While most manager remain tight lipped about their summer dealings while quietly going about their work, or indeed sunning themselves on a beach in Ibiza, Notts boss Ian McParland has chosen to make his ambitious ploy to sign Irish Under 21 international Billy Clarke very public, something that is unusual in football, particularly in the lower leagues where competition for the best free transfers is fierce, and other clubs could potentially be alerted to a player's availability.
Even with the three summer signings the Magpies have made so far, they have come almost out of the blue and, apart from Craig Westcarr, names that weren't even mentioned as rumours prior to their unveiling in the black and white stripes, but on more than one occasions now Notts have told the fans about their chase for Clarke and how much progress has been made.
It would be cynical to suggest it is just a publicity stunt, but it's easy to be cynical about Notts these days. The first announcement came at a time when chairman John Armstrong-Holmes had just about kept hold of his job, and season ticket sales were pitifully down on last season's numbers. Did the club decide that saying they were going after someone with an excellent record at League Two level would galvanise fans into buying a season ticket, even though the club never expected to land Clarke?
It's easy to see why people would take this viewpoint, especially when looking at the list of clubs who have been linked with the former Ipswich Town man. Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich City, Leyton Orient and, err, Lincoln City. Apart from Peter Jackson's Imps, surely Notts couldn't compete with such clubs in the transfer market, both in terms of pulling power and financial power? But saying you're trying to sign a striker who seemingly has half of League One after him can certainly get fans excited about prospects for the new season.
Alternatively, it could be that the club genuinely believe they have a fair chance of landing their man, and if they do so the kudos from the fans would be even more after the declaration of interest and numerous updates on how we still haven't talked to the bloke himself, but are working through those nearest to him. We've even heard today how we've got Ricky Ravenhill on the phone to Clarke telling him why he should join our struggling League Two club and no one else. It would show that McParland is able to persuade his man to come, and declaring it the world could even show Clarke how much the Magpies want to bring him to Meadow Lane.
At the end of the day, the only card the Magpies could even begin to hope to hold should the clubs who've been linked decide to go after Clarke would be that we could offer more money, but with some ridiculous budgeting seeing money disappearing down the boardroom toilets, surely we can't afford to be throwing more money at people than higher level teams?
However, while Notts' offer remains the only concrete one on the table for Clarke, and takeover wranglings continue to hold Brentford back, the chances of Clarke becoming a Notts player can only increase. Even if that is only to a remote level, rather than an impossibility.
Even with the three summer signings the Magpies have made so far, they have come almost out of the blue and, apart from Craig Westcarr, names that weren't even mentioned as rumours prior to their unveiling in the black and white stripes, but on more than one occasions now Notts have told the fans about their chase for Clarke and how much progress has been made.
It would be cynical to suggest it is just a publicity stunt, but it's easy to be cynical about Notts these days. The first announcement came at a time when chairman John Armstrong-Holmes had just about kept hold of his job, and season ticket sales were pitifully down on last season's numbers. Did the club decide that saying they were going after someone with an excellent record at League Two level would galvanise fans into buying a season ticket, even though the club never expected to land Clarke?
It's easy to see why people would take this viewpoint, especially when looking at the list of clubs who have been linked with the former Ipswich Town man. Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich City, Leyton Orient and, err, Lincoln City. Apart from Peter Jackson's Imps, surely Notts couldn't compete with such clubs in the transfer market, both in terms of pulling power and financial power? But saying you're trying to sign a striker who seemingly has half of League One after him can certainly get fans excited about prospects for the new season.
Alternatively, it could be that the club genuinely believe they have a fair chance of landing their man, and if they do so the kudos from the fans would be even more after the declaration of interest and numerous updates on how we still haven't talked to the bloke himself, but are working through those nearest to him. We've even heard today how we've got Ricky Ravenhill on the phone to Clarke telling him why he should join our struggling League Two club and no one else. It would show that McParland is able to persuade his man to come, and declaring it the world could even show Clarke how much the Magpies want to bring him to Meadow Lane.
At the end of the day, the only card the Magpies could even begin to hope to hold should the clubs who've been linked decide to go after Clarke would be that we could offer more money, but with some ridiculous budgeting seeing money disappearing down the boardroom toilets, surely we can't afford to be throwing more money at people than higher level teams?
However, while Notts' offer remains the only concrete one on the table for Clarke, and takeover wranglings continue to hold Brentford back, the chances of Clarke becoming a Notts player can only increase. Even if that is only to a remote level, rather than an impossibility.