The Rumour Mill Commences Operation…..
By Mark Ridgway
June 8 2011
As the silly season of transfer rumours gets well underway, Mark Ridgway takes a look at some of the players being linked with a summer move to Prenton Park from the odd reliable and lots of less reliable sources around the web and media…..
It’s that time of the season again where clubs are linked with all sorts of players with some rumours coming from more official sources whilst others are simply an “I heard in the Pub” story. During June and July, people’s secret links with players and staff members come out of the woodwork, to add supposed validity to their message board posts.
It only seems like yesterday when Rovers turned over Exeter and Leyton Orient, before finishing the season with a standard disappointing result to a below par side in the shape of Swindon Town who had been relegated a week earlier.
Every season Tranmere are linked with an endless list of names and indeed Robbie Fowler has apparently been linked with the club for the last few seasons whilst last summer, names like Marvin Morgan, James Berrett and Jabo Ibehre seemed close to signing on the dotted line, but then perhaps unsurprisingly, never came to fruition.
So where do Rovers need to strengthen this time? Many would like an attacking winger or two, to give Parry the option of 4-4-2, should he want it.
Jimmy Ryan of Accrington Stanley is a name been branded about, with Parry apparently having waited for the play-offs to end before contacting a number of clubs. As we know, Accrington lost in the play offs to Stevenage and Ryan looked to be condemned to another season in League 2 but could Rovers step in?
Accrington Stanley's Jimmy Ryan has been linked with Rovers
Last term Ryan scored seven times from midfield, more than Rovers whole regular midfield (Welsh, Labadie, Taylor and Weir). The Merseyside born winger was in the Liverpool youth side, and could well move closer to home, hopefully in our direction.
Inevitably Parry will look at strikers to support Enoch next term, with a lack of goals being one of Rovers problems. Another play-off loser in Chris Zebroski is an option who has been linked with us on the rumour mill and the striker netted 15 times last campaign, as the Gulls lost to Stevenage in the League Two Final.
Also hotly linked in previous weeks with the club has been Gary Jones from Rochdale who was arguably Dale’s star man in their first season in League One. The midfielder is the clubs all time record appearance holder and netted 17 times in the league last season.
With the loss of their boss Keith Hill however, Jones looks set to leave having reportedly only been offered a one year deal and the Birkenhead born target was rumoured to have been offered a two year deal by Rovers. However, other Clubs including Huddersfield, Carlisle and Preston have all offered him better deals than Dale but Rochdale now reportedly want him as a player manager.
Former Tranmere fan’s favourite Antony Kay has also been linked with what would be a shock return to Prenton Park in the summer. The versatile midfielder played in all of Huddersfield’s play off games in which they eventually came up short against Peterborough in the Final. Kay has been offered a new deal with the Terriers, but increased competition for places could cause him to look elsewhere, and he will always we welcomed here. 
Former Rovers Player Antony Kay has strangely been linked with a return
Other familiar names such as Jason Koumas and Peter Gulacsi have both been released by their Premier League clubs, and will be looking for new employers so both are bound to be linked at some point with a Prenton Park return although both are more likely to move to a Championship side as back up, however you couldn’t rule out Koumas returning to the club in a few years time.
Gillingham winger Andy Barcham has recently been mentioned as a Les Parry target after the former Spurs player decided he wouldn’t be resigning for the Gills this summer and will look elsewhere.
Lee Beevers is another player being branded about, the former Colchester midfielder sits deep in midfield and could provide protection for the defence. This rumour goes alongside that of goalkeeper Shane Higgs should Tony Warner not re-sign after he was released by Leeds United. Higgs may be more well known from his time at Cheltenham where he kept net for ten years.
There are bound to be plenty of other names linked with the Super Whites during the ‘silly season’ of transfer rumours, as is customary for this time of the year.
Who would everyone like at the club? Discuss!
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:06:08:13:23:04 by Mikey.
with creswell likely leaving we will need another left back who i guess will be fairly young but ben gordon was poor when he was with us so wouldnt be keen for him to return
Two different usernames, same IP.
Alternatively, this is Tranmere Rovers, so they've probably signed but not told us
[www.courtoffside.com]
Quote:Alex87
I heard off a mate that Ben Gordon might be coming to us on a season long loan
I certainly hope not. He is awful
Ben Gordon might not have been all that then, but this is now. Time and tides may have benefitted him well.
Kilmarnock are a better club at a better level.
If it was to be so, I would welcome him, because there would be no point protesting against a done deal after the event, so people would have to accept him being there.
Assuming it's true.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Quote:Mikey
..but is it? Aside from Celtic and Rangers (who would barely stand out in the EPL imo) would the rest of the SPL actually make the championship?
I'm with Mikey. There's no real way of proving either way which is better but I'd be inclined to agree with what Mikey said.
Yes I feel in general SPL sides are better. Some average well in excess of £10,000 a game and I think they could be competitive in the championship too.
I think the only ones in recent years that would find it hard, would be teams like Falkirk and Hamilton.
Also look at Enoch scoring 13 times in league 1, but only 1 in 20 for Falkirk, so that could be some sort of indication of SPL quality.
Compared to the big two, The other teams will get big gates against them and some good money playing them in cups which are sizeable monies most league 1 teams wouldn't make, even agaisnt a side like Sheffield Wednesday and I'd reckon the likes of Sky and ESPN, pump more into that league than league 1, because it's regularly screened, not like Tranmere that get one game a season screened.
So I think they could be financially more viable in most cases. I think some of them could afford £12,000-£15,000 approximately for an individual players wage, in Heart's case with that cash rich guy Romanov in charge, possibly £20,000+ for an individual wage.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Brechin did make a final, but they are division 2.
Actually I don't think it does belittle their teams, as saying that could be construed as belittling the lesser teams that beat better ones.
On that basis every league team done by Yeovil in their non-league days could feel belittled, as could the mighty Newcastle, when Hereford beat them and Liverpool when Chesterfield beat them, or Everton when Shrewsbury beat them.
Most top flight teams could feel belittled by Tranmere to some extent when Tranmere made the 2000 Worthington Final, because around that time, Tranmere were making mugs of some big teams.
It's the nature of cups, it's the folklore and unpredictability and the fact that the English leagues have more big teams, so that would decrease the smaller teams potential to progress, when they are more likely to get picked against bigger teams, after a certain point, as there would be less upset potential, compared ot big teams being in the first round.
Also the Scottish FA Cup now has a policy of putting big teams into the first round, so that might cause more upsets, when they have more lowly teams to get picked against.
It is a difficult comparison, but money wise I think those clubs could compete in the Championship.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Gretna did actually get promoted that season to the SPL.
Sadly they demised because their owner became very ill and took all his money away, by all accounts they struggled on, then got dumped back into division 3 partway through a season then went bust.
Now they are a highland league team.
For a team who wanted for a long time to play scottish football, not english non-league, they did exceptionally well to progress so quickly, but I did feel really sorry for them when they went bust.
The Uruguayan Hartlepool player Yantorno was one of theirs. I really liked their top scorer in division 1 Colin McMenamin, the former Newcastle player. Shame Tranmere never had the chance to get a guy like him, but he's now at Ross County.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.