So another season is fast approaching and optimism seems to be higher than it has since Roy Keane was appointed over six years ago and we all got carried away with the hype.

Thankfully now we have a good, experienced manager who seems to be a very good at getting the best out of his players and isn't splashing the cash on poor investments.

The squad in many people's eyes is even stronger than last season, yes we lost Tyrone Mings who was flying last season especially in the first half of the campaign but Jonas Knudsen looks a very capable replacement given his already vast experience and much touted ability.

The only player so far that we have paid a transfer fee for this season is Knudsen so we still have a sizable amount of the £8 million Bournemouth paid for Mings plus we have lots of new talented players in (including two wingers - which we missed last season).

Looking at the squad now and the manager we have it would suggest that the bare minimum target for the season should be the play-offs again, but can we realistically aim even higher?

As with every new Championship season the teams coming down from the Premiership are considered strong challengers and how do this season’s new entries from the Premiership fare?

The common theme with Hull and QPR is a lot of changes; big names have left and are maybe in the process of leaving (Charlie Austin).

Although Burnley are more stable, they have still lost their star striker Danny Ings on a free transfer, which will hurt them.

With Sean Dyche at the helm and a stable grounding Burnley will be a force and, although less stable, Hull have a few seasons of Premiership football behind them and a good manager in Steve Bruce, so even with all the changes they should still be very strong.

Chris Ramsey at QPR is a novice manager and maybe this will be the season the yo-yo club of recent years stay in the Championship more than just one season.

After the teams coming down from the Premiership it would make sense to look at the teams that came close last season, so Middlesbrough, Brentford and Derby.

Middlesbrough were the best of the teams that just missed out last season, losing in the play-off final.

This season they have made one of the Championship signings of the summer getting hometown hero Stewart Downing from West Ham. Downing was one of the highest assist makers in the Premiership last season so this is a massive coup and surely at this level he could be a real game winner with his dead ball delivery.

Lee Tomlin has been sold over the summer and Patrick Bamford is obviously not on loan again so those are two star Championship performers from last season they will miss but I still feel they should be treated as one of the main challengers for the title.

Brentford have lost a very good manager over the summer and there captain has gone to us which is amazing news for us but a decision by Brentford that has me scratching my head.

I feel like many other that they maybe overachieved last season but by all means they like lots of teams have a chance of sneaking into the play-offs but I personally think they will just come up short.

Derby, like Middlesbrough, are really going for it again this year bringing in an array of top quality attacking players for big fees and big wages and expectations will be sky high. A novice manager though at the helm regardless of his coaching pedigree is maybe the main question that hangs over this team.

Derby by all accounts with the squad and the resources they seem to have should have made the play-offs last year at least and this season the top two will be their aim.

The next teams which could potentially be a force this season are Fulham, with the parachute money they still have and the money acquired from selling Patrick Roberts, Cardiff, with the players they have and the parachute money, Wolves, who only just missed out on the play-offs last year, and Bristol City, who stormed away with League One last season and will be in high confidence. In recent years lots of teams have managed to carry the momentum from league one promotion into the championship.

So another fiercely competitive season awaits in the Championship, Ipswich need to believe this is their year and let's all hope and pray it is.

Blue_Again added 19:52 - Aug 7 Snoogan beogan from the conegan fairds
0

Blogs 295 bloggers