League One 2024/25 Preview: Part Five
Rotherham, Shrewsbury, Stevenage, Stockport
Our second-to-last League One preview piece continues the countdown to the new season. In part five, we’re looking at the hopes and expectations of newly-returned (from different directions) Rotherham and Stockport, and potential fellow relegation scrappers Shrewsbury and Stevenage.
Thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts to put these previews together. Subscribe below to make sure the final part lands directly in your inbox on Thursday.
Note: these answers have been collated over the past few weeks, so in certain places they may be slightly out of date.
Rotherham United
By Matt from New York Talk
Could you give us a quick summary of your 23/24 season?
A quick summary is that it was just a disaster, just 5 wins in all competitions, we lost 5-0 three times – two of those back-to-back. Our last away win was in November 2022 so it’s been over 18 months without an away win. I would be a happy man if I never had to think about the 2023/24 season ever again.
How have you rated your summer business so far?
I think it has been decent. It may have looked from the outside that we just signed loads of players early, but we needed almost a whole new squad. We only had around 8 left from last season’s squad so it was key to get players in and I think what we have signed is players who know the level and know how to get promoted. Sean Raggett and Joe Rafferty are coming to us from League One winners Portsmouth as an example. We are not done, I think we still have five or six away but I think most of them will probably be loans now.
What do you still think you’re missing from your squad?
Steve Evans says we are not in the fine-tuning stage of recruitment. We have the skeleton in place, we have most positions covered it’s just a case of trying to improve in each area. I would still like to see us get another winger or two at the club, but that would depend on what formation we are going to set up with, which is still unclear at the minute.
Which of your players are you most excited to see play for you next season?
This might not be the same for all Millers fans, but I am looking to see how Sam Nombe does at this level. We signed him from Exeter last year for £1 million and it seemed as if the Championship was too big a step too soon, it may have been he was let down by the quality around him but I think this season is a big one for him and we need to see some performances and goals to start to justify the price tag.
What’s the general opinion on the manager?
Mostly positive from most fans. Steve Evans is a divisive figure amongst football fans, and that includes his own fans. But after the season we had last year, he is probably the right man. He will bring front-foot football and will try and win games, we were the opposite of that last season. He got us up before from League 1 in 2014 so we are hoping for a repeat of that. But he will be under pressure. We expect to be fighting at the top end of the league, maybe not for autos but certainly for top six and if that doesn’t happen that will be seen as a failure.
What sort of season are fans hoping to have?
To start with just some positive football and some wins. We need to make sure we shake off any ghosts from last season quickly. But in terms of the season we want to be challenging, Steve Evans has said as much that we will definitely be challenging for promotion so that’s what we expect. He has built a decent squad so far, but so have others and nothing is certain with League One this season.
Realistically, if you had to give me a position you think you’ll finish in, what would it be and why?
I will go with 5th. I am happy and fairly impressed with who we have brought in so far, but others have strengthened more and have much bigger budgets than us. I think to recover from how bad last year was with a playoff place would be decent. But if we get a bit more quality through the door I could change that to a higher place.
Who are your early predictions for promotion and relegation?
The challenge for promotion this year could be a classic, half the division will be expecting at least a push for the playoffs so to call it will be difficult so I will go obvious and boring. I will predict the money of Birmingham will win the league with probably Huddersfield as well in second place. Having been away from the league for two years it is harder to predict relegation but I think Crawley will struggle as well as Mansfield. Then its becomes harder, so will pick Bristol Rovers & Exeter to go down as well.
For anyone who’s never been, can you tell us one unique thing about your stadium?
Probably the name is the unique thing. Our stadium is called New York Stadium, the legend goes that on that site used to be a foundry where the famous yellow fire hydrants of New York were made and the area became known as “New York”. Not to pour cold water over the story, but I have lived in Rotherham all my life and before the stadium had been built in 2012 I had never heard of that area being referred to as New York – but it’s a good story.
Finally, no offence taken, how many points are you expecting you’ll take off Cambridge in our fixtures?
I hope 6! But I am very interested to play Cambridge and see where you are. In our promotion season in 2022/23 the two games against Cambridge were two of the most difficult games. I know a lot has changed since then and last season was a tough year but Garry Monk has the potential to be a really good appointment at this level so wouldn’t be surprised if you were able to take points off us this time.
Shrewsbury Town
By Ollie from Salopcast
Could you give us a quick summary of your 23/24 season
It was a dire season and one to forget, thanks for asking. Salop scored 35 goals in 46 games, 5 less than Cheltenham who didn’t score in their first 11 games. Salop went into the season ill prepared, performances were poor and we saw no progress under Matt Taylor and Marcus Bignot. You could argue we actually got worse as the season progressed. Taylor and Bignot were lucky to stay in role as long as they did. Paul Hurst game back, steadied the ship and we ended a disappointing 19th place.
How have you rated your summer business so far?
Losing Dan Udoh is the biggest highlight, and unfortunately he signed for Wycombe who could offer more wages. I don’t blame him for leaving, but it is a sad reality that after several years of overspending, the budget is going to be smaller, while spending in the division continues to increase. We have signed a few familiar faces, such as Toto Nsiala, and signed Tommi O’Reilly from Aston Villa who comes with glowing references. In terms of rating, I would say average and to be expected. Loans are going to be key this season.
What do you still think you’re missing from your squad?
We only have 12 players, so we have a lot of work still to do. A goalkeeper, central midfielders, a couple of wide players and strikers are required.
Which of your players are you most excited to see play for you next season?
I hope the player that will excite us the most hasn’t been signed yet! If I had to pick a current player it would have to be Shipley.
What’s the general opinion on the manager?
Paul Hurst is a real fans favourite currently in his second spell as Shrewsbury Town manager. The chairman made a smart decision when he re-hired Hurst. The atmosphere among the fans immediately improved when Hurst returned and having him as our manager is one of the few positives surrounding the club.
What sort of season are fans hoping to have?
A tough one. Salop are going to have one of the smallest budgets in the division. Our wage bill will be smaller than last season and we might struggle to recruit League One calibre players. I have faith that Hurst will recruit players with the right credentials and we will have a squad of players who will work hard and follow instructions. Hurst is a great communicator, and gives the fans real insights. One frustration Hurst shared last season was some of the players were not very smart and he wished he could control some players from the sidelines. I expect the average IQ of the squad to improve.
Realistically, if you had to give me a position you think you’ll finish in, what would it be and why?
Realistically, 22nd, but I hope and pray Hurst can perform a miracle.
Who are your early predictions for promotion and relegation?
Rotherham, Birmingham, Bolton, Barnsley and Peterborough will be up there.
Cambridge, Crawley, Northampton and Shrewsbury are going to be near the bottom of the table.
For anyone who’s never been, can you tell us one unique thing about your stadium?
Shrewsbury Town were the first club to install safe standing in England and Wales.
Finally, no offence taken, how many points are you expecting you’ll take off Cambridge in our fixtures?
Six! Cambridge have always managed to get good results against us, but I have normally been left feeling you were rather lucky. It’s about time we had some lucky wins!
Stevenage
By Matt from The Stevenage FC Podcast
Could you give us a quick summary of your 23/24 season?
A fantastic 1st season in L1! A lot of people doubted us, but we knew, with the manager, with the squad that achieved promotion the season before, with recruiting L1 players, we had enough to achieve the position we did. To spend the whole season up the top end was tremendous.
How have you rated your summer business so far?
So for us, this upcoming season is our biggest and one we have to get better for. We’re having to upgrade our squad, which we have clearly done in our summer recruitment. Louis Appere, Dan Kemp, Lewis Freestone and Dan Phillips have added that extra sugar and icing on an already good looking cake. We’re very happy with it so far and I for one am very excited to see this team play in this division this season.
What do you still think you’re missing from your squad?
We still need a goalkeeper as we only have 1 at the moment. Taye Ashby-Hammond is our number 1 at the club, but needs competition this season, so we are expecting us to sign someone over the next week. Possibly another striker to come in, but we’re pretty much ready!
Which of your players are you most excited to see play for you next season?
All of them! In all seriousness, I think Dan Kemp will be one of our players of the season. Knowing the league is going to be the strongest it’s ever been, we need those quality ball players this season and Dan Kemp is that player. I expect that he’ll score a few too as he likes to get forward and contribute from midfield.
What’s the general opinion on the manager?
We love him. Alex Revell is one of the nicest people in football. If there’s anyone who deserves success, it’s him. But after a tough tenure back in 2021 as our manager, Revs is now ready and has learnt under Steve Evans for 2 years. I think we can see the difference from two years ago in the type of players he has recruited this time around. I think for us, we see an opportunity for Revs to be our manager for a long time, something which we haven’t had at the club for a while after a new manager every two years for the past 10 years. But yes, we’re hoping the Alex Revell era is a successful one.
What sort of season are fans hoping to have?
Knowing how tough the division is going to be, I think we just want the team to get over 50 points and stay up! If we can stay up in this L1, we can probably stay up in any. But knowing the players and people in charge, they’ll want to be right up there challenging in those Play Off places. Can it be done? We’ll have to be fantastic for 90% of the season. For me, I think mid table would be a fantastic effort.
Realistically, if you had to give me a position you think you’ll finish in, what would it be and why?
You’re talking to the most positive Stevenage FC fan, so of course it’s going to be a positive position! But in all seriousness, I think the team will have a great season and finish in 12th place. Do I believe we can do better, yes, but we’d have to be consistent throughout and that is going to be tough this season with the teams who are in the division.
Who are your early predictions for promotion and relegation?
I think Rotherham, Birmingham and Huddersfield will all go back up. Too many good signings and ultimately I think all three will compete for the automatics. As for relegation, Crawley, Shrewsbury, Exeter and Northampton will all struggle in my opinion. I think Northampton are probably the side who are the best of that bunch and I think Crawley have lost too many good players that got them to League One.
For anyone who’s never been, can you tell us one unique thing about your stadium?
The new North Stand, opposite the away end, is only 5 years old. Such a fantastic stand and one that offers such great views of the pitch. There’s also not many stadiums that have a terrace going the full length of the pitch, but we do! Quite a unique stand in English football.
Finally, no offence taken, how many points are you expecting you’ll take off Cambridge in our fixtures?
Sorry chaps, 6 points! Both Tuesday night matches, I can see Alex Revell master planning 2 wins for us.
Stockport County
Could you give us a quick summary of your 23/24 season?
We won our first Football League title for 57 years. Does that answer your question? It wasn’t all plain sailing, though. It looked as if we might run away with it when we won 12 consecutive league games during the first half of the season - including a 5-0 demolition of Wrexham - but we had a little bit of a wobble around Christmas and New Year, mainly due to one of the worst injury lists I’ve ever seen at the club.
We did beat Sutton 8-0 during this period, however, so I can’t complain too much I guess. A 4-0 defeat at Tranmere in February was the low point, but we followed that with a 13-game unbeaten run to clinch promotion with three games to spare, and the title with two.
How have you rated your summer business so far?
Summer business looks very good so far. We’ve sadly lost some of our older players like Paddy Madden and Antoni Sarcevic, but that’s to be expected as we’re building a younger squad on longer contracts as part of our plan to reach the Championship in the next three years. We’ve only played three pre-season games so far but Jack Diamond (from Sunderland) and Lewis Bate (from Leeds) look the pick of the bunch at this stage.
What do you still think you’re missing from your squad?
It felt like a striker was the missing piece of the jigsaw, but we’ve just signed Michael Mellon on a season-long loan from Burnley. He scored 15 in 27 for Morecambe last season. Hopefully he can fill Paddy Madden’s shoes and hit a similar number with us.
Which of your players are you most excited to see play for you next season?
Same answer as above.
What’s the general opinion on the manager?
Dave Challinor was the man who guided County back into the Football League after 11 years away, so he’ll always be a hero in Stockport based on that alone. He’s followed that up with a play-off final at Wembley, and then the League Two title. He’s doing alright, I suppose.
What sort of season are fans hoping to have?
Deep down, I think most County fans would be happy with mid-table (as long as that includes a cup run as well!). We’ve had three promotions in six seasons; there’s absolutely no rush to get up to the Championship at the first time of asking. There’s huge levels of ambition around Edgeley Park at the moment, however, so don’t be surprised to see us sniffing round the play-offs.
Realistically, if you had to give me a position you think you’ll finish in, what would it be and why?
I do think we’ll be top half. I’ll go with 6th if this incredible momentum continues and our 10 new signings gel quickly, down to 12th if it takes us a bit of time to find our feet in the third tier.
Who are your early predictions for promotion and relegation?
Birmingham to go straight back up, as they should never have gone down in the first place after being in the play-offs before the ludicrous decision to sack their manager. Crawley to go straight back down, as they seem to have completely dismantled their promotion team. Apart from that, I’ve got no idea. This could be a ridiculously close League One campaign, from top to bottom.
For anyone who’s never been, can you tell us one unique thing about your stadium?
We’re the closest football ground to the River Mersey. Enjoy that fact while you can, as Everton will be nicking it from us in 12 months.
Finally, no offence taken, how many points are you expecting you’ll take off Cambridge in our fixtures?
A 1-0 Cambridge win on the opening day could be a solid investment at the bookies if you’ve got a few quid. August is usually a bad month for us, even though nobody has a clue why we start so slowly. But then we’ll win 4-0 at your place in February.