Championship - almost 14 games in

 The Championship is almost 14 games in and the big boys are moving to the top.

Leicester seem to be unstoppable, Ipswich's massive investment in players is paying off and Leeds are getting their act together. However, the Championship is the most competitive league in Europe so expect twists and turns!

Make sure you return when everyone has played 14 games!

 

League 1 - 14 Games in.

League 1 teams have now all hit the 14 match marker.  What do we see and what can we predict?

Oxford continue to be in the conversation for automatic promotion and a great last 7 games from Portsmouth has propelled them to the top.  I expect both these teams to be in the top 3 at the end of the season as it already looks a 3 horse race for the top 2 spots.  Bolton continue to impress and will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

Barnsley and Peterborough may spoil the promotion party but they have played a game more and their ppg indicates a strong play off run with no indication of a top 2 push.

The January transfer window may be fascinating and the teams from the current top 4 or 5 who get that right may secure promotion.  Last season, Ipswich and Plymouth both invested heavily in the January transfer window while Sheffield Wednesday did little business.  Plymouth and Ipswich secured the automatic promotion spots while Wednesday faded from the top 2.  They did scrape up via the playoffs...but probably wish they hadn't given they have yet to win a game in the Championship.

I am also starting a points per game tracker - take a look! - L1 - PPG tracker

 It's looking good for Portsmouth....

They are smack bang in the middle of the PPG needed to be champions after 14 games.... Check back once everyone has played 14 games and the data can be ranked!

League 1 - As we get to 14 games in....

The League 1 table will start to take shape now as teams start to get to 14 games in.... 

Stevenage's electrifying start, after their promotion as runner's up last year, has cooled but a PPG (points per game) of 1.57 is more than enough for mid table with a possible late flirt at the playoffs.

 

Burton, for the second year in a row, start abysmally but are quickly turning it around. Their improvement is rapid and they could be a dark horse for the playoffs. 

The third team to hit 14 matches also achieved promotion last year, this time via the playoffs, and Carlise continue to average just under a point per game. With 4 teams being relegated it is essential to get over that 1 point per game average. 

Teams promoted via the playoffs often struggle at a higher level and Carlisle will have to rely heavily on their team spirit and organisation if they are to stay up.

 

Championship - 7 games in....

 And we are off....

Surely Preston can't keep this up.....and who'd have thought Middlesborough would have had such a bad start?

League 1 - 7 games in....

So 7 games in...how is it looking...  

Stevenage continue their impressive form with a ppg of 2 but Oxford and Port Vale are the two teams who are earning enough points per game to be in and around the top 2 when the season end. 

Exeter's loss to Leyton Orient changes their destination from the automatics to the playoffs. How they fare in the next 7 games will be fascinating. Will they do a Wimbledon on 2021 / 2022 and fade away down the table or is there a top 6 team at St James Park this year? 

In 2021 / 2022 Rotherham came from mid-table to finish runners up but I don't think anyone below 1.86ppg can hope for the top 2 anymore. Reading and Wigan are distorting the picture at the bottom as they wouldn't be there but for the points deduction.....meaning it is looking particularly grim for Cheltenham, Fleetwood and Burton already. 

 History would suggest they are in significant trouble already.

Championship Tracking 2023 / 2024

The Championship Tracking spreadsheet for 2023 / 2024 is up and ready to go!

League 1 Tracking 2023 / 2024

The League 1 2023 / 2024 tracking page is set up and ready to go!  

 Click here for the key - Click me for the key

League 1 Average Positions during the season.

Average Positions during the season - League 1

Want to know where a team could end up after a few games....

Take a look here.  If you're going to be Champions you need to be up there all season long...and if you're bottom after 14 games then the outlook is bleak.

The number in the table is the average position of the team that finished the season in the indicated position.

 

League 1 - 2021 / 2022

The tracking of positions during the League 1 2021 / 22 season can be found below.

League 1 2022 / 2023

League 1 2022 / 2023

The 2022 / 2023 season finished with Plymouth Argyle as Champions, Ipswich in second place and Sheffield Wednesday promoted via the playoffs in third. But how predictable were these finishing positions? Well, take a look. The table below correlates the finishing position of each team with their position throughout the season.

The relegated teams of MK Dons, Morcambe, Accrington and Forest Green all failed to achieve an average of 1 point per game whilst Cambridge managed a single point per game and just survived.