Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Premier League manager Iain Dowie has given his thoughts on the Championship promotion race and beyond.
Dowie has backed Frank Lampard for success with Coventry and John Eustace for success with Derby.
The former striker has also spoken about whether Sergej Jakirovic can bring success to Hull City, McKenna’s importance to Ipswich and the post-Vardy era at Leicester City.
Champioship
Championship Front Runners
Everyone's probably going with Birmingham as a front-runner. I think there's two things about that. They've got unbelievable investment, but they've also got Chris Davies. He's doing a very, very solid job there. So I think Birmingham are definitely in there, Sheffield United, you'd think Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester have got to be in there.
Out of left field. I’m not discounting Coventry or West Brom, and even Stoke. The job Mark Robins did at Coventry was just beyond belief, so I thinkVthere's a chance there if Divin Mubama and the new signings catch fire. If they can get a bit of stability there, it looks like he's done okay in terms of bringing players in; that's an outsider for me.
Of the big teams, Ipswich have a brilliant manager. I just wonder whether you can sell your best player by a country mile in Liam Delap and be successful. So I'm going to probably say Birmingham, Sheffield United and Southampton close behind.
Birmingham To Win The Championship @ 7/1
Managers
Frank Has Got Coventry Going!
I'm the biggest admirer of Frank Lampard. I watched him come up through the ranks at West Ham, and he's a fantastic fella as well as a brilliant football man. I love that he's now rejuvenating himself as a manager. It's great. I think Coventry are in the shake-up, I really do, because they haven't lost many.
They brought a couple of really decent players in, like Miguel Angel Brau and Kaine Kesler-Hayden, who was player of the year at Preston.
I think he's done some very, very good business. I wish and hope Frank has a fantastic season. I spent time at Coventry, so I loved it there. The stadium is very, very good when it gets going. I remember at the last game of the season, we had 30-odd thousand there. Frank's got them going. I think they're in the shake-up. They really are.
Eustace’s Controversial Move
John Eustace hasn’t endeared himself to the Blackburn fans by grabbing a few players, but Derby are a huge club. Andreas Weimann and Carlton Morris have come in, and I think they have pushed the boat out for Patrick Agyemang, a £6million move from Charlotte.
I think Derby will have more than a solid season. I think they could be on the heels of the playoff picture and could be a surprise package. They signed players but cleared the decks a bit, and I don’t mind that; it’ll be fascinating when they play Blackburn; it will probably be ferocious.
If Agyemang can catch fire, Morris is a decent backup. I really like him; they have also signed Owen Beck from Liverpool. There's some good things going ahead, and it looks like some good investment at Derby.
Jakirovic Winning Pedigree
We don't know an awful lot about Sergej Jakirovic, but he's won the double with Dinamo Zagreb, so there's some good things on his CV. I've got to say, the biggest thing is that you can’t look past the transfer embargo and the amount of players that have left on free transfers; it looks to have killed them stone dead.
They've got a couple in to be fair, and there were certainly some real highlights last year. So it wouldn't surprise me if they kick on a bit because they are a very well-supported club.
Ipswich
Keeping McKenna Huge For Ipswich
I’m completely surprised that Ipswich have kept hold of Kieran McKenna given what he did. You look at his body of work and the way he's gone about it. He's got experience, and his style of play has been very attractive.
Obviously, he signed a big contract, but I was surprised. You think about who he's lost this year in Liam Delap, but they’ve got Azor Matusiwa from Rennes, who has a great background in Rennes, Groningen, Reims and Ajax.
Ashley Young is in the door too, but losing Delap is huge. A centre forward who had fantastic energy and would run through a brick wall for the team. One or two have moved on, but McKenna has stayed, which has surprised me a bit. Kieran McKenna is a fantastic a Northern Irishman as well. I certainly wish him the best.
Ipswich To Win Be Promoted @ 7/1
Vardy: A Huge Loss
I don't think there are any surprises really about Leicester, they’ve had some really good managers who have moved on, but this summer Jamie Vardy, Danny Ward and Daniel Iversen have all gone.
They’ve got to get some incomings, but looking at the squad with Stephy Mavididi, Conor Coady, Wout Faes, Patson Daka and Jordan Ayew, they will be in the shake-up there is no doubt.
The group of players have stayed, now you've got another manager in Marti Cifuentes, a brilliantly supported club, but Vardy is a huge loss because goals are so important in any league.
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