Sky Sports analyst Andy Hinchcliffe has delivered his latest Championship assessment, praising Birmingham City’s tactical evolution under Chris Davies and West Ham’s title credentials while raising serious concerns over Preston North End’s downward slide.
Davies Transforms Birmingham’s Approach
Hinchcliffe highlighted the substantial progress achieved by Birmingham City under manager Chris Davies. While the side dominated possession throughout the previous campaign, they frequently struggled to convert territorial control into goals, suffering from poor away form and ultimately finishing well adrift of the promotion play-off positions.
Speaking in his column for Sky Sports, Hinchcliffe explained that Davies has modernized Birmingham’s playing style over the summer. The team now ranks 10th in division possession figures, indicating a deliberate move toward a more forward-thinking and direct approach while still maintaining control of matches. Central to this development is August Priske, who has become an essential focal point in attack alongside his goal contributions.
Winger Liam Millar has also earned high praise, with Hinchcliffe rating him among the top three performers in the division since his arrival. Davies had long pursued the winger, who recently explained in an interview that Birmingham’s varied attacking setup has eliminated the predictability that plagued them last season.
Hinchcliffe noted that Davies recognized the need to alter his setup rather than rely on the same system, writing that the manager could not simply say, “We’ll go with Plan A again and hope it works better this season.” The shift toward a more varied strategy has been embraced by the players, establishing Birmingham as one of the most entertaining and dangerous teams in the league.
West Ham Prove Title Credentials at Swansea
West Ham delivered a significant statement in the Championship title race by securing a 1-0 away victory against table-topping Swansea City. Hinchcliffe viewed the fixture as the most demanding examination of the campaign so far for both sides, with the London club demonstrating superior attacking variety.
The numbers underline that depth, with 11 different players finding the net across West Ham’s last five matches. Alongside boasting the highest scoring tally in the division, they currently hold the fourth-best defensive record. The team has suffered just one defeat this season and won six of their past eight encounters.
Key summer arrivals have quickly adapted, as both Joel Piroe and Manor Solomon have stepped into the starting lineup and contributed immediately with goals. Outside of a testing half against Millwall where they trailed by two goals, West Ham have rarely looked fragile.
Hinchcliffe observed that unlike many squads dropping out of the top flight, West Ham’s players and travelling supporters have fully adapted to second-tier football, reinforcing the club’s status as outright favorites to claim the Championship crown.
Preston Slide Under Alexander
Preston North End present a stark contrast as manager Graham Alexander endures a difficult start to his tenure. Hinchcliffe argued that Preston’s ongoing struggles are not primarily tactical, as the side continues to deploy a similar setup with largely the same squad that Paul Heckingbottom led to a 14th-place finish last season.
Heckingbottom managed to overachieve significantly despite squad statistics that aligned more closely with the bottom three, working without major financial backing in the transfer market. Alexander now faces the challenge of attempting to replicate that level of output from the current group.
Defensive fragility has proven particularly damaging, with Preston conceding approximately nine goals and scoring just once under Alexander’s leadership. The club has now suffered defeat in nine of their opening 11 matches without registering draws to steady their points tally, leaving player confidence severely diminished.
Source: SkySports | News
