In July on this site I waxed lyrical about how the oldest league club in world languishing in the bottom division of the football league had been taken over by a foreign consortium in a fairytale the audacity of which bewildered the football community.

However less than a season later the Nott’s County bubble has well and truly burst, despite a promising start the consortium never made good on its promises, the club has changed hands 3 times and it’s current more modestly funded owners have inherited £2.5m of debt and  a club and teetering on the brink of existence.

Sadly Nott’s County are now the perfect case study for the proponents of the evils of foreign ownership. The Munto Finance ownership of the club offers a perfect example of the perils of allowing the arrival of uncommitted foreign ownership into a football club.

The Munto Finance consortium arrived triumphantly during July promising to pump long-term investment into the club, launching a five year plan to get the club back into the top flight of English football for the first time since 1992.

The club brought in star players such as Lee Hughes, Ben Davies and Kasper Schmeichel on contracts that blew the rest of the league away. During a prestige friendly against neighbour Nottingham Forest the club unveiled the kingpin to all future plans; former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson who was introduced as the new director of football.

However even as the club rode this wave of excitement the first seeds of doubt began to develop speculation grew about the limited tangible accountability to the club that the new owners had displayed. Even the FA struggled to confirm the identity of the investors involved and perform the fit and proper persons test.

The clubs league form however did satiate the fans in the short term as the clubs unsubstantiated spending put the club in the upper echelons of the league. Nott’s County were riding high even if not quite matching the insurmountable expectations that had been built.

September saw the swift arrival and departure of Sol Campbell a player still regarded as having both Premier League and international pedigree. His debut defeat at Morecambe was the defender’s only appearance for the club and along with accusations of broken promises triggered his prompt exit. A move that heralded the first tangible warning sign that all was not rosy in the Nott’s County garden.

Whilst many scoffed and criticised the naivety of Campbell’s fly by night appearance and subsequent disappearance it now seems likely that his complaints of broken promises were well founded.

Off the field the club’s disintegration was rapid by December those inside the club began to realise that the promised finance from the Middle Eastern investors was not going to materialise. Munto Finance had by all accounts withdrawn its investment.

In the wake of this realisation embattled chairman Peter Trembling was forced to enact a management buy-out in the face of huge debts including tax debts which leave the club on the verge of a winding up order and administration.

This was the end of the Munto Finance chapter of the clubs history; the ambition displayed in the early months had led to improved on-field performance however without sufficient finance such investments continue to be unsustainable. Nott’s’ County is living beyond its means, in a worse position than before the takeover with more big name departures likely as quality players jump from the sinking ship.

Ray Trew is the latest to attempt to tackle the management of Nott’s County taking over with the less audacious aim of saving and stabilising the club. Crippled by inflated contracts and swimming in debt the stars that remain are naturally uneasy and the rays of hope that illuminated Meadow Lane in late summer have been replaced by storm clouds that sit not so far on the horizon.

Having been supporter owned, foreign investor owned, management owned and local consortium owned Nott’s County has gone through the entire ownership spectrum in the space of a season.

This should be a stark warning to clubs considering being taken over by unknown quantities wherever their origin, new ownership is often feted as the answer to many problems, but at whatever level a club plays its football it must be remembered that the grass is not always greener, and the only good promise is a kept promise.

Ultimately the club may yet pay the ultimate price for its dalliances in ownership this season, the taxman and creditors hound the club and administration remains a very real threat.

The club currently sits in the play-off places chasing automatic promotion 8 points adrift of automatic promotion places with 4 games in hand, administration would make even the play-offs a struggle for a club for which promotion or further takeover may be the only salvation.

As the oldest football league club battles for survival it would in some way be comforting to know that those partially responsible for the club’s woes are being held to account for their broken promises.

However there is nothing that can be done and I doubt the mysterious constituents of Munto Finance will lose any sleep over the plight of the Magpies tonight.

Can the Premier and Football League administrations really continue to allow their clubs to be owned/managed by parties with limited tangible personal or financial investment?

Is now the time to make owners show proper commitment?

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As has been the case over the last several transfer windows, Soccerlens is here to keep you updated with all of the latest transfers from several of the top leagues around Europe.

Our daily roundup of the hottest and freshest transfer news and rumors is accompanied by updated lists of transfers from nine European leagues.

Here are the latest transfer lists on Soccerlens:

English Premier League Transfers (Last Updated: 2 February)
English Championship Transfers (Last Updated: 2 February)
English League One Transfers (Last Updated: 2 February)
English League Two Transfers (Last Updated (2 February)
La Liga Transfers (Last Updated: 2 February)
Serie A Transfers (Last Updated: 2 February)
Bundesliga Transfers (Last Updated: 2 February)
Ligue 1 Transfers (Last Updated: 2 February)
Scottish Premier League Transfers (Last Updated: 2 February)

We hope you enjoy checking out the lists as much as we enjoy putting them out, and if there is a transfer that we’ve skipped over, don’t hesitate to let us know.

All English League Two transfers are listed on this page.

You’ll find the latest League Two Transfers (Summer 2009) listed here. Archives for older transfer seasons are at the end of this page. For the latest transfer rumours and transfer lists for other leagues, see our transfer news column.

If you find a transfer not listed here let us know and we’ll add it.

Last Updated: 1 September 2009

Accrington Stanley

In: Michael Symes (free, Shrewsbury Town), Luke Joyce (free, Carlisle United), Dean Winnard (free, Blackburn Rovers), Gary King (free, Lincoln City), Alan Martin (loan. Leeds United)

Out: Kenny Arthur (free, Rochdale), Paul Mullin (undisclosed, Morecambe)

Aldershot

In: Clark Masters (undisclosed, Southend), Ben Herd (free, Unattatched), John Halls (free, Brentford), Adam Hinshelwood (free, Brighton and Hove Albion), Bobby Hopkinson (free, Unattatched)

Out: Rhys Day (undisclosed, Oxford United), Nikki Bull (free, Brentford)

Barnet FC

In: Micah Hyde (free, Unattatched), Jake Cole (free, Queen Park Rangers), Yannick Bolasie (loan, Plymouth Argyle), Albert Jarrett (free, Gillingham), Paul Furlong (free, Sothend United), Ahmed Deen (free, Unattatched), Will Viner (free, Unattatched)

Out: Adam Birchall (released), Michael Leary (released), Nicky Nicolau (released), Ran Kadoch (released), Max Porter (released), Neal Bishop (free, Notts County)

Bradford City

In: Gareth Evans (undisclosed, Macclesfield Town), Zeshan Rehman (free, Queens Park Rangers), Simon Ramsden (free, Rochdale), Simon Eastwood (loan, Huddersfield), Michael Flynn (free, Huddersfield Town), Scott Neilson (undisclosed, Cambridge City)

Out: Kyle Nix (undisclosed, Mansfield Town), Graeme Lee (undisclosed, Notts County), Barry Conlon (free, Grimsby Town), Paul McLaren (free, Tranmere Rovers), Rhys Evans (free, Bristol Rovers), Mark Bower (free, Darlington), Paul Arnison (free, Darlington)

Burton Albion

In: Guy Branston (undisclosed, Kettering Town), Shane Redmond (loan, Nottingham Forest), Paul Boertien (free, Walsall), Richard Walker (free, Bristol Rovers), Robin Shroot (loan, Birmingham City), Jimmy Phillips (free, Unattatched), Mark Edworthy (free, Leicester City), Artur Krysiak (loan. Birmingham City), Jacques Maghoma (free, Tottenham Hotspur), Russell Penn (undisclosed, Kidderminster Harriers), Martin Butler (free, Unattatched)

Out: Jake Buxton (undisclosed, Derby County), Martin Butler (released), Lee Morris (free, Hereford), Saul Deeney (free, Derby County)

Bury

In: Danny Carlton (free, Carlisle United), Damien Allen (free, Morecambe), Simon Johnson (free, Unattatched), David Worall (loan, West Bromwich Albion)

Out: Steven Haslam (released), Glynn Hurst (retired), Paul Morgan (free, Macclesfield Town)

Cheltenham Town

In: Barry Hayles (free, Leicester City), Julian Alsop (free), Justin Richards (free, Kidderminster Harriers), Lloyd Owusu (loan return, Brighton and Hove Albion), Oliver Bozanic (loan, Reading), Michael Pook (free, Swindon Town), Barry Richardson (free, Unattatched)

Out: Ian Westlake (free, Wycombe Wanderers), Shane Higgs (free, Leeds United), Lloyd Owusu (released), Paul Connor (free, Lincoln City), John Finnigan (free, Kidderminster Harriers), Gavin Caines (free, Kidderminster Harriers), Andy Lindegaard (released), Alex Russell (free, Exeter City), Ashley Vincent (free, Colchester United)

Chesterfield

In: Ian Breckin (free, unattatched), Mark Allott (free, Tranmere Rovers), Drewe Talbot (free, Luton Town), Mark Crossley (free, Unattatched)

Out:

Crewe Alexandra

In: Patrick Ada (undisclosed, Histon), David Button (loan, Tottenham Hotspur), Aman Verma (loan, Leicester City), Matthew Mitchell-King (free, Histon), Harry Worley (loan, Leicester City)

Out: Mark Carrington (free, Milton Keynes Dons), Colin Daniel (free, Macclesfield Town), Michael O’Connor (undisclosed, Scunthorpe United), Dan Woodards (free, Milton Keynes Dons), Julien Baudet (free, Colorado Rapids), Eugen Bopp (released), Chris McCready (free, Northampton Town), Tom Pope (£150k, Rotherham United)

Dagenham and Redbridge

In: Will Antwi (free, Wycombe Wanderers), Danny Green (undisclosed, Bishops Stortford), Joshua Scott (free, Hayes & Yeading), Stuart Thurgood (free, Grays Ath), Alex Bentley (free, Fisher Athletic), Chris Lewington (free, Fisher Athletic), Abu Ogogo (free, Arsenal)

Out: Jonathan Boardman (undisclosed, Woking), Glen Southam (free, Hereford United), Sam Saunders (free, Brentford), Danny Foster (free, Brentford), Ben Strevens (free, Brentford), Magnus Okuonghae (undisclosed, Colchester United)

Darlington

In: Dean Windass (free, Hull City), Mark Convery (free, Cambridge United), Jeff Smith (free, Carlisle United), James Bennett (free, Hull City), Chris Lumsdon (free, Carlisle United), David Knight (free, Thurrock), Matt Plummer (free, Hull City), Gary Smith (free, Brentford), Mark Bower (free, Bradford City), Paul Arnison (free, Bradford City), Lee Thorpe (free, Rochdale), David Dowson (loan, Sunderland), Jamie Chandler (loan, Sunderland), Nathan Porritt (loan, Middlesbough), Rikki Bains (free, Unattatched)

Out: Pawel Abbott (free, Oldham Athletic), Neil Austin (released), Robert Purdie (free, Oldham Athletic), Danny Carlton (end of loan, Carlisle United), Ryan Valentine (free, Hereford), Przemyslaw Kazimierczak (released), Richard Ravenhill (free, Notts County), David Poole (free, Swindon Town), Adam Griffin (free, Stockport County), Jason Kennedy (free, Rochdale)

Grimsby Town

In: Nick Colgan (free, Sunderland), Michael Leary (free, unattatched), Peter Sweeney (free, Leeds United), Joe Widdowson (free, West Ham United), Chris Jones (free, Swansea City), Barry Conlon (free, Bradford City), Tommy Forecast (loan, Southampton)

Out: Andy Taylor (released), Peter Till (free, Walsall), Barry Conlon (free, Macclesfield Town)

Hereford

In: Glen Southam (free, Dagenham & Redbridge), Adam Bartlett (free, Kidderminster Harriers), Marc Pugh (free, Shrewsbury Town), Kenny Lunt (free, Sheffield Wednesday), Jamie Tolley (free), Darren Jones (undisclosed, Forest Green Rovers), Lee Morris (free, Burton Albion), Darren Dennehy (loan, Cardiff City), Ryan Green (free, Bristol Rovers), Keith Lowe (free, Kidderminster Harriers), Leon Constantine (free, Northampton Town), Ryan Valentine (free, Darlington), Jonny Godsmark (loan, Newcastle United), Tristan Plummer (loan, Bristol City), Gavin McCullum (free, Unattatched), Marlon Jackson (loan, Bristol City)

Out: Dean Beckwith (free, Northampton Town), Steve Guinan (free, Northampton Town), Toumani Diagouraga (undisclosed, Peterborough United), Jose Veiga (released), Richard Jackson (released), Stephen O’Leary (released), Simon Johnson (released), Kris Taylor (released), Jack MacLeod (released), Michael D’Agostino (released), Clint Easton (released), Karl Broadhurst (released),, Ben Smith (free, Crawley)

Lincoln City

In: Joe Heath (loan, Nottingham Forest), Paul Connor (free, Cheltenham Town), Cian Hughton (free, Tottenham), Rene Howe (loan, Peterborough United), Sam Clucas (free, Unattatched)

Out: Lee Frecklington (undisclosed, Peterborough United), Ben Wright (free, Macclesfield Town), Lee Beevers (free, Colchester United), Dany N’Guessan (undisclosed, Leicester City), Adrian Patulea (free, Leyton Orient), Gary King (free, Accrington Stanley)

Macclesfield Town

In: Hamza Bencherif (free, Nottingham Forest), Ross Draper (undisclosed, Hednesford), Colin Daniel (free, Crewe Alexandra), Paul Morgan (free, Bury), Ben Wright (free, Lincoln City), Steve Reed (undisclosed, Weymouth), Nat Brown (free, Wrexham), Tyrone Kirk (undisclosed, Boston United), Jose Veiga (free, Unattatched), Emile Sinclair (free, Unattatched), Carl Tremarco (free, Wrexham), Paul Bolland (free, Grimsby Town), Matthew Tipton (free, Droyslden), Kyle Wilson (free, Droyslden)

Out: Gareth Evans (undisclosed, Bradford City), Richard Walker (released), Francis Green (released), Jordan Hadfield (released), Jamie Tolley (released), Danny Thomas (released), James Jennings (released), Ahmed Deen (released), Rikki Bains (released), Neil Harvey (released), Christian Millar (released), Matt Towns (released), Chris Hirst (released), Simon Yeo (retired), Matt Flynn (nominal, Rochdale)

Morecambe

In: Phil Jevons (loan, Huddersfield), Ian Craney (loan, Huddersfield), Darren Moss (free, Shrewsbury Town), Mark Duffy (£20k, Southport), Manny Panther (loan, Exeter City), Paul Mullin (undisclosed, Accrington Stanley)

Out: Adam Yates (free, Port Vale)

Northampton Town

In: Dean Beckwith (free, Hereford United), Steve Guinan (free, Hereford United), Billy Mckay (free, Leicester City), John Curtis (free, Wrexham), Paul Rodgers (free, Unattatched), Seb Harris (free, Unatattched), Chris McCready (free, Unattatched), Romone Rose (loan, QPR), Robbie Threlfall (loan, Liverpool), Luke Boden (loan, Sheffield Wednesday)

Out: Mark Hughes (free, Walsall), Liam Dolman (released), Ikechi Anya (free, Sevilla), Jason Crowe (free, Leeds United), Leon Constantine (free, Hereford), Colin Larkin (free, Hartlepool United), Giles Coke (free, Motherwell), Danny Jackman (undisclosed, Gillingham)

Notts County

In: Luke Rodgers (free, Yeovil Town), Ben Davies (free, Shrewsbury Town), Graeme Lee (undisclosed, Bradford City), Brendan Moloney (loan, Nottingham Forest), Lee Hughes (free, Oldham Athletic), Karl Hawley (undislcosed. Preston North End), Craig Westcarr (free, Kettering Town), Richard Ravenhill (free, Darlington), Neal Bishop (free, Barnet FC), Graeme Lee (undisclosed, Blackpool), Kasper Schmeichel (undisclosed, Manchester City), Johnnie Jackson (undisclosed, Colchester United), Sol Campbell (free, Portsmouth)

Out: Myles Weston (undisclosed, Brentford), Adam Nowland (free, Blackpool)

Port Vale

In: Doug Loft (free, Brighton and Hove Albion), Adam Yates (free, Morecambe), Tommy Fraser (undisclosed, Brighton and Hove Albion), Kris Taylor (free, Unattatched), Geoff Horsfield (free, Unattatched)

Out:

Rochdale

In: Kenny Arthur (free, Accrington Stanley), Matthew Edwards (free, Leeds United), Jason Kennedy (free, Darlington), Matt Flynn (nominal, Macclesfield Town)

Out: Simon Ramsden (free, Bradford City), Adam Le Fondre (undisclosed, Rotherham United), Lee Thorpe (free, Darlington)

Rotherham United

In: Paul Warne (free, Yeovil Town), Jamie Annerson (free, Sheffield United), Nicky Law (free, Sheffield United), Adam Le Fondre (undisclosed, Rochdale), Andy Liddell (free, Unattatched), Tom Pope (£150k, Crewe Alexandra)

Out: Steven Cann (released), Peter Holmes (released), Jamie Clarke (released), Omar Garcia (released), Jamie Yates (released), Marc Newsham (released), Andy Todd (released), Tom Cahill (released), Reuben Reid (undisclosed, West Bromwich Albion), Mark Burchill (free, Kilmarnock), Mark Hudson (free, Balckpool)

Shrewsbury Town

In: Lewis Neal (free, Carlisle United), Chris Neal (nominal, Preston North End), Dean Holden (free, Falkirk), Kris Bright (free, Panseriakos), Joss Labadie (loan, West Bromwich Albion), Nathan Elder (undisclosed, Brentford), Craig Disley (free, Bristol Rovers), Jake Robinson (free, Brighton and Hove Albion), Steve Phillips (loan, Bristol Rovers)

Out: Chris Humphrey (free, Motherwell), Michael Symes (free, Accrington Stanley), Ben Davies (free, Notts County), Marc Pugh (free, Hereford United), Grant Holt (undisclosed, Norwich City), Ben Herd (released), Darren Moss (free, Morecambe)

Torquay United

In: Ben Joyce (free, Swindon Town), Scott Rendell (loan, Peterborough United), Kieran Charnock (undisclosed, Peterborough United)

Out: Steve Woods (released), Roscoe D’Sane (released), Mark Ellis (loan, Forest Green), Steve Adams (loan, Forest Green)

For the latest transfer rumours and transfer lists for other leagues, see our transfer news section.

With the January football sales fast approaching, it’s time for every manager to start compiling their transfer window wish list. With plenty of young talent coming through, don’t be surprised if these names feature heavily in transfer tittle-tattle, as their respective managers hang huge price tags around their necks to deter any would-be suitors. Yes, it’s time for Soccerlens’ guide to the cream of the crop of Football League youngsters.

1. Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town)
The footballing gods may see this as karma. Ten years ago, Ipswich snatched fans favourite Marcus Stewart to Portman Road. This season it’s payback for the Yorkshire team, who snapped up 19-year-old Rhodes after his release from Ipswich in the summer. Already the Terriers leading scorer with 14 goals this season, Rhodes is one of those fearless teenagers who can score from nearly anywhere on the pitch and could help fire Huddersfield to promotion. Roy Keane would be forgiven for casting laser-like glances in the direction of the Galpharm.

2. Danny Seaborne (Exeter City)
Six months ago Seaborne’s career appeared to be going the way of many a young footballer. After coming through the ranks at St James Park and captaining the side to their Conference playoff victory at Wembley at the tender age of 21, Seaborne found himself out of favour and was tipped to be released in the summer. But the centre-half has refocused and is arguably Exeter’s most improved player this season. Norwich have already made a bid for him and with his current deal expiring in June, plenty of clubs could be in for the Barnstaple born defender.

3. Charlie Austin (Swindon Town)
If Swindon fans were crying into their foaming Wiltshire ale at the departure of top-scorer Simon Cox to West Brom in the summer, then they’re currently raising a glass to his replacement, Charlie Austin. Manager Danny Wilson picked up the 20-year-old from Poole Town, where he’d scored 64 goals in 59 appearances. The former Reading trainee has carried that form into League One, where his poachers instinct has seen him net four in the last three games. Like Cox, he could find a move to the Championship in the offing.

4. Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton Athletic)
Not many 17-year-olds would turn down the chance to join a Champions League club, but teenager Shelvey decided he would be better off playing League One football for Charlton this season. The Addicks youngest ever player, the Romford-born player operates as an attacking midfielder or second striker and has already clocked up 32 appearances and five goals. Manager Phil Parkinson has been using him sparingly, but Shelvey is a big part of Charlton’s future and it’s surely a matter of when not if he moves into the Premier League.

5. John Bostock (Brentford, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Perhaps Jonjo Shelvey had John Bostock in mind when he turned down a move to the Premier League. Bostock made his debut for Crystal Palace aged just 15 before being snapped up by Spurs for a paltry initial £700,000, something that had Palace chairman Simon Jordan frothing at the mouth. Bar a couple of substitute appearances in the UEFA cup, the 17-year-old was loaned out to Brentford to get more first team action, and immediately bagged a brace on his debut. Far too good for League One, the question is does Harry Redknapp fancy him enough at White Hart Lane.

6. Alex Smithies (Huddersfield Town)
Two Huddersfield players in this list? Some may say its a clear case of Soccerlens’ Yorkshire bias, but the rest would point to the fact that Smithies is part of the reason the Terriers are flying high in League One at the moment. Lee Clark’s men may be free-scoring but their defence is less than sound and the 19-year-old goalkeeper has often come to the rescue, catching the eye with a string of impressive performances between the sticks. Stoke and Spurs are rumoured to be interested and Smithies is surely destined for a higher level.

7. Adam Le Fondre (Rotherham)
At 23 Le Fondre may be pushing the definition of young but such have been his performances this season that he deserves a mention, and may just be at that age of last chance for a big move. He’s certainly going about it the right way – always highly-rated at Rochdale, the Millers broke the bank to take the striker to Rotherham this August. He’s repaid their faith with 14 goals in 19 starts and is one of the main reasons why Ronnie Moore’s men are pushing for a return to League One.

8. Craig Dawson (Rochdale)
If Rochdale are to end 35 years in league basement, then keeping hold of the likes of Dawson will be vital to the Dale. Still only 19, the defender started his career at Ratcliffe Borough before Rochdale fought off competition from a host of other clubs to sign the classy youngster. Ever-present for Keith Hill’s men this season, he’s helped Dale to a goal difference of 23 already this season. Rochdale are traditionally a selling club but if they can hold onto Dawson this January they stand a great chance of going up.

9. Ashley Westwood (Crewe)
Crewe may have made an indifferent start to life in League Two but their ability to produce great young talent is undiminished and 19-year-old Westwood is the latest star in the making to roll out of the Alex’s academy. A tenacious midfielder, Westwood has been ever-present since Dario Gradi re-took the reigns at Gresty Road and was recently rewarded with a new contract, tying him to the club until 2012. It will be a surprise if somebody doesn’t try to prise him away before then.

10. Brett Pitman (Bournemouth)
One of the few pieces of joy to emerge from the financial chaos at Bournemouth over the past few season has been the ongoing improvement of Jersey-born Pitman. Having signed for the Cherries at 16, he was thrust into the fray during one of Bournemouth’s periodical financial meltdowns and has slowly thrived. Now 21, the tricky striker has matured nicely, netting 11 times this season and playing a huge part in the Cherries unlikely push for promotion this season.

Of course, there’s some fine youngsters turning out for other clubs up and down the league, so tell us if you agree with the list and who you think is heading for a bright future in 2010.

So every season around 45% of the 92 clubs replace their managers.  Most find another role within months, with clubs ignoring the fact that the reason why they are available is that they failed in a previous role.  

Some managers are heralded as the next best thing, only to be on the scrap heap within months.  Aidy Boothroyd, appointed at Watford to a great fanfare took Watford into the promised land of the Premier League against all expectations.  He was held up as a potential England Manager for the future and despite their swift relegation from the top table, Boothroyd was awarded a new 3 year deal by Watford in 2007.  Just over a year later he was fired as Watford in November 2008 with the club in mid-table – a position they were in when he took over.

Question – Who was the last English Manager to be voted “Manager of the Year”?

We have already seen on this very blog the craziness around the sacking of Luton’s Mick Harford who was dismissed three days after masterminding an amazing comeback away to Cambridge to win 4-3.  At the time Luton sat in 6th place in the Blue Square Premier, just one point below the play offs.  Since Harford’s dismissal the club have won a few, drawn a few and lost a few and despite the appointment of Richard Money as manager, the team still sit in 6th place, one point below the play off place.

So what actually goes on in the boardroom when it comes to chosing a manager, and then deciding to call time on his tenure?  We often here that there have been x applications for a vacant managers job, but how do out of work (or even in work) managers go about getting a new job?  Is there the equivalent of the Times Appointment section or Monster.com?  Are there recruitment agents for clubs who “head hunt” for a new boss?

Question – According to the LMA quota system, who is the “top” manager in England for this season?

Amazingly as I write this only seven managers out of the 92 clubs have been in their current positions for more than five seasons.  Four of these, Moyes, Wenger, Ferguson and Benitez are Premier League managers.  The other three are actually quite a surprise.  

Steve Tilson at Southend United has been through a promotion and a relegation with the Shrimpers but essentially has kept the club where they have always been.  Accrington Stanley have well documented problems of their own off the pitch but John Coleman has overseen their rise up the non-league pyramid and then back into the Football League in his ten year tenure, a similar story to Dagenham & Redbridge’s John Still who took charge at Victoria Road in 2004.  

In contrast, 47 managers out of the 88 clubs (four still haven’t appointed one at the time of writing) have been in their roles for less than a year.

The current average tenure of a Premier League manager is actually nearly 4 years (3.88) which reflects the fact that the movement between it and the Championship is relatively static – teams that come up often go down and so expectations from a manager are not too excessive.  As we move down the leagues this figure changes dramatically – 1.6 years in the Championship and just 1.2 years in League One demonstrating the huge pressure there is on the clubs to move upwards.

Question – What was the average tenure of a manager in the Premier League 10 years ago?

Twenty years ago the idea of a “foreign” manager was restricted to the Scots such as Dalglish or Ferguson coming down from north of the border.  In fact Aston Villa were credited with the first “overseas” appointment when they turned to Dr Jozef Venglos in July 1990.  His appointment lasted just over a season in which he lost more games than he won.  But he was a pioneer and the first trend in English football management had begun.  

Now, young managers such as Eddie Howe at Bournemouth or Lee Clark at Huddersfield Town who are both doing excellent jobs will struggle to land a big appointment as clubs cannot afford to take a risk on an unproven man at the top level.  We have moved into a different era – 10 years ago when a club was in trouble the call went out for an Atkinson or a Jim Smith to come and rescue them.  

But their place in the modern game is over.  Now clubs will look overseas for their appointments, bringing in an unheard of foreign manager to steady the ship – such as Avram Grant at Chelsea who was brought in to replace Mourinho or Martin Jol at Spurs.

So what we are going to look at in the next three installments of this post are the trends in football management – we will talk to a couple of managers about how the game has changed for them, how easy is it to get and keep a job and finally what the future holds for todays players who want to move into management.

So the answers to the questions above for those who didn’t use Google – Lennie Lawrence in 1992 at Middlesborough, Gus Poyet at Brighton & Hove Albion, 6.75 years.

First they appoint a former England manager as their Director of Football, then they go and sign a former England international, surely this is any clubs dream, but evidently not in the case of Notts County.

We all thought it was too good to be true when the news broke of Sven Goran Eriksson appointment as the new Director of Football at League Two club, but then we heard money was involved, so, it wasn’t such a shock anymore. But Sven being Sven played down the talk about money by stating  he was here for the ‘challenge’.

Less than a month into his job Eriksson had already lured Kasper Schmeichel from Manchester City, and former West Brom striker Lee Hughes to Meadow Lane. Big names such as Luis Figo, David Beckham and Patrick Viera were all linked with the League Two side, but just turned out to be ridiculous speculation.

The biggest coup of their history has to have come on the 25th August 2009, when former England, Arsenal, Portsmouth and Tottenham defender Sol Campbell decided to drop down three divisions and join the Magpies on a five-year contract worth £40,000 a week, earning him a cool £10million over the term of his contract.

Campbell who like Sven stated ‘I am here for the future. ‘They’ve got great ambition and I want to be part of it.’ ‘I am delighted to sign with Notts County and I am genuinely excited by what the club is trying to achieve.’ made his debut last weekend for County in their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Morcambe, that turned out to be his first and last game for the club.

Less than a week later Campbell’s contract has been torn up, and he is once again a free agent who will not be playing anymore competitive football until January.

So, what happened?  Well, as Andy Cole writes in The Independent today Campbell left because of  ‘unkept promises‘. Cole who was also targeted by the former England manager, said no to joining the club, also says:

‘When I heard rumours about the move I phoned him and said, “I can’t believe it. What on earth are you doing?” He said: “It’s true, I’ve signed for Notts County.” I said: “You’re pulling my leg. Sol, they’re not Premier League, they’re not Championship, they are not even League One! What are you doing?” Sol told me that a five-year deal was too good to turn down, not because of the money but because of the other opportunities offered him. Sol, like me, has hopes of a career in and around management.’

Top class players can’t drop down the leagues because they expect too much, be money or standards. Facilities at a League Two club are not going to be the same as that of a Premier League club, and neither is the quality of the football. As David Hytner so eloquently puts it in The Guardian – ‘Campbell was a big fish out of water.’

The Magpies currently lie 8th in League Two on 13 points, 8 behind league leaders Bournemouth, which is not bad considering County finished 19th last season, but its early days yet.

As issues over the clubs ownership enter the spotlight once again, it looks like they won’t be out of the news this season. The man I feel sorry for in all this is the clubs manager, Ian ‘Charlie’ McParland, he is really the forgotten man, with Sven hogging the limelight as usual. We all know who will be credited with the success if Notts County get promoted, Mr. Eriksson of course.

For now it remains to be seen if they will actually get promoted, even more interesting, will Sven be there to see that happen? Mostly likely, after all, women outnumber the men three to one in the city, a statistic that should be right up his street.

Ian Walsh writes at Touchline Views which is part of the twofootedtackle Blog Network.

What Happened to the Traditional Scoreboard?

Tonight I made the short trip from my house to watch Nottingham Forest v Blackburn in one of the Carling Cup games many had identified to have the potential for a cup upset, the game itself was patchy with one of two niggly injury periods of two or three minutes, during one of these breaks in play I looked up to check the time and confirm my count of the score ( I made it 0-0 after 20 minutes). After 5 minutes of waiting neither the time or score had been displayed much to my watchless frustration.

I am a simple man and to me the job of the scoreboard is simple, despite the proliferation of technologically advanced scoreboards the role of the scoreboard has not changed. A scoreboard should display the score, the time and if absolutely neccessary a display of the line-ups; unfortunately this mantra seems to have been forgotten at the City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest Football Club.

The scoreboard at the City Ground is of simple LED design and has not changed in decades, Nottingham Forest values itself for its community spirit and seems to think the scoreboard is the best place to spread warm fuzzy community messages. Tonight these included information on how to report racism and antisocial behaviour within the stadium, local advertising and birthday messages which were instantly followed by advice on how to get tested for the most commonly transmitted sexually transmitted disease in the UK. Someone trying to tell you something, Daniel (20) of the Trent End?

Public health is a serious issue however what happened to the old fashioned scoreboard? Surely there is no crime in showing old fashioned details such as the score  and current the time elapsed?  I am not a greedy man I do not require a live feed of the game, replays of key events or even a run through of the current line ups to satiate my thirst for sufficient digitally displayed information.

Communicable diseases aside the game itself was fairly disapointing, from a nostalgic perspective this game deserved a better result as the better team over 90 minutes lost.

Match Review

Nottingham Forest started well dominating the possession and looking the most likely to strike, however for all the final third posturing no clear cut chances were forthcoming  and towards the end of the first half Blackburn won a controversial free kick ten yards inside the touchline 35 yards from goal.

Much to the disdain of the crowd Benni Mcarthy stepped up and delivered a cross come shot arcing in towards the far right hand corner of the goal completely missing the vain efforts of both attack and defence to connect and creeping past a generally poor Paul Smith. The hardy 300 travelling Blackburn fans went crazy and the goal seemed to calm the nerves of  the Blackburn side who dominated the final minutes of the half, bar a Robert Earnshaw free kick that crashed against the bar.

The second half was much like the first with neither side creating clear cut chances but Nottingham Forest looking the more likely to do so, after one or two close penalty calls the pressure was rewarded as  Steven Reid handled to award Nottingham Forest a penalty, up stepped Dexter Blackstock to try and place the ball in the right hand corner only to see Jason Brown parry the ball to safety. 

Nottingham Forest however continued to press and with just 5 minutes remaining Robert Earnshaw cleared a goalward header off the Blackburn line as he deflected a goal bound over the bar for a goal kick to the frustration of the Nottingham fans.

Psychic Fans

As the ball dribbled away and was hoofed clear by the Blackburn defence I began to think that the Blackburn fans knew something that I didnt, throughout the first half Jason Brown received a heros reception from the travelling fans who spent a good 10 minutes chanting his name almost oblivious to the  events of the game.

Such praise seemed to suggest that the Blackburn fans had been taking tips from their no.32’s namesake Derren, as Jason Brown making only his 2nd start of the season made a confident penalty save at a comfortable height to his left, setting off the jubilant chants of Jason Brown’s name once more.

So lets put it this way, next time the Blackburn fans start chanting, I will be scribbling notes and heading to the bookies.

We’ve all been there. It’s the last minute and your team is clinging on to a vital, undeserved win away from home. You stand and bellow support for your lads with their backs against the walls, frantically throwing themselves in front of every ball headed toward the goal to break your heart.

Or stood on the balls of your feet, arms aloft, savouring every last note of the band’s encore. After wholeheartedly participating in the circling, moshpit in the centre of the venue throughout the gig.

Even stood, screeching, encouraging your horse to win by a nose and net you a cool couple of hundred pounds of profit.

Now replace the word stand or stood with sit or sat, and it’s not quite the same experience is it? Yet there is only one of those situations that is an offence, meaning ejection from the event you were enjoying. Then maybe even a ban for life from returning to the place where the offence was committed.

Yes, with the shadow of the Hillsborough disaster looming behind it, football is a different, and definitely more sensitive issue. However, essentially within each situation are just normal people actively enjoying their passion.

Lord Justice Taylor’s report on Hillsborough is not something to be ignored or taken lightly, in fact because it has been embraced is the reason going to watch football has become the popular, all- inclusive and above all safe pastime it is today.

However, although Lord Justice Taylor recommended all-seater stadia in English football, a rule that has been implemented in the top two tiers, it never said the actual act of standing was to cause for the horrible tragedy that day. Rather ‘the muddled stadium maintenance, safety inspection regime… poor approach to stadium design and event management.’

In the same report, commenting on his recommendation to move to all-seater stadia, Taylor stated, ‘spectators will be accustomed and educated to sitting.’ This is the basis of the most compelling case for the introduction of safe standing in England. Every week at most football grounds throughout the country, masses of supporters stand (especially in the away end) with stewards seemingly powerless to stop them.

20 years on and football supporters have not become accustomed to seating, and probably never will. Yet those behind, whether young, elderly or disabled have only two choices, try and stand and try and peek above or around those in front, or just not be able to see. Yet the footballing authorities are ignoring the perfect solution to this problem, a safe standing area where those who want to stand can, and those who want to sit can, and both enjoy the game.

Another problem stopping football followers from enjoying the game is the cost to be able to. The cheapest ticket at Old Trafford for the most supported club in England is £27. This being good value for money in the premier league, it costs £39 in the family end at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea home games. Conversely, the cost to see a top-flight game at the most supported club in the German Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund is €14 (£12), less than half the price of Manchester United. Amazing value for money, especially considering the strength of the Euro against the Pound.

The reason this can be done is the immense 24,454 capacity Südtribüne at Westfalenstadion. (Shown in the photograph with article)  Given the nickname ‘The Opera House’ because of the huge passion demonstrated at every home game. This is a perfect example of how safe standing can be achieved. There are small areas holding just over 2000 people where just those with the correct ticket are allowed to enter, with ample room for each person. While the terrace can be transformed into an all seater stadium to be able to host events such as the Italy and Germany World Cup semi-final in 2006, and the 2001 UEFA cup final between Liverpool and Deportivo Alaves.

German football clubs can allow choice for the fans because of the refreshing attitude of the German football association, DFB. After Hillsborough the DFB reviewed its policy on standing at football matches, like the FA. But chose to keep standing areas for various valid reasons including the fear of children standing on seats on steep terraces trying to see above those stood in front of them, and to ensure a greater social inclusion to football games.

Yet the most striking aspect of the reasons for their decisions is this statement, ‘Football is culture… the solidarity inspired by a sense of community’ Imagine this coming from the FA’s slick PR machine? That statement and all that surrounds it is surely what football is all about, groups of friends going to games and becoming one group with hundreds, or thousands of others. Something that is being lost with billionaire oil baron owners and wall to wall live football on sky sports.

Therefore, don’t think of the standing argument as a yearn for the dark days, rather a look forward to a future with the choice for affordable, safe standing areas, a chance to reclaim football for its fans.

After all what other industry (and the government) would ignore its consumers.  In a survey conduced by The Football Fans’ Census 92% of football fans said fans should be given the choice whether they stand or sit inside football grounds. A clear illustration of the feeling on what is one of the most important issues in English football, yet an issue that gets so sadly ignored.

Soccerlens has brought you extensive transfer window coverage for several years now – and this year we’re asking you to join us in compiling the most comprehensive transfer news database on the Internet.

Like before you’ll have Eddie’s excellent daily roundup of the latest transfer rumours and confirmed transfers plus regular updates to our transfer lists for 9 European leagues from Shahryar.

What’s more, if you’re interested in helping us chart transfers in your favourite league (be it the Portuguese Superliga or League Two in England), we’ll be happy to put up the transfer lists on Soccerlens and credit you with the work.

Here are the latest transfer lists on Soccerlens:

English Premier League Transfers
English Championship Transfers
English League One Transfers
English League Two Transfers
La Liga Transfers
Serie A Transfers
Bundesliga Transfers
Ligue 1 Transfers
Scottish Premier League Transfers

Click on any of the links above to be taken to the Summer 2009 transfers list for that league.

I hope you enjoy the summer, remember not to get too stressed out over the constant transfer speculation, and if you’ve got any additions to make to these lists, get in touch.

The summer transfer window is coming to a close, and there looks to be a flurry of activity still yet to come before the window shuts.

There are still quite a few deals that are up in the air with the deadline approaching, and you’ve got to be on the lookout for at least a couple of surprises and some nutty speculation from here, there, and everywhere as the hours tick down.

Speaking of nutty speculation, we’ve got a little bit of that in this morning’s roundup, but we’ve got plenty of far less eyebrow-raising (and perhaps more believable) tidbits. With a lot more to come throughout the day, you can look for me to be back later on today with plenty to report on, and you can also check out the summer transfer lists to keep up with all of the confirmed signings as they’re completed.

England

United Make Unsuccessful Ireland Bid

According to The Mirror, Manchester United made an unsuccessful bid for Manchester City star Stephen Ireland.

Analysis: Is it true? Maybe, maybe not, but you can certainly add it to the pile of ‘ain’t gonna happen’ moves. Even if City’s situation was different, it’d be unlikely.

More Pompey Stars Set To Exit?

Portsmouth could finish off their summer star sale by selling goalkeeper David James and attacker Niko Kranjcar to Tottenham, as according to the Daily Mail, Tottenham are set to make an 8m bid for the duo.

Analysis: Tottenham have needs to fill in both areas thanks to long-term injury casualties, with Heurelho Gomes out with a groin injury and Luka Modric now out with a broken leg suffered against Birmingham on Saturday, so these wouldn’t be moves being made just for the sake of adding numbers to the squad.

West Ham Close On Chamakh?

Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh could well get his move to the Premier League this summer after all. According to the (Sunday People), Bordeaux have accepted West Ham’s 7m offer for the Morocco international, and the Hammers are set to win him over by tripling his current salary.

However, if The Mirror is to be believed, Arsenal could be set to make a final bid of 8.5m in an attempt to land Chamakh.

Analysis: Frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he stays at Bordeaux.

Portsmouth Move For Shorey And Ben Haim

Portsmouth are set to bolster their defense before the window closes, as Aston Villa left back Nicky Shorey is set to arrive (Daily Mail), and Paul Hart is set to replace Sylvain Distin with Manchester City’s Tal Ben Haim, who is set to sign on a free transfer today (The Mirror).

Analysis: Portsmouth had a fairly solid defensive performance in their first league game without Distin, limiting Manchester City to a solitary Adebayor goal, but there’s still very much a need to bolster their defense for the long haul. Now, if only they could do something more about their attack…

Sunderland Close On Turner

The Mirror says that Sunderland and Hull City are in talks to hammer out a swap deal that would send Hull center back Michael Turner to the Stadium of Light and potentially bring Sunderland striker Fraizer Campbell to the KC Stadium.

Analysis: It’s a little amusing that Campbell could wind up going to Hull after all, after backing out on a move to the club where he starred in 2007/08 in order to move to Sunderland.

Hull Swoop For Benjani

Whether or not they land Campbell in a Turner swap deal, Phil Brown does look set to make at least one addition to his front line, as Hull have agreed a fee with Manchester City for Benjani. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: I could see Campbell having some reservations about going to Hull if Benjani completes his move, considering that he could well end up in much the same situation he’s in at Sunderland right now. But hey, with the options that Phil Brown has right now not exactly lighting up the scoreboard, it doesn’t hurt to add as many useful options as possible.

Magpies Must Pay Up For Vaughan

If Newcastle want to land Everton striker James Vaughan, they’ll have to shell out 3m to sign the 21-year-old. (Sunday People)

Analysis: Vaughan is down in the pecking order at Everton, and the need for a new striker opened up when Newcastle’s lack of luck rose up and struck down their best performer in Shola Ameobi in the midst of his best run of form in ages. A loan might well be the best solution for Newcastle financially, but I’m sure they could squeeze out the 3m if Everton are looking to offload him permanently.

Notts County Eye More Big Names

Sol Campbell may be just the first of many aging former stars to join up with Sven-Goran Eriksson at Notts County.

According to The Mirror says that current Portsmouth striker Kanu could be set to join up with the League Two side once his one-month deal with Pompey expires in a few days.

Meanwhile, News of the World, Sven is looking to bring former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg and former Italy international striker Christian Vieri to the club.

Analysis: Who knows, if Kanu gets added to the squad, perhaps he and Campbell could convince former Arsenal teammate Ljungberg to come back to England, though I think he’s pretty content where he is.

Italy

Fiorentina Make Upson Bid

Fiorentina have made a bid for West Ham center back Matthew Upson, according to Sky Sports.

Analysis: The chance to play in the Champions League and test himself abroad would be a fantastic opportunity for Upson, but this could come down to Aston Villa and not just their rival interest in Upson, but whether they decide to move for Upson or the cheaper James Collins. If they go for Collins, then Upson’s going nowhere, whether it’s to Fiorentina or anywhere else.

Germany

Bayern Interested In Rafinha

Bayern Munich have confirmed that they are interested in Schalke 04 right back Rafinha, but chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says that there’s still a ways to go before a deal is completed. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Though there’s something to be said for continuity, the signing of Rafinha would give Louis van Gaal the chance to have a number of lineup combinations that he could turn to and have a strong side no matter what he puts out on on the pitch, thanks to the versatility of several members of his squad to be able to be effective in multiple roles.