The Championship Betting: Michael to Chopra down Blackpool

Championship / Andrew French / 13 August 2009 /

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Cardiff's Michael Chopra is an expensive purchase by Championship standards, but his brace against Scunthorpe last week suggests it's money well spent.

"Strength through the spine of the team is always key, and these two are well capable of making a big impression at Championship level."

All bar four of the opening weekend fixtures ended in stalemate, but two of the quartet that did manage to take maximum points lead Andrew French's suggestions for this weekend too.

Cardiff should have made the Play-Offs last season. They know that and their fans will certainly know it. And although they've lost a couple of regulars from last season, manager Dave Jones has splashed out serious wedge on striker Michael Chopra and central defender Mark Hudson. Strength through the spine of the team is always key, and these two are well capable of making a big impression at Championship level.

Chopra was off the mark with a double as the Bluebirds trounced Scunthorpe 4-0, and I take Cardiff to take the points at Blackpool this weekend. I listened to recently-appointed Tangerines boss Ian Holloway on the BBC at the weekend, and his comments and tone suggested he knows there is a bit of building work to be done before his side can push on. Losing skipper Shaun Barker to Derby hasn't helped, and although they ground out a point at QPR on Saturday, I suggest Cardiff in this one at [2.56].

Nigel Clough kept Derby out of bother in the second half of last season and with a whole summer to shape the team, the Rams are among the sides I think can be involved in matters at the sharp end this term. They had to work hard for their win over Peterborough last weekend, but their squad looks very strong indeed - not many sides at this level could afford to leave the likes of Kris Commons and Luke Varney on the bench. They visit Scunthorpe, who did well to bounce back to the Championship last season but look likely to find themselves falling a bit short as they did two seasons ago. I advise backing Derby at [2.86].

Although I think they are a long way from being promotion material, Newcastle played a lot better at West Brom on Saturday than I had expected. Of course, with the constant trials and tribulations at St James Park, who knows what is around the corner that could upset the applecart. But they did enough in the live game on the BBC to suggest they are worth supporting when Reading visit this weekend.

The Royals finished last season dismally (six wins in 22 games from the turn of the year) and new manager Brendan Rodgers has had to combine coping with the loss of striker Kevin Doyle, sweeping the decks of what he sees as deadwood and trying to bring his own style to bear as he steps into Steve Coppell's shoes. There wasn't too much in Saturday's goalless draw with Nottingham Forest to suggest he's going to get things working overnight, and so backing Newcastle at [2.2] is the option for me.

Ipswich might have been a touch unlucky to lose at Coventry on Sunday, but even a manager of the stature of Roy Keane is going to have his work cut out to get his much-changed squad firing on all cylinders from day one. Six in, eight out - it's hard to make such changes and hit the ground running. The Tractor Boys were also pretty ropey at home last term: eight wins from 23 league outings. That all combines to make me suggest laying them at [1.98] for the visit of Leicester, who I thought could be one of the contenders this season even before they beat Swansea on Saturday.

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