The race for Premier League football

All English clubs aspire to one day reach the Premier League, but with the Championship getting more and more competitive each season, the task of achieving that goal has become increasingly tougher.

Teams that get relegated from the Premier League - most recently Burnley, Portsmouth and Hull - are often considered among the favourites to gain instant promotion back into the top flight. But even the teams that came up from League One – Leeds, Norwich and Millwall – cannot be written off as serious top-six contenders as the 2010/11 campaign continues to be filled with excitement.

You could arguably make a case for the majority of the teams in the Championship regarding promotion. I initially predicted QPR, Cardiff and Swansea to go up and, although I’m going to stick to my guns on that one, there are several other teams worth considering.

MY PROMOTION CONTENDERS

QPR – Leaders QPR have suffered back-to-back league defeats to Watford and Leeds, but that is unlikely to stop them from being in the mix for promotion at the end of the season. Before the recent 3-1 home defeat by Watford, the London club had gone 19 league games without defeat and if they can recapture that kind of form they will be hard to stop. With the experience of Neil Warnock and the sheer genius of Adel Taarabt, along with plenty more talent in the squad, this should be their year!

CARDIFF – The Welsh club came within 90 minutes of securing Premier League football last season, but a 3-2 defeat by Blackpool left them stuck in the Championship. The Bluebirds will be hoping this is their final season in England’s second tier but, after four league games without a win, they need to recover quickly to get their promotion bid back on track. With the talented attacking trio of Jay Bothroyd, Craig Bellamy and Michael Chopra in their ranks, I believe the goals will soon be flowing again and Dave Jones’ side are definitely still serious title challengers.

SWANSEA – The Swans had one of the best defensive records in the Championship last season, but their lack of goals ultimately cost them as they missed out on a place in the 2009/10 play-offs by just one point. After losing two managers in as many seasons the Welsh club could maybe be forgiven for sliding down the table and taking time to rebuild. But under new manager Brendan Rogers, who was appointed in July 2010, the Swans continue to pose a big threat and lie up in fourth place. Summer signing Scott Sinclair has been a revelation at the Liberty Stadium this season and the prospect of two Welsh clubs being in the Premier League next season cannot be ruled out.

LEEDS – Usually when a team earns promotion the remit for the following campaign is simply to avoid relegation or possibly achieve a mid-table finish. But second-placed Leeds must be considered serious contenders for promotion this season. The division itself is getting more and more competitive each year, so no team can really be ignored, but there seems to be something extra special about Leeds. Simon Grayson’s men have lost six of their 22 league games this season and are coping remarkably well without the services of star striker Jermaine Beckford, who moved to Everton over the summer. Luciano Becchio, Jonny Howson, Robert Snodgrass and Kasper Schmeichel are just four examples of the wealth of talent in the United squad and the Yorkshire side will push the likes of QPR, Cardiff and Swansea all the way this season.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST – After reaching the play-off semi final last season, Forest have yet to really hit top gear and currently lie 8^th in the table. Forest are the only side to remain unbeaten at home in the Championship this season, while Lewis McGugan has been one of their best performers with several great goals to his name already in 2010.  But the Reds need more of their big name players to step up to the plate on a regular basis if they are to be considered serious promotion contenders. Billy Davies’ men are just four points off the play-off places and I believe they will recapture their best form soon as they continue to fight for a place in the Premier League.

A FEW MORE…

Fifth-placed Norwich have enjoyed an impressive first-half to the season and are likely to be in and around the play-off places at the end of the campain. Derby and Coventry have surprised many people and are performing remarkably well, but whether the duo can maintain their good form for the entire campaign is a different matter.

AND NOT FORGETTING…

Burnley will be looking for an instant return to the Championship, but may just fall short this campaign due to their struggling away form. Despite not having much depth in their squad, Portsmouth could yet find themselves in the mix having shown much better form in recent weeks. I’d love to see my hometown club Bristol City gain promotion but, although the play-offs are still possible for the Robins, a top-half finish is a more realistic goal.  Several other sides including Reading, Doncaster, Leicester and Millwall, all have a chance to still make their case for promotion. But with only three teams going up, many of the sides are going to have to get used to the second tier of English football for a little while longer.

IT’S NOT OVER JUST YET…

There are only five points between seventh-placed Reading and Sheffield United, who are down in 20^th, so nothing can be taken for granted. There is still plenty to play for and it will be exciting to see which three teams will join the Premier League next season.

Whoever gets promoted cannot be taken lightly!  Blackpool have already shown this year that teams coming up into the top flight should not be underestimated!