The Coca Cola Championship is a fantastically wide-open contest with at least a dozen teams in with a chance of winning the 2008/9 title. Bookmakers are usually in disagreement as to who should be favourites, with QPR and Birmingham jostling for position at the top of this season’s outright market, and the likes of Reading, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United and Wolves forming an orderly queue behind them.

Unlike the Premier League, teams can afford to lose several games in the Championship and still win the league or be promoted. Sunderland were a case in hand two seasons ago, losing their first four matches before manager Roy Keane came in and led them to the top flight. Likewise, West Brom lost eleven matches on their way to the Promised Land last term. Therefore, it's wise not