Championship preview
Earlier in the week Leeds United blew what should have been a match-winning 4-1 lead at home against Preston North End to lose 6-4.
Both sides will still be recovering from the match for very different reasons, but the question is can they put that game behind them in time for this weekend’s fixtures?
Leeds manager Simon Grayson must be having sleepless nights at the moment. He has seen his team experience a rollercoaster ride of results over the last few weeks. A 5-2 drubbing at Barnsley was followed by a goalless draw at Doncaster, while the 1-0 win over Sheffield United was the only bright spot before the crazy game against Preston.
A match against Roy Keane’s Ipswich Town awaits Leeds, and Grayson will be hoping for a win to ease the tensions he might well be feeling at the moment.
Preston, and hat-trick hero Jon Parkin, will have to recover in time from celebrating a remarkable win as they host Reading, who were 1-0 winners over Ipswich on Tuesday night thanks to Simon Church’s late winner. Preston currently lie 20th in the league, and if winning from such an impossible position doesn’t give the team confidence then nothing will.
Like Grayson, Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan is probably being kept awake at night by the performances of his team. Boro are two places above the relegation zone in 19th, and with only three wins out of nine games, and two defeats on the spin, these are worrying times for Strachan. A home game against a buoyant Portsmouth, who have won their last two games, scoring nine goals in the process, could be make or break for Strachan.
Championship leaders Queens Park Rangers are six points clear of Cardiff City, and they have a mouth-watering London derby against Crystal Palace. A disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Millwall in their last game is not ideal, but with Cardiff also drawing 0-0, it wasn’t a bad result.
Norwich, third on the table, have an away game against Bristol City, and they were probably responsible for the sacking of Paulo Sousa by Leicester City. Norwich’s 4-3 win over Leicester during the week was the final straw for the Foxes board, and Leicester are already in talks with their former manager Martin O’Neill and yes, Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is always linked with any job going at the moment.
Leicester have a home game against Scunthorpe, with current goalkeeper coach Mike Stowell and coach Chris Powell taking temporary charge until a new manager is appointed. Barnsley take on Cardiff, while Doncaster take on Nottingham Forest.
After suffering a 4-0 hammering at Turf Moor to Burnley midweek, Hull welcome Coventry City to the KC Stadium. Derby County, fresh from their 5-0 win over Palace, make the trip to Swansea, and Sheffield United take on Malky Mackay’s Watford.
Tags: