DIVISION ONE

By Harry Redknapp

	Redknapp: Hmm, who'll win? (GaryMPrior/Allsport)

Leicester obviously came down with a spectacular bump but that's just the one bad season after a run of decent campaigns in the top flight and I think Micky Adams and Alan Cork have the right battling mentality to make them a force again.

They've got rid of a few players, including Dennis Wise, but they look really solid at the back where Gerry Taggart and Matt Elliott are international class, Muzzy Izzet is a gifted midfielder and Paul Dickov and Brian Deane pose a real threat up front.

Adams also has a lot of youngsters who started to come through last season and they can make an impact.

Ipswich were unlucky to come down and should go well but I'm not so sure about Derby, who are in a lot of financial bother and may have to sell some of their players. You can't rule out Wolves, given how close they went last year - especially if they net Paul Ince.

The signing of Denis Irwin showed how much experience Dave Jones thought was required at Molineux and someone like Irwin would have helped them through their dreadful run at the end of last season.

That's why he is also looking at Ince, who is a brilliant player with loads to offer at this level. I'll be interested to see how the three promoted sides get on and tip Stoke to finish higher than Brighton or Reading.

As for Portsmouth, we've got to be looking at the play-offs. We had become a bottom-six team, so I've brought a few new faces in and hopefully will wrap up the signing of Paul Merson early in the week.

He really wants to come here because he is desperate to play first-team football and it would be superb for us to have a player with that talent around the place.

I've been back to West Ham and Bournemouth to get a few new faces and Matthew Taylor from Luton is one of the rising left-sided players in the game. He was a snip at £400,000.

PROMOTION TIPS: Leicester and Wolves, and why not Portsmouth through the play-offs.

Division Two

By Peter Taylor

That, together with the financial backing from the chairman, is a powerful combination. Look at the money - close to a million - they shelled out to sign Andy Campbell from Middlesbrough, even though the scale of the ITV Digital crisis was becoming apparent at that time.

Cardiff went on a tremendous run towards the end of last season and it all finished just two weeks too early for them. They have goalscorers throughout their squad and Robert Earnshaw should be one of the stars of the division.

QPR had a decent squad last year and did well despite their financial problems. They should be a little more relaxed in their play this year and they've got good strikers. They've held on to Andy Thomson and he'll score goals again.

Like Cardiff, Wigan have got a chairman who will probably be willing to spend money if they need to. Paul Jewell will be getting used to the players, who I felt underachieved last season.

Bristol City have got a lot of exciting youngsters and the longer they're together, the better they will be. The pick of the bunch is Aaron Brown, an outstanding talent who is going to be real handful.

You also have to fancy Crewe. Dario Gradi will not take relegation lying down and they have managed to keep talented striker Dean Ashton.

Another team who dropped down, Barnsley, are better than relegation made them look - they simply got hurt late on. I was very impressed with the number of teams who played good football last season and I hope the trend continues.

The teams who have come up will notice there are a lot of good strikers in the division who will punish them for lack of concentration.

PROMOTION TIPS: Cardiff and QPR. Wigan through the play-offs.

Division Three

By Steve Cotterill

The fact is, you need a large team. I'd always take a good big player over the good little player. I like my players to be athletes as well but there's no doubt size is a factor in success or failure at all levels - and in the lower divisions especially.

When I was in the division with Cheltenham I was quite impressed with the standard of football, particularly last season, but you need certain characteristics to get out of it, the stature of your team being one of them. The other main one, I think, is set-pieces.

I read a survey while Cheltenham were still in the Conference that said 61 per cent of goals in the Third Division came from set-plays. I was already working hard on that but I made doubly sure we kept at it when we were promoted into the League.

Set-pieces can be the difference between three points and no points and their influence is felt in both boxes - defending them well is just as important as making them count.

If we're talking about favourites to go up, you have to look at Hull. This will be Jan Molby's first full season with them and he will make them stronger. They've also got a little bit of money to spend.

Chris Turner at Hartlepool has assembled a good squad. They've gone close for the last three years. Lee Thorpe's goals should put Orient there or thereabouts.