Analysis

League One preview: Birmingham need stability for Championship push, and can Wrexham be promoted again?

Plus: Will Bolton suffer with a play-off hangover after their defeat to Oxford in the final?; Reading still facing problems off the field; Steve Evans returns to Rotherham; Can Crawley maintain their League One status despite departures?; Jordan Rhodes back to his best at Blackpool

Charlotte Marsh

Senior football journalist

Saturday 10 August 2024 18:02, UK

Birmingham need stability for bounce back

It is 33 years since Birmingham last found themselves in the third tier of English football. 2023/24 was a turbulent campaign that saw John Eustace unceremoniously sacked in favour of Wayne Rooney and Gary Rowett returning to take over the reins from the poorly Tony Mowbray.

But the Blues will hope some stability can see them bounce straight back into the Championship.

Firstly, they have a new manager in Chris Davies. He had previously been senior assistant coach to Ange Postecoglu at Tottenham and was also a long-time assistant to Brendan Rodgers, now making the step up to his own managerial role.

Then, some impressive signings. Two have come in goal with Hull's former No1 Ryan Allsop, and Northern Ireland international Bailey Peacock-Farrell from Burnley, himself no stranger to EFL football.

Birmingham have also poached last season's League One Golden Boot winner Alfie May from Charlton. He scored 23 goals for the Addicks, and the Blues will be hoping he can replicate that in the 2024/25 campaign.

Former Hearts left-back Alex Cochrane has also joined the club, as well as fellow former Seagull Marc Leonard, who did well in two loan spells at Northampton Town.

The Blues hierarchy - part-owned by legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady - have already made some smart choices and will likely be the league's biggest spenders, alongside the likes of Wrexham.

As they have already found out, the EFL can be unforgiving without stability on and off the pitch. They will hope they have begun to steady that ship ahead of a tough League One season.

Back-to-back-to-back promotions for Wrexham?

From National League to League One in just two seasons. The Hollywood injection has seen Wrexham power up the English football pyramid, gladly meeting the hopes, expectations and ambitions of their fanbase.

And their next target - promotion to the Championship. It would be quite the feat to earn back-to-back-to-back promotions, but League One will arguably offer up their toughest test so far.

Birmingham, Bolton and Huddersfield will be expecting automatic promotions. Peterborough and Barnsley will want to better their play-off defeats. Every team in the league will be aiming for the stars - but only three teams will achieve that come May.

It may sound daunting, but Wrexham have proved - with or without Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's millions behind them - that they aren't afraid of a fight. You don't get to where they are without it.

They have a manager too who knows League One better than most. Phil Parkison previously managed Charlton and Bolton in the division - both of whom he will face this season - and a raft of players who are EFL connoisseurs.

It stands them in good stead to have a real go at League One, with the hope of another fairty-tale end to a fairy-tale period for the club.

Will Bolton have a play-off final hangover?

It was Wembley heartbreak for Bolton in last season's play-off final. It followed on from a semi-final defeat the previous season as Wanderers look to return to the Championship.

They say third time is the charm, and this season they could go one better and clinch automatic promotion. Although the league is increasingly competitive, that will be the hope.

It would round off a successful spell at the club for Ian Evatt, who has meticulously rebuilt Bolton's squad into continuous play-off contenders. There have been numerous troubles for Wanderers in recent years, but certainly on the pitch, things are looking brighter.

But they will worry about a play-off final hangover - can Bolton bounce back twice? The club will be confident they can. It is notoriously difficult to earn promotion and lessons will have been learnt along the way.

Now, it is time for Bolton to put those into practice and earn their place back in the Championship.

Can Reading keep off-field issues affecting them on the pitch?

Reading are the latest in a seemingly never-ending line of clubs in dire straits under their owners. There have been rafts of unpaid taxes, transfer embargoes, points deductions with fan protests against Dai Yongge seeing a game against Port Vale in January abandoned.

There was backlash after a proposed plan to sell the Bearwood Park training ground to raise funds, with Wycombe Wanders one of the teams in talks for the site. The women's and girls' teams have too been decimated, with the senior squad spiralling from the Championship to the fifth tier.

The club is, reportedly, up for sale. New bidders have come and gone in what is already a protracted process, but meanwhile, Reading as a club continue to struggle on.

Of course, the job of the players and manager Ruben Selles is to not let those ongoing off-field issues affect them on the pitch. Last season, they finished in 17th, nine points ahead of the relegation places - and that's with another six point deduction.

All things considered, not a bad return. Credit to has to go to Selles for not yet walking away from a tough situation where he is hamstrung for squad choices.

No one will be expecting Reading to make a promotion push. Some may be tipping them for relegation, but ultimately every Royals fan will be hoping for new owners sooner rather than later.

Nous and nostalgia as Steve Evans returns to Rotherham

Steve Evans is back at Rotherham in a bid to help them return to the Championship. In three successful years between April 2012 and September 2015, he earned back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship, winning the League One play-off final on penalties.

He also helped the club secure their status in the Championship with a game to spare in the 2014/15 season, which led to a sombrero-wearing final day outfit at Leeds United - which would eventually be the next club Evans would manage.

Evans was the third manager of the season for Rotherham upon his return in April - when the club had already been relegated - and came after a successful spell at Stevenage.

The Scot and his staff have a knack for building promotion-chasing teams against the odds, particularly in League One and Two.

His return to Rotherham is a case of not only nous but nostalgia. The club are clearly hoping to recapture some of that magic from eight and a half years ago for yet another promotion bid.

Can Crawley stay up without eight play-off final starters?

It was a dream day at Wembley when Crawley secured their place in League One for the first time in 10 years.

However, their starting XI when they take on Blackpool on Saturday August 10, live on Sky Sports+, will look markedly different than the one that started against Crewe in May.

Eight of those players have moved on this season. Only one - Laurence Maguire - was on loan, and he has now joined MK Dons from Chesterfield.

The remainder - including goalscorers Danilo Orsi and Liam Kelly, who also assisted the opening goal - have all joined new clubs in League One and League Two.

Any promoted club will want to add to their squads to cope with the demands of a new league, but the departures of a number of players adds another layer of preparation and recruitment needed.

Crawley have already signed seven players to help boost their squad, needing to quickly integrate with their new teammates. Time will tell how successful they will be.

Can Jordan Rhodes shine again for Blackpool?

It's been a tough decade for Jordan Rhodes. The striker, who had been so prolific for Huddersfield and Blackburn once upon a time, had scored no more than seven league goals in a season since his move to Middlesbrough in 2015.

This included spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich and back at Huddersfield. In total, he had scored 38 Championship goals in nine seasons - he scored 36 in League One during the 2011/12 campaign.

But a loan move to Blackpool last year has helped Rhodes rediscover his scoring boots. He scored 15 goals in 29 games and moved permanently to the club this summer.

"I feel very lucky to hopefully get another chance to have another shot here at Blackpool. I loved being here each and every day last season and I feel lucky that I potentially get to do that again," the 34-year-old said on signing.

Blackpool missed out on the play-offs by three points last season, and a spot there in the upcoming campaign will be a target. The club and Rhodes will be hoping his uptick in form continues to fire the Seasiders into the Championship.

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