Although it proved frustrating to have been so distant from it, to some extent the League One promotion picture eventually played into Bristol Rovers’ hands with the departures of Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday of benefit to the rest of the league.
With those two heavyweights now part of the Championship there are two less rivals in the third tier who can distort the financial expectations of what constitutes a good wage at that level. With Leyton Orient, Stevenage, Northampton and Carlisle United also earning promotion from League Two, none of that quartet possesses a level of financial power above the teams already present.
Joey Barton forecast as much towards the end of last season that League One in 2023/24 should, theoretically, be weaker and to add to that theory, of the three dropping down from the Championship, Wigan are in a state of chaos and start the campaign on -8 points while uncertainty remains around Reading. Only Blackpool can be regarded, at this stage, as a stable force.
