[hanouda]

Astounding news - we actually sign some players. I've forgotten what this feels like

Wrexham have signed TNS defender Steve Evans on a two-year contract.

Evans, born in Wrexham, spent seven seasons with the current Welsh Premier champions, but the 6ft 5in player has another shot at the Football League.

The 27-year-old joined TNS in February 2000 from Crewe Alexandra, after starting out with West Bromwich Albion.

"I'm looking forward to a new challenge as I want to see if I can cope with what should be a rise in standards on the pitch," he told the club's website.

"I have to thank both Ken McKenna and Mike Harris at TNS for the faith they have shown in me and I will certainly not forget their help and support over the years.

"While Ken was disappointed to see me go, he also gave me his blessing and that meant a great deal to me."

Evans is the second Wrexham-born player to arrive at the Racecourse Ground this week, with Darlington defender Ryan Valentine also coming home.

Midfielder Mark Jones and defender Danny Williams have both re-signed with the Dragons this week, but striker Jon Walters has moved to rivals Chester as a free agent.

Only in Wales, one goal makes a successful Intertoto campaign

Carmarthen manager Mark Jones says he was satisfied with his team's 8-1 aggregate loss to Tampere United.

The Welsh Premier part-timers fell to a 3-1 defeat at Newtown, adding to a 5-0 first round, first leg Intertoto Cup loss at the Finnish league leaders.

"It was a good hiding, but we enjoyed it and learnt a lot," said Jones.

"We've represented Wales in Europe and had a good time. I'm proud of the way my team created chances and kept going to the end against a full-time side."

Jones said that finishing was the key difference between the two teams, Ville Lehtinen scoring in the first leg then getting a hat-trick at Latham Park.

"We don't think the overall score reflects the way the games went, but Lehtinen wouldn't look out of place on Match of the Day on Saturday night, he nearly won the tie himself," Jones told BBC Sport Wales.

"When you step up a level you can't give these guys chances, they're just clinical.

"But none of my boys came out of it badly, they can hold their heads high. We'll have a short break then get back to training for the Welsh Premier."

Carmarthen kick off their league campaign at home to Caernarfon on 19 August.

[retired_derek]

Yay for Wrexham :thup:

[hanouda]

We need to get this stickied tbh but if you do need to find this thread, search for Lucy Jones. Should be sponsor tbh

[retired_derek]

Yorke was Mr Dwight for Jones
Jul 9 2006
Peter Shuttleworth, Wales on Sunday


CARDIFF CITY have failed in an audacious attempt to sign Dwight Yorke.

The Bluebirds made an enquiry about the former Manchester United striker who captained Trinidad and Tobago at the World Cup.

Yorke, though, made it clear he wishes to see out the final year of his contract with Sydney despite being previously told he could leave.

City have instead turned their attention to other transfer targets.

But Bluebirds' boss Dave Jones is still being frustrated in his attempts to land West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jason Koumas.


Koumas starred for City while on loan last season but Jones has so far refused to match the Baggies' £2m valuation of the Welsh international.


Jones wants to have all his transfer activity sewn up by the time his squad board the plane to Canada on Wednesday for their pre-season tour.


Yet the likelihood of Koumas being among the travelling party remains slim with his agent Peter McIntosh admitting there is only a 50/50 chance at the moment that a deal will be struck.


"At the moment both sides are haggling over money and it's stalemate," he said.


Koumas is due to return to training at West Brom on Tuesday following dental surgery which forced him to miss the first few days of pre-season workouts last week. Baggies' boss Bryan Robson plans to speak to both Koumas and McIntosh in the next few days.


Meanwhile Peter Ridsdale has told fans to put their money where their mouths are and back the club from the terraces.


After unveiling new plans for the club's proposed £30m stadium the deputy chairman said: "There are too many excuses from fans about why they aren't coming to watch.


"If fans buy season tickets now, we can buy more players.


"If fans invest in a season ticket, we promise to invest that money into the squad."

[retired_derek]

Poborsky Czechs out
Jul 9 2006
Peter Shuttleworth, Wales on Sunday


KAREL Poborsky last night became the first of the Czech Republic's old guard to retire from international football in the wake of their World Cup embarrassment.

The 34-year-old former Manchester United winger was part of the ageing Czech team that fell at the first hurdle at the World Cup in Germany - and fellow old-timers Pavel Nedved and Jan Koller are also considering their future.

[retired_derek]

Good news for all Three of the welsh Football League clubs.

all from www.bbc.co.uk

Cardiff stadium 'ready by 2008'

Cardiff City have sought to quell fears over the viability of their proposed new stadium by saying construction work will begin by the end of the year.
The £35m project for a 30,000-seater stadium and retail park has been dogged by delays and negative publicity.

But Cardiff deputy chairman Peter Ridsdale says the finances are in place and he expects Cardiff council to approve the business plan in September.

"We can complete this stadium by the summer of 2008," he told BBC Sport.

"There's been too much negative publicity. The sceptics can go away, this is now a reality. We are going to build the stadium.

"We've shown the visuals for the new stadium, we've got the retailer signed up.

"We want to get some positive news out there before the start of the new season so that those people who have been saying it will never happen can now understand it will happen.

"I want them to get behind us for the new season and show us their support."

Cardiff were given a further four-month extension by the local council in May to provide more information on how they would finance the project.

They are now ready to submit those details, and the club are entirely confident they will stand up to scrutiny.

A three-month judicial review period would then follow before construction work can begin on ground adjacent to Cardiff's current home at Ninian Park.

"We expect to have bulldozers in by the end of the year," Ridsdale added.

Integral to the stadium scheme is securing a 438,700 sq ft retail development on the 60-acre site.

American discount store group CostCo and Asda have signed contracts to become tenants, and the club say talks are at an advanced stage to secure another three.

Ridsdale said: "The retailers are signed up and the land is being acquired by the retail developer.

"We know what the price is so we know how much money we've got to build the stadium. We've designed the stadium within that budget and we can now see the finishing line.

"It's a very exciting development which will have social benefits to the city of Cardiff."

The club last season faced administration with £30m debts and sold several players to reduce the wage bill.

Wrexham see end to administration

Embattled Wrexham hope to be out of administration by the end of next week.
Club officials are confident the Football League will ratify a proposed takeover bid in London on Thursday.

Ownership of the club will then pass to a consortium led by local businessman Neville Dickens, and Wrexham will be to operate as any other club.

"It's been a long process, but safeguarding the best interests of the club has been paramount to all," said a statement on the Wrexham website.

Wrexham went into administration in December 2004 with debts of £4m, and were docked 10 league points.

Creditors accepted the Dickens consortium rescue plan in May to receive about 28p in every pound they are owed.

Under Football League rules, Wrexham had until 3 June to come out of administration or be expelled from the league.

On 6 June, the Football League Board voted to accept the takeover bid and said the plan had met the 18-month deadline.

Swans feel transfer market pinch

Chairman Huw Jenkins believes Swansea have become a victim of their own success as other clubs hike prices of potential transfer targets.
Swansea enjoyed bumper crowds in their new Liberty Stadium last season as they narrowly missed out on promotion.

But despite boss Kenny Jackett wishing to strengthen, so far only Fulham midfielder Darren Pratley has arrived.

"Clubs are demanding fees way in excess of what we feel a player is worth, the figures seem to go up," Jenkins said.

"People are trying to take advantage, the position we find ourselves in at this club is the worst it's been since I've been here.

"Players we're trying to sign want far more money out of us than perhaps they should be asking for... although trying to attract players of Championship level or above you accept you're going to have to pay higher wages."

One current target is Wycombe Wanderers defender Roger Johnson, with the Swans having had a £100,000 bid rejected in June.

Reports suggest that new Wanderers boss Paul Lambert is prepared to cash-in on the club skipper, but that the asking price is now in the region of £200,000.

[retired_derek]

Us Spite you? Never!

[retired_shala]

Andy dorman's brother Richard has just gone to the USA as well, having played some of last season at mighty Airbus. He looked one of their better players by all accounts, and he's only 18, so maybe he'll be able to follow his brother's footsteps to MLS.

Have Cardiff announced any finances for this season yet? They seem to live in the middle of a labrynth of loans and overdrafts.

[retired_fefecalifornia]

awesome thread gregg :cool:

im going to prague
unfortunately the game's not in prague

[retired_fefecalifornia]

we announced our only home friendly today

v auxerre on friday 28th july

as i now work in cardiff i suspect i will be there :thup: