Jennings weighs up Scotland switch

Jul 2 2009 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

Jennings weighs up Scotland switch

A MOVE to the Scottish Premier League has tempted Steve Jennings into cutting his ties with Tranmere.

The midfielder from Kirkby, who was out of contract at Prenton Park, last night moved to Motherwell.

Jennings was among a clutch of players who were offered new terms by Rovers this summer. But the 24-year-old did not commit himself paving the way for his move to Scotland.

A product of Tranmere’s youth development system, Jennings has made close to 180 senior appearances for the Wirral club since making his debut in 2003.

He was one of the most consistent performers in Ronnie Moore’s team over the last two seasons, winning accolades from supporters and fellow professionals. That form also took the eye of Jim Gannon, Motherwell’s new manager, who has been in charge at Stockport County for the last three years.

Moore, the Tranmere manager who made the contract offer to Jennings, has since departed Prenton Park, to be replaced by John Barnes, who put his players to a first day of pre-season training yesterday.

The former Liverpool and England front man started work with just 12 professionals on the books at Prenton Park. He is waiting on a response from other players offered terms for the coming season, including goalkeeper Danny Coyne, midfielder Charlie Barnett and striker Ian Moore.

Meanwhile, Barnes has revealed he had talks about taking up the manager’s job at Port Vale before joining Tranmere. The Vale Park job ultimately went to Mickey Adams.

Barnes was appointed by Rovers chairman Peter Johnson last month after cutting short a contract to coach the Jamaica national team. His last spell of club management was at Celtic a decade ago.

Barnes said: “I’m looking forward to the day-to-day involvement of being a club manager again.

“As an international manager you meet up with your players for four days every two months, whereas in club management they are your players and that’s what football is all about.”

Friday night football at Prenton Park, once a staple diet for Tranmere fans, will be on short ration in the coming season.

Rovers have switched just two weekend games to Friday nights for the 2009-10 League One campaign, playing host to Yeovil Town on Friday, January 15 and Hartlepool United on Friday, March 19.

In recent seasons Tranmere played as many as half a dozen home matches on Friday nights, often on the advice of Merseyside Police, who wanted to avoid clashes with major Liverpool and Everton games on Saturdays. But the fixture list for next season has thrown up very few such clashes. Prenton Park officials also found it difficult to persuade visiting clubs to switch to Fridays on a voluntary basis because the majority of League One clubs will be southern based and most were reluctant to make long overnight journeys.

FORMER Tranmere full-back Danny Holmes has joined Welsh Premier League club The New Saints.

Holmes, 20, was released by Rovers at the end of last season after making one first-team appearance, at Yeovil Town, in November 2008.

Birkenhead-born Danny is lined up to appear in the TNS squad for the Europa League ties with Icelandic club FRAM Reykjavik.