Ahead of tomorrow's Jacks v City Welsh Derby, there has been some debate about whether the Championship is strng this season. Noises from the Swansea camp have expressed their surprise/disappointment at the quality they have come up against this season while Cardiff skipper Darren Purse has agreed and said it was better a couple of years ago. So is it reality or perception?
From my viewpoint, without sitting on the fence, I believe there is genuinely no definitive answer as there contradictory evidence either way.
On the local scene, The Jacks are undoubtedly a classy footballing side (and one who have, so far, played better football and more entertaining to watch than ourselves. Yet they haven't been able to break into the play-offs.
On the other hand, we're there despite never convincing, never beating any Top 10 side and with a points return (29 in 19 games) that probably wouldn't be enough to have us in 6th place any past season since we've been in the Championship.
Of course, it may well be that Swansea are enjoying first season syndrome just as we did when we first made it to the Championship and may eventually level out.
The other two League One promoted sides - Forest and Doncaster - occupy the bottom two places and have broadly been there all season. At the other end of the scale, two of last season's relegated Premiership sides are in the Top 3 while only Derby have struggled and they're slowly coming to life. That's a key indicator to me that it remains a big step up trying to compete at this level for promoted sides while relegated teams still have the real clout.
Some suggest it's not as boring as a couple of years ago when Reading and Sheffield United walked away with it but isn't that exactly what Wolves and Birmingham and threatening to do right now? Both are averaging well over 2 points per game and are on course to 100+ points. Nobody else is close to that.
We're 6th yet we're 17 points behind 1 of them and 11 points adrift of the other after just 19 games and have won just 7 games - that's a gulf!
The core difference, to me, is that's there's nothing much to choose between two thirds of the Championship sides. Just 9 points separates ourselves in 6th and Southampton in 20th. We have been glued into 6th recently but have fallen adrift and just 3 points away from more mid-table obscurity, it's a very fine line.
Cardiff have generally stayed above the rest by being better defensively, not because they're a better stronger unit. It's ironic our strength may now lie with our forwards but will that make us a better winning, results grabbing unit? We're about to find out.
Maybe the fact we're all much of a muchness - any side could quickly win a few or lose a few - means there has been a general levelling out of quality. That doesn't means it's better or worse, just that many clubs are on a par. Anyone can beat anyone, it remains as unpredictable as ever and, to me, that keeps it exciting and interesting.
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