Football Season Guide

Fleetwood have had a rather up-and-down 2018/19 campaign. They had spells during which they displayed play-off and relegation form and duly finished inside the midtable places at the end. While they have displayed no major progress in terms of results under Joey Barton, the Cod Army were pleased to at least have adopted a more attacking style of play than was the case a year earlier. Barton himself looked like did not have a clear idea on what he wanted to do in the first half of the season, having frequently changed lineups and tactics, but his approach became clearer in the second half of the campaign, both tactically and in terms of team selection. Fleetwood did manage to keep hold of the majority of their regulars, although a few important players did leave following the ends of their loan deals. Ched Evans, Jason Holt and James Husband all returned to their parent clubs and no suggestions that any of them could return have been given. The Cod Army have brought in proven League One quality in Paul Coutts, Danny Andrew and Harry Souttar. Josh Morris is, without question, the most promising signing they have made. The winger saw his stock drop a bit following a campaign in which he had injury problems, but is one of the best wingers in the division when in form and will have plenty to prove. While losing Evans in particular is a blow, Fleetwood do seem a touch stronger than last season, while an additional boost for them is the fact that Barton is now well acquainted with the squad and seems to have come to grips with being a manager.