Bristol Rovers
Rovers are another one of those sides who will be relying on the next couple of weeks to be kind. In this instance, it’s the guile and pace of Jonson Clarke-Harris they must not lose.
Last year they struggled, badly. They banked on Stefan Payne and Tom Nichols scoring the goals they needed to get up the division and it was a gamble that didn’t pay off. They looked lacklustre and Darrell Clarke paid for it with his job. He had engineered successive relegations and following him as manager was no easy feat.
Graham Coughlan came in and to be fair, got very lucky with Clarke-Harris. Had they not been able to sign the former Rotherham man in January, I suspect they might have been much closer to the bottom four then they were. He was a revelation, banging in goals as they went from staring League Two in the eye to being mid-table also-rans. That suited them.
Sell Jonson-Clarke Harris and it’s going to be a tough season
Their summer recruitment might have been better if it had centred on bringing in additional support up front, but Coughlan has shored up at the back. Tom Davies I’m sure you’ll all remember from his loan spell with us; he made one appearance as a sub against Bristol Rovers. He’s gone on to have a decent career and joins from Coventry.
Luke Leahy and Josh Hare have arrived to play either side of the defence and Mark Little has ditched ailing Bolton for a fresh start in the south west as well. It’s a brand new defence and it’ll need to settle in quickly.
Tyler Smith is the unknown quantity, he’s a loan signing from Sheffield United and will have to look to chip in with goals if Clarke-Harris is sold.
Here’s my shout; keep JCH and they’ll be fine, not top six but not bottom four. Sell him and it’s going to be a tough season.
Burton Albion
On the face of it, it’s been a tough summer for Burton, having lost three key players. They operated a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 last season heavily relying on a midfield trio of Stephen Quinn, Scott Fraser and Jamie Allen – Allen has now gone. Joining him in moving away from the Pirelli are defender Kyle McFadzean and winger Marcus Harness. Those are three big players to have to replace.
Richard Nartey has come in on loan, you’ll remember him from Chelsea Under 21s side a couple of years ago, probably. It’s likely he’ll play but how he does is anyone’s guess. He could be a massive influence like Reece James was for Wigan, or he could be a huge flop like Ruben Sammut at Falkirk. Both were Chelsea youngsters, both went out on loan and enjoyed differing fortunes.
One signing they’ve made which I think is a masterstroke is Kieran O’Hara
John Joe O’Toole is going to replace Allen and I like this lad a lot. He impressed me last year playing for Northampton and I think he can do the same for Burton. Retaining that three in midfield, albeit swapping one player, will help keep them consistent.
They do rely on Lucas Atkins and Liam Boyce for goals; they got 24 between them in the league last season. If they can return the same again, keeping the midfield compact, then there is no fear of a relegation scrap.
One signing they’ve made which I think is a masterstroke is Kieran O’Hara who spent last season at Macclesfield. For me, he was one of the key reasons Sol Campbell’s side stayed up last season and he’s earned a place in a League One side. The Man Utd youngster is a great shot stopper and he’ll only add to the togetherness Nigel Clough garners at the Pirelli.
A play off challenge isn’t beyond Burton, but with less resources than some of their competitors, it might be a step too far.
Bury
Finally for today, Bury.
What can you really say about the Shakers. Their supporters are watching the club die in front of them; slowly but surely it’s happening. The latest news is they might have their opening match against MK Dons suspended.
It’s hard to enivsage anything other than relegation for the Shakers. We can’t talk about players coming in, but there have been lots of them leave; almost all of them in fact. Plymouth have grabbed the most, but other teams have joined in the feeding frenzy. Former Imp Tom Miller is one of the few remaining at the club; one wonders how long he’ll last given his Twitter outburst at the chairman last season.
Bolton and Bury get lumped in together an awful lot as they’re two clubs battling to stay afloat, but the similarities end there
Will they kick off the season? If they do, will they even see it out? These are the questions that have to be asked, not who are they going to sign or where might they finish.
Bolton and Bury get lumped in together an awful lot as they’re two clubs battling to stay afloat, but the similarities end there. Bolton’s takeover is close, Bury’s isn’t happening at all at the minute. Bolton are a big draw for players when they are in better shape; Bury are not.
I remember protests aginst Bob Dorrian back in 2012, anger being directed at a man many felt was driving our club into the ground. His decisions might not have always been popular, but we could have been much worse off. You only have to look at Bury, Steve Dale and the whole tragic comedy to realise exactly how much worse things might have gotten.
If they’re 24th and solvent come next May, that’ll be a huge achievement.
Tomorrow – Coventry, Doncaster, Fleetwood, Gillingham, Ipswich and MK Dons
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