Solid start to life back in the Championship for the Pilgrims

So far so good would have to be the prognosis of Plymouth Argyle’s return to the second flight of English football. If nothing else, their start to life back in the Championship can be described as solid, with clear daylight between the club and the sides in the bottom three of the table.

The start the club has made this season has given them the platform to consolidate their position and go again. But fans shouldn't be getting carried away looking up the table. The focus on survival should come first, with the view to kicking on next season.

That might sound negative, but there are good reasons for having that theory.

Plymouth is more likely to be relegated than promoted

The bookmakers think it more likely that Plymouth will be relegated than gain promotion to the Premier League. At the moment, Argyle is 5/2 to go down and 25/1 to go up. In the latest Championship betting, Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and Huddersfield are shorter odds than Argyle to drop down to League 1. Most Championship tips for relegation would be the three promoted teams, so for Sheffield Wednesday to be the only promoted team in the three favourites to go down, shows that Argyle (and Ipswich) must be doing something right.

But what the bookmakers’ odds do highlight is that they only see Plymouth heading down the table, not up it.

Exceptional effort to win League 1

Steven Schumacher has done an outstanding job at Home Park. Last season’s League 1 title win was outstanding, as the competition from Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday was intense. To score over 100 points (101) was an exceptional effort and shows just how hard the Pilgrims had to work for the title.

The points scored by second-place Ipswich (98) and third-place Sheffield Wednesday (96) would have won the title in recent years. Argyle’s 101 points is the highest total since Sheffield United topped the table in 2016/17 with 100 points.

Consecutive Promotions rarely happen

But even given last season’s record points haul, it’s still incredibly rare for a team to go from League 1 to the Premier League in successive seasons.

The Sheffield United team that scored 100 points in the 2016/17 season, finished tenth in the Championship the following season. After that year of consolidation, the Blades pushed on the following season to finish second in 2018/19 and gained promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

The last teams to go straight from League 1 to the Premier League in successive seasons were Norwich City between 2009 and 2011 and Southampton between 2010 and 2012.

Of last season's promoted teams, Burnley and Sheffield United have been in the Premier League more recently than in League 1. And as for the two playoff finalists, Luton were promoted back to the Championship in the 2018/19 season, and Coventry City in the 2019/20 season.

Consolidation should be the aim

The conclusion here can only be that no matter how big the dream of going for the Premier League is, a realistic aim would be for a mid-table finish in the Championship this year. There’s little point in trying to run before walking.

The Pilgrims need to establish themselves in the Championship first, and then, they can dare to dream big!