Hereford United manager Graham Turner is hopeful that a meeting will take place within the next month of all the interested parties involved with the football club to try and sort out the redevelopment of the ends of the Edgar Street stadium.
"We had meetings yesterday with council officials. There seems to be a surge of enthusiasm from the council to help us," said Turner.
"There is a meeting to be arranged where we all sit round the table - the Richardsons, the Council, ourselves, the Edgar Grid Square people - to see whether we can't come up with ideas of what can be placed at the either end of the ground to help the development. I would think that meeting would take place within the next month.
"There certainly seems to be fresh interest from the Council to help us get it resolved one way or the other."
Turner said that there were no extra items that had to be done at the ground because of the promotion to League One. However a few improvements have been or will be made.
Graham Turner quotes come from his latest interview available on the Official Website.
.jpg)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Turner set to meet with Interested Parties
Palace Set For 8pm
The Carling Cup match with Crystal Palace has been set for Tuesday 12th August with an unusual 8pm kick-off.
It will cost £15 for adults and £7.50 for concessions for the game, but under 16's can get in for £1 if purchased with an adult ticket.
Gowling Set For Walsall
The Birmingham based Express and Star are claiming that alleged Bulls target Josh Gowling is on the verge of a switch to Walsall.
The Bournemouth based player wants a move closer to his Coventry home, with the paper putting the Bulls and Saddlers in a straight fight for his signature. They now claim that Gowling, along with former Shewsbury loanee Asa Hall, will move to the Banks's Stadium by the end of the week.
The paper also claims that the scrapping of Wolves' reserves 'could mean' a return to Edgar Street for Lee Collins. The defender played 20 times in a lengthy spell at Edgar Street last season and is not yet considered a first teamer at Molineux, with boss Mick McCarthy still looking for a central defender to bolster his squad.
Meanwhile, the official site has confirmed that both Simon Johnson and Richard Rose have signed one year contracts to stay at Edgar Street.
News Round Up
Rotherham will train at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium for the coming season, but intend to be back in Rotherham next season. Their Millmoor ground could end up as a greyhound or stock car racing track, while the Sheffield Eagles rugby side could quit the Don Valley stadium after they were told the deal with the Millers left them with just 45 minutes a week to train on the Don Valley pitch.
Carlisle have accepted a deal to sell goalkeeper Kieran Westwood to Coventry after he rejected new terms. The Irish international has 12 months left on his deal but will be named a Sky Blue this afternoon. Former club owner John Courtenay is in talks to buy the club again. He was owner between 2002 and 2004 before selling.
Swindon hope to have a new ground by 2012, but are yet to decide whether it will be on the County Ground site or another venue. The Robins are chasing Wolves defender Charlie Mulgrew, who Southend have refused to pay £150,000 for. Yeovil striker Lloyd Owusu has signed a new one year deal with the club, ending interest from Millwall.
Former Bulls trialist Chris Zebroski is the subject of a bid from Wycombe. The out of contract Millwall man has been offered a new deal at the New Den but is expected to leave after a less than happy time at the club. Morecambe have delayed their new stadium by 12 months after delays at the planning stage. They intend to be in their new home by the 2010/11 season.
Scunthorpe have been told by Chesterfield that Jamie Ward is not for sale. The want-away former Torquay and Villa man still has 12 months left on his current deal. The Irons have also ended their interest in Mansfield striker Michael Boulding. Chester chairman Stephen Vaughan has been fined £150 for trying to start a fight in the street after a day out at the races on May 7th with the squad.
Barnet have sold Jason Puncheon to Plymouth for £250,000. The winger has signed a two year deal. Crewe have missed out on midfielder Shaun Cooper after the player opted to stay with Bournemouth.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Trent At Olympic Training Camp
Trent McClenahan is to spend the next ten days at a special training camp as the Olyroos select their squad for the Olympics in August.
They have named a 33 man party that will train near Darwin before facing a Chilean u-23 side in two matches at the end of the month. That 33 man squad will then be whittled down to the 18 travelling to Bejing - but there may be a few latecomers.
Under Olympic rules the Australians can name three players over the 23 year age limit, and released Liverpool player Harry Kewell is one of several of the senior Socceroos squad to express an interest in the tournament according to assistant coach Ron Smith:
"Certainly Harry could well be in with a shout ... there has been a number [of interested players] but I won't mention any names. A number of the senior players have said to [coach Graham Arnold] that look, you know, 'Consider me I'd be very interested', and I think that is a great sign."
Arnold himself has said the squad is far from certain: "The recent tournament in Malaysia proved to me that no player has a definite position in the final squad that will be going to the Olympic Games."
The timing of the games mean that McClenahan would miss virtually the entireity of the Bulls' pre-season, plus at least the first four competitive matches, if he was selected for the final 18. The football tournament takes place between August 6th and 23rd.
Midlands Sides Scrap Reserves For Loans
Several of the larger Midlands sides have scrapped their reserve sides for the coming season, opting to use the flourishing season-long loan market to blood younger players.
Wolves confirmed this afternoon their intention to cease their reserve side, joining Coventry and Leicester in pulling out of the Pontins reserve league, while Derby and Birmingham will not enter the league after losing their participation in the Premier reserves league.
Mick McCarthy told the Wolves official site: "As we will have at least 13 midweek fixtures throughout next season, we can pick and choose when to play reserve friendlies rather than being committed to fulfilling reserve League fixtures. The system seemed to work well the season before last so we decided to go back to it. And it also gives us more chance of getting our young professionals out on loan to gain experience."
The Bulls faced several sides in behind-closed-doors friendlies last season while Wolves loaned a string of players out over the period, including two to the Bulls, while the season before saw the first competitive involvement of goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey - now valued in the £5million range.
The loss of more reserve sides will only increase the number of younger players available on loan to the likes of the Bulls. Last season seven different sides loaned players to the Bulls with two of those dropping their reserve sides during the summer while dozens of other clubs have admitted they will cut their own playing staff in favour of utilizing the loan market this time round.
Kiddy Prices Confirmed
Kidderminster Harriers have released prices for their pre-season friendlies at Agborough including the game against Hereford United.
Adults will be able to watch the game for £10, whilst concessions can gain entry for £5. Under 16's are able to watch the match on the 14th July for just £2.
The friendly will be the first time the two teams have met since the Conference encounter in 2005/2006, when a deflected Michael Blackwood shot handed Kidderminster victory at Edgar Street, ending a fine unbeaten record for United, which had spanned nearly four months. The fixture is the second on the list of pre-season friendlies, with United kicking off at Ledbury Town on the 8th July.
Bulls 5/4 For Drop
The Bulls are rated 5/4 second favourites for the drop according to the first bookie to issue relegation odds.
Coral are rating only Cheltenham as more certain for relegation, with the opening day fixture at Leyton Orient deemed a relegation 'six-pointer' with the O's fourth on the list behind Crewe.
At the other end of the table, the Bulls are 20/1 for promotion with Leeds rated at Evens unsurprisingly heading the list. On the standard win market there has been little change, with the Bulls still available at 66/1.
Matty Done - Profile
We take a closer look at Hereford's new signing Matt Done.
Done was born in Oswerty on the 26th June 1988, which makes him 20 in nine days time. He studied at Marches School and Technology College in Oswerty. He broke into the Wrexham first team at the start of the 2006/2007 season, although he had made a handful of appearences from the bench the previous season. His debut came against Doncaster Rovers in the Carling Cup. Goals for Done came against Grimsby Town on his full debut, and he also scored in the memorable 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Carling Cup.
Done has faced Hereford four times for Wrexham, impressing in all of the games. His first appearence came in the 2006/2007 season, when a Steve Evans header at The Racecourse handed Wrexham the points. Done looked lively throughout and was described as "swashbuckling" after the game. The winger then faced United at Edgar Street, where two Alan Connell goals ensured a home victory. Last season, Done started both games against Hereford, and played well on both occasion. At The Racecourse, Done caused plenty of problems for Trent McClenahan although his final ball let him down. At Edgar Street towards the end of the season, Wrexham were relegated despite Done's best efforts. The following extract comes from a Bullsnews match report. "Done's impressive running for Wrexham caused one Hereford fan to liken him to Paul Parry".
Done had been on Graham Turner's shopping list for a while, despite the winger turning down Hereford in January. However, Turner's perserverance has led to him getting his man, and hopefully Done will show his ability in League One this coming season.
Meanwhile, Alex Russell has joined Cheltenham Town on a two year deal following his release from Bristol City. The midfielder was linked with a loan move to United in January, but turned down The Bulls.
Done Confirmed A Bull
Matt Done has been confirmed as a Bull for an undisclosed fee.
The 19 year old winger, who turns 20 at the weekend, signs on at Edgar Street as the first new face of the summer with the Wrexham official site confirming that Done will join the Bulls with immediate effect after the two clubs agreed a fee which is - as is usual for the Bulls - undisclosed.
Done was on the verge of a switch to Edgar Street in January but, in a similar vein to Andy Williams' switch to Bristol Rovers, eventually agreed to the move once the bidding club won promotion. He started 41 games in three seasons as a pro after debuting as a 17 year old, and was linked to moves to Southampton and Liverpool.
The Hereford United website adds that Richard Rose and Simon Johnson have both signed new deals however there is, as yet, no word on how long any of the trio of signings are for. The agreements with Rose and Johnson leave just Trent McClenahan and Dean Beckwith to agree deals from last season's squad with 11 signed on so far.
More From The Supporters Survey
397 Bulls fans took part in the survey, the seventh highest in League Two, with only 50 Accrington fans taking part and 56 from Dagenham.
Wycombe, Macclesfield, and Dagenham all received praise for their ticketing policies in League Two. Tranmere were head and shoulders above most of League One.
The Bulls have the best parking in League Two according to the survey. Shrewsbury have the best food and cleanest stadium, with Bristol Rovers taking the food award in League One with Cheltenham's stewards also praised.
The average respondent to the survey is a 36 year old man.
Walker Not A Summer Target?
Former loan target Richard Walker appears to not be on the Bulls' summer shopping list.
Graham Turner made an approach to loan the 30 year old in January, along with a number of other League Two sides, but Walker chose to remain at the Memorial Ground and fight for his future. However he was told he could go, along with Sammy Igoe, last month but still has a year left on his contract.
While Turner has admitted having 'an open mind' on a move for Igoe, Walker appears to be off the radar. Pirates boss Paul Trollope has admitted interest in the striker, but only from League Two sides: "We have had quite a bit of interest from a number of League Two clubs. He is aware of the situation. We are hoping that he can get fixed up sooner rather than later. That will allow us to bring somebody in."
Meanwhile, Matt Done is expected to leave Wrexham with boss Brian Little admitting his future probably lies elsewhere: "I have spoken to Matty and I know people are interested in him. Matty said he would like to stay in the Football League and I am not surprised there has been interest from league clubs. Like other things, it will sort itself out."
Football League Supporters Survey
Below are a few of the results of a survey, which was conducted on The Football League's behalf by SportsWise. Some 40,316 supporters gave their views on a variety of current footballing issues. Of these 53% support Championship clubs with 30% and 17% supporting League 1 and League 2 clubs, respectively.
THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE:
51% of fans believe that The Football League does a good job, compared to 16% who feel that it does not.
72% of supporters believe that Football League matches provide good family entertainment.
Fans identified players showing dissent or a lack of respect to match officials as the most important area for the football authorities to address in the area of 'Fair Play', with 29% of supporters believing this to be the case.
The next most popular answers were players diving (26%) and players feigning injury (23%).
REFEREEING:
56% of supporters believe that the standard of refereeing in The Football League is average or above. However, only 17% feel that refereeing standards are improving.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT:
Supporters placed a strong emphasis on clubs having a programme to develop their own young players.On a ten-point scale fans indicating an average rating of 9.1 on this issue.
Asked whether they favoured the introduction of a home-grown players policy, 42% of supporters believe that clubs should be required to have a certain number of home grown players in the professional squad and 40% felt that there should be a minimum number in their 16-man matchday line-up.
COMMUNITY:
42% of supporters with children under the age of 16 have come into contact with their club's Community scheme.As a result, half had been given the opportunity to attend a Football League match.
MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE:
Respondents attended an average of 16 home matches and 5 away matches each season.Supporters identified match atmosphere as the single most important aspects of the matchday experience. This was followed by good sight lines and safety.
FIXTURE SCHEDULING:
58% of fans prefer to see their club's midweek matches scheduled on Tuesday nights compared to the 36% that prefer Wednesdays. 7.45pm is the most popular kick-off time with 49% of supporters, although 24% prefer 7.30pm and 15% would like to see 8.00pm used.
ARTIFICIAL TURF:
73% of fans oppose artificial turf being permitted for Football League matches. Just 15% of fans would like to see artificial pitches trialled.
CUP FOOTBALL:
61% of fans believe it should be mandatory, under Football League regulations for clubs to field first strength teams in Cup matches. 37% feel the club should field at least six of the players that have played the most first team matches that season, whilst 24% feel the club should field all 11 first team regulars.
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Asked whether they felt valued by their club, supporters gave clubs an average mark of 6.6 on a ten-point scale.The club whose fans feel most valued is Charlton Athletic (8.2). (No details on how Hereford United came out)
SPONSORSHIP:
91% of supporters were able to enter the name of their club's shirt sponsor unprompted. More than a third of supporters (36%) indicated that simply the association of a brand with their club will actually change their consumer behaviour by making them more likely to buy the products in question over other competing products.
REPLICA KIT:
85% of supporters have purchased their club's replica shirt at some point. 35% of fans buy a shirt every season.
SMOKING:
61% of supporters feel that the introduction of the League-wide smoke-free policy at the beginning of the 2007/08 season has improved their matchday experience.Whereas just 9% felt it had detracted from matches.
News Round Up
Bradford have failed to hit the 9,000 target of adult season ticket holders for each person to get an additional free ticket, falling 700 short despite a late flurry of sales of the £150 tickets. Brighton's former manager Dean Wilkins has left the club following his demotion. In a statement he said "I was extremely disappointed by the decision taken by the club."
Halifax boss Chris Wilder is expected to quit the club following their demotion to the Unibond League. Wilder has been at The Shay for six years, turning down larger jobs to remain loyal but told the local press: "For us to be relegated three leagues for something that happened seven or eight years ago is devastating." Walsall are to name former Lincoln manager John Schofield as assistant boss after he ruled himself out of the Cambridge job.
Bournemouth's takeover could take another six weeks to resolve, and they remain under a transfer embargo until it is complete. It is likely to be mid-July before the Football League agree to any takeover plan and the club can sign players again. Lincoln's local paper estimate that it will cost an average of £38 per game to watch the Imps home and away next season, with fuel costs adding nearly £5 a game.
Peterboro have already switched their home matches with Leeds, Leicester, and Millwall to noon kick-offs on Police advice. They have also confirmed rejecting a £1million offer from Wolves for Aaron Maclean. Scunthorpe will run with a reduced squad of around 20 for the coming campaign, with departures likely before any new faces arrive.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Stability is the Key to Success
The situation at Chelsea where hardly a season goes by without a change of manager has been compared to that at Hereford United and two other slightly more well known clubs by Alan Dawson in an article on goal.com
The author asks whether the appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari is the correct long-term move at Chelsea. He notes that several other possible managers were not available.
Whilst the pedigree of winning a World Cup is impressive, you have to question the logic of his appointment. He has never managed a club in Europe. He hasn't even managed a club side for seven years, and that was in Brazil, a league that has striking contrasts to a European league, let alone the Premiership. How long is he even going to be around for?
The man himself said: "I'm 59 and I don't want to work as a coach until I am 70. I want to retire in four or five years, so it was a financial matter."
Dawson does give Scolari some credit as he has master-minded three wins against the English in three successive international tournaments.
It just strikes me as odd that if you are scouting the Euro internationals for footballing talent, in terms of both players, and managers, then why not go for one of the up and coming coaches who are certain to have successes in front of them given the right opportunities. In the English leagues stability and success seem synonymous. Look at Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, and even, to a lesser degree, Hereford United and Graham Turner. All at their clubs for 22, 12, and 13 years respectively.
Turner to manage Chelsea if Scolari doesn't bring new-instant success? Probably not. But even to be mentioned in the same article as the 'big three' is a tribute to the recent success of Turner at Hereford and the stability he has achieved at the club.
Some Fixtures likely to be Moved
Although the full fixture list for Hereford United was published this morning there are already signs that some fixtures may be moved.
One of the most likely is the Leeds game at Edgar Street on January 3rd. That date clashes with the third round of the FA Cup and it seems highly unlikely that both Hereford United and Leeds will be knocked out beforehand.
A re-arranged game against Leeds on a cold Tuesday evening probably won't have quite the same appeal and potential gate that the first Saturday in the New Year would have.
Less likely to be changed but still a possibility will be the game at Walsall on January 24th. This clashes with the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Police intervention looks less likely this season. After all Shrewsbury are still in League Two. And the home game against Millwall is on a Tuesday evening, January 27th.
However there is a possibilty that Sky may want to televise one of the 'early' Hereford United games and that could mean a Monday night match.
And as England are at home on October 11th, against Kazakhstan, the game at Oldham on that date due to commence at 3pm may be brought forward or even moved to the Sunday.
The Football Computer that 'sorts out' the fixture list can not please all teams all the time. Two games stand out as being a long way for Hereford United supporters to travel.
Firstly on the first Tuesday - but why a Tuesday? - in February there is the twelve hour round trip to Carlisle. A poster on the Bulls Banter forum has already suggested staying overnight at the local Travel Lodge.
Secondly, nearly as far is the trip to Hartlepool on the first Saturday in April.
There may be some all-ticket matches at Edgar Street this coming season. The visit of Leicester on Easter Saturday is one possibilty. The importance of buying a season ticket or at least becoming a member, so as not to miss out, can not be over-stated.
As regards away games, few are expected to be all-ticket other than probably at Cheltenham in February. Away ends in League One tend to be able to accomodate reasonable numbers of visiting supporters - probably in nearly all cases more than will travel.
A new League and several new grounds for many supporters to visit including Leyton Orient, Southend, Oldham, Brighton, Millwall, Colchester, Huddersfield, Scunthorpe, Crewe and Northampton.
August 9th, the start of the season, is just 54 days away.
Fleetwood Signs For Charlton
Stuart Fleetwood has finally been confirmed as a Charlton player after signing a three year deal at the club.
The former Bull, now 22, will see the fee paid to Forest Green decided by tribunal after the two clubs failed to agree. He scored 36 times in the Conference after leaving Edgar Street last summer, being named the Conference Player of the Year and Golden Boot winner in the process.
Coach to Crystal Palace
HUMADS have released details of their coach travel to Crystal Palace on August 12th for the first round Carling Cup game when Hereford United are the visitors.
A 71 seat luxury coach with DVD , TV , TOILETS and RECLINERS is booked for the Carling Cup round 1 to Selhurst park
PICK UPS
MALVERN -1-15pm - outside coach depot
HEREFORD - 2-00pm - outside legends
LEDBURY - 2-30pm - last roundabout on ringroad ,M50 bound
Back in HEREFORD by 12-30am
Bookings - Reg - 01684 572945 or 07958 176 937
FARE - just £15-00 adults and £10-00 oap with children under 14 go free with their parents
HUMADS have arranged this coach at a very reasonable price and should soon sell out for the first Hereford United visit to Selhurst Park for many years.
News Round Up
Leeds' trip to Chester in the Carling Cup has been selected for live coverage on Sky. Former Derby boss Billy Davies is the front runner for the Leicester job according to bookies, but the local press is leaning towards Nigel Pearson, John Gregory, and Nigel Worthington as the three men in the frame although the BBC names Gregory alongside Paul Lambert and Simon Grayson.
Southend are about to sign released Ipswich full back Sito. The 28 year old Spaniard spent three years at Portman Road. The have also sold Hungarian defender Zoltan Lipak after failing to make a first team appearance. The Conference have scrapped their wage capping regulations in favour of quarterly checks on club's accounts. The checks are designed to ensure clubs are not spending money they do not have.
Crewe have confirmed they have ended their interest in Leeds striker Anthony Elding with the player seemingly intent on staying at Elland Road. Colchester are to hold an auction selling of furniture and memorabilia from their Layer Road home. They move to their new stadium after 70 years at the ground.
Tranmere want at least £500,000 for departed winger Steve Davies. He signed for Derby last week, with the Prenton Park outfit rejecting Derby's offer for the out of contract 20 year old. Tramere say they rejected a £500,000 offer from Leeds in January. Mansfield's takeover rumbles on with one member of the miscellaneous failed bidders claiming the £1 sale price is actually £400,001 and that the club's supporters should be eyeing up a 'Plan B' to form their own club.
Orient Start To Season
The Bulls will visit Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road ground to start the League One campaign.
The home campaign starts with the visit of Yeovil a week later, while the season will end in May with MK Dons the visitors to Edgar Street. Over the Christmas period the Bulls will have to face both Leeds at home and Leicester away in the space of six days.
One particularly awful trip will be a visit to Carlisle - on a Tuesday in February, while Easter Monday sees the reverse of the Boxing Day fixture with a trip to Tranmere.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Fixtures released this morning
Hereford United staff and supporters will find out how the coming season's fixtures will work out at around 10am this morning.
As ever Bulls News will not be able to reproduce the full list as the licence required costs a fortune.
However for those who wish to look at the list click the link on the left of the article either to fixtures and results which will show the BBC version or to Official Site who will also have the full set of fixtures available for viewing.
Quinn Quits Cambridge
Ex-Bull Jimmy Quinn has quit Cambridge United, the club have confirmed tonight.
The 48 year old narrowly missed taking the U's back into the League but then saw his side decimated with eight of eleven starters from the play-off match leaving within three weeks. The club will issue a further statement on Monday.
Meanwhile, Trevor Benjamin is believed to be in talks with Wycombe. Their new boss, Peter Taylor, is the same man who took him to Leicester for £1.5million in 2000 and is looking for a 'big target man' according to the local press. Benjamin started only eight games in Taylor's only full season at Filbert Street, scoring a solitary goal as he struggled to fill the boots of the departed Emile Heskey.
Transfer Window Details for 2008/9
Below are a few details about this season's transfer window:
The currently open Transfer Window will close at midnight on Sunday 31st August 2008. In practice this is likely to mean the deadline for signings is Friday 29th August as no account seems to have been taken of the Window closing on a weekend, as it has been for the January version (see below).
The Transfer Window will reopen again on Thursday 1st January 2009 (in theory, but in practice on Friday 2nd January as New Year's Day is not a working day), and will close on Monday 2nd February 2009, since Saturday 31st January is not deemed a working day.
As regular followers of the Football League will know the loan rules are a minefield of complexity. Our best guess scenario for Loan Windows is that the following will apply :
1) Standard (that's half or full season, what used to be called 'long-term') Loans are only available to be set up during the periods the Transfer Window is open, so before August 31st 2008 and 2nd February 2009.
2) Emergency - all loans other than Standard Loans (above) are these days termed 'emergency' - Loans to be set up at any time between Monday 8th September 2008 and Thursday 27th November 2008, and Monday 8th February 2009 to Thursday 26th March 2009. Emergency Loans may last from a minimum of 28 days up to a maximum of 93 days.
3) Short-term Emergency Loans (goalkeepers only for up to seven days at a time, renewable) are available to cover the gaps. So, Monday 1st September 2008 to Sunday 7th September 2008; Friday 28th November 2008 to Wednesday 31st December 2008; Friday 26th March 2009 to the end of the season.
Note that players designated as 'Free Agents' can be signed by a club at any time, providing they were not under a contract at the time of the last Transfer Window closing.
As for the additional rules and provisions and exclusions occasioned when players cross International boundaries, that affect all of the above - life is just too short to go there.
These details were originally published on Ciderspace and are subject to any unannounced decisions that might impact from the Football League AGM which took place in Portugal last week.
Large Collection Of Programmes Up For Auction
A large collection of Bulls programmes are up for auction at Ludlow Racecourse on July 11th.
Mullocks Specialist Auctioneers are hosting the sale which will include Lot 662 - Hereford United Football Programmes: Huge selection Home & Away 1971/2 onwards including pre season frendlies etc (2Boxes) Estimate £60 to £80.
The seller has given Bulls News some more details on the sale: The brief description doesn't give much justice to the contents. The collection includes virtually a full home and away set of United's first ten years in the League - including two copies of the first ever match against Reading. Most of the 1971-72 season is covered too with all the big Cup matches v Newcastle and West Ham. There is close to 1,000 programmes on offer.
Viewing for the auction is on July 10th, with the sale on the 11th and 12th. Absentee bidding can also be done online (registration required) here.
News Round Up
Accrington have denied they are about to announce Jay-Jay Okocha as their new player-coach. The Nigerian legend was released by Hull after struggling for fitness last season. Halifax have formally applied to be a part of the Unibond League next season. On offer is a place in Division One North, a drop of three divisions from the Conference.
Interesting quote about Scunthorpe from agent Nick Rubery: "As agents, we understand that Scunthorpe are a club with small crowds and limited finance. They have a budget which is less than some teams in the Conference." Work will begin on Brighton's new ground in December after years of delays.
Nuneaton have been placed in the Southern League Midlands division following their liquidation. Part of the deal to allow a side back in is that it must not use the previous 'Borough' name. Ex-Bull Simon Travis is leaving the club despite having 12 months of his contract remaining, with his destination yet to be decided.
Bulls linked with Felix Bastians
More speculation about a possible signing for Hereford United comes in this morning's Sunday Star.
Leeds and Hereford are going head-to-head to land Nottingham Forest starlet Felix Bastians
How reliable this particular rumour is remains to be seen.
Bastians is a German born 20 year old midfielder who is currently a free agent, after being released by Nottingham Forest. He went on loan to Gillingham late in the 2006-07 season. He was previously loaned out to Halifax Town and Northwich Victoria.
Last season he had loan spells at Chesterfield, Notts County and MK Dons. He later returned to The Reds, but failed to make an impact and was released by Colin Calderwood on May 21, 2008.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Mawson looks for another club
Former Hereford United goalkeeper Craig Mawson is looking for a new club after being released by Halifax despite having one year left of a three year contract.
As well as 'keeping for the Shaymen, Mawson is a goalkeeping coach at the Burnley Centre of Excellence so may well try and find a club in the North that will enable him to continue working at Turf Moor.
29 year old Mawson joined the Bulls in October 2004 after Jonathan Gould's return to Preston. He left Edgar Street after the Conference play-off final.
Although Mawson had spent much of that season on the bench after Wayne Brown had joined the Bulls, Turner offered him another contract but Mawson wanted regular football.
Graham Turner later praised Mawson at a fans forum. In particular he noted his integrity in keeping the manager informed when he left Edgar Street.
Also leaving The Shay is former loanee Daryl Taylor. The former Walsall winger spent two loan spells at Edgar Street racking up 16 appearances between March 2005 and April 2006.
Poppies chasing Big Trev?
After rejecting a move to ambitious Blue Square South outfit Kings Lynn, Kettering Town are the latest team to express an interest in Trevor Benjamin. Although reports stated that "Big Trev" didn't want to drop out of the Football League, a move to newly promoted Kettering could prove tempting to Benjamin as he was born there. The 29 year old scored 10 goals for United last season but was released by Graham Turner after failing to win a new contract.
How The Fixtures Are Compiled
The Football League has released an article about how the fixtures are prepared for the coming season.
While the lengthy article reveals there is to be no New Years Day fixture this season, one particular passage is of note. Glenn Thompson, of software developers Atos Origin, explains the various permutations that have to be considered:
"There are a number of pairings that are fairly obvious, the likes of Sheffield Wednesday can't be at home on the same time as Sheffield United. You then start looking at those relationships from a wider angle, for example this season, when West Ham are at home it requires Dagenham & Redbridge, and where possible Leyton Orient to be away. Southend United like to be opposite West Ham because it affects their support but Southend United have to pair with Colchester United for Essex Police reasons and Colchester United have to pair with Ipswich Town due to shared stewards. Also, for police reasons Ipswich have to pair with Norwich City.
"In addition to this, Tottenham Hotspur also like to be opposite West Ham United in the Premier League so that brings Arsenal into the mix, which affects Barnet and for the first time this year, Gillingham have asked to be opposite Southend. That is just one example and taking it to the extremes, shows that the fixtures for eleven clubs are linked together to varying degrees."
Got that? Good, we need fixtures by 10am Monday. Your time starts now...
Selhurst Park
This Championship ground will be a first time visit for many Hereford fans when we visit for the Carling Cup. The stadium has a capacity of just over 26,000 with visiting fans accommodated in part of the Arthur Wait stand close to the Holmesdale Road End.
The Club is located just north of Croydon, which is about 30 minutes from Brentford.
Full travel details and alehouse suggestions will be published nearer to the time.