BfB

Stuart McCall must have spend a longer time behind a desk this month than he has in the rest of his career as he starts putting together the process that will see him put together a squad. When David Wetherall took over as City boss he had to sit out a few games to cope with the change. McCall – a fine coach by his Blades reputation – will be getting used to the soft leather of the Valley Parade big chair.

Perception of the job of football recruitment is different from the reality. McCall goes through targets sent to him from all over Europe on DVDs and through website links which here at BfB we are often mistakenly presented with. No one ever says on their CV that they slack off after seventy minutes and everyone looks sublime.

Wheat is split from chaff. Two 21 year old Barnsley youngsters called Thomas Harban and Nathan Joynes are coming to City on trail with a view to a loan – the Mark Lawn cash is not to be splashed as much as one might have thought. City have made an offer for Scunthorpe’s left back Lee Ridley and go head to head with Cheltenham for the player.

For that there is good reason. An old anecdote about a former team mate of McCall has the player asking for a free transfer in March and his boss agreeing the he could go in the Summer but that they would list him at deadline day only to get a £250,000 offer “and not a penny more even though you could get it”. The footballer’s value is tied into unfathomable and many a manager has frittered away a fortune on players who offered no better than those available for next to nothing.

Next to nothing seeps out of Valley Parade and season ticket sales continue. This is the calm. The storm brews.