It's that time of the year, the football season is finally here again and fans around the country are eagerly anticipating another wonderful year of football.
Nowhere is that truer than in the lower leagues of English football. The fans are outstandingly passionate and here are some of their opinions on the forthcoming campaign..
MK Dons
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Words By: @LWOSNatGoodlad
Season Review: After the anticipation had built up so much on the back end of the previous season, and throughout pre-season, it wasn't quite supposed to end like that. No wins in the final nine games, and relegated behind Charlton, who we were well ahead of in March.
Despite that, nobody apart from ourselves really expected us to stay up, and by about March none of us did either. The lack of money invested in the team, along with some of the signings, culminated in a pretty embarrassing end to a terrible season. It definitely wasn't the ideal way to mark a debut Championship season.
Key Signing: As usual, signings have been poor. We're never ones to spend money, often just relying on loan and frees. However, the one that has caught my eye is Ed Upson, a free signing from Millwall. From what I've seen of him, he's a no-nonsense central midfielder, who certainly has an eye for goal. One example, the 25-yard volley he scored against Stevenage last week, worth a look...
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Someone else who COULD be key is Chuks Aneke, the former Arsenal man who signed for us from Zulte Waregam. A big, powerful forward worked for us when we got promoted, so hopefully it could work all over again.
Best Player: George Baldock, without a doubt for me. He started off as a central midfielder, but had to slot in a right back as cover once and hasn't moved since. He spent the first half of last season on loan at Oxford in League Two, but came back when things weren't going so well.
Turns out, he was the
brightest part of a dismal season. A young, pacey, attack-minded right back was
exactly what we needed at the time, and we'll need him more than ever this
season too. Which is good, as he's just signed a new two-year contract.
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Worst Player: Simon Church. I love the man, but he's just awful.
Ideal Signing: Any well known, good League One player would do me nicely.
If I was going to be more specific though, we really need a goal-scorer,
somebody who does it week-in week-out. If that doesn't turn out to be Nicky
Maynard (it probably won't be...), then we really are in trouble. I also think we
need one more centre-back as we've lost quite a few of them recently. We've
signed one in Paul Downing from Walsall, but apparently he's not very good,
which doesn't wholly fill me with confidence.
Season Prediction: We managed to get promoted with a supposedly 'pretty poor'
team a couple of seasons ago, so why could we not do that again? I'd like to
finish in the automatic promotion places, but after a fairly demoralising
pre-season and lack of signings, I may have to just say top six. I'd be very
disappointed with anything below that.
Feeling confident? MK Dons are 6/4 for a 'Top 6 Finish' and 4/1 to be 'Promoted' with BetVictor
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Millwall
Words By: @OmerRonayneMFC
Season Review: Last season was a transitional one for the club, having just been relegated after fighting it for five years the club needed a shake up. New manager and legend Neil Harris had a lot on his plate, as over twenty players left the club during the close season, meaning new arrivals and the promotion of youth players shaped the squad going into the season.
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It took a little while to get going, but to end up at Wembley in May can be viewed as a great achievement, despite suffering defeat on that day to Barnsley. Perhaps having an additional season in this division might put us in good stead.
Key Signing: With the majority of our squad staying together, additions have been few and far between. The key signing for me then, is the addition of winger David Worrall. Last season we often lacked the pace and flair in the wide areas, and Worrall seems to tick all the requirements of a winger in our side. Having started pre-season well with a few assists in the four games so far, Worrall can easily become a regular and even a fan favourite should this sort of form continue.
Best Player: A difficult question to answer, with quite a few standouts in our side, but I will go with the most important and that is forward Lee Gregory. On the back of 27 goals last season, speculation has been intense regarding his future; Rotherham making three bids in an attempt to get Gregory to join them in the Championship.
Our form in the second half of the season coincided with Gregory's own form improving, despite struggling when first joining the club Gregory is now a firm favourite at the club. Partnered with the experienced Steve Morison up front, the pair between them contributed 46 goals last season, and going into this are probably the strongest partnership in the division.
Worst Player: On the back of a positive season last time out, it's quite difficult to single out a player I consider our 'worst player'. We have areas that I think we lack in, with the squad considerably small compared to other clubs, however when first appointed Harris made it clear that a smaller squad will allow for team spirit to blossom, which was certainly the case throughout last season.
Ideal Signing: If I had to be critical of one area we could improve, it would be the lack of a goal scoring midfielder to help share the burden of goals with our forwards. A player I'd love to see join is Bradley Dack from Gillingham, although he'd command a high fee, he is a player who would fit the bill and contribute with goals from midfield.
Season Prediction: While trying my best to not wear my heart on my sleeve, I truly believe we will be a strong contender for league winners this season. Last season Harris had to assemble his squad and also win fans over after 5 years of turmoil and struggling at the foot of The Championship. He also managed to bring back the fear factor for visiting teams and during the second half of the season we were unbeatable at home; if we can replicate this across the whole of the coming season and also keep hold of Lee Gregory, we will certainly be right at the very top of the division this coming campaign.
Millwall are 11/1 to 'Win the League' with Coral and 7/2 to 'be Promoted' at bet365
Northampton Town
Words By: @JStrausa10
Season Review: Very strange season where eventually it finished with the greatest accolade in the league! Up to October we had very mixed results winning two then losing a few etc and we really struggled find any sort of rhythm. That wasn't the only problem, in late November we were on the verge of extinction as a football club. Fortunately Kelvin Thomas saved us and we went on an incredible run from November onwards, losing just a single game between then and finishing the season as Champions with games to spare.
Key Signing: The signing of Gabriel Zakuani at centre-back is a real coup for us. We struggled against quick strikers last season so a player like Gab, with his pace and experience, will be key in leading us to safety this season.
Best Player: By far and away our best player is goalkeeper Adam Smith, he was vital last season - making it into the Football League Team of the Year - and is still so young so I expect there's still a lot to come from him.
Worst Player: From our first-team players, I'd say that Joel Byrom is probably our weakest. He struggled when under pressure last season so I expect him to find League One even more difficult.
Ideal Signing: Ideally a proven goalscorer like Jay Simpson from Leyton Orient. His style of play is different to that of our other strikers, though I feel his signature would demand a hefty fee.
Season Prediction: Now this may sound somewhat biased coming from a Northampton fan but I reckon a play-off berth is a very possible achievement for us. We've made some quality signings (some of which were from under the noses of Championship clubs) and retained players of high quality from last season. The buzz around the club right now is unreal and Rob Page is more than capable of getting us up there.
It may be optimistic but Northampton are 7/2 for a 'Top 6 Finish' at BetVictor.
Oldham Athletic
Words By: @RoryL96
Season Review: Last season was surreal at times but ultimately relieving. From conceding 5 at home to Peterborough under lame duck Darren Kelly, to Crewe away under David Dunn, where the atmosphere was as toxic as most have ever witnessed, in came John Sheridan, undoubted club legend, and a load of unwanted never-heard-ofs on loan.
It worked. But it can truly be filed away, already long in the memory, after since-doubted club legend and now-heard-ofs have gone separate ways, but all out of the same door. The upcoming season has the feeling of Trigger's broom in relation to the last.
Key Signing: Peter Clarke. Without a true organiser until Anthony Gerrard submitted to the relentless calls to join, last season's trough coincided with plenty of comical defending. Taking Bury's player of the season looks a shrewd capture if he can fill the ugly brute role.
A lot will also depend on the goalscoring of Billy Mckay, after last season's top scorer Liam Kelly only got 3 from beyond the penalty spot. Ousmane Fane might have the attributes to fill the role Mike Jones vacated a year ago when he decided to stop being good, and the void Liam Kelly's move to Orient left, but then he also might not. Paul Green should be a steadier, more assured replacement.
Best Player: See above and below. With the stragglers from last season staying by the virtue of Darren Kelly's 'Two-Year Contract Raffle' and their undesirability to other clubs, all better players are new. Clarke, Ryan Flynn and Paul Green have the most pedigree, but no one truly knows.
Alongside him: Connor Brown. Just really, really bad at football.
Ideal Signing: Liandro Martis. With a squad of giants, a bit of pace is required still, and the Curaçao international showed enough skill to be offered a contract by Leicester, while also training with Man United. It seems fairly unlikely he'll take up Latics' offer then, but a winger who can add width, goals and speed looks necessary. Josh Magennis could be an alternative answer.
Season Prediction: Despite going in with a far more established management team - most fans seem impressed by the credentials of Stephen Robinson, Ian Barraclough and Sean O'Driscoll - the league is stronger and, as per, it looks like Latics might be in the running for the 'Fewest Goals Scored Cup'. Relegation is a nagging thought, but how many times have people said that about Oldham before...
Can the Latics survive again? They're the 6/4 favourites 'to be Relegated' at BetVictor.
Oxford United
Words By: @AmyJAndrews
Season Review: Last season was undoubtedly the best that Oxford have experienced in decades. A promotion run that incorporated a win against rivals Swindon in the JPT along with a day out and narrow defeat to Barnsley at Wembley in the final of the same competition. Our win against Swansea in the third round of the FA cup brought us a little bit of national acclaim but the nitty gritty wins of 1-0 away at Portsmouth, 4-2 away at Notts County and the climactic clinching win against Wycombe at home on the last day of the season are the moments that fans will look back on with real pride and satisfaction.
Key Signing: After losing three of our real stars during the off season in Kemar Roofe, Callum O'Dowda and Danny Hylton, the team have got a lot of work to do in trying to find where the missing goals are going to come from.
We have signed a handful of exciting players in Curtis Nelson from Plymouth and Joe Rothwell from Man Utd, along with a few potentially exciting loan moves in young players Dan Crowley from Arsenal and Tyler Roberts from West Brom, but the player I'm most interested in is Kane Hemmings signed from Dundee. To sign the second top scorer in the SPL sounds like a real coup, and we certainly need a goalscorer, so Hemmings being a success will be key to our hopes for the season.
Best Player: This would have been an easy question to answer two months ago when Kemar Roofe was still a yellow, but in his absence I would have to say that our young captain John Lundstram is arguably the player with most natural talent and vision. Game after game consistency is definitely something that I would like to see him improve upon, but on his day he can ping a ball from anywhere he wants and our manager Michael Appleton has frequently stated that he's the best passer outside of the Premier League.
An honourable mention goes to Chey Dunkley who worked his way in to the team last season and became an instant fan favourite with his dominating performances at centre-back. It's hard to find a defender that can consistently score in any league, and Dunkley chipped in with his fair share of important goals during the run in.
Worst Player: Consistent goal keeping was our main problem last season, but with the re-signing of Simon Eastwood I'm hopeful that we will have a more commanding presence between the posts. It may be unfair to judge on the mixed bag that is a pre-season schedule, but our new right-back Christian Ribeiro has failed to impress me so far. He tends to get drawn inside far too often, leaving a lot of space down the wing which a good Brighton side in particular exploited a few weeks ago, but hopefully as the team connect more this will be ironed out of his game.
Ideal Signing: The departure of Callum O'Dowda has left us in dire need of a talented winger, and the more I hear about our interest in Motherwell's Marvin Johnson, the more I feel he would be the perfect replacement. The news from today is that we have had a bid turned down for him, but with a little bit of cash to splash from our two high profile player sales, hopefully the club will be bold enough to go back in with a second bid. Wingers are a vitally important position for the way Appleton likes to play, so we should be doing everything we can to get somebody of true quality in.
Season Prediction: I'm still suffering from the heavenly hangover that last season gave me, but as Saturday approaches I find myself looking at the season ahead with a much more level head. By all accounts, our pre-season results were nothing to shout about, but this alone does not mean we are in for a disappointing ride.
Some pundits have us finishing second, some have is in contention for relegation, but the truth is that I would take a cozy mid table finish in our first League One season at the Kassam Stadium. We have derbies against Swindon to look forward to and a host of new grounds to visit, so as long as we improve our home record and produce some memorable moments from now until next May, I'll be a happy Oxford United fan.
Are Oxford destined for mid-table? They're 11/8 to 'Finish in the Bottom Half' and 4/7 to do the opposite with SkyBet.
