Championship Preview continued...

Having previewed the chances of the first 11 alphabetically in a very open division last time, let's move onto the final 11.

Leicester City
Chances:
In their first year back at this level Leicester had a very good season under the management of Nigel Pearson. However, this year will see ex-Swansea boss Paulo Sousa take the reigns. Sousa had a decent season himself at Swansea, but was hampered somewhat by a lack of goals leading to too many draws last season. He will hope that with players like Steven Howard and Matty Fryatt that goals wont be a problem this time. I think Leicester will definitely rise again soon, with the backing of regularly high crowds and Milan Mandaric's money they really ought to. Having said that though, I do think they may need one more season to adjust to the new managers ideas. A challenge for the play-offs isn't out of the question by any means though.
Key Man:
Richie Wellens; Whilst it would be easy to look at Fryatt as the key man due to him grabbing the headlines with his goals, it is Wellens who should make the team tick. He is a wonderful passer with an eye for a pass unrivalled at this level. If he can perform anywhere near his best this season he should flourish under Sousa, who was an international playmaker with Portugal himself as a player.

Middlesborough
Chances:
With Gordon Strachan seemingly intent on building something of a Scottish Premier League team at Boro it will be interesting to see if the experiment works. Strachan's assertion that the players are not used to losing, having mostly come from the Old Firm sides, you can sort of see his point. Looking at the national team and the Old Firm's recent performances in Europe it might be that the players are actually now playing at their natural level. The bookies make them fav's for this division and I think the goals of Kris Boyd, if they come, would make them a good bet at around 8/1.
Key Man:
Kris Boyd; Having taken a lot of stick north of the border for being a 'flat-track bully' Boyd will be looking to prove himself in The Championship. Personally I hate the 'flat-track bully' label. If you're playing for a good team what's the harm in scoring loads against weaker opponents? Surely logic dictates that it will be harder to score aginst the better teams? Anyway, I think Boyd will score plenty this season and should fire Boro back to the Premier League.

Millwall
Chances:
Millwall got up at the second time of asking in the play-offs to rise to a level more suited to their history and fanbase. Kenny Jackett proved himself to be a very good manager in spells at Watford and Swansea and has turned Millwall into a very solid side. David Forde in goal, Paul Robinson in defence and Steve Morison up front are a formidable spine. And you can guarantee the fans will make the New Den an intimidating place to play for any visitors. They might not set the league alight this season, but they should be well clear of relegation.
Key Man:
Steve Morison; After taking a season to bed in at the Lions Morison performed brilliantly last year. I saw him playing for Stevenage aginst Cambridge a couple of times and he always impressed with his pace and power. It's a massive step up from Non-League to The Championship in 3 years, but if he can get around 15 goals, and I think he can, then that should go a long way to ensuring another season of Championship football in South London.

Norwich City
Chances:
Another of the promoted clubs is the Canaries and a club I have a soft spot for as my Dad used to take me to Carrow Road as a lad! After a humiliating 7-1 defeat on the opening day of last season Norwich went from strength to strength under Paul Lambert. They overhauled Leeds at the top and finished 9 points ahead on the final day. Lambert has been busy adding players to his squad like John Ruddy, Simeon Jackson and Andrew Surman it looks like a tilt at the play-offs is the aim. In an open year they might just do it too!
Key Man:
Wes Hoolahan; Whilst Grant Holt grabbed most of the goals last season pint-sized playmaker Hoolahan impressed in a new central role behind the strikers. Proven at this level during his time with Blackpool, Hoolahan is capable of being the standout player in the league this year. If Norwich are to do well then most of that will be down to him as the play tends to funnel through him. He revelled in the role last year and I can see him giving many defenders sleepless nights once again this season.

Nottingham Forest
Chances:
Forest were hugely impressive in spells last year under Billy Davies and should challenge again having kept hold of most of last seasons squad. Davies is hugely motivated to get them up after feeling he was dismissed far too early having led Derby up 4 years ago. He's not shy of blowing his own trumpet, but at this level there are few better and any team he is in charge of should regard the play-offs as a given. Having fallen away a bit last year due to a small squad I would expect Davies to add a few players and challenge for the automatic places this year.
Key Man:
Radoslaw Madjewski; This man scored one of the goals of the season last year and Davies moved quickly to snap him up this summer on a permanent deal. He is a skilful midfielder, who is more than capable of weighing in with his share of the goals. Having been capped by Poland and still under 24 he is a cut-above in this league and should show this with a prolonged run in the team this season.

Portsmouth
Chances:
Unfortunately for fans of Championship clubs you will have to put up with that twat with the bell this season as Pompey's stay in the Premier League ended last year. With huge debts, around 263 owners in a season and very few players on permanent contracts it is hard to see anyhting but a season of struggle this time. If they can get a few players in permanently and top up with loans then the best they should hope for is to stear clear of the relegation fight. With all the confusion at the club still going on I see them getting dragged into it. It'll get worse before it gets better on the South Coast. The silver lining is that the fans don't have to listen to the sloppy-faced one whining about it and ruining any sort of support they might get from outside.
Key Man:
Michael Brown; Having played and impressed in this division before with Sheffield United and being one of the few players not linked with a move Brown it is! A tough-tackler, he will set an example that the rest of the squad will have to follow if they are to battle their way to safety.

Preston North End
Chances:
After a few seasons of getting oh so close to the play-offs Preston have dipped a bit in the last couple of years. Having appointed Darren Ferguson during last season they will be looking for an improvement in his first full season as manager. He has shipped out a few of the familiar face like Neil Mellor it will be a different looking side this year. With so many faces coming in it might take time for them all to gel, but there are some good players there and the play-offs should be the target.
Key Man:
Jon Parkin; The 'big-boned' striker has been important to Preston for a few years now and enjoyed possibly his best season last time. In a squad that's a little short on experience his role will be even more important this time. He wont score hatfuls, that will be more Paul Hayes responsibility, but he will be the focal point of the attack in a similar role to the one Kevin Davies plays with aplomb at Bolton.

Queens Park Rangers
Chances:
The 'richest club in the world' haven't looked anything like contenders for the past 2 or 3 years, mostly due to boardroom interference and the constant changing of managers. With Neil Warnock now in the hottest of hhotseats they have a man vastly experienced in this division. He always makes a promotion push and will have his teams fired up every week. He has got some excellent players at his disposal, it's just getting the best out of them regularly has been the problem previously. With a settled manager and team this should come though. I would expect a play-off place if the board have learnt from their mistakes and give Warnock time and space to do his job. Don't count on it though!
Key Man:
Akos Buzsaky; A midfield general when on form, the Hungarian will have a large say in the teams fortunes this time. In a constantly changing team and squad Buzsaky has been one of the few constants. His experience at international level should mean he is unphased by the league and he ought to be a good example to some of the younger members of the squad. So long as he doesn't drop the nut on his manager again!

Reading
Chances:
Having finished strongly in the second half of last season under Brian McDermott and having kept hold of the majority of their squad many people are tipping Reading as outsiders this time. I wouldn't disagree with that assessment and if their best players all perform they are better than most teams in the division. The problem lies in a small squad and the suspicion that some players are resting on their laurels. McDermott has already said his style is to let them enjoy their football, and whilst this might work for some, some of the team could do with a rocket up their jacksies!
Key Man:
Gylfi Sigurdsson; This young man is a fantastic player. A central midfielder who contributes fantastically to the goals of the team he also takes penalties. This shows what a mature player he is even at the age of 21. He has been linked with a move to the Premier League, but I think he would be best served experiencing another year at Reading and to see if he can reach the Premier League with them first.

Scunthorpe United
Chances:
Perennial strugglers Scunny have survived against the odds for a few years now under ex-phsio Nigel Adkins. I think this might be the year that those miracles cease sadly as coping with the loss of Gary Hooper to Celtic might be a blow they don't recover from. Even in a struggling team he scored goals and goals are vital in this division. Defences aren't great in the main and any chances need to be snapped up. No Hooper = relegation for me.
Key Man:
Chris Dagnall; The man signed as Hooper's replacement has a hell of a task in his first season. Without a striker scoring over 15 goals Scunthorpe look absolute certainties for relegation and whether the young striker sinks or swims after his big move will go a long way to determining the clubs fate.

Sheffield United
Chances:
The Blades have traditionally had a say in the promotion shake-up and this season should be no different. Kevin Blackwell has been at the helm for a while now and I think he may need a push for the play-offs or the board might look for a new appointment to shake things up a bit. Nick Montgomery, Chris Morgan, Darius Henderson and Richard Cresswell are all seasoned performers in the Championship, but I have my doubts. I think they are an ageing squad and this might be the last chance a lot of the players and manager get. I think they'll be up there at points but will ultimately fall away.
Key Man:
Ched Evans; In an ageing squad Evans will hopefully provide some youthful exuberance and drag the team forward. He will get the benefit of his teammates vast experience and the combination of this and his potential will be hoped by the Blades fans to reap rewards.

Swansea City
Chances:
Brendan Rodgers has been rewarded for his time as a coach under Jose Mourinho and an initially promising spell at Watford with the Swansea managers role. The Swans looked a solid side last season, but weren't creating or finishing nearly enough chances. Rodgers will look to improve on this as there is already a solid defence and midfield in place and the team only looks to need a few tweaks. The manager will be looking to find a partnership from the 3 of Shefki Kuqi, Gorka Pintado and Craig Beattie. How well he does in this task will probably determine whether they make the play-offs or not.
Key Man:
Ferrie Bodde; Just over a year ago this man was setting the division alight and being linked with a host of Premier League clubs for anything up to £5m. Since then a couple of horrific injuries have curtailed that progress, but if he's fit this season and firing then he will be key to any chances Swansea have of promotion. A box-to-box midfielder, he would definitely have walked into most lower Premier League clubs first XI's back then, Swans fans will be hoping he can recapture that form.

Watford
Chances:
Malky Mackay has done an admirable job at Watford so far, but the lack of spending power and debts at the club mean they are unlikely to do anything but battle relegation for the forseeable future. With only a small squad and no budget for additions the club has been looking to their academy to produce first-team ready players. Expect to see many new local faces in the team this year, but expect another relegation battle that could well end in tears this time out.
Key Man:
Scott Loach; The England U19 stopper has been linked with Tottenham a lot over the last year and will be looking to impress this year and get a move. With Watford heading downwards I would expect him to get plenty of opportunities to show his skills between the sticks. He is only young, but any chance Watford have of staying up will largely depend on his ability to keep the ball out of their net.