By Albatross
January 19 2005

The coming of the Transfer Window has meant January is now one of the seasons for speculation - and there's a bit about involving Hartlepool United. However there has been some definate news - and it's not good for Trigger.... First the definate news: Darrell Clarke lasted just over half an hour of his debut for Stockport, and with the current diagnosis being problems with his Knee Cartilage. No confirmation as to whether it's the same knee that had to be operated on yet, but either way it means a few weeks on the sidelines and he may well be back receiving treatment with Pools sooner rather than later. Given how much time he'll have spent on the Physio's table this season, he may find himself considering a change of career.... while there's nothing to suggest that this is the end of his playing days, Trigger is going to have even less opportunity to get back into the Pools side and show that he's worthy of another deal in the close season - could it be fatal for his future at Pools?

Now onto the speculation, and the strongest rumours seem to involve Jack Ross. Ross has of course requested a move, and with Falkirk - known to be long-time admirers of him when he was at Clyde - apparently prepared to put up an admittedly small fee, there may well be more than a grain of truth in the speculation. There's even one tale that a deal was agreed over the weekend.

One of the main reasons Ross hasn't moved yet is the lack of cover in his position - but with Mickey Barron approaching fitness again after his outing for the reserves last week, Cooper may be tempted to take the money rather than try and retain an unhappy player. Losing Ross would be a blow though - he's been showing signs in recent weeks of why Cooper wanted him with some assured performances, and most Poolies seem to think that he's a better bet there than Barron in any case, who is after all a central defender playing on the flank. The next question is has Coops anyone else lined up to replace Ross....

20K doesn't sound a lot for a player that was rumoured to be attracting a lot of interest in Scotland before Pools stepped in, but in many ways Pools may have little option. Ross is being professional by continuing to play well, but he has requested a move - and if Pools turn down an offer from a club that in many ways might suit him very well, it might well affect his form. We're in a position where in this instance it's a buyer's market - it's hard for Pools to dictate what a player is worth when it's well known he wants to leave for home, and if anything it's to Jack's credit that any negotiations that may be happening are being conducted behind closed doors and not through the press as sometimes seems to happen - Robbie Savage anyone?

A more outlandish rumour seems to have been reported in the Sunday People yesterday though, with a claim that Fulham are interested in Dimi Konstantopoulos. While Dimi is certainly showing us why Cooper wanted him, it seems unlikely that he's done enough in his not particularly long career at Pools to attract serious attention from the Premiership. Still, in a way it's nice to have players that are in demand!

Finally there are also rumours surfacing that Wigan are interested in Adam Boyd. Having just signed a new deal they'd have to pay a tidy fee, but Wigan have shown that they are prepared to splash out on lower division players if they think they are the right ones - notably Nathan Ellington. Ellington is apparently being tracked by some Premiership clubs, meaning that Paul Jewell may be on the lookout for another forward - but with current speculation being that he's interested in taking Liverpool's Neil Mellor on loan for the rest of the season, whether there's anything in this rumour other than "Wigan might need a forward, who's doing well in the division below them" remains to be seen.