Dave With the excruciating disappointment of England’s pathetic World Cup campaign still lingering the average fan now begins to try and numb the pain by channeling their energy into the activities of the domestic season. As the opening day of the 2010-2011 campaign draws closer, with people beginning to map out which away games they will travel to, we should take a look at what could happen to help bring a smile back to English football.

Clubs to start making a profit

Wouldn’t it be great for football to get out of financial lumber by simply going back to basics? Revenue minus expenditure should always equal profit- but this is football where the laws of the land seem to be forgotten about from time to time. With Crystal Palace coming within a bank manager’s signature of extinction this May and with Portsmouth’s future still as unclear as England’s defensive tactics, surely clubs have to wake up and realise the need to slash the wage bills and save money. Until chairmen and CEO’s wake up to this concept it is only a matter of time before a club is closed down, it happened in Scotland when Gretna went out of business and it can certainly happen in England.

Dave Whelan to keep his mouth shut

When Dave Whelan first came into the public eye he was liked by all as someone who talked sense. But now, given the way his club operates, the Wigan chairman rather contradicts himself in everything he says. Whelan labeled the FA as “unfit for purpose” (which may be a correct assessment) after the World Cup, but the truth is that the Premiership is slowly becoming English football’s biggest enemy above anything else- and people like Dave Whelan are to blame. Wigan have a foreign manager and a grand total of ten English players out of a squad of 26, which is soon to be nine when Titus Bramble moves to Sunderland. On top of this they bought one of England’s brightest starlets in Victor Moses this January and decided against playing him for the remainder of the season. Surely Whelan could do us all a favour by giving young English players a chance and helping the FA in the process before lambasting them himself. Oh and whilst you are at it, Dave, if you are going to name a stadium after yourself at least make the pitch “fit for purpose”- how is any young English footballer meant to learn to pass a ball like Andres Iniesta on a badly kept manure patch?

West Brom to stay up

If anyone deserves a sustained spell in the Premiership then it is West Bromwich Albion. A few seasons ago they were one of only two teams in the whole of the football league to make a profit (Chesterfield being the other) and they have been the model for how to consistently succeed whilst living within their means. Since Tony Mowbray took over in 2006 West Brom have been renowed for their attractive style of football, in turn consistently filling out the Hawthornes every week and maximising gate receipts. However, instead of blowing their well earned cash on big name Charlies West Brom have slowly but surely added to their squad without breaking the bank. One hopes that the Baggies continue playing attractive football when they come up against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal this season, and that Roberto Di Matteo can sure up the defence in order form them to stay up and show the likes of Hull and Portsmouth that you needn’t put players on hideously high wages to achieve your aims.

Rochdale to make a run in League 1

The quote “there is no virtue so oft rewarded than perseverance” couldn’t be any more applicable than it is to Rochdale. After playing in the fourth tier of English football since 1974 Rochdale finally made it out last season after finishing third in League 2 under the studious and detailed management of Keith Hill. With a bit of luck Hill can use his skills in the heady heights of League 1 and Rochdale can finally move forward like many other clubs their size have done in recent years. With the retention of club captain Gary Jones and top scorer Chris Ogrady, along with the addition of Scunthorpe goalkeeper Josh Lillis, Rochdale could be out of League Two for a long time yet.

Roy Hodgson to get the most out of Joe Cole

As someone who is often revered as the most skillful English footballer since Paul Gascgoine, it is fair to say that Joe Cole has yet to fulfill his potential. Overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of Drogba and Lampard at Chelsea, Cole’s brilliance with the ball at his feet was limited to just a few minutes here and there whilst he was at Stamford Bridge. But with Cole signing for Liverpool and with the Reds so bereft of attacking quality when Gerrard and Torres aren’t around Joe Cole is going to get much more of a chance to show us what he can do. On top of this he is now playing for a manager who likes the ball at his player’s feet, who is tactically very astute (something Cole needs to learn to be) and who has a history of taking players to the next level. Bobby Zamora and Brede Hangeland were nothing special until they came to Fulham where Roy Hodgson turned them into top class Premiership performers. Given Joe Cole’s ability on the ball Hodgson might be able to work his magic like he did at Craven Cottage, by taking a good player and simply playing to his strengths.

Chester FC to win promotion in their first season back in existence

Last year saw Chester City go out of business thanks to being run by a Liverpool drug dealer and financed by one of his associates, who was duly killed by a rival gang in turn leaving City in a perilous state and being expelled from the football conference. Chester City ended up being reformed by a consortium of fans but were forced to drop down four divisions to the Northern Premier League Division One North due to the fact that they went into liquidation. Now they play under the name of Chester FC and face a long road back to the Conference. However, the club is making progress having just staged its first game back in a friendly against Colwyn Bay and have also just announced the signing of experienced midfielder Andy Burgress from Luton. Manager Neil Young has plenty of experience at this level and let’s hope for football’s sake that he is able to get Chester FC back where they belong.

Written By Kieran Lovelock