Swansea: another good season?

Teams that played good football in the Championship last season had the greatest success.

Garry Birtles
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The Football League season kicks off this Saturday and once again Sky Sports will be covering the action every step of the way.

Sky Sports expert Garry Birtles will be a key part of our coverage and ahead of the new campaign, he told skysports.com which teams he expects to be gunning for promotion and battling relegation over the coming months.

Championship

Coming down...

The relegated sides have all got quality players and should all do well this year if the players have the right mindset. They mustn't feel sorry for themselves after coming down from the Premier League and must get on with the new season determined to go straight back up.

Birmingham look like the strongest of the three, having added the likes of Kevin Phillips to their ranks. Derby have still got a big squad and they also have a fantastic fanbase and I feel they could bounce straight back as well. Reading have lost a few players in the summer, which surprised me because I thought they might hang onto the likes of Dave Kitson, and I feel sorry for my old team-mate Steve Coppell because I feel those sales might cost them.

Coming up...

The promoted teams will all be on a high and will be trying to follow in the footsteps of Bristol City, who were so close to going up last year. Swansea and Forest have plenty of financial backing and Doncaster have a nice new stadium so I think all three will do well.

Roberto Martinez has done a fantastic job with Swansea and he's got them playing fantastic football so I can see them challenging for the play-offs. Forest have got quality with Andy Cole, Robert Earnshaw and the French lad Guy Moussi who is apparently looking very good. I'd say they've spent well, the chairman is backing the manager with money and 33/1 is a very good each-way bet at the bookies. They've got the potential to get up there - and I'm not just saying that because I used to play for them!

Doncaster proved in the play-off final that they can play good football and I certainly don't agree with the bookmakers who have them as contenders to go straight back down. Teams that played good football in this division last season had the greatest success - and Doncaster will do that.

The contenders...

There are a few teams who were there or there abouts last season - the likes of Wolves and Sheffield United - who just need a few tweaks to get right in the play-off mix. But I think Birmingham are clear favourites with the quality they have in their side and I'd tip them to go up with Derby, who have a very canny manager in Paul Jewell. But anything could happen in the Championship because it is such an unpredictable league.

The strugglers...

Watford could struggle because they've had to release a lot of players and I could see them finishing in the wrong half of the table. As for relegation candidates you've got to look at the sides that were down there last season and the clubs that haven't got as much money to spend. So the likes of Barnsley and Blackpool could struggle, despite the fantastic jobs that Simon Davey and Simon Grayson did last year to keep them up. Unfortunately, I would fear for those sides again.

League One

Coming down...

When looking for promotion candidates, I think you've got to start by looking at the three relegated sides. Leicester have got to be favourites to go straight back up. I was at the Walkers Stadium the other day and it's a fantastic ground, and they still have a good squad full of experience and youth. The new manager Nigel Pearson did well to keep Southampton in the Championship last season and will be confident going into his new job.

Colchester have lost some players, but plenty have come in as well so you mustn't discount their chances in their new stadium and Scunthorpe could be in the promotion hunt if they get a good start.

Coming up...

I think Peterborough and MK Dons will be right there in the mix. A lot of teams that come up just want to stabilise for a season but these two teams have more ambition than that. Both have chairmen who are willing to spend a lot of money and it wouldn't surprise me if those two had a big say in the League One promotion race.

Don't rule Stockport out either. I watched them in the play-off final and they have a system that works so well with two protective midfield players in Gary Dicker and Paul Turnbull, who are fantastic. They hardly go above the half-way line and allow the three players in front of them in midfield to maraud forwards and support a lone striker. Liam Dickinson will be a hard man to replace after his move to Derby but if they can do that then they might surprise a few people in League One.

The contenders...

Leicester and Leeds are the two teams to beat, there's no doubt about that. I've already talked about Leicester's strengths and if Leeds buy into the way that Gary McAllister wants them to play then they'll have a big, big chance. They've got some money to spend and I think those two will contend the automatic places.

John Ward did a great job with Carlisle last year and they played some really good football, so they'll be hoping to build on that. But you do worry about the sides who miss out in the play-offs and whether the disappointment will affect them. If they get over it quickly then they'll be up there again, as will Southend. At that level, it's all about getting a good start to the season and the confidence that brings.

The strugglers...

Crewe struggled last season and could be involved near the bottom again. Dario Gradi did magnificently well there for so many years, but now he's moved upstairs and I feel they might find it hard again under Steve Holland. Cheltenham beat Doncaster to survive on the last day of last season but I think they might be in for another relegation scrap.

Yeovil have lost a lot of key players and also might have a fight on their hands. I hope I'm wrong because I've got a lot of respect for Russell Slade, but it's hard for him to attract players to that part of the country. It shouldn't be like that, but that's a big problem that he faces.

League Two

Coming down...

Luton, Port Vale, Gillingham and Bournemouth came down last year and you usually look at the relegated sides as promotion candidates. However, I think the gap is closing and there are teams in League Two with more money to spend than those clubs.

Luton will start on minus 30 points which is a nightmare for them with all the problems they've had. Leeds did an unbelievable job to turn around their deficit so quickly last year, but the deduction that Luton have got to overcome is simply phenomenal and I can't see them surviving.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Port Vale up there because they've done well in the past and play good football. Lee Sinnott wasn't able to keep them up last year, but they have a team that could be challenging. Gillingham are a team that have let things slip in recent times, but you wouldn't write them off either

Coming up...

Most teams who come up from the Conference do reasonably well because they ride the crest of a wave. Exeter came up through the play-offs and I could see them being strong this season because they've been in the league before and they know what it's all about.

Aldershot have been out of the Football League for a long time and the euphoria of going up might rebound on them a little bit. But I'm sure they can't wait to get started and they'll feel unbeatable after last year. If they can keep the momentum going, they might be able to do what I did when I was at Grimsby and go up from Division Four to Division Three to Division Two in consecutive seasons.

The contenders..

Bradford have got to be the favourites because, with all due respect, they shouldn't be where they are now with the history and the fanbase they've got. However, they are down there because they deserve to be there and they have to avoid thinking they are bigger than the teams around them or else they'll get dragged further and further down. Notts County were once a very big team and they nearly went out of the league last season, which shows how far you can fall. But if Bradford have the right mental strength I think they can go up.

The likes of Darlington and Shrewsbury are also likely to be there or there abouts after going close last season, but I'd also look at Exeter to do well after coming up from the Conference, while Port Vale could be up there after coming down from League One.

The strugglers...

The unthinkable has happened to Luton with their points deduction and unfortunately I think it's got to be relegation for them this season. Rotherham have also had 17 points deducted which is a shame because I remember playing against them for Forest and they were a good club. Things have gone wrong which has got nothing to do with the players and they must be wondering how on earth they can turn things around. They've got to have belief or else they've got no chance and I wonder if the belief will be there in the squad. If they don't have a good start then the confidence will drain from them and it will be a very tough season.