Coventry, Ipswich, Hull – promoted trio enjoy positive starts

The three teams have collected a respectable 31 points in total after nine games, and all currently sit above the relegation zone. Coventry manager Frank Lampard (left), Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic (centre) and Ipswich's Gary O'Neil It was only a few weeks ago that it seemed life in the Premier League might prove a step too far for newly promoted Coventry City. After storming to the Championship title last season to secure their return to the top flight for the first time since 2001, Frank Lampard's side were given little time to settle into their new surroundings when the campaign began in August. By the end of their first month back in the Premier League, Coventry were rooted to the bottom of the table, having lost all four of their matches by a combined score of 10-0.

The final defeat of that brutal introduction – a 5-0 hammering at the hands of high-flying Brighton – was enough to convince even the most optimistic supporters that a return to the Championship could be on the cards. But since that humbling defeat on the south coast almost six weeks ago, Lampard's side have breathed new life into their campaign, winning three of their next five matches. After back-to-back victories over Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United in September, Saturday's 3-1 win over