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Magpiegull wrote:Well, it's not Deane Smalley - he's signed a two-year deal with Argyle.

Good job too. Deane Smalley's goalscoring record (0.15 goals per game) is a lot worse than even Karl Hawley's (0.23 goals per game). The Gargs are welcome to him. We have enough strikers that can't score, don't want another one.

Well, on the football rumours website, it's saying that we're trying to sign Patrick Agyemang. It's the most unreliable website ever but hey we love a transfer rumour, anyway even if we were after him would he be looking for high wages and could he do a job in the conference?

Started off the season well and I recall identifying him as the one to watch against us. He went right off the boil after about November and hasn't scored since. No ta, I'll pass.

Matt.

Saw him a couple of times on tv early in the season for pompey and he was all but unplayable on both occasions - why on earth he struggled in league 2 is beyond me. He is way to good for the conference - never happen.

4 goals in 41 last season is nearly as bad as Benyon. Good physical presence, but not getting any younger.

Well he used to be good ......

Well the Herald have thrown a few more "names in the hat" today, identifying three potential targets.

I have to admit as to wondering what our strategy is here as we seem quite happy to be revealing details of who we are chasing ... we can now add goalkeeper Chris Weale , central midfielder Asa Hall (both Shrewsbury) and centre half George Pilkington (Mansfield) to the "list" of Cureton, Midson and Smalley (since signed for Argyle).

It does seem an unusual way of going about your business by revealing players you are chasing, as clearly the norm is to keep your transfer targets under wraps! How serious any of these targets are we don't really know and as suggested by others on here it may simply be a ploy by the club to keep interest (and more importantly season ticket sales) alive!

The link with Weale is also a strange one, not that he isn't a very good keeper, he was surprisingly released by Shrewsbury after being their number 1 there this season, but the fact is that we have already tabled offers to Poke and Rice and clearly until such time as they have made their minds up we aren't in a position to recruit a THIRD keeper of such stature anyway. I do wonder whether another reason might be to "encourage" our two existing keepers to put pen to paper sooner rather than later but either way both of them still have more than a couple of weeks before they need to make their minds up and only at that stage could we formally withdraw the contract offer and look elsewhere. Unless, of course one or other, or even both, have already intimated that they won't be taking up our offer.

The same could well be said of the link with Asa Hall, a little nod to Mansell and Lathrope there perhaps.

As for George Pilkington, well of the three names mentioned I would have to say that he is perhaps the only realistic one! But do we really want a 32 year old centre half who has spent the last two seasons being frozen out by Paul Cox at Mansfield, he has barely played for them in all that time, and has been loaned out to the likes of Forest Green and Macclesfield this season? Is he really any better than Aaron Downes? I'm not so sure.

I read the article and was surprised we were looking at a possible new Goalie,but as you say,CP,probably a tactic to hurry along Ricey and Pokey,in making their decision on what's been offered to them.Article also refers to "enquiries" for Cameron and Pearce

Well that all depends if, one, whether they are realistic targets, two, whether they are in actual fact targets in reality. If the club were to sign these, or this type of player, whilst I wouldn't complain would be delighted, it would suggest that CH has been given some of a greater player budget for the conference than Alan Knill ever got for League 2 last season, it would lead someone like me, asking the questions, WHY ? and How? when we're supposedly a potless club.

This type of player will not drop into the conference, when they are bound to receive offers from league 2 clubs, maybe even a few league 1 clubs, unless the deal offered to them is extremely attractive.

CP Gull wrote:
It does seem an unusual way of going about your business by revealing players you are chasing, as clearly the norm is to keep your transfer targets under wraps! How serious any of these targets are we don't really know and as suggested by others on here it may simply be a ploy by the club to keep interest (and more importantly season ticket sales) alive!

Not unusual if you're trying to pacify a restless fanbase and encourage them to buy some season tickets, especially if because of this the Manager will have his proposed budget decreased as happened to Ling and then Knill.

By my reckoning we have commitments to players that leave something like 100-150k to fill out the remaining spaces in the squad. This makes the naming of targets like Midson quite bizarre considering the kind of money he can command. Time will tell if I'm correct..................

As usual Chris, I think you're on the money.

Midson signed for Eastleigh. EDIT: Didn't see this on the other thread my bad :~D

CP Gull wrote:
The link with Weale is also a strange one, not that he isn't a very good keeper, he was surprisingly released by Shrewsbury after being their number 1 there this season, but the fact is that we have already tabled offers to Poke and Rice and clearly until such time as they have made their minds up we aren't in a position to recruit a THIRD keeper of such stature anyway. I do wonder whether another reason might be to "encourage" our two existing keepers to put pen to paper sooner rather than later but either way both of them still have more than a couple of weeks before they need to make their minds up and only at that stage could we formally withdraw the contract offer and look elsewhere. Unless, of course one or other, or even both, have already intimated that they won't be taking up our offer.

Maybe the story that Martin Rice is likely to move up the road to City is more than just a rumour ?

Midson has signed for Eastleigh and will link up with Constable. Looks like they could be an interesting prospect next season.

Ah, Tuesday, good to see you again, old friend.

Matt.

ferrarilover wrote:Ah, Tuesday, good to see you again, old friend.

Matt.

Fair enough! Bet you didn't know that Bristol Rovers had closed their forum though...