Another summer passes by quicker than you think then as we turn up back at Brunton Park, it being only ten weeks or so since the end-of-season escape here against Millwall. It will seem like an even shorter break next year though with the World Cup on the horizon, league campaigns at the top level across Europe all starting and finishing earlier than normal this time around. Just imagine, this time next year England will have more than likely been knocked out on penalties in the quarter-finals by Germany. With us playing Hull City, Middlesbrough and Blackpool in pre-season friendlies we may even see a few World Cup players at Brunton Park too, depending on which countries make it to South Africa. Middlesbrough's squad so far at the time of writing seems to have held up pretty well following their costly relegation from the Premier League. Goalkeeper Ross Turnbull currently the only player of any note to have left the Riverside Stadium after his surprise move to Chelsea on a Bosman deal, his first job at Stamford Bridge a tough ask to remove Petr Cech from the number one spot. There are plenty of big names left in the Boro squad at the moment though and you have to wonder how many of those will make it through to the end of the August transfer window. The obvious first option for a move surely being Stewart Downing, while Adam Johnson and David Wheater are two other highly rated young players to have come from the Middlesbrough youth academy. Tuncay was one bright spark for the relegated Boro last year and he, along with expensive Brazilian misfit Afonso Alves will also no doubt be looked at by other clubs in the next month or so. You'd guess that boss Gareth Southgate is waiting to see who leaves first before he brings any more players in, former Tranmere goalkeeper Danny Coyne (Bosman) and ex-Colchester left-winger Mark Yeates (£500,000) the only two to have come through the in door so far. Down the east coast at Hull the Tigers have been pretty quiet to date after their good start and terrible end to last season, City amazingly managing to stay up despite only winning two league games after the 25th of October. Plenty of players have paid the price for that too with eight of them released in early June, two of those being former Carlisle men in Michael Bridges and John Welsh. As I write this just one person has come into the KC Stadium to date, that being an unknown quantity in defender Steven Mouyokolo from Boulogne for a fee of £2 million. The Tigers have though all but picked up striker Daryl Murphy from Sunderland for up to £2.5 million, while they are also looking at fellow Black Cats man Dean Whitehead. City however refusing to budge on Cardiff's £10 million combined valuation of Ross McCormack and Joe Ledley. Across the country our final pre-season opponents at home are Blackpool. The Seasiders at present having a small squad of just 20 players, with striker Billy Clarke, often in the past mentioned as a possible Carlisle signing the only newbie at Bloomfield Road. Eight players, seven of them released, having left 'Pool since May, one more of those having a United link as Stuart Green bit the dust after just 18 months with Blackpool. Nottingham-born Shaun Barker is also close to a move away with his home-town Forest and Derby County both vying for his signature for a fee of around £700,000. For the Rams though Liam Dickinson was apparently supposed to be a makeweight in any deal for Barker, with Dickinson's recent circa £100,000 move to Brighton perhaps scuppering that one. Barnet winger Albert Adomah one player on the Seasiders radar though as they continue to look to strengthen their attacking options. Enough about players that might be at Brunton Park as you are (maybe) reading this anyway, what about the ones that left United during the summer and near the end of the season. Well, Kevin Gall has been back training with his old club Yeovil, Luke Joyce has signed for Accrington, Grant Smith is on trial with Bradford, and Chris Lumsdon and Jeff Smith have both penned contracts with Darlington. Up at the front end of the pitch Danny Graham is apparently at Watford while Danny Carlton has joined Bury, Lewis Neal meanwhile joining up with Paul Simpson at Shrewsbury. Goalkeeper-wise we know about Ben Williams and Chris Howarth is currently without a club, and finally former youth team stoppers Alex Mitchell and John Jamieson are now both at Gretna FC 2008, the club now back at Raydale Park. |