roycole Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Oldham to beat Tranmere (Evens Stan James & Coral, 10/11 VC Bet, 5/6 Bet 365) Oldham to beat Southend (5/6 Totesport) After the wheels came off their promotion challenge last season, amidst dressing room unrest, Oldham Athletic acted quickly to install former Darlington manager Dave Penney as 2008/2009 drew to a close. Had the Quakers not fallen foul of the administrators there is every likelihood they would have been in League One this season so the Oldham board should be applauded for securing the services of a shrewd lower league manager rather than taking the backward step of appointing Joe Royle who struggled during his spell as caretaker. Penney has used his knowledge of the lower leagues to make some quality additions to the Oldham squad, most notably Pawel Abbott and Rob Purdie from his former club and last year’s joint highest rated League Two player Dean Furman from Glasgow Rangers via Bradford City. With the nucleus of a strong side already in place when he arrived, Penney’s reinforcements have turned Oldham into genuine play off contenders. This year’s race for promotion looks far more competitive that it did twelve months ago so Oldham may have to settle for establishing the foundations for a concerted effort in 2010/2011 and in doing so they should finish comfortably clear of both Tranmere Rovers and Southend United. Tranmere Rovers came agonisingly close to reaching the play-offs last season, just missing out after drawing a final day decider against Scunthorpe United who pipped them for sixth spot. This cost manager Ronnie Moore his job and since then most of last year’s key players have moved onto fresh challenges including Ben Chorley, Steven Jennings, Antony Kay, Danny Coyne and Andy Taylor. Consequently, new boss John Barnes has a huge rebuilding job on his hands as he attempts to prove his managerial credentials following his previously unsuccessful spell in charge at Celtic in 1999/2000 and Tranmere are far more likely to finish nearer the foot of the table than the promotion places. Another facing a similar challenge to Barnes is Steve Tilson at Southend United who has already proven he is one of the most effective managers at utilising the loan market to bring in players to strengthen his side. Twice last season, Tilson built sides capable of challenging for promotion but the interim period, while the likes of Lee Sawyer and Dan Harding swapped places with Dorian Dervite and Theo Robinson, exposed the lack of quality in the players under permanent contracts. ‘Losing’ Peter Clarke and Theo Robinson to Huddersfield Town has further weakened the Shrimpers and the lack of activity at Roots Hall, bar the acquisition of Lee Sawyer, over the summer gives a strong indication that they lack the financial resources to compete with the main promotion contenders. Playerform's Full League One Betting Preview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deyres42 Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Oldham to beat Tranmere (Evens Stan James & Coral, 10/11 VC Bet, 5/6 Bet 365) Oldham to beat Southend (5/6 Totesport) After the wheels came off their promotion challenge last season, amidst dressing room unrest, Oldham Athletic acted quickly to install former Darlington manager Dave Penney as 2008/2009 drew to a close. Had the Quakers not fallen foul of the administrators there is every likelihood they would have been in League One this season so the Oldham board should be applauded for securing the services of a shrewd lower league manager rather than taking the backward step of appointing Joe Royle who struggled during his spell as caretaker. Penney has used his knowledge of the lower leagues to make some quality additions to the Oldham squad, most notably Pawel Abbott and Rob Purdie from his former club and last year’s joint highest rated League Two player Dean Furman from Glasgow Rangers via Bradford City. With the nucleus of a strong side already in place when he arrived, Penney’s reinforcements have turned Oldham into genuine play off contenders. This year’s race for promotion looks far more competitive that it did twelve months ago so Oldham may have to settle for establishing the foundations for a concerted effort in 2010/2011 and in doing so they should finish comfortably clear of both Tranmere Rovers and Southend United. Tranmere Rovers came agonisingly close to reaching the play-offs last season, just missing out after drawing a final day decider against Scunthorpe United who pipped them for sixth spot. This cost manager Ronnie Moore his job and since then most of last year’s key players have moved onto fresh challenges including Ben Chorley, Steven Jennings, Antony Kay, Danny Coyne and Andy Taylor. Consequently, new boss John Barnes has a huge rebuilding job on his hands as he attempts to prove his managerial credentials following his previously unsuccessful spell in charge at Celtic in 1999/2000 and Tranmere are far more likely to finish nearer the foot of the table than the promotion places. I've already had a bit of the Evens we finish above Trampmere - i think things could go sour for them very quickly with those two in charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razza699 Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I have lost all interest in Tranmere since Ronnie Bore got sacked , although I would love Ian Thomas Maximus Prickimus Twatimus Moore to fall flat on his face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosa Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I have lost all interest in Tranmere since Ronnie Bore got sacked , although I would love Ian Thomas Maximus Prickimus Twatimus Moore to fall flat on his face. hahahahahaha like it got an email from my sister this morning saying she'd be very worried if she was a tranmere fan - apparently Barnes was on the radio this morning, and when they asked of he was prepared for the season, he said "as prepared as we're likely to be". When asked if he'd looked at any other teams in the division he said "Not really, but you know the main already." Who'd have thought McAteer would turn out to be the brains of the operation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebuzz Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 hahahahahaha like it got an email from my sister this morning saying she'd be very worried if she was a tranmere fan - apparently Barnes was on the radio this morning, and when they asked of he was prepared for the season, he said "as prepared as we're likely to be". When asked if he'd looked at any other teams in the division he said "Not really, but you know the main already." Who'd have thought McAteer would turn out to be the brains of the operation? doesnt sound very upbeat does he?? better stick em back on ebay.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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