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Left And Right Hands
Left And Right Hands
Tuesday, 6th Jul 2004 00:00

Left Hand, Meet Right Hand

Left Hands And Right Hands

Many Swans fans were disappointed to pick up a copy of last night's Evening Post that said that Neil Sharp was coming back to the Vetch on trial. The defender, released by Brian Flynn just over 12 months ago was expected back at the Vetch on a trial after being recommended by a local person. Many Swans fans didn't want him back and didn't really see the need. Questions were asked over the local recommendation as to who could see him but the fact of the matter is, Kenny told the Evening Post

''Neil is desperate to get back into the Football League and he would love it to be at Swansea City,' ''He has been recommended to me locally and I have spoken to Neil. We haven't arranged anything just yet - it's not easy because he's in Hemel Hempstead at the moment - but we are going to take him on trial.''

But this morning, the same Swans fans picked up the Western Mail to be told that the trial had been cancelled and that Kenny had told the player so at the end of last week. In Sharp's words:

"It came about after I played a reserve match for Yeovil at the Vetch. It was the Swansea chairman who was keen. He called me after the game and explained that there had been a lot of changes at the club.

"He said it was up to the manager which players he wanted to sign, but he recommended me to Kenny.

"So the plan was to go on trial and when I spoke to Kenny the Sunday before last everything was OK - he was trying to make the arrangements for me to come down to Swansea.

"But on Friday it fell through. Kenny told me he was signing a goalkeeper which would take up the rest of the playing budget."

What is unclear from this is whether the call from Kenny to Sharp took place before or after the Swans were rejected by keeper Martyn Margetson who preferred to stay at Ninian Park as understudy to Tony Warner. It has been stated that the Swans offered Margetson a deal that would be around two thirds of what he gets at Ninian - believed to be around £250k per year. Maybe now that the deal has been rejected there is room in the budget to take a look at Sharp it's just that we forgot to tell him!!!!

The person that recommended Sharp, chairman Huw Jenkins, told the Western Mail "It's the first I've heard about it.

"Perhaps, for whatever reason, Kenny has changed his mind. He's entitled to do that.

"Yes, we do have to bring in another goalkeeper and Kenny's got to work with the money left in his kitty.

"What I would say is it would be unfair to bring someone in on trial if there wasn't room to take it any further."

My guess on this one is that Sharp may still arrive at the Vetch for a trial but one conclusion that can be drawn from the whole episode is that the club have come out of it again with no credit and is being made to look silly with the contradictions of the two articles. The left hand simply has to know what the right hand is doing which based on these stories tends to suggest that it doesn't.

Why not check out the latest Vetch Verdict on the BBC site?

Photo: Action Images



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