While the so-called big clubs don't kick off their season until the middle of August, the football season kicks off proper in England when the Football League starts this Saturday.
This is real football as we know it. No inflated wages - although there may be more in the Championship as we see more clubs taken over by foreign owners, e.g. Leeds, Nottingham Forest plus those coming down from the Premier League like QPR - no plastic fans and plenty of old-fashioned stadia - and terraces in the lower reaches of the English football pyramid.
The SkyBet Championship (SkyBet having taken over from npower as title sponsor) has never had it better. The dark days post ITV Digital are over, and England's second division is the best second division in world football - rated the 16th best league in the world.
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| Wolves will be keen to bounce back up quickly |
Indeed, the difference between the top Championship sides and the EPL sides towards the bottom of the table is nearly negligible - Wolves' double relegation from EPL to League One in two seasons is a sign that the Football League is definitely catching up and sides that get relegated to the Football Championship find it very tough to get back up as Blackburn, Bolton, Blackpool, Middlesbrough, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, etc. will all testify.
Unlike the Premier League, it is quite difficult to say who will be the best team in the Championship this season - perhaps that is the beauty of the league and why so many enjoy it more than the Premier League. That is because the best teams from last season are now playing in the Premier League, replaced by those that have been relegated from the Premier League.
It is hard to say if QPR, Reading and Wigan will straight away become the teams to beat in the Championship as all three have undergone tremendous change in the off-season. QPR have had to shed their expensive stars with the loss of TV revenue and Wigan have lost their inspirational manager of 3 seasons, Roberto Martinez to the big lights of Everton.
Reading appear to be the most steady with former Southampton manager, Nigel Adkins having taken over late last season and prepared the side for a stint in the Championship. Adkins will be determined to show that he's not merely a Championship-class manager having been unfairly dumped as Southampton manager for Mauricio Pochettino halfway through last season.
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| Blackburn hope to cling on to Jordan Rhodes as they push for a return to the EPL |
Then there's the likes of Blackburn, Bolton, Watford, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Leicester, probably the most well financed clubs in the Championship this season and all clubs of recent Premier League pedigree. Leicester are the side with much to make up for after a season which saw them lead the Championship with Cardiff for much of the way then see them slide and almost miss the playoffs altogether - indeed only a last minute winner against bitter rivals, Forest saw them enter the playoffs where they lost to Gianfranco Zola's Watford.
The Championship is a league of plenty of pretenders and have-beens. Long winning streaks can see sides seem Premier League bound but those could easily turn into long losing streaks that see them battling for survival - Wolves, Middlesbrough and Blackburn showed that last season. On the other hand, its those winning runs that can see sides push for promotion but only just miss out - Bolton were close and Charlton's run nearly saw them make a shock appearance in the playoffs.
So if you're after real football and real fans, stay tuned - because you don't have long to wait.
Tips for the season -
Championship
Promotion - Bolton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester
Relegation - Barnsley, Huddersfield and Yeovil
League One
Promotion - Wolves, Sheffield United and Brentford
Relegation - Colchester United, Carlisle, Coventry City, Oldham Athletic
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