Scotty

By Albatross
August 5 2005

The final part of Pools Online's preview of the 2005/6 season features Tranmere Rovers, Walsall, Yeovil Town and (of course) Hartlepool United. Who's in, who's out, and what's been going on over the close season? This section also includes a summary table of all the predictions.

Tranmere Rovers Last Season: 3rd
In: Sam Aiston, Chris Greenacre, Steve Wilson
Out: Neil Ashton, David Beresford, Paul Hall, Simon Haworth, Russell Howarth, Gary Jones, Alan Navarro, Paul Robinson, Ged Scott, Ryan Taylor
Shake it all about: Plenty of players out and not so many in - and the departures may not be over yet with Dadi seemingly out of the picture and Hume attracting interest.
Manager: Brian Little
Little faces the new season without one of his star performers in Ryan Taylor - and although Greenacre should score goals at this level it's doubtful whether the players in are enough to cover for the players out. Even so Tranmere retain hopes of challenging again although I doubt they can push on into the automatic slots.
Predicted Finish: 6th

Walsall Last Season: 14th
In: Daniel Fox, Anthony Gerrard, Craig Pead, Paul Smith, Steve Staunton, Chris Westwood
Out: Neil Emblen, David McDermott, David Perpetuini, Ryan Willets
Shake it all about: The search for a striker has been a major occupation - and the Julian Joachim saga that saw him move to Boston was a major blow.
Manager:Paul Merson
Walsall flirted with disaster before coming good towards the end of last season thanks to several loan signings. Joachim's decision to go elsewhere though leaves them looking a little short in some areas although defensively they look more sound. Matty Fryatt could do some damage, but I suspect not enough to lift them out of mid-table.
Predicted Finish: 13th

Yeovil Town Last Season: Champions Division 3
In: Pablo Bastianini, Matt Harold, Nathan Jones, Luke Oliver, David Poole
Out: Marcus Richardson, Andrejs Stolcers
Shake it all about: Yeovil fans have been able to get on with looking forward to life in Division 2 with few distractions.
Manager: Gary Johnson
With their squad almost entirely intact and if anything stronger, the Glovers have plenty of confidence going into the new season. With a together squad, there's no reason why Yeovil can't make a real impact and challenge at the right end of the table.
Predicted Finish: 4th

Hartlepool United Last Season: 6th
In: Lee Bullock, Chris Llewellyn, Michael Proctor, Darren Williams
Out: Chris Westwood
Shake it all about: Pools fans got the manager they mostly wanted when Martin Scott was appointed; since then it's been a case of sit back and enjoy the signings with some quality players coming in.
Manager: Martin Scott
While few outside the town seem to be tipping Pools to do well, we have plenty of continuity and have added signings that all have experience of a higher level without being old crocks by any stretch of the imagination. Pools are hungry for success, and we look to me like we have the squad to deliver.
Predicted Finish: 2nd

Summary Table

1 Doncaster Rovers
2 Hartlepool United
3 Nottingham Forest
4 Yeovil Town
5 Bristol City
6 Tranmere Rovers
7 Huddersfield Town
8 Oldham Athletic
9 Bournemouth
10 Brentford
11 Bradford City
12 Barnsley
13 Walsall
14 Colchester Unted
15 Swansea City
16 Gillingham
17 Swindon Town
18 Port Vale
19 MK Dons
20 Southend United
21 Rotherham United
22 Chesterfield
23 Blackpool
24 Scunthorpe United