In the past when I have done these little reviews I have always listed where I think each team will finish in the league, but this year it all seems just to close to call any team in the first division could win it this year all they need is a little bit of luck to add to their undoubted managerial skills. So in no particular order here is what I think.

LEWES - If I had to pick one of this bunch as title winners this would probably be my pick. Dave Dohm has clearly finished the twenty year rebuilding programme at Lewes and they are finally ready to lay claim to their 14th League title. With no cash left there will be no further rebuilding. Another forward might have been nice but otherwise the squad is nicely balanced and brimming with talent like mdfielder Ryan Smith. In young Owen O´Neill they have the makings of a quality keeper and the experienced Rooney as backup.

TRANMERE - Have 15 league titles already and won´t want Lewes catching them so they are likely to pull out all the stops in this year´s title race. They currently have the lowest T11 in the division but I still put them as my second favorites to win the title this year. They have a cracking forward line, a quality keeper in Cole Brown and a reliable reserve keeper in Coleman. The deficiencies are a weakish defence and a serious issue at sweeper level. Let´s face it they don´t actually have a sweeper and the midfield is too inexperienced to work a midfield dom strategy. They do however have a mountain of cash to rectify this and we expect to see either lot 7 or 8 being aquired in this sessions auction, before league games kick off in session 2. Otherwise they will be looking to buy a sweeper off someone else before thie league campaign implodes.

BRENTFORD - Manager Sellars has a great chance of picking up his first league title this year. His strong T11 of 11.86 is founded on a top defence and the leagus most expensive keeper Killian Nicolle. A little more firepower might have been nice and bringing through an app keeper after bringing in Nicolle is going to be an issue. If I was Brentford I might consider trying to offload the app and give Nicolle the game time he was bought for. A shame to waste him sitting on the bench.

PLYMOUTH - With the divisions top T11 of 12.09 this side can not be written off as the squad is pretty awesome. The problem they have is trying to bring through an app sweeper and as Lowe is too low a level to fill in for the app we now have another team looking longingly at lots 7 and 8 in the auction. Lot 8 might be the preferred cheaper option but buying lot 7 would potentially damage rivals Tranmere a lot.

BRISTOL - Have the second highest T11 in the division at 12. They also have the hottest midfield I have seen grace MSWL. Edward Lennon and Luke Taylor would go straight into the team of any other side in the league. On top of which they can then add the exhilarating pace and potential of young brandon Lloyd and the leadership of Captain Marcus Orlando. The question remains however if it is possible to win the league playing midfield dom as your main strategy? I am intrigued to find out. Manager Mendonca can however mix it up a bit when Oscar sharp reaches his potential they will have a good young sweeper to add to a good forward line. A dark horse bid for the title this year.

BRIGHTON - This team have two recent league titles under their belt and will be looking for a third. They could well achieve it this yearas they have a good all round squad with no real weakness and plenty of depth. Add enough money to bring in one or two more and you can not write off their chances at all. I´m not sure where Manager Miller might want to improve. A fifth striker maybe might just give them an edge over the other teams at this level.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST - Have a strong well balanced squad and a T11 of 11.55. On top of this they are also the richest team in the land so have the cash to bring in some real quality to boost that T11 score. Making Trevor Ritchie Captain was astute as it adds a 4th strong striker into the mix, although it will also cost a few CP´s to get him fully fit for the start of the season. My main reservation about Forest is bringing through app keeper Charlie Cockayne, which they need to do to replace the ageing Hoffmann who has one more season left in him. It is probably enough of a problem to scupper any title bid.

SOUTHEND - as with Forest Southend have the same issue in trying to bring through an app keeper this season. apart from that they have a very nice well balanced squad who can mix up playing styles with some flexibility. they have a reasonable amount of cash, although not as much as at Manager Turner´s disposal. with three key players unavailable through suspension they might have to rely on their desired playing for a draw strategy in the early cup games or maybe even write off the FA Cup despite the home draw. The T11 is marginally lower than Forests which reduces thier odds of a title winning bid in comparison.

PRESTON NORTH END -  May have a low T11 at 11.36 compared to some of the teams in the division but they have no issues about bringing through app sweepers and keepers to distract them from a title bid. They also have some top midfielders in Quinn and Rocha standing out as the cream in a fairly well balanced squad. Another Forward could be useful in a Forward line that lacks a bit of strength, 

CREWE - Are the one team that may struggle a bit at this level as the T11  is off the pace at 11.18 and with a squad size of only 21 players there is not a huge lot of depth to the squad so avoiding too many injuries to key players will be important for Manager Oakes, but there is a least a nice amount of cash in the bank to spend their way out of trouble and even mount a successful title bid if the right players can be found. Another striker could be useful for a start.