by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
KENNY BLACK insists it won’t be easy attracting new players to Airdrie United.
The Diamonds gaffer is desperate to bring in fresh blood as the club face up to a grim First Division relegation battle.
Black wants to add “two or three” players to his threadbare squad but admits this task will prove difficult.
With Airdrie bottom of the table, the manager knows new faces are a must and that there is little room for error when the transfer window opens next month.
He has told his current crop of players they can have no complaints if they find themselves dropped from the starting line-up.
And he believes the uncertainty created by the Gretna fiasco in the summer has hit the club hard.
Black said: “Everybody is disappointed with how things have gone recently.
“I think I have shown a lot of patience to the players currently in the team so if there are any changes, I don’t think I can be accused of a knee-jerk reaction following the defeat to Partick Thistle.
“There are numerous irons in the fire but what can frustrate you is false hope.
“You maybe get the impression that a player might be heading your way and then it doesn’t materialise.
“Our lack of decent training facilities doesn’t help us either and that can be a negative which is enough to put people off.”
He continued: “We were restricted back in the summer as to who we could bring in while other teams got their work done towards the end of last season.
“You can’t be waiting until the middle of July and August to sign players and I think this has been a massive factor.”
Black admitted Airdrie’s lowly league placing means he won’t be able to offer contract extensions to the current squad any time soon.
“It was something I had spoken about at the start of the season,” he said, “but I won’t be in a position to do that now.”
He added: “I don’t like being down at the bottom. It is a horrible feeling.
“It does affect you and you start to analyse yourself and your team selections.”
Airdrie host leaders St Johnstone this weekend without injured captain Paul Lovering.
But Black said: “It would not surprise me one bit if we got some sort of result on Saturday.
“It is in the games where we are expected to take something we have fallen short.”
l Ryan Donnelly bagged four goals to help Airdrie’s under-19s team to a 5-1 win over Arbroath on Sunday. Paddy McCabe was also on the scoresheet.
l This week’s Airdrie United lottery numbers are as follows: £800 draw - 5, 9 and 20. Rollover £600 draw - 2, 7 and 11.
l Log on to www.acadvertiser.co.uk today for details of the Diamonds’ trip to Clyde last night and check out the manager’s exclusive video blog tomorrow.
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