Manager Paul Lambert brought in a number of targets identified to chairman Robbie Cowling during pre-season, and so in came David Fox, Ashley Vincent, Alan Maybury, Lee Beevers, Ben Williams and Magnus Okuonghae all on permanent deals with Mark Yeates, leading scorer in that first WHCS season, joining Middlesbrough for a reported £350,000.

On the down side Lambert's outcasts were cruelly consigned to training with the Youth team and denied squad numbers and a place in the squad photo, whilst the manager poured scorn on being linked to the vacant job at Motherwell. With Chris Coyne leaving for Australia, Scott Vernon being touted as a transfer makeweight and John White, Jamie Guy, Matt Lockwood, Phil Ifil, Matt Heath and Johnnie Jackson feeling the backlash, Lambert turned his attention to Shrewsbury's leading marksman Grant Holt. Failing on that deal Lambert tied up a deal to sign Hamilton duo Richard Offiong and Joël Thomas for a combined fee of £225,000. Offiong pulled out at the last minute whilst Thomas signed for £125,000. Rumours also suggested that Lambert's ex-Celtic colleague Henrik Larsson could sign in the Swedish off-season.

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Wikipedia