At one point this season, Wolverhampton Wanderers were the runaway leaders in the Championship but having won only once in January (vs Watford at Molineux) the gap on the nearest rivals is now down to five points above Reading. Birmingham are seven points behind Wolves.
Wolves last enjoyed top-flight football in 2003-04 after David Jones (now at Cardiff) led the Molineux men to promotion via the play-offs.
Yet, they only lasted one year in the top flight.
Mick McCarthy, the current manager, has seen it all before with Sunderland and he has great hopes of taking Wolves up without repeating the nosedive back to grade two.
Wolves are shipping in too many goals and for a team challenging for Premiership football, conceding more than 40 goals is indeed unhealthy.
The other promotion contenders, Reading and Birmingham, were demoted from the top flight last season. The other side to go down from the Premier League, Derby County, have changed manager and went for Nigel Clough, son of the legendary Brian.
This season, Derby have reached the last four of the League Cup and although they won the first leg 1-0 at Pride Park, the might of Manchester United was too much for them even though they left Old Trafford with their heads held high.
Reading and Birmingham were shrewd enough to hang on to their manager after relegation. Steve Coppell and Alex McLeish are doing a decent job and their target is to return to rub shoulders with the elite in the Premier League.
Reading are again banking on home results and statistics show that they are one of the best in the Championship in front of their own fans.
Birmingham are more regarded as a good side away from home. Their loss of only three games is one of the best in the division.
The play-offs
The 2008 play-off contenders are nowhere near last season's form and will have to strive to reach a top-six placing. The winners of the deciders, Hull City, are faring pretty well in the Premier League but Bristol City, Crystal Palace and Watford can even be involved in a relegation dog-fight, particularly the Hornets.
Watford sacked manager Adrian Boothroyd.
In 2005-06, he led the club to the Premier League by winning the play-offs. They only lasted one year and after finishing sixth last season it seems they have now lost their plot. Ex-England boss Graham Taylor has been appointed a non-executive director at Watford.
Bristol City cannot find the same form of last season. The Robins are in mid-table and their poor performances at home are the main reason they seem to have missed the bus this time.
Other losing semi-finalists Crystal Palace, managed by Neil Warnock, considered as the best coach to steer a side to play-off honours, are now in their fourth season in the second tier of the English game after demotion from the Premier League in 2004-05.
Last year, Stoke City, who won promotion as runners-up behind West Brom, were dubbed the dark horses of the division. This time around, Sheffield United, Cardiff and Preston North End fall in the same category.
The Blades are one of the original members of the Premier League that started in 1992-93 and after they went down they regained recognition for only one term in 2006-07.
Their place in the top six can catapult Sheffield to the top flight once more. Yet, the loss of striker James Beattie to Stoke can dent their chances.
Preston have never been in the Premier League and the last time they mingled with the big boys was in 1960-61 in Division One. The NorthEnders have great hopes of bridging that gap. Their remarkable 3-1 win at Wolves has given them the impetus to keep their charge up the table.
Cardiff are also striving to claim a place in the Premier League for the first time in their history. Manager Jones can also take the Bluebirds up after their remarkable FA Cup run of last season.
Promoted sides
The three promoted sides from League One, Swansea City, Nottingham Forest and Doncaster Rovers, experienced mixed fortunes so far.
Swansea, who knocked out FA Cup holders Portsmouth at their own patch, are leading the trio mostly due to their solid play in defence.
Forest have sacked Colin Calderwood to become the fourth casualty in five years at the City Ground. They have also been among the original members of the Premier League.
Doncaster, having earned promotion through the play-offs, defeating once-mighty Leeds United in the final, are in danger of losing their status, having languished at the wrong end of the standings for several weeks now.
A good number of other clubs, like Burnley, Ipswich and QPR, have high hopes of promotion, at least through the do-or-die deciders. Yet, teams like Southampton, Charlton and Derby are struggling for survival.
The Saints have lost their haloes since they were relegated from the Premier League in 2004-05 after wrangles in the boardroom and uneasiness in the managerial staff.