Around One – Time for a dig

Last updated : 23 June 2003 By Tony Scholes

Work has stopped on the new stand at Norwich as archaeologists move in
Work has had to stop after an amazing archaeological find and work cannot resume until the experts have been in for a further dig in the area. Underneath the old stand they have found tools believed to be over 10,000 years old.

This will delay things and the new stand will not be ready now until February at the earliest. This means there will be severe restrictions on away fans for the first fifteen games of the season with it possible that there will be only 300 tickets available for visiting supporters.

Even home fans will be restricted and they have opened up a membership scheme where each member will be allowed tickets for one match in each of three groups with five matches in each group. We are in the top group as one of the biggest games.

Down at Gillingham the supporters have won against Chairman Paul Scally and the Gills will not be playing in white shirts next season. They have overwhelmingly told Scally to get stuffed with his idea and they will now play in blue and black hoops.

Talking kit and Sunderland are launching their new away kit on 5th July. The clamour for the new navy blue shirts has meant that once again the club shop will be opening at midnight. Last year when the home shirt went on sale (they change once every two years) they did the same thing and the queues completely surrounded the Stadium of Light.

Not to miss out on an opportunity the Mackems will have their Sports Bar open all evening serving food and drink so the queue is hardly likely to be the most sober of queues by the time the shop opens.

Artist's impression of the new Coventry stadium
Work has finally started on Coventry’s new stadium which is a massive project that also includes the City council and supermarket giants Tesco. It will be sometime before they are ready to even think of moving out of Highfield Road. The project is being managed by former Claret Paul Fletcher.

In these days when managers are sacked probably far too quickly we can reveal that it is party time at Crewe just now as Milan born Dario Gradi celebrates twenty years in the job. Appointed around the same time as John Bond got the Burnley job he appears to have survived a little bit longer.

Everything has been quiet down Cardiff way since they won the play off but this week Sam Hammam's former minder Neil Macnamara was found guilty of criminal damage after setting off the fire alarm in a Cardiff hotel on the morning of City’s play off final. It just happened to be the hotel that opponents QPR were staying in and the hotel guests were all disturbed at 3:00 a.m.

There was huge debate as to whether this was football related and if so Macnamara will receive an exclusion order when sentence is passed.

We have been awaiting news from Franchise following them going into administration but the good news is there hasn’t been any other than the suggestion that they will play at Selhurst Park again at the beginning of the season.

In April Football League Chairman Sir Brian Mawhinney said that The Football League Board regarded Milton Keynes as the club’s conurbation. Surely therefore the League will act and refuse them permission to play in London.

With any luck at all they won’t be playing anywhere. They are without the first club to go into administration to find that their fans are not rallying round to try and rescue the situation. You reap what you sow.

Nigel Reo-Coker won't GO MK
We told you a few weeks ago that clubs were pulling out of pre-season games against them although Aylesbury had agreed to play. Not any longer. That was called off this week after Franchise couldn’t agree to be able to field a team.

They (or should I say the administrators) should be able to pull some money in with the sale of some of the players. Nigel Reo-Coker has agreed a move to Portsmouth and there is a chance that he could be joined by Joel McAnuff.

Meanwhile David Connolly is expected to snub his international manager Mick McCarthy at Sunderland and sign for Reading in a £500,000 deal.

It could still be a 44 game season for us next season – here’s hoping.

One club recently out of administration cannot go wrong though. Ipswich Town wiped off millions that then allowed them to offer more than we could for Driss Diallo. Did they get a ticking off for all this from the FA? No, in fact the FA have even given them an international match. England’s friendly next season against Croatia will be played at Portman Road. It is too incredible to believe. Sheep Dip must be shoving two fingers up at football and having a good old laugh.

The fixtures duly arrived this week with some clubs complaining about them and others praising them but it didn’t take long for them to start changing. Two of the August Bank Holiday games have been put back 24 hours. Millwall’s game at Stoke will now be on the Tuesday for safety reasons whilst Bradford City’s trip to West Ham has been put back because of the Notting Hill Carnival.

It is no the first time that Notting Hill has caused a postponement, Burnley’s 4th Division game at Leyton Orient in 1987 was put back for the same reason.

Bradford manager Nicky Law has been cleared by the Football Association following an investigation over his involvement with an agent and some of the young Bradford professionals.

But it hasn’t been such good news for West Brom’s Managing Director Brendan Batson. He is one of a group that have been made redundant following relegation. Batson had been there for just a year after leaving the PFA to work for his former club.

Having released number two Steve Gritt recently Millwall are expected to replace him with Archie Knox the former Manchester United and Rangers coach. He has been out of work since losing his job at Everton along with Walter Smith.

Neil Emblen - signed for Walsall
There have been some signing this week in Division One although to be honest nothing to get too excited about. Walsall have led the way with two signings. Neil Emblen has joined from Norwich after having a loan spell at the Bescot last season and they have also picked up Havant & Waterlooville goalkeeper Aaron Kerr.

Sheffield United have also signed a goalkeeper, Kristian Rogers from Wrexham and Crewe defender Dave Walton has agreed a move to Derby and will sign at the beginning of next month.

Following the success of Danny Webber last season Watford are raiding Old Trafford again for a loan player and Jimmy Davis will sign a long term loan deal with the Hornets but it is not all good news at Vicarage Road.

Last week Bruce Dyer agreed a deal with them but this week he has said that he doesn’t really want to play for them but would much prefer to stay at Barnsley. He’s set himself up for a less than encouraging welcome from the fans on his return. Usually players will tell you they are delighted to sign, the club has great ambition and the manager has outlined his plans. Not Dyer though – he would prefer to stay at Barnsley.

At other clubs though players have departed. Brad Maylett of course left Burnley for Swansea whilst Ipswich Town’s Ulrich le Pen has signed for Strasbourg.

Georgi Kinkladze won’t be staying at Derby although the Rams are confident of keeping Lee Morris whilst at Stoke the fans have turned on James O’Connor after he decided to look elsewhere at the end of his contract.

Nottingham Forest could lose both Ricky Scimeca and Jim Brennan, they are interesting Leicester and Norwich respectively and Cardiff have made an enquiry for Rotherham’s Andy Monkhouse and an offer for Rob Hulse from Crewe.

Gilllingham will have to continue without the services of Ty Gooden who has been forced to retire through injury, he missed the whole of last season.

Sunderland still have their sale on with Michael Gray, Tommy Sorensen, Kevin Phillips and Gavin McCann all creating interest. But not at the prices Sunderland are asking. Expect some of these players to move on soon for knockdown prices with Sunderland born Gray joining either Fulham or the club he missed the play off penalty against Charlton Athletic.

Finally this week to West Ham where goalkeeper David James is currently training with Miami Dolphins, no I couldn’t believe it either. But Trevor Brooking has said this week that the Hammers will be the team everyone will want to beat.

Trev, when you have a manager like Glenn Roeder you will always be the team that everyone wants to beat.

See you next week Around One.