#championship

#championship

"It's a crazy start ... hopefully I can keep it going,"

Watford have appointed Edward Still as their new head coach following Javi Gracia's exit earlier this month. The 35-year-old, who is the older brother of former Southampton boss Will Still, has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at Vicarage Road. This comes after Gracia handed in his resignation after only three months in charge during his second spell, with Still taking charge of a Watford side who are just three points off the play-off places in 11th.

After starting out in the academy at his dad's former club Wimbledon, the attacking midfielder made the move to Chelsea. A loan spell with League One Shrewsbury last season was hampered by the side's poor form and ended by injury, but Castledine so thoroughly excelled at Huddersfield in the first half of this campaign that Championship Middlesbrough snapped him up on a permanent move in the January transfer window.

It's a derby game, and they have their way to play. It's different compared to Coventry, but this is the Championship. It's very hard but this is the challenge for all the teams. If you play against different styles of football every week, you need to find solutions and keep a strong mentality. We are into the last three months of the season now. It's not about the position in the table, it's just a question of freshness, ambition and mentality.

Following words with decisive action is often a lot harder, however, in such a short and pressurised period of time, as witnessed by the fact that four clubs either sacked or lost their managers, which does not exactly speak of good planning. Finding realistic needle-moving signings is especially hard when clubs do not want to sell at this stage of a campaign, while you are eternally at the mercy of those with bigger teeth and sharper claws further up the food chain.

Christmas is long gone and the scramble of the transfer window is about to come to an end so it feels like we really are now at the business end of the season with teams' goals, be they promotion, survival or building for next year, programmed for the run-in. In the Championship Middlesbrough might have quite fancied facing Norwich a month ago but the Canaries are a different proposition these days, while Portsmouth against West Brom has 'relegation scrap' written all over it.

Mental strength in football is probably the most important thing because across a season, there is always ups and downs - [especially] in the Championship," he told BBC Radio London. "If you are not able to deal with your emotions in the situation, that means you are not ready to play in this league. "You have to always be able to react, reset and show some character and use different experiences in order to be better the next time.

"We're delighted to add Conor," manager Nathan Jones told the club website., external "He is a player of immense experience and someone who has played at the highest level and played for his country. "His leadership and his qualities are something we feel we needed at this time. At this point, we really felt we could utilise his leadership going into the last 18 games."

I'm proud of what we achieved during my time at the club and for playing my part in taking it back to where it belongs, the Premier League. Captaining Sunderland was a boyhood dream that came true, and as a supporter for life, I'm excited to see what's next on the journey.

Starting with the hosts, while West Brom might have extended on their FA Cup adventure last weekend as they secured a nail-biting penalty shootout victory, the Baggies find themselves at the heart of a public Championship nightmare. Scrapping it out in the bottom-half of the table and with some around the Hawthorns potentially looking over their shoulder at a looming relegation scrap, new boss Eric Ramsay has a major jobs on his hands in the Midlands.

Image source, Getty Images Charlton Athletic have signed striker Lyndon Dykes from fellow Championship side Birmingham City on a permanent transfer. The 30-year-old Scotland international has penned a deal with the Addicks until the end of the season. He becomes Nathan Jones' second signing of the January transfer window after Ipswich Town defender Harry Clarke joined on a six-month loan. Dykes made 24 appearances for Blues this season but has not scored since September. Altogether, he scored seven goals in 55 games for the club.

This felt like the right place at the right time. Oxford United are a club with good foundations, ambition and a playing group with significant potential, and that matches exactly where I am as a coach,

Image source, Getty Images Former Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield is in talks to become the new manager of Championship side Oxford United. The 41-year-old is the clear favourite to take over from Gary Rowett, who was sacked before Christmas, reports BBC Radio Oxford. Craig Short will remain in interim charge for the FA Cup third round tie at MK Dons on Friday evening (19:30 GMT).

Leicester City have reportedly blocked a potential January exit for defender Caleb Okoli, turning down a transfer approach from Italian Serie B side Cremonese. According to Sky Sports reported Gianluca Di Marzio, the Foxes have made it clear that the 24-year-old centre-back is not for sale during this window, despite the player's fluctuating minutes in the Championship this season.