Who are the teams to watch in League One?

With the new season looming, it’s time to take a look at Hartlepool’s United’s League One opposition in 2008-09. Of the teams heading for the Vic over the next nine months, which ones will fight it out at the top when it comes to the crunch, which will struggle near the bottom, and who are going to be the also-rans?

Pools themselves are expected by many observers to finish in the latter category, though there are some who are predicting they will go down.
After all, they had a poor season in 2007-08 and with only a handful of new signings, there’s not a lot of evidence to suggest they are going to improve too much in the next nine months.
But if they do, and they create a chance to take part in the competition for promotion or at least a place in the play-offs, who will be their main opposition?

Leeds United are everybody’s favourites for promotion – they went close last season despite their points fine, and now they are on a level playing field it’s time they proved they really are a big club.
Leicester City will be hoping to do the same and bounce back after relegation. If their owner can just be patient and give whoever happens to be the manager when the season starts a bit of time – like a couple of weeks - they might just do it.

Scunthorpe and Colchester were also relegated last season, but they might have to wait a while to bounce back, while two of the teams promoted from League Two in May – Peterborough and MK Dons – are being tipped to continue their climb up the football ladder.

That might happen for Posh, who have loads of money, but the Dons have lost manager Paul Ince, and it won’t be so easy for them to maintain their momentum.

Hereford and Stockport were the other teams to come up, and they’d probably both be happy with mid-table consolidation, but watch out for County – they might spring a surprise.
Carlisle and Southend got into the play-offs last season, but failed in the semi-finals, and they’ll both be aiming to do better this time. Carlisle possibly will, but Southend might find it more difficult.
So what about last season’s League One also-rans?
Chances are most of them will be also-rans again this season, but like Pools, all of them will be aiming to do better. Cheltenham, Crewe, Yeovil and Leyton Orient probably won’t, but Swindon, Millwall, Bristol Rovers, Walsall, Tranmere, Huddersfield, Northampton, Oldham and Brighton will all believe they have what it takes to get into the play-offs.
But there isn’t room for all of them.
It could all hinge on the form of individual players – for instance, if James Brown is the goalscoring hit Danny Wilson hopes he will be, then Pools have a chance of doing well.
But what if he’s injured?

There will be similar “what ifs” at every other club in League One, and as in 2007-08, the difference between success and failure could be very small.