As LFW continues to count down to the opening day of the Championship season this Saturday focus turns to the six teams the bookies think could be in trouble this term.

Scunthorpe United 200/1

Last Season

LFW said: You would not expect a northern man in a flat cap to throw his money around, and Scunthorpe chairman Steve Wharton won’t disappoint you. Scunthorpe are a well run club that stick to a budget and with average gates likely to be around the 6000 mark next season that presents Nigel Adkins with a massive problem. The Iron will work off the smallest budget in the league by some considerable distance and are surely set for a season of struggle. To survive they need Hooper to stay, and score, McCann to stay fit, Rob Jones to be a success and Joe Murphy to continue his flying form of the last couple of seasons. If that happens it gives them a strong spine to the side. They will surprise a few teams, and win friends with their style of football, but I would expect them to find it very tough away from home so any problems with the form at Glanford Park is likely to be fatal.

Manager Survival Chances Nigel Adkins 7/10

Likely Star Player Joe Murphy

Verdict 22nd A better chance than last time, but still bottom three material.

What actually happened? 20th. Scunthorpe did themselves proud, achieving a performance level well above what could be reasonably expected of a club with their wage bill and home gates. They posted points early in the season with Preston, Derby, Sheffield United and, most notably, Newcastle all well beaten at Glanford Park for a solid bedrock of 12 points that helped overcome their horrendous defensive record that saw them concede three goals or more on 14 occasions. Having made Glanford Park a difficult place to visit, only six teams won their last season, survival depended on away results which came in fits and starts, often when you least expected them and often by impressive scorelines. Scunny won 4-0 at Palace in their third away game having lost the previous two by the same margin, 4-1 at Derby in January after a run of ten road games without a win that included 5-1, 4-1 and three 3-0 defeats, 1-0 at Loftus Road and 1-0 at Sheffield United.

Manager Nigel Adkins remains in post as the happiest most likeable manager in the Championship. Scunthorpe fans often question his tactics and substitutions, his signings have been hit and miss as well, but he's done a superb job at Glanford Park over the last four years and should really be linked with more jobs elsewhere than he is.

Star Man Gary Hooper was able to translate his League One form into the higher division and finished the campaign with 20 goals and a £2.4m move to Celtic. Paul Hayes took the club's player of the year awards though.

Next season

LFW Says: Just as clubs like ourselves will be looking up at the top of the table and hoping that the abysmal standard of the division on paper this season may cover our own failings and leave the door open for a promotion charge, so clubs like Scunthorpe will be hoping there will be a better chance of finding three worse teams to finish below them this season. With Hooper, and his 20 goals gone, pressure will be heaped on Rochdale striker Chris Dagnall to follow in the footsteps of Hooper, Billy Sharp, Andy Keogh and others and fire the goals that drive the Iron's season .

Manager: Adkins again, and while he's unlikely to be sacked it will take an even bigger miracle than last season for Scunthorpe to stay up and his smile to remain in place. Survival chances 7/10.

Ins and outs: Scunthorpe have lost four of their outstanding performers from last season with Gary Hooper joining Celtic , Paul Hayes going to Preston, Grant McCann signing for Peterborough and Marcus Williams heading south to Reading. Chris Dagnall on a free from Rochdale after 20 League Two goals last season and Accrington's John Grant for £240,000 head the arrivals. Eddie Nolan (Preston) and Michael Collins (Hartlepool) have also arrived but conceding at one end and scoring at the other are going to be big problems.

Likely Star: Goalkeeper Joe Murphy will be a busy boy again.

Verdict: 24th. Nervy pre season performances and an all round lack of quality hint at trouble ahead.

Watford 125/1

Last Season

LFW said: Mackay has big shoes to fill as Rodgers is clearly a very talented manager with a big future. Watford lost just four of their final 18 league matches last year to climb into mid-table and if they can keep hold of O’Toole, Priskin and most importantly Smith there is no reason to believe that Mackay cannot maintain that judging by his spell as caretaker last season. Further departures though and it will be a real tough struggle for them.

Manager Survival Chances Malky Mackay 5/10

Likely Star Player Tommy Smith if they can keep him

Verdict In and around 15th or 16th depending on departures.

What actually happened? Watford played the loan market brilliantly to build a team that, for the first half of the season at least, was comfortably in midtable and even threatening to go higher still. The club had its annual financial collapse around Christmas time and the form in the second half of the campaign was dire and left them teetering on the brink. Results achieved before Christmas kept them up in the end.

Manager Overall Mackay did a good job to keep Watford up against the backdrop of money worries, but the season was split into two very distinct halves and the worry would be that the form from the second half of the season may continue.

Star Man Watford’s better players were mostly on loan from elsewhere. Tom Cleverly in particular caught the eye in midfield having arrived from Man Utd. Although he suffered with injuries Heider Helguson scored 11 goals which proved vital in their survival – a farce really considering QPR were struggling for a goal scoring target man while he was busy keeping Watford up just up the road.

Next season

LFW Says: Watford are in trouble. The loan players have gone back, and a plethora of experienced players have left at the end of their contracts. The Hornets are now short on numbers and, more importantly, seriously short on quality. It’s hard to see anything other than a long season of struggle with no money available to strengthen the team.

The Manager:Mackay was a tough, no nonsense centre half in his day who made the Championship his home. He was promoted from this level with Norwich, Watford and West Ham who all dispensed with his services as soon as they made the top flight recognising his chronic lack of pace as an issue. As a manager he initially did a good job at Watford as a caretaker manager and was unfortunate not to get the job when they appointed Brendan Rodgers instead. When Rodgers did the dirty and left for Reading Mackay was given a second chance and did a decent job last season. However, even the best most experienced boss would struggle at Watford this season and Mackay faces a tough task to keep them up, and his job. Survival chances – 4/10.

Ins and Outs: Rene Gilmartin and Tom Aldred have arrived from Carlisle and Walsall. And that’s about it. Will Hoskins, Jordan Parkes, Mat Sadler, Jure Travner and Lewis Young have been released, Henri Lansbury, Tom Cleverley and Craig Cathcart’s loans have ended, the signing of Heider Helguson from QPR never materialised. Nathan Ellington has returned from a loan spell in Greece.

Potential Stars: The defence tightened up considerably when Martin Taylor moved from Birmingham last January and he is sure to be busy this year.

Verdict: 23rd. Impossible to envisage anything other than a season of strife.

Barnsley 100/1

Last Season

LFW said: Barnsley have been close to being sucked into the relegation battle in the last three seasons and I fear they could be in bigger trouble this term. The fans are restless, Davey has already had the dreaded vote of confidence before the season even begins and unless they get the likes of Hammill back on loan from Liverpool plus other it is likely to be a season of struggle again, one that could well be unsuccessful this time.

Manager Survival Chances Simon Davey 3/10

Likely Star Player Iain Hume recovery pending.

Verdict 24th. Relegation candidates.

What actually happened? 18th. Barnsley were indeed prime candidates for the drop, and sat rock bottom of the table without a win from their first six games when Davey, as predicted, became the first Championship sacking of the season. What happened next saved Barnsley’s season and could prove to be something of a masterstroke for the coming campaign. The club told Rotherham to name their price for manager Mark Robins and he oversaw a dramatic upturn in form that lifted the Tykes into midtable. A late dip in form at the end of the season doesn’t bode well for the new term but Robins did a fine, fine job last year and deserves enormous credit for keeping one of the worst teams in the division up.

Manager Davey was rated a lot higher outside Barnsley than he was at Oakwell. The only time Barnsley had been in the national eye during his tenure was a memorable run to the FA Cup semi final during which they knocked out Liverpool ad Chelsea. Lazy pundits looked at that and presumed Davey was doing a good job with ‘little old Barnsley’ but in truth the squad was in decline long before he was sacked last September and there had been rumblings of discontent all summer. Davey probably should have been replaced before the season started and ultimately Barnsley were lucky to find a manager as good as Robins who was able to turn things around after arriving mid-season, outside the transfer window.

Star Man Hume did well as his recovery continued, Adam Hammill looked lively wide on the right, but the player of the year went to classy central midfielder Hugo Colace who ended the season linked with a move to Swansea.

Next season

LFW Says: Robins has made the most of his first full summer in charge of a Championship team by shipping out plenty of dead wood and making his own additions. Rumours of an ambitious move for James Beattie have not come off yet and I do wonder where their goals are going to come from with top scorer Daniel Bogdanovic sold to Sheff Utd and only Liam Dickinson brought in along with Barnsley’s usual pair of unknown foreigners.

The Manager: Robins certainly cut his managerial teeth the hard way – taking over a Rotherham side in administration, about to be relegated to the bottom division and without their own ground. He rebuilt the Millers on the pitch very effectively, and they probably would have been promoted last season had he stayed. His eye for talented lower league players like Adam le Fondre will stand him in good stead at Barnsley where money is tight. As ever in this part of the world it’s a tough job, but I think Robins can keep them up and keep his job.. Survival chances 7/10.

Ins and Outs: The list of departures is extensive and headed by Bogdanovic. Experienced defenders Darren Moore (Burton) and Rob Kozluk (Sheff Utd) have also gone along with (takes breath) Jon Macken, Onome Sodje, Mounir El Houmour, Anderson De Silva, Jordan Hibbert, O’Neill Thompson, Simon Heslop and Julian Gray. Jim O’Brien made the SPL team of the year last season with Motherwell, Diego Arismendi was a big capture from Stoke but is already injured, Goran Lovre is an unknown from Groningen, Jeronimo Neumann has an excellent name, James McEveley is fat.

Potential Stars: Barnsley have resisted interest from Swansea and held onto midfielder Hugo Colace. Adam Hammill will again provide a threat from wide areas.

Verdict: 19th. A lack of goal scorers leaves them vulnerable but a quality manager should keep them in the league .

Doncaster Rovers 66/1

Last Season LFW said: Doncaster last season were very much like Reading when they first went into the Premiership. They barely added to their promotion side, everybody tipped them to go straight back, in the end they caused a real stir in securing a midtable spot. In that second season though Reading were relegated, and with Wellens leaving Doncaster this summer and again no sign of any significant incomings it is hard to envisage anything other than a season of struggle. Beware second season syndrome..

Manager Survival Chances Sean O’Driscoll 8/10

Likely Star Player Matthew Mills

Verdict 23rd, Relegation struggle.

What actually happened? 12th. Only Blackpool outperformed the LFW prediction more than Doncaster. Despite losing their two outstanding players from the season before and never really replacing them, Rovers actually improved on their first season in the Championship, and did so playing some gorgeous football at the same time.

Manager Sean O’Driscoll further underlined his reputation as the division’s outstanding manager by leading an unfashionable club, and poor team on paper, into a high midtable position that often threatened to break out into an out and out play off push. His attractive style of play, quiet and likeable persona, and ability to succeed on a tiny budget attracted Premiership Burnley to him midway through the season and they really should have paid the £1m compensation sought by Rovers rather than taking the cheap option in Brian Laws.

Star Man The key improvement to Rovers from 2008/09 was the addition of Billy Sharp, who scored 15 goals in half a season on loan from Sheffield United. The diminutive front man had previously failed to shine in the Championship at Sheffield United and the theory, expressed on LFW at least, was that his reliance on defensive mistakes and loose balls in the penalty area for goals simply did not translate prolifically enough at the higher level. Ultimately it turned out, Ched Evans take note, that the problem was United’s God awful style of play and the more Rovers passed the ball to his feet the more he scored.

Next season

LFW Says: Well I’ve tipped Rovers for relegation in each of the last two seasons and they’ve not even gone close, so to do so a third time would seem foolish. This summer they have actually spent some money, £1.3m on Sharp’s permanent signature, as opposed to the last two years where the likes of Matt Mills, Paul Green and Richie Wellens were sold. There’s no reason not to expect more of the same from Rovers this term.

The Manager: O’Driscoll should be top of every wanted list in the country after the job he has done here, and previously at Bournemouth. On meagre budgets he has created sides that punch above their weight and play splendid football in the process. It’s hard to see how he inspires his troops with such a quiet demeanour but he seems to have the Midas touch at the Keepmoat and the only danger of him leaving the position is if somebody higher up does finally sit up and take notice of a terrific managerial talent. Survival chances – 9/10.

Ins and Outs: Sharp heads the arrivals as Doncaster’s record signing but Simon Gillett and George Friend look like sounds buys from Southampton and Wolves. Rovers have, again, lost some quality players with Gareth Roberts, Lewis Guy and Paul Heffernen released to Derby, MK Dons and Sheff Wed respectively. John Spicer, Ben Smith and Charles Fisher have also been let go.

Potential Stars: Having discovered that Billy Sharp can score goals at this level if only you stop heaving the ball at his head for 90 minutes, Rovers have spent big to nail their top scorer from last season on a permanent deal. Success will depend on him continuing to score regularly.

Verdict: 9th. Great football played under an excellent manager combined with teams continuing to underestimate Rovers as a soft touch could prove to be a great scenario for Rovers. Could well be this year’ Blackpool.

Crystal Palace 66/1

Last season:

LFW said: Palace have enough quality young players to cause teams problems and nobody will relish facing either Moses or Sears if he can fulfil the potential shown at West Ham. However they provide merely fancy decoration to an otherwise stodgy cake and it is hard to see them doing a great deal better or worse than last season.

Manager Survival Chances Neil Warnock 5/10

Likely Star Player Victor Moses

Verdict 16th. Midtable mediocrity.

What actually happened? 21st. Palace survived by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season after a financial collapse had seen them deducted ten points for entering administration. Prior to that the LFW prediction of mid-table mediocrity had looked pretty much spot on. Neil Warnock said the administration had de-railed a play off push but in reality Palace lacked sufficient firepower in attack to really challenge at the top end and only the goals of Darren Ambrose from midfield kept them safe as it turned out. An incident early in the season at Bristol City where Freddie Sears scored a perfectly good goal at Bristol City only for the referee to wave play on rather summed up the campaign.

Manager Neil Warnock didn't last the season, although it wasn't Simon Jordan's itchy trigger finger that did for him in the end. The financial mess and points deduction opened the door for an approach from QPR and Warnock decided to move across London, while never missing an opportunity to praise the Palace support and say what a tough choice it had been for him. In his place Palace, for reasons known only to themselves, probably money, appointed the mythical figure of death Paul Hart and he very nearly managed to relegate a team that should have had enough quality to remain well safe despite the ten point deduction. In the end they stayed up despite him, not because.

Star Man Darren Ambrose, a free transfer signing from Charlton last summer, kick started a faltering career with a 20 goal haul from the right side of midfield.

Next season

LFW Says: Palace have had a takeover, and exited administration, but they've lost a good portion of their squad in the process including Victor Moses. A transfer embargo has only just been lifted so they're trying to play catch up in the transfer market. There's also no real indication that the new board have money to spend on players, or even to fend off further problems in the future. On a shoestring budget and at the back of the line for players new manager George Burley has it all to do.

Manager: George Burley is a highly experienced manager at this level and will be keen to get back on the horse and succeed after making a pig's ear of the Scotland job. His appointment will have been a relief to Palace fans who would surely have been plotting their routes to Yeovil in 2011/12 had Paul Hart been allowed a full season to wreak his carnage, but Burley has had some notable failures in his career too. It took four attempts to get a hugely talented Ipswich side up from this league and although they ripped into the Premiership when they did make it they were relegated after two seasons when Burley took his eye off the winning formula. He spent a lot of money for little return at Southampton as well. Survival chances 6/10.

Ins and outs: Nick Carle (Sydney), Clint Hill, Shaun Derry (both QPR), Jack Randall (Aldershot), Johannes Ertl (Sheff Utd) and Danny Butterfield (Southampton) have all left the club for nothing. A transfer embargo had prevented any new faces arriving but the club has held on to both Speroni and Ambrose in the face of interest from elsewhere. Snce the embargo was lifted Burley has picked up Lewis Price and David Wright who he knows from his Ipswich days, Southend captain Adam Barrett who may suffer for lack of pace, Vehlice Shumulikoski from Preston and Andy Dorman from St Mirren.

Likely Star: You'd think Ambrose would be unlikely to repeat last season's heroics, particularly with a different manager playing a different style and system. Goalkeeper Julian Speroni has been the Palace Player of the Year for the last two seasons and that's unlikely to change this term which makes the move to sign Derby’s Lewis Price seem strange.

Verdict: 17th. Another tough campaign, will they manage to escape for a second time?

Coventry City 50/1

Last Season

LFW said: I said when Coventry moved into the Ricoh Arena, and when Ray Ranson bought them, and every chance I have had basically that they are simply not structured to succeed. A club saddled with debt after mismanagement and Premiership relegation, now playing in a ground they do not own and don’t fill that means they make a loss every season before they even begin. Scott Dann and Dan Fox, the two prized assets, have both been sold this summer and the majority of that money has gone to paying off the losses they made last season, and towards plans to at least try and buy a stake in their own stadium. It has the look of a club going nowhere to me and they are unlikely to trouble the scorers greatly this season.

Manager Survival Chances Chris Coleman 6/10

Likely Star Player Keiren Westwood

Verdict 19th. Well into the bottom half, possible surprise relegation strugglers if they pick up injuries.

What actually happened? They finished 19th, see it's easy this prediction lark isn't it? Coventry bobbed around the bottom of the table for almost the entire season, lifting themselves into the top ten and threatening a play off push when they won six and drew four of 12 games in the spring but then falling back down the table with no wins from their last 11 matches. A 4-0 home defeat by lowly Watford on the final day put the seal on another rank campaign.

Manager Chris Coleman was courted by Swansea before the season started, but now finds himself out of work after the Sky Blues’ dramatic end of season tumble down the table cost him his job. An arrogant and abrasive front portrayed in public and a dire style of play meant few tears were shed when the news came through.

Star Man

We called Coventry right in every department as goalkeeper Keiren Westwood did indeed take their player of the year award under little challenge from anybody else.

Next Season

LFW Says: More of the same. Coventry are a club cruising down the middle lane of the road to nowhere. They don't own their ground, and lose money every time they play in it as the team isn't good enough to attract their break even attendance figure. They're saving up to try and buy the Ricoh which means whenever they do find a gem like Scott Dann they immediately have to cash in on him which means it's impossible to build a decent team. The ground itself is a soulless, atmosphereless, waste of farmland that hinders City more than it helps. On the pitch the team is poor at both ends. If you offered the fans 19th now they'd probably turn it down flat under some misguided belief that better awaits. It doesn't, they'll do well to achieve it this term.

Manager: Aidy Boothroyd is back in the Championship again after City paid Colchester compensation for the former Watford man this summer. Boothroyd took Watford to the Premiership of course, but was labelled a long ball merchant in doing so and has achieved little since. Even the very best managers would have problems succeeding in the situation Coventry find themselves in and I'd be surprised if he lasted the season. Survival rating 4/10.

Ins and outs: Birmingham City clogger Lee Carsley has arrived on a free, telling you everything you need to know about what style of play Boothroyd will be employing this season. Richard Keogh (Carlisle), Roy O'Donovan (Sunderland) and Stephen O'Halloran (Villa) have all signed on frees but are unproven at this level. Gary McSheffrey returns in the Lee Cook role of fallen hero. Clive Platt from Colchester looks a desperate signing, he didn’t cut it at this level with the U’s three years ago and it’s difficult to see what’s changed since. An approach for Marlon King rather sum them up. Long servers Marcus Hall and Stephen Wright head up he departures, meaning Wright cannot complete a hat trick of Loftus Road sendings off this season. Dodgy keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos has returned home.

Likely Star: Goalkeeper Kieren Westwood is the one player of genuine quality in the Coventry line up although Gary McSheffrey will hope a return to Cov reignites his faltering career.

Verdict: 21st. Dire football, terrible atmosphere at home games, decent performers quickly sold and, potentially, the trap door is creaking.

Photo: Action Images

Rs4life added 07:32 - Aug 4 I reckon Barnsley, Scunthorpe and either Millwall or Coventry will go
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