Town look likely to rest a number of players when they meet Arsenal in the Worhtington Cup tomorrow. Mark Venus, James Scowcroft, Richard Naylor and Jim Magilton all missed training yesterday feeling the effects of Saturday's game with Middlesbrough. None seems to be in the 'injured' category exactly, however, George Burley has said he will not risk player in this competition. That means that Martijn Reuser, Titus Bramble and David Johnson and may all get starts against an Arsenal side likely to look very similar to the reserve side which beat the Town second string 3-0 two weeks ago.
Town's two long-term injury victims Guillermo Graaven and Keith Branagan are both on the way back to full fitness. Branagan hopes to be back for the reserve game with Spurs on November 14th while Graaven has come out of plaster after his ankle operation. He has returned from Holland and is likely to start playing again in January. Meanwhile Town's young Scottish centre-half Steven Moffat has picked up a foot injury.
Town manager George Burley has refused to be drawn on any interest in Tranmere's promising Welsh midfielder Jason Koumas. Burley generally refuses to comment on players in contract and Koumas is no exception. On the matter of James Scowcroft's link with Leicester Burley said nothing has changed since he denied any plans to sell the player last week and that was what he had told Peter Taylor: "We are not looking to sell any of our good players"
Taylor himself said: "A lot of people assumed that I went to watch him, but there were a number of senior players on both sides I wanted to have a look at."
Taylor is referring to his appearance at the Town-Arsenal reserve game two weeks ago. I can't remember many 'senior players' on the Arsenal side, but there were several established Town players on show that night.
Taylor has also been linked with a host of other players this week including Middlesbrough's Andy Campbell, Manchester United's Jonathan Greening, Chelsea's Jody Morris and even, as a replacement for Stan Collymore, Pierre Van Hooijdoonk.
It looks like Saturday's Fans' Forum may be bearing its first fruit. Reports today say that the club, the police and the council are to meet to try to resolve the gridlock that engulfs the area around the ground after games. Currently there is a complete lack of traffic control and it takes some up to an hour or so to get as far as a few hundred yards from the ground. Fans are being reminded that the town's Park and Ride services are available with a bus stop just outside the Drum and Monkey for the London Road service and a stop by the Willis Corroon building for the new scheme in Bury Road.
Town have a new video editing suite which will be used to analyse players' individual performances. The state of the art equipment uses pictures from the 13 cameras around the ground with each player's time on the ball condensed down to a fifteen-minute tape. Their contribution, good or bad, can then be assessed and any areas which need improvement worked on. Town are even considering having tape ready at half-time for discussion during the team-talk, although the manufaturers are yet to produce a flying tea-cup proof version of the kit for this purpose.