We HAVE signed Tom Soares on loan for a month (see page 2)

that is a brilliant signing IF TRUE

Quality little player

great news sharon/zz will be gone then

shame a bout gray

Really want to be positive about this but reading the terms of the deal on the KM site this is just the sort of uncertainty we ought to try to avoid.

A 93 day 'emergency' loan takes us to about April 17 - anyone know if these loans can then be extended? Say he beds in, becomes a key player and then misses our last few games?

Plus, like we found with Leroy Lita last year teams like Stoke (and Reading) are/were destined for a relegation dogfight and these teams tend to go through their squad looking for an alternative solution when they have a run of poor results, so the 28 day recall might be utilised earlier than that.

Please don't knock me as I recognise he is a decent signing, on paper, and we need to start getting results right now but the way we are going to get out of this is not to store up problems or hassles later on...we need as settled a side as we can get between now and May.

Credit to Parky for nabbing him but I had hoped he might have learnt from the chopping and changing we had with our loans last season...

Think a central midfielder is on his way if this is confirmed tomorrow - one might say he offers a similar profile to that of Ambrose for example...

Blimey, impressed. Hope he's up for it, I suppose he won't be allowed to play for us against Palace ;-)

Top signing.

B good signing

he must have a bit of fight about him, esp since he knows if he's shite he will get SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much abuse

not that i'm agreeing with that kind of behaviour

We are a bit two steps forward, two steps back at the moment aren't we? There have been a couple of decent signings made but we've had nearly done deals for Ambrose and Gray fall through, which agree with or not, must be in the best interests of the club if they're being considered at this time.

Bailey finding his form against QPR and then getting suspended for the 6 pointer vs Forest is another example.

Still, at least we've stopped just stepping backwards!

Why is the Gray deal falling through bad news?

Our best striker unless of course you want to be stuck with Burton/McLeod/Dickson/Todorov

Is he THAT good though? Done feck all so far this season, didn't do much last season.

Why would he be out on loan if he was that good considering Stoke will be struggling? I'm not one to be negative, but no thanks.

[cite]Posted By: cafcpolo[/cite]Is he THAT good though? Done feck all so far this season, didn't do much last season.

Why would he be out on loan if he was that good considering Stoke will be struggling? I'm not one to be negative, but no thanks.

Know where you are coming from - no Premier League player perhaps - but he has been a solid Championship player for a few years and that is what we need.

But it will be a debatable decision if we lose Darren Ambrose as a result, who we have the power to keep for the season if we wish as he is OUR player and who I feel could offer something if played regularly between now and the end of the season.

[cite]Posted By: Sailor Browneye[/cite]

Think a central midfielder is on his way if this is confirmed tomorrow - one might say he offers a similar profile to that of Ambrose for example...

To whom are you referring may I ask?

you tease ; -)

He's played for Ipswich?

He's an under 21 international

He couldn't tackle his way out of a paper bag?

Yes or no will suffice

Yes
Yes
Quite possibly
No comment

oh, and he possesses the same first name as his best friend... ;-)

Well it has to mean someone - and quite probably more than one - is on their way, doesn't it?

We've now got at least a dozen midfielders: Holland, Bailey, Semedo, Racon, ZZ, Sam, Ambrose, Shelvey, Wright, Wagstaff, Spring, Soares.

Compare that to central defence where we have just Fortune and Hudson.

Or goal scoring strikers (as opposed to big lumps praised for their ability to 'hold the ball up' ) where we have...er, limited options , to put it politely!

Decent signing, I guess, but not the areas I had hoped to see strengthened.

I guess whether Ambrose is sold before Saturday or not, Soares comes in v Shef Wed for last night's goalscorer?

In fact, extraordinarily, there could be up to SEVEN changes from the starting XI that has just won us our first game in three and a half months. Not saying they will all happen but all these possible :

Elliot for Randolph

Murty for Mouatakil

Holland for Wagstaff

Spring for Wright

Shelvey for Sam

Soares for Ambrose

Gray for Burton (apparently ineligible due to Shef Wed terms of sale)

Even if only four or five of these happen, such sweeping change after winning our first game in 19 is going to take some explaining should we suffer a reverse!

[cite]Posted By: Henry Irving[/cite]

[cite]Posted By: Sailor Browneye[/cite]Yes
Yes
Quite possibly
No comment

oh, and he possesses the same first name as his best friend... ;-)

Ah ha,

So an under 21 international who's been on Ipswich's books.

And a midfielder?

Seems odd when we have Spring and maybe Soares (not on OS = f******* lying in my book ; - ) ) so why another CM.


Is his name Darren?

Blimey, not much gets past you does it Henry, have you considered a career in MFI? ;-)

[cite]Posted By: nigel w[/cite]Well it has to mean someone - and quite probably more than one - is on their way, doesn't it?

We've now got at least a dozen midfielders: Holland, Bailey, Semedo, Racon, ZZ, Sam, Ambrose, Shelvey, Wright, Wagstaff, Spring, Soares.

Compare that to central defence where we have just Fortune and Hudson.

Or goal scoring strikers (as opposed to big lumps praised for their ability to 'hold the ball up' ) where we have...er, limited options , to put it politely!

We certainly need at least one more centre back and I'm sure we'll get one, one way or another, and it might be advantageous if Murty's eventual replacement can also play in the middle a la Cranie as a team really needs a minimum of four CBs.

There's no way I'd let Gray leave if we are left with Burton and Co for any period of time.

With the possible Soares signing, after Spring last week, I am concerned about who is going to leave. If we lose ZZ and Ambrose, I'm not sure we are better placed to stay up.

Ambrose is presently the only player other than Sam who can play out wide after Bouazza's departure - Soares would be a third, so if Dazza stays then we have a little vital slack there. I am discounting Wagstaff as I don't think he can play regularly at first team level - at least yet - while Basey is a 'pace-challenged' option.

We are clearly overburdenened with centre mids yet Semedo is now long-term injured, ZZ/Racon are now working their way back to fitness and presently unavailable, Wright is a debatable selection in key games and Holland isn't getting any younger, while what will happen next month with young Jonjo and his professional contract....?

I'd loan out Josh Wright, that's for sure. I also think we'll play three in the middle most weeks so we'll need an extra body or two in there. So keep them all? Can we afford to do that?