Dickov sights on fresh faces

PAUL Dickov is sifting through last season’s DVDs as he gets to know the Athletic squad.

NEW Athletic boss Paul Dickov has started pinpointing positions in the side in need of urgent improvement.

There’s no time to lose for the Scot, who is on a 12-month rolling contract, and he is already doing his homework by sifting through hours of footage from last season’s disappointing Coca-Cola League One campaign.

While Dickov is giving current squad members a clean slate, he is already formulating a list of potential transfer targets as he looks to mould a team capable of bringing the feel-good factor back to Boundary Park.

Chief executive Alan Hardy said: “Since coming to the club Paul has talked about various players.

“He is in the process of assessing action from last season’s matches so he can familiarise himself with the squad as quickly as possible.

“We gave him all the DVDs we had and he took them home to study.

“Paul has started identifying positions he feels are in need of strengthening.”

Meanwhile, Athletic say they are no closer to appointing an assistant manager.

It is widely believed Dickov has targeted close friend and Leicester City reserve team boss Gerry Taggart as his right-hand man.

Hardy said: “At the moment the assistant situation is in Paul’s hands because he is looking at his options — it is something we will be talking about again today.

“He has pinpointed someone whom he would like to assist him, but that person is currently attached to another club.

“When that is the case it always slows the process down.”

Hardy said Dickov, who has registered himself as a player-manager for the new campaign, is settling in well.

The former Arsenal and Manchester City forward has only had two full days in the hotseat but has kept himself busy.

Hardy added: “Paul is doing fine, he has been arranging meetings and making plenty of telephone calls over the last few days.”

Several players are likely to join assistant physio Jon Guy for voluntary training this week in a bid to be in prime condition for pre-season.

The discount on season tickets has now expired, but Hardy is urging supporters to keep snapping them up before the coalition government’s emergency budget on Tuesday, June 22.

Hardy explained: “A lot of financial experts are predicting a rise in VAT in the emergency budget.

“If this happens, it could mean the price of our season tickets and also admission prices will increase.

“So I would recommend people thinking of buying season tickets do so before the budget, because it’s hard to predict what sort of increase would occur.”

More than 2,000 season tickets have been purchased so far.