The wait is over and the EFL 2017-2018 League One season preview is here.
If you couldn’t find a Championship side for the National Adopt an English Football League Team Week on Monday, perhaps after our League One preview you could find your adopted team for the 2017-2018 season.
A step more obscure than the Championship, which is already reasonably invisible except for when sides are playing to get in the EPL, League One has a great mix of names you may know, some ones you may recognise, and a bunch of team you’ve never heard of.
There’s 46 games to come starting tonight, so settle in for your mildly interesting 2017-18 League One preview.
Not enough here? For an even bigger preview of the Championship and Football League 2017-2018 why not catch our full preview via the Fox Sports Academy.
We were meant to see some of the League One action this year on BeIn Sports via Fox Sports, but that appears to have gone missing at the moment. Hopefully it works out otherwise the $4 sports pack increase to cover BeIn Sports smells worse by the day.
GF INDEX 2017-18 LEAGUE ONE SELECTIONS
We could do our usual and tip the potential winners and losers from the 2017-2018 League One season, but this season we’ve done something a little different.
We have taken various fields of data from last season and heading into the new season to determine the 2017-2018 Championship.
Using stats from last season like Overall Wins, Goal Difference, Away Goals Scored, Last 6 Form, Form after Xmas, Most Clean Sheets in a row, Points scored (divided by division e.g. Championship /2, League Two /4). Then we throw in Promotion and Relegation odds, Crowd % at home games, Squad Value, Manager Tenure. All specific data fields are ranked 1 – 24, and 24 points awarded for the best in each category and so on down to one for last. Then sorted by the totals.
Simples really. We don’t necessarily agree, but that’s what the data says.
| 1 | Portsmouth |
| 2 | Scunthorpe |
| 3 | Bradford |
| 4 | Fleetwood |
| 5 | Oxford |
| 6 | Plymouth |
| 7 | Southend |
| 8 | Milton Keynes Dons |
| 9 | Doncaster |
| 10 | Bristol Rovers |
| 11 | Rochdale |
| 12 | Charlton |
| 13 | Blackburn |
| 14 | Blackpool |
| 15 | Peterborough |
| 16 | Wigan |
| 17 | Bury |
| 19 | AFC Wimbledon |
| 18 | Northampton |
| 20 | Walsall |
| 21 | Shrewsbury |
| 22 | Rotherham |
| 23 | Oldham |
| 24 | Gillingham |
OUR SELECTIONS FOR THE 2017-2018 LEAGUE ONE SEASON
Despite coming up with the GF Index for the upcoming season, we’re also putting up our gut feeling with our tips for comparison. Who will get them right? probably neither, but here they are all the same.
CHAMPIONS: Portsmouth
PROMOTED: Bradford City, Charlton Athletic
RELEGATED: Shrewsbury Town, Chesterfield, Oldham Athletic, Gillingham
TOP 5’s FOR THE 2017-2018 LEAGUE ONE SEASON
Everyone loves a short, sharp list, so here’s a pile of stats for the 2017-2018 Championship season.
5 START OF SEASON ODDS – WINNER
BLACKBURN $5.50
WIGAN $8.00
PORTSMOUTH $10.00
BRADFORD $12.00
CHARLTON $13.00
5 START OF SEASON ODDS – RELEGATION
OLDHAM $2.25
SHREWSBURY $2.35
GILLINGHAM $2.50
BLACKPOOL $2.60
WALSALL $2.75
Odds all correct at time from William Hill Australia. Click to see latest here.
5 GREAT RIVALRIES TO WATCH
AFC WIMBLEDON v MILTON KEYNES
Milton Keynes used to be Wimbledon FC, playing out of Crystal Palace. AFC Wimbledon were created when Wimbledon officially became Milton Keynes. The first and hopefully only time of the franchise happening in the EFL.
BURY v ROCHDALE
M66 Derby
FLEETWOOD v BLACKPOOL
Two north west sides are just 8 mile apart.
DONCASTER v SCUNTHORPE
Two sides who are close geographically and likely to be close ladder wise.
BLACKPOOL FANS v OWNERS
Blackpool were promoted despite all the off field issues, but until the current owners sell up, the fans have a right to protest.
5 MANAGERS TO WATCH
PEP CLOTET – Oxford United
Has been assistant manager at Leeds and Swansea, and in charge of a bunch of Spanish B sides.
KENNY JACKETT – Portsmouth
Seasoned manager sacked by Wolves is rewarded by Portsmouth and could lead them to the second tier.
KEITH HILL – Rochdale
Second longest serving manager in the division has 4 1/2 years to add to his previous 6 in an earlier stint with the club.
PHIL BROWN – Southend United
Former manager of Hull in the EPL is always entertaining.
DARREN FERGUSON – Doncaster Rovers
Son of Sir Alex got promoted with Doncaster last season.
5 LONGEST SERVING MANAGERS
Neil Ardley – AFC Wimbledon – 4.8 years
Keith Hill – Rochdale – 4.5 years
Phil Brown – Southend – 4.4 years
Darrell Clarke – Bristol Rovers – 3.3 years
Derek Adams – Plymouth Argyle – 2.1 years
5 GREAT GROUND NAMES
ROOTS HALL – Southend United
HOME PARK – Plymouth Argyle
THE VALLEY – Charlton Athletic
HIGHBURY STADIUM – Fleetwood Town
EWOOD PARK – Blackburn Rovers
5 GREAT NICKNAMES
COD ARMY – Fleetwood Town
GAS – Bristol Rovers
THE IRON – Scunthorpe United
MILLERS – Rotherham United
PILGRIMS – Plymouth Argyle
5 GREAT MASCOTS
Elvis J Eel and Sammy the Shrimp – Southend United
Pete the Pilgrim – Plymouth Argyle
Captain Gas – Bristol Rovers
Haydon the Womble – Wimbledon
Billy Bantam – Bradford City
5 TOP % FULL OF HOME GAMES 2016-17
AFC WIMBLEDON – 94.8%
PORTSMOUTH – 83.7%
NORTHAMPTON – 81.1%
ROTHERHAM – 80.8%
BRISTOL ROVERS – 78.1%
