The Championship Betting: Tommy to gun down Doncaster

Championship / Andrew French / 07 August 2009 / Leave a Comment

Tamas Priskin has left to join Ipswich but Tommy Smith is still at Vicarage Road and remains a key player.

. I certainly think they can account for Doncaster on Saturday – the Hornets finished mid-table last term thanks to a late good run having been right in the relegation mire at the turn of the year. Back them at [2.16] despite the sale of Tamas Priskin to Ipswich on Friday afternoon. Tommy Smith is still around and should give the visitors a torrid time with his usual blend of flair and hard work.

Andrew French talks us through the opening day of The Championship season where Middlesbrough will struggle to win, which may well be a recurring theme this season. Unlike Watford who should take all three points off Doncaster.

I really don't fancy any of the three relegated teams for promotion back to the Premier League this season, and I believe the live TV curtain-raiser on Friday between Middlesbrough and Sheffield United will be the first chance for those who have been stranded in the Championship for a while to show the new arrivals it's going to be far from easy to return from whence they came.

Only 14 of the last 52 teams relegated from the top flight have bounced back at the first attempt, and just three of the 30 teams that have suffered the drop since the turn of the century have won the Championship the next season. I believe Newcastle are, for many reasons that are patently obvious, the easiest of the trio to discount - but I'm only marginally more impressed by the chances of Middlesbrough.

They just don't score goals - a mere 28 in 38 Premier League games last season. Okay, so they're now one rung lower on the league ladder, but even with the arrival of Leroy Lita, I don't see them becoming a net-busting force overnight. Therefore, I am suggesting a lay of Boro at [2.26]. Visitors Sheffield United finished third last season and although they have to overcome the disappointment of that failure, a whole summer should have helped. They lost only five away league games last term and I can see them taking a point at least from the Riverside.

I really like the look of Leicester. They were head and shoulders above the rest of League One last season and looked like a Championship side playing a league beneath themselves. They can be competitive again at the top end following promotion, and I'm taking them to kick off with victory over Swansea. The Welsh club have lost both their manager and star striker from last season, and although individuals do not make a team, they'll need time to adapt to the change. Back Leicester at [2.32].

My club Watford have had a difficult summer - change of manager, financial problems behind the scenes, several players leaving and the few remaining star names continually linked with a move. Having said that, they have looked reasonably impressive in pre-season and although novice boss Malky Mackay will have to rely on a fair amount of homegrown young talent, I don't think they are in for quite the struggle some may predict. I certainly think they can account for Doncaster on Saturday - the Hornets finished mid-table last term thanks to a late good run having been right in the relegation mire at the turn of the year. Back them at [2.16] despite the sale of Tamas Priskin to Ipswich on Friday afternoon. Tommy Smith is still around and should give the visitors a torrid time with his usual blend of flair and hard work.

One club that I think will be in for another struggle is Barnsley. They just scrambled clear of the drop last term but nothing has happened over the summer to suggest an easier ride this time around. They visit Sheffield Wednesday, who would have finished further up the table last season if they had learned how to defend during away games. Wednesday had a good home record though - even if Barnsley did do the double over them - and I take the Owls to win this one at [2.02].