January transfer rumours!

[Scott]

Good to see the club getting the business they need done early for once... McNally’s tweets were always far too late haha! Still think we need a right back though.

 

[morty]

Cant see the fuss over Middleton, has never got near the first team, but suddenly after never even mentioning him, folk are raving about him? Maybe not quite as highly rated as we are led to believe? Good luck to him though!

 

[Din]

Never seen him play to be fair but heard he was highly-rated. Clearly though the club can't rate him that highly if they're prepared to let him go? Particularly as we've bought in quite a few players for our youth side since Webber and Farke arrived.

Be interesting to see how his career pans out.

 

[Canaryboy]

Never seen him play to be fair but heard he was highly-rated. Clearly though the club can't rate him that highly if they're prepared to let him go? Particularly as we've bought in quite a few players for our youth side since Webber and Farke arrived.

Be interesting to see how his career pans out.

Weren't we gutted to lose some player to Everton a few years back, then he just disappeared? Irish name I think? Right back or right winger?

Can also remember our Gunn relegation basically forcing us to release or sell several talented kids... Dario Dumic and David Stephens were two of them (to Brondby and Hibs),both centre backs and both the same age.

At 26 Stephens is at Boreham Wood and Dumic is at FC Utrecht.... pretty sure they were both held in similar esteem at the time, but only one has a successful career.

Sometimes players are ahead of their group at 16 but it all levels out by 18, maybe that has happened to Glenn Middleton.... Todd Cantwell was the one who has forced his way into Farke's plans.

So either Farke just prefers other players, as a matter of taste, or Middleton just didn't develop as quickly as hoped over the past couple of years?

 

[Canaryboy]

Think this is who I'm talking about... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kelly_(footballer)

 

[Canaryboy]

If you want to get really old school then Manchester United poached one of our U14 players and then FLEW him to Manchester to get past the 90 minute rule, and we took them to tribunal and got a few hundred grand (probably equivalent to a couple of million in today's crazy market). Then they moved him and his family to Manchester and stuck him in a local school.

This was his career: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalam_Mooniaruck

Judging potential and career trajectory isn't an exact science is it... some players just don't progress quickly enough. I knew a kid who I've mentioned on here before who could stick a ball on a penny from 60 yards but was released from Norwich at 14 because he was just too lazy. 'Potential' = told that he was the best finisher at the club, 'Reality' = Going nowhere fast because he was lazy and wasn't interested in developing his game.

 

[Din]

Weren't we gutted to lose some player to Everton a few years back, then he just disappeared? Irish name I think? Right back or right winger?

Can also remember our Gunn relegation basically forcing us to release or sell several talented kids... Dario Dumic and David Stephens were two of them (to Brondby and Hibs),both centre backs and both the same age.

At 26 Stephens is at Boreham Wood and Dumic is at FC Utrecht.... pretty sure they were both held in similar esteem at the time, but only one has a successful career.

Sometimes players are ahead of their group at 16 but it all levels out by 18, maybe that has happened to Glenn Middleton.... Todd Cantwell was the one who has forced his way into Farke's plans.

So either Farke just prefers other players, as a matter of taste, or Middleton just didn't develop as quickly as hoped over the past couple of years?

To be honest the main thing I find strange is that he wasn't even given a chance out on loan. He's still very young (was born in the 21st century!) so I think it's weird we've already decided he's not going to be good enough. Not that I have ever seen him play, but I knew he was highly rated and has played for Scotland under 18s.

In recent years we've had Loza (went out on loan to 6 clubs), Jacob Murphy (6 loans), McGeehan (3 loans), Morris (5 loans), Toffolo (5 loans), Remi Matthews (7 loans), all go out numerous times before the club made a decision of whether they're good enough. Even players like Cameron King and Adel Gafaiti who have ended up leaving and fading into obscurity have spent time on loan. Obviously at the moment we have a lot of youngsters out on loan, so I do find it odd that we weren't even prepared to do that with Middleton.

Ultimately though as I said clearly if Webber and Farke and co think he's not good enough and can't see a future for him here then maybe he's not as good as suggested. Time will tell I guess!

 

[Canaryboy]

I actually wonder whether he's been 'thrown in' as a sweetener in another deal, maybe one which hasn't been announced yet.

Just like there were conspiracy theories that Tottenham now have first refusal on Maddison in the summer in return for sending us Edwards.

Perhaps we've arranged a transfer for a Rangers player, that they don't want to announce yet because it would upset their fans? E.g. James Tavernier their right back who was allegedly wanted by Reading and Sunderland in this window, we know that we're in the market for a right back because Farke has admitted as such, and we know that one didn't arrive in this window.

Or could be a sweetener in a prearranged Naismith or Martin deal?

Think an incoming Rangers player more likely though, with them not wanting to announce a departure at season ticket renewal time?

 

[hogesar]

I would guess the current management team dont rate him as highly as the previous regime. Although there has still been hype about him over the last year or so and he has been mentioned.

Its odd we didnt loan as that kind of fits in better with our giving youth every chance to succeed. But if they didnt feel he was going to get near the first team anyway then fair enough!

 

[Canaryboy]

Didn't Webber say something about there being disciplinary issues in the U23 and U18 teams.... about the time he sacked Darren Huckerby? Perhaps Glenn Middleton was part of that problem.

I'd still rather hope that we've agreed a summer deal for Tavernier personally... would make sense. Especially as we seem to have written off our season, but Rangers are playing for 2nd place so won't want to lose a key player halfway through the season.
(Or Rossiter, or Windass, they would also make sense).

We do need British players also.... limit to how many overseas players you can name in a matchday squad I think? All three of those players are homegrown. We can't keep signing Germans.

And if you get to the Premier League you need 8 homegrown players in your 25 man squad... and 3 of our current homegrown players are on loan!

 

[morty]

Pritchard playing for 'uddersfield U23's, oh dear......

 

[Number 9]

Farke's post match comments had some nuggets in there.

Regarding the dressing room atmosphere specifically talking about the players leaving he said

“I have a good feeling, just on a personal level, the atmosphere in recent days is even better, and it was good before.

Then regarding players out on loan

“Our initial plan was to bring our loan players back here in February but after this busy window we will give the group two or three weeks to stick together.”

 

[Number 9]

And Raggett not close to the match day squad but they're hoping that as he trains with them, he will up his game in time for next season.