Originally posted by Smarkets View Post
In Charlie Austin and Jordan Rhodes QPR and Blackburn have two of the most consistent goal scorers in the league. Both were linked with moves away in the summer transfer window, but both are now tied in until January at the earliest.

Having the best striker you would assume would make you among the favourites for the title, but historically one hasn’t always led to the other in the Championship.

In fact only once in the last 10 Championship seasons has the top goalscorer also picked up a league winner medal (Sylvan Ebanks-Blake for Wolves back in 2008/9 since you ask). Add in a further three top scorers that were promoted either as runners up or through the play-offs (answers on a postcard), and it’s still just 40% of the league’s top scorers that add the team glory to go with the individual accolade.

Some strikers may be good enough to guarantee goals, but they don’t guarantee league success.

Perhaps that was all too apparent against Forest at the weekend. Austin does what he does, then a defensive lapse lets Forest back into the game and eventually on to the win.

Strikers win games, defences win titles.

The traders seem to have represented that defence is the QPR weak link, and that over the course of the season that is likely to be costly. Having traded at 12.0 before the Forest match, that single loss, or the manner it occurred in, means you can now back QPR at 18.5 to win the Championship.

In an individual match though, well as they have been for every match, QPR (2.06) will enter the match against Blackburn (3.9) as favourites to have helped themselves to the 3 points.

Who ever you’re backing or laying, as always this is a 0% commission match on all markets, making Smarkets the only place to bet on QPR.