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"Burnley will be there or thereabouts at the end," he said. "It's the same as I said about Middlesbrough last week and I stand by that despite us winning up there. Any team that finishes above Burnley and Middlesbrough will have a chance of going up.
"Burnley didn't go crazy when they got promoted. They have kept the nucleus of the squad and invested well on top of that, with one or two players coming in. It will be a big challenge for us, especially given the injuries we have and we will have some youngsters out there, but we will give it 100 per cent."
Brian Laws meanwhile said: "Ipswich are a side that is always there or thereabouts in the Championship and a strong contender for promotion. Last year was just a blip. They had a tough year but when you look at the stats they drew more than anyone else and if they had turned half of those into wins they would have been in the play offs.
"Roy is a very determined character and a determined manager who wants and demands success and anyone who stands in his way will get trampled on. That's the way he played and that's the way he manages. He will want to try and brush us to one side but hopefully we will have something to say about that."
Laws continued: "I still believe they are going to be a strong contender, which is why I said from the start that our first four games are a real test for us. I believe Nottingham Forest will be up there, Ipswich will be up there, Swansea will have another good season and Leicester will have another good season.
"If we can come through that, I'm not saying win every game, but with a positive approach and points tally then it will set the season up for us.
"Last Saturday epitomised what this league is about. No one drew. I haven't seen that before and I think this will typify what the league's about. It will be very unpredictable this year. There are a lot of teams out there capable of putting a run together and potentially promotion contenders.
"I think everyone has got a chance so to get off to a flying start as we did was fantastic for everybody. We would like to take that into our next game and if you get a momentum going who knows what can happen."
One thing is for sure. The players have responded magnificently. They have worked really hard, without playing their best football yet. I'm expecting a lot more, but from the first game the biggest thing that came out of it was the togetherness on the pitch."