The Championship, then. What a league. So tight, so engrossing, so unpredictable. Just look at the top of the table, where six teams are separated by six points. Just ask Slavisa Jokanovic. “If you ask me what I prefer, I would like to be 10 points clear,” Watford’s manager says. “I would like it to be more boring.”
Oh. Was that in the script? Probably not. Yet it is understandable for a man in Jokanovic’s position. His rivals would answer in the same way. The Championship is competitive and compelling but you can forgive its managers for sometimes pining for a quieter life at this time of year. Jokanovic calls it a complicated league. “Three months ago I thought it would be a clearer situation,” he says. “It’s not. We have huge games in front of us, but nothing is definite.”
Not yet. But the situation might be a bit clearer by Monday evening. The next four days have the potential to be a defining period in the race for promotion. The top two, Bournemouth and Watford, could pull away from the chasing pack, or there could be new leaders at the end of the Easter weekend.
Middlesbrough and Norwich City, who have been resurgent since appointing Alex Neil as their manager in January, hope that the balance of power swings their way. Only Watford’s superior goal difference is keeping Middlesbrough out of the automatic places. Aitor Karanka’s side will expect to beat struggling Wigan Athletic on Friday afternoon, while Norwich are two points behind Jokanovic’s side and will be confident of winning at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The stand-out fixtures are on Friday evening. Bournemouth, top by a point, face Ipswich Town at Portman Road at 5.15pm, before Derby County host Watford at 7.45pm. There is hardly room to breathe.
Ipswich, cannily managed on a small budget by Mick McCarthy, will be eager to get stuck into Bournemouth. Their late victory over Watford at Vicarage Road two weeks ago moved them up to sixth place, level on 67 points with Derby, yet staying in the play-off positions will not be easy with Mark Warburton’s Brentford and Kenny Jackett’s Wolverhampton Wanderers hot on their heels. Brentford, a point worse off in seventh place, travel to Fulham for a 3pm kick-off while Wolves, two points behind after beating Derby at Molineux a fortnight ago, visit Nottingham Forest.
Derby are a frustrating team. They were tipped to dominate the division by many people at the start of the season, yet Steve McClaren’s are without a win in their past six matches, a run that has left them in danger of not even making it into the play-offs. This is an unforgiving league.
They are a match for anyone on their day, though, and a draw would not necessarily be the worst result for Watford, especially after they were caught out at the death by Ipswich, who won thanks to Richard Chaplow’s goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Yet Jokanovic will ask them to play their natural attacking game. “If we speak about Ipswich we didn’t speak about wanting a draw before the game,” he says. “When we lost at the end of the game we were very disappointed. We want to be well prepared and go for the three points. We will try to find the style that has suited us over the last six months and this is not a time for change.”
There is no respite. On Monday, Bournemouth host Birmingham, Brentford host Forest, Ipswich go to Huddersfield, Norwich host Sheffield Wednesday, Derby go to Wigan and Wolves host Leeds United.
And at Vicarage Road, in the day’s lunch-time kick-off, Watford host Middlesbrough. “You have to be ready for whatever is thrown in front of you,” Jokanovic says. “I am prepared and I believe in my team.”
Jokanovic arguably belongs to a new breed of manager in English football’s second tier. The Serbian’s previous job was with Hercules in Spain and there is a theory that it is no longer necessary to have first-class honours in Championship studies to succeed in this league, the gnarled Neil Warnock type replaced at the top by more progressive managers like Howe, Warburton and Karanka. Yet Jokanovic, 46, is not so sure.
“Listen, I haven’t arrived from the supermarket,” he says. “I have been in football all my life and the other coaches are quality coaches. Brentford play very good football, Bournemouth play very good football, Derby too, Middlesbrough too. It’s what I like. All these people, we arrive from a life in football. The advantage of it, I don’t know. This is my chance to work here. I want to push this team into the best position. This is similar for other coaches.
“I arrive from outside England and for you it’s probably like no one is interested in the second division of English football outside England. My friends in Serbia watch Championship games on television. It has many followers around the world. It is not my first experience. Last year I watched Millwall against Bolton because I was in England. I found some time to watch a game in London and this was the only game I could find when I was there. Am I surprised? No. Many countries, this is a competition people follow and it is one of the more interesting leagues in Europe to follow.”
Yet Watford can spy the Premier League. Arsenal’s training ground is next to theirs and Jokanovic has been tempted to peak over the fence for a look at Arsène Wenger’s team. “I am a tall guy,” he says.
Jokanovic can see Arsenal in the distance, but he does not know if his team will be playing them next season. No one knows. Welcome to the Championship. It has a certain charm.
FIXTURES TO LOOK OUT FOR AT THE TOP
Friday 3 April
Brighton v Norwich, 3pm
Derby v Watford, 7.45pm
Fulham v Brentford, 3pm
Ipswich v Bournemouth, 5.15pm
Middlesbrough v Wigan, 3pm
Nottingham Forest v Wolves, 3pm
Monday 6 April
Bournemouth v Birmingham, 3pm
Brentford v Nottingham Forest, 3pm
Huddersfield v Ipswich, 3pm
Norwich v Sheffield Wednesday, 3pm
Watford v Middlesbrough, 12.30pm
Wigan v Derby, 3pm
Wolves v Leeds, 5.15pm
