Thetownend.com

Taken from today's WDP:

09:50 - 31 May 2006  
New Swindon Town boss Dennis Wise is lining up two former colleagues to fill the gap left by the departing Rhys Evans. The ex-England under-21 international goalkeeper has agreed to sign for Blackpool.

So Wise is ready to turn to Andy Marshall, the keeper who helped his Millwall side to the FA Cup final in 2004, and Lenny Pidgeley, a former colleague at Chelsea.

Marshall, 31, has had spells with Norwich City, Ipswich Town and Wolves. He was recently released by Millwall.

Twenty-two-year-old Pidgeley, meanwhile, has been at Chelsea since Wise's days as a midfield enforcer.

Recently he had loan spells with Watford and Millwall and played for Chelsea in their final game of the Premiership season.

He remains well behind Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini in the Stamford Bridge pecking order and has been made available for transfer by manager Jose Mourinho.

Wise made a last-ditch bid to keep Evans by calling the Swindon-born keeper from his holiday in Dubai.

But Evans has chosen to link up with the Tangerines on a two-year contract.

The former Chelsea trainee had spoken of his desire to avoid the drop into the Football League's basement division.

"The question is do I want to go into League Two and risk disappearing into the abyss or do I want to push on?" he said recently.

pidgeley and marshall is def better than evans and bulman!

Youth and experience. Nice.

I'd take that, Marshall would be the best keeper outside the Championship if this is true, obviously his time at Ipswich wasn't great for him but he's still a proven keeper, one I never imagined we would be in for.

I'm not sure Pidgeley would be too happy being a number two mind, as would undoubtedly befrom the off.  Still no. 2 is better than not geting a look-in at all I suppose.

Sounds good.

:beers: the teams getting better already.

:D  Yes its slowly starting to peice together and its looking good! We've had one hell of a clear out. Physios and all!

Hold on chaps we haven't even signed them yet...

Indeed, how can a team shape up if all that's happened in last couple of weeks is that our player of the season has left and no new players have arrived? :nuts:  :wink:

Nice choices! (if it's true/happens)

Interesting combo that, to be honest I'd be overjoyed with just bringing Leonard in with a younger character coming in as back-up but the promise of a combination of the two is mouth watering.  

Although without wishing to put a dampener on things with Chelsea now looking to “sell” the youngster rather than see him go out on loan are we going to be prepared to actually cough up a transfer fee for essentially a backup keeper?

Chelsea tend to be quite reasonable with letting their younger chaps move on so you’d have to hope that a fee wouldn’t be beyond the realms of reality but seeing any fee on a backup player almost seems like seeing flying pigs after the past few years!

On the surface, you'd think Pidgeley could probably expect better than L2....there would have to be very a very specific reason for him to arrive at STFC... :wink:

perhaps he's a lifelong town fan, reg?

fair points though, we'd probably have to fork out some cash for pidgeley so it's time for mr power to put his money where his mouth is - would be a lovely signing though.

the thought of an experienced backup goalkeeper who isn't entirely useless fills me with glee as well.

I cant see us signing both.

On the face of it either would be a decent replacement for Evans.

 This is, of course, the great imponderable, if we are serious about getting the club moving forward under Wise, then Pidgeley is just the sort of signing we should be looking for.  Marshall is more realistic, and TBH I don't know a great deal about him.

Rhys who?

He's a true blue by all accounts, so working with the Menace and Gus maybe the carrot on the stick that's tempted or tempting him to SN1.

Plus we have our old mucker Jimmy Fraiser working as assistant academy director down at Chelsea who may just give him a nudge in the right direction.

either would be good, both would be fantastic. cant see them both signing though.

I wonder if this story is just a space filler on the part of the WDP? Sulrey they wouldn't make a story up????? :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

I'm just always suspicious when there are no direct quotes from anyone at the club.

Ditto.

Marshall would be a more realistic signing especially after what Pidgeley said about dropping into the basement division.

That was what Evans said apparently, not Pidgely.

I still think we should try and get Tom Heaton

Why ? Marshall is a better keeper and available .

I can't see it happening.
Lennie Pidgeley? He's Championship material! Why would he drop three divisions, when he could easily get a contract at a Championship club?

I guess stranger things have happened.....

Andy Marshall is a possibilty i guess. Would be a very good signing

I definitely think the WDP are making it up to fill a bit of space :roll:

I suspect that they've lifted it from the Adver thread which came from here in part yesterday (except the Marshall).

Pigeon I’ve herd a strong rumour is a definite target while I suspect Marshall may have been threaded from straight from someone’s clacker valve based purely on the fact that he’s name checked Wise in his departing words from Millwall the other day.

As above though my inclination (pure presumption from the testicles) was that it would have been on a season long loan deal rather than a permanent transfer only Chelski have announced they now want rid of the lad and will listen to offers.

the wise factor i should imagine

Exactly Rich, it is a bit embarassing that Cheltenham are in a higher division than us, hopefully for one season only

How about Steve Mildenhall? He is allegedly looking to move back to the West country

wouldn't be a bad move actually

Im sure I saw Mildy out the other saturday night....doesnt his wife still work at the club to?

Bet Grimsby are paying him more though, so he'll stay there.

Also, am I the only one who thinks Andy Marshall is quite a shocking keeper, not many of his previous clubs have anything good to say about him

No one had anything good to say about Parkin either.

that's an utterly false statement

* Bump *

http://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?hlid=391778&title=...set+to+join&nav=news

It would appear the gung Jose will only allow Pidgeley out on loan and not a permanent move as some have been suggesting.