As the 2020/21 campaign approaches its latter stages, all eyes are firmly fixed on the top and bottom of divisions across the country. In the second tier of English football, the fight for survival at the foot of the table is an intense one. Above the current bottom three at time of writing, 10 clubs are within 10 points of the drop zone, and with the Championship renowned for its unpredictability, anything could happen.
Sport Editor, Tom Coates, has assessed the situation and given his predictions on how sides currently embroiled in a relegation battle will fare in the fight.
Pull away from danger
Huddersfield Town, Derby County and Nottingham Forest
Huddersfield endured a torrid start to 2021, but Carlos Corberan’s side will prove too good to go down. On their day, they can punish teams with their slick style and proved in the first half of the season that they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the division. It has not been plain sailing for the Terriers, but they will escape the drop.
Derby look a much stronger outfit under Wayne Rooney, who has overseen an upturn in the club’s fortunes since taking the reins at Pride Park. Their squad boasts enough experience and guile to keep them in the division, and their form since Rooney’s arrival suggests that they will retain their second-tier status.
Forest are no longer the pushovers they were in the early stages of the season, and finally seem to be adapting to life with Chris Hughton at the helm. They recruited sensibly in January, and will have enough to keep their heads above water.
Narrowly beat the drop
Birmingham City and Rotherham United
Yorkshire will retain its strong Championship presence, with Huddersfield and Rotherham steering away from trouble.
Paul Warne’s plucky Millers occupy 22nd place at the time of writing but have performed admirably since the beginning of the calendar year. With shrewd additions in January adding to a squad already full of fight, I cannot see the South Yorkshire side returning to League One.
Although they have a strong squad on paper, Birmingham have slipped into a battle for survival under former Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka. Although signs of improvement have been scarce, they have enough quality in their squad to ensure that they will clinch enough wins over the next few months.
Going down
Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe Wanderers
Coventry have flirted with the bottom three for months without ever occupying it for long periods, but could certainly find themselves in it when the campaign ends. Some weeks, the Sky Blues look like a side that could drag themselves far away from danger, but too often look poor and struggle against sides in and around them.
Unfortunately, things look bleak for Sheffield Wednesday. Toothless in attack and inconsistent, they have struggled to string together a run of positive results and suffered another blow when prodigy Liam Shaw agreed to join Celtic in a pre-contract agreement. Interim boss Neil Thompson is seemingly unable to settle on his strongest starting eleven, and it is hard to see them picking up too many points.
Undoubtedly the weakest team in the division, Wycombe’s days in the Championship look numbered. They are not short on spirit but lack genuine quality and have failed to make the step up from League One.
