Championship preview: Wayne Rooney seeks redemption, Leeds favourites for title, Coventry in rivalry

The EFL Championship, in its present guise, has thrown up many strange surprises over its 20-year lifespan. There have been 14 totally different winners because the competitors’s rebranding in 2004, and of these winners, half will probably be competing on this yr’s enthralling version.

To mark the anniversary we now have picked out among the most compelling tales that can contribute to the chronicles of the Championship throughout 2024-25, together with Wayne Rooney’s return to administration with Plymouth, Portsmouth’s 12 years in exile and the prime contenders for promotion.

Rooney’s redemption at Plymouth?

“I don’t want to become the next Gary Neville,” Rooney exclaimed, when requested about why he favoured a job in soccer administration over punditry. Honest sufficient.

Each Manchester United stalwarts, Neville and Rooney shared a dressing room for seven years of their taking part in days, however, evidently, sharing a TV studio was much less interesting.

Rooney’s earlier full-time managerial function was an ill-fated 83-day spell at Birmingham Metropolis, which did extra to tarnish his status than construct it – so, can this time be totally different?

The 39-year-old definitely has a degree to show. Succeeding Ian Foster, who was dismissed in April after lower than three months in cost at Residence Park, seems like a neater act to comply with than Stephen Schumacher – the person who led Plymouth to the League One title – however this stays a tricky gig.

Plymouth’s funds is modest by Championship comparability, and Rooney could must depend on youth to assist bolster numbers – one thing that ought to not faze a participant who made his skilled debut at simply 16. “If you are good enough, you are old enough,” he stated in his first official press convention.

Rooney’s identify comes with expectation, however all of that banked credit score was achieved throughout his illustrious taking part in days, and never but transferred into his teaching capability. That is an experiment that would go both method.

Parker proper man for Burnley’s cost?

Vincent Kompany’s departure to Bayern Munich felt like a serious blow to Burnley’s hopes of a direct return to the Premier League, earlier than a ball has even been kicked.

And the appointment of Scott Parker, a month or so later, did little to reignite the religion.

The previous West Ham midfielder has been out of administration since leaving Membership Bruges in March 2023, having received simply two of his 12 matches in cost.

However let our rationale not merely be told by short-term reminiscence, however by the general image.

Parker has twice received promotion from the Championship. Truth. Fulham secured the golden ticket by way of the play-offs in 2019-20 and Bournemouth achieved automated promotion in 2021-22. There’s precedent. Not solely that, however they did so taking part in engaging soccer.

Burnley start the brand new season away to fellow newly-relegated Luton City, which will probably be an early indicator of which method the Parker pendulum is more likely to swing this season. A reminder that the final time Burnley competed within the Championship, they reached 101 factors.

A hat-trick of promotions on the horizon, maybe? Or does this challenge require extra longer-term considering?

Leeds red-hot favourites

Again in early July, Leeds introduced that possession of Elland Street has been transferred again to the membership for the primary time since 2004. It was a big second for a membership that slipped out of the highest tier that exact same yr.

Daniel Farke steered Leeds in direction of a third-place end final time period, solely to be overwhelmed within the play-off ultimate by Southampton.

This time, the German will probably be reluctant to depart issues to likelihood.

What wants to enhance, then? A quick begin all the time helps – it took till the fourth league sport earlier than Leeds bought their first win final season, an exhilarating 4-3 victory at Ipswich.

Not disastrous on the face of it, however that early stutter mixed with a late-season drop-off is what finally value them a top-two end. What was spectacular, although, was the shift from a counter-pressing system to Farke’s favoured possession-based model so shortly.

And so it seems like issues are starting to fall into place, with the surroundings extra settled than it was final summer time, regardless of some disappointing departures – Archie Grey to Spurs, for instance.

Farke, however, has had a full pre-season to transmit concepts and fine-tune his squad.

He’ll firmly imagine a promotion cost is on the playing cards.

Luton love-in over? – or simply starting…

Luton didn’t go down and not using a struggle. Many wrote them off earlier than a ball was kicked final season, and regardless of ultimately succumbing to the pressures of the Premier League, they had been solely reduce adrift on the ultimate day.

Rob Edwards’ facet loved their second within the solar, and so they need to, having performed within the Nationwide League – the fifth degree of the pyramid – as just lately as 2015.

Some continuity forward of this new time period will serve them properly. Their rise by the tiers had been swift and surprising, however now it’s stability they want, one thing provided by the regular steering of Edwards and his settled teaching crew.

Luton followers love him. Basic soccer followers appear to have developed an affection too. Edwards is, above all, relatable, seen wiping tears from his bloodshot eyes as Luton’s destiny was near being sealed on the penultimate weekend at West Ham – the supporters’ response was to serenade him, and the membership’s was at hand him a brand new four-year deal.

His – and Luton’s – efforts had been applauded throughout the division. The idea will probably be that they compete for promotion as soon as once more this time period, however expectation attracts strain. And everyone knows how shortly issues can unravel beneath strain.

Coventry abyss is distant previous

Keep in mind when Coventry Metropolis went inside a toenail of beating Manchester United to the FA Cup ultimate final season? Sure, that basically occurred. Soccer has such a humorous method of throwing up surprising enjoyment. Anyway…

Devoted Coventry followers can even bear in mind when the membership fell on far starker instances, hitting all-time low earlier than a commanding comeback. On this case, Mark Robins has been the instigator.

Takeovers, promotions, cup classics, Robins has seen all of it throughout his seven years in cost. Coventry have been quietly clawing their method up divisions, and had been inside touching distance of the Premier League, solely to fall on the ultimate hurdle when overwhelmed by Luton in 2023’s play-off ultimate.

To say that it has been a protracted journey up to now could be a big understatement. Coventry’s plight has been murkier than most since falling out of the highest tier in 2001, sliding so far as League Two, earlier than discovering solace beneath Robins.

The way in which they reset after final yr’s play-off disappointment was symptomatic of the supervisor’s understated model – his achievements throughout his second stint on the membership have moderately flown beneath the radar. Regardless of, that’s how he likes it.

Coventry fell a way wanting their play-off ambitions final season however the basic route of the membership is a optimistic one. Followers are happier. Relationships have been rebuilt and religion restored.

That could be a good place to start out.

Portsmouth’s 12 years in exile lastly over

Portsmouth followers have had a tough experience. Crashing out of the Premier League is one factor, however tumbling unceremoniously down the divisions, all the way in which to the fourth tier, and near the brink of extinction is one other fully.

Darkish days had been aplenty. And Portsmouth’s long-suffering supporters had been near breaking level. Enter John Mousinho, a player-turned-coach, who brazenly admitted he was a “left-field” selection when appointed to his first managerial publish in January 2023.

However the gamble labored. Portsmouth had been promoted again to the Championship as League One champions in his first full season in cost, ending a 12-year exile.

There’s a splendidly endearing video of the Pompey dressing room after beating Barnsley to safe promotion in April, the place the taking part in squad are regaling Mousinho with a rendition of “who needs Mourinho – we’ve got Mousinho”.

This can be a distinctive membership. One which has skilled the highs of the Premier League, Europe and FA Cup glory in the identical 20-year interval as three fateful relegations in 4 seasons, and two spells in administration. The rise and fall is kind of extraordinary.

Fratton Park, one of many oldest stadiums within the nation, has seen higher days, however beneath Mousinho it’s starting to get its shine again.

Portsmouth have by far the toughest begin throughout their opening 5 matches, but additionally the possibility to put a marker in opposition to heavy-favourites Leeds, and recently-demoted Luton, amongst others.

Mousinho, in spite of everything, has one of the best win share of any Portsmouth supervisor up to now 120 years – followers will probably be ready with bated breath to see if that document can face up to the problem of the Championship, and hopefully past.