Not sure if we are buying a player or a club or what with that storey. We were linked with him last week
I feel like I am being an argumentative arse tonight. Probably am to be fair. Been on the rum, which never helps. I have been pondering how people are using Stewart as a comparator. People saying we plucked him from nowhere, or his stats compare with possible targets. I think there is a bit more to Stewart than people are recalling. He was on the radar of clubs in the championship and the scottish prem when we signed him. We stole a march by paying a fee, others wanted a bidding war on a free transfer 6 months later. The point is he was a player a number of people and clubs knew could step up, all ahead of us in the pecking order, we just put our money where our mouth was. He also wandered in under no pressure thanks to Wyke. We picked up an injured player because we werent desperate for him to be 1st choice on day 1. My point is Stewart was well known and sought after. He has exceeded expectations in many ways. He is a class act, with an attitude that matches. My point is we wont have this success every time. I see people saying Surridge seems the same, fair enough, the chance of him having the same scope though is unlikely, based on the exposure he has already hard. In racehorse terms he is much more exposed. Just a cautionary tale. Ross is a great success, but we arent the only ones who saw him and he isnt comparable to others so immediately. If we get another as good as him in the next 5 years I will eat my words. I suspect he is om his own though and we need to not assume we can repeat this success easily.
All of this is correct. Stewart is the stand out player in our recruitment so far and it's unlikely we'll sign anyone better immediately. Our success rate is incredibly high though and that gives me confidence that we will keep repeating our success (if not quite to the same level).
I dont think we will be able to replace stewart with 1 player. I think if/when we sell him its about making sure the team is better. Stewarts workrate pace n size make him hard to replace but there are players out there that would offer different qualities to him and still make us a very dangerous side. The success rate this recruitment team has had has been amazing and i trust them to continue to get it right. Sturridge i dont think will ever score 20+ goals in a season but i do think he would help create spaces n chances for the attacking players weve got. He would give us a good solid 2nd option.
Don’t think anybody is under the illusion we will find somebody as good as him. But we might find somebody close enough that it’s negligible, or improve the wider squad to the point where it’s negligible
Strange decision from them to throw him on when the games done. Limits there options to keeping up or him coming back to us
Yeh but you’re saying “them” about a manager who won’t be there next week and probably will never see Ellis Simms again. sounds exagerative but he’s ****ed his career. The lad has missed so much football. He needed to keep playing
Got a goal and an assist against Everton if that’s the same player? Mind you, most players could get a goal and assist against Everton
Middlesbrough are in advanced talks to sign Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer on loan for the remainder of the season, TEAMtalk understands.
Interesting reading about Evan Ferguson coming over to Brighton from the Irish league at a young age and now seemingly taking his chances at Brighton. Similar to Trai Hume who has done very well last few games. Might be a market we get some value from.
I reckon we are looking in many more markets now, compared to what we used to, even when we were in the premiership.
Has there been any more links to that Dutch lad van Hecke at Brighton? He doesn't seem to have had much of a look in albeit on their bench.
Can’t see anybody loaning us a centre back this window with the form of our defenders. Even if Wright was to leave we’d probably need to do something permanent?
