A third of the Championship season has been completed, with Birmingham City top of the table at the international break and the promotion and play-off race finely balanced.
On the latest Essential EFL podcast from Sky Sports, former players Billy Sharp and Luke Chambers assessed the main talking points from the second tier, including Birmingham City’s rise, Middlesbrough’s dependence on Will Lankshear and Scott Parker’s task at West Ham.
Birmingham setting the pace
Birmingham City have won six of their past seven matches and suffered only two defeats all season. Their form under Chris Davies has taken them to the summit, although Billy Sharp admitted he had not expected them to be leading the division.
Sharp said Birmingham had shown “glimpses” of their potential last season but lacked consistency. He believes Davies has now established a settled side, including two centre-backs he has admired since last season, and a 4-2-3-1 formation that is suiting the team.
The arrival of Liam Millar has added another attacking option, while Jay Stansfield’s two goals in Birmingham’s most recent match could prove important for a player Sharp believes has the ability to win games when he is scoring regularly.
Sharp had expected Birmingham to challenge for the play-offs rather than lead the Championship, but said their defensive record and ability to score goals had made their position deserved. He also suggested that the increased number of play-off places may be encouraging teams to pursue wins rather than settle for draws, contributing to the tight standings near the top.
Middlesbrough missing Lankshear
Middlesbrough have failed to score in their past two matches since Will Lankshear suffered an injury. Before that, the forward had scored 13 goals in 13 Championship appearances.
Luke Chambers believes the recent results have exposed how heavily Middlesbrough rely on Lankshear. He said the striker provides pace, energy and tenacity, while most of his goals have come from one-touch finishes after team-mates create the opportunities.
Chambers warned that Amario Cozier-Duberry cannot be expected to maintain his current scoring and assisting rate indefinitely. With Lankshear available, Middlesbrough present several attacking threats and create space for players such as Cozier-Duberry. Without him, however, Tommy Conway has endured an inconsistent season on the left and Jeremy Sarmiento has yet to reach the level expected of him.
Middlesbrough were hurt last season by injuries to Hayden Hackney and Morgan Whittaker, and their inability to score eventually damaged their automatic promotion hopes. Chambers fears a similar problem could develop if Lankshear’s absence is prolonged.
He noted that no other Middlesbrough player has scored more than three goals, compared with Lankshear’s 13. The club have otherwise impressed with their efficiency and chance creation, but Chambers said the developing discussion around their main striker could increase pressure on the squad. He hopes Lankshear will be close to returning after the international break.
West Brom flourishing under Morrison
West Bromwich Albion narrowly avoided relegation last season but have made an excellent start under James Morrison. They are fifth, only one point behind the leaders.
Sharp said Morrison appeared to be giving his players freedom and confidence within a clear tactical structure. Isaac Price has been one of the players to benefit, scoring important goals and appearing across different areas of the pitch.
Price told Sharp that the squad enjoyed working under Morrison and believed in one another. Sharp also said Morrison understood the club thoroughly and had the support of the fans, with no sign of dressing-room unrest even after disappointing results.
Parker faces major West Ham task
Scott Parker has taken one point from his first two matches as West Ham manager. His side recovered from 3-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3 at Cardiff, before losing 2-1 at Blackburn Rovers.
After 15 matches, West Ham are outside the top eight, although they remain six points from the top two and within reach of the play-off positions.
Chambers said Parker would have been encouraged by the response at Cardiff, a match he was covering, but believes the manager must change the mindset and culture of a group that has become accustomed to losing.
He expects considerable attention on Parker’s return to West Ham, where he played, but said the international break had arrived at a useful time for the new manager to work with his squad and communicate his ideas. West Ham’s objective remains promotion, and Parker must also rebuild the relationship between the players and supporters.
Wrexham and Preston under pressure
Wrexham have won only four of their opening 15 matches and sit in the bottom half. Sharp believes the large number of new arrivals means some players are still adapting to Phil Parkinson’s methods.
He was particularly unimpressed by Wrexham’s defeat at Sheffield United, describing their performance as passive, short of urgency and lacking the service needed for Kieffer Moore. Parkinson strongly criticised the display afterwards, calling it the worst Wrexham performance he had seen in many years, but the team have improved slightly since then.
Preston remain bottom and seven points from safety despite beating Southampton 1-0 at Deepdale for Graham Alexander’s first win in charge.
Chambers said Alexander would need time, but feared Preston faced a difficult battle to remain in the Championship. He compared their situation with his time at Ipswich, when underfunding, a lack of direction and unsuccessful recruitment contributed to relegation, and said he could not yet see where a dramatic turnaround at Preston would come from.
