Jack Ross is still positive about hanging onto Josh Maja for a few years yet. The striker’s deal expires in June, but the word is that he will sign a new one. However, negotiations with Lynden Gooch’s agent are not as progressed. "I still believe he (Maja) will be at the club beyond his current contract," said Ross. "Obviously there will be certain elements that are out of my control. If there was an offer that came that the club believed they couldn't turn down, it's very different. At the moment, the conversations I've had with Josh, I know he's happy, enjoys it, I think he believes it's an environment where he can improve. I would still be confident that he'll remain at the club but there will always be other factors and things that I can't control. I think part of it is what happens in modern football. When players do well, naturally they become subject to speculation. I think part of it is what happens in modern football, when players do well naturally they become subject to speculation. There're are probably parts of that speculation that are accurate and parts of that speculation which are inaccurate, it just goes with the territory. From my perspective the relationship I try to build with players, I try not to become blinkered as manager of the club. That's important, of course I've always got to take it from the player's perspective, there's always a balance to be had. At the moment I'm fairly patient with it because I don't think it's effecting his performance levels in any way. However, I think Josh is aware of this as well, the sooner these situations are resolved one way or another, it's helpful. We're only in November so I still think we have time and the parties involved don't need to make any snap decisions."
In other news, Lee Cattermole is still struggling with his foot injury and will our games against Walsall and Barnsley. Meanwhile, Dylan McGeouch, Chris Maguire and Jerome Sinclair all have knocks but should be available. “Lee remains out and the earliest he will come back is post-Walsall in the FA Cup,” said Ross. “He picked up an injury against Shrewsbury and played against Doncaster and Southend, and maybe in hindsight it made things a little bit worse. It’s frustrating for both of us because he’s having a good season. It’s just a foot problem – I don’t want to say straightforward because it’s not – and it’s one of those that can be a little more troublesome to settle, but it’s nothing complicated. We’ve also had a couple of niggles this week with Dylan McGeouch, Chris Maguire and Jerome Sinclair, so we’ll have to see how they are today and tomorrow. We still have some longer-term ones like Ethan Robson and Charlie Wyke, and Duncan Watmore will play in an under-23 game at the start of next week.”
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