City have been one of the most interesting teams to watch in the first few weeks of Mark Robins’ first full season at the Bet365 Stadium, a remarkable turnaround.
The Potters’ key creators-in-chief have been Sorba Thomas, Million Manhoef, and Divin Mubama, with the former of the trio responsible for several headline-making strikes that demonstrate why he previously played in the French first division.
4Middlesbrough
Despite being among the early season pacesetters, some argue that Middlesbrough’s playstyle under Rob Edwards was not always the finest to see.
So far, the Reds have demonstrated a variety of ways to pick up points, particularly since the appointment of Kim Hellberg, who has implemented an unrelenting style of play that allows the North East side to set the tempo of games both at the Riverside Stadium and away from home.
3Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town, many people’s pre-season title favourites, won the ‘bronze medal’ in this classification.
The Tractor Boys scored 92 goals in their 2023/24 season at this level and have begun to demonstrate why they were such a popular pick in recent games, with goals coming from across Kieran McKenna’s side.
Unsurprisingly, Jaden Philogene has been the biggest source of frustration for opposing defenders in this regard, with the winger scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 defeat of Sheffield United in September.
2Hull City
Hull City are in second place, which is difficult to dispute given that the Tigers have scored and surrendered in equal measure.
Sergej Jakirovic has certainly eradicated Hull’s previous attacking shortcomings, with Oli McBurnie and Joe Gelhardt at the forefront of their best attacking work, but defensive solidity appears to have gone out the window, despite keeping both Ivor Pandur and Charlie Hughes over the summer.
As a result, this season’s MKM Stadium ticket prices are unquestionably reasonable.
1Coventry City
Unsurprisingly, Coventry City have been the Championship’s ‘entertainers’ thus far.
Frank Lampard’s team made their intentions clear early in the season with a 7-1 thrashing of QPR at the CBS Arena, and they haven’t looked back, scoring almost 50 goals already.
Goals have come from all directions, with Brandon Thomas-Asante and Haji Wright accounting for nearly half of the total, while Jack Rudoni and Victor Torp have also played a role in midfield.
If such performances continue, the Sky Blues are almost set to break their Premier League drought.
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