Football Season Guide

Fleetwood were one of the surprise packages of the 2016/17 season as the Cod Army finally managed to turn the passing football that they have become known for over the years into tangible results, finishing the season in fourth place and only narrowly missing out on direct promotion. They were beaten by Bradford in the play-off semi final but there is little doubt that they would have taken the season they had if offered to them before the campaign started. Their manager Uwe Rosler has seen his stock plummet following his disappointing spell at Wigan, which is the reason why he became available to take over at Fleetwood in the first place. However, he once again became a man in demand following last season's results. Without a doubt Fleetwood's biggest achievement in the current summer is that they kept hold of Rosler who signed a new contract with the club in June. When it comes to the ins and outs, the Cod Army have lost three of their best players in David Ball, Conor McLaughlin and Jimmy Ryan. Although, it needs to be noted that they have already got used to playing without Ryan as the creative midfielder has missed the majority of the previous season with an injury. On the bright side, they have again managed to sign the likes of Kyle Dempsey, Conor McAleny and Jordy Hiwula who all spent time on loan with them last season. The only genuinely new players in the squad are Harvey Rodgers, Michael Donohue and Lewie Coyle who all lack previous League One experience. Providing that their new signings do not step up and replace those who have departed, Fleetwood look to be a touch weaker than last season. Most of those following League One will therefore expect them to struggle to repeat their last season's feats but the Rosler-factor should not be taken lightly, given that the German manager has a track record of doing well in this division and that he is easily among the best tacticians in this league.