Tommy Miller looks likely to become Town's first cash outlay of the summer if he passes a medical. Reports this afternoon say the Hartlepool player has agreed to join Town for an initial fee now thought to be £750,000. The fee will rise to £1 million depending on appearances etc.
George Burley has commented for the first time on Miller, a player who had a spell at Portman Road as a 15-year-old, but was released as he was thought too small. Now 6'1" he was one of the stars of the Third Division last year. Burley said: "Tommy is a young player and of course he cannot be guaranteed a first-team place here right away, which he might be at other clubs. He is a bright and talented midfield player who can score goals, but he is not the finished product by any means yet. Our chief scout Colin Suggett watched him many times in action last season at the Hartlepool club he helped to get into the Third Division play-offs. I have seen him several times myself and been very impressed with his skills and his attitude to the game in general."
If all goes well Miller will be added to the squad travelling to Finland and Estonia. The players travel tonight to a hotel before flying out tomorrow. Jim Magilton and Gary Croft are the only players missing.
Squad: Andy Marshall, Keith Branagan, Darren Bent, Fabian Wilnis, Jamie Clapham, Chris Makin, Hermann Hreidarsson, John McGreal, Titus Bramble, Mark Venus, Matt Holland, Jermaine Wright, Martijn Reuser, James Scowcroft, Marcus Stewart, Alun Armstrong, Richard Naylor, Pablo Couñago, Amir Karic, Wayne Brown and Nabil Abidallah.
Work is continuing on both stands. On the South all seats have now been fitted and tidying work has started on the exterior. However, internally work on ceilings, plumbing and second floor bar construction continues to progress. The lower floor is currently being plastered.
As for the North Stand the floodlights have been moved nearer the pitch as a temporary measure. Over the next few weeks the actual stand will begin to appear above ground level. At the moment the concrete platform is being laid at ground level and new turnstiles units are being built at the Britannia Stand end.
Elsewhere the struts on the inside of the Cobbold Stand have been painted blue after being orange for many years. It has also been noticed that a blue light seems to have been tested within the stand, an interesting, and wholly appropriate, development.