Gillingham

Gillingham
Gills boss will wait on signings New Gillingham boss Neale Cooper is not planning to sign any new players until he knows where he stands with his six out-of-contract players. He told BBC Radio Kent: "If players decide they aren't re-signing, then you've got to target that position. "There are a few players I know, who would be targets. You've got to have them there in case players don't re-sign, but it's a difficult time." The Gills have already lost defender Nyron Nosworthy to Sunderland. Skipper Paul Smith wants to sign a new deal at Priestfield - but left-back John Hills has been linked with a return to his old club Blackpool.

Roberts hints at Cambridge return
Veteran striker Iwan Roberts would like to join Cambridge if he has no future at Gillingham. "I had a tough time at Gillingham and lost a lot of enthusiasm but I got it back when I came to Cambridge," Roberts told the Cambridge Evening News. "My agent is going to give the new manager a ring this week to see what's going to happen. "Should Rob Newman want me and if there's nothing at Gillingham, I'd be interested," said the 36-year-old. Roberts is currently studying for his Uefa A coaching badge and would be interested in a player-coach role. "I suppose a lot depends on the club's finances but while I'd like to do coaching, I want to play on," added Roberts. "It will be a challenge for Rob next season and if I was there to help him, it would be a challenge for both of us. We've got plenty of contacts, so I'm sure we could get help from a number of people."

Scally sets Gills 10-man target
Gillingham chairman Paul Scally intends to sign 10 players, but he is unsure as to how many will be new faces. "There are 600 players in the game out of contract at the moment and we need another 10 players at this football club," he told the Medway Messenger. "Whether that comes from returning players or not is not my decision. "I can assure fans we will only sign players who want to play for us and not re-signing people just because they can't find another deal elsewhere."

Gills youth boss could leave club
Gillingham's head of youth development, Darren Hare, could be set to leave the club, reports BBC Radio Kent. Hare is currently on holiday but is believed to be considering a move to take up a senior position at Crystal Palace's football academy. He moved to Priestfield to head up the Gills' centre of excellence, but then took charge of the youth sides a couple of years ago. A highlight was their victory over Liverpool in the 2003/04 FA Youth Cup. Hare is the brother-in-law of former Gills player-manager Andy Hessenthaler.

Forest complete Southall signing
"Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Gillingham midfielder Nicky Southall on a two-year contract. The 33-year-old rejected the Gills' offer of a new deal and opted instead to join their League One rivals. "There was interest from Championship clubs but when I knew Forest wanted me, that was that," said Southall. "Forest has a great history and I'm looking forward to being part of their future. It's a fresh start and playing for Gary Megson is an attraction." The former Bolton man also hinted that the delay in contract negotiations at Priestfield, following the departure of previous boss Stan Ternent, had been a factor. "I'd been waiting for most of the summer for something to be set down in front of me," he told BBC Radio Kent. "But nothing was set in stone - nothing was on the table, and in the meantime, various other clubs showed interest."

Hodgson mulls over move for Bossu
Darlington boss Dave Hodgson is planning to hold talks with Gillingham goalkeeper Bertrand Bossu in the near future over a possible move. The 24-year-old keeper has been at Gillingham since the summer of 2003, but has played just eight games for the Kent club. Last season, Bossu went out on loan to Torquay, where he played two games at the start of last season. Bossu has also played for Rushden & Diamonds, Hayes and Barnet.

Stoke sign Gills striker Sidibe
Stoke have signed striker out-of-contract Gillingham striker Mamady Sidibe on a two-year deal. The 25-year-old moves for nothing and is set to mark the start of the Potters team strengthening over the summer. "We are delighted to sign him," Stoke's director of football John Rudge told the club's website. "He is still a young, improving player who we feel has lots of potential. He is a big strong forward and we see him as an excellent acquisition." The Mali international made 36 appearances for Gillingham last season - and Rudge revealed there is more to come. "This is not the end because we are still looking to bring in another couple of forwards as well."

Cooper identifies Gills targets
Gillingham boss Neale Cooper is targeting the players he wants to operate with his ideal 20-man squad. Cooper told BBC Radio Kent: "I have to strengthen the right-hand side after the players who have left. "I also possibly need a left-back, maybe another centre-half to compete with the boys already, and we don¿t have an out-and-out winger at the club. "Players may come on trial, I'm a great believer in that, I did that with players when I was up north."

Gills to offer Saunders new deal
Gillingham boss Neale Cooper has hinted at a new short-term contract for fit-again midfielder Mark Saunders. Cooper is impressed by Saunders' rehabilitation from a broken leg and told the club's website: "Mark has worked extremely hard. "Hopefully we can come to some sort of a deal, maybe a short-term deal to give him an opportunity to get back. "No-one has worked harder than he has. He had a break for a couple of weeks and then came back into training."

Bullock rejects Tannadice offer
Dundee United are looking for a new goalkeeper after Tony Bullock knocked back the club's offer of a new deal. The former Ross County stopper is now expected to link up with Neale Cooper at League One side Gillingham. United manager Gordon Chisholm told the Courier: "Tony has declined our offer and is moving on. He has been made a better offer elsewhere. "The priority will be to sign a good quality number one and I'll take my time to get that right." Nick Colgan, who was on loan at Tannadice last season, has been sent back to Barnsley. But former Dundee goalkeeper Julian Speroni, currently with Crystal Palace, is a possible replacement. "Speroni has been put to us, but I don't want to go down that road until I have spoken to Tony," Chisholm told the Evening Telegraph on Monday. Argentine Speroni, 26, left Dundee for London last summer in a move worth £750,000. He was a consistent performer during the three seasons he spent at Dens Park but did not get off to a good start at Crystal Palace. Speroni was dropped after six Premiership starts and spent the rest of the season on the bench as back-up for Hungarian international Gabor Kiraly.

Gillingham capture keeper Bullock
Gillingham manager Neale Cooper has signed Dundee United goalkeeper Tony Bullock on a two-year deal. The 33-year-old, who played under Cooper at Ross County, rejected a new deal with United and moves to Priestfield on a free transfer. "The strength of any defence starts with its keeper," Gills chairman Paul Scally told his club's website. "The finance director at Rangers said they nearly lost the league title as he was so outstanding against them." Despite having two experienced keepers on the books, Cooper is pleased to have got his man. "When I saw his contract was up I made some enquiries," Cooper told BBC Radio Kent. "He's a goalkeeper I took up north from England to Scotland. "I took him to Ross County where he was excellent and he got a move to Dundee United and played in the cup final against Celtic."

Cooper to hold talks with keepers
Gillingham boss Neale Cooper says signing keeper Tony Bullock is not a snub to Steve Banks and Jason Brown. Bullock arrived from Dundee United on a free transfer and Cooper told BBC Radio Kent: "It's nothing against them. "I had the opportunity to speak to Tony and I did that, but whether we can go with three is up to the players and I'll have to speak to the chairman. "Obviously players aren't happy if there's somebody else in that position and I'll have to speak to those two."

Cox and Saunders sign new deals
Gillingham defender Ian Cox has signed a new one-year deal - while midfielder Mark Saunders has penned a six-month deal while he proves his fitness. Ex-Bournemouth skipper Cox, 34, joined the Gills from Burnley two years ago but was out of contract this summer. Saunders, 33, has not played since last August when he suffered a broken leg against Preston at Priestfield. The Gills are now waiting for a decision from captain Paul Smith, who has also been offered a new deal.

U's still hoping to lure Roberts
Caretaker boss Rob Newman still hopes to bring veteran Gillingham striker Iwan Roberts back to Cambridge United. The ex-Wales forward, 37, ended last season on loan with the U's - who are unable to offer contracts to players while they are in administration. "I spoke to Robbo on Wednesday. He's spoken to the manager at Gillingham and gone into pre-season training with them," Newman told his club's website. "He's keen, but I think it's a case of 'watch this space' with him." Cambridge were forced to release most of their players after their relegation to the Conference triggered their move into administration. They only have four professionals - Ashley Nicholls, Dan Gleeson, John Turner and Darren Quinton - on their books. Three more players - Andy Duncan, Adam Tann and Matt Somner - have now confirmed that they will not be taking up new deals offered by the U's, but Newman will be boosted by the arrival of seven trialists on Monday.

Captain Smith leaves Gillingham
Gillingham captain Paul Smith has left the club after turning down a new contract offer on reduced wages. The 33-year-old told BBC Radio Kent: "I don't think anyone could take a 70 percent cut with three days notice." Smith joined Gillingham from Brentford in 1997 and was the club's player-of-the-year a record four times. He replaced Andy Hessenthaler as club captain at the start of the 1999-2000 season and made 394 appearances for the Priestfield club.

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