News On Chambers and triallist RB

[weststander]

in today's Star

[RobTheRover]

Its all on the back page of the FreePress.

RB was Shaleum Logan from Man City.  3 first team appearances under his belt, and made his Premdebut v Portsmouth last year

[CottyRover]

Can us exiles get it online? Or can someone quote it?

[DonnyRTID]

http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/free-press-sport/Chambers-faces-race-for-fitness.6420289.jp

[RobTheRover]

VERSATILE full back James Chambers requires an exploratory operation on his troublesome knee and may miss the start of Doncaster Rovers' campaign.

But manager Sean O'Driscoll has moved swiftly to cover the situation by bringing in 22-year-old defender Shaleum Logan on trial from Manchester City.

Logan travelled down with the team to Warwickshire yesterday and was due to play some part in the friendly against former UniBond side Quorn last night.

Also travelling with the party, which will take in the friendly at Conference North team Solihull Moors on Saturday, is triallist teenage winger Joel Grandison who has been released by Coventry.

Grandison and Logan both stand over 6ft tall and the Manchester City man is described as 'lightening fast' with an ability to play right back or on the right side of midfield.

Logan has made three first team appearances for City and made his Premier League debut at Portsmouth last year.

He made 33 first team appearances on loan at Tranmere last season and has had previous loan periods with Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Stockport.

O'Driscoll took virtually all his first team squad with him on the trip to Warwickshire with the party due to travel on to Devonshire for the Joma South West Challenge Cup competition which starts next week with group games against Barnstaple on Monday, and Havant and Waterlooville on Wednesday.

If Rovers qualify from their group they could take on either Blackpool or Kilmarnock in the semi-final and final of the competition next weekend.

But Chambers did not travel with the team and is currently a major doubt for the big kick off at Preston on August 7.

The 29-year-old former Leicester full back recently returned from a trip to South Africa and can not undergo surgery until next Thursday following the long haul flight.

Chambers had a problem with his knee towards the end of last season but it was thought to have settled down until he struggled trying to build up the muscles around his knee before returning to full time training.

Midfield ace John Oster and big centre back Byron Webster are also currently out of action but are making satisfactory progress.

O'Driscoll said: \"John's a lot better but may have investigative surgery as well just to make sure but both he and Byron will hopefully get some action before the start of the campaign.

\"At this moment James is struggling a bit and is the biggest doubt but hopefully everyone else should be fit for the off.\"

One player who has particularly caught O'Driscoll's eye in pre-season so far is striker Steve Brooker who has had a well documented catalogue of injury problems and has not played for over a year.

The Doncaster boss said: \"When a player has been on the sidelines for as long as Steve has it's easy to forget just how good they are.

\"I must say he has been particularly impressive.

\"He's got a great touch and he's been running around doing the same as everyone else. Because he's looked so good I'm really eager to see him back in a proper game but there's a danger in that and John Dickens, the physio, has been counselling us to exercise caution.

\"That's what we are doing at the moment but he's on the trip with us and hopefully he will get an outing or two under his belt by the time we come back.\"

Brooker's return to fitness, and form in training, is one of the reasons Rovers have not been too concerned about the pronouncement of Wolves boss Mick McCarthy this week that he would not be allowing striker Andy Keogh out on loan.

Rovers had heard Keogh might be available and were interested in reuniting him with £1 million man Billy Sharp following their successful partnership at Scunthorpe earlier in their careers.

O'Driscoll said: \"All we did was make a tentative inquiry and, since then, it's been blown up out of all proportion.

\"In any case I intended to look at how Steve Brooker and the rest of the players did in pre-season before making any moves towards loan signings.\"

Rovers are also keen to bring last season's loan successes - Jordon Mutch, from Birmingham, and Arsenal's Jay Emmanuel-Thomas - back to the Keepmoat but will wait until closer to the campaign before making a move.

One key target who may not be coming now is highly rated Tottenham centre back Steve Caulker.

The top teenager is away on England Under 19s duty and several other clubs have expressed interest in taking him on loan when he returns.

Rovers will be using the next ten days for training as well as match practice.

O'Driscoll added: There are no stand-out teams in the Championship like previous seasons and everyone will think they have a chance of sneaking into the play-offs.

\"We have a lot of work to do if we want to be one of them - and that's what I want to focus on.\"

[Lytham Rover]

looking at the triallists we have at the moment they all seem to have come from good quality teams

especially when you compare to the triallists from last year dumbaya webster fortune (we will leave out oster for obvious reasons)

and the year before that with the ones from abroad

its not that long ago we had derek asamoah on trial!

either we are swimming in a better pool or there are more desparate players around

[Alan Southstand]

The bad news in all of that is:

One key target who may not be coming now is highly rated Tottenham centre back Steve Caulker.

SOD's one remaining target, out of the 3 he originally wanted, is still to be found, then.