Don Goodman issues Championship verdicts ahead of October break | OneFootball

Don Goodman has shared his thoughts on the second tier

The 2024/25 Championship promotion race is taking shape - with Sunderland top of the table ahead of the final round of fixtures before the international break.

The likes of West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United are hot on their heels but there are plenty more teams eyeing up the top spots in what is a wide open second tier.

Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, Goodman has shared his thoughts on a number of Championship sides.

Aaron Connolly can follow in Jack Clarke's footsteps at Sunderland

Sunderland have made a fast start to the season under new coach Regis Le Bris and sit top of the second tier after eight games.

The Black Cats chiefs backed the French coach over the summer and have added to his ranks since the transfer window closed as well - snapping up free agent Aaron Connolly.

The Irish forward's career has stalled in recent years after breaking through at Brighton as a teenager but Goodman believes he can follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts by getting back on track at the Stadium of Light.

He said: "Sunderland have scored 16 goals this season so their attacking play hasn't been a weakness so far this season. They've seen Eliezer Mayenda grow in confidence, registering two goals and two assists, while Wilson Isidor scored his first goal for the club against Watford on Saturday.

"Aaron Connolly could be a really useful signing and a good addition. For Sunderland it's about keeping him fit, he's the type of player who is looking for a home. There are numerous examples of players who just need a place to settle, look at Chuba Akpom who was top scorer in the league at Middlesbrough. Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts are other players who have found a home at Sunderland and realised their potential.

"What's pleasing is that Sunderland are showing signs of being flexible in their policy of only signing players of a certain age. While it's good to develop young players, they will need help from experienced heads if they have ambitions of finishing in the top six.

"Aaron Connolly will be a different option to the players Sunderland currently have, so I think he'll be a good addition. He only started 13 games last season for Hull but still scored eight goals! The first thing he will have to do is prove to Regis Le Bris and his teammates that he deserves to start in a team that is top of the league.

"With Sunderland, you're always going to get varying results due to the fact they're such a young team. They're bound to display a bit of naivety like the penalty Dan Neil gave away against Watford in a game they probably didn't deserve to lose."

Leeds United are still favourites to win Championship title

Leeds United are three points back from the leaders in fifth but expectations are high at Elland Road and already there have been murmurings of unrest at the West Yorkshire club.

Goodman has labelled those "daft" and is still backing the Whites to win the Championship title.

He said: "Any rumblings are daft, as they've got 15 points from eight games.

"It's really not hard for me to say I still fancy Leeds United to win the league. They kept a real core of the players but I like the look of those that have come in and all of a sudden they've also got back to being solid at the back and difficult to play against.

"They ripped Coventry to shreds and Leeds can do that to anybody. Even against Burnley they dominated but conceded a breakaway goal. For Leeds, it's a case of them being ruthless and that's the way they've been in the last couple games.

"Leeds have dominated every game apart from the 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns at West Brom when the objective was to stay solid and keep a clean sheet.

"They've got big games coming up against, Sunderland, who have won all three home games this season, and Sheffield United who are unbeaten this season. Before the Norwich game, I thought if Leeds could come away with six points from those games and maintain a two-points-per-game average, everybody would be reasonably pleased. They have one point already.

"My belief that they're going to win the league hasn't wavered, it didn't when they lost to Burnley and in the early stages of the season. They currently have more points than they did at this stage of the season last year. Leeds are in a good place."

Norwich City have fearsome attack but must tighten up

It was a summer of change at Norwich City, with David Wagner replaced by Johannes Hoff Thorup and a host of attacking talent, such as Jon Rowe and Gabriel Sara, moving on.

The Canaries have found their feet recently, however, and seven points from their last three games has seen them climb to 10th - within touching distance of the play-offs.

Goodman has been impressed by Thorup's attacking options but believes Norwich could tighten up at the back.

He said: "The Norwich fans will be happy and understand that they've got a new style, which they weren't happy with under David Wagner, new players and a new head coach. I really like the look of Norwich and, before the Leeds game, they had back-to-back wins by scoring seven goals. They have an attacking unit to be feared.

"If they want to gatecrash the top six, their defensive play needs to be improved, but I'm not sure that will be the prime target. If City are still in the hunt come January, they might back Johannes Hoff Thorup and have a go.

"I was impressed with Norwich City when I covered them against Derby County for Sky Sports, they played some nice stuff. Derby, obviously, found themselves on the wrong end of decisions but Norwich's midfield and forward play always made me feel that they would create chances."

Derby County must stay focussed on survival amid investment talk

Derby County made a strong start to their first season back in the Championship but have lost three games on the bounce.

There has been talk of owner David Clowes looking for outside investment to help take the Rams to the next level but Goodman feels the club cannot lose focus from the battle for survival.

He said: "Additional investment will, inevitably, help any club. In Derby County's case, you only have to look where they came from after having 20-plus points deducted, being in administration and getting relegated to League One.

"David Clowes is almost a reluctant owner, who couldn't see his club suffer any longer. He's accepted that if Derby are to move forward, establish themselves in the Championship and eventually try and return to the Premier League, it will take additional investment. It's a little more investment than he can probably provide.

"They're a big club but are also one of many. There's a long list of them in the Championship and there always will be. The competition to reach the Premier League is fierce.

"For me, this season has always been about consolidation for Derby County. Survival would be a great outcome from this season and who knows where they could go next season with additional investment? But it's one step at a time, they need to walk before they can run."

He added: "Derby, obviously, need to sort their away form out. All their points have come at home. They've been competitive without really dominating games, possibly apart from the Bristol City and Cardiff City games. With all respect to those two teams, there will be better sides to come to Pride Park.

"They must keep this run of form going at home but also find a way to pick up points away from home. Can they survive, yes. But will they survive comfortably? It's too early to say.

"If you offered anyone associated with Derby County nine points from their first eight games, I think they would have said 'Yeah, I'll take that' as a base to start the season from."

Middlesbrough are one of the Championship's best

Middlesbrough go in search of a third win in a week on Saturday when they travel to Watford.

Back-to-back victories against Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion have helped Michael Carrick's side move to within a point of the play-offs but Goodman believes there is more to come.

He said: "The wins against Stoke and West Brom were really big for Middlesbrough. They were dominant and controlled performances.

"There's no doubt, in terms of performance levels, that Middlesbrough have been one of the best sides in the league.

"Before Tuesday night, they had an xG of 13.5 but have only scored eight goals! That has to improve as they've only scored three goals from open play, three from set-pieces, two penalties and one own goal. It has to get better.

"I saw that with my own eyes when they played Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Tommy Conway, Matt Clarke and Emmanuel Latte Lath all should have scored but, yeah, I'm still almost certain that Middlesbrough will finish in the top six. They have nine more points than they did at this point last season when they got off to a shocker.

"There comes a point when you have to focus on points, and Michael Carrick will know that, but I think Boro are one of the best three or four teams in the Championship.

"I still don't see any reason why Middlesbrough won't finish in the top six."

Stoke City need Narcis Pelach to succeed after Steven Schumacher gamble

It's been an eventful start to the season for Stoke but there is optimism about what the Potters can achieve under new coach Narcis Pelach after they hammered Portsmouth 6-1 in midweek.

Pelach has been drafted in to replace Steven Schumacher and Goodman has questioned whether it was the right call to make that change so soon.

He said: "I was very surprised by the sacking of Steven Schumacher. They'd won two of their first five Championship games and had won four of their first seven in all competitions.

"It's clear, and there are rumours that have suggested so, that Schumacher was under pressure at the back-end of last season and that Stoke City had sounded out potential replacements for him. The good news for Steven Schumacher is that his reputation will not be damaged and I’m sure he'll get a pretty decent job somewhere else in the future.

"As for Stoke, Jon Walters and John Coates have taken an enormous gamble. They must feel that they need to be challenging for a top-six spot this season and didn't feel that Steven Schumacher was the man to get them there. But sacking him after five games, with 11 new players coming this summer, it was a surprise. Why would you bring 11 players to the club and not give them time to get and settle in under the manager? It's a strange one."

Goodman added: "Narcis Pelach has to succeed, or we'll see fan unrest. Losing his first two games was not a great start before beating Portsmouth. He wants to play a different style and be possession-heavy but I read the reports from the Middlesbrough game and, by all accounts, the Stoke fans were singing for their team to attack as they were just passing sidewards and backwards.

"Ben Gibson and Ben Wilmot, the two centre-halves, completed over 100 passes each, but if they're to each other, the full-backs, or goalkeeper, it's redundant.

"Beating Pompey was absolutely massive for Stoke. If they lost, then they'd have been looking over their shoulders worrying about the bottom three, let alone thinking about the top six."

Coventry City can compete for promotion despite slow start

Coventry City picked up just their second win of the season on Wednesday night as they beat Blackburn Rovers 3-0 to ease some of the pressure starting to build on Mark Robins.

Just as they have in the last two campaigns, the Sky Blues have made a slow start to 2024/25 but Goodman feels they can still come good.

He said: "Coventry City's form has come as a massive surprise. The good news for them is that there are still 38 matches to go and 114 points to play for.

"But, obviously, they have to improve, Before the Blackburn game, they had struggled at both ends of the pitch. I knew they had to improve defensively after letting in 59 goals last season.

"With the forwards they have at their disposal, however, I would never have thought that Coventry would have struggled for goals. To see that they had only scored six before Tuesday, with only three of them coming from open play, I was absolutely surprised.

"You have to apply some rationale, however. Yes, they were massively second-best against Leeds at Elland Road, as many sides will be, but their other three defeats were all by a single goal in games they possibly didn't deserve to lose. They cruised past Blackburn, too.

"There's no need to panic, despite it being a slow start. They actually have the same points as they did at this of last season and have two points more than they did in 2022/23, when they eventually got to the play-off final. There's only been one game when they've been fully second-best and that was against."

He added: " They have some huge games coming up, playing Sheffield Wednesday at home and QPR and Preston away. I look at those fixtures and expect them to get a reasonable amount of points from them. If not, then I'll become more concerned.