The balls are changing, yes they are, click on the link from the official website below!
http://www.southendunited.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10444~1321410,00.html
With League One starting the new campaign with seven new clubs, more than any other division, here's a chance to take in the teams Southend will be coming up against next season. Who will the computer throw up for us to play first in early August, literally if it's the Borient again, all will be revealed at 10am on Monday June 16.
In final league position:
Leicester, Scunthorpe, Colchester, Carlisle, Leeds (thanks Donny!), Brighton, Oldham, Northampton, Huddersfield, Tranmere, Walsall, Swindon, Leyton Orient, Hartlepool, Bristol Rovers, Millwall, Yeovil, Cheltenham, Crewe, Milton Keynes Dons, Peterborough, Hereford, Stockport.
The rumour mill continues to turn with the only fact that nobody has left and nobody has been signed. I can only wish I was taking what the Vital Football guy is but I'm afraid you will have to wait until the player signs on the dotted line at TLG, I've been through this for too many seasons now!
The press, as bad as any online site, have picked up on one or two and Tilly below makes it quite clear nothing is ruled out, I wouldn't turn Leon away from the door, it's just he hasn't started talking to anyone yet! Just try and keep sane over the next eight weeks before we play Orient at home again, maybe!
Blues boss Steve Tilson has refused to rule out a summer swoop for Sheffield Wednesday striker Leon Clarke. The forward bagged eight goals in 16 games for the Shrimpers during a mixed three-month loan spell last season. And Tilson could be about to renew his interest in the 23-year-old.
"At the end of the day I'm not going to rule anything out with Leon," said Tilson. "I haven't spoken with Leon since the end of the season but we need to bring in a striker and I've made no secret of that. We've put together a list of about eight or nine possible targets and we will see what will happen. Nothing is happening just yet, this is always a very quiet time of year but we know who we want and will do our best to bring them in."
Wednesday signed Clarke for around £250,000 from Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2007 and are keen to get back a large proportion of the fee.
Darren Byfield, who interested Blues back in early 2006, is also believed to be on the list of possible transfer targets following his release from Bristol City. The 31-year-old scored eight goals in the Championship last season and is now available on a free transfer.
Tilly is also keen to bring in a left back, the chance of that being 31 year old Matt Lockwood has brought a mixed response from the message boards, and a goalkeeper, but he has yet to hear back from any of his current squad who have been offered new deals. That includes soon to be out of contract shot-stopper Darryl Flahavan and winger Mark Gower.
"I haven't heard from any of the players we spoke to just yet," confirmed Tilson. "Mark is away in America for another week but he and Darryl are obviously the ones we want to hear from soon. I haven't set them a deadline or anything like that but the sooner we know what's happening then the quicker we can sort things out for next year. The other players we've spoken with - Simon Francis, Alan McCormack and Nicky Bailey - still have at least a year left on their contracts so although we want to speak to them again soon it's not so urgent."
That could make the following announcments from Swansea a touch premature, as with evertything else, time will reveal all.
Reports from Southend (!) are suggesting that Swansea City will today open talks with their midfielder Mark Gower. Gower is currently out of contract at Roots Hall and could move to Swansea in the same fashion that saw Andy Robinson move to Leeds last week with no transfer fee due. Last week the reports surfaced of the Swans interest in the player and the same website that released that, (Vital Southend - oh blimey in that case, enjoy Disneyland Mark!), is making the claims of Swansea's talks opening session today.
Gower made 42 league appearances for the Shrimpers last season and also appeared in both legs of their semi final play off defeat to Doncaster and - maybe more importantly for the Swans - he grabbed 9 goals prompting Swans fans to believe that the move could be as a potential replacement for Robbo who has departed to Leeds. Gower joined Southend back in 2003 from Barnet and was an integeral part of the side that won successive promotions in 2004/5 and 2005/6. He also scored 8 league goals in 2006/7 as Southend battled unsuccessfully against relegation from the Championship.
In total for the Shrimpers he has made almost 250 appearances scoring over 40 goals in the process - a more than handy return for any midfielder. The 29 year old has also played for Barnet and Motherwell in addition to his 2 League Cup appearances with Tottenham back in 1998.
Vital Football is also responsible for starting the Kevin Kyle from Coventry story which has certainly got some fans from the West Midlands excited as most want to see the back of him!
'It was refreshing to hear (Coventry manager) Chris Coleman say words to the effect that we're no longer going to put up with mediocrity. Regardless how much we go on about it the facts speak for themselves; he was poor for us. Having said that, Good luck to him wherever he ends up. I really do hope he does OK'.
(Another posted:) 'With the amount of money he earned, times he got sent off and the amount of goals he scored while in a Coventry City shirt then I would say that it was our club who got the raw deal. Good riddance, I say'.
He's also on the 'ugly footballers' website, which may explain Dowie's interest, may see him around the Bush then!
Kevin Kyle won his first Scotland cap in the summer of 2002 during the country's tour of the Far East and has been in and out of Bertie Vogts's squad since.The big striker had trials with Chelsea, Blackpool and Oldham Athletic before moving to Sunderland from Ayr United. Kyle has had loan spells at Huddersfield Town, Darlington and Rochdale during his time at the Stadium of Light. The lanky striker made a number of appearances in the Premiership for the Black Cats, his first start coming against Everton in the 2002-2003 campaign.
So enjoy the Summer, it will come, longest day in three weeks! Catching the Boss at the Emirates at the weekend so at least I can tick another stadium off. What, it has to be football related? Oh well!
Here at TLG we will be relaunching the site with a new name and editorial outlook from mid July, by then there may be something to actually write about, but before we close down we may fit in one more posting, to deny another 'Vital Football' exclusive if nothing else!
"Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose: it's how drunk you get." (Homer Simpson)