ROTHERHAM UNITED

Last season was ultimately disappointing. To be two minutes from staying in the Championship hurt, but being so close to survival was also a massive achievement given our budget. We were one striker away from mid- table – we lost 18 games by a one- goal margin. The big talking point among the

fans is the fate of boss Paul Warne [ below]. A noisy minority have called for him to go, but a recent fan poll showed 90 per cent backed him. This season will be different to last

because we shouldn’t have to play 10 games in 28 days.

Our most underrated player is

Jamie Lindsay, who breaks up the play so effectively in the centre of the pitch. He was a huge influence in our best performances last year.

Look out for forward Josh Kayode, who had a fantastic loan at Carlisle and could be a massive threat.

The pantomime villain will be Karl Robinson. There’s always bad blood between him and our fans, and Oxford will be up there fighting with us at the top end of the table. The one change I’d make would be investing a bit more. We’re sensibly run and I wouldn’t change that, but I wish we could hold our position in the Championship. The ground I’m most looking

forward to visiting is Accrington Stanley’s – they’re a fantastic club and we always fill their away end. Should be a good atmosphere. Other clubs’ fans don’t know that for the last nine seasons, we haven’t finished outside the top or bottom four of any league we’ve been in. Championship mediocrity, anyone?

Our key player will be Chieo Ogbene [ above]. The winger started to shine but then suffered a serious knee injury and only played a few games at the end of the season. He could be our key threat. The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that most love him. He’s the ideal fit, but not everyone can see the wood for the trees. Warne doesn’t do egos and his teams are always more than the sum of their parts.

We’ll finish in the top four… again.