Around One – A few more signings

Last Updated : 08-Jul-2003 by

Jack Lester - signed for Sheffield United
Again Neil Warnock has been busy and over the past couple of days has added Nottingham Forest striker Jack Lester and defender Chris Armstrong to his squad for an outlay of just £100,000. Lester had been released by Forest and Warnock took the opportunity to get Stretch’s brother for just 100 grand from struggling Oldham.

But you cannot go a week without Warnock upsetting someone and this week it is Tranmere who are not happy that David Kelly is leaving them to return to Bramall Lane as coach to replace Kevin Blackwell who moved to Leeds.

Norwich have seen a left-back leave and one arrive this week. They have signed Forest’s Canadian Jim Brennan on a Bosman but have allowed Paul Heckingbottom, a Burnley target a year ago, to sign for Bradford. Heckingbottom had a choice between Bradford and Colchester but chose the Yorkshire club.

Norwich have also made bids for the division’s two most wanted players David Connolly of Franchise and Crewe's Rob Hulse. They face stiff competition though. Hulse has already turned down Cardiff but West Brom are also interested and Crewe have agreed a fee with suddenly rich Millwall.

Connolly is still wanted by Reading, if in fact they can find anyone at Franchise to negotiate with. The Royals though will make their first summer signing this afternoon when Bristol City’s Scott Murray signs on the dotted line.

Talking Franchise though and Connolly’s striker partner Neil Shipperley is proving to be very two faced. On more than one occasion last season he slammed the real (AFC) Wimbledon fans for turning away and said the sooner he was out of Selhurst Park the better. Now with an less than secure future he is telling the world that he would like to play for Crystal Palace again. Now where is it they play?

Branchy’s cousin Michael has joined Heckingbottom at Bradford just as Andy Tod leaves. He has had to go with Bradford refusing to play him because one more appearance would force them to pay Dunfermline (his previous club) an extra £25,000.

Stephen Warnock - has joined Coventry for a year
Last season Stephen Warnock was on loan at the Bradford & Bingley Pulse Valley Parade Stadium but Crewe thought they had him on long term loan for next season. He has snubbed Dario G (no Carnival de Paris for Warnock) and has signed for Gary McAllister at Coventry.

Crewe though have made their first signing with the capture of former Barnsley defender Adie Moses on a free from Huddersfield. He will fill the gap left by Dave Walton’s move to Derby a week earlier.

Poor Huddersfield have had to call their friendly off against Bradford City because of police costs, what is the game coming to?

Leicester suffered at the hands of Legend in his own mind Peter Taylor a couple of years ago and one of his major signings was Matt Jones from Leeds who cost £3 million. Jones is now available on a free and is training with their neighbours Nottingham Forest.

Preston have signed George Koumantarakis for a further year although strangely I can never remember Burnley being linked with him. Surely there hasn’t been a change of policy at sleepy Deepdale.

Still no signings at Rotherham despite Ronnie Moore wanting to get it all sorted quickly but Walsall and Watford have both been busy. Danny Webber has moved from Manchester United to Watford on a permanent deal after impressing on loan last season whilst he has been joined by Jimmy Davis who makes the same journey on a year’s loan.

Walsall have signed Stefan Oakes from Leicester and also Gillingham’s Simon Osborn. Apparently Osborn had verbally agreed a new deal at Gillingham but then found Walsall offering a lot more money.

Andy Hessenthaler, who is looking for a play off place this season, wished him all the best but Paul Scally was angered by his change of mind. Scally though has other concerns with news that his infant son Elliott now faces more surgery. We would like to send the Scally family our sincere best wishes and hope Elliott, just a few weeks old, is soon able to start a more healthy life.

David Bellion - now at Manchester United
Sunderland are finally starting their clear out although the first to go was not a player they wanted to leave. David Bellion has signed for Manchester United after the Mackems accused them of underhand tactics and poaching. Manchester United, surely not!!!!

But their full back Burnt Arse (sorry Bernt Haas) looks all set for a half million pound move to West Brom although that hasn’t been confirmed as yet. McCarthy needs to sell though before he can bring in new players and has again said that he would like Shaun Goater.

Turf Moor favourite (oh yes) Jason Roberts has been granted a move by West Brom after asking for a transfer. Looks as though he has got carried away and thinks he is a Premiership striker.

In a surprise move Reading striker Jamie Cureton has turned down Reading’s new offer, and offers from a host of 2nd and 3rd division clubs and chosen to continue his career in South Korea with Busa Icons. At least he won’t be around scoring goals against the Clarets.

Glenn Roeder is back at work at West Ham after a brain tumour. Last time he was there they were fighting for their lives in the Premiership but now they are in Division One. It is surprising that he is there with most Hammers fans expecting him to have been sacked long ago.

No such look for coach Mark Lillis, chief scout David Nish and physio Stuart Walker at Derby. All have lost their jobs with club and Walker agreeing to make no further comment about his departure. The plot thickens at Pride Park.

And Pride Park will be where they play their reserve games next season, manager George Burley doesn’t agree with playing them on out grounds and thinks his young players should get used to playing at the home ground.

Seems a good decision to me and one that continues at Burnley. But for those who were down at Gawthorpe yesterday they were better off than Derby fans who have now been stopped from going to their Moor Park training ground.

Away from the playing side and work has now finally started at Norwich on the new stand. It will be ready in February but until then only 336 away fans will be admitted to games at Carrow Road and that includes the game against the Clarets.

Walsall have also started work yesterday on putting seats in at the front of the new Purple Stand to make the Bescot an 11,300 all seater stadium.

Two other snippets of news. West Brom have an anniversary this year and a real one at that, it is their 125th. Not for them a strange yellow and black shirt a year late but instead they intend to have a mural erected at the ground which will be signed by as many Baggies fans as possible.

A great money raiser do you think? Not quite, there will be no charge to the fans to have their name on the mural at the Hawthorns.

And finally this week Stoke have moved quickly to fill a blank date. They had arranged a friendly against Athletic Bilbao at the Britannia Stadium but the Spaniards have pulled out. Stoke’s directors didn’t want to let the fans down and so have managed to acquire an alternative.

Instead of the Spanish giants on 2nd August they will now play at home on the Friday night 1st August against Macclesfield Town. What a boost for the Stoke fans.

That’s it this week, see you in a week’s time Around One.