Well it only seems like yesterday that Yeovil defeated Brentford to close the 2012-13 League One season - well 64 days to be exact. But already the ball has started rolling for the beginning of the new 2013-14 League One season.
And as part of my build up for a new season where i will be covering as many of the Gillingham games as I physically can, I have recruited fans from all 24 clubs from League One and get their options for their clubs as the new season starts on August the 3rd.
Today we look at two sides who were ex championship sides not that long ago and are looking to get back into a division where they belong. One team has the capability to do it and one side who wishes they had the capability of doing it. And as part of my second preview involving ITV News, its time get get reviews from two fans from Bristol City and Coventry City.
BRISTOL CITY
Name:
Neil Cavell
Occupation away from supporting your club:
News journalist at ITV News Westcountry
How
long have you been a supporter of Bristol City and how did you start supporting
them?
Moved
to Bristol in the 90s and gradually over time grew to care about Bristol City,
so much so that after a couple of years I found I had become a fan.
Let’s get this ball rolling:
What
would be your Dream season?
To
get promotion back into The Championship
And
what will make it a Nightmare season for you?
Relegation
into Division Two or a poor season in League One
Our
own fans think our team is…
On
the up
Other
teams’ fans think our team is…
Simply
the best
The new season:
How
has Pre-Season been for you this time around?
Too
early to say really, a little messy, but the real business starts in a few
weeks time - then we’ll see
Have
you got the right manager and how popular is he?
I
think so - give him time - judge him at the end of the new season
Are
there any new signings that you are excited about?
Not
yet - but lets wait and see
Name
the player that you would happily drive to his next club (and pay for the taxi
as well)...
Ronaldo
Name an opposition player you despise...
I
don’t despise anyone or at least try not to
Name
an opposition player you would love to have at your club?
Ronaldo
If I was to visit your club on an away trip
this season, name one thing I must do in your town? (Can be anything,
football-related or otherwise... from visiting a famous sight, to making sure
you don’t park your car somewhere, to find a certain drink in a pub or a nice
place to eat)
Visit Knowle West - it’s underrated and full of lovely people - I’m
serious
Onto other important matters:
Your
back in League One, is it important that you bounce back straight away?
Yes
Relegation
costs have worried many Bristol City fans that they will not get promotion at
the first attempt, do you share their worries?
Yes
Out
of all of the players from your Championship squad, who needs to stay in order
for you to go straight back up?
Adomah
- but he won’t
And now onto the really important stuff:
Who
do you think will be the top 6 at the end of the season?
No
idea to be honest, but of course Bristol City
Who
do you think will go down to League 2?
No
idea
And
finally, in all honesty, where do you think you will finish this season?
Automatic
promotion spot of course
COVENTRY CITY
Name: Tom Lowe
Occupation away from supporting
your club:
Journalist - ITV News Central Planning Editor
How long have you been a
supporter of Coventry City and how did you start supporting them?
22 years. I am from Leamington
so they were my local club. They were supported by my Grandad, Dad - and it was
my Dad that took me to my first game
Let’s get this ball rolling:
What would be your Dream season?
To be playing football in
Coventry - simple.
And what will make it a
Nightmare season for you?
If a ball is kicked in anger in
Northampton - I fear we would never come back to Cov.
Our own fans think our team is…
Weak - we have no centre backs,
a thin squad and the good players we do have such as Leon Clarke and Carl Baker
are surely prime targets for other clubs. Until we come out of admin we can’t
get any new players in.
Other teams’ fans think our team
is…
Underachieving. Certainly last
year I heard a lot of clubs suggest we should be doing better. I am not sure
other teams quite realise what a mess we are in now though.
The new season:
How has Pre-Season been for you
this time around?
Awful. Depressing. The worst
ever. No players, not kit, no ground, no sponsor....saying that though -
results have been ok. But you can’t read too much into that. Can you?
Have you got the right manager
and how popular is he?
We were blessed with Mark Robins
for a large part of last season. He was a proper manager. Pressley? I honestly
can’t say. He has been fighting against a backdrop of off the field nonsense since
arriving. I don’t know why he hasn’t walked away. From what we can tell, he
likes to play the patient game from the back. I am not sure he has the players
to do that this season.
Are there any new signings that
you are excited about?
No signings at all!
Name the player that you would
happily drive to his next club (and pay for the taxi as well)...
He has just left, and thankfully
made his own way there. David Bell. Complete waste of money.
Name an opposition player you
despise...
Can’t think of one in League 1
to be honest. Craig Bellamy is a player I have no time for.
Name an opposition player you
would love to have at your club?
I’d love to have David
McGoldrick back. He scores when he wants.
If I was to visit your club on
an away trip this season, name one thing I must do in your town? (Can be
anything, football-related or otherwise... from visiting a famous sight, to
making sure you don’t park your car somewhere, to find a certain drink in a pub
or a nice place to eat)
The Greyhound pub in Longford is nice, by the
canal. And its lovely by the Cathedral. But thats in Cov and we won’t be there
according to our owners. So Northampton? Shoes maybe? But I would prefer it if
you didn’t go and didn’t put money in our owners pocket. Fans need to stick
together against these people. It could be your club next.
Onto other important matters:
The situation at Coventry, has
it gone beyond a joke?
Yes it has. Fans are the
lifeblood of a club and we are being treated so badly. 5000 marching through
Coventry at the KEEPCOVINCOV rally showed what it meant to the city. A club is
the heart of a community, the beating heart of a city. It is all about local
pride, supporting your local club and the owners plans are doing nothing but
destroying a fantastic club and its history.
IF you do have to move away from
the Ricoh Arena, will you be travelling with them?
Not a chance.
Are you expecting a massive clearout
as part of the club being in their current situation?
Its already been happening. A
number of players have left. I am sure clubs will be sniffing around our better
players too.
You are in a division where some
of your colleagues from ITV are supporting other teams; is there a lot of
friendly banter between you and your colleagues about the football?
Yes - there is good banter, but
also massive support and sympathy for our current situation. Every fan I speak
to is baffled and angry at how fans can be treated in this way. It shows what a
lovely community football can be. Even the Leicester fans have been supportive!
And now onto the really
important stuff:
Who do you think will be the top
6 at the end of the season?
Wolves, Peterborough, Walsall,
Swindon, Bristol City and MK Dons.
Who do you think will go down to
League 2?
Tough one this - Shrewsbury,
Rotherham and Oldham?
And finally, in all honesty,
where do you think you will finish this season?
It depends on whether we get more points deducted. Strong chance of 15
points....if still in admin. It also depends on Leon Clarke...if he stays fit
and doesn’t get sold.....i’ll go for 15th. But it is a virtually impossible
question.
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Over the next few days, more fans from clubs in League One will be given their chance to speak out on the new season which begins soon.
To be continued...
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