early deals bring early optimism for the lions

It seems Kenny Jackett has learned from one of his major
mistakes last season, signing players way too late in the transfer window,
lions fans were treated to a somewhat panic by on transfer deadline day august
2010 with the signings of Dany N'Guessen, Liam Feeney and loan signing of once
lions loanee Jay Simpson. But it seems Millwall won't have to worry about
deadline day signings just yet. 




Just two weeks after the season ended Jackett made his first
signing, this came in the form of veteran goalie Maik Taylor after his contract
expired at championship rivals Leeds United. With Taylor keeping 6 clean sheets
in the final 10 games of the season, including two penalty saves in two games,
he was always going to be on Jacketts radar. Taylor's arrival also can solve
the problem with the number 1 slot at Millwall with both David Forde and Steve
Mildenhall playing their part. Taylor upstaged them both with strong
performances that will surely will so make him a fans favourite at the den The
goalkeeping position is surely one of the improvements that had to be made and
glad KJ has done it so quickly.




 It also seems like KJ
will be killing two birds with one stone, with the signing of Scott Malone from
AFC Bournemouth. He will join the lions from Bournemouth after only signing for
the cherries from wolves in January, with Josh Mcquoud going back the other way
to his former league 1 club. Malone can play either left back or left wing,
positions that was A major weakness last season. Jackett was so eager to get
the deal done, Malone flew back to gatwick to take his medical, before flying
back to Marbella the same day. Despite the signing Malone, Jackett will
desperately disappointed with Josh Mcquoid, signed with much potential that was
never fulfilled, spent the second half of the season at fellow championship
team Burnley. With a string of rumours of bust-ups, plus persistent little
niggling injuries it was going to be hard for Mcquoid to establish himself at
the den. Mcquoid will be gone but not long forgotten, because of the rumoured
price tag. 




The quick deals seem to be coming thick and fast for the lions
as Chris Taylor of Oldham has held "initial talks" with the club and
will iiallegedly be signing for the lions in the next week. Taylor has only
played for one club, his boyhood town Oldham Athletic, he played over 300 times
for the Latic's before allowing his contract to expire this summer. Taylor can
play as a left winger but can also play right wing due to his strong right
foot, many of Taylor's goals come from cutting in from the left and scoring
with his right. With winger Hameur Bouazza surely leaving the club the left
wing was a position that had to be desperately improved, Jacket will surely
pleased that he's got his man. It seems Kenny has Learnt the error of his ways
an decided to shop around early, 3 signings before the start of June, anyone
getting a bit excited for the new season already?

a toothless lions attack?

With striker Darius Henderson facing a court case in June, the Lions could face the new season without their leading goal scorer from 2010/2011 season, I will be looking at who would be left to lead the Lions attack.

John Marquis- This is Marquis’s first full season in the first team, and he has found it a struggle to adapt to championship standards, with only one goal scored this season, and that came on the opening day at Reading.

Marquis looks a strong player who likes to put himself around the field, a Neil Harris-esq mould of player if you will, but so far he hasn’t produced, plus a twitter rant after losing to rivals Crystal Palace at The Den won’t help his cause with the fans. Can marquis score goals at this level? Maybe, after a loan or two in the lower leagues but not now, he’s nowhere near the answer.

Josh Mcquoid- The Lions faithful have seen little of Josh since his arrival in January 2010.  An injury kept Mcquoid out when he first arrived but the South Londoners did get too see a glimpse of what he could do, a magnificent strike against Preston which won the clubs goal of the season award.

Since then certain rumours of a fall out with Kenny Jackett came out in the open. He only played 11 games before going on loan to Burnley where he impressed at Turf Moor the playing majority of his games on left wing. He played 17 games scoring just one goal before returning to The Den. He could be the new goal scorer at The Den but KJ may have him in plans for left midfield.

Shaun Batt- Batt will just be happy to be playing football again after suffering a horrific injury in pre season of 2010, missing the whole of 10/11 campaign.

He started to make his comeback in January 2012, including two games against his old club Dagenham & Redbridge. He was sent to League Two promotion winners Crawley Town where he played only six games. He was then brought back to The Den for a string of sub appearances, including the final game against Blackpool. With an awkward body to play against and his blistering pace, BATTman, a unknown quantity, could be the answer Jackett is looking for.

Last but nowhere least is Andy Keogh – Keogh was brought in on transfer deadline day from now relegated Wolves and his first few lions games were played on the wing but Kenny Jackett soon pushed him to a striker. With 10 goals in 19 games since January he’s gone from being in the reserves at Wolves, to being a top, on-form championship striker and on the fringes of Ireland’s Euro 2012 squad,  another gem found by KJ.

By looking at this the only real quality striker The Lions have is Andy Keogh, so surely another striker to accompany Keogh leading the strike force should be priority for this summer.

whats next?

Well what a season it has been, despite being close to the drop zone for the majority of the season, surely finishing above palace counts as a successful season right?

This was always going to be a transition season with the loss of Steve Morison to the high flying canaries on Norwich City, but after surviving it the lions should be looking to push up the table, and hopefully KJ has seen where improvement is needed.

phantom of the opera strikes again.

A position that is in dire need of help is left back. Because the left backs this season have been average to say the least, we need someone who is more focused about playing then designing (Jordan Stewart) whereas LB Tony Craig is a powerhouse of commitment at LB but his abilities let him down. And Scott Barron? Less said about Jedward the better.. What KJ should be looking for is a strong LB who's not afraid to bomb forward, as with the partnership of smith and Henry on the right. If Stevenage do not go up I would be aiming for Scott laird, a player who has got better and better throughout the divisions, and anyone who saw his goal against Sheffield united will show he certainly has one eye on the goal. Despite the left back position I think we have a defense more then capable of competing.

Another position that needs improving is left midfield. The lions have had really only one option their, the enigma that is Hameur Bouazza. He said he could Et into the team with his eyes closed, well for the majority of the season he has surely been playing like it, and upset the Den's faithful at you're peril, the sooner he's gone the better. A player I would like to see come in is Gary Mcsheffery, a proven quality at this level, plus he could be available on the cheap due to Coventry's deepening financial worry. Whatever player comes in will have to do what Bouazza didn't, actually put in effort, or you'll be out very, very, quickly.

The lions may have a sturdy defense, but having an unconfident goalkeeper shakes the solid foundations of a good team. This is what happens with David Forde. A line of horrible mistakes cost his place in the team, KJ called on the unlikely hero of 40-year-old maik Taylor from Leeds. Many lion’s fans thought he would be little more then a sub warming the bench, but impressive display after impressive display started to make him a fans favorite. Plus saving 2 penalties in 2 games to earn 6 points will always help. With him being released from Leeds united theirs 3 words for you KJ, sign.him.up.

With loanees moving on and certain circumstances affecting players (Henderson) one or two more strikers will need to be added. One player that has to come back is Harry Kane. He came here as a boy and left as a man, a strong, confident footballer with an eye for goal, with 9 goals in a half season, he should be back to further his development surely? One striker who I'd love to see at the den is Luke freeman from Stevenage. Despite only moving to Stevenage in January from arsenal, he has coped better then expected, a young player who is only going to get better, and hopefully another KJ diamond in the rough into a gem.

With hopefully players coming in, some of the deadwood that'll be left in the squad. Some have left already with Ryan Allsop and Jordan Stewart being told to leave, with less then 10 games between them this was not a surprise.

One player that can leave is Darren ward, despite being a firm part of the Millwall squad of the years, he is now 33 and lost the pace he had, would be a vital part of the team in the lower leagues but not in the championship, another player to leave should be Chris Hackett, been on loan most of the season and is simply not good enough. The final part of the leaving part should be John Marquis, but this one should be a loan, despite a strong start of the season he's performance dwindled and dwindled, plus a twitter rant after defeat to Crystal Palace didn't exactly endear himself. But I believe that he has the potential to be a good player, a club such as Leyton Orient or Brentford would be a good fit.

 

That's what I think should be done in the summer to push the lions up the table, good luck KJ it's all down too you.

5 top signings

5- maik Taylor

With the lions struggling for results and main goalie David Forde suffering from a crisis of confidence. Kenny jackett sought for a strong replacement and quick. Not many, if any fans thought this would come in the frame of 40-year-old maik Taylor from Leeds united. To say he was thrown in the deep end would be a understatement as he's debut was against table toppers Southampton at the den, two penalty's in the last 5 minutes gave the lions a undeserved defeat, but things would get better for Taylor. With each game played Taylor got better and better, the northern Irish international kept 6 clean sheets in the 10 games played for the lions. Taylor proved with age came experience, he was a calming influence of the defense, having a goalkeeper they could trust lead the foundations for the lion’s survival. Somehow Taylor got even better with two penalty saves in two games, first from Gary Mcsheffery at Coventry city then from Grant leadbitter at Ipswich. He saw he great performances recognized by being nominated for player of the month award in April. With the season over and Taylor's contract up at Leeds, three words KJ. Sign.him.up.

4-Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry was brought in from Aston villa on loan during a desperate time for the lions trying to sure up their defense. Centre half Shane joined The Lions on loan in November along with fellow Aston Villa youngster Nathan Baker. Lowry made a big impression then fellow loaned baker with his strong, committed performances, just what a lions Centre back needs in his game. Lowry's performances got better in each game, and I'm sure lions fans will not forget the great tackle on Dave Kitson at the den on boxing day which saw him earn a standing ovation from the dockers stand. Kenny jackett liked Lowry's performances so much he was signed permanently on a two year deal in January, Lowry went on to play 23 games this season for the lions and scored his first goal in a one nil at Coventry in April.

3 Harry Kane

Harry Kane came into the lion’s den on January 1st a boy; he left at the end of the season as a man. On 1 January 2012, Kane and Tottenham teammate Ryan Mason joined on loan until the end of the season. Kane made his debut in the one nil defeat at Bristol city leaving the lions only two points clear of the drop zone. The spurs loanee scored his first goal for the lions against Dagenham and redbridge in the third round replay, which saw him combine well with strike-partner darius Henderson, but how good this partnership was it was nothing to compare with his partnership with Andy Keogh. The striker pair scored 17 goals between them with 5 games in which they both scored. Kane scored 9 goals in 27 games and ended his loan at the den in style with a great strike to earn a draw to promotion hunting Blackpool. If the lions could get him again next season in anyway, watch out championship defenders, he's coming for you.

2- darius Henderson

Henderson was brought to the den in the summer in order to fill a large welsh hole left by Steve Morison who left for Norwich City. Few lion’s fans thought he would be the answer due to his before of injury, would he able to stay fit for the majority of the campaign? He got his season off to the best start by scoring 2 in the first 2 league games, including a magnificent back heel against Forest. There was an underlining factor the start of the season. When Henderson doesn't score, neither did Millwall. But he endeared to himself to the lions fans by scoring a hat trick against the moneybags of Leicester city. Henderson went on to score 3 hat-tricks this season with one against Dagenham and redbridge, then 4 days later at Barnsley, which saw him adopt the name "hulk hendo" well just look at him, you wouldn't wanna mess with him, might break your jaw or something.... Henderson ended the season as 'wall's top scorer with 19 goals, a target he will hopefully reach again next season.

1-Andy Keogh

 Andy by name, certainly Andy by nature. And Keogh signed for the lions on transfer deadline day from Wolverhampton wanderers. He was KJ's number one striker to fire the lions to survive up the table. He's debut came at Upton Park in the undeserved defeat against West Ham, nothing like a baptism of fire to get you started! Keogh opened his Millwall account with a cool finish at Brighton then scored his second at turf moor to earn the lions a 3-1 wins over Burnley. The Burnley goal started a run of 3 in 3 games for Keogh including his first at the den in a 2-1 defeat by champions Reading. Despite not scoring every game the Irishmen was putting in good, strong performances for the lions. The introduction of the partnership of Kane and Keogh went on leaps and bounds till the end of the season. Keogh ended the season with 4 goals in the final 4 games, including a confident penalty against Leicester, Robin Van-Persie? Eat your heart out. The Irishman scored 10 in 19 games for the lions, which will hopefully secure him a part of the EIRE euro 2012 squad.