Firstly, we do not really know which teams will be strong at this point. That is usually the case, but there is less certainty this season that at any time since 1946. There are many variables to consider before we even look at the fixture list.
Squad size restrictions will affect some clubs more than others, although the financial impact of the salary cap will have minimal effect until 2021-22. The entries for this year’s Where Will They Finish? competition reveal an almost universal tendency to simply place the clubs in order of perceived size. That may be of decreasing relevance, and there will be surprises as ever.
The transfer window does not close until 16 October, by which time squads could look very different to how they look right now. How each team performs in the opening six games could dictate how many changes each club is willing or able to make.
What is the average age of each squad? The intensity of games will be challenging for everyone, but particularly so for the squads with the higher average age.
Exactly when you play each club can be very significant, as per Bolton last season. Presumably, everyone wants to play Wigan in the early stages, but we do not play them until December. And some clubs will inevitably do well in cup competitions, leading to even greater intensity in their fixture schedules. And will there be a sizeable number of winter weather postponements to add further congestion to the mix?
We can expect the normal rules of home advantage to be blurred due to crowd restrictions. That may adversely affect those clubs with the more sizeable or passionate home support, such as Sunderland, Ipswich and Portsmouth. We could easily include Lincoln in that.
The schedule for the return of spectators could also have a significant impact. The longer those restrictions operate, the more financial stress will be felt by the smaller clubs in particular. Some are struggling very badly right now, and that must affect performances on the pitch.
Off-field issues can also come into play. Will Wigan still exist on 12 September? Will they have been able to cobble a scratch team together by then? Or will they be taken over by a money machine this week, pay their creditors 25p (as the administrators are already planning to do) and spend lots on a title-winning squad? All three are possible as things stand.
Will Charlton finally be taken over? Will boardroom squabbles affect them on the field? Will Lee Bowyer walk away if so?
Will Swindon receive a points deduction? What effect could that have on their onfield performances?
As for the fixtures themselves, we can, therefore, talk only in general terms.
Oxford at home is a tough start on paper, but better than playing them away on the opening day. It is always nice to open a season at home, and we have that. MK Dons look weak at the moment, and Charlton may still have those off-field distractions when they come to LNER.
The traditional Boxing Day / New Year games have decreased in importance in recent years due to the large crowds at LNER for almost every game. However, Burton at home and AFC Wimbledon away are not inspiring fixtures, unless we are allowed to visit the new (and probably ruinous) Plough Lane stadium for the first time.
Easter is often a watershed in the calendar, and City face MK Dons at home on Good Friday and Charlton away on Easter Monday. That could be exciting.
The last twelve fixtures look very tough at this stage of pre-season. That run includes seven of what I expect to be our ten hardest fixtures of the season.
More specifically, there is a tough run of four successive away games through March into April: Ipswich, Sunderland, Oxford and Charlton. That is followed a few weeks later by a visit to Peterborough, who believe they should be entitled to promotion and will throw another tantrum if it doesn’t happen. Watch out for low-flying objects being thrown from prams.
If anyone can pick through that lot and come up with any idea of the winners and losers, they are wiser than me.
You can discuss the fixture list HERE, as well as many other topics on 100% Imps!
If you haven’t already had a go at our quizzes, this is a great way to learn some random information about the Football Club, as well as helping us generate much-needed page views: Quiz No.1, Quiz No.2, Quiz No.3, Quiz No.4, Quiz No.5, Quiz No.6, Quiz No.7, Quiz No.8, Quiz No.9, Quiz No.10, Quiz No.11, Quiz No.12, Quiz No.13, Quiz No.14, Quiz No.15, Quiz No.16, Quiz No.17, Quiz No.18, Quiz No.19, Quiz No.20, Quiz No.21, Quiz No.22, Quiz No.23, Quiz No.24, Quiz No.25, Quiz No.26, Quiz No.27, Quiz No.28, Quiz No.29 and Quiz No.30.
"MK Dons look weak at the moment, and Charlton may still have those off-field distractions when they come to LNER."https://t.co/FzvvBbtlba#MKDons #CAFC pic.twitter.com/gxsf8M3pJj
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) August 24, 2020
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