Wrexham FC - The Summer So Far and Hopes of Promotion (Again)

It hasn't taken new boss Gary Mills long to stamp his authority onto the goings on at Wrexham FC has it? From the outside looking in, he certainly looks like a man who knows what he wants to do and has set about doing it in both words and actions. After the (admittedly disastrous) Dennis the Menace (anniversary) season, the reds will resort to playing in “red” again and somehow that just feels more comfortable as a starting point. With his clear-out of the playing (and coaching) staff Mills has made it perfectly clear that there is no room for sentiment this season after the emotional highs and lows of the 150^th celebrations.

Useless Trivia Alert – Wrexham FC Managers and Panini Stickers

How many Wrexham FC managers (permanent boss not caretakers) have appeared in a Panini football sticker album as a player? Well, new boss Gary Mills is certainly one – I remember him as a Nottingham Forest sticker. Dean Saunders is another – I remember him as an Oxford United sticker (he probably also appeared for Brighton, Liverpool and Aston Villa amongst others). It’s too far back for me, but I believe Brian Flynn appeared – certainly for Burnley – did he sneak in with Leeds United too? Are there any others?

Players Out

At the time of writing, these are the players to have left Wrexham: Dean Keates, Jay Harris, Kyle Storer, Joe Clarke and Elliott Durrell (that’s a whole midfield right there!). In addition, Neil Ashton, Andy Bishop, Nick Rushton, Anthony Stephens, Sam Finley and Luke Waterfall have left the club. That’s 11 first team squad members gone in one swoop! The new manager has stated his desire to work with a small squad so that may go some way to explaining why quite so many have been allowed to leave.

There is no denying that those players were more than decent on their day but there was an increasing feeling amongst fans that a staleness had crept into the squad despite the arrival of Louis Moult, Manny Smith, Wes York and Blaine Hudson for the start of 2014-2015.

Can a Manager be Too Nice?

I say this not wanting to rock any boat (and it’s my opinion only) but I also wonder whether the last couple of managers were a little bit “too nice” to get the full potential out of the squads they inherited. (Nobody can deny that the players have only performed sporadically over the last 2 seasons). Andy Morrell is one of my favourite Wrexham players ever and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and by all accounts Kevin Wilkin is also a thoroughly decent man but perhaps Gary Mills with his straight talking, no nonsense, and “old-school” attitude to running a football club is exactly what Wrexham FC needed in this moment in time. A bit more “knowhow” and a ruthless streak perhaps?

Players In

With so many players leaving, it’s probably fair to say that a fairly restrictive transfer budget suddenly looked a lot healthier for the new boss with a pretty clean slate to work with. So far we have seen Sean Newton, Adriano Moke, Javan Vidal, Dominic Vose, Lee Fowler and Cameron Belford added to the squad. With the promise of new strikers (perhaps another central defender will be required after the departure of Waterfall) and the new “smaller”, increasingly younger squad seems to be taking shape.

A Familiar Formation?

If the new season started tomorrow (and injuries were miraculously healed) could the starting 11 look something like this?

GK: Belford

Defenders: Newton, Hudson, Smith, Vidal

Midfield: Moke, Vose, Fowler

Forwards: York, Moult, Jennings (Provided the latter puts pen to paper)

Subs: Evans, Carrington, Tomassen, White, Coughlin

From the look of the above, those promised new forward players and another defender will certainly be needed to guarantee any sort of depth to the squad – especially as Gary Mills is committed to the 4-3-3 formation.

I doubt any of the new signings have been brought in specifically to be substitutes so it looks like Rob Evans, Mark Carrington and the like will have to force their way into the reckoning by being right at it come pre-season training – which is no bad thing.

As we approach the new 2015-2016 season in the newly named National League does the Good Ship Wrexham FC have its rudder in place? It would appear that we have a captain who knows where he wants to steer it at least! The club website also reports that Season tickets are selling well for the new season at the Racecourse Ground.

Come On You Reds!

Should Luis Suarez be banned for “Biting” at the World Cup in Brazil?

Luis Suarez is a supremely gifted footballer who unfortunately has a habit of losing control on the pitch and after “allegedly” biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s final World Cup group game, Suarez’ career is once more in the dock.

At the time of writing, FIFA have yet to come forward with a decision on what disciplinary action (if any) it will hand out to Suarez. Some are suggesting a complete ban from the remainder of the world cup, others believe a much harsher sentence is deserved, with this being the third “biting” incident the player has been involved in.

There are certainly those who dislike Luis Suarez and would love to see his career ended and there are those (not just Liverpool fans) who would somehow like to see him rehabilitated so that the sport can retain the services of one of its greatest modern day players.

There are many different arguments of course, one being that if a company employee were to bite a fellow worker, that he (or she) would surely be sacked. Others point to the fact that this is not a one off lapse in concentration or self-restraint and that Suarez might have deeper underlying problems that need dealing with. All valid points.

Some might say that football is out of control altogether. How many players receive multiple red cards in their career and simply get away with a three match ban every time and perhaps an insignificant fine from their clubs? Remember, very often a red card is dished out for violent conduct! There is no excuse for biting – it is violent and vile but perhaps the same can be said of the deliberate use of elbows or those horror tackles where the studs are showing – they are all acts of violence and very often they are repeated by players again and again with intent. Where is their punishment?

Luis Suarez is at a critical point in his career and one would argue, his life in general. A hefty ban, could impact not just his (and his country’s) World Cup but his club career too. Despite a simply stunning season for Liverpool last time out, the Uruguayan is clearly unhappy with the way he is treated by the English media and may possibly be looking for an escape route with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid showing more than a little interest. However, will anyone want to pay in excess of £70 million for a player who not only has some major issues but might also be banned for a significant amount of time? Will Liverpool, or can Liverpool stand by their man once more in the face of such global condemnation and pressure?

For what it’s worth, I believe that Suarez needs to be punished accordingly and given perhaps a final warning, that when returning from the latest ban, if it were to happen again a life ban would be waiting. At the same time, I am neither a Liverpool fan nor Uruguayan, but I believe that losing Luis Suarez for good from our football pitches would be a genuine loss. Such a wonderful player, such a shame.

Liverpool, Lukaku, Lloris and Lallana Light up Premier League Alphabet

It’s still relatively early days but Liverpool can be really happy with their season so far. However, with Everton, Man City, Chelsea and Spurs to play (all away from home) before the New Year, things may look quite different come the half way stage of the season. In recent seasons though, Liverpool have not been flying quite as high as they are right now. Brendan Rodgers has settled in and his team is starting to take shape after he inherited a squad that had been built largely by Kenny Dalglish and Roy Hodgson.

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge have been prolific so far. Steven Gerrard, admittedly now in the twilight of his career, is probably having his most injury free run in the side for a few years and seems to be relishing the responsibility he has been given with the England captaincy. Coutinho has added some much needed flair to that midfield while Jordan Henderson is having is best spell ever in a Liverpool shirt.

Defensively, it’s been a mixed bag. The Reds kept 3 clean sheets in succession at the start of the season but didn’t get another until the recent thrashing of Fulham. Many will point to the experimentation of playing 3 centre backs which doesn’t really seem to have worked but also to Glen Johnson. He was present for the opening 3 clean sheets but then effectively missing through injury until the latest clean sheet against Fulham. So, a great start for Liverpool and by January 1^st 2014 we should know whether they have the legs for a title challenge or whether they will be content with battling for a Champions League spot.

There are some great players in this “L” category too and many of them have already created good talking points this season.

Hugo Lloris – Is the Tottenham goalkeeper the best in the Premier League and should he have been substituted after that head injury at Everton?

Romelu Lukaku – What a great loan signing for Everton and sure to be amongst the league’s top scorers this season.

Frank Lampard – Still a favourite of Jose Mourinho but could this be Frank’s final season at the very top? I am a massive Lampard fan and in my opinion he has been the best midfielder in the league for 10 years, but there are signs that age is finally catching up with him.

Ricky Lambert and Adam Lallana – Have now both been capped by England and their terrific form has helped Southampton to the dizzying heights of the top 4 in the Premier League.

Erik Lamela – Many hadn’t even heard of him when Spurs made him their most expensive signing ever and with the emergence of Andros Townsend coupled with his (Lamela’s) inability to speak English, he has found settling in London really tough. However, those who saw his display against Sheriff Tiraspol in the last round of the Europa league, will have noted the potential of the young Argentinian. It may take a while but there could be a superstar waiting to explode at White Hart Lane – and they certainly need one after the departure of Gareth Bale!

Football Alphabet - "I" Ivanovic and Ibe to the Premier League Rescue

Just a brief instalment for the letter "I" and without Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and Liverpool’s Jordan Ibe it would have been even briefer!

Branislav Ivanovic – The Serbian defender is now in his now in his 7^th season with Chelsea (although he failed to make an appearance in his first season). Despite not always being a regular in the starting 11, Ivanovic has chalked up in excess of 220 appearances for the Stamford Bridge outfit. In the last couple of seasons in particular, he has been a favourite for fantasy football managers, thanks to his knack for popping in the opponents penalty area and scoring goals at a decent rate (for a defender at least).

He can play at right full back or in the centre of defence and seems to find himself in a different role each time Chelsea appoint a new manager! Ivanovic has 64 caps for his country and was of course the recipient of the Luis Suarez “bite” which led to the Uruguayan’s 8 game ban.

Jordan Ibe – No disrespect to Jordan here, but had there been a larger abundance of current “I” named players or teams in the Premier League, then the Liverpool FC winger probably wouldn't have made this list. He’s in though, so let’s have a quick look.

With just one Premier League appearance so far (in the last game of last season) the former Wycombe Wanderers player has time on his side. He is still only 17 years old and has frequently been on the Liverpool substitute’s bench so far this season, without yet making an appearance. So, Jordan Ibe is officially in my Premier League football alphabet and is certainly a name to keep an eye on in the coming seasons.