With six new teams in the division, all the league issues including promotion, relegation and playoff places look like tough calls and it seems as if the full 46 games and nine months will be needed to decide who is celebrating and drowing their sorrows at the end of the 2008/09 season.
Of course only one match really matters for City fans this weekend as the pride of Bristol who came so close to promotion last season travel to Bloomfield Road, Blackpool for their first competetive match since Wembley heartbreak at the hands of Hull City.
Gary Johnson and his club are sure to be confident that they can succeed and after coming from nowhere to claim a place in last seasons playoffs, City are once again fancied to be near the top of the league when it comes to deciding who will be promoted to the Premiership.
There are eleven tangerine shirted players standing in their way of three opening day points however as Blackpool and their manager Simon Grayson look to get off to a winning start. In a bid to get to know the weekends opponents a little better, here a look at Blackpool, in-focus style.
History
Blackpool are a club with a rich football history, despite playing most of their recent seasons outside the top two divisions. The club returned to the Championship in 2007 starting their first game in the second tier for the first time in nearly 30 years with a win.
The Tangerines had a reasonably good start to least season knowing Derby County out of the League Cup and eventually being defeated by eventual winners Spurs 2-0 in the last 16. The 2007/08 season finished well for the club after they tailed off in the middle and finishing 19th place and escaping relegation was their reward for a difficult season.
The clubs most notable achievement was winning the 1953 FA Cup final 4-2 against Bolton Wanderers in what became known as the Matthews final. They were founded in 1887 and have been playing in their current home ground since 1899.
2007/08
Blackpool gained promotion to the Championship via the playoffs in 2006-07 beating Oldham Athletic in the semi-final and Yeovil Town 2-0 in the final. In their first season in the Championship they started well and finished 19th securing their survival by rights on the final day of the campaign. Their top goal scorer was Ben Burgess who netted nine league goals and ten in total. Their highest attendence was against Watford and they reached the League Cup fourth round and the FA Cup third round.
Transfers
Simon Grayson the Blackpool manager has been busy trying to push the squad onto the next level after avoiding relegation in 2007/08. The club have made eleven changes in total with Marcus Bean, Kiegan Parker, Michael Jackson and Wes Hoolahan all leaving.
Those added to the squad for 2008/09 are:
Marlon Broomes from Stoke City - Free;
Matthew Gilks from Norwich City - Undisclosed;
Alex Baptiste from Mansfield Town - Undisclosed;
Joe Martin from Tottenham Hotspur - Undisclosed;
Jermaine Wright from Unattached - Free;
Steve Kabba from Watford - Loan;
Adam Hammill from Liverpool - Loan.
Pre Season
Blackpool have warmed up for the new season with three away games. Their results have been:
Skonto FC 0 - 4 Blackpool
Wrexham 0 - 0 Blackpool
Tranmere 1 - 0 Blackpool