Strength of the Championship (England's second tier)? Is it improving?

[SambaStyle]

Premier League results vs Championship teams in FA Cup + Carabo Cup this year 2017/2018

FA Cup
Manchester United 2-0 Derby PL WIN
Fulham 0-1 Southampton - PL WIN
Bolton 1-2 Huddersfield - PL WIN
Watford 3-0 Bristol - PL WIN
Norwich 0-0 Chelsea DRAW
Wolves 0-0 Swansea DRAW
Nottingham Forest 4-2 Arsenal C WIN
Swansea 2-1 Wolves PL WIN
Chelsea 1-1 Norwich DRAW (Chelsea pens)

Premier League Wins 5
Championship Wins 1
Draws 3

Carabao Cup
Crystal Palace 2-1 Ipswich PL WIN
Watford 2-3 Bristol City C WIN
Sheffield United 1-4 Leicester PL WIN
Birmingham 1-2 Bournemouth PL WIN
Newcastle United 2-3 Nottingham Forest AET C WIN
Southampton 0-2 Wolves C WIN
Bristol City 2-0 Stoke C WIN
Burnley 2-2 Leeds DRAW (Leeds on pens)
West Ham 3-0 Bolton PL WIN
Tottenham 1-0 Barnsley PL WIN
Reading 0-2 Swansea PL WIN
Everton 3-0 Sunderland PL WIN
Chelsea 5-1 Nottingham Forest PL WIN
Manchester United 4-1 Burton PL WIN
Bristol City 4-1 Crystal Palace C WIN
Arsenal 2-1 Norwich AET PL WIN
Leicester 3-1 Leeds PL WIN
Bournemouth 3-1 Middlesbrough PL WIN
Manchester City 0-0 Wolves DRAW (City on pens)
Bristol City 2-1 Manchester United C WIN
Manchester City 2-1 Bristol City PL WIN
Bristol City 2-3 Manchester City PL WIN

Premier League wins 14
Championship wins 6
Draws 2

Overall
Premier League wins 19
Championship wins 7
Draws 5


A few managers have alluded to the Championship's standard improving such as Mourinho on Derby “They are a Premier League level, they just play in another competition.”

Guardiola "The Championship is probably the hardest second division in the world because there are 46 matches and play-offs later, so I have a lot of respect. It's why there are a lot of shocks in the cups." and via Lee Johnson "Pep Guardiola said to me that we played better than most of the Premier League teams that come to Man City."

Wenger
'Because of many foreign players playing in the Premier League, more and more good players are going down to the Championship.

'To play with young players against Championship teams now becomes very difficult. The level of the Championship has gone up and you see that we did not have enough experience to win these types of games.'

 

[CityStu]

I think that if, say the bottom 10 of the PL played a season in the Championship, they would finish in an around the top 10 of that division.

I'd argue the 'problem' it's that the financial rewards of being in the PL cause teams that may be relegation candidates (everyone bar the top 6) to play within themselves. Bristol City had the confidence to attack us because it doesn't really make a lot of difference if they lost 2-1 or 16-0 in a knockout competition. Contrastingly, I think it's quite likely that a team could get relegated from the PL on goal difference this season.

Possibly other European leagues don't show the same pattern because the wealth in the top division isn't distributed as evenly as it is here.

 

[Silvas' left eyebrow]

No one was stronger than Newcastle last year in championship.

Look no further than how the same players are fairing if you want to see . No need to speculate. They are just relegation fodder.

One off anything can happen. However 38 games takes out the chance element

 

[East Level 2]

Of the three promoted clubs Newcastle and Brighton are one point above the dotted line and Huddersfield two points above the line.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

they're spending more money to get up, so a minor improvement. However the bottom 2/3rds of the Premier League is declining at a rapid rate due to the desperation of owners to bank the cash and stay up at all costs, so the bottom half is largely interchangeable because of that.

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

There needs to be a PL 2, with the money dispersed between both leagues. That’s the only way that the bottom half of the PL will not be so fearful of relegation, might think about stability and might encourage more teams to ‘have a go’. Alternatively relegate 8 teams every season.

 

[mccity]

It's just being marketed better. If it's improving then it's only at the same rate as football is in general.

I think that if, say the bottom 10 of the PL played a season in the Championship, they would finish in an around the top 10 of that division.

I'd argue the 'problem' it's that the financial rewards of being in the PL cause teams that may be relegation candidates (everyone bar the top 6) to play within themselves. Bristol City had the confidence to attack us because it doesn't really make a lot of difference if they lost 2-1 or 16-0 in a knockout competition. Contrastingly, I think it's quite likely that a team could get relegated from the PL on goal difference this season.

Possibly other European leagues don't show the same pattern because the wealth in the top division isn't distributed as evenly as it is here.

Also this