EFL / NL Outrights

I usually bang a couple of outright Lucky 15s on my predicted winners of the leagues in the EFL and NL. Just in the process of lining this years up, wondered if anyone else does similar or has any strong opinions (town walking league 2 aside) on who will be at the top come the business end of the season in the Championship, L1, L2 and National League.

My fancies include

Championship:
Boro
Sheff Utd
Norwich

L1:
Pompy
Sheff Wed
Ipswich

L2:
Stockport
Mansfield
Northampton
(Town)

NL:
Wrexham - surely walk it

Middlesborough
Norwich

Sheff Wed
Ipswich

Stockport
Bradford

Wrexham
Chesterfield

Sheff Wednesday are my pick for League One.  Didn't get over the line last year but then taken the 2 best players from the side that got promoted (Rotherham).  

Think it's like for like really with  constant challengers at that level replacing another Peterborough and Barnsley replacing Wigan and Rotherham.  Don't see Derby as a challenger in the same way Sunderland were.

On the other side of the city, I fancy Sheffield United to struggle. Perhaps not quite for relegation but definitely to finish in the bottom half.

In the Premier League, Arsenal have done fantastic business in the window to strengthen an already improving team.  8/1 to finish top with Liverpool or City.  

Darlo look like they've got great odds to me if you can get NLN in there somehow too. If they can get Mark Beck and Marcus Madison firing then they'll score for fun at that level.

Quoted from Son of Cod

Darlo look like they've got great odds to me if you can get NLN in there somehow too. If they can get Mark Beck and Marcus Madison firing then they'll score for fun at that level.

AFC Fylde will walk NLN.

Im going for Bradford for League 2 champions.
Think Mark Hughes will finally get the sleeping giants firing, they've made some good signings. Smallwood in particular is a hell of a signing and with 14,000 season tickets sold will be a difficult place for away teams at Valley Parade. Northampton and Stockport will be strong too.  
Wrexham surely cant miss out again in the National League.

Wrexham haven’t added to their squad in the way many might have expected. Elliot Lee from Luton, who had been on loan at Charlton in League One last season, looks a smart piece of business but beyond that they’ve only signed a bit part player from Crawley and a 35 year old goalkeeper from Carlisle.

They should probably have enough to do it, but their strategy doesn’t appear to be as gung-ho as it was in their last two transfer windows. Perhaps that play-off defeat was a bigger fly in their ointment than it seemed.

Parkinson will be in the job centre without a good start.

Regards Wrexham, Lee's a decent player and you would expect him to stand out at that level.  But I wouldn't have thought it's something they'll see as an improvement over Mullin and Palmer.  Without doubt, it adds depth.  But he'll have to go some to outscore Mullin over the course of the season and indeed Palmer over the half of the season he was there.  

His strike rate isn't mouth watering either, I know it's not all about that but it's not a signing that I looked at and thought 'Wow'.

Not at all convinced they'll walk it like many think, including the bookies.  Chesterfield fell apart last season because of an injury to their goal threat and a change of management/style.  Cook's a good manager, I can't imagine he'll have suffered fools this summer and will have them sorted to meet the style.  I know Khan's a loss but George Cooper is an incredible signing at that level.  

Quoted from Poojah

Wrexham haven’t added to their squad in the way many might have expected. Elliot Lee from Luton, who had been on loan at Charlton in League One last season, looks a smart piece of business but beyond that they’ve only signed a bit part player from Crawley and a 35 year old goalkeeper from Carlisle.

They should probably have enough to do it, but their strategy doesn’t appear to be as gung-ho as it was in their last two transfer windows. Perhaps that play-off defeat was a bigger fly in their ointment than it seemed.

Parkinson will be in the job centre without a good start.

I think Wrexham go up, but not with Parkinson at the helm

Quoted from Stew0_0

Im going for Bradford for League 2 champions.
Think Mark Hughes will finally get the sleeping giants firing, they've made some good signings. Smallwood in particular is a hell of a signing and with 14,000 season tickets sold will be a difficult place for away teams at Valley Parade. Northampton and Stockport will be strong too.  
Wrexham surely cant miss out again in the National League.

Bradford have an impressive squad, but Hughes would be my concern in backing them. He's been a destroy and exit manager higher up, didn't work for 4 years and hasn't worked at this level before.

For League 2 I'm going with
Mansfield
Stockport
Northampton

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Bradford have an impressive squad, but Hughes would be my concern in backing them. He's been a destroy and exit manager higher up, didn't work for 4 years and hasn't worked at this level before.

For League 2 I'm going with
Mansfield
Stockport
Northampton

The thing with Mansfield is, they've been one of the fav's for about 6 years now, but never seem to be able to do it

Quoted from Stuart Discotheque

I usually bang a couple of outright Lucky 15s on my predicted winners of the leagues in the EFL and NL. Just in the process of lining this years up, wondered if anyone else does similar or has any strong opinions (town walking league 2 aside) on who will be at the top come the business end of the season in the Championship, L1, L2 and National League.

My fancies include

Championship:
Boro
Sheff Utd
Norwich

L1:
Pompy
Sheff Wed
Ipswich

L2:
Stockport
Mansfield
Northampton
(Town)

NL:
Wrexham - surely walk it

Wrexham to walk it for the 16th season in a row.

Quoted from Poojah

Wrexham haven’t added to their squad in the way many might have expected. Elliot Lee from Luton, who had been on loan at Charlton in League One last season, looks a smart piece of business but beyond that they’ve only signed a bit part player from Crawley and a 35 year old goalkeeper from Carlisle.

They should probably have enough to do it, but their strategy doesn’t appear to be as gung-ho as it was in their last two transfer windows. Perhaps that play-off defeat was a bigger fly in their ointment than it seemed.

Parkinson will be in the job centre without a good start.

Not sure they need to have added to it that much. Other sides up there like notts and solihull have lost important players and wrexham would have won the league last year if not for stockport who were excellent all season.

Wrexhams second half of season form replicated across the course of the season would see them win the league by a fair distance. Think they'll have too much for everyone else, and if not they will spend a shed load in january and win it anyway.

Agree re Parkinson, if they're not top or very close by December he will be on his way

In the context of an average seasons point tally anyway. Solihull also had a great second half of the season.

I reckon that Southend could surprise a few people in the NL next season.

Quoted from Les Brechin

I reckon that Southend could surprise a few people in the NL next season.

In what way? They should be targeting top 4 or 5 as a minimum.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Bradford have an impressive squad, but Hughes would be my concern in backing them. He's been a destroy and exit manager higher up, didn't work for 4 years and hasn't worked at this level before.

For League 2 I'm going with
Mansfield
Stockport
Northampton

Has he been wearing his British Manager’s Lunch Club badge?

A good friend of mine is a Bradford fan. Not sure they're as enthusiastic as we believe them to be.

A transfer window and a pre-season under Hughes' belt might turn out to be everything they need to go on and win promotion, but judging by the way he failed to make any sort of impact after taking over last season I think the majority of Bradford fans are remaining quite sceptical, as well as hopeful.

Stockport will go straight through I reckon. By far and away the best side I saw last season and have added some other quality players to it. Other than that, I think there are a lot of “good” sides with very few standout sides on paper, but equally no basket cases. Think having 2-3 real quality players, above this level, could make all the difference. It’s always very competitive at L2 level, most games tend to have very little in them.

Quoted from Mariner_09

Stockport will go straight through I reckon. By far and away the best side I saw last season and have added some other quality players to it. Other than that, I think there are a lot of “good” sides with very few standout sides on paper, but equally no basket cases. Think having 2-3 real quality players, above this level, could make all the difference. It’s always very competitive at L2 level, most games tend to have very little in them.

Unless you're called Scunthorpe United.  

Lucky 15 to be promoted I went with
Norwich
Sheff w
Grimsby
Wrexham

Of the clubs currently in the championship, there’s a few that are equal on 4 promotions to the premiership.  However, one club has won the title on all 4 occasions that they were promoted.  So it’s Sunderland for me.

Sheffield Wednesday League one
Tranmere League two
Chesterfield NL

Relegated (bottom)

Bournemouth premier league
Rotherham Championship
Lincoln league one
Colchester league two
Dorking NL