As is customary around this time of year, I'll be updating the blog with my predictions for the new season in the days ahead. Feel free to keep them and have a good laugh at my expense come May next year.
Anyway, starting as always with League Two. For the second season in a row, my tip for the title is Portsmouth - Pompey didn't quite fulfil their potential last season and lost in the play-offs but they've kept the nucleus of their squad together and added some useful looking new signings meaning they should be up there or thereabouts. I expect Doncaster who were unlucky to get relegated last season and have a scary amount of firepower in their squad, to run them close.
Until a few weeks ago, Plymouth would have been my tip to complete the automatic promotion places but a series of departures has left me less sure. They've got enough promising signings to make sure they should still make the play-offs but I'm going to go for the summer's big spenders Luton who now have a very promising looking squad shaping up to complete the top three.
Joining Argyle in the play-offs, Notts County may have just pulled off a masterstroke with the appointment of John Sheridan as manager and with a crop of useful looking new signings they should put last season's disappointment behind them. Cambridge have also been active in the transfer market and should build on last season's progress while I'm gonna go for Carlisle to sneak the last play-off spot - the signing of Shaun Miller from Morecambe to partner Jabo Ibehre up front has all the makings of a 30 goal strike partnership.
I would have predicted my own lot Hartlepool to make a play-off place as we had a good second half to last season and have made some decent signings over the summer coupled with a promising young manager in Craig Hignett. However, I know that if I do that then I'll almost certainly jinx us so I'm gonna plump for us to finish just outside. Others who could be outside bets for the play-offs but will probably miss out are Accrington who did fantastically well last season but will have lost the element of surprise that they had twelve months ago and Colchester whose success really depends on what sort of a start to the season they make following last season's disastrous relegation.
Looking at the other two relegated clubs, I don't see Crewe or Blackpool finishing higher than mid-table - the former have a very small squad and a few injuries could easily see them struggling at the wrong end of the table while the latter are probably still wandering around like plane crash survivors following the last few seasons. At least the appointment of Gary Bowyer as manager should give them a bit of much-needed stability but starting their journey back up the leagues is likely to be a two-season job at the very least.
Mansfield and Exeter both look set for another mid-table season - both did well enough last season to suggest they won't struggle but neither has really made any particularly eye-catching changes to their teams to boost them further up the table. Joining them there should be Conference promotees Cheltenham and Grimsby who are both likely to view this as a season for consolidation.
Looking down towards the sharp end of the table, Wycombe and Leyton Orient both fell away from the play-off pack alarmingly at the tail end of last season and will need a good start to stop the rot setting in. Both have at least got strikers who can fire goals in (Ade Akinfenwa and Jay Simpson respectively) which should save them from being too closely involved with a relegation scrap but I'll be surprised if either of them finish above mid-table. Likewise Yeovil finally hit a decent run at the tail end of the season after a disastrous first few months following relegation and should be able to breathe a bit easier this time around but are unlikely to be troubling the top half.
Barnet consolidated last season after being promoted from the Conference but they've had a very quiet summer in terms of transfers and will desperately be hoping to avoid injuries while Newport have at least boosted their faltering attack with veteran Jon Parkin fresh off a 20-goal season for Forest Green in the Conference. I still don't see them finishing outside the bottom half but they should scrape home safely again.
Which leaves three teams looking set for a season of struggle to try and avoid the dreaded drop into non-League, namely Morecambe, Stevenage and Crawley. Stevenage had a wretched season last time out with the appointment of Teddy Sheringham as manager being a colossal misfire and only just clawed their way to safety with a couple of games to spare. With no eye-catching new signings to speak of, it's difficult to see anything other than a season of struggle for the Borough this time out. Morecambe were also in the pack sat just above the drop zone last time out and the departure of top scorer Shaun Miller to Carlisle could be fatal for them especially with such a small squad. Crawley meanwhile have an inexperienced new manager in Dermot Drummy and practically a whole new squad but none of the new signings really look likely to set the division alight. Final prediction - Morecambe and Crawley to face the dreaded drop with Stevenage just sneaking home on the final day.
FINAL TABLE
1. Portsmouth
2. Doncaster
3. Luton
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4. Notts County
5. Cambridge
6. Plymouth
7. Carlisle
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8. Hartlepool
9. Accrington
10. Colchester
11. Mansfield
12. Cheltenham
13. Blackpool
14. Exeter
15. Grimsby
16. Leyton Orient
17. Wycombe
18. Yeovil
19. Crewe
20. Barnet
21. Newport
22. Stevenage
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23. Crawley
24. Morecambe
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