Wrexham

Wrexham see the end of the road
Wrexham manager Brian Little is resigned to relegation and rebuilding after the 3-0 loss at Shrewsbury. "We've said so much so many times, but this is really the end of the talking," Little told SSB. "I have to be ruthless and sort the team out, there's a huge rebuilding job and we might lose favourite faces." Wrexham are now nine points from safety with four games left, prompting club legend Joey Jones to berate the team in the dressing room after Shrewsbury. If the Dragons' result at home to Notts County next Saturday is bettered by Dagenham, who play at Rotherham, and Chester, who play at Wycombe, then the club will be relegated from the Football League. "I was running out of words at the end and Joey - who is a great hero and friend of mine - felt the need to tell the players some things that weren't complimentary," said Little, who signed a new two-year contract with the club last week. "It was a bad day, one of the worst of my football career. The first goal we conceded was appalling and the second wasn't much better. "Each week there's been someone different making the mistake, and I include myself in that. "At Shrewsbury the players didn't do themselves justice, either individually or collectively. "That doesn't make them bad people - they're an honest bunch of lads - but they went into their shells after that first goal." The on-field failings were acknowledged by Dragons captain Neil Roberts. "We shot ourselves in the foot again and the right word to describe it is embarrassing," he told SSB. "Every one of us needs to go away and look at ourselves. "I try to stay positive, but we are clearly close to relegation now. We just haven't been good enough." Wrexham began their Football League tenure back in 1921, a year after Cardiff and Swansea, and Little knows his task now is to see them bounce back as quickly as possible. "The club was saved from oblivion by people who have its interests at heart and have left it in good hands, my job is to sort out the team," he told SSB. "The squad are a great bunch of lads, but I have to be ruthless to give the fans the sort of side they deserve. "We've currently got a group who have had too many years of losing games. That's not good and it's not healthy. "Hopefully I will be able to change as much as possible. We might lose some people who the supporters will see as their favourites, but at the end of the day we need a breath of fresh air."

Wrexham 'not for sale' - Dickens
Wrexham Football Club chairman Neville Dickens has denied speculation that the board is trying to sell the club. Dickens, who led a takeover of the stricken north Wales club in August 2006, did confim to SSB that new investment is being sought. However, it is understood that the club has yet to receive any firm offers. Wrexham's loss to Hereford last week confirmed their relegation to the Blue Square Premier, ending the club's 87-year stay in the Football League.

Little angry with Wrexham display
Wrexham boss Brian Little hit out at his side after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Blue Square Premier strugglers Altrincham. "I can't explain why we were as poor as we were," said Little. "We started poorly and gave a bad goal away. "I think the start unsettled everybody and we never really gathered ourselves after that. "Everyone was trying, but for me, there was only Tom Kearney who was playing to be honest."

Little determined to ride storm
Manager Brian Little insisted that he is the man to lead Wrexham forward as pressure mounted after the 3-0 loss to Rushden & Diamonds at the Racecourse. "My job is to turn things around," said Little, whose side have slipped to 13th in the Blue Square Premier after four defeats in their last five games. "I'm here and I want to be here, I'm trying to do my best. "But if it's not good enough and people don't want me I've no intention of making their lives a misery." Little says the fans have the right to criticise, but he was upset by some of the more personal abuse directed towards him by supporters. "We can't expect to be where we are and not have criticism," Little told BBC Sport Wales. "Abuse is different, but I understand where we are and that is going to happen. "It was a poor evening all round, all three goals we conceded were down to defensive mistakes. "Being 2-0 down at half-time at home is harder than when you're away, especially in the current climate where we're not going well." Although determined to accept responsibility, Little said that he felt let down by his players. "We all need to take a step back, look at it, work hard and do better," said the Dragons boss. "It's hard to believe that this is the same group of players who have won games for us this season. "It's disappointing that the team is not reflecting what we want to do, but I take full responsibility for that. "I'm here until the day that someone gets hold of me, has a little chat and says that things are not right."

Darracott joins Saunders' Wrexham
Wrexham manager Dean Saunders has recruited ex-Dragons player Terry Darracott as his assistant. "I'm delighted with the chance, I worked well with Dean at Blackburn," Darracott told the Wrexham website. Ex-Everton defender Darracott, 57, has been working as a European scout with Bolton since November 2007. Another former Wrexham player - Dave Brammer - has been training with the club after the 33-year-old fell out with League One side Millwall. The midfielder was training with Crewe - another of his ex-clubs - last month. He still has a year of his contract to run at the Lions.

Wrexham to sign defender Westwood
New Wrexham boss Dean Saunders is set to sign former Manchester United trainee Ashley Westwood. The 31-year-old defender is without a club but Westwood has been training with the Blue Square Premier club. The centre-back is expected to sign a contract until the end of a year and will be Saunders' second signing since taking over as Racecourse manager. "I've agreed everything with Ashley so he will hopefully make his debut on Saturday at Mansfield," said Saunders. Former Wales striker Saunders, who has signed highly-rated Swansea teenager Joe Allen on loan, played alongside Westwood during the latter years of his career at Bradford City. Westwood has played more than 320 first-class Football League games for Crewe Alexandra, Sheffield Wednesday, Northampton Town and Wrexham's rivals Chester. Meanwhile, Wrexham host either Harrogate Town or Eastwood Town in their FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie on October 25. This is the first time that Wrexham, relegated from the Football League last season, have had to qualify for the FA Cup.

Uefa Cup winner has Wrexham trial
Wrexham have handed a trial to Uefa Cup winner Christian Gyan. The 30-year-old former Ghana international, who can play in defence or midfield, was part of Dutch side Feyenoord's Cup winning side in 2002. Gyan has spent most of his career in Holland, but recently completed a six-month spell at Finnish side TPS Turku. Manager Dean Saunders has included Gyan in the squad for the FA Trophy trip to Basingstoke on Tuesday, but is unlikely to feature.

Wrexham job 'frustrates' Saunders
Dean Saunders concedes he questions his Wrexham future "every five minutes" as the under-pressure manager's poor run continued with defeat to Salisbury. But the Racecourse boss insists he will not quit the Blue Square Premier League strugglers despite winning just seven of their last 31 league games. He marked his one-year anniversary with back-to-back defeats but Saunders will to fight on despite his 'frustrations.' Saunders said: "I think 'am I fed up of this' probably every five minutes!" The former Wales international is embarking on his first managerial mission as he bids to inspire the famous Welsh club out of the non-league doldrums and back into the Football League. Saunders seemed to have managerial Midas touch as he lost just one of his first league game after replacing Brian Little last October. He has signed dozens of new players - including former Premier League stars Matt Jansen and now Frank Sinclair - but Wrexham have miss-fired since March and Saunders has been the target of the Racecourse boo boys. Wrexham have one of the biggest squads in the Blue Square Premier League but the Dragons are just four places above the relegation zone. Saunders' Wrexham have 14 points league points which is the same points tally Brian Little had amassed when he left Wrexham last season. The 45-year-old coach told BBC Sport: "I always stick up for the players. "And I'll stick with them as long as they want to receive the ball, want to play football and show effort and determination. "But when I see things like I did against Salisbury...I do think what am I doing. "Corners are coming out of the back, playing a short free kick to Franck Sinclair, who has never scored a free kick in his life, in the middle of the goal when he has got cramp and can hardly walk and crossing free-kicks straight into the goalkeepers' hands, things like that drive me around the bend. "But you have to keep going." Saunders endured a tough start to his playing career as he was sold by his home-town club Swansea, going on a free transfer to Brighton and Hove Albion to rescue his career. He went on to win 75 Welsh caps, broke the then English record fee of £2.9million when he signed for Liverpool from Derby and won the 1992 FA Cup, won the 1994 League Cup with Aston Villa before playing for Turkish side Galatasaray and Portuguese giants Benfica. "In football there's a smack in the face around every corner you turn no matter what level you're at," said Saunders. "And I've had hundreds of slaps in my career - and when I started I had a few slaps - but you have to come back as the people that do come back are the ones who survive and achieve things. "If you can't come back from disappointments, there's nothing for you in football - so I'll be back working on the next game now. "It is a frustrating job but I don't think it is lack of effort on our part." Wrexham were 2-0 down to Salisbury in the opening 18 minutes when Stuart Anderson headed in after Wrexham failed to clear a set-piece before Matt Tubbs added a second. Veteran striker Gareth Taylor's seventh goal of the season was a mere consolation as Wrexham lost 2-1 in front of their own fans. Saunders was frustrated with his players for failing to implement what they practice in training. "In the first-half it was the poorest we have been and to give the goal away as we did, it drives me around the bend. You'd swear we didn't do any set-piece practices. It's a different player every week allowing his man to run free. "It kicks all of the supporters in the teeth, kicks me in the teeth and kicks the players in the teeth - and then they scored a second goal. "In the second-half we should have won the game as we missed about five or six chances, including two or three easy tap-ins, and we couldn't get the ball into the net. "You'd swear we didn't do any set-piece practices," Saunders bemoaned. "We work on a pattern of play every week - and we don't work all week in training to smack the ball on Gareth Taylor's head every time we have the ball, which is also driving me around the bend. "In the second-half we should have won the game as we missed about five or six chances, including two or three easy tap-ins, and we couldn't get the ball into the net. "I think the game was there for the taking for us but we just couldn't push the ball over the line. "But there's nothing for us in this league if we defend like that - the teams at the top don't concede goals like that."

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