|
In the Championship – Boardroom changes
In the end Lowe accepted the inevitable and resigned, along with four fellow directors, and the new regime moved on in Friday without any need for the meeting. The ducks in Hampshire aren't going to be safe for much longer now he has time on his hands.
At the other end of the country, Sunderland chairman Bob Murray said his goodbyes on Friday after 20 years with the club, a period that has seen them go as high as seventh in the Premiership and also move into a new stadium.
Today will see a consortium headed by former player Niall Quinn take control and there could be news of a new manager, possibly Roy Keane if first choice Martin O'Neill doesn't have a change of mind. Keane would be an interesting choice, in effect taking over from Mick McCarthy, and Quinn was very much a McCarthy supporter back at the 2002 World Cup when Keane came home.
We've had more managerial changes in the last week. Phil Parkinson finally moved to Hull whilst Ian Holloway has taken over at Plymouth. Holloway's move, bringing to an end his association with QPR, allowed the London club to appoint Gary Waddock as manager after he'd held the caretaker role for five months.
|
One previous manager out of his club is Terry Westley. He took over from Phil Brown at Derby after the former Bolton man was sacked but didn't get the job on a permanent basis and moved back to run the youth academy. That was until new manager Billy Davies decided to exercise his authority and that leaves Westley looking for a new job.
Meanwhile over at Preston. Paul Simpson said he wouldn't be bringing any staff in to work with him but within a couple of days of that saw the arrival of his assistant manager from Carlisle Dennis Booth. That prompted a suggestion that David Kelly could be on his way to Derby but that has been denied by Simpson who intends keeping Kelly at Deepdale.
The rest of the news is transfer news and nowhere has it been busier than at Coventry where Paul Fletcher's Operation Premiership has gone into overdrive with three more additions to the squad. Former Norwich and Ipswich goalkeeper Andy Marshall was the first after he had been released by Millwall then later in the week they signed Colin Cameron from Wolves and Brentford midfielder Jay Tabb.
It was almost brotherly love at Crystal Palace where the legend completed his first transfer deal since taking over as manager. He went back to his old club Hull City and paid them £1.25 million for Leon Cort and followed that up with a bid for his brother Carl who is currently at Wolves. That second bid was turned down by the Wolves board.
Stephen Kelly has completed his move to Birmingham from Spurs whilst West Brom have paid Celtic half a million for Welsh international striker John Hartson. One Welsh striker not on the move though is apparently Norwich City's Robert Earnshaw. Nigel Worthington has told Mark Hughes he is not for sale.
And it is a not for sale sign that Worthington himself has found at the Windy City after he tried to sign former Burnley loan player Luke Chadwick. He spent all of last season at Stoke, making a loan move from West Ham permanent in January and new manager Tony Pulis says he is going nowhere.
|
Southend fans are delighted at their recent signings. They firstly captured Motherwell left back Steve Hammell and followed that up with the signing of Leeds striker Michael Ricketts. The fans are delighted with the Ricketts signing, a former England international they think is going to set Roots Hall alight.
The one remaining transfer to go through during the last week, other than Stephen Foster joining the Clarets, was that of Darren Kenton who has moved from Southampton to Leicester. Kenton is the player who always seemed to be involved in a serious injury when he played against us – just ask Lee Briscoe, Glen Little or Alan Moore.
We said last week that Colin Healy could be looking for a move back into the Championship and he's settled himself in at Ipswich on trial. Manager Jim Magilton has said that he will one one of a number of trialists.
And finally this week, the news that Luton Town have acquired the land close to the M1 they want to build a new stadium. I was wondering whether they will make it authentic and build a row of terraced houses in front of it so we can go through someone's house to get into the ground.