Barnsley

Their remarkable FA Cup run last season, in which they beat Liverpool and Chelsea on their way to the semi-finals, proved such a distraction that it almost cost them relegation to League One. Simon Davey, the manager, has achieved his main objective of the close season by retaining the services of Brian Howard, the influential midfield player, despite interest from several Barclays Premier League clubs. Barnsley have a wealth of options in midfield and the return to fitness of Heinz Müller, the goalkeeper, will be a huge lift, yet Davey looks light in the striker department and relegation is a strong possibility.

Predicted final position: 22

Birmingham City

Alex McLeish departed the Barclays Premier League amid farcical scenes when supporters turned on the Birmingham City board of directors after a resounding 4-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers. But, far from being discouraged, the Birmingham manager appears to have adapted swiftly to the demands of Championship football and the club are one of the favourites to achieve automatic promotion.

Retaining James McFadden and Sebastian Larsson was crucial and, despite the loss of Fabrice Muamba and Olivier Kapo, the acquisitions of Kevin Phillips, Marcus Bent and Lee Carsley seem to be shrewd pieces of business.

Predicted final position: 1

Blackpool

A steady first crack at life in the Championship was almost allowed to slip away at the end of last season, but Simon Grayson, the manager, has bought reasonably well this summer in the shape of Zesh Rehman, Steve Kabba, Daniel Nardiello and Matthew Gilks, who will surely help in the fight against relegation. However, last season’s key men, Kaspars Gorkss, the defender, and Wes Hoolahan, the winger, have departed for Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City respectively. Add to that a possible lack of goals and a problem with squad depth, and this may be one season too far for Grayson’s team in a high-quality division.

Predicted final position: 24

Bristol City

Last May’s appearance in the play-offs final was an achievement that caught almost everyone, apart from Gary Johnson by surprise. Johnson has established a reputation as an astute manager and has responded to heightened expectations by operating carefully in the transfer market. He rejected the chance to sign Michael Mifsud from Coventry City and Emad Meteb, the Egypt forward, before bringing in Nicky Maynard, the forward, from Crewe Alexandra for a club-record £2.25 million. A loss of form late last season suggests that more new faces are required, particularly after the departure of Nick Carle, the midfield player, to Crystal Palace.