Luke Chambers drops very honest Ipswich Town claim live on Sky Sports | OneFootball

Luke Chambers is a pundit for Sky Sports and an Ipswich Town legend and he has shared his verdict on Championship promotion.

Few players embody EFL durability quite like Luke Chambers, who also knows exactly what it takes to play for Ipswich Town in the Championship.

Ipswich Town are seeking their third promotion under Kieran McKenna and their second from the Championship. Chambers never overlapped with McKenna, having departed the club in the summer of 2021 before the Northern Irishman joined in December.

However, Chambers featured in 306 Championship matches across nine years for Ipswich, with the vast majority of those coming as captain. He knows what it means to compete at this level for the Tractor Boys better than anyone.

Across spells with Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town and later Colchester United, Chambers built a reputation as a no-nonsense, dependable defender and an even stronger dressing-room presence. Whether at centre-back or right-back, his game was based on passion, leadership, and an uncompromising mentality.

It was at Ipswich, though, where Chambers truly left his mark. Signing in 2012, he became club captain and a central figure during a period of both stability and struggle. Under Mick McCarthy, he was pivotal in the promotion push that culminated in the 2014/15 play-off campaign.

Even as the club’s fortunes dipped and relegation to League One followed in 2019, Chambers remained a steadying influence, racking up just under 400 appearances for the Tractor Boys. In an era of short-termism, Chambers’ longevity and loyalty in the EFL stand out, but he has since pivoted to punditry.

Luke Chambers drops verdict on Ipswich Town's promotion hopes

Speaking via Sky Sports' Gillette Labs Soccer Special show on Tuesday evening, Chambers was asked about Ipswich's promotion hopes prior to their 2-0 win at Vicarage Road away to Watford. He spoke mostly negatively about their chances, but perhaps would have had a different answer after full-time.

Clinton Morrison said: "He told me top two a couple of weeks ago!" That was before Julian Warren asked when their push was going to happen, with time running out. Chambers said: "For me, obviously, with allegiances with the club, but I feel they’ve been nowhere near the level everyone has expected of them.

"Yes, they’ve put the odd run together but those runs are few and far between this season. And, to do anything, we mention if you win two games in a row in the Championship, you’re on a good path — and you have to continue to deliver that.

"There’s been so many changes, players coming in and out the team, they can’t really seem to get a settled 11. At this stage of the season, you’re expecting minimal changes from December through to the end of the season if you’re really going to go on a run and close that gap.

"But the gap seems to be opening and the big telling one was Wrexham at the weekend. They got themselves back in front at 3-2. And then after that it was a bit of capitulation almost.

"Maybe that pressure on that group of players — because, at the end of the day, everyone had them as favourites to win the league, let alone as top two.

"At the moment, it’s looking like it’s the play-offs unless they drastically change that consistency."

Ipswich Town have the experience to put form together in the run-in

Plenty of sides in the 2025/26 Championship will fancy their chances of putting together a relentless run between now and the end of the campaign — and history tells us that momentum can come from anywhere in this division. But if you’re looking for the team best equipped to string wins together over a sustained period, it’s hard to look beyond Ipswich.

Under McKenna, the identity is crystal clear. The structure in and out of possession, the bravery to dominate the ball, and the tactical flexibility to tweak shape mid-game all point to a side that doesn’t just edge matches but controls them. That’s crucial when chasing sequences of victories rather than isolated results.

That aspect has deserted them for long stretches this season, but even with difficult fixtures for much of the rest of the season, they are the most capable. You factor in the depth in attacking areas especially, and Ipswich arguably boast the strongest rotation options in the league.

Quality off the bench is capable of changing tight games; competition for places sustains standards across what they now face as a 14-game grind. Crucially, many of the current group have done it before. They will need to use that experience for other members of the squad who haven't.

However, promotions in 2022/23 and 2023/24 weren’t built on spurts but that consistency and resilience under pressure. If the fans are behind them, particularly at Portman Road, then the foundations really are there for another extended surge.