Championship preview: Contenders, pretenders and strugglers

BBC Sport's Championship preview highlights five storylines ahead of Saturday's fixtures, including Birmingham's promotion push under Davies and West Ham's managerial change to Scott Parker.

With League One and League Two clubs competing in the FA Cup, the Championship has a clear weekend. BBC Sport picks out five key narratives across Saturday's action.

Birmingham City have climbed to third place under Chris Davies following five wins in their last six games, with a chance to go top against Swansea (15:00 GMT). Davies' rebuild has been impressive after the club's record promotion from League One, though Swansea arrive as a mixed proposition—thrashing Blackburn 4-0 last weekend but losing 5-0 to QPR and 3-1 to Portsmouth.

West Ham have undergone upheaval this week, sacking Nuno Espirito Santo and appointing Scott Parker, who has won promotion from the Championship three times previously with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley. Parker's first match ended in a dramatic 3-3 draw at Cardiff after the Hammers trailed 3-0. They face Blackburn on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Sheffied United sit quietly in ninth, five points off the top two after four wins in six games, while Charlton face second-season syndrome after dropping from the top of the table.