They keep saying the Championship is the most competitive league in football – and there’s been precious little so far this season to suggest the Premier League is narrowing the gap.

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With almost one third of the campaign over, the big boys are engaged in their customary ‘Big-Four-plus-one-or-two-pretenders’ battle of the richest.

No, that's not quite correct - the years of repetition have changed just slightly with Manchester City suddenly buying their way into the rich club. And Middle Eastlands does at least gives us just a tad of freshness in the so-called 'Big League' for a change.

Meanwhile, the Championship is as ever throwing up surprise after surprise. Newcastle, the relegated Premier League thoroughbreds the pundits expected to run away with the title, are clinging to top spot by a thread after being beaten by both Nottingham Forest and Scunthorpe in the last 10 days.

And but for a remarkable twist in the last few minutes, they’d have suffered  a third defeat in a row when little Doncaster came to St James’ Park on Saturday.

With the score locked at 1-1, Donny’s Martin Woods fired a late penalty wide. Then Newcastle were reduced to 10 men when Zurab Khizanishvili was sent off – only for Kevin Nolan to secure the points in injury time with an 18-yard drive that went in off a post.

But for that lucky strike, goal-happy Cardiff would have taken over at the top after their 4-3 win at Sheffield United. Midfielder Peter Whittingham’s hat-trick moved the unlikely lad to the top of the league scoring charts on 12 goals, alongside teammate Michael Chopra.

But while Cardiff have scored more goals (30) than anyone else in the division, the team of the moment have to be QPR, whose stunning 4-2 win at Nigel Clough's Derby County was their third four-goal haul in three games.

Two down after 36 minutes, and inspired by on-loan Spurs midfielder Adel Taarabt, the Londoners hit back dramatically – and ultimately could have won even more convincingly.

''People haven't been talking about us, which has been to our liking,'' said manager Jim Magilton. ''And now that they ARE starting to talk about us, I know we are going to get better.''

Early-season predictions that relegated trio Newcastle, West Brom and Middlesbrough would storm back into the Premier League are already being revised in the face of the red-hot form of teams like Cardiff and QPR.

The Big Three have all hit on sticky spells recently. And although they remain genuine contenders, results suggest that there will be as many shocks in the Championship this season as ever. I mean, who would have predicted Burnley to be promoted last season - or Stoke and Hull the previous year?

It’s rare indeed for a week to pass without at least one Championship underdog upsetting a favourite. Saturday was an exception, although five draws in the 10-match programme did at least emphasise the remarkable equality of the competition.

Meanwhile, the bookies are sticking with the Big Three at the head of their betting charts – with the odds against Cardiff and QPR rapidly shortening.

But with just two points dividing third-placed Boro from Forest in ninth, the top half could effectively be turned upside down over the next game or two.

Watford at 50/1, anybody?

Ladbroke's title odds: 11/4 Newcastle, 7/2 West Brom, 4 Cardiff, 9/2 Middlesbrough, 8 QPR, 14 Nottingham Forest, 22 Leicester, 25 Bristol City, Sheffield United, 33 Preston, 40 Blackpool, 50 Swansea, Watford, 66 Sheffield Wednesday, 80 Crystal Palace, 125 Derby, 150 Ipswich, Reading, Coventry, 200 Barnsley, 250 Doncaster, Scunthorpe, 500 Peterborough, 750 Plymouth