MICKY Adams has been a very busy man since taking charge of Albion little more than 200 days ago.

The speed and severity of his squad rebuilding has been quite startling.

Adams inherited 31 players with first team experience when he arrived in April. Fourteen of them have been released and four transferred.

Three are on the transfer list and two more could be. The other eight have been retained.

Throw into the equation the 13 players he has signed, together with Chris Wilder's move to Halifax, and there have been an astonishing 32 ins and outs.

To put that figure into perspective, it means players have been coming or going during Adams' reign at the rate of more than one a week.

Slowly but surely last season's squad has been ripped apart.

Gary Hobson and Kerry Mayo are the latest with their heads apparently on the chopping block.

Rumours suggest they have been put on the transfer list, although Adams refuses to confirm this.

It might just be a ploy to give them a kick up the backside, but the evidence indicates neither player is in the manager's long-term plans.

Former captain Hobson has been the victim of fierce competition for places in the centre of defence. His first team appearances this season have been rare since the first few games.

Mayo, meanwhile, has for the most part not even made it onto the bench.

Both are out of contract next summer and, whether sooner or later, their days seem numbered.

Ross Johnson and John Westcott, currently on loan at Bognor, were made available for transfer at the end of last season, but Mark Walton is on the list at his own request.

Hopes are high that the big Welsh goalkeeper will withdrawn his demand following his fine recent form and the change in attitude towards him by the boo boys whose insults were driving him away.

What of those eight others Adams retained? The future for most of them is not too bright either.

Mark Ormerod, Walton's rival for the goalkeeper's jersey, has made only one first team appearance since August.

Youngsters Ben Andrews and Danny Davis are not regarded as first team material at the moment by the boss, and the injury-plagued Paul Armstrong is also a peripheral figure.

Fans' favourite Rod Thomas has become a regular substitute, Keith McPherson was rested recently and fellow veteran Ian Culverhouse runs the Reserves.

All of which leaves highly-rated young striker Gary Hart, an ever-present under Adams, as the exception to the rule.

Getting rid of players you have inherited is, of course, nothing new. Managers do it all the time and who can argue with Adams' policy, given Albion's appalling record in the last few seasons?

He now has a first team squad of just over 20 players following the swap deal with Colchester involving Warren Aspinall and Andy Arnott.

Aspinall's contract expires at the end of the season, Arnott's not until the end of the season after next. Adams removed a player he did not want and effectively saved on a year of his salary into the bargain.

Keeping the wage bill in check is another consideration. Adams has spent £115,000 in transfer fees, not to mention salaries and signing-on fees which are part and parcel of the game nowadays.

He is pleased with the support he has received from chairman Dick Knight and the Board and performances show Adams has bought wisely.

Albion are enjoying their best season for some time, so the end is justifying the means.

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