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Pool close in on first summer signing
IAN Holloway is on the verge of making his first signing as Blackpool boss.
He is in talks with two players, and negotiations with one of them – a 21-year-old Championship player – are at an advanced stage.
Holloway has revealed he is "four or five" players short of the squad he wants for the Championship campaign.
Hours of DVD watching have persuaded Holloway that he needs only to tweak Pool's system, rather than make wholesale changes.
Holloway will use what money he has carefully and go for quality rather than quantity.
The manager explained: "I didn't think there was a lot wrong at the end of last season, so if it's not broke let's not fix it.
"I had a long meeting with my staff shortly after I took over and they know what I want to do.
"They told me what they think of the squad and I feel I know the players better after that.
"I've watched a lot of Blackpool matches on DVD and have been very impressed. That's why there's no rush in adding players and why we must be very careful that the new players fit the right mould for this club.
"There won't be a great number of players coming in but I'm probably four or five short of the squad that I want.
"We're doing OK on that front and making progress, and the nice thing is I've got a scouting network I've been working on for 14 years.
"A new manager who hasn't got that has to grab at people and take people in panic situations.
"That's why managers often pick a loan up who plays one game and doesn't play again –what a waste of money."
Before Holloway's appointment, the club's policy was to bring in several permanent players in the summer topped up with loan signings throughout the season.
Now the aim is to have a smaller squad of higher quality in place before the kick-off. Loans will be used more sparingly.
"We are looking at having between 22 and 25 players," added
Holloway. "You can get away with 22 if you get hardly any injuries but normally you have about 20 per cent of your squad carrying knocks, so 25 is the figure that would do me.
"There has been quite a bit to organise and now it will be nice to see my players next week – that's what I'm most looking forward to.
"Planning pre-season was the most important thing. We did that early and are very happy with what we've got lined up."
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Weather for Blackpool
Thursday 24 May 2012
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