CHAMPIONSHIP KICK-OFF: Get ready for the new-look Leeds, heart-pounding Hull and Wayne Rooney’s redemption bid

The Championship may be the second tier of the English football pyramid, but its booming popularity proves it is by no means second-rate.

More than 12.7million fans went to a game in the division last season, making it the best attended league in Europe behind the Premier League — ahead of the Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A.

And with Sky Sports increasing their coverage of the Football League to more than 1,000 matches across the three divisions this season — and each of the 24 Championship clubs guaranteed to be shown live at least 24 times each — there has never been a better time to follow the thrills and spills.

Mail Sport runs you through the big talking points ahead of Friday evening’s double-header curtain raiser…

Wayne Rooney is one of five new managers featuring in the Championship this season

Fans can expect Hull City to be amongst the most exciting sides to watch in the Championship

THE HEADLINE STORY IS…

Time was when you would have been laughed out of the room for suggesting Wayne Rooney, Manchester United’s record goalscorer and an England legend, would one day manage Plymouth Argyle.

But this job is no joke for Rooney after a disastrous stint as Birmingham boss, which saw the Blues plummet down the table and ultimately drop into the third tier. This is a make-or-break season for Rooney the manager.

He is one of five new bosses in the division and that list also includes Norwich manager Johannes Hoff Thorup. 

The Dane, one of seven Championship bosses aged under 40, replaces David Wagner after he lost his job following the Canaries’ play-off hiding at the hands of Leeds.

Rooney is tasked with keeping Plymouth up after they narrowly avoided relegation last season

Rooney is fighting for his reputation at Plymouth after a short-lived stint at Birmingham City

FIGHTING FOR THE TITLE…

It is hard to look past Leeds. They’ve lost star men Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray, who joined West Ham and Tottenham for £25million and £30m respectively, but Daniel Farke can — for now at least — call on the likes of Max Wober, who was one of 15 second-tier players in action at this summer’s Euros.

The big-name departures will also give other players the chance to shine — not least new right back Jayden Bogle, picked up from Sheffield United.

Burnley will hope to bounce straight back under Scott Parker, who has won Championship promotions as boss of Fulham and Bournemouth, after Vincent Kompany swapped Lancashire for Bavaria to take charge at Bayern Munich.

The Clarets have spent more than £31m and recruited six players from abroad, continuing a division-wide trend which has seen more than a third of new arrivals this summer come from outside of the British Isles.

Clubs are casting the net wider than ever before, but the growing status of the division is also helping to entice players. Luton boss Rob Edwards earned plenty of plaudits in the Premier League last season but knows automatic promotion is the aim this time around.

It is hard to look past Leeds for the Championship title as they went agonisingly close to promotion last season

Burnley will hope to bounce straight back to the Premier League under Scott Parker

Rob Edwards enjoyed some success with Luton in the Premier League last season and is now tasked with automatic promotion

DARING TO DREAM OF THE PLAY-OFFS…

Coventry fans won’t forget their run to the FA Cup semi-final last season in a hurry, but that journey undoubtedly played a role in derailing their promotion bid. 

Losing attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare to Sheffield United is a blow, but Mark Robins has moved shrewdly in the market again by capturing striker Brandon Thomas-Asante, who was playing for Oxford City in the sixth tier as recently as 2019, from West Brom.

Sheffield United were the whipping boys of the top flight but have strengthened their backline by signing highly-rated Peterborough defender Harrison Burrows, the 22-year-old left back who was League One player of the season. 

Remember, the Blades will start the season with a two-point deduction after defaulting on transfer payments the last time they were in the Championship. Middlesbrough and West Brom — who have, for my money, the best manager in the division in Carlos Corberan — will also be in the mix.

Coventry fans won’t forget their run to the FA Cup semi-final last season in a hurry, but that journey undoubtedly played a role in derailing their promotion bid

Sheffield United will start the season with a two-point deduction after defaulting on transfer payments the last time they were in the Championship

I’D BE HAVING SLEEPLESS NIGHTS IF I SUPPORTED…

This is where it gets interesting, with at least 10 teams looking nervously over their shoulders at the drop. The obvious candidates are the three promoted sides — Derby, Oxford United and Portsmouth — but you have to worry for Millwall.

Club legend Neil Harris did a sterling job in righting the ship last season, but the jury is out over whether they have the quality to stay afloat this year. Cardiff fans are also nervous, while survival is the aim for Rooney and Plymouth.

The same applies to Rooney’s former team-mate Tom Cleverley, who now has the Watford gig on a permanent basis. He has lost Ismael Kone to Marseille and more key men could follow out of the door.

Watford’s trigger-happy owner Gino Pozzo put 10 per cent of the club up for sale to fans in June to raise cash, suggesting he may not be willing to put his money where his mouth is and recruit quality replacements.

You wonder whether this is the year everything finally catches up with that turbulent club.

Club legend Neil Harris did a sterling job in righting the ship at Millwall last season

Tom Cleverly guided Watford to safety last season but could lose key men in the window

THE TEAM TO BUY A TICKET FOR…

Hull fans had better strap in for the new season. The club’s owner Acun Ilicali, AKA the Turkish Simon Cowell, pulled the trigger on Liam Rosenior because his football didn’t excite him. 

No wonder Ilicali has taken a punt on Tim Walter, the German who describes his playing style as ‘heart-attack football’.

THE PLAYER YOU HAVE TO WATCH…

Jack Clarke was a joy to watch last season despite Sunderland’s remarkable drop-off in the second half of the campaign. The tricky winger, 23, still managed 15 goals and should flourish under new boss Regis Le Bris, who has the youngest squad in the division at his disposal.

At the other end of the country, Plymouth are doing everything they can to keep hold of Morgan Whittaker. The 23-year-old played alongside his new boss Rooney while coming through the ranks at Derby and his game has gone from strength to strength.

Whittaker was the subject of a bid from Italian giants Lazio in January, which just goes to show Europe’s big hitters are taking notice of the Championship’s top performers.

Jack Clarke was a joy to watch last season despite Sunderland’s remarkable drop-off in the second half of the campaign

Plymouth are doing everything they can to keep hold of Morgan Whittaker amid interest from European teams

THE YOUNG PLAYER DESTINED FOR THE TOP IS…

Norwich’s Jonathan Rowe. As a child, Rowe had a trampoline in his back garden which he would bounce on to catch a glimpse of Wembley — most who have watched him play think it won’t be long until he’s there representing the Three Lions.

The 21-year-old wide man, who joined the Canaries aged 11, scored 12 goals in 32 games last season to fire his side to the play-offs. He is reportedly on Leeds’ wishlist.

MANAGERS WHO WILL HAVE PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS CALLING…

QPR fans were having ‘Marti parties’ long into the night at the end of last season and who could blame them given the incredible job done by boss Marti Cifuentes?

He steered QPR away from danger in style and his players were blown away by the Spaniard’s attention to detail. 

In one of his first training sessions, Cifuentes stopped play to bemoan the fact one of his players, whose shot had missed the target, spent four seconds complaining when he could have been getting back into the defensive shape.

QPR manager Marti Cifuentes is loved by supporters after steering the club away from relegation last season

The Owls made their worst start to a league season but went on to finish three points clear of the relegation zone after boss Danny Rohl took over

Perhaps even more impressive was the job done by Danny Rohl at Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls made their worst start to a league season but went on to finish three points clear of the relegation zone in a remarkable great escape.

Don’t be surprised if the good times keep Rohling at Hillsborough and they flirt with the play-offs under the German boss, who was a smooth operator as part of ITV’s Euros coverage this summer.