Rumours rumours everywhere but not a fact I think!

By Albatross
May 25 2004

With the season over as far as Pools are concerned, it's time for that traditional Summer sport. No, not Cricket - Transfer Rumours. Already there are suggestions about players we might be looking at - though whether any of them will happen is another matter entirely!

With Middlesbrough and Sunderland both releasing players, it's no surprise that Pools have been mentioned as a possible destination. The difference from previous years is that the players then were frequently unknowns with little or no first team experience; while this time the names mentioned are mostly of players with a few more credentials.

From Sunderland, a few people have been mentioning the names of Jason McAteer and Paul Thirlwell. Sometime Liverpool "Spice Boy" McAteer is 33 this summer, and might strike some as an ideal signing - however, as a very definate "Name", he might demand more money than Pools are able to afford. In fact, the high wages he's on have apparently been a factor in Mick McCarthy releasing his skipper. 25 year old midfielder Thirlwell started over 20 games this season, and was regarded as a surprising departure - described by some as "the new Paul Bracewell" the holding midfielder had been expected to be a regular next year. As with McAteer, wages might be a sticking point - and other clubs in Div1 may also want to take a look at him.

Meanwhile Pools are reckoned to be interested in taking Middlesbrough's released duo David Murphy and Craig Dove on trial. Murphy is from Hartlepool, a former England Youth international, and a left back; having suffered with injuries he spent some time on loan at Barnsley and had been hoping to get a run in the first team next season due to Franck Quedrue's suspension for the first five games. While he may be an astute signing in some ways, the fact that Pools already have three players capable of playing in his position may count against him. Dove, also from Hartlepool, has represented England at u20 level; the attacking midfielder did have a brief loan spell at York last season but found his game unsuited to the hurly-burly of the lower reaches of Div3.

Another rumour that has surfaced is that Pools may be interested in Geoff Horsfield - though at the moment it seems to be firmly in the realm of "would be nice." The 31 year old played for three clubs last season, starting off with Birmingham before moving to Wigan and then West Brom - scoring a total of 14 goals, and costing £1million at each move. Reports suggest that he's contracted to WBA until the end of 2005/6, making any deal for "the Horse" unlikely in terms of transfer fee and wages alone. In fact, his move to the Baggies was apparently prompted by him being unhappy in the North-West - he commuted up to Wigan from Birmingham, and Paul Jewell decided to cash in and get his money back rather than have an unsettled player.

Finally, the other rumour circulating is that Neale Cooper is already being linked to a high-profile job. Not Liverpool, Spurs or Chelsea, but back in Scotland with the club he started out with; Aberdeen sacked Steve Patterson yesterday after a season that saw them finish next to bottom on the SPL. It seems unlikely that this will get beyond idle speculation: Aberdeen have already approached Dunfermline about their boss Jimmy Calderwood, and although the initial approach has been turned down there seems little doubt that Calderwood is definately first choice for the Pittodrie Hotseat.