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Coventry
Report Card: What a difference a couple of weeks has made. Before Coventry faced Bristol they sat a-top the table and now they sit in 13th having lost their last two games and been knocked out of the Carling Cup by Premier League Newcastle. It is unfair to say that their season has already begun to go south but sitting in midtable is not where they would like themselves to be in May. Wins in their opening two games were enough to convince many that the 'Ricoh revolution' which had been planned for a long time was finally ready to happen. City dodged the drop in the final few weeks but looked a much stronger outfit since Chris Coleman took over as manager. Not that optimism has completely disappeared because of two defeats but City certainly need to bounce into their next game and make sure they get a positive result.
Plus Points?
Their blistering start to the season proved that Cov will be a different proposition this season and demonstrated that they have qualities to win in different manors at home and away. They dispatched Norwich quite easily at the Ricoh before battling past Barnsley away from home. City look to have a wealth of attacking options and despite their Carling Cup defeat to Newcastle proved that they have the willing and the battling qualities to come from behind against anyone.
Where they need to improve?
The two defeats before the international break leave Coventry somewhat flat and they will be hoping to make an immediate return to winning ways. As well as showing they can win both at home and away in circumstances they also proved the reverse and showed they can be taken apart at home and out battled away. The ease with which Bristol City beat them at home will not have been encouraging and then losing away to Doncaster, Coventry may have let slip some crucial momentum just as they were slipping into their rhythm.
Targets for the next term...
- Turn their home ground into a 'fortress'
- Continue to score goals and the same spirit they did against Newcastle.
- Make themselves difficult to beat by gaining momentum in their next six games.
Sheffield Wednesday
Report Card: Like so many other teams in the lower reaches of the Championship, Sheffield Wednesday's future was not decided until the final day of the season. Throughout a summer of takeover speculation and an inability to bring players into the club because of their poor finances, many supporters may have been thinking 08/09 would be a rollercoaster ride once again. So far this season Wednesday have bucked the trend and the reason they are included in this category is because of their reputation as an established team in the top league of English football, not a mid-to-bottom table Championship side. Currently sitting in 14th with five points, their start this campaign is significantly better than last year when they didn't win in their first six games.
Plus Points?
Wednesday started like a house on fire with two goals in ten minutes and four in total against a woefully bad Burnley side. The victory set the tone for a successful season at Hillsborough where the home side are sometimes inconsistent. The win showed that they have the ability to score plenty of goals when given the oppertunity and providing they can stay injury free they have plenty of attacking options. Their point gained away against Swansea was also vital as the Welsh side are usually good at the Liberty Stadium and are probably one of the teams who will finished around the same kind of league position as Wednesday.
Where they need to improve?
After such a great start to the campaign Wednesday were brought back to eart with a bump losing 4-1. Having drawn their next two games 1-1 the Hillsborough side sit in mid-table with a goal difference of zero and their inconsistent start could be an early marker for a very unpredictable season. With the continuing on-off saga surrounding their takeover, exactly what Wednesday's target is this campaign is still unknown and although they are likely to avoid relegation it is doubtful if they can go higher than the bottom half if they are unable to build on the young side Brian Laws is developing.
Targets for the next term...
- More consistency
- Make sure they win their home games
- Keep a clean sheet
Nottingham Forest
Report Card: Finally escaping the difficulties of League One former European Champions Forest will still feel they are a long way from where their club's reputation suggests they should be. Having taken four years to get themselves back into the second tier of English football however survival in the Championship will probably be regarded as a success though it is the up and down nature of their current season which may leave Forest supporters worried that they have not quite readjusted to football at this level. Currently sitting in 16th position, the midlands side will be reasonably pleased with their four point haul from four games though will hope to push themselves up towards the top ten so they spent their time look up rather than worrying about those below them.
Plus Points?
Forest will be relatively pleased with their start to the season and impressed enough in a 0-0 draw with Reading to demonstrate they have what it takes to keep pace with even promotion favourites. They went one step better in their win against Watford and showed that they have plenty of striking options to choose from as well as the ability to keep battling even after being pegged back. Colin Calderwood's men may take little comfort from their defeat to Sunderland in the Carling Cup but they can take heart from the performance which pushed the Premieship side to extra time.
Where they need to improve? Although the former Forest defender will be pleased with the start his side have made to their first campaign back in the Championship he will have been hoping to win more than just one of their games. They were disappointly average in their defeat to Swansea and looked a shadow of their win against Watford after being thumped by Wolves. Prehaps the international break has come at the right time for them as with two weeks off they have had time to prepare for their next fixture.
Targets for the next term...
- Take more points from their home games.
- Try to pick up draws or wins away from home.
- Try to take the lead rather than having to claw their way back from behind.