Shrimpsvoices

Hi all,

News on two big signings now on the official website.

Photos still being updated but wanted to make sure you got the news first.

http://www.morecambefc.com

EDIT: Now with added photograph (thanks to The Visitor)

Fantastic news just what we needed

Great signings!Well done Sammy!

Great Stuff, I know Sammy didn't really want to go down the loan route but I always felt it was our best option.

Would be interested to know if we have had to pay a "loan fee" for either of these players.

Sam wrote:Great signings!Well done Sammy!

And, from what I understand, Mark Lillis, Peter McG and Graham Hodgson. Fantastic work! Two superb signings of genuine League 1 quality players.

At the end of last season we had the basis of a good side that lacked quality in key areas.

On paper the four summer signings, plus Duffy, seem to have addressed the shortcomings and strengthened the squad immensely.

Craney and Jevons are fantastic additions and we can now look forward to the new season with a certain degree of optimism.

Well done to all concerned at the club.

It would be good to know Neds views.

Fantastic signings. Names people in the town will know. Phil Jevons only 29(!), perfect for Taylor to play alongside.

Another central midfielder? Craney is a quality player and an attacking playmaker we needed but surely someone will have to make way.

Absolutely brilliant news. Bit of a shame that they're both only on loan but after a season here who knows? Definitely a sign we're heading in the right direction. Hopefully this should shut the moaners up

Great News!

I hope all the doubters are a bit more optimistic now.

No doubt Simply Ego will claim that Sammy took his comments on board

After chatting to a Huddersfield fan in the office:

1) Craney is mainly an attacking central midfielder (decent) but has been used as a holding midfielder (without much distinction) and a right winger (without much distinction) and as a left winger (which he's frankly rubbish at)
+ great at passing, good skill, hard trainer, good shot on him, rest of the squad liked him
- gets tired after 60 minutes

2) Jevons mainly plays off another striker, likes to drop deep
+ knows where the goal is, at least before he went to Huddersfield (although he tells me that Huddersfield have a tendency to buy strikers with good scoring records and turn them into ones with poor scoring records)
- bit lazy, needs a burly front man to play off (e.g. Bartosz Tarachulski at Yeovil, Isiah Rankin at Grimsby, Andy Bishop at Bury), fans glad to be rid

In conclusion, I'd say if we can get a big striker in to play with Jevons we might be on to a winner. The fact that the fans didn't like him probably doesn't say much other than he might have been a bit above his level, and Andy Booth, who might have been his preferred strike partner, was injured most of the season.

Craney, Stanley and Drummond in midfield if we're going 5-3-2.

One question mark - wages. This guy reckons Craney's on £2.5-3k at Huddersfield - I hope we're not paying all of that!

If loans bring in a higher quality of play then I am all for it! Two very decent signings in my book. Dare we dream of a promotion push? The new Christie Way Stadium would not be out of place in League 1...

From the Huddersfield site:

Striker Phil Jevons and midfielder Ian Craney have today joined League Two side Morecambe on a season-long loan.

The duo will join the Shrimpers for the entire season, but the Terriers will have the ability to recall either player from January.

Craney has made a total of 35 appearances for the Terriers since moving to the Club in the summer of 2008, scoring 6 goals, whereas Jevons has netted 11 goals in his 50 appearances for Town.

Town boss Lee Clark explained the reasons behind the move to htafc.com:

"We held a conversation with the Morecambe manager following our pre-season game on Saturday and the moves came about from there," Lee explained.

"Although we have brought new players in, I have always said that our squad was too big and I wanted to trim the numbers and this move allows us to do that while at the same time helping two of our senior players feature in first-team football, which will save them the frustration of playing in the reserves."



So, there is the possibility that we could lose them for the 2nd half of the season, lets hope not!

I'd imagine that is an option in any loan deal, though.

Great news, should hopefully keep some of the doubters quiet for a bit. Probably until Saturday, at least!

WOW..............
great news
Huddersfield have 31 players in their squad
great news and well done to the board and management
couldnt believe the news when i read it!!!
bring on the pilgrims...........

simmy wrote:At the end of last season we had the basis of a good side that lacked quality in key areas.

On paper the four summer signings, plus Duffy, seem to have addressed the shortcomings and strengthened the squad immensely.

Craney and Jevons are fantastic additions and we can now look forward to the new season with a certain degree of optimism.

Well done to all concerned at the club.

It would be good to know Neds views.

Good news, totally agree with you on this. There are no guarrantee's but this is what was needed to give us a lift and some optimism. Now just need to tighten up the centre of defence.

it could have been announced earlier but they had to check with Simply Clueless first

Fantastic news, thats cheered me up I don't know too much about Jevons but it sounds as if he's a decent player, as for Craney, we know what he can do!

As for the centre of defence........ Step up Jim Bentley

Now thats more like it, briliant news, 2 experienced players is just what we needed, i feel a lot happier now.

Gnasher wrote:it could have been announced earlier but they had to check with Simply Clueless first

Two players who should, in theory, perform well at this level. It's up to Sammy to get the best out of them.

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Well that completes the jigsaw that is our squad....back to my formation thread add in the new guys

Simply Ned wrote:

simmy wrote:
It would be good to know Neds views.

Good news, totally agree with you on this. There are no guarrantee's but this is what was needed to give us a lift and some optimism. Now just need to tighten up the centre of defence.

USA Shrimp wrote:

Gnasher wrote:it could have been announced earlier but they had to check with Simply Clueless first

Now then BOTH OF YOU!!!

Ned deserves all he brings upon himself when he goes off on one, but doesn't deserve a negative response when he's actually posted in a both positive & reasonable manner! Consider knuckles rapped

Great signings, just what we needed!

Well I'm not going to dampen the enthusiasm shown with regards to the new players.

I can think of one 'very well to do' fan who will be delighted that at long last IC has joined 'the family'.

As for Jevons don't know much about him other than that he prefers to play off a target man. Not sure if the other strikers in the club automatically fall into that category but given a push I'd suggest that Aaron may be the one to benefit from this signing.

CC's certainly more optomistic than following what many said was a shambles on Saturday. Maybe Sammy thought the same and as a result was quickly into discussions with his Huddersfield opposite number following Saturdays game.

Yet another reason to say thanks to the Board.......


FOOTNOTE: If finances allowed I'd still like a young, eager to prove a point, striker to play alongside Jevons. The lad signed by Accy would have done otherwise a fresh look at Jason Walker, now on trial at Donny or the young guy from Telford who ran the Shrews ragged last Saturday?

Or maybe he was simply doing what he said months ago and still working to bring a bit more quality into the side including at least one striker with a good goalscoring record and anyone who read anything much into the performance on Saturday was being a bit dim?

THIS deal was done in the last few days but if it hadn't happened we'd have been looking at something else.

Trust them, they've not let us down yet.