Beard plots squad overhaul at Tooting (From Your Local Guardian)

Beard plots squad overhaul at Tooting

2:32pm Monday 7th June 2010 in

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Mark Beard admits he is in a rush to piece together his new-look Tooting & Mitcham squad after unveiling his first swathe of summer signings this week.

Beard has tempted Gambian internationals Hasim Deen and Hasam Nyang to Imperial Fields, with the prospect of more signings to follow.

Rumoured names include Kingstonian keeper Luke Garrard and Merstham skipper Craig Vernon, and Beard reveals he is anxious to get things sorted sooner rather than later.

He said: “My view is that I want the team that I want to run with this season all in place for the start of our pre-season training.

“I certainly do not want to be chopping and changing in the final week before the season starts.

“We have Chelsea fitness coaches coming down to help in pre-season and with such a new squad it will need time to gel.

“I am pretty happy with how things have gone so far but I am looking for another four players to be here before the week is out.”

Deen and Nyang arrive from Curzon Ashton and Horsham respectively, and the new Tooting boss is delighted to have captured the duo.

Beard added: “To be able to bring in two international players is fantastic for a club like ours.

“I want to be able to build my team around young players like these two.

“I have already been offered players on loan from Southend and Barnet and it will be a pretty different line-up when we start the season.”

It remains to be seen just how many will return from Billy Smith’s squad that ended last season.

But Beard insists everyone will get their chance to remain in the Terrors’ set-up.

He added: “Come pre-season training it is up to them to come down here and prove that they deserve a place.

“I am just looking for players with the right attitude.

“I have already been offered two or three players that I am not interested in at all.

“In this division it should not be about the money, it should be about wanting to get out of this league, and those are the type of players I am looking for.”