As the Championship season temporarily halts due to the detested, despised, deplorable international break, during which we are forced to go a whole two weeks without seeing our beloved team in action, now is a good time to assess the winners and losers of the first five matchdays of the 2017-18 Championship season.
We start off with the winners, featuring a sharp-shooting local hero and a previously unknown manager whose managerial career on these shores has started with a bang…
WINNERS
Neil Warnock
The wily old manager has led Cardiff City to five straight league victories, and they top the Championship after five games. At best, critics saw the Welsh side as outsiders for a play-off push but Warnock (below) has galvanised his troops and is building a team greater than the sum of its parts.
A resounding 3-0 triumph over promotion favourites Aston Villa and a hard-fought 2-1 victory at big-spending Wolves have been the highlights so far for the Bluebirds. Can Neil Warnock continue to defy expectations and keep Cardiff at the top of the pile? It may seem unlikely, but certainly don’t put it past the 68-year-old.
Billy Sharp
Billy Sharp (below) is a Blades hero – born and bred in Sheffield, the 31-year-old hitman is currently in his third spell at Bramall Lane. Questions have been asked as to whether the captain would be able to replicate last season’s form in the Championship, but these first five games have indicated that he is up for the challenge.
Whilst it is unlikely he will hit 30 goals this season, as he did in Sheffield United’s League One winning campaign last year, he has cemented his status as one of the first names on Chris Wilder’s team sheet. Sharp has netted four times so far this season – the only goal in victories over Brentford and Barnsley, and two crucial strikes in last weekend’s 3-1 win over Derby County.
Preston’s Defence
Incredibly, Preston North End are yet to concede a league goal from open play this season. Whatever Alex Neil is telling his defenders, he’s telling them the right things, as the only Championship goal that the Lilywhites have conceded has been a Matej Vydra penalty in their 1-0 defeat at Derby. They have had some tricky fixtures as well, travelling to Leeds and Middlesbrough, as well as hosting Sheffield Wednesday and Reading. Nevertheless, whilst their defence are working wonders, the same cannot be said for Preston’s attackers. More on that in a minute…
Thomas Christiansen
The Elland Road faithful were left bemused following the appointment of the Danish-born former Spanish international – far from being the big name they craved to take over from Garry Monk, Christiansen was a completely unknown quantity. Any doubts have been quickly quashed, however, with three wins, two draws and four clean sheets in Leeds’ opening five league games. The way in which he dealt with Chris Wood’s departure was admirable, and he comes across extremely well in press conferences. Whether Leeds can continue their impressive start is another question entirely, but in Christiansen, they have a likeable figure at the helm who is out to prove people wrong.
Martyn Waghorn & Joe Garner
Waghorn and Garner, both summer signings for Ipswich from Rangers, appear to have struck up a formidable partnership for the Tractor Boys. Mick McCarthy’s men won their opening four fixtures, with Waghorn netting four times, and Garner three, with the latter also providing an assist. Ipswich surprisingly sit second in the Championship as we head into the international break, and if they are to continue their fantastic start, the duo will need to remain at their very best.
Unfortunately, wherever there are winners, there have to be losers to accompany them. The losers of the Championship season so far feature David Wagner 2.0, and his rather shaky defence…
