JOHN McGINLAY: Brace yourselves for a summer of upheaval at the Reebok

Managers want to work with their own players, and so you’d expect Dougie Freedman to sign a few players he’s maybe worked with before, or who he thinks will blend straight into the system that he’s now got going.

But I think this summer will also see quite a lot of players moved on, and especially those who haven’t been able to get games.

It is easier said than done, of course. We don’t have many players out of contract at all, so you are relying on other clubs wanting to sign the ones you don’t have a place for. Again, that comes back to reputations, and if there is someone out there who may be willing to sign someone who hasn’t been getting regular football because of what they have done in the past.

The likes of Matt Mills, Keith Andrews, Gregg Wylde and maybe Tyrone Mears come into that category.

Just because they have not been playing regularly does not mean they are bad players – it just means that they might need to go elsewhere to prove it.

Then there are players like Marcos Alonso, Chung-Yong Lee or David Ngog that may attract interest from elsewhere, who knows?

The manager will also use the next few months to get things right behind the scenes, too.

When he first arrived, everything had to be about getting things sorted on the pitch. We needed results to make sure we didn’t slip into somewhere we didn’t want to be, and thankfully we did that with a great run of results from February onwards.

It wasn’t enough in the end to make the play-offs, but I think it is definitely enough to send the fans into next season feeling positive.

And that is a really big thing, for me.

There might be a few different faces the manager wants to bring in now to make sure he really puts his stamp on the place, and that when the players return for pre-season they are all singing from exactly the same hymn sheet.

The signs are good – and I hope we can hit the ground running.

****

IF Dougie Freedman can find a regular goalscorer over the summer, then I think he will have taken a big step towards creating a team that will challenge for the top next season.

Although Cardiff have been a rare exception, you look around the vast majority of the top teams in this league and the thing that has really made the difference is a man capable of scoring 20 goals.

Chris Eagles was superb in supplying the goals he did for us, but I think you look at the strikers that the manager has got available right now, and they are all fairly similar.

Marvin Sordell has shown little glimpses, so has Craig Davies – as did David Ngog before his injury – while Tom Eaves is maybe one for the future who needs more games to show what he can do.

We know there won’t be a Kevin Davies – so does that mean we need to dip our toe into the transfer market in the next few months to find something different?

At the moment, I just don’t think we’ve got someone who will pounce when the ball drops in the penalty box. We have lots of strikers who are willing to work hard, but do we really have one who is going to settle those tight games and get us three points instead of one?

The problem is, of course, that those kind of players cost money. You might be able to swap a player or two, or pick someone up who’s out of contract.

But you tend to find that the fellas with a scoring record at this level are the expensive ones.

****

YOU can’t help but look forward to next season, even though it ended in tears last weekend.

There was so much riding on that one result that your natural reaction was to feel gutted when we didn’t get the win we needed against Blackpool.

But once you’ve cleared your head, you can look at the last few months and the way the whole club has turned round and believe there is plenty to look forward to.

One of the big things for me this season has been the change in attitude among the supporters, who I think have now accepted what a big role they play. I thought they were amazing on Saturday, as they have been for a few months now, and it is absolutely crucial that they pick that up again in August.

For a while they had become adept at jumping on people’s back, highlighting mistakes. And the reason for that was quite simply that they weren’t enjoying what was happening at the club they love.

Things have changed recently and there is a much more positive atmosphere going into next season.

Imagine what a difference that could make from the very start.

****

SUCH was my mood after the final whistle on Saturday, there weren’t many people who I would have stayed behind to clap off the field. Kevin Davies was an exception.

I was all ready to go home and kick the cat following the 2-2 draw against Blackpool, but like many, many others I waited around for Big Kev to lead the team out one last time and show him the appreciation he truly deserves.

No-one has put in more over this last 10 years – on the pitch and off it – and I don’t think anyone has worn that shirt with as much pride, either.

So I’m delighted the club offered him that opportunity to say goodbye because it hasn’t always looked like being that amicable as things have rumbled on in the last couple of weeks.

It looked like an emotional time for him as he walked round the pitch with his children but I’d like to take this opportunity to say thanks to him for everything he has done for the football club, and wish him the very best of luck in the future.

****

ALL that’s left for me to say is thank you to everyone who has read my column this season – and to congratulate the Wanderers fans for their support.

They have been fantastic and I’m sure, like me, they are already looking forward to it all kicking off again in some 80-odd days’ time.

It can’t come soon enough for me.

See you next season.