Latest From The Manager - 1st July 2002

After the recent captures of defenders Barry McLaughlin, Greg Shields and midfielder Stevie Fulton, the boss is looking to add some fire power to the front line before the squad leave for Italy on Friday. He said: "I hope to bring in someone else before the season starts, someone up front. I am in negotiations with one and there is another I am trying to get. We lost out on a few. Two were up here and another two down south."

Jim's search for a new strike star has been far and wide but he's opted not to go down the route of expensive foreign stars because they're just not value for money any more. He said: "I think they have to be a bit more realistic. There were a couple we could have had whose wage demands were excessive. Their track records were good but they were looking at five or six grand a week."

Jim feels sorry for those players who now have to choose between being a highly paid squad member kicking their heels on the bench and getting regular first team football but earning less. He highlighted this by drawing comparisons between our own Greg Sheilds and Paul Ritchie. He said: "You can see why both have made their choices but I wouldn't have liked to have been in their position. Greg felt that by coming here and accepting less money that would allow him to play regularly at a good level, while Paul has chosen to remain on good money at Manchester City."