General League One Preview

[leedsvaliant]

OK, here goes.....It's that time of the year when publications start to publish their previews for the forthcoming season, so here's mine (it's just my opinion!):

Automatic Promotion

Out of the sides relegated from the Championship, you can see Charlton doing pretty well. Signing Ajose from Swindon could make the difference for them and although they've lost a couple of their better players, you still suspect that they've got a strong enough spine. Milwall will likely be another team up there, having kept their goalscorers from last season and have added a couple of decent players in Wylde from Plymouth and Worrall from Southend to provide for the strikers. Having signed some of the better players from last season's league one campaign such as Leon Clarke and James Wilson, surely, surely this must be a good year for Sheffield United? We've said this every year, but they have a good young manager in charge and have supplemented their squad with better players. Another in with a shout of Automatic has to be Bolton Wanderers, although they have had a big turnover of players, they have singed decent players like Beevers and have a pretty strong squad.

Play Offs
Having added Shrewsbury's best defender Nathan Knight-Percival and also shrewd looking signings such as Vincelot from Coventry and Hiwula on loan, you've got to expect Bradford to be there or there abouts again. A new style of play might see them fall short of the automatics, but you can see them being in the top 6 or 7 for most of the season. Scunthorpe could be a surprise package for the playoffs this term, having kept together a side that finished last season strongly and adding Mantom in midfield, I'd expect to see them challenging for the playoffs. Another surprise package could be Bristol Rovers, who have kept the bulk of their squad intact and top scorer Matty Taylor will be capable of bagging a few - expect to see them in the top half with a dash at the playoffs. MK Dons have made a couple of good signings in the form of Upson from Milwall and Downing from Walsall. With the other players in their squad, I'd expect them to be in and around the playoffs.

Mid Table

Early pacesetters from last season, Gillingham, will probably not challenge the top spots this time around, particularly if they lose Bradley Dack. A poor end to last season might drag on into this season but the excellent signing of Wagstaff from Bristol City should ensure that they have enough to achieve a mid to top half finish. Having lost Vincelot and unable to lure Armstrong back for another spell, Coventry have so far made some uninspiring signings in the form of players like Sordell and Kwame Thomas - I don't expect them to struggle but you can't really see them challenging the top of the table. Another team that has so far been uninspired in the transfer market is Peterborough United. I can't see them being as poor as last season but I don't think they've got enough to be up there. Wimbledon and Oxford United are likely to bring their confidence from last season and should finish fairly comfortably without troubling the top spots. Port Vale are another team that have had a high turnover of players this summer but have signed an excellent midfielder in Tavares to complement two of the better players of last season in Grant and Foley. As with last season, goal scoring will be a problem, but I don't expect them to struggle nor trouble the top spots in a season of transition.

Relegation

Fleetwood look to be in turmoil having lost their manager so close to the start of the season and having made some fairly uninspiring signings such as Duckworth from Hartlepool, they look likely to continue where they left off last season. Oldham have lost their captain and look to be very short up front. They don't look to have really strengthened and look doomed. Bury have lost Clark to Sheffield United and a pretty poor end to last season with not many quality signings coming in can only see another season of struggle. Chesterfield struggled last year and although they have signed Ched Evans, they don't seem to have signed much else of note - after barely surviving last season, you can't see much better for this term.

 

[blade1889]

I'm surprised you pick out James Wilson for us, I think it's quite likely we'll sign another centre back who will be ahead of him with Jack O'Connell taking the left-sided CB spot. Duffy, O'Connell, Clarke and Fleck are all good signings. With Hussey a bit of an unknown and both Wilson & Wright as back up CB's.

Impressed with out signings so far but we still need a new CB, winger, CM (Morsy strongly linked) and ideally GK. Get those in and we should finally have a squad to go up, signing the best from this division instead of mediocre from the one above.

 

[Freakyteeth]

Bury are getting liquidated this year.

 

[leedsvaliant]

I thought Wilson was one of Oldham's better players last year and so I assumed that he would be a first choice. Bringing Morsy in and a new winger is likely to offer you something different. I expect you to go up.

 

[Fedora Dale]

I'll split the teams into four groups, just for the hell of it, and rank them within the groups:

Relegated/Playoff Losers
Millwall. Will be strong, fancy them for automatic promotion.
MK Dons. Not as good as they were, but still have enough about them for a playoff push.
Bolton. Parky is a good appointment as manager, but may take time to turn them round.
Bradford. Good squad, but don't rate McCall as manager. Midtable.
Charlton. Potentially decent, but interference by the chairman could cost them.
Walsall. This year's playoff hangover sufferers. Their new signings look a bit lightweight, and not as good as Bradshaw/Sawyers.

"Just missed the playoffs (7-12 last year)"

Sheffield United. Have recruited well, looks like they might actually do it this time.
Gillingham. Will be strong again. Top six.
Rochdale. Can destroy anyone on our day, but defensively dodgy. Playoff outsiders.
Scunthorpe. Competent. Playoff outsiders.
Port Vale. God knows. Anywhere from third to twenty-third, depending how the foreigners fit in with a decent spine.
Coventry. A synonym for mediocrity. Seem to be getting worse. Probably not bad enough to go down, though.

The lower-middling "meh" boys of 15/16

Peterborough. Seem to have a decent manager and squad. Playoffs, maybe.
Southend. Solid mid-table outfit. Will Brownie be up for the fight after missing out on Bolton?
Oldham. Have got their act together in the last couple of weeks, WABLO retention shouldn't be a problem.
Swindon. As usual, depends on who they get on loan.
Chesterfield. May struggle. Their defence is getting older, and I'm not convinced Evans & co can get the goals to compensate.
Bury. Seem to be a bit of a shambles, unfortunately. Leon Clarke kept them up last year, who will score this time round?

Relagation-dodgers and Promotees
Bristol Rovers. Good manager, decent players, got a bit of money. Playoff possibles.
Oxford. Steady progress, maybe more if they invest the Roofe money wisely.
Fleetwood. Given themselves hope by getting rid of Elvis. Some decent players there, if properly managed.
AFC Wimbledon. Won't trouble the top half, but enough about them to stay out of trouble.
Northampton. Page. Meh. Will get enough goalless draws to stay up, just.
Shrewsbury. Mad Micky has recruited early this summer, but not wisely. Could be in the poo...

 

[coddy]

Would have to agree with everyone's Fleetwood assessment, squad full of development players and other teams cast offs, currently a worse squad in place than we had surviving on the final day, need to move in the loan market for any chance

 

[OneDecentLester]

Honestly think we're going to surprise a few teams this season...

Our back 4 of Paul McGinn, Sam Hird, Ian Evatt and Dan Jones if kept fit is very strong, I'd put it up there with the best in this league, and both of our goalkeepers are very strong, we've got Tommy Lee that everyone who knows anything about this level of football understands what a top keeper he is, and from what I've seen of Ryan Fulton on loan from Liverpool, he looks solid and confident at coming and claiming crosses into the box!

In Attack, Gboly Ariyibi and Jay O'shea have the ability to unlock any defence at this level, and from what I've seen of Ched so far.. He looks hungry to perform for the club and score goals! Surprisingly he also looks relatively sharp for a guy that hasn't played competitive football in 4 years!

And with a manager as experienced as Danny Wilson I can see us finishing comfortably in mid table, maybe even pushing ourselves into the top half

 

[leedsvaliant]

Honestly think we're going to surprise a few teams this season...

Our back 4 of Paul McGinn, Sam Hird, Ian Evatt and Dan Jones if kept fit is very strong, I'd put it up there with the best in this league, and both of our goalkeepers are very strong, we've got Tommy Lee that everyone who knows anything about this level of football understands what a top keeper he is, and from what I've seen of Ryan Fulton on loan from Liverpool, he looks solid and confident at coming and claiming crosses into the box!

In Attack, Gboly Ariyibi and Jay O'shea have the ability to unlock any defence at this level, and from what I've seen of Ched so far.. He looks hungry to perform for the club and score goals! Surprisingly he also looks relatively sharp for a guy that hasn't played competitive football in 4 years!

And with a manager as experienced as Danny Wilson I can see us finishing comfortably in mid table, maybe even pushing ourselves into the top half

You might be right, but from the outside it seems like you've not really strengthened that much since last season where you were nearly relegated. It all depends on how Evans does for you I guess.

O'Shea is decent (although can be hit and miss) and you've got a couple of good experienced defenders and a good goalkeeper - I wouldn't class Dan Jones as good, he was awful when with us!

Like I say, you might surprise a few people but will you score enough?

 

[Freakyteeth]

Honestly think we're going to surprise a few teams this season...

Our back 4 of Paul McGinn, Sam Hird, Ian Evatt and Dan Jones if kept fit is very strong, I'd put it up there with the best in this league

Dan Jones if kept fit is very strong, I'd put it up there with the best in this league

Dan Jones

http://www.mentalhealthcare.org.uk/antipsychotic_medication

 

[Aidan pritchard]

Since I started watching Swindon we've always had something to play for, whether that be promotion (Which was likely every season) or the odd relegation scrap. We've had our change of managers as every team does and had our fair share of chairman's/owners. We've had court battles, administration fights, law enforcement at our ground, debt collectors everything.

But since Lee power took over I am very very worries that this could be the end of our challenge for promotion for years. League one is a perfect league for him; He can keep us down and do enough to stay up. He can then buy players on the cheap, to sell for a big profit. Put a fraction of that profit back for players and by a fraction I mean the minimal amount you can think of. I am scared that when he gets back the money he out into the club he will leave us in the lurch and that's the end of Swindon Town fc because we can't go into administration again.

In the past two summer transfer windows we've let go a mass amount of players who have bought in a large fee for Lee power. For example, massive luongo and Ben gladwin we got 4 million (reported) for these after spending just under 500k for them both. Nathan Byrne - we got around a Mil maybe less for him after spending 200k on him. Nicky ajose who we got for free, we sold one season on for just 800k. This is over 5x profit on all of these. However after getting all this money we have spent just 600k this summer transfer window, and that's only because a reported 400k pricetag on lawrence vigouroux which I doubt. We lost 14 players within the last couple of seasons and have only bought in half the amount, with very poor standard of players too.

I'm quite a patient man, I will give someone a chance and then make my decision. However power has made it evident that he's only here to make money and with no interest in the club's success whatsoever. He's losing fans day by day and even though we have the lowest budget in the league, we still had the 7th highest home gate last season.

We need to sign at least 7 players before the end of the window to be competitive and that just isn't going to happen. The laughable thing for me is that power stated he would 'learn from his mistakes' and recruit early, were now a week away from the season and have signed 3 players.

Il always be here for the club but it's owners like him who are killing football. You should own a football club because you want to achieve something with them, you make it a personal goal to achieve promotion for example. You don't run it like a business and make money because that's just not what footballs about. The fans are loyal and passionate and pay good money to see a mediocre team like this make silly schoolboy mistakes and it's just painful to Watch. The price to watch a game at the CG is £25, that's to watch a team that isn't good enough to play in league two.

I do hope he somehow proves me wrong but I just cannot see it, relegation for us at the moment no doubt.

 

[The Hand of Dom]

I actually think we've done well in the market.

McCann has done exactly what we didn't do and bought in competition for every place. We didn't have that last year.

Paul Taylor, if fully fit and focused on football, will be one of the best in League One, without a doubt.

I'd expect us to be in the playoffs, providing we keep Maddison & Forrester fit.