 | Parkinson has had less than three months in the Colchester hot seat |
Phil Parkinson enters his first full season as a manager confident that he can continue to move Colchester United in the right direction.
Parkinson became the youngest manager in the Football League when he moved to Layer Road in February and duly underlined his potential by guiding the Us away from relegation trouble.
A respectable 12th-place finish hinted at better times ahead for the Essex club, though Parkinson refuses to get carried away with his impressive start.
"We are looking to improve on last year. I don't want to make predictions and I have asked the players not to, but I am hopeful that by the end of the season we will have progressed forward," Parkinson told this website.
"We finished well last year, we have a good pre-season under our belts and we are looking to carry on the good work.
"In the summer we targeted key positions and have managed to fill those. Hopefully, there will be one or two more before the big kick-off, though it might take a little longer."
But while the former Reading midfielder is reluctant to talk up his own side's chances, he is happy to tip the front runners for this year's Second Division championship.
| PARKINSON'S TEAMS TO WATCH |
"I don't think you can look much further than QPR," he says, with some confidence. "They have strong players throughout the team and have that bit of quality in one or two key positions."
In what looks a wide open title race, Parkinson also fancies two of last season's nearly teams to improve.
"I saw Plymouth at the end of last season and thought then they are potentially a good team.
"And Luton have had financial problems throughout the summer but have maintained a good squad of players."
Parkinson also believes the three teams relegated from the First Division and the sides promoted from the third could feature strongly.
"You have take into account the relegated three and I think Brighton will do particularly well because Steve Coppell always gets the best out of what he has got.
|  Sheffield Wednesday are favourites to go back as champions but Chris Turner knows it is never as easy as that |
"He took Brentford to the verge of the play-offs a couple of years ago and, although Brighton have lost their main goalscorer in Bobby Zamora, I think they can cope without him. "Sheffield Wednesday are a big club and they have a lot of quality in their side but it will be keen to see how they handle the expectations of their supporters.
"They are favourites to go back as champions but Chris Turner knows it is never as easy as that.
"Grimsby look like they have signed one or two good players and having come down from Division One they will be strong but whether or not they can bounce straight back I don't know.
"Of the promoted sides, Wrexham have lost their two main goalscorers from last year in Andy Morrell and Lee Trundle but they have signed Chris Armstrong who is a very decent striker to say the least.
"Rushden will be strong again and all the sides who came up have got chances.
"Bournemouth are a good footballing side and they play the game the right way.
"They have good young players and I am pleased they came up as they play attractive football. They should be okay, particularly as their young players are another year older."
Parkinson was also happy to see the back of the cash-rich duo of Wigan and Cardiff, whose promotion leaves the division refreshingly void of a major spender.
"I was pleased Wigan and Cardiff went up as they were the two sides with real buying power.
"The likes of Sheffield Wednesday and QPR have got through financial problems and have improved on that score, but neither will have the same sort of money to invest that Cardiff and Wigan had."
MMIX
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