In a fascinating twist on the usual league table, if we only consider matches from the start of 2025, we'd see a very different Championship landscape.
Millwall, traditionally scrapping in mid-table, would have found themselves in the playoff spots, demonstrating their late-season surge. Contrast that with Premier League-promoted Sunderland who, in this alternate reality, miss out on the top six entirely, after losing their last five matches of the season. It's quite the turnaround and shows just how pivotal the timing of form can be.
Burnley and Leeds maintained their strong performances, holding firm in the automatic promotion spots, with Burnley unbeaten. This tells us the consistency they've shown throughout the real season wasn't just a fluke, and they truly were the class of the field.
One of the more dramatic turnarounds has been at Coventry, where Frank Lampard's mid-season arrival sparked a significant upturn in form, taking them to third in our hypothetical table. Their potential playoff clash against Bristol City rather than Sunderland might have rewritten their promotion script entirely.
Portsmouth, narrowly avoiding relegation in the actual season, would be flirting with a playoff position in our adjusted table. It’s a testament to their resilience and possibly a bit of luck in the latter stages of the season. Meanwhile, Plymouth would be comfortably mid-table, showing significant improvement under Miron Muslic after he replaced Wayne Rooney.
Middlesbrough's poor second half to the season highlighted why they missed out on the playoffs, leading to Michael Carrick's dismissal. Norwich, despite being potent in attack, leaked goals at the back, leading to an underwhelming year overall.
Watford, significantly underperforming, found themselves bottom of this adjusted table, culminating in Tom Cleverley’s sacking. It's a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in football.
Both Preston and Cardiff won a mere four games in 2025, with Cardiff’s relegation confirmed and Preston just scraping survival. The lack of goals from Luton and Derby also painted a grim picture, with both clubs struggling throughout and Luton suffering back-to-back relegations.
This alternate view of the Championship really puts the spotlight on the ebbs and flows of a football season, highlighting how teams can transform dramatically over just a few months.
As a Swansea City fan, every twist and turn in the Championship holds a special intrigue, especially as we march towards what I am certain will be a title-winning season for us. The resilience and tactical nous we're showing are reminiscent of our epic 2011 promotion.
Let's have a bit of fun before I go:
How many Cardiff City fans does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but they'll spend the whole time reminiscing about how the old one used to be brighter, much like their team's hopes of staying up this season!
Onwards and upwards, Swans!
