Who’d have had QPR among their promotion contenders after they finished last season with just two points from their final six matches?
The Hoops have the second best defensive record in the Championship with just seven goals conceded in their opening eight games and their only defeat came at home to Middlesbrough, in a game the R’s might well have claimed a point or more.
Converting chances has been their biggest issue.
They have 261 touches in the opposition box, second most in the division, and won 55 corners, again second most, but their shot conversion rate of 7.3% is 20th of the 24 teams in the division.
After losing their first three games, Stoke have taken 13 points from the next five to sit just four points off the top.
Mark Robins was under immense pressure after taking one point from the final six games of last season to end up 17th, having been in the promotion race before Christmas, but things appear to be looking up for the Potters.
They are one point behind West Brom, who have swapped the bottom four last season for the top five this, despite losing to Wolves last time out.
Lincoln have returned to the second tier for the first time in 65 years with a new management team, and a bang.
Though they have the joint-lowest number of goals scored, the League One winners boast a division-best four clean sheets in eight games – along with Swansea – and their 11-point return from eight games has them just two points outside the top six, having widely been tipped to finish bottom.
