Post by William Hill on Jun 14, 2008 10:29:31 GMT
LEAGUE TWO
(3 places at 1/4 odds)
Lincoln 6/4- Last year again showed their superiority with impressive turnouts against the best, but were given a strong test by Wrexham
Luton- 7/4 Have fried bigger fish most notably Millwall recently and should challenge Lincoln
Bradford 2/1- Big club, big fan base, and will take over some of the smaller towns but will hopefully not waste their time at places like Rochdale again. Need a promotion push!
Port Vale- 3/1 A chance to renew a few old hostilities perhaps with Lincoln, Bury and Rotherham amongst others? It’s a shame Wrexham are no longer around
Chesterfield 8/1- A few seasons away from the division, expected them to return with a bang, it wasn’t to be
Rotherham 10/1 - Again expected more last season and got shown up by Lincoln
Shrewsbury 18/1- Not much to report again last season after an eventful 05/06 season
Grimsby 18/1- Bans all but finishing what was a formidable outfit back in the day, but showed what they’re still capable of at Chesterfield and to a lesser extent at home to Bradford
Exeter 22-1- Will be strong at home but have further to travel than most but that didn’t stop them making decent shows at York and Bury last season.
Bury 25/1- Travel alot with good numbers. Most notable scalp last season taking it to Southampton twice on the south coast
Bournemouth 25/1- Should have plenty of action on the home front depending on the weather. They can travel too as Carlisle found last season
Gillingham 25/1- Could well be the surprise package and can continue their new found rivalry with Bournemouth
Darlington 25/1- A shadow of their former selves but reflective of modern-day fv
Aldershot 28/1- Lost their Non League Number 1 tag a few seasons ago, it seems their new youth don’t quite make the grade but were still active last season with shows at Exeter, Crawley, Torquay etc
Chester 30/1- Gobby youth on the net do them no favours but gave Chesterfield a run for their money. No Wrexham to squabble with unless they finally show some imagination
Brentford 40/1- Not much action last season
Barnet 40/1- Rent a mob
Notts County 40/1- Things started to look bright for them two seasons ago but have since faded away. Good showing at Wrexham but will need more shows like that
Rochdale 50/1- This cringeworthy internet firm are still the laughing stock of L2 but are starting to make the odd show in reality albeit local derbies at Bury, Macc and Morecambe. Still waiting for them to throw their first punch!
Wycombe 66/1- An internet firm
Macclesfield 80/1- A handful of older lads out for a drink. Not going to set the world alight. Maybe the Port Vale game will bring out some additional older interest?
Dag & Red 80/1- Will need local help
Accrington Stanley 100/1- Have nothing unless Burnley/Blackburn decide to make an appearance and this hasn’t happened since York away a few years ago
Morecambe 150/1- Do 8 teenagers make a firm?
SUMMARY
It should be a close run title race this season with some good mobs coming down from League 1 and up from the Conference lets hope they can make a bigger impact than the mobs that joined last season. The division had a Northern feel to it last season but we now have five southern based arrivals to even things up a little. Expect Lincoln to be there or thereabouts again and hopefully Bradford can provide a sterner test at SB but as ever the police are likely to be out in force for that one. However, there’s nothing like a good season on the pitch to renew interest off it and with Lincoln likely to languish in mid-table mediocrity maybe it will give promotion favourites Bradford (NAP) an excuse to take numbers everywhere on their expected promotion push or perhaps Port Vale who should do well on the pitch (nb) and remember they have took it to the likes of Stoke for years. Port Vale has plenty of value in that this is also their first season back in the basement and their lads will be visiting places they haven’t been in years. Apart from maybe Luton, its hard to see anyone else mounting a serious challenge for the title as bans have recently finished off some of the better mobs. However, if your looking for an outsider then Exeter could provide decent value on the handicap. They finally seem to have gained superiority over old foe Aldershot and look the more dangerous out of the two promoted teams. Their new youth outfit look promising despite their internet mouth and together with their older lot they showed the sort of numbers they can pull at Hereford not long ago when 150 lads made the trip. Also there are plenty of old rivalries knocking about in this division for them such as Shrewsbury, Bury and Aldershot. Watch this space!
On the whole the “super-firms” could easily end up with egg on their faces if complacency sets in because “on their day” anyone is capable of pulling off a shock. Good luck chaps and remember these prices are subject to fluctuation
(3 places at 1/4 odds)
Lincoln 6/4- Last year again showed their superiority with impressive turnouts against the best, but were given a strong test by Wrexham
Luton- 7/4 Have fried bigger fish most notably Millwall recently and should challenge Lincoln
Bradford 2/1- Big club, big fan base, and will take over some of the smaller towns but will hopefully not waste their time at places like Rochdale again. Need a promotion push!
Port Vale- 3/1 A chance to renew a few old hostilities perhaps with Lincoln, Bury and Rotherham amongst others? It’s a shame Wrexham are no longer around
Chesterfield 8/1- A few seasons away from the division, expected them to return with a bang, it wasn’t to be
Rotherham 10/1 - Again expected more last season and got shown up by Lincoln
Shrewsbury 18/1- Not much to report again last season after an eventful 05/06 season
Grimsby 18/1- Bans all but finishing what was a formidable outfit back in the day, but showed what they’re still capable of at Chesterfield and to a lesser extent at home to Bradford
Exeter 22-1- Will be strong at home but have further to travel than most but that didn’t stop them making decent shows at York and Bury last season.
Bury 25/1- Travel alot with good numbers. Most notable scalp last season taking it to Southampton twice on the south coast
Bournemouth 25/1- Should have plenty of action on the home front depending on the weather. They can travel too as Carlisle found last season
Gillingham 25/1- Could well be the surprise package and can continue their new found rivalry with Bournemouth
Darlington 25/1- A shadow of their former selves but reflective of modern-day fv
Aldershot 28/1- Lost their Non League Number 1 tag a few seasons ago, it seems their new youth don’t quite make the grade but were still active last season with shows at Exeter, Crawley, Torquay etc
Chester 30/1- Gobby youth on the net do them no favours but gave Chesterfield a run for their money. No Wrexham to squabble with unless they finally show some imagination
Brentford 40/1- Not much action last season
Barnet 40/1- Rent a mob
Notts County 40/1- Things started to look bright for them two seasons ago but have since faded away. Good showing at Wrexham but will need more shows like that
Rochdale 50/1- This cringeworthy internet firm are still the laughing stock of L2 but are starting to make the odd show in reality albeit local derbies at Bury, Macc and Morecambe. Still waiting for them to throw their first punch!
Wycombe 66/1- An internet firm
Macclesfield 80/1- A handful of older lads out for a drink. Not going to set the world alight. Maybe the Port Vale game will bring out some additional older interest?
Dag & Red 80/1- Will need local help
Accrington Stanley 100/1- Have nothing unless Burnley/Blackburn decide to make an appearance and this hasn’t happened since York away a few years ago
Morecambe 150/1- Do 8 teenagers make a firm?
SUMMARY
It should be a close run title race this season with some good mobs coming down from League 1 and up from the Conference lets hope they can make a bigger impact than the mobs that joined last season. The division had a Northern feel to it last season but we now have five southern based arrivals to even things up a little. Expect Lincoln to be there or thereabouts again and hopefully Bradford can provide a sterner test at SB but as ever the police are likely to be out in force for that one. However, there’s nothing like a good season on the pitch to renew interest off it and with Lincoln likely to languish in mid-table mediocrity maybe it will give promotion favourites Bradford (NAP) an excuse to take numbers everywhere on their expected promotion push or perhaps Port Vale who should do well on the pitch (nb) and remember they have took it to the likes of Stoke for years. Port Vale has plenty of value in that this is also their first season back in the basement and their lads will be visiting places they haven’t been in years. Apart from maybe Luton, its hard to see anyone else mounting a serious challenge for the title as bans have recently finished off some of the better mobs. However, if your looking for an outsider then Exeter could provide decent value on the handicap. They finally seem to have gained superiority over old foe Aldershot and look the more dangerous out of the two promoted teams. Their new youth outfit look promising despite their internet mouth and together with their older lot they showed the sort of numbers they can pull at Hereford not long ago when 150 lads made the trip. Also there are plenty of old rivalries knocking about in this division for them such as Shrewsbury, Bury and Aldershot. Watch this space!
On the whole the “super-firms” could easily end up with egg on their faces if complacency sets in because “on their day” anyone is capable of pulling off a shock. Good luck chaps and remember these prices are subject to fluctuation
