Here’s my column from last week’s Leader. It forms part of the paper’s comprehensive pre-match coverage every Friday, featuring interviews, an in-depth look at the opposition and lots of statistical analysis. All content in the column (c) www.leaderlive.co.uk.

Most of us get excited about Christmas, but it’s January that gets managers’ adrenaline going. Andy Morrell might have enjoyed seeing what was under the tree on December 25^th, but it’s what he finds when the tree been given a good shake in the next few  weeks that he’ll really be interested in.

Of course, the transfer window doesn’t operate in the same way for us as it does for the Premier League sides that monopolise Sky Sports News. Our deals involve looking for players who are surplus to requirements when the wheeling and dealing is done, or who haven’t managed to find the move that they wanted. Contrary to many assumptions around the town, Morrell has turned out to be a crafty operator in this market.

It’s easy to forget, but there was a lengthy spell when Morrell’s fate was in the balance before he was finally confirmed as our manager. He was caretaker for ages as the complications of the WST’s takeover were worked through, and perhaps one of the greatest strokes of fortune the club has enjoyed was the fact that it was he who was in the hot seat at that time. Morrell is a patient, sensible man who was able to keep the team winning and allow those sorting the long term future of the club to do so without worrying about any crisis on the playing side, and for that we should all be hugely grateful to him.

Indeed, his ability to ensure continuity following the solid foundations Dean Saunders had laid were the first, crucial thing he did for the club as manager, and perhaps the best of all. Yet that quality was seen in some circles as a failing as well. Plenty of informed people spoke of the absolute necessity of promotion that season, as Saunders’ side would inevitably fall apart at the end of the campaign. They also assumed that Morrell would then flounder. Devoid of managerial experience, he would be faced with the mammoth task of rebuilding a side with a massively slashed budget, and things would fall apart. Keeping the team on track using his predecessor’s principles was one thing, inventing his own team was something else again.

Well, it turned out that the continuity candidate is also an adept revolutionary. Morrell’s record in the transfer market came under scrutiny the moment his first window opened, and it’s fair to say that, like any other manager, he hasn’t always hit the target. Steven Leslie’s unhappy spell at The Racecourse was held up as evidence against him, but it also illustrated that the manager was a smart operator as Leslie’s swift jettisoning showed Morrell had the sense to override his ego and get rid of his own signings sharpish if they weren’t working out.

As it turned out, Saunders’ side didn’t dissolve immediately, and both the WST and the management team deserve credit for managing the budget well enough to fund another tilt at the title while convincing enough of Saunders’ side to stay on.

However, last Summer saw an inevitable further tranche of departures, and Morrell has had to rebuild more extensively. As the season wears on, his eye for a smart deal has become more apparent.  If you look at the current side, only the spine remains of Saunders’ side but Morrell’s acquisitions show that he’s the ideal recession shopper, finding quality at bargain prices.

David Artell, Steven Wright and Mark Carrington all offer genuine Football League calibre at the back, while Brett Ormerod, Andy Bishop, Joe Anyinsah and Rob Ogleby are the spine of an attack which is gathering momentum.

It’s not just the transfers either. A number of players have developed under Morrell, from Curtis Obeng through Joe Clarke to Johnny Hunt. He won’t have much of a budget in January, but Morrell’s attempts to spot a bargain will make the New Year an interesting time.