Preview: Real Madrid - Dortmund

Chinmay Pandya gives The Football Front a preview of Dortmund's trip to Real Madrid.

Madrid take on the High flying Dortmund at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu tonight in a feisty affair between two extremely talented teams. Few would have doubted Dortmund's European potential this season, but even fewer people would have predicted them to be top of the table after 3 match days. Well, this match could mean the difference between the 1st and 2nd position in the group. While Borussia Dortmund head into their Champions League rematch against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu Tuesday on the heels of a dispiriting 0-0 draw at home to Stuttgart on Saturday, Madrid head into the game after a terrific all-round display trashing Zaragoza at home, 4-0. Jurgen Klopp told reporters that the draw felt more "like a defeat," leaving the two-time defending Bundesliga champions 11 points adrift of a sublime Bayern Munich side displaying absolutely dominant early season form.

TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid will be without injured France striker Karim Benzema when Borussia Dortmund visit as he has a thigh muscle problem. Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain, who has netted seven in the league but none in Europe so far, is the obvious replacement. Captain Sebastian Kehl was taken off with a broken nose during Saturday's 0-0 draw with Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. Manager Jurgen Klopp said that he is training with a mask to protect his nose but remains a doubt.

ON THE TACTICAL FRONT:

After what we’ve seen from Dortmund this season, especially away at City and at home to Madrid, games against Dortmund usually turn out to be midfield battles, with a extremely disciplined Dortmund midfield consisting of Reus, Gotze, Großkreutz sitting in front of a solid Gundogan and Kehl (assuming he’s fit by then) should prove to be a jam-packed midfield, very difficult to break through. On the Other hand, a technically accomplished and an intelligent midfield that Madrid possess, Madrid have the tools to get past the midfield but the same can be said about City’s midfield against Dortmund at the Etihad last time out, but they weren’t able to expose Dortmund’s defence. Tight midfield, pressing higher up the field, forcing the opposition to make mistakes, and then counter attacking with menace pretty much sums up Dortmund as a force in the Bundesliga in the past seasons and in Europe this season. As Madrid push up to dominate the match, and create chances could that be their undoing? Or with the amazing talent they have at their disposal, and with some determination, could they get past the Dortmund midfield and expose their defence? We’re going to find out soon.

While the figure might seen congested, it is supposed to show the cohesiveness of Dortmund’s midfield. It shows Mardid while in position, with Alonso sitting in front of the 2 central defenders and Modric in a fairly advanced position this encounter might just be an epic encounter between two tactically astute and world class coaches in Mourinho and Klopp, a feast for the neutrals.

Dortmund have been off pace in the Bundesliga lately, You don't win a league of the Bundesliga's calibre two-times running without quality and mental toughness in equal measure, so I expect a show of resolve at the Bernabeu. Still, it seems that there is a sense of unease around Dortmund that could turn into panic if Real Madrid were to start fast.

This article was written by Chinmay Pandya, you can find his work at http://nimblefootwork.blog.com/ and you can follow him on Twitter: @_thesoccerist

Kevin Leonard's Premier League preview - 2010/11

The Football Front’s senior writer, Kevin Leonard, gives us a preview of the Premier League, ahead of its big kick off this weekend.

Ladies and gentleman, it is back. The Premier League is back! The 20 best teams in the country (or the 19 best this season with one from Wales) all playing each other over 9 months of grueling passion, misery, suspense, ecstasy and excitement. It’s brilliant to have it back.

Naturally we all want to know exactly what will happen, who will finish where and ultimately who is going to be champions. This is why I am here, to give you the answers you so richly crave.

Let's start with addressing everyone’s favourite part of the Premier League, who is going down!

Relegation candidates (20^th – 15^th):

Other than Wigan’s first season in the Premier League they have never finished in the top half. The last two campaigns have finished with the Latics in 16^th and spending most of the season flirting with relegation. Having just sold Charles N’Zogbia to Aston Villa, one would think they will be in danger again.

Blackburn, we were led to believe have a coup of wealth at their disposal. Yet after selling Phil Jones to Manchester United their only arrivals so far have been David Goodwille and Myles Anderson. The later is a 20 year old defender whom Blackburn recruited from Leyton Orient on a free transfer. Based on this, unless some more talent is added to the ranks, even the most optimistic of fans could not see anything but relegation contention again this season. These two blue and white clubs, in my humble yet questionable opinion, I expect to drift from the rest and make up the base of the Premier league table.

Above them, in what we hope is an exciting fight to avoid the third relegation spot are a cluster of teams that could easily finish mid table as well. I would expect Wolves to be in the reckoning given whenever they are in the Premiership that’s where they always are. Survival may be a little more comfortable this season with the addition of Roger Johnson from Birmingham.

Bolton are a side that have been over hyped recently, after allegedly playing “good football” under Owen Coyle. When in actual fact they were third in the table of long balls played last season and still average fairly low possession statistics. For all the compliments they have received under Coyle’s management he did only manage a 14^th place finish in 2010/11. They could be one of the surprise strugglers indeed.

Norwich and QPR both who have just been promoted from the Championship will more than likely struggle and spend most of the campaign from about 20^th to 13^th. QPR now have the scoring capabilities of “England International” Jay Bothroyd, and with Abdel Taarabt more likely to stay with the London club, one should expect the title winning squad from last season to be good enough to avoid the drop.

Norwich however do not have a playmaker like Taarabt and they also do not have the available funds QPR will have in January should things look ominous. They do have a very well educated manager in Paul Lambert who earned his coaching qualifications in Germany. Which should make him a little more competent tactically than the likes of Ian Holloway. Whilst I can’t see the Canaries looking doomed early on, I can see happening in May.

Mid table (14^th -9^th):

Given Newcastle’s love for repeatedly pushing the self destruct button it has hard to see top half success for them this season. Twitter rants from Joey Barton and Josè Enrique show that the club is once again in turmoil. The free sale of Barton is pending on any club simply making an offer, Enrique is expected to leave soon after. Not to forget Kevin Nolan has already been sold to West Ham. The club's highest profile arrival so far has been Demba Ba.

Sunderland were one of the worst teams in the league in the second half of last season. The black cats lost 10 of their final 14 games and looked a hopeless cause without Darren Bent. They will now also be without Danny Welbeck but the arrival of former Man Utd boys John O’Shea and Wes Brown should make them a tough side to score against this season. Without a prolific striker or particularly exciting midfielders, mid table seems were they will end up.

The midlands trio of Aston Villa, Stoke and West Brom are expected to be with Newcastle and Sunderland. Nothing there spells relegation but at the same time nothing suggests a finish in the European spots.

Swansea may be the surprise package of the season. Brendan Rodgers worked under Josè Mourinho at Chelsea and has implicated the tactics of that Chelsea side into his own project with Swansea City. A very well put together 4-3-3 system which resulted in them having the best defence at home in the Championship last season. The fans will play an important role at the Liberty Stadium, as national pride will come into play with Swansea being the first Welsh team to play in the Premiership. The 19 English sides will face a tough test in every one of Swansea’s home games. Away from home they will lose their fair share coming up against quality not experienced before but don’t be surprised to see them comfortably in mid table throughout the season.

Wanted/Unwanted Europa League contention (8^th-6^th):

Tottenham, Everton and Fulham are just good enough to be ahead of the rest in the midtable positions. Everton have been as quiet as a ninja in the transfer market, they have not brought anyone but they also have not let anybody important go. Arteta, Cahill, Howard, Bilyaletdinov, Beckford and Hetinga are all still present. Whilst they may start off badly as Everton usually do, they always seem to find consistency and finish higher than what we expect them to.

Fulham will come as a surprise to a few people I think. They have a manager who was wrongly dismissed by Spurs back in 2007. An interesting tale of the season may just be him battling with his old employers to pip them to a Europa League spot.

Daniel Levy has been a little over ambitious in the transfer window, making bid for the likes of Juan Mata who is currently captain of a side already in the Champions League. One must wonder why he would trade that in to get to where he already is.

Champions League Contenders (5^th-3^rd):

Chelsea could disappoint a few people this season. They do have a very good new manager in Andres Villas Boas who won virtually everything with FC Porto last season. Villas Boas’ Porto also became league champions of Portugal without losing a single game. My scepticism comes from a somewhat ageing squad. Drogba, Lampard, Cole, Malouda, Anelka and Terry are all into their 30s now.

Chelsea did finish in second last season but let us not forget last season the champions finished with the lowest points total of any since 1967, to finish second does not suggest they will go onwards and upwards this campaign. The blues did spend a lot of time outside the top 4 during 2010/11 as well. While Liverpool and the Manchester clubs get stronger with the signings they have made, Chelsea remains inactive so far.

On the subject of Liverpool, we may see them even amount a title challenge for a while this season. Ultimately winning the league may be a stretch too far but the reds are shaping into a very impressive outfit.

Luis Suarez is one of the best strikers in the World, not a bad goalkeeper either. He scored goals with Ajax, Uruguay and already in his short Anfield career. Suarez, Carroll and Kuyt up front backed up by Meireles and Gerrard in midfield promises at the very least Liverpool will score a lot of goals this coming season. Those goals should be enough to get them back into the Champions League.

Arsenal are a little difficult to gage, a lot depends on where Nasri and Fabregas are playing come September 1^st. Should they stay, we can at least be sure Arsenal will maintain a place in the Champions League. If the Gunners are to have realistic title ambitions, central defenders and goalkeepers must be added. In terms of the goalkeeping issue, they perhaps do not require one to replace Szczesny but they are simply an injury away from having Almunia or Fabianski in goal again.

Arsenal always seem to be just a few players away from being up there with the title contenders but it seems the same story for them as it is for Chelsea. Liverpool and the Manchester Clubs appear to be improving whilst Arsenal remain just good enough to finish higher than Tottenham but not good enough to go onto the next level.

I think this is where we will see the season’s most compelling battle. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool will eventually come to a situation where it will be any two of these three to finish in the Champions League spots.

The Top (1^st & 2^nd):

The Previous paragraph of course means, again in my humble opinion, that Manchester City will be challenging for the title. We all knew it had to happen someday, may as well be now! The eventual sale of Tevez will not hinder the big spenders at all if Sergio Aguero plays anything like we know he can. Aguero is a strong striker with pace and excellent finishing that has frightened La Liga defences ever since he arrived in Spain.

The addition of Gael Clichy is a clever one, given his time at Arsenal we know he will deliver excellent crossing from the left hand side. The young Serbian Savic also appears to be a good, slightly dirty, defender based on what I saw live at the Dublin Super Cup.

These players will ensure that Champions League football will not be too much of a strain on the squad. The quality from last season is still great too, the likes of David Silva, Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure, Vincent Komany, Joe Hart etc should see City at the very least challenge their neighbours for the Premiership crown.

Last but by some opinions least we come to Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson may be a lot of things but one thing he is not is stupid. He knows exactly what Manchester United were last season. He knows that the same points total will not win him the league this coming season. He has wasted no time in replacing Edwin Van Der Sar with David De Gea. Ashley Young is at last at a big club, no disrespect Watford or Aston Villa, and he will finally become the World Class player he has the potential to be.

Rumour has it Manchester United have had their bid for Wesley Sneijder accepted by Inter, should they convince him to sign they will certainly have a replacement for Paul Scholes. A better player in fact Man Utd fans! The speculation over Sneijder and the addition of Young along with the sale of Brown and O’Shea may actually mean United will be an attractive team to watch this season.

Last season they did finish as Champions but aside from their own fans nobody enjoyed watching them. Hopefully at least if they do win the league again we can look at them from a neutral point of view and enjoy it somewhat.

League Prediction:

1) Manchester City

2) Manchester United

3) Liverpool

4) Arsenal

5) Chelsea

6) Fulham

7) Tottenham

8) Everton

9) Swansea

10) West Brom

11) Stoke

12) Aston Villa

13) Sunderland

14) Newcastle

15) QPR

16) Wolves

17) Bolton

18) Norwich

19) Wigan

20) Blackburn

You can follow Kevin on his Twitter - @megatronSTALIN, Kevin regularly writes for Forza Italian Football too.

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Christian Brown npower Championship 2011/12 preview – Part Two

Matt Bruce’s npower League Two 2011/12 preview – Part Two

What is the true price of success?

Christian Brown’s npower Championship 2011/12 Preview - Part Three

The Football Front’s Christian Brown in a three feature takes a look at the chances of the team’s in the npower Championship.

This is part three of the npower Championship preview – Part one can be found here and part two can be found here.

Millwall – 2010/11 finish: 9th

There is no denying, no debate and no argument that if it wasn’t for Steve Morison, Millwall wouldn’t have had the season they enjoyed. A goal total of 17 in all competitions ensured that their otherwise League 1 standard team (barring a few individuals, notably James Henry) didn’t have to work especially hard to finish like they did. If Morison didn’t get stupidly suspended, they arguably would have finished in the play offs. Morison has now joined Norwich, and even if Neil Mellor does sign for The Lions, his influence hasn’t been replaced. As a result, we will all see just how weak Millwall are, but it isn’t weak enough to get relegated...just. Position – 21st

Nottingham Forest – 2010/11 finish: 6th

After winning last season’s race for 6th place, Forest’s alarmingly unlucky subsequent defeat at the hands of eventual winners Swansea prompted a summer of change at The City Ground. Popular manager Billy Davies was sacked, with Steve McClaren being handed the reigns at the sleeping giants. But things haven’t started well, with Robbie Earnshaw and Julian Bennett both leaving the club on frees. However, Forest have brought in much needed experience in the middle with George Boateng and Jonathan Greening, whilst there was also a comeback for Forest hero Andy Reid, who signed a 2 year deal. Forest still look a little light on numbers, but they have a lot of quality and under McClaren they just might achieve what Davies didn’t – promotion. Position – 5th

Peterborough United – 2010/11 finish: 4th (promoted via League 1 play offs)

Peterborough fans should cherish every single second of that game against Huddersfield. It was that underserved win that got them promoted. There is absolutely no doubt they’re going back the way they came. Selling star striker Craig Mackail-Smith to Brighton will be the first of many bullets that end up in the feet of The Posh, but it will be the sale of George Boyd which will really kill them off. As things stand, an offer from an unnamed club (for now) has been received, but hasn’t been either accepted or rejected. As Boyd pulled all the strings in an otherwise League One standard team, losing him would be a disaster. Darren Ferguson would like to avoid tarnishing his Championship reputation further, but it’ll take a lot of favours from Daddy Ferguson to avoid that. Position – 24th

Portsmouth – 2010/11 finish: 16th

Most Pompey fans will be thanking their lucky stars that they still have a club to support after last season’s near extinction, but times are changing on the South Coast. Despite losing star striker Dave Nugent to Leicester, they have already found a replacement in Luke Varney, and replaced Michael Brown with David Norris. Having re-signed ex academy product Jason Pearce from Bournemouth, getting former loanee Greg Halford back permanently from Wolves, and with ex Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim willing to play again - Portsmouth won’t be shipping many goals, wherever they play. If Liam Lawrence can keep providing pin point service from the wings, this could be a strong season for the Blues. Position – 8th

Reading – 2010/11 finish: 5th

As with Nottingham Forest, Reading became unstuck and were just as unbelievably unlucky as the Reds were against Swansea. Losing 4-2 in the final was a hammer blow to the Royals, and it’s interesting to see where they go from it. Having already lost their best centre back Matt Mills to Leicester, speculation over the future of key striker Shane Long has been rising and rising – he was also the subject of a failed £5.5 million bid (potentially rising to 8) from West Ham. With Liverpool amongst over Premier League teams allegedly keeping tabs on him, it seems inevitable he will leave. This will be a distracting season for Reading, but a solid one all the same. Position – 9th

Southampton – 2010/11 finish: 2nd (promoted from League One)

Normally when a team comes up, they think of players they can get to ensure survival. They will then look to build on their success of staying up the following year, and possibly mount a charge the year after. Not Southampton. The first thing the Saints did when they got promoted was put bids in for Nicky Maynard and Jack Cork, securing the latter. These are hardly ‘survival’ targets. On top of an already impressive squad, Nigel Adkins has added to it significantly. Even though it is still a relatively young team in places (Lallana, Cork and Chamberlain) this group of players has it in them to cause damage in this league, and that’s what they will do. Position – 6th

Watford – 2010/11 finish: 14th

Much like Millwall being dependent on Steve Morison, Watford were highly dependent on the league’s top scorer Danny Graham. Also like Morision, Graham has departed the Hornets for pastures new. Unlike Millwall however, Watford have a team in place already which are good enough to stay up in this division. The acquisition of Scottish international and ex Burnley target man Chris Iwelumo will definitely aid the development of hot prospect Marvin Sordell, as well as adding a different dimension to the Hornets’ game. However, he won’t be anywhere near as prolific as Danny Graham and Watford will struggle...but they will have enough to keep their heads above water, for now at least. Position – 20th

West Ham United – 2010/11 finish: 20th (relegated from Premier League)

And so the best is saved till last. Much like Newcastle did in 2009, West Ham will definitely go back up at the first attempt. Magnificent signings such as Joey O’Brien, Matty Taylor and of course, Kevin Nolan, will ensure promotion is secured. Under the experienced manager Sam Allardyce, there doesn’t really seem to be any potential weakness in the team. Even if they do lose players like Cole and Parker, there is depth and quality to cover for it. Jordan Spence and James Tompkins will get their chance to shine, and although it is inevitable West Ham will lose games and drop points over the course of the season, it is even more inevitable they will win the league. Position – 1st

Here is my Championship league table prediction;

League table prediction

West Ham United

------------------

Leicester City

Cardiff City

Ipswich Town

Nottingham Forest

Southampton

------------------

Birmingham City

Portsmouth

Reading

Hull City

Middlesbrough

Blackpool

Leeds United

Bristol City

Burnley

Crystal Palace

Doncaster Rovers

Brighton & Hove Albion

Derby County

Watford

Millwall

------------------

Coventry City

Barnsley

Peterborough United

And that brings the end of the preview! Although the final table will not be exactly as predicted, it is a rough and fair assessment of what is to come this season. Who knows, Peterborough may end up with Tom Cleverly and Federico Macheda on loan from Manchester United and storm the league, whilst Leicester’s new signings don’t gel and they have a car crash season, resulting in the end of Sven’s tenure. Or go broke. Either way, it is sure to be yet another memorable, exciting and nail biting season for all involved in the npower Championship, and it’s not long now before all 24 are back into the groove of playing competitive football.

This piece was written by Christian Brown, you can follow him on his Twitter - @Chris78901, Chris also writes for The Sports Pallet too. All of Chris' work is on his blog, 1-chris78901.

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The Football Front’s Christian Brown in a three feature takes a look at the chances of the team’s in the npower Championship.

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Crystal Palace – 2010/11 finish: 20^th

Last season started with so much optimism for Palace; George Burley started the season in charge, Nathaniel Clyne was still there and even Edgar Davids signed at one point. But, it came so close to tears as Palace very nearly went down. Under the guidance of former player Dougie Freedman they won’t be going down this season. Key additions such as Glenn Murray and Jonathan Parr will improve the team. Whilst retaining crucial players like Julian Speroni will ensure relegation doesn’t’ happen. It’s clear the club do not have enough to challenge for promotion, following their financial crisis suffered and the relegation battle last year. But most Palace fans will happily settle for a mid-table place - which is exactly what they should achieve. Position – 16^th

Derby County – 2010/11 finish: 19^th

After the complete write off last season, this summer started with so much hope. New signings were ade, money was actually spent by Mr Clough. But then pre-season started. Draws against Morecambe and Macclesfield occurred, before embarrassingly losing to Matlock Town, and then 2-1 against Crewe with arguably The Rams’ best team out and being a goal up. Clough’s dilly dallying in the window has caused targets to move elsewhere or stay put, and when the owner is saying how “Derby will finish top 6”, you do fear for Clough’s job security. Average additions to an already average squad will not get Derby to the top 6, so after this season it will be goodbye and farewell to Mr Nigel Clough. Position – 19^th

Doncaster Rovers – 2010/11 finish: 21^st

In terms of injuries, no-one in arguably the whole of the Football League had it as bad as Doncaster Rovers. How they survived last season was an absolute miracle. Speculation over Sean O’Driscoll’s job was unfairly increasing, but as John Ryan said – “we will never have an injury crisis this bad ever again in the history of the club.” Keeping hold of players like Billy Sharp and James Coppinger have been crucial, whilst also acquiring the services of Tommy Spurr from rivals Sheffield Wednesday, will tighten things up at the back. In terms of league position, their team is in no state to challenge, but they will stay up rather comfortably. Position – 17^th

Hull City – 2010/11 finish: 11^th

Hull City will be a very strange tiger this season. At one point last season they were in the hunt for the 6^th play off place, but Middlesbrough put an end to that with a 4-1 thumping at The KC Stadium. However, from all the signings they’ve currently brought in during the close season, only Jack Hobbs and Adriano Basso would seem players that could maybe piece together a play off charge. Paul McKenna and Dele Adebola are experienced yes, but a combined age of 69? No-one knows what to expect from this Hull team, which could well work in their favour. With a strong squad already in place though, this should be another productive season. Position – 10^th

Ipswich Town – 2010/11 finish: 13^th

After so much expectation last year, it was perhaps inevitable Ipswich were going to fail. This season there is more expectation, but with good reason. With Paul Jewell at the helm and with five quality additions brought into the club (Michael Chorpra, David Stockdale, Lee Bowyer, Jay Emmanuel Thomas and Nathan Ellington), this could well be the season Ipswich achieve the targets set by the club’s hierarchy and the impatient fans. The players already in the squad are hardly from the footballing scrapheap, so with the new men in place they’ll definitely be good enough to mount a charge, and that is exactly what they’ll do. Position – 4^th

Leeds United – 2010/11 finish: 7^th

What is going on at Leeds? First they lose both holding midfielders Bradley Johnson and Neil Kilkenny on frees, then they force their goalkeeper out before bringing in a sub standard replacement in comparison to Schmeichel, and then to top it off, 2 of their best strikers get injured (Becchio and Somma)! With Premier League eyes keenly fixed on both Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass, if Leeds aren’t careful, they could be back where they came from. Losing Schmeichel is a monumental blow, as he won the club so many points on his own last. New keeper, Longeran will not do the same. Position – 13^th

Leicester City – 2010/11 finish: 10^th

The Foxes aren’t high up on every other Championship club’s Christmas card list at this current moment in time. Last season, they got a load of Premier League loans in. This season they’ve bought a whole new team, spending ludicrous fees and paying out ridiculous wages in the process. For example; Matt Mills cost them £5.5 million, and Paul Konchesky is on 40k a week. Unfortunately for football purists, money does talk; and talks a lot in this league. Leicester will get promoted, especially so under Sven’s guidance – but they still don’t have the required strength to win the league outright. A lot of people will be hoping Leicester fall flat, but you can’t see it. Position – 2^nd

Middlesbrough – 2010/11 finish: 12^th

Last season, Middlesbrough were expected to walk the league. Kris Boyd signed, and he was expected to score 20+ and help steer Boro back to the top flight. None of this happened, and they even had a patch where they were looking over their shoulders constantly, as they were fighting against the relegation trapdoor. Tony Mowbray then came in, and a storming finale ensured they finished a respectable 12^th. They should have been allowed to build on this finish, but financial problems have meant that they have to sell, rather than buy. Mowbray will have to work wonders to get a top 6 finish, and that just won’t happen. Position – 11^th

Part One is available here

The final and third part will be available on Wednesday 3rd August

This piece was written by Christian Brown, you can follow him on his Twitter - @Chris78901, Chris also writes for The Sports Pallet too. All of Chris' work is on his blog, 1-chris78901.

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The Football Front’s Christian Brown in a three feature takes a look at the chances of the team’s in the npower Championship

It is well known that the npower Championship is arguably the most competitive league in the world. This as a result therefore leaves a predicament for everyone trying to predict what will happen, as you will undoubtedly be wrong. A team expected to blow the division apart will catastrophically fail, and a team that everyone assumes all the nails in the coffin have been planted will defy the odds and miraculously stay up, or even sometimes go up. This article will well and truly put my neck on the proverbial line so to speak, so let’s gingerly begin.

Club analysis

Barnsley – 2010/11 finish: 17^th

Towards the end of last season, Barnsley fans may have been forgiven for feeling optimistic for the season ahead. They had survived Adam Hammill leaving for Wolves, and Barnsley secured their best finish for 5 years. Then it all turned upside down, as Mark Robins left under acrimonious circumstances, with Keith Hill coming in. Hill has a huge job on his hands, as many of those players seemed hugely loyal to Robins, and bringing in unproven Rochdale players from League 1 will not improve on 17^th place. Keith Hill should have stayed at Spotland, as he’s going back the way he came. Position – 23^rd

Birmingham City – 2010/11 finish: 18^th (relegated from Premier League)

You have to feel for Birmingham. Conceding a 96^th minute goal against Spurs and Blackburn’s inability to defend cost them a place in the Premier League, despite Birmingham winning the Carling Cup. After that kick in the private area, Alex McLeish left to take over hated rivals Aston Villa, and to rub salt in the wounds further, it now seems that as owner Carson Yeung’s assets have been frozen. The club may have to sell star players to avoid administration. Despite this however, Birmingham have a lot of strength in depth, such as teen sensation Jordon Mutch, and while this may not be the instant return they hoped for under new boss Chris Houghton, they’ll push it right to the wire. Position – 7^th

Blackpool – 2010/11 finish: 19^th (relegated from Premier League)

And so, rather ironically, the fairy tale dream of Premier League survival for Blackpool ended at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ that is Old Trafford. In some ways, this is a blessing. The inevitable exit of Charlie Adam would have meant that they’d have perhaps broken Derby’s dismal record of 11 points if they’d stayed up, as Adam ran the show for Blackpool. The problem Ian Holloway has to address now is how to replace him in a league below. The fact is you can’t replace a player of that much quality, although the experienced head of new arrival Barry Ferguson will help...but still won’t be enough for the Seasiders to bounce back at first attempt. Position – 12^th

Brighton & Hove Albion – 2010/11 finish: 1^st (promoted as champions from League One)

So Brighton return to the Championship after a 5 year absence, but what can we expect from them? Can they do a Norwich’ and finish second? Or in typical Brighton style, end up requiring a miracle to stay up on the final day? The way their pre season started, it seemed the latter would be occurring, as top scorer Glenn Murray and top assist leader Elliot Bennett departed the club, joining Crystal Palace and Norwich respectively. These players have been replaced however, notably Murray with Mackail-Smith from Peterborough. If he can get a partnership with fellow new recruit Will Hoskins and if Buckley can do half as good a job as Bennett did last year, then Brighton will do neither of the scenarios – but will stay up comfortably. Position – 18^th

Bristol City – 2010/11 finish: 15^th

Bristol City. The team who were supposed to set the league alight last season. Well they didn’t. There are numerous factors for this, the notable ones being that as good a goalkeeper David James is, he’s not a defence on his own. While upfront, Nicky Maynard got injured. However, this season they have Maynard back now, the question is whether he’ll be playing with the same commitment as to when he first joined. Maynard may have perhaps had his head turned by the intensifying interest shown in him by bigger clubs. To make things more unsettling, Maynard has one year left to run on his contract. This only increases speculation; speculation that will affect him, and therefore the team. Position – 14^th

Burnley – 2010/11 finish: 8^th

Owen Coyle may have been hated before by the Burnley fans for leaving the club on the lurch. While Burnley got relegated and failed to achieve promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt. However, the degree of hate will have increased now. Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears, 2 crucial cogs in Burnley’s ‘machine’, have joined Coyle’s Bolton. Eddie Howe will now have his work cut out, as his best winger and best full back have gone – with little time to find a suitable replacement for both. It looks like it’s going to be a long season ahead for Clarets fans. Position – 15^th

Cardiff City – 2010/11 finish: 4^th

Last season’s failure in the play offs meant that Cardiff had ‘bottled it’ for the third time in three years. It was a failure which cost Dave Jones his job. Initially the doom and gloom stayed around the club for a while, with key players such as Jay Bothroyd leaving. But now, Malky Mackay has taken over, and replaced the departing players with arguably better players. The additions of Don Cowie and Kenny Miller signify ambition, but it’s the return of Bluebirds hero Robbie Earnshaw that has reinstalled the faith. There is still a very strong possibility a certain talisman named Craig Bellamy may return to the club...a strong season ahead. Position – 3^rd

Coventry City – 2010/11 finish: 18^th

One my main memories of Coventry City is when they got relegated from the Premier League. One fan had a banner reading “We’ll be back”. They still haven’t returned, and they definitely won’t return this year – or the one after. The Sky Blues have been involved in the most disastrous summer imaginable, with three quarters of their spine (Westwood, Crainie, Gunnarsson and King) all leaving, with only Crainie remaining at the club. City fans know all too well the importance Westwood and King in particular, and their departures will have hurt the club a lot. Andy Thorn will have no chance unfortunately, but it’s not his fault. Position – 22^nd

Part Two will be available on Tuesday 2^nd August

This piece was written by Christian Brown, you can follow him on his Twitter - @Chris78901, Chris also writes for The Sports Pallet too. All of Chris' work is on his blog, 1-chris78901.

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