The English Football League season kicks off on Friday night when Wolves host Blackburn in the Championship, but the sense of rejuvenation is not universal. With Wolves and West Ham dropping down from the Premier League, and Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Southampton pushing for promotion, some supporters fear a long, difficult season ahead.
Blackburn's battle for survival
Blackburn fans saw their side scrape to a 20th-place finish last season, so expectations are tempered before the trip to Molineux. Tony Mowbray has been brought back as an experienced guiding hand, but the 62-year-old faces a huge task to avoid a relegation battle. Fans believe the owners and head of football operations, Rudy Gestede, have sold Mowbray short on players, particularly in midfield.
The 34-year-old Sam Morsy, described by Mowbray as “a real man, a soldier,” has added steel on a free transfer, but he is only the third addition after Moussa Baradji and Jayden Fevrier. Mowbray wants more, saying, “I’m a bit greedy for good players. I keep saying to Rudy: ‘I just want good players, doesn’t really matter where they come from, what age they are.’ I want to see personality on the pitch, players who are desperate to win.”
Blackburn edged past Burton 2-1 in the Carabao Cup first round, with late goals from Andri Gudjohnsen and Fevrier, who Mowbray believes can bring “magic” on the right wing after signing from Stockport.
Bolton's promotion hangover
Bolton Wanderers meet Preston at the Toughsheet Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, a game that could set the tone for their seasons. Bolton finished last season with a 4-1 demolition of Stockport in the League One playoff final, but the afterglow of promotion can be short-lived, as seen at York, where manager Stuart Maynard was sacked and replaced by Scott Lindsey despite winning the National League with 108 points.
The chasm between the second and third tiers means Steven Schumacher’s side needed to strengthen fast. David Watson, Ben Davies, Akin Famewo, Luca Stephenson, Kyliane Dong, and Gaizka Larrazabal have arrived, but fans feel a marquee addition is needed, especially in attack where they risk asking too much of striker Sam Dalby. Schumacher’s admission that Bolton “can’t afford to waste money” rang alarm bells.
“We know we’re short, especially at the top end of the pitch,” Schumacher said. “Our budget isn’t massive so we need to make sure we get the right players in, rather than just signing anybody to fill numbers. We need to try and consolidate this year, rebuild, get some more finances behind us, bring in a better squad that can keep us at this level, and then kick on.”
A 1-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup reinforced concerns around goalscoring. Max Dean of Gent is coveted, but the striker is 22 and his English football experience is limited to a short spell at MK Dons.
Preston's transfer turmoil
Preston will hope to take advantage of Bolton’s uncertainty, but Paul Heckingbottom has endured his own problems in the transfer market. A public spat with Ben Whiteman over the midfielder’s desire to join Wrexham left a cloud and saw the Lilywhites lose their club captain. Heckingbottom said Whiteman “crossed a line” and was frustrated by the saga.
Money has been spent at Deepdale, with Alfie Devine brought in from Tottenham for a fee in the region of £6m, while Callum Lang “feels like a new signing” according to Heckingbottom, having arrived in January for around £2m before getting injured. The pressure is on Heckingbottom like never before after a run of just four wins from their final 20 matches last season prompted fan discontent. With Preston investing almost £1.5m to install a modern hybrid pitch, the club expects better than last season’s 14th-place finish, but expectations can weigh heavy.
