Championship Preview

With the season now finally under way, LFW's takes a look ahead to the second weekend of fixtures in the Coca Cola Championship

The season is in full swing now after an exciting opening week in the Championship last week. There was also a midweek programme of Carling Cup fixtures, which of course, saw the R’s progress to a home tie with Carlisle after beating Swindon 3-2 at the County Ground. However, no fewer than 7 Championship sides fell at the first hurdle to lower league opposition with Charlton, Barnsley, Plymouth, Sheffield Weds, Norwich, Blackpool and Doncaster all going out.

Some interesting games lie ahead this Saturday with Sky choosing Derby’s visit to Bristol City. The Robins started with a win, albeit with a last minute winner at Blackpool last week and the followed up with a Carling Cup win over Peterborough. Promotion contenders for many, Derby, began with a home defeat to new boys, Doncaster last Saturday and needed extra time to see off Lincoln at Pride Park midweek.

Two teams that started with defeats last week, face each other at Turf Moor as Burney take on Ipswich. Burnley were on the wrong end of an opening day, 4-1 hammering away at Sheffield Wednesday. Ipswich, who season after season, always seem to boast an almost impeccable home record, were beaten, at home, by Preston.

Promotion favourites, Birmingham, travel to St Mary’s to take on Southampton, who after escaping relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, were cruelly beaten in the last minute away at Cardiff last week. On the subject of last minute goals, Championship Goal Machine, Kevin Phillips grabbed the winner in the dying seconds for the Blues against R’s weekend opponents, Sheffield United in the Sky curtain raiser.

Elsewhere and Cardiff travel to Doncaster for Rovers first home game in the Championship. The other newly promoted teams play each other as Forest travel across the border to Swansea. Watford take on Charlton at Vicarage Road and Plymouth travel to Reading.

Championship Fixtures in Full ;

Barnsley v Coventry City

Bristol City v Derby County 17:20

Burnley v Ipswich Town

Doncaster Rovers v Cardiff City

Norwich City v Blackpool

Preston North End v Crystal Palace

Reading v Plymouth Argyle

Sheffield United v Queens Park Rangers

Southampton v Birmingham City

Swansea City v Nottingham Forest

Watford v Charlton Athletic

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield Wednesday

Loft for Words Preview of Sheffield United v QPR will be online soon…

What to read next:

End of Term 23/24 – Attack
The fourth and final part of our annual review and number crunch of the QPR squad finishes with the club’s amazing non-scoring strikers.

End of Term Report 23/24 – Midfield
The third part of our end of term report focuses on QPR’s midfield – an enormous problem for this team for a number of seasons now, it’s been one of the areas of significant improvement under Marti Cifuentes.

End of Term Report 23/24 – Defenders
Part two of our annual individual player reports for the season focuses on a defence which really came into its own under Marti Cifuentes and contains the two outstanding candidates for the club’s player of the year award.

End of Term Report 23/24 – Goalkeepers
The first of our annual four-part individual assessment of the QPR players’ performances during the previous season always starts with the goalkeepers – and, regrettably, that means we’re puncturing the recent feel-good factor round here by beginning with a negative.

The Coventry Conference – Report
Coventry away, for so long a fixture that loomed almost as large as the spectre of Eoin Jess over Queens Park Rangers, turned into an eighth away win of the campaign and survival party for a manager and support base who both really stepped up when it mattered in 23/24.

Coventry City 1 - 2 Queens Park Rangers - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.

The season that was - Preview
As QPR, unbelievably, head to Coventry on the final day safe and secure, LFW looks back at a tumultuous two years at the football club, and the lessons it must learn to make the most of the potential it now has to move forwards.

I hear you’re a set piece team now father – Analysis
In his final analysis piece for LFW this season, Dan Lambert looks at how QPR went from being the worst team in the league for offensive set pieces to, eventually, kind of good.

Coventry left to reflect on another Wembley heartache - Oppo Profile
For a second year in a row a promising Coventry City season has ended in penalty shoot-out heartbreak at Wembley, only this time with some added VAR nonsense thrown in for good measure - Neil Littlewood (@littlewood88) and Dominic Jerrams (@SideSammy) take us through it.

The Copa de Ibiza - History
As QPR prepare to visit Coventry City on Saturday, we look back at connections between the two sides, past results, and Rangers’ last successfully foray into European competition with the 2005 Copa De Ibiza triumph.