Tuesday 14 July 2009

Next up Bray Wanderers

Phil Parkinson and Mark Kinsella lead the squad out at Bray Wanderers tomorrow evening for the third warm-up match of the Summer. Bray is a seaside town at the end of the Dart trainline from Dublin and I was there in 1997 for the last friendlies played in Ireland (University College Dublin, St. Patricks and Bray Wanderers). It is also the home town for Darren Randolph, so I expect him to play and feature heavily in the team building activities after the match, which, in the circumstances, might be more important than football or fitness.

I suspect the wider squad will be utilised further tomorrow as those players who didn't feature at Wexford get a game tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if either of the two triallists used in the Wexford game feature again, or indeed of we play any others. Apparently, Club officials were asking fans not to report the names of the triallists, both of whom we were lead to believe were ex top-flight pros. You can imagine my disappointment then when the names were reported on an Irish website. I'd tell you who they were but I had never heard of them and have already forgotten their names. One is an out-of-contract 28-year old from Dublin who has played for nine clubs and has most recently been released by St Johnstone, so presumably that was as much convenient as serious. The other is a 32-year old Swansea player who doesn't appear to have featured much in the last three years. Our need for fresh faces and dressing room characters is probably as acute our our need for genuine quality, so perhaps I shouldn't be too dimissive.

The players will presumably come home tomorrow and get a day at home with their families before the trek to Forest Green Rovers on Saturday. Stuart Fleetwood would have been looking forward to that one, although I expect a tactical resting, if Exeter City haven't managed to secure him for the £100,000 we are believed to want for him before then.

In the meantime, the Fans Forum have demanded a response from the club to the Mail on Sunday snippet about us heading for the Big A. Steve Waggott has confirmed that they are working on one and it will be released when it's ready. Three days would seem more than sufficient to craft a few sentences, and get a lawyer to look them over for potential loopholes and er, put them on your website. Gaining agreement from all of the other Directors to the wording might not be so easy in the circumstances. The response it may draw will be fascinating. Personally, I will be looking for what it doesn't say just as much as what they are prepared to tell us. Roll on tomorrow.

3 comments:

  1. Well it seems those triallist's names are plastered enough places elsewhere, even if they have sent people off looking in the wrong places, with incorrect spellings. Along with Inale...Irale...ahhh...Izale McLeod! And photos are supplied too...

    I agree, I think there'll be a tactical resting for Fleetwood too. If he hasn't already moved on by then. The difference between the clubs of the estimate of his value...we need to tie that against his salary costs and lack of being used, or is that extra key to our bank balance. Shame Risdale doesn't negotiate for all other clubs!

    It's strange how trying to move house is putting the maybe, could be...might be...move into Administration, into the background. I wouldn't recommend it though!! I'm out all day today, and most of the evening...but will try to keep half an ear to the radio...

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  2. Suze - I had a chuckle at the attempted speeling of Mcleod's first name. I could see the Irish journo thinking, "it can't be Izale," that's a toilet paper, it must be something else, how about....They say house-moving is just behind divorce in the stress league and my experience would concur. Hving said that, focus on the evening of the day of your move - that moment when everything's in and you're settled before day two. It's a magic feeling when you've got a brew or a glass of wine and it's all behind you.

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  3. Oh, I'm waiting for that special glass...As I've only ever tried moving...and have always tried that at the wrong time, this is stress enough. Divorce can wait!

    ...and having kept all my ear to the radio, it didn't help. We're still lost in the doldrums as far as Waggott's concerned!

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Go on, you know you want to....