#championship

#championship

A consistently good offense: The Heat were a bottom-third offense each of the last three seasons entering 2025-26. They started this year off on the right note with a new up-tempo, free-flowing offense. Miami was playing at a back-breaking pace, but was still the No. 13 unit through 20 games. They've now dropped ever-so-slightly to No. 17 despite being the fifth-highest scoring team while remaining atop the league in pace. I think they're closer to 17 than No. 5, too.

Starting with the hosts, enjoying what was a sensational run of form on either side of opening November, Charlton had shockingly found a route into the top-half of the Championship standings. However, crashing back down to earth in a worrying fashion, Nathan Jones' men have come free-falling down the table and have rightfully come under plenty of recent scrutiny.

Suffering a major second-half collapse away at Bristol City as they eventually had to settle for a frantic 2-2 stalemate at Ashton Gate, it has been suggested that Marti Cifuentes has some serious pressure on his shoulders. Signing off November with an action-packed 3-2 loss at home against Sheffield United, the former QPR boss finds his squad scrapping it out in the bottom-half of the Championship standings.

Three drivers came into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a chance to win the championship, but it was Norris who did exactly what he needed to: a podium would guarantee a championship win, and a podium he achieved. He beat four-time champion Max Verstappen by two points and his teammate Oscar Piastri by 13, and put 15 years of Red Bull and Mercedes domination in the ground to help herald in a a new era of racing.

Oxford United took the long road back to the second tier of English football. After they were relegated from what was then Division One in 1999, they spent the next quarter of a century dropping and then climbing again. Where some teams bounce around from one level to another, Oxford committed to the way down and then the way back. They changed direction only once, in 2009-10, when they were promoted after four years in the Conference.

Bayern Munich sold youngster Nestory Irankunda this summer to Watford, but nested in the deal was a favorable buy-back option for the Bavarians. That's according to a report from Sport Bild, as captured by @iMiaSanMia_GER: Bayern has a buy-back clause for Nestory Irankunda of 4.5-5 million €. He was sold to FC Watford in the summer for 3 million €. [Bayern-Insider, @cfbayern, @altobelli13]

Image source, Shutterstock Sheffield Wednesday have signed former Norwich and Southampton winger Nathan Redmond on a short-term deal until January. The 31-year-old had been without a club since leaving Burnley in May. He has been training with the Owls, who are bottom of the Championship, during his time as a free agent. Redmond's career has included 276 Premier League appearances, including 195 for Southampton between 2016 and 2023, during which time he gained one cap for England.

Portsmouth owner Michael Eisner says the English football pyramid is a "financial disaster" for clubs at Championship level - but says the introduction of an independent regulator offers hope "extraordinary losses" will be a thing of the past.

Middlesbrough have appointed Kim Hellberg as their new head coach. The 37-year-old who had been in charge of Swedish side Hammarby, replaces Rob Edwards, who left for Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month. This is a first job for Hellberg outside his native Sweden, although he had been in talks with Championship rivals Swansea City earlier this month. Hellberg will take over officially later in the week, with Adi Viveash remaining in interim charge for the home game with Championship leaders Coventry City

Preston looked the more dangerous side in the opening stages, with Lewis Dobbin and Liam Lindsay both going close before Michael Smith and Odeluga Offiah both saw efforts blocked in quick succession. Andrew Hughes tested Aynsley Pears in the Blackburn goal before Offiah had another chance in the box, though this time his strike failed to hit the target, but a frantic end to the first half followed.

"We'll monitor the injury situation, but we made a lot of changes in the summer and I feel we're only just getting a settled feel in the building,"

Sierra Canyon won its second Southern Section Division 1 girls' volleyball title in four years Saturday night and ended Mater Dei's bid for a three-peat with a 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-21 victory at Cerritos College. The Trailblazers (39-3) are expected to be seeded No. 1 in the Open Division when CIF SoCal Regional brackets are released Sunday afternoon. The state playoffs are set to begin Tuesday and wrap up Nov. 22 at Santiago College.

When the ball was thrown in her direction with the championship on the line, Avery Olson was ready. There was no time on the clock when the JSerra junior defender ran step for step with Orange Lutheran receiver Josie Anderson, who dove but could not reach it in the end zone - an exciting finish to the Southern Section Division 1 girls' flag football final Saturday night at Fred Kelly Stadium in Orange.

Boss Rob Edwards has been stood down from Middlesbrough's game against Birmingham on Saturday amid Wolves' interest in appointing him as their new manager. Wolves saw an approach to speak to Edwards rejected by Boro on Thursday and the manager was locked in talks with members of the Championship club's hierarchy on Friday. Edwards did not hold his pre-game news conference, nor did he oversee the team's final training session before the game with Birmingham.

Starting with the hosts, while Hull might have been left frustrated earlier in the week as they eventually fell to a 2-1 loss away at Derby, the Tigers have rightfully received a string of plaudits from across the Championship this season. Despite only just dragging themselves over the finishing line last year as they clung to their second-tier status, Sergej Jakirovic's men have made plenty of improvements this time around.

"It's a special game because they just changed the manager two days ago. We don't know how they will play, which player, which structure, which organisation," Stephan told BBC Radio London.

Honestly, I can't believe it. We didn't lead a lap today and somehow won the championship," Larson said. "Really, I'm just speechless. I can't believe it.