Football League 2018/19: Championship Season Preview 

#7 Derby County

Can Frank Lampard mastermind a Derby promotion?

Derby County grabbed the headline this Summer when they appointed former Chelsea star, Frank Lampard as their new manager following the departure of Gary Rowett to Stoke.

The Rams have been a regular part of the division's playoffs over the last few years, and many fans will be wondering whether they can finally break their run of bad luck and get out of the division under the former England star.

Given Lampard's unproven record in charge of the club, fans are likely to be a bit more forgiven if they fail to make the Premiership once again this season, though, his business so far in the transfer market has inspired some hope among fans.

The loan signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea looks promising, with the East Midlands club having a knack of picking up exciting young players on loan in recent years, and if they can keep hold of Matej Vydra, who has attracted interest from various clubs, then fans will be optimistic that they can at least make their annual appearance in the top-six.

The season could really go either way for Derby, personally, though, I fancy them to just fall short of their usual playoff spots this time around.

Prediction: 7th

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#8 Hull City

Can Nigel Adkins keep Hull in the Championship this season?

Times have been tough for Hull in recent years, and this season's transfer market has not proven too kind for them.

Lacking a decent budget, Nigel Adkins has managed to make several signings, the most impressive of which is centre-back, Reece Burke, from West Ham, but has lost several influential players.

The loss of players like Michael Dawson and Abel Hernandez is likely to hit Hull hard, and Adkins has admitted that the club is still in need of several players.

Despite that, Adkins is an experienced manager, and if anyone can keep Hull up, it's him.

Expect Hull to be marred in a relegation battle for the majority of the season, but for Adkins to pull it out of the bag late on.

Prediction: 20th

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#9 Ipswich Town

All eyes will be on Paul Hurst this season

Mick McCarthy's departure at the end of last season was celebrated by a lot of Ipswich's fanbase, and a lot of fans will hope that new manager, Paul Hurst, can finally move the club forward.

Hurst took a relegation fancied Shrewsbury to two Wembley finals last season, and only just missed out on promotion to the Championship in extra-time to Rotherham, and fans will be hoping he can work the same magic again at Portman Road.

The former Grimsby Town manager worked with a tight budget at Shrewsbury, and it looks as though he is having to do the same again at Ipswich.

His signings so far do show signs of promise though, with Gwion Edwards from Peterborough being a nice piece of business, and the loan signing of Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea also looking like it could be a great deal.

Hurst will likely try to sign Shrewsbury stars, Toto Nsiala and John Nolan before the end of the window, and they could prove to be just what he needs to keep the relegation fancied side in the division.

Keeping Martyn Waghorn will be a difficult task, but if Hurst can either keep him, or sign a decent replacement, then I fancy Ipswich to survive the campaign.

Prediction: 18th