More Reliable Than A Championship Octopus? (20/12/16)

A new season and finally a new special computer crunching the numbers to determine the final Championship positions for 2016/17.

Last season the Octopus feature was a regular feature for the Premier League, but whilst it might be a late arrival for the Championship given it’s now almost the end of December and 2017 – well better late than never – it might have been having its tentacles given a Brazilian I don’t know.

Then again I still don’t know why I call a number crunching supercomputer an Octopus but some things are probably best left unasked.

In any event we now have predictions for the Championship season of 2016/17 and here they are after 22 games of the campaign have been played – one ahead of the halfway point.

Talksport are the source for this and hopefully if the Championship level takes off in interest we’ll get far more details moving forward and like Premier League editions, predicted points and % markers for success or failure.

But on what we have so far, who goes down?! Who is the current favourite to lift the title this year.

Well you don’t have to guess, the link above will tell you, as will looking further down this piece.

With 22 games played in the Championship in the season of 2016/17, the current favourite to lift the title is Brighton who after years of trying – and last season missing out by the narrowest of margins – finally book their place in the top flight at Champions.

Newcastle’s Rafalution has a hiccup according to the computer and they have to settle for automatic promotion back to the Premier League via the second automatic spot.

Whilst serial Play Off nearly side Derby County are again in the Play Off mix, they are joined by Reading, Aston Villa and Leeds United and whilst Sheffield Wednesday get close – it’s not close enough.

With the sparse details so far there is no percentage favourite in the Play Off section.

Equally, Blackburn Rovers at the other end of the table escape relegation by the skin of their teeth, but with no predicted points we don’t know by how much skin, suffice to say the computer thinks Burton Albion, Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United are set for a season at least in League One.

The one thing that can’t be denied at the almost half way stage is a number of clubs will now be very disappointed with where they find themselves (if they put any stock in predictions), but others will be happier with a steady or better start to the season half – obviously there’s a long way to go yet, and some of the trailing pack will be hoping to draw themselves closer to the top spots, and clearly those nearer the bottom will have hopes of eeking more to safe midtable if nothing else.

Prediction wise there are a number in midtable who will be delighted with their finish if it plays out like this, but clearly others will be horrified with how they are expected to fall off the pace come 2017.

But predictions are a reflection on the season so far, and absolutely nothing more.