By Tony Alvarez
With all teams now back at pre season training and with most sides having played their initial friendlies the clubs of League One are back in the swing of things and close to being ready for the big kick off on 6th August.
Whilst most people will have had their eyes on the numerous transfer sagas surrounding the Premier League in the Football Leagues the heart of English Football teams have been going about their preparation and getting minutes on the pitch under their belts.
Many neutral eyes will be on the relegated sides from last seasons Championship, Scunthorpe have been the yoyo team in recent years after being promoted or relegated in each f the last 5 years bar one, looking at their squad player for player you would not predict them for the title however they have proved they have what it takes at this level.
Newly relegated Sheffield United will be many peoples favourites to take the title. The Blades have not been in the third tier of English football for over 20 years, many believe they still have a side of Championship players and will probably have two of the best players in the League if they manage to hold onto Ched Evans and Daniel Bogdanovic. Also in Danny Wilson they have a manager who knows all about the rigours of the Football Leagues.
The final of the relegated clubs Preston will also be heavily fancied, it was a shock to most that the club were caught up in and eventually lost a relegation battle in the Championship last term, things picked up for the club towards the end of the season but in the end it was too little too late, the squad contains some talented players such as Clarke Carlisle (On loan from Burnley) and young Adam Barton who impressed last term.
There will be many clubs looking to challenge the three relegated clubs for a spot in the Championship, my personal choice would be last seasons 3rd place side and losing play off finalists Huddersfield Town, the side played the most attractive brand of Football in the League last term and were desperately unlucky to miss out on promotion having finished 8 points above Peterborough but that’s the way things go with the play off system.
The battle at the bottom of the table will also be an interesting one again many will expect the clubs promoted from last seasons League Two to struggle.
In recent years this has been the case which was proved my Dagenham and Redbridge’s relegated despite a brave fight andNottsCountyhaving a huge battle to keep their league one status.
However the performances of Bournemouth andRochdalewill give the promoted sides hope that if they are good enough they can have a comfortable season and even fight for promotion.
Wycombe will be most keen to cement a place in League One having been relegated at their first attempt two seasons ago, however last time around a lot of the damage was caused early in the term prior to the appointment of Gary Waddock, after Waddock was drafted in he performed admirably however it was too little too late, he will now hope to perform better given a full season in League One.
I personally don’t hold much hope for play off winnersStevenageI don’t feel they have the calibre of player to succeed at this level following back to back promotions. However they have always had an incredible team spirit which could propel them to a good campaign….stranger things have happened.
The other two promoted clubs (Champions Chesterfield and runners up Bury) worked on the basis of if you score 3 we will score 4 if they try to adopt this attacking philosophy in League One it could be along season for both sides.
No doubt both sides have brilliant attacking qualities and Strikers in Jack Lester and Ryan Lowe respectively should he stick around, who will put the fear of any defence in the league on a good day. As they will no longer be the most dominant side in the League they will be unlikely to have as much of the ball during most games to create the chances.
Both sides do have the ability to stay in League One and press on further however I fear if they keep the attacking philosophy they could be in trouble, but will entertain along the way.
What are your thoughts? Who will we be talking about as Championship sides a year from now? Can Chesterfield and Bury survive with attacking philosophies? Will they keep this gung ho mentality? Are there any other outsiders you tip for promotion? If you’re a supporter of a League One side let us know how you see your side fairing?
Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
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But Tony you are forgetting some fundamentals.
Ched is garbage. No brain, does not read the game, hides, cannot head the ball, not a team player, pretty useless all round. Although his shooting is hard there is very little accuracy to it.
Boggy is very hit and miss. Can add a bit of flair and guile when he is in the mood but you don’t get any level of consistency with him at all.
We were relegated because we had no pace, could not defend, could not score goals and played very negatively for most of the season.
Why you might expect SUFC to be favourites for anything but dropping a massive bollock is anyone’s guess.
Expectations are lower than a snakes gonads – most of us don’t expect to be much better than challenging for play offs – I think we will be lucky to finish above 10th place.
Expect more players out of the door before the tranny deadline. The wage bill has to be cut and we will be in a season of consolidation not celebration
Thanks for your comment.
I wrote this article based on my own opinions, I didn’t have pleasing an audience in mind, i have always been very impressed with Ched, whether he is not mentally in the right state to play for you i.e. does not want to be there I don’t know but I think at his best he will be the best player in League One.
I agree with your thoughts on Bog but I think when you come up against team with tight packed defences that bit of flair he offers could unlock the door, remember last term teams came and attacked you as you were one of the worst sides in the division, this term your one of the most respected and teams will have a fear of playing you.
I am not saying SUFC will win the league but I would be massively shocked if you did not make the play offs.
Maybe I am wrong but maybe your a bit more negative because you have just come off an awful season if you are I can’t blame you… I would be
Ched is far from the best player in own lunchtime. You think that he has all the attributes to do well but if you watch him closely you will notice that he has very limited perception or anticipation of where he should be positioned. He runs about in blind alleys and never gets on the end of a cross. He needs the ball to come to him where he has time and space and can whack one in the general direction of the onion bag. There is no finesse about Evans play nor any real determination – he does not bust a gut to get to the near post nor does he put his head in where it hurts. His link up play is poor and he cannot take on a defender and beat him. This is not just last season it’s the season before as well. It looks to me that he cannot listen to those that coach him or those experienced palyers around him. It’s as though he nods sagely but nothing penetrates. Not sure that is something he has the capcity to change. It’s not to do with physical attributes but more to do with his mental agility and that is the biggest question for me. It’s not merely about heart, it’s about his ability to adapt and improve on what he has.
We had Sam Vokes on loan from Wolves for a few games last season and he showed more in his loan spell than Evans has shown in almost 2 years at the club.
You know better than me as you see him week in week out.
I always thought he was a player of promise and although not lived up to his full potential is still a decent player in my eyes.
I would of personally said he is a bettter player than Vokes but then poor passes and general mistakes never are highlighted are they so my vision may be blinkered