no birthdays today
Welcome to the latest CCFC news.
The club have finally completed the signing of Clinton Morrison, with the striker penning a two-year deal at The Ricoh Arena.
The 29 year old was a free agent since leaving Crystal Palace at the end of last season, and has also played in the Premiership with Birmingham City.
Morrison has been getting over an injury, which has held up his transfer, and has played a limited part in our pre-season campaign while on trial, but scored 16 goals last season, including one against us, as usual.
A proven goalscorer at Championship level, Clinton is expected to push hard for a place in our starting eleven.
At a fans forum last night, Chris Coleman and Ray Ranson also pledged that right-back Stephen Wright would definitely be registered in time to play against Norwich in the season opener on Saturday.
Leon Best's knee injury sustained against Kilmarnock means that he will miss the opening game of the season on Saturday against Norwich.
And the injury might be serious enough that he will be out for several weeks, meaning that we'll start the season with a somewhat depleted squad. Other players who will be missing through injury on Saturday are Micky Doyle and Dimi Konstantopoulos, while Andy Marshall and Isaac Osbourne will be highly doubtful, and neither has played in pre-season games.
The club are hopeful that a deal for Clinton Morrison can be reached, at least in the short term, so we'll have some more options upfront in the absense of Best.
Our opening week is a busy one, with a midweek game at home against Aldershot in the Carling Cup, and then a trip to Barnsley the following Saturday.
So, with the new season now just days away, what would your strongest team be? What will Chris Coleman's strongest team be? And what have the pre-season friendlies taught us?
Since joining us last season, Coleman had a tendency to play forward players in wide positions - generally a 4-3-3 formation that was often pushed back to 4-5-1. This season he has planned to build around a more conventional and settled 4-4-2, and his Summer signings have reflected the need to strengthen midfield.
So far, we've brought in a new keeper (as well as offering professional deals to two young keepers who came through the ranks), a defensive central midfielder, a midfield playmaker, and a forward.
Deals should go through for Stephen Wright, a right-back, and Clinton Morrison, another forward, bringing to six the number of signings, all of whom are likely to be pushing for first-team places, if not guaranteed them.
Overall we have a smaller squad. A total of nine senior players were released in the Summer plus a couple of youngsters, the loan signings with us at the end of last season aren't any longer, and Michael Mifsud is also likely to be an outcast, with Chris Coleman publically excluding him from his plans. Additionally, Dimi Konstantopoulos, Andy Marshall, Isaac Osbourne, Micky Doyle and Leon Best are all set to miss the start of the season through injury, which should mean the team can virtually pick itself.
Piecing things together carefully from the assigned squad numbers, pre-season performances and available personnel, and assuming the signings of Wright and Morrison go though, we would expect Coleman's team against Barnsley to look something like this:
Westwood, Wright, Ward, Dann (c), Fox, Tabb, Gunnarsson, Beuzelin, Gray, Eastwood, Morrison. SUBS: Ireland, Hall, Thornton, McKenzie, Simpson.
Interestingly, even if everybody was fit, he could well pick the same starting eleven - although Leon Best could be picked ahead of Morrison, and Osbourne might start in place of Gunnarsson. There would likely be a place for Micky Doyle on the bench, with Andy Marshall as sub keeper. If he can patch up his differences with the club, Mifsud would also be a sub at least, obviously.
There are players 'bubbling under' the first 16 - Kevin Kyle, Ben Turner, Chris Birchall and Donovan Simmonds, but beyond that our squad does seem to be on the 'lean' side.
But it has to be said that even with injury absentees, the team we're likely to start with on Saturday looks pretty damn good in all departments - on paper at least.
Chris Coleman has confirmed that Scott Dann will be club captain for the start of the season.
The 21-year-old England U21 centre-back is still young, and only joined the club in January, but his performances at the heart of defence have made him an instant regular in our side, and he has shown authoritative leadership skills.
The appointment will raise doubts over just how much of a part Micky Doyle will play once he is fit again - he could be some way down the midfield pecking order, having missed out on the pre-season campaign.
Then again, this time last year, the club captain was announced as... Arjan De Zeeuw! Proof that managers sometimes make mistakes...
Coventry City Last Season: 21st
Last season was strange, wonderful, horrible, exciting and scary. There was a strong start in the league that left us top of the table after four games, there were good runs in both cups, and astounding away victories against Man Utd and Blackburn, as we beat higher division teams for the first time since the 1960s. There was the threat of Administration, the transfer embargo, the last-minute reprieve by Ray Ranson and SISU Capital, and then there was the slump. There was Iain Dowie going out, Chris Coleman coming in. There was 53 points on the board, which has always been enough to secure survival for any team in history in any division. And yet, on the final day, there was a real chance that we would go down.
It was a crazy league. Every team could beat every other team. One goal from Leicester could have relegated us. But if we'd won just five more games, we could have made the play-offs. That's how tight things were, so last seasons 21st place isn't really a good indicator of fortunes for this season. Off the pitch, things are sorted. On the pitch, we're spending money, and spending it wisely. We should be a top-half side. And I don't think that 7th place is an overly optimistic prediction at all. There was relief at the end of last season as we avoided relegation. This time it will be agony, as we narrowly, narrowly miss out on the play-offs.
Our pre-season results haven't exactly set the world alight, and we've played fewer games than usual, but such things are rarely a reliable indicator of what is to come anyway. Much of the 'dead wood' has gone, and Chris Coleman has made strategic signings, which should ensure that we have a stronger squad overall. Hopefully before next Saturday we'll tie up deals for Clinton Morrison and Stephen Wright, which should give the squad a bit more depth.
Apart from the right-back slot (even assuming Wright signs) we have a fairly strong side in all areas. At the end of last season we got the defense right, and the likes of Elliott Ward, new captain Scott Dann and the exciting Dan Fox are tremendous players to have at the back. We have midfielders both creative and holding, and we've got a surprising number of flexible players who can fill in more than one position, though hopefully the days of playing strikers on the wings and a midfielder at right-back deliberately (rather than solely when needs must) are over.
I think our defence will be key at the Ricoh, just as it was late last season. 1-0 and 2-0 wins will be common, and I think we'll win 13 games at home, drawing five and losing five. We might play different formations away from home, with more emphasis on the counter-attack, and this will lead to seven wins, seven draws and nine defeats. In total, this yields 72 points, which would have been just enough to make the play-offs last year.
It seems pretty clear that Chris Coleman's preferred strikeforce will be Leon Best and Freddy Eastwood, probably in a conventional 4-4-2, with Morrison (if he signs) and Simpson as backup, and Leon McKenzie utilised more as a winger or third striker as required. Michael Mifsud probably won't get much of a look-in now, even if he stays at the club. Eastwood will be top scorer, with 18 goals, and overall we'll score 62 for the season, 33 of them at home, with goals coming from all positions for a change. Defensively we'll be tight, keeping 18 clean sheets, and conceding only 45 goals.
After last season's cup success, it will be hard to live up to our reputation as modern-day giant-killers, and after beating Aldershot in the Carling Cup, we'll go out to Leeds in the second round. In the FA Cup we'll get drawn at home to Fulham in the 3rd round, and get knocked out.
Players will come and go, with Birchall, Kyle and Borrowdale all successfully offloaded before the end of August, while Mifsud will probably get a loan move somewhere, and be sold for a small fee in January before his contract expires. In the transfer window, we'll get rid of Dimi Konstantopoulos, and Micky Doyle will probably move on too, having lost his place in the side. There might be another couple of signings though, especially a right-winger and right-back.
Off the pitch there will be more stability than for a long time, with Ray Ranson steadying the ship, Coleman holding on to his job as manager comfortably, and attendancies steadily rising.
The season will end in relative disappointment, but we'll be leaps and bounds ahead of where we were a few months ago, and ready for a strong promotion push in 2009-2010.
Championship: 25/1
Promotion: 10/1
Relegation: 13/2
Freddy Eastwood top scorer in Division: 25/1
Clinton Morrison top scorer in Division: 40/1
Michael Mifsud top scorer in Division: 40/1
Leon Best top scorer in Division: 66/1
FA Cup Winners: 250/1
League Cup Winners: 150/1
Why not have a flutter?
Friendly Result: Kilmarnock 0-2 Coventry City
It was by far the most encouraging result of the pre-season campaign at Rugby Park, with a satisfying away win against SPL side Kilmarnock.
The surprise star of the show was Julian Gray, who won a penalty, converted by Eliott Ward early in the second half, then scored a stunning second from the edge of the area - the left-winger responding well to his critics who considered him unworthy of a place in the Coventry side.
The first half saw Leon Best have a goal disallowed, before going off injured and making way for Clinton Morrison, but Kilmarnock looked a very useful side, and we were indebted to keeper Keiren Westwood who made several good first-half saves, and the back four of Wright, Ward, Dann and Fox, which will surely be our first choice defence, assuming Stephen Wright signs his contract.
An attacking formation saw Robbie Simpson playing in midfield rather than defensive midfielder Aron Gunarsson, with Jay Tabb, and Guillame Beuzelin also playing in the middle, and Freddy Eastwood upfront, with Kevin Thornton making a late sub appearance to complete the lineup.
The clean sheets in Scotland will have boosted confidence, and we can go into next Saturday's season opener against Norwich with confidence fairly high, although it's still not totally obvious what our first-choice XI is.
Chris Coleman has publically stated that he will not be selecting Michael Mifsud, leaving the player in limbo following his transfer request and failed move to Bristol City.
With the Robins now officially withdrawing their interest in Mifsud, both him and us are in an awkward situation, and it's far from obvious how it can be resolved, unless another club matches the asking price for him.
Maybe eventually things will cool off, and he'll be playing for us next season, but given that he expressed a strong desire to leave, he will undoubtedly be far less popular with the fans than before, and we'd be better off cashing in while the transfer window is open, given that he'll be a free agent at the end of the season.
Players can recover from an impasse like this - last season Leon Best was dropped from the side when he wanted to move to Nottingham Forest. But we held on to him, and he withdrew his transfer request and came back into the side - now rewarded with the No. 9 shirt this season. Will there be a similarly bright future for Mifsud? Who knows?
Meanwhile, Coleman has also pledged that the club will do everything it can to secure the signatures of Stephen Wright, Clinton Morrison and Martin Cranie before next Saturday's big kick-off, and that there might be one or two other players we are still chasing too.
Last Season's Premiership race was mostly two-horse, but at least Man Utd and Chelsea took it to the final day. The final table was made to look more competitive than it had actually been because Arsenal finished the season strongly and ended up only four points short of the top. Without Christiano Ronaldo, United would probably have missed out on the top three though, and keeping him or losing him will define their fortunes this season. Chelsea drew too many games, but looked more the complete package, while Liverpool continue to improve slowly but keep on dropping silly points. It all adds up to the top four ending up exactly the same next season, with Chelsea dominant in both Cup competitions too.
Of the also-rans, I pick Spurs and Man City to come fifth and sixth, as both have made useful and expensive signings, while Newcastle should also take a step towards European qualification after a couple of disappointing finishes.
Surely none of the newly promoted clubs can be as bad as Derby were, although it will be tough for any of them to survive. I pick West Brom to manage it though, and Hull and Stoke will go back down, though not embarassingly, while Wigan's luck will run out and they will join them.
Championship: Man Utd 11/8; Chelsea 13/8; Arsenal 4/1; Liverpool 15/2.
Relegation: Stoke 4/11; Hull 4/11; West Brom 6/5; Bolton 5/2; Fulham 11/4; Wigan 7/2; Sunderland 4/1; West Ham 8/1; Middlesbrough 8/1; Blackburn 11/1.
Why not have a flutter?
Leeds nearly won automatic promotion last time despite their 15 point deduction, and should run away with the division this season. The question is who will be runner-up. Of the teams that went down from The Championship, Leicester were very strong, and they will probably make up a top two that finishes miles clear of the reat. The play-offs will be wide open, with Carlisle, Southend, Colchester and Scunthorpe making the cut, and Carlisle emerging victorious. Narrowly missing out on a top six place will be Peterborough and the resurgent MK Dons.
Going down will be eternal survivors Cheltenham, Hartlepool, Stockport and Yeovil, as Crewe and Northampton narrowly survive.
Championship: Leeds 3/1; Leicester 5/1; Peterborough 9/1; MK Dons 11/1; Huddersfield 14/1; Carlisle 16/1.
Relegation: Cheltenham 11/10; Yeovil 2/1; Stockport 2/1; Hereford 2/1; Crewe 2/1; Orient 12/5; Walsall 11/4; Swindon 4/1; Bristol Rovers 4/1; Hartlepool 4/1; Millwall 4/1; Northampton 4/1.
Why not have a flutter?
It would be hard to imagine Luton overcoming their 30 point deduction, if indeed they manage to stay in business, so they look likely to finish bottom and drop out of the football league. Also surely heading back to the Conference is Accrington Stanley, while Macclesfield and Dagenham can survive.
At the top of this division, who knows? There's no clear favourite, and it's wide open. Bradford deserve a change in fortune, and will win as Champions, with Shrewsbury and Gilliingham joining them. In the play-offs it really is a free-for-all. Darlington to win, ahead of Wycombe, Rochdale and Brentford, while new boys Aldershot will acquit themselves OK and only narrowly miss out on the top seven.
Championship: Shrewsbury 7/1; Bradford 8/1; Darlington 9/1; Rochdale 10/1; Gillingham 10/1; Chesterfield 11/1; Wycombe 12/1; Bournemouth 12/1.
Relegation: Luton 3/10; Accrington 5/2; Dag & Red 3/1; Macclesfield 3/1; Chester 4/1; Rotherham 4/1; Morecambe 5/1;
Why not have a flutter?
Michael Mifsud's move to Bristol City which looked to be all but sealed now seems to be sensationally abandoned.
The clubs had agreed a £1.5 million fee. Mifsud had passed a medical at Ashton Gate, and had previously agreed personal terms too.
But at the 11th hour, perhaps fuelled by newspaper fabrication that Crystal Palace were preparing a late bid for the player, Mifsud and his representatives sought to change the terms of the contract.
Consequently, Bristol City have put negotions on hold, and seem pretty pissed off at the way the player (or possibly his agent) has conducted himself - but Mifsud has already pretty much ended his CCFC career with his overt request to move on.
The move might still go through - as eventually happened with Freddy Eastwood's protracted transfer from Wolves - or another club might come in for him, but for now, it seems that Mifsud has badly miscalculated his personal worth and his optimal career path.
Friendly Result: Livingston 0-0 Coventry City
The Sky Blues kept a rare pre-season clean-sheet at Almondvale last night, but an interesting-looking side was unable to find the net at the other end as the game ended goalless.
Still trying to ascertain his first-choice formation for the start of the season, Chris Colemand made several changes to the side that won at Cambridge, with Marcus Hall and Ben Turner starting in defence in place of Scott Dann and Dan Fox. Leon McKenzie played on the left in place of Julian Gray, Kevin Thornton played in midfield instead of Aron Gunarsson, and upfront we fielded a duo of Robbie Simpson and Kevin Kyle - the side looked far from our strongest.
Danny Ireland kept his place in goal, with Kieren Westwood now on the treatment table, and there were sub appearances for Gary Borrowdale, Julian Gray and the preferred strikeforce of Eastwood and Best.
The squad now remain in Scotland, with a big game against SPL side Kilmarnock coming up on Saturday.
Reading Last Season: 18th in Premiership
Reading won promotion spectacularly two years ago, and went on to finish an impressive eighth in the Premiership. Then second-season syndrome set in, and they were relegated on goal-difference. It's going to be quick a fall back down to earth, and Reading at the moment look like being this season's Charlton - struggling to adjust to life back at this level. However, they've retained Steve Coppell as manager, and the loss of striker Dave Kitson and winger Glen Little are their only high-profile departures. The Royals have retained most of a top-flight squad, and that will be very telling.
Last season's results: n/a
VERDICT: A very good side. Runners Up.
Championship: 15/2
Promotion: 11/4
Relegation: 33/1
Why not have a flutter?
Birmingham Last Season: 19th in Premiership
The Brummies looked like they weren't in any serious trouble for most of last season, until defeat by Fulham in the penultimate game, and a draw against Liverpool after being two goals up before that landed them in trouble. On the final day a win wasn't enough to save them, and so Birmingham came straight back down. They've cashed in on some of their best players, earning millions for Kapo and Muamba. James McFadden probably won't stay, but they've still got the likes of Gary McSheffrey who won them promotion last time, and have brought in very strong signings in the form of Lee Carsley and Kevin Phillips and Marcus Bent.
Last season's results: n/a
VERDICT: They could easily run away with it. Champions.
Championship: 13/2
Promotion: 15/8
Relegation: 40/1
Why not have a flutter?
Derby County Last Season: 20th in Premiership
Whereas Reading and Birmingham have come down from the Premiership looking hopeful, Derby look pathetic. Just one win from their 38 games last season tells the story - they couldn't even beat the other teams that went up with them - and they will not start this season as favourites for re-promotion by a long way. Another relegation almost seems more likely. Holding on to players means little as they only had a Championship quality side in the Premiership anyway, and it's hard to see new signing Rob Hulse single-handedly setting the division alight.
Last season's results: 2-1 and 4-1
VERDICT: No Rams Revival. 12th.
Championship: 11/1
Promotion: 9/2
Relegation: 20/1
Why not have a flutter?
Bristol City Last Season: 4th
Last Season's surprise package came close to winning successive promotions, and will fancy their chances again this time, though opponents will take them more seriously than they did before. If they get Mifsud from us, and partner him with Adebola, they'll do alright upfront, and while last season's campaign smacked of overachievement in a very even league, they've maintained quality elsewhere in the squad too.
Last season's results: 0-3 and 2-1
VERDICT: Still good enough for the play-offs. 6th.
Championship: 25/1
Promotion: 9/1
Relegation: 13/2
Why not have a flutter?
Crystal Palace Last Season: 5th
Palace love playing at the Ricoh. They've won on each of their previous three visits, and this is an anomaly we should try and bring to an end. Their play-off challenge last season was unexpected, and built on the basis of the tightest defence in the league. Conceding less than a goal a game away from home is very impressive, but the sort of run that's hard to sustain, and if Palace start conceding goals, they'll find it a lot harder to win games. It could be a frustrating season.
Last season's results: 0-2 and 1-1
VERDICT: Eagles flying lower. 9th.
Championship: 12/1
Promotion: 4/1
Relegation: 25/1
Why not have a flutter?
Michael Mifsud has passed a medical at Bristol City, and is set to complete his departure from the Sky Blues today.
It brings to a sad end the short-ish CCFC career of a very exciting forward, and we wish him all the best for the future (though not when playing against us, obviously).
Mifsud's form in the early part of last season was incredible, and his match-winning performances and solo goals defined our season.
But, on the other hand, Iain Dowie built a team around him, and when he went off the boil, it cost him his job, and almost lost us our place in The Championship.
We have signed a replacement striker in Freddy Eastwood (on a nice long four year contract to boot) and are also hoping to tie up a deal with Clinton Morrison once he is completely free from injury.
So the loss of Miffy won't hit us anywhere near as hard as it would have done at the start of the year.
Watford Last Season: 6th
Watford began last season very strongly and looked like automatic promotion contenders until a disastrous final third of the season where they won just once in 16 games - against us, of course. Their momentum couldn't take them through the play-offs, and it's a slide that could well continue, with big-name strikers Marlon King and Darius Henderson now plying their trade elsewhere. Aidy Boothroyd has been manager of the Hornets for a while now, though maybe not for that much longer.
Last season's results: 0-3 and 2-1
VERDICT: Ever farther away from the Premiership. 14th.
Championship: 18/1
Promotion: 11/2
Relegation: 12/1
Why not have a flutter?
Wolverhampton Wanderers Last Season: 7th
Wolves looked decent last time, albeit in a very even division, and only narrowly missed out on a play-off spot. Things have now changed a little - Freddy Eastwood has come our way, and they've lost Olofinjana to the Premiership, whilst holding on to Ebanks-Blake might also be tough. They've acquired solid players in the Summer, however, in Richard Stearman, David Jones and Chris Iwelumo, and they should be there or thereabouts again this season.
Last season's results: 1-1 and 1-0
VERDICT: A top six side. 5th.
Championship: 14/1
Promotion: 4/1
Relegation: 20/1
Why not have a flutter?
Ipswich Town Last Season: 8th
Ipswich had an almost unbeatable home record last season, but couldn't win away until the final few weeks. We even managed to beat them for the first time in ages, and their Jekyll and Hyde nature prevented them making the play-offs. For the most part, the Tractor Boys were punching above their weight, and if things had gone to pot at Portman Road, even just for a few games, they would have struggled. The re-signing of keeper Richard Wright is a surprise move for a strong player, but they've not done many other attractive deals this Summer.
Last season's results: 2-1 and 4-1
VERDICT: Little to inspire, really. 11th.
Championship: 14/1
Promotion: 9/2
Relegation: 16/1
Why not have a flutter?
Sheffield Utd Last Season: 9th
The Blades hoped to return to the Premiership, but things didn't go as well as they should have. But a storming end to the season saw them climb from a relegation struggle to the brink of the play-offs, and they were in the mix at the right end of the table on the final day. What their fans have had to suffer over the years is appalling, but there's no justice in football so it might well continue. Darius Henderson and Greg Halford (on loan) look like useful signings.
Last season's results: 0-1 and 2-1
VERDICT: More disappointment. 8th.
Championship: 11/1
Promotion: 4/1
Relegation: 25/1
Why not have a flutter?
Plymouth Argyle Last Season: 10th
The Devon side have held their own at Championship level for four seasons now, and it's no longer a surprise to see their name in the same league as us, or indeed see them beating us. Their best player, Peter Halmosi has gone to promoted Hull, but one senses that the Pilgrims will find a way to keep on quietly maintaining their place in the division. Picking up David McNamee from us on a free is superb business if he can stay fitter for them than he could for us.
Last season's results: 3-1 and 1-0
VERDICT: Below-average, but not in serious danger. 18th.
Championship: 50/1
Promotion: 14/1
Relegation: 4/1
Why not have a flutter?
Charlton Athletic Last Season: 11th
Charlton came down from the Premiership with a thunderous bump, and actually finished lowest of the three sides that had come down last season. Things have been changing at The Valley, and not for the better. The squad has changed significantly since the Premiership days, and a lot of hopes are resting on the shoulders of lower-league hotshot Stuart Fleetwood. Charlton will rebuild and bring through youngsters, and might do in the late naughties what they did in the late nineties. They probably won't go up this season though.
Last season's results: 1-1 and 4-1
VERDICT: A season of consolidation. 10th.
Championship: 14/1
Promotion: 5/1
Relegation: 14/1
Why not have a flutter?
Friendly Result: Cambridge Utd 1-3 Coventry City
A strong Coventry side cruised to a comfortable victory at the Abbey Stadium, although our opponents looked very strong for a non-league side.
Freddy Eastwood, clad in bright red boots, scored our first and third goals and could have had more as we played some good football in a competive game in the sunshine, amid a field of cattle.
Another star of the game was keeper Danny Ireland, who pulled off a couple of great saves and showed just why he's been given a professional contract at the club. He came close to saving Cambridge's late consolation penalty.
The middle goal was a spectacular Dan Fox free-kick, and Robbie Simpson got a good reception against his former club.
City Lineup: Ireland, Wright, Dann, Ward, Fox, Tabb, Gunarsson (Thornton, 84), Beuzelin, Gray, Eastwood (McKenzie, 72), Best (Simpson, 66).
Players not involved were injured quartet Marshall, Konstantopoulos, Osbourne and Doyle, while keeper Keiran Westwood was rested to give Ireland a full 90 minutes. Unused subs were Marcus Hall and Ben Turner - it appeared that only three substitutions were permitted for this match, unlike the usual friendly format where the entire side is chopped around.
The boys now head to Scotland for games at Livingston and then Kilmarnock.
A Sky Blues XI won 5-0 at Nuneaton Borough last night (or Nuneaton Town as we are supposed to call them these days), in their annual pre-season outing to Liberty Way.
Goals were scored by Ben Turner, Kevin Kyle, Chris Birchall (2), and Donovan Simmonds, while Leon McKenzie missed a penalty.
The game featured a mixture of squad players and youngsters, with Marcus Hall, Gary Borrowdale and Kevin Thornton all in action, while young right-back Jermaine Grandison looked a good prospect, especially given our current dearth of players in that position.
Tomorrow a full-strength team will play at Cambridge Utd.
With the new season fast approaching, there is still a major worry that we do not have a single recognised right back at the club.
Stephen Wright has been training with us and playing in friendlies, in the absence of anybody else, but has yet to be confirmed as a signing.
Meanwhile we have also been linked with an approach for Portsmouth man Martin Cranie, who spent time on loan at Championship clubs last season.
If Ray Ranson and Chris Coleman are serious about CCFC, they can't start a season without a right back, preferably two. Hopefully we will have some positive news on this position very shortly.
Cardiff Last Season: 12th
Cardiff underachieved last season, and their strikeforce of Fowler and Hasselbaink didn't stay fit long enough to do the intended job. Now Fowler is gone, and they've cashed in on young wonderkid Aaron Ramsey. It looks very much like Cardiff will continue to be a mid-table side.
Last season's results: 0-0 and 0-1
VERDICT: Also-rans. 13th.
Championship: 22/1
Promotion: 13/2
Relegation: 9/1
Why not have a flutter?
Burnley Last Season: 13th
For several years now, Burnley have survived in the Championship with a small squad and players who are hardworking and gritty rather than elegant and talented. This is usually evidenced in their all-too-frequent victories over us, without which they would really be struggling. In the close-season they've lost their biggest names Jon Harley David Unsworth and Kyle Lafferty, and they won't have Andy Cole on loan this season either. A relegation struggle beckons, and it's hard to see their being many teams worse than Burnley this time around.
Last season's results: 1-2 and 2-0
VERDICT: Time Up at Turf Moor. 23rd.
Championship: 50/1
Promotion: 20/1
Relegation: 7/2
Why not have a flutter?
QPR Last Season: 14th
Iain Dowie has been tasked with winning promotion for Rangers wealthy new owners. He couldn't achieve anything approaching that with us, but maybe it will be different at Loftus Road? Certainly the Bookies have made QPR favourites on the strength of money in the bank and just a couple of signings from the Premiership so far. It will probably take more time than that to assemble a promotion side, no matter how much money is available, though Rangers should clearly do better than they did last season. They finished strongly last time after a woeful start and that is likely to continue, but automatic promotion at the first attempt might be overly ambitious.
Last season's results: 0-0 and 1-2
VERDICT: Play-Offs at least. 3rd.
Championship: 6/1
Promotion: 7/4
Relegation: 50/1
Why not have a flutter?
Preston Last Season: 15th
It was a relegation struggle for Preston last season, until a win over us kick-started a strong finish that kept them clear of danger. They have been almost completely inactive in the transfer market, and the likely outcome will be a similar league-placing, albeit maybe less dramatic than last season's late turnaround. Alan Irvine is an inexperienced manager, and doesn't seem to be the man to take Preston back to the big time.
Last season's results: 2-1 and 1-0
VERDICT: Another struggle. 19th.
Championship: 40/1
Promotion: 12/1
Relegation: 6/1
Why not have a flutter?
Sheffield Wednesday Last Season: 16th
Wednesday were very much involved in the relegation struggle with us and numerous other clubs last season, and the two draws between us were key moments in the season. Mind you, Wednesday were drawing almost every game for a while back then, which was an improvement from the start of their season where they lost six in a row. Brian Laws has done little in the transfer market thus far this Summer. Hillsborough could easily host top-flight football, it's just unlikely to happen with the current Owls side.
Last season's results: 0-0 and 1-1
VERDICT: Treading Water. 17th.
Championship: 40/1
Promotion: 14/1
Relegation: 9/2
Why not have a flutter?
Norwich City Last Season: 17th
Last season, Norwich made a bad start, got their season back on track by beating us, then improved a lot with a long unbeaten run, then went off the boil again towards the end. They fielded a former Sky Blues strikeforce of Dion Dublin and Darren Huckerby, but Dion is now retired, and Huck has gone to the US. This time their hopes rest on the impressive-looking signing of veteran Serbian International Dejan Stefanovic from Fulham, but then we thought similar thoughts when we landed Arjan De Zeeuw last Summer...
Last season's results: 1-0 and 2-0
VERDICT: Lower-mid-table. 15th.
Championship: 28/1
Promotion: 13/2
Relegation: 15/2
Why not have a flutter?
The club has accepted a transfer request from Michael Mifsud, and last seasons top scorer is set to move to Bristol City, with the west Country side matching our valuation of the player.
The transfer is likely to divide fan opinion, as clearly Mifsud was an exciting player who scored some hugely important goals during his 18 months with us. But his complete loss of form in the second half of last season showed that he wasn't the miracle player we thought he was after his initial impact.
In January, Premiership clubs were reportedly sniffing around the player, and now he's heading to Bristol City, which is symbolic of how his star has been on the wane.
Ironically, Mifsud's goals dried up soon after we let Dele Adebola leave the club - and he'll be linking up with his former striker partner again at Ashton Gate, probably with both scoring against us this season.
It's not all bad news: Miffy has a year remaining on his contract, and we'd have lost him for free in a years time if he really didn't want to stay, and we have signed Freddie Eastwood, with Clinton Morrison likely to follow soon.
But he's been a key part of our side in the time that he's been at the club, and it will be almost as hard to lose him as it was to lose Gary McSheffrey - the player he was effectively brought in to replace.
We wish him all the best for the future - well, all the best with Malta, not so much in the Championship!
Squad numbers for next season have been announced, with some key changes and indications as to what Chris Coleman considers his first choice XI.
The No. 1 goalkeepers shirt goes to Summer signing Keiran Westwood, with Dimi Konstantopoulos - expected to leave the club when fit again - relegated to 13. Young keeper Danny Ireland gets 23, while Andy Marshall sticks with 33, apparently his preferred number.
With no right-back yet signed - though rumours of Stephen Wright and Portsmouth's Martin Cranie continue - the number two shirt remains vacant, and long-time club servant Marcus Hall is allowed to retain No. 3.
That means that first-choice left-back Danny Fox will continue to, slightly oddly, wear the No. 4 shirt. His former Walsall teammate is given No. 6 as a sign of his importance to the team.
New signings Guillaume Beuzelin and Freddie Eastwood get numbers 7 and 10 respectively, while Aron Gunarsson isn't far behind, acquiring the No. 12 shirt.
But one of the big movers is Leon Best who has been given number nine, quashing rumours that he is going to be on his way. Julian Gray also surprisingly benefits from a 'promotion' to No. 11.
Kevin Kyle moving to 25 is no big surprise though, there is also relegation for Chris Birchill (11 to 22) and several other players retain the same numbers as last season, with Player of the Season Jay Tabb surprisingly sticking with No. 21.
Friendly Result: Stade Nyonnais 1-0 Coventry City
A scrappy last-gasp goal saw us slump to our second pre-season defeat in Switzerland last night, as the Swiss side edged out a largely defensive encounter.
Chris Coleman fielded a near-identical line-up to that which featured earlier in the week against Brasov, which meant triallist Stephen Wright starting at right-back, and Clinton Morrison and Freddy Eastwood only given sub appearances in the second half.
The boys now return to Warwickshire for a week of training before playing a friendly next Saturday at Cambridge Utd, then embarking on a tour of southern Scotland.
Barnsley Last Season: 18th
In the last two seasons, Barnsley have finished 20th and 18th, and we've beaten them four times. They had a good FA Cup run last season and stayed up thanks to a couple of unlikely victories in the run-in. On paper they still look weak, and can expect a similar season yet again - certainly the bookies seem to think so. Their luck might just be about to run out.
Last season's results: 4-0 and 1-4
VERDICT: No escape this time. 24th.
Championship: 100/1
Promotion: 33/1
Relegation: 11/8
Why not have a flutter?
Blackpool Last Season: 19th
Blackpool consolidated well last season, and were only in the relegation picture on the final day because of the freakish nature of the season as a whole. The Seasiders were particularly hard to beat at home, losing only four games (the same as Stoke who won automatic promotion). If they can hold on to their better players (refusing to sell defender Kaspers Gorkss to us was a good start!) they can stay up again, and even if they have to cash in at some stage, Simon Grayson is a good young manager who does well in the transfer market, and many City fans continue to have a soft spot for Blackpool, with Andy Morell and Claus Jorgensen still plying their trade at Bloomfield Road.
Last season's results: 3-1 and 4-0
VERDICT: Narrow survival after a tough season. 21st.
Championship: 100/1
Promotion: 33/1
Relegation: 11/8
Why not have a flutter?
Southampton Last Season: 20th
Last season's relegation battle wasn't just tense for us - other big sides were very close to the edge, none more so than Southampton who turned things round on the final day to stay up with a victory. Like us, they'll be hoping for an easier ride this time. Unlike us, they've not exactly been splashing the cash this Summer. Saints weren't as bad as their position suggested last season, so they'll probably do slightly better than a relegation scrap. Nigel Pearson is unlikely to last the season as manager though, given historical precedent.
Last season's results: 1-1 and 0-0
VERDICT: They haven't strengthened much. 16th.
Championship: 40/1
Promotion: 14/1
Relegation: 9/2
Why not have a flutter?
Swansea City Last Season: League One Champions
It's been a while since Swansea played at this level, and they now have a local derby with Cardiff to relish. Beyond that, their ambitions are probably merely to survive, and given that they came up as Champions from a tough league, they will have a fighting chance of doing so. Their players are not household names, and their new stadium will have a curious novelty value to many visiting fans - this is far 'Welsher' than Cardiff - but their inevitable relegation struggle could have a happy ending.
Last season's results: N/A
VERDICT: Survival leads to singing in the valleys. 20th.
Championship: 33/1
Promotion: 14/1
Relegation: 9/2
Why not have a flutter?
Nottingham Forest Last Season: League One Runners-Up
It seems like a while since Forest were even in the Championship, let alone the Premiership, but the top flight is where the club probably should be - at least as far as their supporters are concerned - and they took a step towards that last season by winning promotion. Signing players like Rob Earnshaw and Andy Cole means that merely staying in the second tier is not the plan, and there's got to be a reasonable chance they'll go straight on up again. Colin Calderwood is likely to carry on delivering good times at the City Ground, especially if this division is as wide open as it was last time.
Last season's results: N/A
VERDICT: Play-offs fast-track Forest back to the big time. 4th.
Championship: 25/1
Promotion: 10/1
Relegation: 13/2
Why not have a flutter?
Doncaster Utd Last Season: League One play-off winners
Doncaster have come a very long way in recent seasons since dropping out of the football league altogether, and it was only in 2003 that they won promotion back from the Conference after several years as a non-league club. Their rise has been impressive, and they have a nice new stadium. Things are on the up for Rovers. But... they only just got through the play-offs against Leeds, and they've not strengthened enough for this division. John Spicer and Darren Byfield are a couple of average signings, and the nucleas of their team will be above-average League One players. Donny will struggle, will beat a few fancied sides along the way, probably us, but at the end of the season they'll be going straight back down, just like Scunthorpe and Southend before them.
Last season's results: N/A
VERDICT: Battlers just not quite good enough to stay up. 22nd.
Championship: 50/1
Promotion: 20/1
Relegation: 5/2
Why not have a flutter?
Friendly Result: FC Brasov 3-1 Coventry City
The first full-scale friendly of the pre-season ended in defeat, as we crashed to Romanian side Brasov in a game played on neutral territory in Switzerland.
Leon Best scored a first half equaliser, but two quick-fire goals in the second period handed it to the opposition, and new striker Freddy Eastwood was only given 25 minutes after the break. Triallist Clinton Morrison also featured at the end of a game in which every City player was subbed, most at half time.
City line up: Westwood (Ireland, 63), Wright (Birchall, 46), Ward (Turner, 46), Hall (Dann, 46), Fox (Borrowdale, 46), Tabb (Thornton, 46), Beuzelin (Gunnarsson, 46), Gray (McKenzie, 46), Simpson (Simmonds, 46), Mifsud (Eastwood, 46 (Morrison, 71), Best (Kyle, 46).
Players who have not been involved are the injured keepers Marshall and Konstantopoulos, and midielders Micky Doyle and Isaac Osbourne. Birchall, Borrowdale and Kyle have been playing, despite being asked nicely to look for new clubs.
The Sky Blues need to sign a right-back - preferably two right-backs - before the start of the new season took on greater urgency, after David McNamee signed for Plymouth Argyle.
Injury-prone McNamee missed most of last season, and Chris Coleman has decided not to renew his contract, even though when he has been fit he has been one of our best players - a decision that might cause divisions among supporters.
We now have no right-backs at the club at all, and need to act swiftly. Stephen Wright has been on trial, and might be considered good enough to sign but he is another player that often succumbs to the treatment table.
Last season, Isaac Osbourne played out of position most of the time, and we signed Richard Duffy on loan for the fourth time, but neither would seem to be a long-term solution. Given that the rest of our defence looked strong at the end of last season, this maybe should have been a priority for Coleman this Summer.
Another player being linked with a move away from the Ricoh Arena is Player of the Season Jay Tabb, reportedly being tracked by Reading and QPR, and with only a year remaining on his contract.
Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison has joined up with the squad on their pre-season tour of Switzerland, in the hope of winning a contract.
The forward, who had a very good record of scoring against us, is expected to play some part in our first 'proper' pre-season friendly, against FC Brasov, as will new signing Freddy Eastwood.
But do we really need another striker, in addition to Eastwood, Best, Mifsud, Simpson, McKenzie, Simmonds and Kyle who are all currently on the books? One option would be for the fit-again Leon McKenzie to play regularly on the left wing rather than upfront next season.
At the weekend, a reserve team played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Solihull Moors, which ended 1-1 with trialist Manuel Curto scoring our goal. However, he has not been offered a contract, and has not gone on the Switzerland tour.
A protracted transfer saga that began back in the last transfer window is finally set to end, with Freddy Eastwood joining us from Wolves for £1.2 million, after contractual difficulties were eventually overcome.
Eastwood becomes our highest profile signing of the Summer so far, and will link up with the rest of the squad for two friendly matches in Switzerland next week.
Last season was mostly disappointing for Eastwood following his move to Wolves from Southend, and he didn't get much first team football at Molineuz, but he is a proven goalscorer at Championship level - including goals against us - and the Welsh international is a player that Chris Coleman has been tracking for some time.
He has a reputation for being a handful for managers - evidenced by his failure to get on at all well with Mick McCarthy at Wolves and his subsequent transfer-listing - but could be an excellent value signing if we get the best out of him.
Elsewhere a right-back is still clearly needed, and former Liverpool player Stephen Wright is expected to be offered a deal in the next few days.
A Sky Blues XI have concluded their pre-season training camp in Austria with a 2-1 victory in an unofficial, behind-closed-doors friendly match against RFE Vöcklabruck yesterday.
Goals came from Donovan Simmonds and Robbie Simpson in a typically low-key affair consisting of 30 minute periods of play.
The most interesting thing about very early pre-season games is to see who is playing, and one person in our starting lineup was former Liverpool right-back Stephen Wright, who is available on a free, and who might be joining us this Summer if his trial is successful.
Summer signings goalkeeper Keiran Westwood, Guillame Beuzelin and Aron Gunarsson were all in the starting lineup, as was Leon McKenzie who missed most of last season with injury. The team was rounded out by Ben Turner, Scott Dann (captain), Dan Fox, Jay Tabb, Michael Mifsud and Leon Best.
In addition to scorers Simpson and Simmonds, the other subs used were: Keeper Danny Ireland, Marcus Hall, Chris Birchall, Julian Gray, Kevin Kyle and another trialist, Manuel Cotto.
There could be a lot of goalkeepers on our books this coming season.
City have recently handed a one-year professional contract to Youth Team keeper Neil Collett, bringing the number of professional keepers at the club to five!
Fellow youngster Danny Ireland was given a similar deal, while Andy Marshall signed a contract extension and, of course, we also signed Keiran Westwood from Carlisle who is strongly expected to be first-choice keeper.
In addition, last Summer we signed Dimi Konstantopoulos who is long-term injured and won't be leaving just yet, so we have a lot of keepers at the club, and yet at the end of last season, we were playing on-loan Kasper Schmeichel in goal.
It has to be a club record, during life outside the Premiership at least.