19th -  Cheltenham

Julian Alsop? Julian Bananaman Alsop? Has it really come to this? He was the sort of striker to attract derision many a year ago when he was a League Footballer. For those too young to remember Alsop, and if we're being honest that's a large number of you, Alsop was like a poor man's Drewe Broughton, a big lump up front who you'd spend the entire game raging at because of his constant battle of elbows and dirty tricks.

But the entire footballing world rejoiced when he five years ago he left the world of proper professional football when the FA banned him for the rest of the season, and he was left in the non league world.  Since then, it's been Forest Green, Newport County, Tamworth and Cirencester before joining what sounds more like a real ale than a football team when he signed up for Bishop's Cleeve.

Everything in the world seemed well again. Defenders were smiling at not needing their jaws rewired, football was played with the emphasis on football rather than thuggery and people actually started believing in "the right way".

And then, lo and behold on 20th July 2009, birds stopped whistling, tumbleweed could be heard, doors were being closed up and bolted. Alsop was back. Cheltenham Town had offered him a return to the club where he spent the longest spell in his career on a month to month contract. Still the same Alsop, still the same frame, just five years older.

Now we could give him the benefit of the doubt. He might have found God during his time out the game. This return to League Football could be his chance to make up for times past. He might successfully argue that his tattoo of "Die Defenders Die" is simply German for "The Defenders The". We remain unconvinced.

Clearly looking at the signing of Alsop amongst others, manager Martin Allen thinks the way out of this division is experience. For alongside Alsop, who we don't expect Allen to build a side around, he's drafted in 37 year old Barry Hayles who's loan spells at Whaddon Road last season would suggest there's plenty left in his engine so far. He's also signed up another blast from the past as back up goalkeeper by bringing in Barry Richardson. We anticipate the signings of Mike Conroy, Paddy Roche and George O'Ghani.

As for Martin Allen, what a difference a year or two makes. A couple of years back, Martin Allen was considered to be one of the best young managers in the game. Impressive work at Barnet and Brentford had not gone unnoticed, whilst the media were happy to bend over backwards for an unconventional manager who seemed to provide more inches than your average porn star. The world was at its feet, or at least the Coca Cola world of Sub Premiership teams.

However, a spell as manager of Leicester City which lasted just four games, two of which he'd actually won, seems to have sent his career back light years, and the offer of a job from Cheltenham ended a twelve month exile from the game. Suggestions seemed to be that he had last season with one arm tied behind his back at all times, and that relegation was always going to be a certainty. After all, the restraints were so bad that he even had to do a sponsored bike ride to raise funds for his club.

His charisma will probably give him an easier ride (no pun intended) as manager than some would get, but as with all relegated sides, eyes will be fixed on him from early on in the season to see if he has it in him to bounce back at the first opportunity. Failure to do that will see serious questions being asked of the former MK Dons boss.

We're anticipating a tough season for the Robins. That winning mentality takes a lot to acquire once you've had a three successive seasons of fighting relegation. To their advantage, they do have some big personalities within that squad, so there'll be no shortage of leaders within their trenches. Many a team won't fancy taking on the Robins this season.

But they'll much prefer to be facing Cheltenham in the midst of the winter rather than the Summer months, as the legs of some of these older players tends to hit home. Shane Duff remains an excellent player, but he's another one who might find the season a bit of a struggle. He's only 27 but he's had three seasons on the trot where he's been battling against injuries. Can he truly be relied upon for the full 46 games? Unlikely.

Cheltenham could well end up being the surprise package of League Two, and are perhaps the likeliest of all the sides I've tipped down at the bottom end to turn it round and push at the top end, but I just think in doing so it will need too many things to have to go their way for that to happen. We're not judging their entire season on Alsop as he may well even be out the door by the time we hit October, but they're going to have to ask for that bit more from what they have got.

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