Listen to the Sky Sports EFL Podcast
On this week’s Sky Sports EFL Podcast we hear from fans of Championship clubs as they predict their club’s fate this season, look ahead to all the Easter weekend action and much more.
Barnsley
Carlo van de Watering, Reds Report
How has your season been so far? Realistically – beyond all expectations. To see us in 5th playing with our own identifiable style has been beyond anyone’s dreams.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Maintain momentum and push for the play-offs.
Where do you hope to finish? 5th and play-off bound.
Where do you expect to finish? Anywhere between 2nd and 6th would do us. Let’s call it 6th.
Birmingham City
Mark Watson, Fat Lads Go In Goal
How has your season been so far? Like a truck full of positivity that quickly detoured off a cliff. Lee Bowyer’s appointment could be the turning point though. Hopefully it is not too late.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? A peacefully uneventful stroll to survival would be simply lovely. This is Birmingham City though, so a season-finale showdown is much more likely.
Where do you hope to finish? The dizzying heights of 17th would be fantastic. Relatively speaking.
Where do you expect to finish? I think we made the managerial change too late. 22nd and relegated.
Blackburn Rovers
Daniel Ainsworth, Rovers Chat
How has your season been so far? Frustrating sums it up perfectly. We have looked like we can beat any side in the league at times, and then a few weeks later, we are struggling to find a win at all.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Our hope is Rovers get on a winning run to give ourselves a good platform heading into next season. We need to start showing that we can push for a play-off spot next season.
Where do you hope to finish? 12th – anywhere in the top half will do.
Where do you expect to finish? 15th – we should win a few ‘dead rubber’ fixtures before the season ends.
Bournemouth
Steven Jenkins, The South End
How has your season been so far? Underwhelming, inconsistent and never quite fulfilled. Expected more from players and the board.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? To win all of the nine games that we have left. We have the players. They just need to perform to their full potential.
Where do you hope to finish? 5th with good form.
Where do you expect to finish? 6th.
Brentford
Matt Allard, Beesotted Podcast
How has your season been so far? It is the hope that kills you, as they say. We were strong mid-season but a couple of injuries to key players has been problematic.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? We somehow scramble something together for the last nine games, find some confidence and, if Watford slip up, we will be there to pounce.
Where do you hope to finish? Obviously in the top two. The play-offs make me feel sick. 2nd.
Where do you expect to finish? 4th. But hopefully with a strong last few games.
Bristol City
Paul Binning, The Exiled Robin
How has your season been so far? Inconsistent. After a bright, attacking start we fell back to turgid, defensive football which didn’t yield the results needed and ultimately cost Dean Holden his job.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? We are stuck in midtable so hopes are limited to seeing further signs of improvement of intent and approach under Nigel Pearson.
Where do you hope to finish? 10th is probably the best we can hope for.
Where do you expect to finish? Hopefully 12th. Secure another top-half finish.
Cardiff City
Tom Phillips, View From the Ninian
How has your season been so far? We started badly and looked closer to a relegation scrap than a promotion push. But Neil Harris out, Mick McCarthy in has proved a masterstroke. Magic Mick has worked miracles.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Our final three games are against three relegation strugglers. With some luck, teams dropping points and if we stay within striking distance, play-offs could happen.
Where do you hope to finish? 6th. It is unbelievable that we are even in the reckoning.
Where do you expect to finish? We will just miss out on the play-offs and end in a plucky 8th.
Coventry City
David Moore, Sky Blues Extra Podcast
How has your season been so far? Championship life has been a tough learning curve for a young Coventry side. We have surprised teams at times with our possession-style football and if not for some naively-conceded goals, would be safe from the drop by now.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Obviously, I hope we can maintain our Championship status, but it is going to be tight. Goals have been a concern but I hope Matty Godden’s return will help us just in time.
Where do you hope to finish? 20th, and enough points clear going into final day.
Where do you expect to finish? 20th, but importantly safe from relegation.
Derby County
Jason Straw, The Rams Review Podcast
How has your season been so far? We have been consistently inconsistent. Other than a handful of performances, we have been very poor. So many players have been below par and we lack goals.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? One word. Survival. That is all that matters. Performances are not important. We need points and fast. Stay up and rebuild next season.
Where do you hope to finish? Anywhere above 22nd. I say 19th.
Where do you expect to finish? I think we have just enough to scrape safety. 20th.
Huddersfield Town
Brady Frost, And He Takes That Chance Podcast
How has your season been so far? A great first half of the season saw Town six points off the play-off places. Now we are in a relegation battle. Good 2020. Bad 2021.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Avoid relegation and climb the table. If Huddersfield can finish strongly and get a few wins to build on for next season, that would be great.
Where do you hope to finish? Comfortably mid-table. Maybe even the heady heights of 14th.
Where do you expect to finish? 18th, with a nervy end to the season.
Luton Town
Ian Robertson, We Are Luton Town
How has your season been so far? Actually, this has been a highly productive season. Position aside, we have grown from a one-dimensional fresh newcomer to the Championship to a diverse, adaptable and progressive outfit.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Enter the top half of the table and continue to show our ability and convert more of the opportunities we make.
Where do you hope to finish? 11th would be fantastic.
Where do you expect to finish? 13th. This is the position we have occupied in the main and is much more likely.
Middlesbrough
John Donovan, Twe12th Man Podcast
How has your season been so far? Frustratingly inconsistent. Countless opportunities to climb into the play-off places squandered. We play well against the top six and poorly against the others. Soft goals conceded, not enough scored.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Finish strong. Either to push for top six (unlikely) or use the last few games as a platform for next season. If play-off hopes end soon, give youngsters first-team experience.
Where do you hope to finish? 6th (says the born optimist).
Where do you expect to finish? Just outside the play-offs. Probably 8th.
Millwall
Nick Hart, Achtung! Millwall Podcast
How has your season been so far? Like for all football clubs, the ‘Covid season’ has been very strange. An empty Zampa Road just doesn’t seem right and Millwall has really missed the fans.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? After a season where, for many clubs, their very existence has been (and maybe remains) on the line, I hope that football will start (slowly) to come out of lockdown.
Where do you hope to finish? Millwall’s injury list this season means that a top-six finish is now way out of reach. A top-10 finish would be some achievement, though. 10th
Where do you expect to finish? The club has certainly developed under Gary Rowett to think of itself as a top-half Championship side. I expect us to finish in 10th now.
Norwich City
Jon Punt, Along Come Norwich
How has your season been so far? Could not have been better. Daniel Farke has fused remnants of the successful 2018/19 squad with some new blood to form an even more effective Championship outfit than last time out.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Given the imperious position Norwich find themselves in, it would be a travesty if we didn’t just win the league but also reach the 100-point mark. These players are more than capable of that but they will have to hold their collective nerve.
Where do you hope to finish? 1st. This squad and manager deserve winners’ medals.
Where do you expect to finish? 1st. Champions. Anything else would be quite the drop off in form.
Nottingham Forest
Holly Royall, Forest Fancast
How has your season been so far? Hugely disappointing. Disastrous start. Another manager sacked. Chris Hughton appointed has seen the ship steadied but no consistency and a painful lack of goals.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Pick up a bit of momentum, become more clinical in front of goal and cement a comfortable mid-table finish, safe from relegation.
Where do you hope to finish? 12th. Anything above would be a dream.
Where do you expect to finish? A shameful 17th.
Preston North End
Jake Oates, From the Finney
How has your season been so far? Injuries, selling the spine of our team, sixteen ins and outs in January and the manager losing his job. It is been a tough, long season.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? It would be nice to see the team playing with some attacking intent, taking the game to teams and avoiding relegation.
Where do you hope to finish? I hope we will finish in the top half but itis unlikely. 12th.
Where do you expect to finish? In the bottom third of the table but above the bottom three. 18th.
Queens Park Rangers
Charlie Wise, Talking Rangers
How has your season been so far? Strong, but frustrating. Too inconsistent to mount a charge towards the top six, epitomised by being winless in nine games then winning six from the next seven. A roller coaster of a campaign for QPR.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Kick on and finish in the top 10, whilst setting ourselves up for a strong 2021/22 campaign.
Where do you hope to finish? 9th place would showcase real progression for QPR.
Where do you expect to finish? 13th place and QPR go hand in hand.
Reading
Becka White, TheTilehurstEnd
How has your season been so far? Although we have had some issues with consistency of performances, there has been massive improvement on recent seasons. We have struggled with injuries to key players and not investing in January could come back to hurt us. But on the whole a decent season.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? I hope we can find some form after the international break, finish the season strongly and hold onto a play-off spot. Keeping the likes of Lucas Joao and Yakou Meite fit will be absolutely key.
Where do you hope to finish? 5th.
Where do you expect to finish? 6th.
Rotherham United
Matt Lax, Rotherham United Podcast
How has your season been so far? In short, we have had two Covid outbreaks but are still in a good position to stay up, which is positive.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? We keep putting in some good performances. It is going to be a very tight finish at the bottom of the league.
Where do you hope to finish? I am hoping for a comfortable 18th.
Where do you expect to finish? I expect it to be close but for us to be safe – 21st.
Sheffield Wednesday
Ben Woodcock, The Wednesday Week Podcast
How has your season been so far? Pretty poor indeed. We never expect to be in a situation where, even without a points deduction, we would be in the relegation zone.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? To somehow escape relegation. It has been made tougher as we have already played the sides around us that we would ideally need to beat. Saying that, those are the games we have tended to lose.
Where do you hope to finish? 21st place would do. We cannot hope for more.
Where do you expect to finish? Where we are now. 23rd.
Stoke City
Chris Brammer, The Wizards of Drivel Podcast
How has your season been so far? It has been a mixed bag of a season. An improvement on the last two seasons, but not one that will be remembered for long.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? To finish the season off strong. We aren’t threatening for play-offs, or near relegation, so just a positive end will do.
Where do you hope to finish? A top-half finish would be nice. Finishes just outside the play-offs would show real improvement. 9th.
Where do you expect to finish? 11th.
Swansea City
Steven Carroll, Swansea Oh Swansea Fanzine
How has your season been so far? Very good. A promotion push was not expected but we go into the business end of the season with a genuine chance of going up automatically.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? That performances improve. We have not played well recently and it has eventually lead to a dip in results and we need to step it up.
Where do you hope to finish? 2nd. Don’t want play-offs if we can help it.
Where do you expect to finish? More likely to be 4th.
Watford
Mike Parkin, From the Rookery End Podcast
How has your season been so far? A season of two halves. After a disappointing start to the campaign, Watford have clicked into gear under Xisco Munoz with an exciting run-in guaranteed.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? Watford can keep turning in exciting, dominant performances. This is a great squad and when firing on all cylinders, they are a joy to watch.
Where do you hope to finish? Watford can make Norwich sweat at the top of the table. Champions would be amazing.
Where do you expect to finish? At the risk of jinxing it, I will say 2nd.
Wycombe Wanderers
Tom Hancock, JJ’s Left Foot
How has your season been so far? With the smallest budget in Championship history, we were always going to be right up against it, and I am not surprised we find ourselves so far adrift at the bottom. But we have given it our absolute all and that’s all you could have asked for.
What are your hopes for the rest of the season? To pass the 30-point mark. Club legend Adebayo Akinfenwa getting a well-deserved first-ever Championship goal at the age of 38 in what looks like his final season with us would cap off a disappointing season nicely.
Where do you hope to finish? Higher than bottom. 23rd.
Where do you expect to finish? 24th. Bottom.
