Championship Preview 2011-12: The Promoted Teams

Norwich City showed that back-to-back promotions are possible as they vaulted all the way to the top tier after their first season back in the Championship. We assess the prospects of the three sides who have most recently clambered out of League One.

Brighton

Best title odds: 20/1 - Boylesports
Best promotion odds: 6/1 - Bet365
Best relegation Odds: 14/1 - Skybet
Manager: Gus Poyet
One to watch: Craig Mackail-Smith

Verdict:

Gus Poyet has broken the club’s transfer record to bring Craig Mackail-Smith to the coast for a fee that could rise to £3.25m with add-ons. The former Peterborough man scored 35 goals in all competitions last season and was named League One Player of the Year. The fans will be thrilled to see a high calibre replacement for the Seagulls’ top scorer last season Glenn Murray, who has since signed for rivals Crystal Palace. Having cantered to the title with 95 points last term, the bookies are understandably wary of that momentum continuing. A dart at the play-offs looks a realistic target.

Southampton

Best title odds: 18/1 - Coral
Best promotion odds: 11/2 - Totesport
Best relegation odds: 20/1 - SkyBet
Manager: Nigel Adkins
One to watch: Rickie Lambert

Verdict:

It’s rare to see a promoted team rated as longer odds for relegation than for the title at the start of a season, but that’s where we find the Saints. Key to confidence has been keeping the best players at the club with extended contracts signed by star striker Rickie Lambert - who bagged 21 goals in 45 league games last season - as well as by Kelvin Davis, David Connolly and Aaron Martin. In truth, it’s hard to see why Southampton are so high in the title odds unless they can add significant quality to the squad over the coming weeks.

Peterborough United

Best title odds: 125/1 - Bet365
Best promotion odds:  50/1 - Boylesports
Best relegation odds: 5/2 - SkyBet
Manager: Darren Ferguson
One to watch: Paul Taylor

Verdict:

Looking very much like the poor relations of the newly promoted sides. The 35 goals of Mackail-Smith were clearly the main reason why Posh returned to the Championship via the playoffs, and he has now departed. Chairman Darren MacAnthony has vowed to splash the cash but as yet there is no real evidence of that actually happening - new recruits have come on the cheap. Manager Darren Ferguson will hope that his boss shows more patience than last time he took the club to the second tier - he departed by ‘mutual consent’ after a poor start despite back-to-back promotions. More problems beckon on the horizon.