Connor Mahoney

Well if you feel its daft, that's your prerogative. But he'll be on a very sizeable amount, and he'd know his chances would be minimal at best. He could've signed for us and other clubs at a lower level but went for the Prem club option. Can't blame him, but once he's made that choice, we should move on. I'm not sure why he's perfect when he's not played any competitive games since his move. Not sure how that mades him plug and play any better than what we have.

 

That is true, but I think that is where firstly we need to improve on the loan side of things and try and find clubs better suited to aiding progress instead of sending to non league, and also get them game time when we can. The club can only do so much though, if no league 1/league 2 club wants our player on loan then we have no choice but the leave them in U23s or send them to non league. This season especially however, as we are sat in a precarious position we do need to be aiming for players that are good enough now not someone on a learning curve as we don't have the luxury of time or a good points tally to allow them to make mistakes. Going forward of course we need to be not helping the prem clubs by taking their youngsters on loan at the expense of ours but this season if they are better than what we have now and therefore will keep us up then that is what we need to do.

 

Maybe daft is harsh sorry, I just think it's not as cut and dry as him simply wanting to earn more money. He has been offered a chance to play for a premier league team with the plan for him to develop in their youth setup with an eventual aim to progress into the first team. And I feel he his plug and play as he has performed well at this level before. Something which Hedges hasn't done unfortunately. Think hedges could be a good player, but has only shown it in glimpses. And with him and isgrove regularly injured, Hammill offering little going forward in my opinion and our current league position, we need more options.

 

And herein lies the problem. We just don't know if they are better, and that goes from wherever we get a player. Barnes was quality going forward and clearly has talent, but lacked bravery and was very poor defensively. Ugbo.... well, enough said, he just wasn't ready.

 

Well we'll agree to disagree. I'm a huge fan of Hammill and still think he's trying too hard and putting too much on his shoulders. The ability and effort are there, he just needs to let it come and not force it. Hedges has only started 8 games, and a few of those last season with just 19 cameos as sub. The more you play him, the more he'll develop.

Mahoney could be a great signing, but he's not played competitive football at all since he joined Bournemouth, so he's going to have to get up to speed and match fit, which would be at least a month.

 

Again this is something we need to improve, I am not a huge fan of the loan system as some clubs like Chelsea abuse it as a method of making money. In some ways its great and others it is not. As you have pointed out some of our loans recently have been no better than what we have with the likes of Ugbo, but for every Ugbo there is a Matty James who was brilliant for us last year. Barnes may be lacking in some areas but he would still walk into our starting 11 each week for me if he was still here. I agree we need to use our youth players more apposed to using the youth of the big sides, but we need players especially in this point of the season that are better than what we have now and if that means people like Mahoney on loan then that's what we need to do.

 

Yeah he’s one of the 2 wingers from the Premier League we’re looking at.

The other one is a player who’s been mentioned on here regular recently.

Both from southern clubs as I said in the update thread.

 

Kaikai and Mahoney then.

 

Are you still giving an update this evening?

 

Did it yesterday instead.

Nothing’s changed since then as far as I know.