WITH the Premiership almost certain to be another procession for Chelsea and the final stages of the Champions League likely to be contested by the same set of European super-powers, football fans currently find themselves starved of excitement and intrigue.

Unless, that is, they decide to turn their attention to the Championship.

Away from the glitz and glamour of the top-flight, England's second tier is developing a reputation for unpredictability and shocks. One week into the season, and the surprises have started already.

Last season, Watford kicked off the campaign among the favourites for relegation and finished it with a place in the Premiership. Norwich, on the other hand, were hotly tipped to finish in the top two and spent the first half of the season staving off the threat of relegation.

Clearly, when it comes to life in the Championship, it is best to expect the unexpected.

So does that mean, over the course of the next nine months, we will be watching Colchester, Southend and Barnsley tussle for a place in the top-flight?

Probably not. But while Birmingham and West Brom already look like firm favourites to secure an instant return to the Premiership after the opening two games of the season, last term's two relegated Midlands sides should not be taking anything for granted at this stage.

As Crystal Palace, Norwich and Southampton know only too well, what comes down is not guaranteed to go straight back up.

For Birmingham boss Steve Bruce, the stakes could hardly be higher. Former Blues centre-half Kenny Cunningham, now with Sunderland, claimed that the club had no soul last season, an accusation that implied a debilitating lack of leadership from Bruce.

The ex-Manchester United centre-half managed to hold on to his job over the summer but he is unlikely to see out the season if his side are not ensconced in the top two.

Given the resources at his disposal, they should be. Emile Heskey and Jermaine Pennant might have been sacrificed this summer but, with the likes of Julian Gray and David Dunn feeding Mikael Forssell and £3m arrival Cameron Jerome - a player who should prove a success despite his opening-day dismissal against Colchester - goals should not be in short supply at St Andrew's.

There has already been plenty of attacking action at the Hawthorns, with Bryan Robson having added John Hartson to the West Brom squad that came close to surviving in the Premiership last season.

Hartson bagged a brace on his Baggies debut last weekend and his relationship with Nathan Ellington is already bearing fruit.

Losing Thomas Kuszczak to Manchester United was a disappointment, but holding on to the highly-rated Curtis Davies was a major coup and, with Zoltan Gera and Nigel Quashie lining up to keep the supply line busy, the Baggies should be there or thereabouts come May.

Even at this stage of the season, Robson will view anything less than automatic promotion as a considerable disappointment.

Niall Quinn will be thinking exactly the same thing at Sunderland, despite his side's shocking start to the campaign.

Consecutive defeats to Coventry and Birmingham have burst the bubble of optimism that accompanied the Irishman's return to Wearside and a lack of big-money signings have undoubtedly hampered the Black Cats' attempts to put last season's nightmare behind them.

Nevertheless, while Sunderland might have been out of their depth in the Premiership, the bulk of the squad were title winners two years ago as Mick McCarthy's men swept all before them at this level.

Despite last week's disappointments, a repeat is not out of the question. But Quinn must act quickly to ensure that Sunderland's chances do not disappear when the transfer window swings shut at the end of the month.

Leeds' players are also hoping to banish some bad memories following May's play-off defeat to Watford. Kevin Blackwell's side already look typically hard to beat, but the recent loss of star striker Rob Hulse could prove terminal to their promotion chances.

The same could be true of Crystal Palace following Andy Johnson's exit to Everton, although two wins out of two suggests the Eagles could be ready to soar again.

Johnson was the club's leading scorer last season and, while new boss Peter Taylor could face a testing nine months without him following his departure from Hull, the likes of Jamie Scowcroft and Jon Macken remain useful players at Championship level.

Southampton have also made a bright start and Saints fans are looking forward to a brave new era after finally ousting Rupert Lowe from the boardroom.

Manager George Burley has been splashing the cash and, in Grzegorz Rasiak and Ricardo Fuller, Southampton now boast one of the most exciting forward lines outside of the top-flight. They should certainly make the play-offs as they look to kick-start their recovery.

Norwich should also make the top seven after recruiting Robert Earnshaw in January, while Cardiff look like being a surprise package after signing the likes of Michael Chopra, Jason Koumas and Stephen McPhail.

At the other end of the table, all three of the promoted clubs - Southend, Colchester and Barnsley - face a slog to survive at a higher level, while Sheffield Wednesday and Hull will count a 21st-place finish as an achievement.