With the loan window opening up today managers in the football league will be looking to add to their squads by persuading their compatriots in higher leagues to send them some youngsters to give them game time. This has been useful for us in the past especially in 2006 when the Arsenal trio arrived and made a big impact. I would hope that we could get someone similar this year especially as we are in the unique position of also being able to offer European football. However I’m not sure if that many gems are available and whether those that are will be good enough to get into the first team. After all if a loanee sits on the bench all the time it’s not a good arrangement for either party.
So let’s look at our squad to see which holes need filling.
Goalkeepers
Currently Boaz Myhill is taking the starting spot but like a lot of people I am far from convinced of his quality. Hopefully he will prove me wrong or Colin Doyle will step up and show he’s worthy of a start afters years of being a number two or sometimes three. I’m actually surprised he’s still with us as I can see young Jack Butland pushing the way to the top before too long. Despite Myhill’s performances I don’t think goalkeeper is a priority for a loan spot. If we are going to play a youngster we might as well play Butland.
Defence
With Liam Ridgewell staying and Pablo Ibanez joining we now have numbers in defence especially if you count Jonathan Spector as a back up to Steven Carr. Do we have the quality though? That will depend on how Ibanez settles in so an extra centre back might not be a bad shout if one is available.
Midfield
The arrivals of Spector, Wade Elliot and N’Daw combined with the return from injury of Fahey and Gomis means that we now have two players for every position in the midfield. The ability of some players to play in more than one position also gives the squad depth. With Jordon Mutch likely to be out until around Christmas we could do with a player to sit and pass the ball around like he was doing so well in the first few games. Those type of players will be much in demand though. Would Chelsea let Josh McEachran go on loan to the Championship? If he played in the Europa Cup for us would he be cup tied for later rounds of the Champions League?
Forwards
This is the area that I think a loan signing would come in most handy. At the moment we have Chris Wood and Adam Rooney to join the returning Nikola Zigic and Marlon King. They are all decent strikers but Wood could easily return to WBA in October, King is the wrong side of thirty and Rooney is still learning the game. I’ll believe Zigic returning to the first team when I see it and I’m not sure how many league games he is likely to play before moving on in January. We lack a bit of pace up front so a young nippy striker would complement that existing quartet perfectly. I’m not sure that Nile Ranger is the right player although Hughton does know him from his Newcastle days. His goal scoring record is pretty poor.
I’ll guess we’ll find out soon who if anyone joins us. Chris Hughton will have to act quick to get the right players or find himself disappointed.
@Aylesbury_Blue
Excellent blog mate, echoes my own thoughts on it perfectly.
I believe Europa participation ‘Cup ties’ players for the Champions’ League until January….
butland gone on loan
http://www.bcfc.com/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10412~2444315,00.html
Goalkeeper is the one key spot for me in addition to the striker issue mentioned in the OP.
Surely Doyle is now at the crossroads of his Blues career and CH is the second manager [not sure if Bruce signed him, if so CH is the third manager] who doesn’t appear to rate him. I’m afraid Myhill is not the answer; based on his performances so far he doesn’t appear to be any better than Doyle [perhaps worse] but if the manager doesn’t rate him then it’s probably time for him to move on. On this basis, I think I’d like us to get a quality GK in until the end of the year, when we could perhaps assess if Butland is ready to make the step up.
I appreciate it may be difficult to achieve the necessary “quality” but why not give it a go?
In my opinion we need a decent keeper if we hope to finish in the right half of the league. There must be hundreds out there with more ability than Myhill and Doyle for that matter. I see this a priority position, the biggest reason for our top half finish 2 seasons ago was Joe Hart.
With Butland going out on loan that only leaves Doyle to cover Myhill and fulfill reserve games unless there is yet another budding young international we do not know about. Blues have done with keepers over the past 60 years but I think Myhill is one of the weakest. He is a Welsh international but WBA certainly did not want him or even risk him as an understudy. I know he was a make weight to prise Foster away but I think Tailor , Doyle and Butland would have been just as good.
I would still like to see another 90 minute box to box player with some aggression, experience and goal scoring capability, a Wylie, Gemmill or Hockey type. Bullard would have been perfect for a season.
Backline, well Davies has yet go through his run of nightmare mistakes but its coming and Calderwell is doing OK until he gets injured and does not come up against someone half his age or continual pressure. I prefer Murphy to Ridgewell at left back. January is not far away, lets see how King and Zigic get on until then, definately do not want Ranger, he is trouble. Think Bowyer and Barton when they were younger without the skill and goal scoring. He is unproven, a loose cannon, don’t need him. Keep Woods instead
Why are we after half cut talents.
Players like Macheda, M.B.Diouf, Delfounso(not for everyone), Fuller/Walters, Ryo Miyaichi
amongst many other players will strutggle to get 1st team games – so why not go for them than players tha would struggle to get into our starting xi anyway?
I would be delighted if we could get Ryo Miyaichi. Good shout Ben
In a nutshell, we are an unfashionable club and always have been. The ‘good’ players won’t come here unless they are given a better contract than they can get elsewhere and that aint likely to happen is it!
That’s a fair analysis of our squad and I agree with the conclusion that it is in goal and up front where our needs are greatest. Mu(t)ch as I would love to see a new goalie come in I think that is highly unlikely – just too early for whoever picked Myhill to write him off and smash his confidence to pieces by bringing in someone else. Just got to hope that our ace goalkeeping coach can work his wonders with both Myhill and Doyle and tighten this area up. Up front, I agree with the post about not wanting to rely upon Zigic for anything mu(t)ch at all other than a few substitute appearances and a goal off his arse in extra time just before Xmas. A couple of young firecrackers from the Prem would give us the depth and options we need. I know Nile Ranger has got a bad press but a few years ago Shearer was talking about him as a future superstar and he knew a thing or two about scoring goals. If Hughton fancies a punt on getting the best out of him then I’ll go with that. If we had him and King partnering up front it would be like fielding Bonnie and Clyde…..though don’t tell them I said that.
I cannot believe Forrsell has joined Leeds, he was playing for Finland against Holland in the week, he has impressed Leeds and is still good enough for international duty. When he had a trial at WestHam a couple of months ago he was ”twittering” if thats the right word to all that was following, he would love to come back to Blues and even made his own approach but apparently we were not interested and did not think he was worth a trial.
What’s up, I check your new stuff on a regular basis. Your story-telling style is witty, keep it up!