By early June, Roy and Preecey had started to hear rumours that Danny could be on his way, which was bizarre given his showing in the European Cup Winners' Cup Final. However, with Chelsea spending in Europe again the rumours grew, and the transfer came off. We will collect over £200,000 before the new season is out, with the potential for more if Danny makes appearances. I spoke to Nigel Pleasants, who was my predecessor here at The Abbey, and I'm told that Danny has not been bought as a squad member. I actually rang to ask if the rumours were true - and Danny was in his office signing the forms!

With all this money-talk, let's not forget the pride for all who had a hand in Danny's career here - you know who you are, past and present. The sell-on money will go a long way towards meeting our expected trading losses for 1998-99, and we confidently expect to see more from the appearances of ex-U's Micah Hyde and Jody Craddock.

Much has been written about the on-off transfer of Billy Beall, but at the time of writing, his future is still not settled. Some would comment that Billy "made his bed and must lie in it". I have to say that whilst, first and foremost, we must look to protect Cambridge United's longer term interests, I feel sorry that Billy has found himself in the position he has done. A talented young footballer has missed most of the proper pre-season training, and for all sakes, especially Billy's, I hope that the situation can be resolved soon.

On a personal basis, I would like to thank Mark Johnson (Abbey Update) and especially Andrea Thrussell, who runs the U's Net website, for their sterling efforts in bringing news of the Club to a wider audience. By subscribing to the Moosenet e-mail service, albeit at home, I have raised my head above the parapet and taken part in some interesting debate over the summer months. Communication is the lifeblood of any organisation, and to that end Graham Eales has joined us on almost a full-time basis, to look after the Club's public relations. I have little doubt that Graham's past experiences both in education and pun writing will be more than useful to the Club.

We had some very sad news this week with the sudden death of Gladys Owen. Along with husband Charlie, Gladys has been a familiar figure at the Club for many years. Although only small shareholders, they were always there to lend support at AGMs. They have looked after our mascots for several years now, and Gladys, with her famous persuasive style, has sold more lottery tickets on the Club's behalf than anyone can care to remember. On match days, Gladys always called into the office with a bag of sweets, keeping back a special treat for the Secretary! Little things like that meant a lot to the staff, and we shall miss Gladys in many ways. We shall hold a moment's silence before today's game in her memory.