The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Thursday, August 13
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Good morning everyone! Do you smell that in the air? That’s football!
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We’re very close to returning to Premier League action but first we get a few other leagues kicking off their seasons. The hoddle’s annual EFL Championship predictions will come out tomorrow.
This year I’m also going to go out on a limb and jot a few down for Leagues One and Two. I do the occasional lower-league roundup, so why not do a lower-league prediction?
I’m certainly no expert in either of the leagues, so I look forward to being proven wrong. Still – it should be fun!
EFL League One
The big story here is obviously Leicester City, who are in the third tier for the first time since 2008. They had a tonne of outgoings including Jordan Ayew, Bilal El Khanouss, Janik Vestergaard and Abdul Fatawu. There’s a lot to not like about this team including how broken the squad looks. For those reasons, I think they’ll be down here for at least one more year.
Otherwise I quite like Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle, who also recently suffered relegations from the Championship. Stockport County came very close last season, so why not pick them to make the jump? Otherwise I think it’s a step down for Bradford, while Leyton Orient will again be in a relegation scrap (but survive).
Fitzie’s League One predictions:
- Luton Town (C)
- Plymouth Argyle (P)
- Stockport County (P)
- Leicester City
- Huddersfield Town
- Wycombe Wanderers
- Stevenage
- Oxford United
Bottom Four:
- MK Dons (R)
- Bromley (R)
- AFC Wimbledon (R)
- Peterborough (R)
EFL League Two:
I know even less about League Two. The Guardian’s done a nice preview and it says Salford, Chesterfield, Grimsby, Walsall, Rotherham and Port Vale could all be contenders. It’s also got Barnet as a “hopeful” while two supercomputers have them getting promoted, so I will too. I do enjoy rooting for Barnet.
Then on the other side it looks like Newport County had some managerial drama, while Tranmere Rovers barely hung on last year.
Fitzie’s League Two predictions:
- Salford City
- Barnet
- Grimsby Town
- Rotherham
- Port Vale
- Bristol Rovers
- Oldham
Bottom two:
- Tranmere Rovers
- Newport County
Fitzie’s track of the day: Yip Yip Yow, by Caroline Rose
And now for your links:
Jack P-B ($$): “Why Spurs selling Romero and Spence would signal a big shift in their transfer policy”
The Telegraph: “Spurs’ troubled Cristian Romero era ends with £34m move to Atletico”
BBC: “Can Mourinho restore Real Madrid to former glory?”
The Guardian: “Doué seals Super Cup glory for PSG after Madjo makes history for Aston Villa”
Netherlands NT: “Xavi Hernández new head coach of the Dutch national team (m)”