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Because of my lack of knowledge of League One matters, the Football League season preview continues with The Championship.

The Strugglers

Two out of the three teams from League One have a strong chance of staying up- but Scunthorpe aren’t one of them. They are hardworking, cohesive and organised but the unification of the squad is undermined by its lack of depth. Manager Nigel Adkins has done a fantastic job to get the Iron back into the Championship, but he will have to work further wonders if they are to stay there for another season.

Barnsley have managed to survive three seasons in the Championship while causing minimum damage to it. After securing survival on the final day of last season, Tykes fans will be praying that they won’t be left biting their fingernails in May of next year. However with the loss of key men such as Heinz Muller and Denis Souza, anything but a long battle against relegation is unlikely.

Plymouth were the only side to finish below Barnsley and survive in the last campaign. The club will be hoping that changes in the boardroom coincide with improved performance on the pitch. Argyle scored fewer goals than any of the bottom three last season, and manager Paul Sturrock has looked to address this by drafting in Bradley Wright-Phillips from south coast neighbours Southampton. However, after 22 goals in over 120 games for the Saints, the chances of him improving Plymouth’s goals for column seem low.

After a season which many at Pride Park will want to forget, Derby will be looking to stake a claim for the playoffs in 2010. But a poor run towards the end of last season coupled with the lack of quality brought in could see Derby struggle. Much will depends on how Nigel Clough copes with his first full season of league management.

The Surprise Package

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