With the EFL Championship celebrating its twentieth birthday on 7 August 2024, we glance again on the title winners from throughout the competitors following its rebrand in 2004.
At this time – 7 August 2024 – marks 20 years for the reason that first ever matches had been performed within the rebranded EFL Championship. Within the early kick-off that day in 2004, Leeds United – who simply three years earlier had graced the UEFA Champions League semi-finals – took on Derby County, a sport officiated by future Champions League closing referee Mark Clattenburg.
Greater than 50 groups have performed within the Championship over the course of 20 years, a few of these solely briefly that includes earlier than returning to the massive time (Aston Villa, Newcastle United, West Ham United), others who’ve spent extra time in it than they’d have believed or imagined (Leeds, Middlesbrough) and others who’ve loved their transient foray there on their means up the EFL divisions (Burton Albion, Wycombe Wanderers, Yeovil City). Then there’s the seemingly everlasting fixtures of Cardiff Metropolis, Derby and Queens Park Rangers, clocking up near 2,500 matches within the division between them.
In one among two articles wanting again of 20 years of the Championship as we all know it, we make a journey down reminiscence lane and look again the title winners and the statistics that underpinned their success.
The Title Winners
Throughout the 20 seasons of the Championship, there have been 13 totally different title-winning groups, with seven profitable the league twice and 6 groups taking the crown as soon as.
Mick McCarthy is the one supervisor to win it with two totally different groups (Sunderland in 2004-05 and Wolves in 2008-09), whereas the opposite supervisor with two titles is Daniel Farke, each with Norwich in 2019 and 2021. The final eight titles have additionally all been gained by non-British managers since Sean Dyche led Burnley to the highest in 2016.
Between 2004-05 and 2012-13, the league was gained with a mean of 92 factors, which is skewed barely by the 100+ level seasons of Studying in 2005-06 and Newcastle in 2009-10. Groups with fewer than 90 factors gained it 5 occasions within the first 9 seasons however since 2013-14, each single champion has earned 90 or extra factors, with the common for Championship winners throughout these previous 11 seasons leaping to 95 factors.
West Brom gained the league with 81 factors in 2007-08, which might have been sufficient for under a fifth-place end in 2023-24, a season wherein Ipswich City got here second with 96 factors, a tally that might have gained them the league in 13 out of the earlier 19 seasons. Between Leicester and Ipswich, they earned themselves a mixed whole of 193 factors to achieve promotion in 2023-24; evaluate this with 2007-08 (160 factors) and 2012-13 (166) when far decrease tallies had been required to achieve the Premier League.
Sunderland gained two of the primary three Championship titles, with one of many worst-ever Premier League campaigns sandwiched in between. In 2004-05, recent from shedding within the earlier season’s play-offs, the Black Cats began the season backside because of a 2-0 opening-day loss to Coventry and nonetheless solely had 5 factors after six video games (the second fewest for a staff to recuperate to win the league) however ultimately went high of the league in March.
They didn’t relinquish management of high spot after a win on 19 March over the facet who had put them all-time low on the opening day, Coventry. Sunderland followers ought to actually have loved March extra in hindsight – they gained extra league video games that month (4) than they did within the entirety of the 2005-06 Premier League season (3) as they completed backside with 15 factors and got here straight again down.
The next season, 2006-07, didn’t begin significantly better – they misplaced every of their opening 4 video games however recovered to turn out to be the primary and solely facet in English Soccer League historical past to have such a nasty begin however nonetheless win the league. The arrival of Roy Keane was the catalyst, taking cost of them for the primary time on 9 September towards Derby together with his facet twenty third and ultimately going high precisely seven months later, on 9 April – the newest right into a season any title-winning Championship facet has led the desk for a primary time.
Extremely, they had been twelfth on the flip of 2006 and solely spent 15 days high of the Championship all season, the fewest of any title winner throughout the 20 years. They then began the next the season with a 1-0 win over Tottenham because of a Michael Chopra purpose – the latest event a Championship winner has gained their opening Premier League sport of the next season.
In between Sunderland’s two title wins was Steve Coppell’s unimaginable and record-breaking Studying facet of 2005-06. Their file speaks for itself: most factors (106), joint-most wins (31), fewest defeats (2), finest purpose distinction (+67) and joint-fewest objectives conceded (32) of any Championship title-winning facet. Between 1 November and 28 December in 2005, the Royals strung collectively a 10-game profitable run, which wasn’t equalled by any Championship facet till 2019. After shedding 2-1 to Plymouth of their season opener, Studying picked up 79% of factors obtainable and ultimately completed 16 factors away from Sheffield United in second place.
Their facet wasn’t filled with gamers with a plethora of earlier Premier League high quality, both: solely three gamers who performed for them that season had beforehand performed within the Premier League (Glen Little, John Oster and Chris Makin) and once they confronted Middlesbrough on the opening day of the 2006-07, all 14 gamers who featured in that 3-2 comeback win made their Premier League debuts.
The earlier season’s play-off closing losers, West Brom, gained the 2007-08 Championship title with the fewest factors of any winner (81), additionally conceding 55 purpose – a file till Norwich gained it in 2018-19 whereas transport 57.
The Baggies had been the one facet within the Championship that season to attain greater than 80 objectives in what was a very uncommon season. Colchester scored 62 objectives, the joint-sixth most, however completed backside. The eight factors separating them and Scunthorpe in twenty third had been the largest hole between two groups that season. West Brom solely completed 29 factors away from relegation themselves, comfortably the smallest hole between first place and twenty second in a Championship marketing campaign (in 2005-06, 64 factors had separated Studying and Crewe).
Thirty-four-year-old Kevin Phillips scored precisely 25% of the Baggies’ objectives (22 of 88) and is the oldest participant to have scored greater than 20 objectives in a Championship season.
Irishman McCarthy turned the primary and, to date, solely supervisor to win the Championship with two golf equipment in 2009, main Wolves to the title. They spent 226 days high of the league in 2008-09, the second-most of any facet in a Championship season ever and, barring 21 days in October, they had been high of the desk from the top of August onwards.
With clear sheets arduous to return by (simply 14 – the second-fewest of any Championship winner), they had been fired on by the objectives of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who had signed from Plymouth in January 2008. Ebanks-Blake turned the primary participant to internet 25 objectives in a Championship season throughout Wolves’ 2008-09 title-winning 12 months and, having scored 23 in 2007-08, turned the primary participant to internet 20+ objectives in back-to-back Championship seasons, a feat achieved by solely Jordan Rhodes and Troy Deeney (each throughout 2012-13 to 2014-15) since then.
After 10 objectives in 76 Premier League video games, Ebanks-Blake dropped again to the Championship to attain one other 14 occasions for Wolves earlier than taking part in 9 goalless video games for McCarthy at Ipswich City in 2014.
Newcastle have solely spent two seasons within the Championship however they’ve gained the title in each, doing so in 2009-10 and 2016-17. Each title wins had been helped by a wholesome dose of Premier League high quality, with the ability to name on the likes of Alan Smith, Kevin Nolan, Steve Harper and Fabricio Coloccini first time round, and Ayoze Pérez, Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle in 2016-17.
The Magpies completed 11 factors away from West Brom in 2010, helped by a factors tally of 102, 30 victories, 90 objectives scored and shedding solely 4 video games, though a type of was a 2-1 defeat at Scunthorpe in October, who would end a full 50 factors behind them. They didn’t lose a single dwelling sport and dropped simply eight factors at St James’ Park all season lengthy.
After they as soon as once more dropped into the Championship in 2016, expectations had been excessive for the same haul when supervisor Rafael Benítez agreed to remain on as supervisor, though it didn’t begin effectively. They misplaced their opening two video games to Fulham and Huddersfield to search out themselves within the relegation zone, however recovered to win 13 of their subsequent 15 and went high on 18 October after beating Barnsley.
Prime place within the desk was then shared between them and Brighton (managed by Chris Hughton, who had led them to the 2010 title) for the rest of the marketing campaign, with the Seagulls main the way in which for 30 of the final 31 days. Sadly for them, an 89th-minute purpose by Jack Grealish for Aston Villa noticed them draw 1-1 on the ultimate day to drop to second place, whereas Newcastle gained 3-0 towards Barnsley, the facet they’d overwhelmed to go high in October.
Throughout their two Championship campaigns, they’d spent 65% on high of the desk, comfortably the best proportion of any facet throughout the 20 years, so it appears solely proper they gained each titles.
Neil Warnock’s solely title-winning marketing campaign as a Soccer League supervisor got here in 2010-11 with Queens Park Rangers, incomes a number of Championship data.
Though they solely scored 71 objectives – at that time, the bottom by a Championship winner – the Hoops saved 25 clear sheets, a file whole by a Championship facet in a league season, with 24 saved by goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, the joint-most by a goalkeeper in a season (the opposite was achieved by Radek Cerny). General, QPR equalled Studying’s 2005-06 whole of simply 32 objectives conceded, the joint-fewest by a Championship winner.
Warnock’s facet led the desk for 253 days that season, probably the most by a staff in a single marketing campaign, and had been by no means out of the highest two after hammering Barnsley 4-0 of their first sport. In addition they started their marketing campaign with a run of 19 matches undefeated, at that time the longest unbeaten begin to a Championship marketing campaign (Brighton in 2015-16 later eclipsed it with 21 matches, though they solely completed third).
Though their staff was made up of many skilled gamers (at 28 years and 28 days, their common beginning XI age was second solely to Portsmouth that season), 21-year-old Adel Taarabt was their star participant, scoring 19 objectives and profitable the Championship Participant of the 12 months award.
Arguably probably the most unbelievable Championship title win (apart from perhaps Sunderland’s restoration in 2006-07) was Studying in 2011-12, who spent simply 17 days on high of the desk, 16 of which had been the ultimate 16 days of the marketing campaign. In November, the Royals had been 14th within the desk and 18 factors behind high spot – the largest factors deficit {that a} facet has recovered from to win the title.
Of their opening 17 video games, they’d misplaced extra matches (6) than they’d gained (5) however solely three of these video games had seen both they or their opponents win by two clear objectives. Between 26 November and the top of the season, the Royals gained 22 out of 29 matches, choosing 68 factors – 16 greater than anybody else.
The facet who topped the desk initially of this run, Southampton, needed to accept second place having been high for 187 days, comfortably probably the most of any facet to not win the Championship title in a season, whereas the one-point profitable margin (89 factors to 88) was the smallest in a season as much as that stage.
The shrewd signing of Jason Roberts in January helped the Royals over the road, with Roberts contributing six objectives in 17 video games, wherein Studying gained 14, an 82%-win ratio that’s the finest by a striker in any Championship marketing campaign. The sub objectives of Adam Le Fondre additionally helped – 9 in whole, a file by a participant in a marketing campaign, together with braces in back-to-back sub appearances in April towards Leeds and Southampton. Le Fondre then adopted this up by breaking the Premier League substitute purpose file the next season, scoring eight off the bench in 2012-13, though they had been relegated straight again to the Championship.
Cardiff gained their first Premier League promotion in 2012-13, ending eight factors away from Hull in second, and had been the runaway leaders for a lot of the season, topping the desk from December 2 onwards.
Though 2012-13 was the second-highest scoring Championship season ever with 1,494 objectives, Cardiff are the one champions who didn’t have a single participant rating no less than 10 objectives. Three gamers – Peter Whittingham, Aron Gunnarsson and Heidar Helguson – all scored eight occasions, though the mid-season signing of striker Fraizer Campbell did add some further objectives to the combination, scoring seven in 12 video games to ship Cardiff into the Premier League.
Leicester’s two Championship title wins got here 10 years aside. In 2013-14 beneath Nigel Pearson, the Foxes turned the third facet, after Studying and Newcastle, to win 100+ factors in a season (102), whereas their 31 wins equalled Studying in 2005-06 and wasn’t matched till Leicester themselves in 2023-24 additionally achieved that tally.
There have been different parallels between the 2 title-winning seasons: a nine-game profitable run in every marketing campaign (making Leicester the one Championship facet to do this on a couple of event) and striker Jamie Vardy, who scored 16 in 37 video games in 2013-14 and 18 in 35 video games in 2023-24. Whereas Vardy, who turned 37 in January, was used extra often in its place final season (seven of his 18 objectives had been off the bench), in 2013-14 he typically partnered David Nugent up entrance.
Nugent, who has the joint second-most Championship objectives in historical past (125), was concerned in 32 objectives that season (20 objectives, 12 assists), the second-most of any participant behind Leeds’ Ross McCormack, with Nugent scoring 20 in a season for the one time within the Championship. From Christmas till the top of the season, Leicester gained 10 extra factors than anybody else (60) and scored probably the most objectives (50), with no participant concerned in additional objectives than Nugent in that point.
Between profitable the Championship in 2014 and returning to it in 2023, Leicester discovered the time to win the Premier League, attain the quarter-final of the Champions League and the semi-final of the Convention League.
Though returning to the Championship was a shock to the system, there have been no such worries on the pitch – throughout their first 14 video games, Leicester gained 13 of them, the perfect begin to a season at this degree since 1905. A late season wobble noticed them drop to 3rd briefly in April following a run of 4 defeats in six video games, however 5 wins of their final eight video games gave them the highest spot that they deserved – their 203 days high of the league was probably the most by a facet in a season since QPR’s file whole in 2010-11.
The creativity of Abdul Fatawu (13 assists) and Kiernan Dewsbury-Corridor (14 assists) had been two standouts for the Foxes, as Vardy averaged a purpose each 98 minutes, the perfect ratio of any participant with 5 or extra objectives.
Burnley have twice lifted the Championship title, in 2016 and 2023, doing so with vastly differing kinds beneath their respective managers in each seasons.
Their 2015-16 Championship title win was achieved regardless of not topping the desk till late February, however their end-of-season type noticed them throughout the road. The Clarets went the ultimate 23 matches of the marketing campaign unbeaten, conceding simply 12 objectives throughout this run and profitable 55 factors – 10 greater than anybody else in that point. In Championship historical past, solely Studying in 2005-06 (33 video games in a row between August and February) have ever loved an extended unbeaten run inside a single marketing campaign. Sean Dyche’s facet misplaced solely 5 video games all season, the fewest since Newcastle in 2009-10, though there have been 15 attracts, the second-most of any Championship winner. Dyche stays the final English supervisor to win the Championship.
Following Premier League relegation in the summertime of 2022, Burnley appointed Vincent Kompany as supervisor. The Clarets then gained the Championship title with 101 factors, solely the fourth facet to interrupt the 100-point mark, and suffered solely three defeats, the fewest since Studying in 2005-06. Two of the three managers to beat Burnley in 2022-23 had been then managers of relegated Premier League golf equipment alongside Burnley in 2023-24 – Rob Edwards gained with Watford, then moved to Luton, whereas Paul Heckingbottom gained with Sheffield United and was sacked early the next season.
Kompany had drastically modified Burnley’s fashion of play from their 2016 title win: they accomplished over 22,000 passes, having accomplished slightly below 13,000 in 2015-16. Beneath Kompany, simply 10% of the passes Burnley had been taking part in had been outlined as lengthy passes; beneath Dyche in 2015-16, 23% had been lengthy passes. Both means, each Clarets groups had been champions.
Wolves hadn’t been high of the Championship since they’d gained the league in 2009 beneath McCarthy, however they returned to the summit in October 2017 beneath new supervisor Nuno Espírito Santo. They’d dropped into League One in 2013 however had been now on their means again to the Premier League, with a staff containing the expertise of Diogo Jota, Ivan Cavaleiro, Willy Boly, Barry Douglas, Rúben Neves and lots of extra.
They gained 30 Championship video games total, whereas their 24 clear sheets had been probably the most by any staff in a season since QPR’s file of 25 in 2010-11, with all 24 saved by goalkeeper John Ruddy, a joint Championship file.
They collected 99 factors in 45 video games after which went to play already-relegated Sunderland on the Stadium of Gentle on the ultimate day. Regardless of being 65 factors forward of the Black Cats, Wolves misplaced 3-0. It’s the second-most factors clear a staff has been of one other after which suffered defeat in Soccer League historical past; it most likely didn’t take the shine off a formidable season and Wolves have remained within the high flight ever since.
Norwich Metropolis started yo-yoing between the Championship title and the underside of the Premier League desk between 2018 and 2022, twice profitable the league (2019 and 2021) and twice ending backside (2020 and 2022). Each title successes got here beneath German supervisor Daniel Farke, who turned simply the second supervisor to raise the Championship twice, after McCarthy, and the primary to ever accomplish that with the identical membership a number of occasions.
The 2018-19 victory noticed them make a sluggish begin – three defeats and 5 factors of their opening six matches had the Canaries in 18th spot, however they then misplaced simply three of their remaining 40 video games, with their 93 objectives bettered by simply three Championship winners. Their defensive file was not the perfect, conceding 57 objectives and maintaining simply 13 clear sheets – each worst totals for any Championship champion. Nevertheless, the objectives of Teemu Pukki – 29 in whole, probably the most by a participant in a season since 2012-13 – and the creativity of Emiliano Buendía (12 assists), Marco Stiepermann (72 open play possibilities created, second most) and Onel Hernández (67 open play possibilities created, third most) saved the possibilities and objectives flowing.
After choosing up a mere 21 factors in a horrible Premier League marketing campaign in 2019-20, Norwich had been again within the Championship for the 2020-21 marketing campaign and as soon as once more gained the title, this time with extra wins (29), extra clear sheets (18), extra factors (97) and much fewer objectives conceded (36) than in 2018-19.
The Canaries had been notably spectacular away from dwelling, profitable 15 out of 23 video games, probably the most by a staff in a Championship marketing campaign throughout the 20 years. Pukki and Buendía remained the pivotal gamers, the Finnish striker scoring 26 occasions in 41 matches, whereas Buendía created probably the most possibilities within the division (123) and registered probably the most assists (16), whereas additionally chipping in with 15 objectives himself in a significantly spectacular particular person marketing campaign.
Leeds had loved a spectacularly memorable first marketing campaign beneath Marcelo Bielsa in 2018-19, ending third and shedding within the play-off semi-finals to Derby regardless of main 2-0 on combination at one stage within the second leg. Bielsa remained in cost for 2019-20 and Leeds managed to, lastly, return to the Premier League for the primary time since 2004.
Recognized for his or her attacking fashion beneath the universally regarded Argentine coach, Leeds had probably the most photographs (755), photographs on course (251) and touches within the opposition field (1,440) of any facet, having fun with spectacular wins over Middlesbrough (4-0), Hull (4-0), Stoke (5-0) and Charlton (4-0) alongside the way in which. Nevertheless it wasn’t simply their assault that was spectacular: the Whites saved 22 clear sheets, a complete bettered by simply two Championship winners.
They ended their marketing campaign with a run of 12 wins in 14 matches – with 10 of these wins coming to nil – and ultimately gained the title by a margin of 10 factors, the most important since Newcastle in 2010.
Fulham’s 2021-22 Championship title win was primarily based on scoring objectives – 106 had been netted as they took the title, probably the most by a Championship staff in a single season.
That they had an nearly unbelievable whole of three 7-0 wins throughout the marketing campaign, with two of them away at Blackburn and Studying (the opposite was at dwelling to Luton), accounting for 3 of the seven wins by 7+ objectives in Championship historical past, and so they had been first English league facet with three wins by seven objectives in a single season since Notts County in 1948-49.
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored 43 of their 106 objectives, 10 greater than every other participant has ever scored in a Championship season, and greater than two golf equipment managed in whole in 2021-22 (Barnsley scored 33, Hull scored 41). By 15 January that season, he’d netted 27 objectives in 21 video games, which was as many as Fulham had managed within the Premier League the earlier marketing campaign. In whole, the Cottagers had 279 photographs on course of their 46 video games – probably the most by a staff in a season Opta has on file from 2013-14 onwards. A formidable approach to return to the highest flight.
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