GARY ROWETT does not believe it is possible to predict how many teams will be battling for promotion in the “random” Championship with “so many surprises”.
Battle commences in English football’s second tier again over the following days with all 24 teams in action, including Millwall away to Middlesbrough.
The majority of the clubs will have one eye on a play-off spot at least in a division known for its unpredictability.
And Rowett believes the top spots are up for grabs.
He told NewsAtDen: “It’s so difficult to tell. Whereas some seasons you maybe think ‘okay they’ve come up from League One and might struggle’, this year every team is a decent-sized team. Every team has the capability of surprising [you] or doing what you expect.
“I’ll never sit here and say those teams are in the promotion race and those teams aren’t. You’ll probably get a better understanding after 20 games. Even five to ten games I don’t think is enough.
“You look at Coventry City last season. They were down at the bottom after eight or nine games for different reasons and they ended up in the play-offs.
“I don’t think you can discount anyone before a ball is kicked. You have to respect every team. It’s about consistency. It’s about our mentality, it’s about us doing things better than we have done last season and looking for those little marginal games along the way.
“It’s a random league, it’s a league where there are so many surprises, it’s a league where you can’t predict anything. All you can do is try to control what you can control and take care of your own business and preparation.”