The Championship play-offs are fast approaching and seven clubs can still dream of Wembley glory heading into the final day of league action on Monday.
Luton Town and Middlesbrough have come up short in the race for automatic promotion but their places in the play-offs are already secured. This leaves five clubs – Coventry City, Millwall, Sunderland, West Brom and Blackburn Rovers – to battle it out over the remaining two spots in the top six during the final round of fixtures.
As a neutral, there are reasons why I should (and shouldn’t) want these seven teams to reach the Premier League. Millwall p*ssing off Jurgen Klopp, ‘tinpot’ Luton alongside the big boys, Michael Carrick vs Man Utd and more selling points are below…
Luton Town
The Hatters’ rise from League 2A alongside AFC Bournemouth and Rotherham United (if you know, you know) to the top echelons of the Championship has been extraordinary.
While Bournemouth reached the top flight with plenty of financial backing, Luton have gradually progressed while adhering to a restricted budget. If they earn promotion, this immense achievement would give clubs of a similar ilk a formula to follow, with Neil Edwards’ side proving that money isn’t the be all and end all.
Luton would be given the underdog treatment if they made it into the Premier League and neutrals will lap that up. They would have a lot of fun while they are up there and rightly so.
But their budget means the task of keeping the Hatters up would be an enormous one for Edwards. Not just that, with Bournemouth pretty much safe, we can’t have a second ‘tinpot’ club with a 10-11k seater stadium in the league alongside the Cherries. The snobbish big clubs won’t take to it so it absolutely cannot be allowed.
Middlesbrough
Boro looked like being dragged into an unexpected relegation fight following their dismal start to the season under Chris Wilder but Michael Carrick has superbly guided them away from the mire and into a promotion battle.
It is only a matter of time before Carrick becomes a Premier League manager and promotion this season would top off a stunning debut season in management for the Man Utd legend. As football fans, we love a good narrative and the Middlesbrough boss returning to Old Trafford as an opposing manager is a solid one I can get behind. Not quite as enticing as Vincent Kompany vs Man City, but still lovely.
Middlesbrough are hoping to repeat Nottm Forest’s feat of winning the play-offs…
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