League One preview: Journalists discuss how their club is shaping up for the new season and predict promotion and relegation

Name: Lewis Cox

Publication: Shropshire Star

Key ins: Ryan Bowman, Matthew Pennington, Elliott Bennett, David Davis, Marko Marosi

Key outs: Ro-Shaun Williams, Sean Goss, Dave Edwards, Brad Walker, Matija Sarkic

Reasons for optimism: The manager is back. Steve Cotterill spent exactly six months away from his squad with Covid-19 and severe complications but returned for pre-season and is getting ever-fitter and stronger. Additions have been good, but more are still needed. Town were excellent in his month before illness - unbeaten and the boss claimed December's manager of the month. There is definitely a feeling that things could fall into place for a fairytale return for the manager, though he will play that down.

Reasons for caution: There is still significant work to be done in the window. They have recruited six signings - which is not an insignificant amount - and have parted with fees and spent good wages on lengthy deals for some key captures, like keeper Marko Marosi. But the squad is still light, they still require another handful to have enough. Friendlies, too, have been sparse. Town will play just three by the big kick-off. But the manager is happy with that. Two key players (Aaron Pierre and Ollie Norburn) have been at the Gold Cup and missed much of pre-season.

Predicted finish: 13th - Make no mistake, Shrewsbury will privately hope for much better than 13th and want to break the top half and push for play-offs, the former they can be capable of. But it could depend on how they finish the window, with clubs spending big.

Three to go up: Ipswich, Rotherham, Wigan

Four to go down: Burton, Cambridge, Morecambe, Plymouth

Hope for the season: The main hope is that Steve Cotterill remains fit and healthy and can oversee Town during every match of the season after his horrid ordeal last season.

Name: Phil Smith

Publication: Sunderland Echo

Key ins: Callum Doyle, Alex Pritchard, Corry Evans

Key outs: Charlie Wyke, Max Power, Josh Scowen, Chris Maguire, Grant Leadbitter

Reasons for optimism: The players who are the club are looking in good shape during the pre-season programme. With Aiden McGeady signing a new contract, Lee Johnson has a wealth of good attacking options available to him and, as a result, the style of play has been much improved. This should be a much more creative team this season, especially at home where form was poor last season.

Reasons for caution: While the forward areas are probably only one or two signings away from being as strong as anyone in the division, the defensive rebuild has barely begun even as the season nears. At time of writing Sunderland have no senior full backs and need at least one starting centre-back before the window shuts. It's hard to be overly optimistic at this point, with such an obvious deficiency still to be addressed.

Predicted finish: 2nd - I'm pinning my hopes on a strong last week or so of the window. The quality is there, but not the depth.

Three to go up: Ipswich, MK Dons, Sunderland

Four to go down: AFC Wimbledon, Cambridge, Morecambe, Plymouth

Hope for the season: Full stadiums from start to finish, and that no club has to go through the kind of protracted off-field saga that have become all too common in recent seasons. Let's settle the key issues on the pitch.

Name: Paul Kendrick

Publication: Wigan Today

Key ins: Jordan Cousins, Stehen Humphrys, Max Power, Jack Whatmough, Charlie Wyke

Key outs: Lee Evans, Kyle Joseph, Funso Ojo, Viv Solomon-Otabor, Curtis Tilt

Reasons for optimism: Firstly, that we still have a football club, after an horrific 12 months on and off the pitch. With the magnificent backs-to-the-wall effort to avoid relegation being followed by a huge wave of optimism and belief following the recent takeover by Phoenix 2021 Limited, the mood among the fans really couldn't be any better. And having added several quality recruits - and more on the way - Latics should be fighting to get out of the division at the right end this season.

Reasons for caution: Obviously throwing together a whole new playing squad - Wigan ended last season with only five contracted players - will create inevitable issues in terms of gelling and integrating. It was a similar story back in 2015-16, after relegation from the Championship, when a virtually whole new playing squad took several weeks to get going under Gary Caldwell. But once they did, they never looked back, finishing up as champions after an incredible last two-thirds of the campaign. Hopefully, it's the same again.

Predicted finish: 4th - Play-off winners...not been to Wembley for a while.

Three to go up: Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan

Four to go down: AFC Wimbledon, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Morecambe

Hope for the season: That the Covid-related issues of the last 18 months don't resurface, and Latics fans can enjoy watching their side again after almost losing the lot. But more importantly, the return of press food.

Name: Phil Catchpole

Publication: BBC Three Counties Radio

Key ins: Sullay Kaikai, Josh Scowen

Key outs: Uche Ickpeazu, Fred Onyedinma

Reasons for optimism: It’s the first time in many years the Chairboys aren’t their league’s version of Oliver. The club is in an excellent position off the pitch, while Gareth Ainsworth still has the same enthusiasm for the club as the day he arrived - only now he has a bit of backing and a few years of experience under his belt. Last time out in League One, Wycombe were excellent and it’s a settled squad with an amazing spirit and belief.

Reasons for caution: Wycombe are normally expected to finish bottom due to their usual budget. However, a lucrative and prudent season in the Championship has placed them in a decent financial position. But with a bit more money comes expectation and pressure. These will be new sensations for Gareth Ainsworth, and many will be expecting a decent start to the season. At the time of writing, the club are lacking a focal point up front bar the marvellous Adebayo Akinfenwa, who will surely have to provide his magic via cameos off the bench.

Predicted finish: 2nd - Automatic promotion, while allowing one of the many fallen giants in the third tier some much-needed title winning glory

Three to go up: Burton, Ipswich, Wycombe

Four to go down: Crewe, Fleetwood, Morecambe, Plymouth

Hope for the season: It’s an excellent division which is absolutely impossible to predict, so I just hope fans can return safely and bring the soul back to the game again.

A count of the votes given for teams to be relegated or promoted.

PROMOTED

RELEGATED