West Ham have strengthened their case to become Championship title favourites after a 1-0 victory at leaders Swansea, while Birmingham City’s impressive revival under Chris Davies has highlighted the division’s changing promotion picture. Preston North End, meanwhile, are facing mounting concern after a poor start under Graham Alexander.
Andy Hinchcliffe believes Birmingham deserve significant credit for their transformation since last season, when their possession-based approach failed to produce enough goals, particularly away from home.
Birmingham City’s progress under Chris Davies
Birmingham remain committed to controlling matches but have become more progressive and direct. Their current style gives them several ways to attack, whether by playing through opponents, going over them or working around them.
August Priske has provided a focal point in attack as well as contributing goals, while Liam Millar has quickly established himself among the Championship’s leading performers since joining the club.
Hinchcliffe said Davies had recognised that Birmingham could not simply repeat last season’s approach and hope for better results. The manager has developed an alternative plan, with new signings adapting quickly and the players appearing to enjoy the more varied style.
Birmingham are now viewed by many as one of the league’s most entertaining and dangerous attacking teams. Their improved form represents a marked change from a campaign in which opponents had become familiar with how to contain them.
West Ham make a statement at Swansea
West Ham’s narrow win in south Wales was regarded as a significant result against a Swansea side that had made an impressive start to the season. The visitors have now won six of their last eight matches and lost only once.
Their attacking strength has been underlined by 11 different scorers in their last five games. Joel Piroe and Manor Solomon have also made an immediate impact since arriving, while West Ham have combined their attacking quality with the fourth-best defence in the division.
Hinchcliffe believes the result demonstrated that West Ham can win difficult away matches as well as dominate on home soil. Swansea were not an easy opponent, making the 1-0 victory a particularly strong indicator of the visitors’ credentials.
He also pointed to the depth, creativity and commitment within the squad. Rather than appearing unhappy at dropping into the Championship, West Ham’s players and supporters seem to have embraced the challenge.
With their performances improving and their results consistently strong, West Ham are now considered genuine title favourites.
Preston North End in danger of being cut adrift
Preston’s early-season struggles have continued under Graham Alexander, with little sign of the improvement that often follows a managerial change. They have lost nine of their 11 matches and have been unable to turn difficult games into draws.
Hinchcliffe believes the problems are not primarily tactical, with Preston broadly using the same approach and personnel that served them under Paul Heckingbottom.
He suggested that Heckingbottom had previously extracted far more from a squad whose underlying numbers placed them among the division’s weaker sides. Preston finished 14th last season despite those figures, which Hinchcliffe regarded as evidence of the previous manager’s achievement.
Alexander returned to a club he wanted to manage but inherited a squad that had not received a large amount of investment. The immediate challenge has been to restore confidence and improve a defence that has conceded around nine goals while Preston have scored only once under him.
Unless their results change drastically, Preston face serious trouble as the Championship season develops.
