Folkestone playing the waiting game

Folkestone boss Neil Cugley spoke to www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk this afternoon saying ‘patience’ is key at this time of the year. The proverbial summer transfer ‘merry go round’ has started and the Invicta Manager will be fully involved in the forthcoming weeks.

Talks with last season’s squad are still taking place and Neil said the Club hope to make several “announcements” next week. Whilst discussions with his playing squad have been deemed positive so far, Cugley expects to see more departures from the Buzzlines Stadium than has perhaps been the norm in recent years.

“Quite possibly, for the first time in a while there will be more players in and out, more than we’ve been used to. I think we will see quite a different squad next season to what we finished this year with. There are a few that might leave for various reasons and they have obviously got to be replaced.

“If players do leave it will more likely be the more experienced ones so we need to bring players in with experience and the right attitude who will help bring on the young players we have here. We’ve got some good youngsters and we want them brought on in the right way, with the right attitude towards the Club.

“It’s always good to have new faces though and to earn respect where I have to earn the respect of new players and vice versa”.

Asked if there were any particular positions he was looking to strengthen Cugs responded, “All over! We conceded too many goals last season, we certainly didn’t score enough goals and we didn’t create enough goals and that shows there is a lot of hard work to be done this summer.”

As the 2007/2008 football season draws to a close, player contracts expire, players are released by their clubs and some seek pastures new for various reasons.

“We are spreading our net as wide as we possibly can to see who wants to join the Club but we do have our eye on certain players as well. Obviously the situation is made easier when you know which players you’ve retained and as I said we hope things will start falling into place next week.

“The phone is non stop as you would expect but you have to keep plugging away and that’s one of the joys of being manager! There will be disappointments but at the end of it you want to bring in the players who want to come here and who want to do well.

“Some players you’re after like to leave it and wait to see whether they will get better offers, some prefer to get something signed and tied up quickly so they can go away on holiday and come back knowing where they will be playing.”

Cugley said whilst he would hope to sign “two or three” new players in the next few weeks he warned it may be the case that players don’t sign until later on.

“Well that’s what happened six years ago; one of the most successful seasons we’ve had was in the old Southern League Premier and I think we signed five players on the Thursday before the season started. It’s not ideal, it’s not how I’d like it to do it but sometimes you have to be patient to get the right players in. In an ideal world I’d like to sign them all now so we can get them bedded in but sometimes you have to sit back a bit and wait to see what happens.”

Chairman Gordon Wallis spoke to www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk at the weekend stating a “quality” signing was imminent and the Invicta boss mentioned discussions with the player were continuing.

“We are trying to make an impact signing and we’re doing our best to sort out a deal. You never know though and I don’t want to get my hopes up as a manager until it’s done and dusted. I think we need a good signing to lift everybody and then off we go again.”

Cugs is also keen to add to his management team and is hoping that Kevin Bremner (father of striker Leigh) who was present in the dugout in the final matches of the campaign will join up with the Seasiders at Cheriton Road. Kevin has undoubted coaching credentials and impressively possesses the UEFA ‘A’ coaching badge.

“If we are to have good young players they need to be well looked after and we want a coach with a lot of want and enthusiasm and that’s what we’re hoping to get.

“Kevin is interested and has said what he wants to do the job financially and obviously I’ll be speaking to the Board and it’s another thing which is ongoing at the moment. We both need to talk again and discuss things and hopefully next week we’ll get something sorted out.”

Cugley himself was announced as the Manager for next season by Gordon Wallis last weekend and he will now embark on his twelfth season with the Seasiders.

“I’m very pleased they want me to stay and I think I have unfinished business in respect to what we are trying to build at the Club which I would like to continue and I am pleased the Board are going to let me carry on.

“When you see some of these young lads we’ve got and you think they will be a big part of the Club for the coming years and as the Manager that has put them in the side you want to see them develop. You look at people like Dryden before, Micheal Everitt and Guesty and people like that who have come on so well and you want to continue that with the young lads we’ve got here”.