Football League and Conference Predictions

With the new Football League season starting, Born Offside is looking ahead to the season in the Championship, League 1, League 2 and the Conference.

Predictions have been made by myself, a Hartlepool fan and writer of Born Offside’s Lower League Week; Dan Rawley, a Torquay fan who has written for World Football Weekly and Late Tackle; and Lucy Waldon, a Barnet fan who has written for FourFourTwo and Shoot.ChampionshipWho do you expect to be promoted?

David Stringer: Bolton would be the obvious choice – they did really well once the players got used to Freedman’s style, and he seems to be given most of the credit for building last season’s Palace team. Watford look strong again, and Wigan have kept a few of their better players from last year and added another dimension with Grant Holt. Dan Rawley: I think Bolton, Nottingham Forest and Reading will be up there, with QPR and Middlesbrough outside candidates. Would be good to see Leeds back in the big-time too, although that would only convince their deluded fans they’re bigger than they really are.Lucy Waldon: QPR (Champions), Reading (Automatic) and Watford (Play-offs)

Who do you expect to be relegated?

DR: As much as I’d like them to stay up, Yeovil will have a hard time competing in the Championship – they were punching above their weight in League One! Barnsley always seem to struggle, and those meddling Venky’s seem to be doing their utmost to get Blackburn relegated.DS: I’m not a fan of Lee Clark at all, and given Birmingham’s financial troubles I can see them getting dragged down. Similarly with Dickov at Doncaster – I’d heard Oldham fans being critical of his tactics, and I think it’s purely because of last season’s cup run he got this job. Yeovil will probably go down, but will put up a good fight.LW: Millwall, Yeovil and Barnsley.

Who do you expect to be top scorer?LW: Adam Le Fondre. I’ve rated him since his Stockport days and his climb up the divisions has been remarkable.DR: Not sure Charlie Austin made the right decision in joining QPR but he could be up there again.DS: Jordan Rhodes is an obvious answer, but he’s obvious for a reason.

Which team do you expect to exceed people’s expectations?

LW: Bournemouth. They’ve got a good young manager in Eddie Howe.DS: I can see Ipswich pushing for promotion under McCarthy after some decent summer signings.DR: Derby are due a good season, so I’ll back them to reach the play-offs this term.

Which player do you expect to be a surprise success?

LW: Jacques Maghoma has joined Sheffield Wednesday from Burton. If he can make the step-up, that would be an excellent signing.DR: Yeovil’s Paddy Madden was sensational last year, especially considering how little they paid for him. He’s looked sharp in pre-season and could take some Championship defences by surprise.DS: Paddy Madden – he’s not only a fast and skilful player, who seemed to link well with James Hayter last season, but he was dogged in closing down defenders, which got him a few of his goals last season. I’d expect him to be around the top scorers in the league.

Any other predictions?

DR: Yeovil to be patronised to within an inch of their life by the Championship’s bigger clubs and the media, and ‘Arry Redknapp to spontaneously combust if bad boy Adel Taarabt misbehaves again.DS: Blackburn to be surprisingly steady, on the pitch at least.

League One

Who do you expect to be promoted?

DR: Sheffield United really should be back in the Championship this year, and if they have to settle for the play-offs again I think some Blades fans will have nervous breakdowns. Bristol City, under Sean O’Driscoll’s stewardship, could also challenge. Wolves will expect to be up there as well.DS: Wolves are the obvious side, and Griffiths and Cassidy looks a strong partnership up front, but I’m not sure they’ve got enough of a team to win the league. Giving Peterborough’s form in the second half of last season and Britt Assombalonga, highly rated by Watford, replacing Dwight Gayle, I can see them winning the title. Brentford would be my bet for third promotion spot.LW: Wolves (Champions), Bristol City (Automatic) and Peterborough (Play-offs)

Who do you expect to be relegated?

DR: I don’t so much expect it as pray for it to happen, but Steve “Fatty” Evans’ Rotherham. He’s that bad. Coventry would do well to stay up, given all their off-field problems and the humiliation of having to ground-share with Northampton. Oldham have been in League One so long that some of their fans would probably welcome a relegation just to freshen things up. Port Vale might struggle too.DS: I’d thought Coventry would be an outside bet for relegation before the ten point deduction, thinking that the lower income from only selling 300 season tickets could stop them making signings in January because of the salary cap. After the ten point deduction, I think they’re more likely than not to go down. There’s no-one else that really leaps out as teams I’d expect to struggle – I’d expect all four promoted teams to comfortably stay up. Colchester, Oldham and Shrewsbury are the least unlikely to be relegated, especially if a sense of stagnation sets in.LW: Tranmere, Gillingham, Oldham and Coventry.

Who do you expect to be top scorer?

LW: Bristol City’s Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.DS: More or less going by reputation on this one, but Leigh Griffiths would be a decent bet to be the Luis Suarez of League One, scoring goals and pissing people off every week.DR: Tom Pope was unstoppable for Port Vale last year, but might find the step up hard to handle. I reckon Brentford’s Clayton Donaldson and Preston’s Kevin Davies will be up there, and it’ll be interesting to see how Peterborough’s record signing Britt Assombalonga and Nakhi Wells of Bradford do in League One.

Which team do you expect to exceed people’s expectations?

LW: Leyton Orient – they missed out on the play-offs last campaign and will be hoping to go one better this time round.DS: Preston should challenge for automatic promotion – Grayson’s an experienced manager and Davies and Hume should be a good partnership.DR: Gillingham were too good for League Two last season, and with Martin Allen at the helm, I fancy them to make a decent fist of the third tier.

Which player do you expect to be a surprise success?

LW: Not a surprise as such, but Bristol City have signed Marlon Pack who I rate highly, having seen him at Cheltenham.DS: MK Dons’ Patrick Bamford, on loan from Chelsea, looked a talented dribbler during a loan there last year.DR: Oldham’s Jose Baxter looks like he could earn a move back up the footballing ladder if he has a good season this year. Goalscoring midfielder with great technical ability for League One.

Any other predictions that you think will make you look really insightful in nine months time?

LW: Coventry to change their manager by Christmas.DR: David Weir to be sacked immediately if he doesn’t win any of his first five games, and Wolves’ Kenny Jackett to be given similarly short shrift if he can’t win them promotion. Steve Evans to make legions of new friends and admirers, culminating in the likeable Glaswegian winning the UK’s Most Popular Man competition for 2013-14.DS: Leigh Griffiths to miss at least one match because of clashing with a court date for a crime he’s not committed yet.

League TwoWho do you expect to be promoted?

DS: Portsmouth are the obvious choice, but probably not as champions. Fleetwood and Chesterfield have also made strong summer signings – Chesterfield seem to have the strongest squad, and Paul Cook seems talented at drilling his players into a stylish type of football.LW: Portsmouth (Champions), Northampton and Scunthorpe (Automatic) and Cheltenham (Play-offs).DR: Portsmouth, with even reasonable off-field management, should be making an immediate return to League One. Fleetwood seem to have spent big, and Oxford and Plymouth are both capable of promotion if they get a good start to the season.

Who do you expect to be relegated?

LW: AFC Wimbledon and Accrington Stanley.DS: Dagenham and Accrington are the obvious bets, two of the smaller teams with inexperienced managers. Burnett didn’t do particularly well for Dagenham last season.DR: Dagenham seem to have been riding their luck for the past few years, and with manager Wayne Burnett having made a huge step up from non-league, this could finally be the year they drop out of the Football League. James Beattie hardly strikes me as manager material, so Accrington might join them. I wouldn’t be averse to Exeter struggling either; manager Paul Tisdale is becoming increasingly unpopular there and seems intent on bringing up their lack of cash as often as possible.

Who do you expect to be top scorer?

DS: Dave Kitson at Oxford – I’m surprised he’s dropped this low. Jamie Cureton at Cheltenham could be an outside shot.LW: Oxford’s Alfie Potter or Burton’s Billy Kee.DR: As a Torquay fan, I’m hoping Karl Hawley will be up there (or failing that, our loan signing Callum Ball). Realistically, though, Plymouth new boy Marvin Morgan or Portsmouth’s Tom Craddock should do well.

Which team do you expect to exceed people’s expectations? DS: Wycombe fans seem to be pretty positive from what I’ve seen, and they had some good runs under Ainsworth last year, so maybe a surprise play-off spot.LW: Torquay. Following a play-off finish in 2011/12, last campaign was a bit of a disaster and they’ll want to do better.DR: At the risk of cursing our entire season, I’ll be hopeful and say Torquay. Alan Knill’s honesty and more entertaining style of play has brought a new era of optimism to Plainmoor, and his signings – Hawley, Ball and Krystian Pearce among them – are all improvements on last year’s squad.

Which player do you expect to be a surprise success?

DR: Rochdale winger Matt Done, who’s joined them from Championship side Barnsley, should have a bit too much quality for League Two full-backs.LW: Not a surprise but as a Barnet fan, I’ll be looking out for how Ricky Holmes (now of Portsmouth) does. Injury-prone, but on his day: a tricky winger who knows where the goal is.DS: James Constable seems to have been applying his physical ability inconsistently in recent years, but with Dave Kitson to learn from, he could push on and have a great season. If that’s not enough of a surprise, then Hartlepool’s teenage striker Luke James to just about break double figures while being an absolute menace.

Any other predictions that you think will make you look really insightful in nine months time?

DS: I’d be surprised if Paul Tisdale lasts the season at Exeter – even if he turns down Swindon, I’d imagine someone else will poach him during the season.DR: The Only Way is Essex wannabe Phil Brown to leave Southend half-way through the season to pursue an acting career, Portsmouth fans to have a civil war if they somehow end up in admin again, and Paul Tisdale to have the trendy cravat whipped off his shiny head by a disgruntled Exeter fan when they go 3-0 down at home to Morecambe.

Conference

Who do you expect to be promoted?

LW: Forest Green Rovers (Champions) and Luton (Play-offs). DS: Luton fans rave about Jon Shaw (as do Gateshead fans), and John Still should be the kind of manager to make use of his physicality. I don’t think anyone’s spent as heavily this summer as Crawley, Fleetwood and Mansfield have in recent years, so I’ll go with Wrexham through the play-offs.DR: Luton have come close for the last few seasons, and with John Still’s experience, promotion is certainly possible. Barnet might be up there if Edgar Davids listens to anyone but himself, and Cambridge are due a good season.

Who do you expect to be relegated?DS: Salisbury have had two promotions in a row, and unlike Chester, are maybe above their natural level – it could be a challenge for Mikey Harris, the 28-year-old former assistant in his first season as a manager. I don’t expect Gateshead to underachieve like they did last year, and with Halifax and Chester two of the teams promoted, a few of the ‘smaller’ teams in the division could be dragged into the battle.LW: Hyde, Nuneaton, Welling and Salisbury.DR: Aldershot could struggle after their off-field problems, and I’m not convinced by Andy Scott as a manager. Salisbury, Hyde and Alfreton might struggle on the basis that I don’t know a lot about them.

Who do you expect to be top scorer?

DS: Jon Shaw, a typical old-fashioned English forward. So I’ve heard.LW: Forest Green seem to have an abundance of strikers. Unfortunately, I don’t know too much about them.DR: If Barnet can keep hold of the want away Jake Hyde, he could tear up the Conference. I’ve heard good things about Andy Mangan (Forest Green Rovers) and Michael Gash too.

Which team do you expect to exceed people’s expectations? LW:Barnet. I don’t think people are expecting much after their previous four seasons’ flirt with the drop-zone and final day scraps.DS: Given that they’ve won three promotions in a row and have a decent fanbase behind them, I can see Chester continuing that momentum and challenging for the play-offs.DR: Hereford have made some shrewd signings, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they challenged this year.Which player do you expect to be a surprise success?

LW: I think Luton Town’s Anthony Charles (who’s getting on a bit) has found his level. Not a surprise success but a solid defender who will be more suited to Conference football than League Two.

DR: Daniel Leadbitter – who’s just signed for Hereford after leaving Torquay – is a promising full-back and may find his level in the Conference.

Any other predictions that you think will make you look really insightful in nine months time?LW: Barnet to sign a former Dutch International (not Davids!)DR: Davids to leave Barnet under an orange cloud if the Bees fail to rip up the Conference. He’ll throw a paddy, launching his glasses to the floor before catching the first flight back to Holland, claiming that he’s “too cool for the Conference”.DS: Alfreton to win the FA Cup, defeating Chelsea after extra time in the final. You can laugh now, but think how smart I’ll look if it comes true.