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Championship preview: Contenders, pretenders and strugglers
The Championship has a clear weekend while lower-league clubs play in the FA Cup, giving attention to a division already marked by drama and managerial changes. Birmingham City and Swansea meet in a test of their promotion credentials, while Scott Parker begins his West Ham tenure and Sheffield United continue to edge towards the play-off places.
Birmingham have won five of their past six league matches and could move top by beating Swansea, who have followed heavy wins and losses in recent games. Parker, appointed after Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked, has won promotion from the Championship with three previous clubs; West Ham drew 3-3 with Cardiff after trailing 3-0 in his first half in charge. Sheffield United are ninth after four wins in six, five points off the top two. The article also flags struggling sides including Derby County and Charlton.
In short
- Birmingham could go top with a win over Swansea.
- Scott Parker starts his West Ham job after a 3-3 draw.
- Sheffield United are ninth and five points off the top two.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Birmingham’s recent form gives them a credible chance to move top, while their match against Swansea offers a timely test of their promotion credentials. Parker’s record of winning promotion with three clubs and West Ham’s spirited recovery against Cardiff suggest he may steady a side unsettled by managerial change; Sheffield United’s run also keeps a play-off push within reach.
The case against
A short winning run does not establish Birmingham as promotion contenders, and Swansea’s uneven results make this fixture a limited measure of either side’s prospects. Parker’s past promotions may not translate to West Ham, whose 3-3 draw began with a 3-0 deficit, while Sheffield United remain five points off the top two; the wider picture also includes clubs struggling to keep pace.