Disclaimer time first - please bear in mind that my knowledge of Division 3 (as I still call it) isn't everything it could be as it's a good three years now since Pools were relegated from it. But anyway, here's how I see it this season...
It surely has to be Sheffield United's time this season doesn't it? There's only so many near misses that a club that size can have before they finally get promoted. Nigel Adkins looks a sound appointment as manager and he should finally guide the Blades back to the promised land of the Championship. Unless I've just jinxed them yet again...
Beyond that, no-one really sticks out. It'd be easy to say Swindon or Wigan but I get the impression Swindon might find the going a bit tougher after their near miss last time out. Wigan, meanwhile, won't enjoy the rough and tumble of League One (as a Leeds supporting friend of mine used to say, it's not referred to by bigger clubs slumming it down there as the "Are you looking at me? ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?" League for nothing) and I think they may end up just outside the play-offs before regrouping and giving promotion a serious tilt next season.
Fellow relegatees (is that a word? Bugger it, it is now) Millwall might be a safer bet. A good run at the tail end of last season wasn't quite enough to keep them up but if they can pick themselves up quickly then they should be up challenging. My choice for second place though is Bradford who have slowly been improving each season and with a few canny signings this summer they may well be ones to watch this time around.
Another less than fashionable club on the up are Rochdale who narrowly missed the play-offs last time around and could well go one better this season. Peterborough have flattered to deceive the last couple of seasons but if they can get themselves together this time around then there's no reason they can't make the top six while if Tony Mowbray can work his magic at Coventry, they could be a surprise package. Doncaster could be another outside bet but they'll need to find a bit more consistency than they managed last season. Chesterfield did brilliantly to make the play-offs last time around but the departure of manager Paul Cook, the mastermind behind their meteoric rise, to Portsmouth is likely to hurt them badly meaning a mid-table finish is more likely this time around.
At the other end of the table, where do you even start with Blackpool? Relegated by a mile last season, total chaos both on and off the pitch, it's difficult to foresee anything other than a long cold winter at Bloomfield Road this season. Colchester have been down among the dead men for a couple of years now and I suspect their luck may just run out this season, ditto Crewe who've left it until very late to secure safety in the last couple of campaigns. Burton did well to win League Two at a canter last season but their chances this time around rest massively on keeping Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as manager. Even if they manage to resist a bigger club swooping for him, they're very much in uncharted territory this season and their lack of experience could well prove their undoing.
Fleetwood overachieved massively last season and, like Stevenage and Crawley before them, could find the going a lot more difficult this time around. Unlikely to be relegated but will be closer to the bottom four than the top six. Walsall and Oldham both managed mid-table last time around but both need a good start to avoid a relegation dogfight as do Port Vale whose squad should have just enough quality to ensure safety. Scunthorpe look set for another season of struggle but the signing of Luke Williams could be vital to give them the goals to stay up.
Phil Brown's experience should be enough to ensure Southend aren't massively worried about an instant return to Division 4 while fellow promoted clubs Shrewsbury and Bury both have enough quality to ensure mid-table security. Which just leaves Barnsley and Gillingham, both of whom finished midway last season and look likely to do so again barring a sudden upturn or downturn in form.
ANDY'S PREDICTIONS
1. Sheffield United
2. Bradford
-------------------------------
3. Millwall
4. Peterborough
5. Rochdale
6. Coventry
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7. Swindon
8. Wigan
9. Doncaster
10. Barnsley
11. Shrewsbury
12. Gillingham
13. Bury
14. Chesterfield
15. Port Vale
16. Southend
17. Oldham
18. Fleetwood
19. Walsall
20. Scunthorpe
-------------------------------
21. Burton
22. Crewe
23. Blackpool
24. Colchester
Tomorrow: The Championship...
No comments:
Post a Comment