‘Portsmouth to be strongest of the promoted clubs’ – Sky pundit Don
...but Goodman has a warning for Sunderland, Derby, Oxford and Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth
Don Goodman has offered a positive assessment of Pompey’s Championship chances. But fans of Sunderland, Derby, Plymouth and Oxford will be concerned as the Sky Sports pundit identified teams who he believes might be in trouble next season.
Goodman expects the Blues to be the most competitive of the three teams who won promotion last season - and believes there’s compelling evidence to suggest others might struggle.
The former Wolves, West Brom and Sunderland striker said: ‘I would expect Portsmouth to be the strongest of the relegated clubs and, therefore, I'm looking at the clubs that just about survived.’
He added: ‘(Sunderland) They've got a new manager in Regis Le Bris, whose background is in developing young footballers, but this is the Championship, so it's very difficult for a whole group of young players to succeed.
‘They didn't have any strikers capable of performing at that level and struggled for goals (last season).’
The Black Cats finished 16th in 2023-24, losing 11 times at home – more than any other club in the second tier. They scored 52 goals in 46 games.
Goodman continued: ‘Des Buckingham has a huge job on his hands at Oxford as play-off winners are notoriously the teams that struggle the most. It's just brilliant that they're in the Championship.
‘Derby County remind me of Sheffield Wednesday last season as they have one of the oldest teams in the division.
‘Wednesday struggled with the physical side of things early on last year, so it's interesting to see Paul Warne move on a number of 30-plus-year-olds and bring pace and energy into the club. That gap still needs to be bridged, though.’
Speaking about Plymouth, who appointed Wayne Rooney as boss earlier this summer, Goodman said: ‘I’m not sure about Plymouth, and that's not because of Wayne Rooney, it's just the nature of them being in the Championship.’
Argyle only stayed up on the final day, sending Birmingham City down instead.
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