Squad

Strange goings on at Derby with some of our ex-keepers.

Atkins and Deeney given contract extensions.

Lego under contract but available for transfer.

Very odd. Lego even had a run in their first team.

Whilst I am on the subject of 'keepers, what was apparent was that Tommo's confidence was shot to pieces at the end of the season.

- The Chesterfield goal he should have saved.
- The 7 at Port Vale - a few he should have saved
- The spill at Accrington in the last minute.
- He was clearly a bag of nerves in the play-offs.

The guy who had commanded his area so well seemed so nervous. Neutrals who watched the play off games on the TV asked me who the dodgy 'keeper was for us.

He wasn't culpable for us not getting promoted and he should definitely have been playing in those play off games.

When he is at his confident best he is an excellent 'keeper. I am just stating at this point that for me our 'keeper situation is not totally resolved yet. You are only as good as your last game as they say.

Lets be honest Otep would you pay a fee for Atkins or Deeney because i certainly wouldnt.Its another shrewd move by Nige in the transfer market.As for our goalkeeper yes he has looked shaky towards the end of the season but i think we should start with him next season,i rate him highly and think he will be an asset to the squad.Things will start moving come the end of May and hopefully we will see some good solid signings.

Did anyone note that Adi Yussuf went to Lincoln City?

Funny how the players who leave us generally always go to a club lower than us. Since we have been a league club the only player that I can think of who has stepped up is Lego.

Im just back from holiday and a little disapointed no one new has been signed as yet , Zola ,Patterson ,Sharps still to commit ,Macdonald released by Burnley what a shock that is !! and we may be offering him a two year contract , please no no no Gary ,as you say there are going to be lots of out of contract players from Championship and league one becoming available .How much would O'Conner cost ? Maghoma im gutted by as i loved his direct runs on goal and ball skills and his goals were an added bonus last season. I see Grimes has been released by Rochdale he is a goalscorer who could be worth a punt ! .

Ditto Stuart44 just arrived back from my fortnight's hols and hey presto, nothing! Zola and Pato worry me the most, not having nailed them down at the earliest opportunity is a little strange, I believe they both have a massive part to play this season. Sharps and MacDonald I'm a little less worried about, as you say there are many Championship and L1 players about to become available. Grimes I understand is a 'big time Charlie' so maybe he doesn't fit the bill.

Other teams do seem to have got in early with their transfer dealings I know GR put together an excellent squad last season, fingers crossed he will do the same for the coming one.

Well folks I'm starting to get nervous. I think the Brewers are due to report back for training on the 28th and according to the Burton Mail are also off to sunny Spain soon for a pre-season training camp. No word of any signings yet though. No word on whether MacDonald or Knowles have definitely signed. No word yet on Patto or Zola, so only11 players on the books I think. Anyone heard anything?

No but im sure players are being spoken too , most good players who have been released have a few interested clubs and its up to our management team to sell our club to them ,but also keep to a budget , Gary is right to force Zola and Patterson to make up their minds on whether to accept new deals so he is not left late in the day chasing players who no one else wants .I have faith in who he signs after last close season , but im just not sure about Macdonald or am i missing something ? for me he runs around but looks chubby ,his distribution is poor , and doesnt excite me .Im not happy at the prospect of having to watch him for the next two seasons im sorry .

Calvin I am sure will move on, he's 28 now and needs a good pay day to finish off his career. That said if he doesn't get a decent offer nearer to his home in the Wirrel then maybe, just maybe he will stay where he is loved. Pato sounds like he is in demand, but I am sure he will sign for us, he became a bit of a fans favourite and I think there's more to come from him with more first team starts.MacDonald I am absolutely not bothered about, thought he did well defensively, but showed very little going forward apart from a few good crosses, think there is better out there, and I believe Plymouth are in the hunt.. Symes is a big fat NO for me. Thought he was lazy and didn't show the fight wanted in many of his games, brought very little to the table, in fact I thought he was a disappointment.

GR needs to release some positive news, so that the fans again back him and we sell more season tickets to help our promotion push this season. If we manage to keep Calvin/Pato and make two or three other 'decent' signings then I see no reason why we can't go for automatic!

Personally i would like to see Zola stay but i fear a better offer nearer to his home on the Wirral will tempt him away,Patterson i fear will go too due to clubs being able to offer him more and a longer deal than the 12mths we have offered.
Maghoma i suspect will sign for Charlton Athletic.
I've heard of 22 players we are supposed to be interested in,some believable some a bit far fetched.
In the far fetched category in my opinion are Rob Edwards,James Bailey,Sanchez Watt,Ashley Vincent,David Bell and Magnus Okuoghae.
Possibles would be Phil Edwards,Anthony O'Connor,Ryan Cresswell,Tom Naylor,Richard Taundry,Adam Mcgurk,Sam Morsy,Sam Williams,Robbie Simpson,Michael Symes,Adebayo Akinfenwa,Mama Sadibe,Damian Reeves and Wes York.
Unlikely Evan Horwood,Marvin Morgan,Shaun Harrad.
These are all names i have seen banded about,not of my own making.
There are some good players there, i wouldn't mind James Bailey on loan but can't see it,rumour has it that Tom Naylor from Derby has already turned us down. Sanchez Watt could well end up at Colchester and the others in this category are looking for more money than we could pay and higher level football.
I almost forgot Macdonald and Dominic Knowles,i'm sure both will sign,Macdonald will have to up his game for me but Knowles i know a bit about and he could turn out to be a real gem.
Of all the others i have no idea what truth there is in any of the rumours but here is my very humble opinion :- Phil Edwards(27) i think is a possible,out of contract from Stevenage after loan spell at Rochdale,seen him plenty of times playing for Accrington,he's 27 and a very good player.
Ryan Cresswell(25) we know all about from Rotherham and Southend,wants to be nearer home,very good player and a possible. Richard Taundry(24) from Walsall has been a regular there with over 150 games,don't know a lot about him. Adam Mcgurk(24) released by Tranmere,great player and the obvious connection with Summerfield and Robbie Weir. Anthony O'Connor Blackburn won't let us know about until a couple of weeks before the season. Sam Morsy(21) from the Vale is a tidy midfield player as is Sam Williams(25) from Dagenham who also plays as a striker. Wes York(19) played for Nuneaton last season but wants to play in the league,very tricky speedy winger .
Of the strikers Robbie Simpson(28) from Oldham i like a lot but not sure we could afford his wages,Michael Symes(29) i'm fairly sure will sign,i like him but see why others don't. Akinfenwa(31) i doubt will want to travel this far from London and maybe too old know, Harrad(28) i can't see coming back, Sadibe(33) although i think he would do well at our level is injury prone and not prolific. Damian Reeves(27), great finisher but maybe bit too old to gamble on now.
One thing i don't get is why we gave 2 year contracts to Dyer and Phillips,i don't rate either,admitedly Phillips was man of the match against Gillingham but that has to be viewed against the fact that the full back was very inexperienced. Neither are ever going to be 1st choice and are taking up valuable wage budget.
They are all the names i've heard about,most of its probably tosh but if you think what type of players Gary has said he is looking for and the positions you can make an educated guess and also what connections they have with others already at the club.
Has any one got any other names we can gossip about ?

I am off on my holiday to spain soon and I hope by the time I get back GR has done some great deals on the player front. I did think GR would have signed some new players by now, or maybe he is playing the long game.
I have made the commitment today and renewed my season ticket and I hope the new season will be as entertaining as last season.