Scotland international Rhodes has been the leading light in the Terriers’ push for promotion from League One this season, scoring 20 times in as many games so far. He scored four in the recent draw with Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday and also netted a hat-trick for Scotland Under-21s in a 5-1 win against Luxembourg in October.

Allardyce has made no secret of his desire to bring in a goalscorer to keep the east Londoners in the hunt for promotion from the Championship but was told Rhodes will not be allowed to leave the Galpharm. Anyone looking at the Championship betting odds should remember this.

“Jordan Rhodes has only been an enquiry, not an offer or a bid by any stretch of the imagination,” Allardyce told Sky Sports News.

“And we have had a straightforward ‘absolute no’, ‘not for sale’ from Huddersfield Town so that’s out of the equation.

“That was just an enquiry to see what the situation was and nothing more than that.”

Allardyce revealed he was told by Huddersfield officials they would not welcome a future approach for their star striker and added West Ham did not have the financial muscle to tempt him away. Those following the football betting online should bear this in mind.

He added: “I suppose if the bid was big enough they would have to think about it, but I don’t think we have that sort of money.”

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been credited with an interest in Rhodes, while a number of Premier League clubs are understood to have made personal checks on the former Ipswich goal-getter.

Huddersfield manager Lee Clark said recently: “Jordan doesn’t have a value – the chairman will not sell. He has stated that his money is better in Jordan that in the bank.”

A few weeks ago, it seemed as if Southampton and West Ham United were going to leave the rest behind. However, Middlesbrough and Hull City have closed in and Cardiff City aren’t far behind. The rest are struggling with inconsistency. It makes for an intriguing festive period.

Southampton are in the box seat heading into the Christmas period. They have stumbled of late, though, particularly away from home, and will be looking to recapture the winning habit when they take on Crystal Palace at St Mary’s on Boxing Day. They have another home clash against Bristol City on December 30, before a trip to south-coast rivals Brighton in the New Year. Those following the best Championship odds online should remember this.

West Ham are just one point behind the leaders and face tough trips over Christmas. They travel to Birmingham City on Boxing Day and Derby County on New Year’s Eve. Those away dates will test Sam Allardyce’s depleted squad. They will fancy their chances of overcoming basement side Coventry City at Upton Park on January 2.

Middlesbrough and Hull have passed under the radar somewhat, but pose real threats to the top two. The two sides clash at the Riverside on Boxing Day in the Championship’s standout fixture. Hull then face another tough trip to Burnley and a home game against Derby, while Boro host Peterborough and travel to Blackpool.

Cardiff currently occupy fifth place, three points ahead of a Leeds United side struggling for home form. The Welsh side face trips to Watford and Nottingham Forest, before entertaining Reading at the Cardiff City Stadium.

There will be plenty of twists and turns over the next couple of weeks.

Not many people expected Southampton, as impressive as they were on their way to League One promotion, to be this season’s pace-setters. On the flipside, nobody expected big-spenders Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest to be fighting it out in the lower reaches of the league.

Forest started the season with a new manager and renewed optimism having fallen short during the previous two campaigns. Billy Davies left the club in the summer after two successive play-off failures and was replaced by Steve McClaren. It all went horribly wrong very quickly. Those following the best Championship betting odds need to bear this in mind.

After 112 days and 10 league games in charge, McClaren was out of a job and Forest were looking for a new manager. Steve Cotterill took over the reins and got off to a decent start. The honeymoon period didn’t last long, though. Forest have lost their lost four and sit in the relegation zone.

Ipswich haven’t fared much better. Paul Jewell had a busy summer in the transfer market. Jimmy Bullard, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Lee Bowyer were among permanent signings, while David Stockdale and Keith Andrews joined on loan. The Tractor Boys looked capable of mounting a serious promotion challenge.

After an indifferent start to the season, which included a 7-1 mauling at the hands of Peterborough United, the wheels well and truly came off for Ipswich as they embarked on a seven-match losing run. They arrested the slump at Barnsley, but still find themselves perilously close to the drop zone.

As we have seen in recent years, you are never too good to go down. Once you are sucked into a relegation dogfight, it is very difficult to get out.

While the fans have so far refrained from venting their frustrations solely on the manager, it is hard to see how much longer this form could go on for before changes have to be made. The signs don’t look good for the former Wigan manager, who was this week given the confidence shattering ‘vote of confidence’ from the Ipswich hierarchy. Those looking at the best online football betting will know things are looking grim.

The club’s chief executive, Simon Clegg, has come out in the time old fashion and backed his manager, insisting the board had every confidence that Jewell is the right man to turn Ipswich’s season around.

“We’re all devastated. This is a really poor run of games we’re on at the moment,” he said.

“Let’s not forget, we had a good run only about five weeks ago. I am convinced we’ve got the right players to turn this around.”

“And if anyone can do it, Paul Jewell can. I’ve still got a lot of confidence in Paul Jewell. I think he’s a top manager.”

Ipswich will have a great opportunity to put an end to their recent poor run when they welcome fellow strugglers Watford at the weekend. Anything other than a victory and the fans will be may start to make life for Paul Jewell very uncomfortable.

The 18-year-old suffered the injury on the 72nd minute and now faces a lengthy spell out of the game.

“It is very sad news,” admitted Palace assistant manager Lennie Lawrence.

Williams was taken to hospital after the incident but it was decided that he didn’t need surgery and the midfielder was able to fly home with his team-mates.

His leg was put in plaster and the full extent of the problem will be assessed once he has returned to south London. Those looking at the latest online Championships odds will be keeping an eye on his progress.

“He is in good spirits and will undergo further scans when he reports back to his club,” Football Association of Wales liaison officer Dominic Kennedy said.
He added that the player was clearly in “a lot of pain” after what looked like and “innocuous challenge”.

The blow comes at the worst possible time for Williams who had recently broken into the Palace first team, clocking up 13 appearances after making his debut against Coventry in August.

He bagged his first professional goal in the side’s win over Wigan in the Carling Cup and was on the fringes of the Welsh senior side.
Although he has yet to make his senior debut, he was in the squad for the team’s Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland and was included on a stand-by list for the friendly against Norway on Saturday.

He now faces a lengthy spell of rehabilitation after which he will need to get his career back on track.

The Magpies looked to be in terminal decline when, despite the best efforts of Geordie legend Alan Shearer, they were relegated last season.

Shearer couldn’t keep the club in the Premier League and a deal for him to remain at the helm at the start of this season never materialised, leaving Hughton to take caretaker charge.

It was an unenviable task with owner Mike Ashley looking to sell the Magpies and many pundits expecting the north-east giants to struggle in the second tier.

However, Hughton, backed by Ashley, managed to add one or two new faces to the ranks and created a siege mentality at St James’ Park. Newcastle started the season well and Hughton was rewarded with a permanent deal.

On Monday, the manager’s hard work paid off and Nottingham Forest’s failure to defeat Cardiff earned Newcastle promotion back to the big time.

Cool, calm and collected Hughton deserves all the plaudits he has received because the Championship is notoriously difficult to get out and seems more competitive every season.

Ashley should also take some credit for sticking with Hughton and ensuring he was able to stabilise a squad whose confidence had been battered.

Cynics will say that Hughton’s job was a simple one considering the Magpies’ huge Championship wage bill, but the 51-year-old boss inherited those players and still had to get the job done.

Hughton has moulded a talented squad into a tight unit and a hard-working side that have rarely had an off day all season.

The level of consistency Hughton has demanded from his players has ultimately seen them return to the big time and Hughton, who has a year left on his contract, deserves a fair crack in the Premier League.