Day 64

I called the staff in for a backroom meeting (because I had nothing else to do).

At their suggestion, I put youngsters Oliver Pannell, Will Rawdon, and Nick Draper on individual training regimes. Injured winger Francis Laurent can look forward to movement training—focused on staying out wide when dribbling—when he returns (at least five weeks from now).

I agreed to scout the recommended players, but I doubt they'll be up to scratch.

Assistant Manager Curtis Woodhouse tried to talk me into changing Samba Kanouté's squad status from "important first team player" to "backup to the first team." I flatly refused, insistent that once the lad settles in he'll be a regular starter.

Grant Brown argued that transfer-listed striker Jamie Taylor should be considered a backup for the first team. I don't think so. I mean, technically he is exactly that—if we were to suffer a big injury crisis, he'd be in line to play...after Barnes-Homer, Koroma, Shuker, Smith, Rodney, Pacquette, and Laurent.

I did agree, however, to bump Jason Beardsley down from "hot prospect" to not needed—at 22, he's not likely to improve enough to ever stake a claim for a place in the side. I won't transfer list or release him, though, because we're not actually paying him anything (not sure how that happened).