The head coach is up I’m really pleased with Pugh he’s vastly experienced and he’s a great character. He can play on both sides and in the umber ten and he’s a great human being. There’s a lot of players we look at and talk about. We look at a lot of players and I’ve managed against him many times before and he’s always a threat. He’s not featured that much this year but he’s talented. We wanted to strengthen the wide areas, Grosicki and Bowen are in great form but you want competition for places and you need cover for an injury for an example. He’s really fit and we’ve got all the date and we’ve seen the intensity he is training at. Fitness wise no issues what so ever. Adkins on transfer We’re looking to bring another couple in, I was hoping to get one over the line yesterday, it was a long day yesterday. This is the week of little sleep and lots of phone calls. I’ve talked about wanting a centre-half. Connolly doesn’t look like it will materialise and I am looking for a centre forward. I’m looking to add a couple to the spirit and the camaraderie. Adkins on Tyrone Mings I haven’t spoken with Eddie about Mings, but there is a lot of clubs who are after him so whether he moves or doesn’t move I don’t know. We did talk about him and we did make an enquiry. We were just finding out where people and gather as much information as possible. Asking questions doesn’t make mean you’ll sign them. Adkins on Smith and his forward situation We won’t be looking to sign Smith. We’re aware of all the player who are out there. He’s a big centre forward at Rotherham and he’s a big threat and from that point of view he will demand a big fee. Campbell has had a great season and Martin is getting better and better. Marin was important at Villa and I needed to keep him on the pitch and I would have liked to have brought Fraizer on. At times I have played Campbell and Martin together and it’s fair to say that maybe it hasn’t worked. We’ve got strikers doing well. Adkins on the transfer window I’ve spent all day at the stadium with the owner, there is a week to go and we are in with a shout – that’s the state of play. We want a few but they have to be the right ones. It has been a queit market so far and when you look at it normally there’s not many good deals that go on in January. We are looking to bolster a good squad. We enquired about a player at a Premier League club and the loan fee was bigger than a transfer fee. Loaning and transfers are basically the same thing. We haven’t had any approaches for our players. Lots of speculation will go on and we are looking to add. Adkins on team news We’ll see about Jordy – he came off same with Jarrod Bowen so we’ll see. The one player who missed out was Jon Toral he picked up a groin injury and won’ be involved. We’ll see about Jordy, it’s like a lot of people there is different ways of training. We’ve got Ondrej, Robbie, Ritson and Reece Burke, we want an experienced defender because we have some good young players. Ondrej has come in and played but he as a long history of injuries. But I’m pleased with McKenzie. We look at Aston Villa, the threats they had the three front line players so with Robbie being quick that is why I went with him. Adkins on his own contract There hasn’t been talks about my contract but that isn’t an issue. I’ve started planning pre-season. I’m relaxed I just get on and do the job. All the focus is on the transfer window and keep smiles on faces. Players enjoy working hard and I want the staff to do well. I am enjoying this role and being here and I have been in football long enough to know what contracts are. I’m planning for pre-season I don’t need to get bogged down with contract talks. I am thinking long-term. It’s up to the owner. I focus on what I can control. You need longevity at football clubs. Sometimes you can sign a ten-year contract but if you lose 3 or 4 games you’re out anyway.
Good news that the injury to JDV might not be as bad as expected. Good that he came straight off. I still cant/ hope he doesn't/ see him risking him on Saturday though.
Really hoping they ask about our out of contract players in a press conference soon, some of those players have become key for us.
Does the one-year extension option we have on a lot of our final-year players supersede a pre-contract offer from another club? So, de facto, these players would be bound until 'we' made the decision/or the actual contract's end.
The problem with that is that the extension would be on the terms they are already on. They would have to negotiate a new contract, almost certainly on lower terms (unless by some miracle they actually want them to stay and offer them a pay rise). We can exercise the option, but for the reason stated above, we almost certainly won't.
The obvious answer will be the standard one that gets trotted out by an unambitious club in our position that wants to keep costs to a bare minimum, ‘we need to see what division we’re in next season before discussing contracts.’ Interestingly I was informed by a very good source recently that after our final parachute payment had been received that our wage bill is £1.3M per month. How long do you think the Allam’s will want to have that liability before balancing the books by selling a player or two?
The next seven days will go a long way to answering the question. My guess is that if we don’t go up this season, and we haven’t sold any major assets in January, then as sure as **** they will be selling the **** out of them during the close season, unless a serious buyer steps in to stop that happening.
As good as we've been recently, and as much as I'd like it to happen, I really don't see us going up. We are at least a quality CB and CF away, and in truth more. Don't think they'll be much selling to do in summer ... one or two, but then he'll just let the out of contract higher earners, including those with the 1 year extension option, walk away. Might even include Nige in that (which would be 'tragic'). That will be enough to ensure that another **** storm awaits. But hey, you know me, #alwayslookonthebrightside...
I'm off too.3_1 to us.nigels got the team on a high,keeping him is the most important business we could do. Some of these foreign coaches get on my nerves and he is as good as any of em.
