IT’S always worrying for fans when they see players linked with other clubs, but it’s inevitable at this time of year.

Rudy Gestede has been linked with a move away and after promotion a club like Watford will be getting their plans together for next season.

Managers at clubs around the country will be getting their lists of targets together and seeing who is available.

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Often as a player at this time of year you are just trying to get away from it all to recharge the batteries.

You don’t pay too much attention to speculation about your team-mates until you know anything for sure.

You’re more keeping an eye out just in case anyone is arriving in your position.

I was in that situation at Blackburn when I broke my leg. I knew they would sign someone because it left them with only Alan Shearer and Mike Newell up front.

Then they signed Chris Sutton and I thought ‘Oh my god, they’ve spent all that money on him, when am I ever going to get back in?’ But you have to have that mentality to battle for your place.

As a player when you know you could be on the move you tend to have a good idea of what’s happening.

If you’re getting linked to clubs you’re speaking to your agent, you’re maybe speaking to journalists, and the manager and the club will be letting you know when there is interest.

But in some situations it can still be a worrying time.

When I was released by Newcastle they thought I had another club to go to, but I didn’t.

You do start to worry because you don’t know if you are going to find another club.

Away from the speculation, I’m down at St George’s Park all week doing my A licence coaching course.

The facilities are fantastic here but it’s 9am to 9pm - that’s a normal day for most people but for a footballer it’s too long!

There are 40 of us here including John Filan, Matt Jansen, Peter Atherton and James Scowcroft.

This week is part one of the course, then we go away and get some coaching experience, and come back for part two.

Coaching is something I want to pursue and it’s just about opportunities now – whether that’s with a first team or an academy.

I started my coaching qualifications when I was at Newcastle but stepped back from it. I’ve got back into it in the last three or four years and upped the ante with the coaching I’ve been doing at AFC Darwen.

But it’s full-time coaching that we all want and hopefully an opportunity will come for me to do that.