The Championship top scorers are well-backed for a return to the Premier League after a strong start
It’s been a season of surprises so far in the Championship, and Ipswich Town’s start to the season is chief among them. Widely tipped to struggle and joint relegation favourites with one bookmaker, the Tractor Boys have instead racked up six wins from nine games and sit pretty in the Play-offs.
Mick McCarthy has ditched his normal cautious approach and has instead served up a feast of attacking football, with his side hitting the back of the net 19 times in the league, more than any other Championship club. It’s going some way to win back dissenting fans at Portman Road and now bettors are starting to believe that the Blues might reach the Premier League for the first time since 2002.
The Championship’s longest-serving club are currently a best-price of 30/1 to be promoted, a slight reduction from the 33/1 you could have got at the start of the season. It’s proving to be a popular price, as over 10% of all promotion bets in the last week have gone on Town, more than division heavyweights Fulham, Middlesbrough and Wolves combined.
On the flip side, any fears of relegation have been massively eased. Town were as short as 3/1 at the start of the season but are now 16/1 after their strong start. Just 2% of relegation bets have gone on the Suffolk side in the last fortnight, with bettors believing that the top end of the table should be targeted by Big Mick. Sunderland remain the popular picks, with a massive 41% of total bets going on the Black Cats, who are currently 4/1.
It remains a tall order for Ipswich to maintain their lofty position in the second tier but Town fans can take heart when comparing their perceived chances with arch rivals Norwich. Despite being a much shorter price for promotion at 15/2, four times as many bets have gone on Ipswich than their neighbours from Norfolk. A small comfort perhaps, with their first clash of the season coming up in three weeks time.
Oddschecker Spokesman George Elek: "You'd have been hard pressed to find many Ipswich Town fans who wanted Mick McCarthy to stay at the club over the summer but, as ever, he has shown what an effective manager he is at Championship level. Many thought that the loss of Tom Lawrence would see the Suffolk side slip towards relegation, but the signings of Joe Garner and Martyn Waghorn have proven to be shrewd pieces of business. After their start to the season it is no surprised to see punters gobbling up the 30/1 quotes on promotion."
