Have we signed Nicolas then?...

[Trigger]

Ferret seems to think there could be a chance of him playing Saturday... Well we'd have to sign him first wouldn't we? He wouldn't be able to play otherwise...

http://www.seagulls.premiumtv.co.uk/page/FerretTalkDetail/0,,10433~547794,00.html

 

[Marc]

yeah I read that too, also mentions Currie aswell, maybe he has inside information.....which would'nt surprise me at all really

 

[Lush]

Hopefully not Currie. He has David Lee written all over him.

 

[b.w.2.]

Except that Currie can actually play...

 

[Northstander]

Nicholas Parsons

 

[Kryten]

the story...


After taking the entire month of July off, it is now time for a return, and this is the first of a new weekly column which will appear every Wednesday throughout the forthcoming season.

It's been a rather curious pre-season for me, primarily because I have seen very little football. Circumstances conspired to mean that the first friendly I attended, at Worthing, was also my last - although I did manage to sneak into the reserve team game at Lewes last night.

Instead, I've been busy drinking soup at the top of Mount Snowdon, Weiss Bier in a Munich Beer Garden, and experiencing the likes of Air and Oblivion at Alton Towers. It's also only fair to admit that I chose cricket over and above the delights of trips to Stevenage, Crawley and Cambridge.

My carelessness in having my car stolen in the early hours of the morning of the Play-off Celebration Parade meant that I didn't make that either! As the car still hasn't been recovered, if you see me thumbing a lift to any early away games ¬ please stop and give me a ride!

All things considered however, my ignorance of the relative merits of Maheta Molango, Albert Jarrett and Alexis Nicholas probably means that I'm in the ideal position to speculate on the composition of Mark McGhee's first Championship selection for the trip to Reading on Saturday.



Who will make the starting line-up this Saturday?

With Leon Knight suspended, probably the only guaranteed starting place goes to club captain Danny Cullip, but it would be a major shock if he lines up alongside anybody other than Guy Butters in the heart of the Albion's defence. However, the other defensive slots appear to be up for grabs.

Adam Virgo would be my choice to start at right-back, although Adam Hinshelwood has made a strong impression there during pre-season.

On the left it's a straight battle between Dan Harding and Kerry Mayo, with the Ginger Prince looking to regain a starting place for the umpteenth time in the ten years that he has spent at the club.

The goalkeeping slot is another difficult choice for McGhee, but I would expect Ben Roberts to get a very marginal nod over Michel Kuipers, who has impressed the manager this pre-season.

With Richard Carpenter still a few weeks off a return, Charlie Oatway seems assured of a place in central midfield, alongside Paul Reid, David Lee, Harding or possibly even Nicholas.

On the wings, Lee will battle Gary Hart and Reid on the right, while Jarrett will be pushing Nathan Jones hard out on the left, and the claims of Darren Currie and John Piercy (illness permitting) can not be discounted here either.

This just leaves the strike-force. Molango is a certain starter but, following the release of Zsombar Kerekes, the second berth in attack is completely up for grabs. My guess is one of three: Lee, Hart or Jake Robinson.

Whatever happens we will find out in a few days time. I'm looking for a promising start to life in the new league and the match day performance will be the key for me. As for the result, I'll be more than happy to get a point on the board and absolutely ecstatic should we sneak all three!