Allen to Stay

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 23/07/2000

Allen to Stay

News From 24th June 2000

Bradley Allen has today announced that he is happy at Grimsby and wants to stay with the Mariners and see out the remaining two years of his contract.

"I'm perfectly happy to stay. I think that the opportunity to play at the highest level again has passed me by but I still think I can play regularly and do a good job in the first division," said Allen
"I've got two years left on my contract and I want to stay."

Earlier this week there was some speculation linking him to Welsh club Swansea, a move that looked on the face of it unlikely, given the recent transfer fees the Swans have paid for players. In the last three season the Swansea's cash transfers to bring in players totals a meagre £22,000.

Nevertheless Allen's public commitment to the club is a positive sign, as effective strikers are at a premium at Blundell Park at the moment. A fully fit Allen, given a decent run in the side, arguably looks the most likely of the current crop of strikers on Grimsby's books to accrue a decent goals tally over the course of next season. Allen managed just eight goals in thirty league games last season, during which he suffered from a toe injury. However, eighteen of those appearances were as a substitute, usually quite late in the game.

The club's scoring record last season was very poor and almost certainly must be improved on next season to ensure first division survival. Indeed most Town fans would argue that additional strike power needs to be brought on board before the new season starts in order to improve their odds of survival.

This view is reinforced by the new deal with ONdigital for Nationwide league UK TV coverage, due to commence in the season after next (2001-2002). Under the terms of the deal that the league clubs have negotiated to distribute the new TV money between themselves, the second division clubs stand to get just over a quarter of the revenue due to their first division counterparts.

Once this TV deal comes into effect the gap between the first and second divisions clubs in terms of their financial resources may arguably become as significant as that between the Premiership and First division clubs.

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