Poyet fears deal is dead

9:30am Wednesday 30th January 2013 in Sport By Andy Naylor

Gordon Greer is out for three weeks with a hamstring injury Gordon Greer is out for three weeks with a hamstring injury

Gus Poyet fears Albion have been priced out of a move for Virgil van Dijk to cure their centre-half crisis.

The manager is also guarded about the Seagulls finding a permanent solution to the shortage before the January transfer window closes tomorrow night.

Groningen have turned down two undisclosed bids from Albion for van Dijk, right. The second, believed to be about £2 million, was lodged on Monday after Poyet flew to Holland on Sunday to the watch the highly-rated Dutch under-21 international in action.

That still falls well short of Groningen’s valuation of a player they are desperate to keep hold of to help their fight against relegation from the Dutch First Division.

Poyet told The Argus: “It’s not easy, because of the price. He’s not a player I think we can afford, or it doesn’t look like it.

“We are talking about a defender who is in the team and we have tried to give a value. Apparently our valuation is not enough.

“I cannot see it happening unless there is a big change in their approach. We are trying to look at other names, other possibilities. That is the only option we’ve got, to buy or to loan.

“I would like to bring someone permanent but if it’s not possible then it’s not possible. It doesn’t look as if anyone is going to come at the moment.”

Adam El-Abd is currently Albion’s only recognised central defender, with skipper Gordon Greer ruled out for three weeks by a hamstring injury and Lewis Dunk involved in a court case at the Old Bailey.

Inigo Calderon will fill in again at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday if the Seagulls do not make a signing, with David at right-back or Bruno if he is fit-again after Achilles trouble.

Meanwhile, Albion have received no bids for their key players and Poyet hopes it stays that way up to the 11pm deadline.

Liam Bridcutt has been the subject of speculation linking him with several league clubs this month and the defensive midfielder was outstanding again in the FA Cup defeat by Arsenal at The Amex.

Poyet said: “We need him. Like me, if I don’t go up with Brighton to the Premiership in a few years I am going to go to the Premiership, that’s my aim, somehow I need to get there. And I suppose Liam Bridcutt is the same.

“So either we do it together or we need to do it on our own, so we’ll see what the future brings.”

Comments(53)

mark by the sea says...
9:38am Wed 30 Jan 13

This deal is very unlike the way Gus does business ! I can never remember anything so open .. I hope I am wrong but I have feeling a player is going to leave at same time we sign this guy, to be honest the deal will need to happen today, he will need to get here , have medical and get papers to theFA by 11pm tomo.
Really need a centre back , Sheffield weds will put lots of crosses and punts into our box.

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sloughseagull says...
9:44am Wed 30 Jan 13

I hope I am wrong but Gus has always been honest about transfer targets and Iooks as if we can't afford this guy. To be honest anything above £2m is a bg risk. Hopefully we will get an experienced CB before the deadline, if not then we will have to cope but would imagine the playoffs will be a lot harder to achieve. Regardless UTA!

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LACHANCE says...
9:45am Wed 30 Jan 13

In the long term we need this guy,so spend the cash it's only for the good.

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7Rookie says...
9:47am Wed 30 Jan 13

Hopefully this is Gus just playing hardball in the hope that the Dutch club blink first (under a bit of pressure from the player and his agent). Would be a shame to miss out on him over a few 100k (ridiculous to write but you know what I mean), when if reports are correct he is going to be worth a lot more in a few years time.

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Old Scrote of the Amex says...
9:49am Wed 30 Jan 13

LACHANCE wrote:
In the long term we need this guy,so spend the cash it's only for the good.
What, spend twice as much as Gus thiks he's worth? Yeah, right.

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MelsTels says...
9:53am Wed 30 Jan 13

Keep the finances in check - don't go overboard and let the heart rule the head - it would be the start of a possible slippery road. Go for loan if necessary - and have breathing space to look for a permanent replacement. I still think realistically, another season in the championship to really build and finish the squad would be a good option - but by all means go for a top six if it were possible - and strengthen the squad for next year - whatever league we may be in

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Dr Baldhead says...
10:00am Wed 30 Jan 13

Old Scrote of the Amex wrote:
LACHANCE wrote:
In the long term we need this guy,so spend the cash it's only for the good.
What, spend twice as much as Gus thiks he's worth? Yeah, right.
Yes agreed. Two weeks ago when this first surfaced most Albion fans were astonished we were considering paying so much for a CB. It's a sign of how far the club has come, but hey let's remain realistic and live within our means.

I'd love VVD to come and his tweet last night (OMW) was deliciously cryptic, but if tomorrow passes with us having signed Ulloa and retained Liam Bridcutt, we should see it as a successful transfer window.

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russellsnr2 says...
10:03am Wed 30 Jan 13

It is a pity that his club are putting themselves first and the player second. If he wants to come to Brighton then his club should come to an arrangement with him, his agent and B&HA to allow him to do so, what's the point in holding onto him if he does not have playing for them at heart? I am sure if the boot was on the other foot Gus & B&HA FC would not hold a player back from going forward in his career.

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sloughseagull says...
10:06am Wed 30 Jan 13

russellsnr2 wrote:
It is a pity that his club are putting themselves first and the player second. If he wants to come to Brighton then his club should come to an arrangement with him, his agent and B&HA to allow him to do so, what's the point in holding onto him if he does not have playing for them at heart? I am sure if the boot was on the other foot Gus & B&HA FC would not hold a player back from going forward in his career.
Soon find out if any bids come in for Liam.

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dave from bexill says...
10:07am Wed 30 Jan 13

I hope there is at least one other iron in the fire. The loss of GG is huge at this time and currently there doesn't seem to be anyone "proper" at the club to play there. Shame about young Virgil, he looked the part.
Don't go on Mels Tels view that we're not ready for promotion. Who's to know it will be better/easier next year. The time is always now.

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ballantrrae says...
10:09am Wed 30 Jan 13

sloughseagull wrote:
I hope I am wrong but Gus has always been honest about transfer targets and Iooks as if we can't afford this guy. To be honest anything above £2m is a bg risk. Hopefully we will get an experienced CB before the deadline, if not then we will have to cope but would imagine the playoffs will be a lot harder to achieve. Regardless UTA!
I agree.
The problem is that we have a long term need for a youngish, quick, mobile, strong in the air CB. We also currently have a need for a CB to cover for GG's absence and any other injuries or suspensions during the rest of this season.
These two problems might need two different solutions. At the moment we seem to be trying to find one solution to both problems and as a result we are making things harder for ourselves.
Solution 1 get someone experienced in on loan now.
Solution 2 look for another van Dijk type CB for the long term.
As far as VD is concerned we may be able to sign him in the Summer by which time Groningen might well be in the Dutch 2nd League. This might mean we could acquire him then for a more reasonable fee.
Thoughts anyone ?

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mark by the sea says...
10:14am Wed 30 Jan 13

dave from bexill wrote:
I hope there is at least one other iron in the fire. The loss of GG is huge at this time and currently there doesn't seem to be anyone "proper" at the club to play there. Shame about young Virgil, he looked the part.
Don't go on Mels Tels view that we're not ready for promotion. Who's to know it will be better/easier next year. The time is always now.
No one is ready for promotion, but the financial rewards are unbelievable! Gus knows his budget, and very few clubs pay more than 2 million for a centre back . Lets hope Gus has had a plan B on the centre back I honestly think looking at our home fixtures we can win all of them!

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mark by the sea says...
10:17am Wed 30 Jan 13

ballantrrae wrote:
sloughseagull wrote:
I hope I am wrong but Gus has always been honest about transfer targets and Iooks as if we can't afford this guy. To be honest anything above £2m is a bg risk. Hopefully we will get an experienced CB before the deadline, if not then we will have to cope but would imagine the playoffs will be a lot harder to achieve. Regardless UTA!
I agree.
The problem is that we have a long term need for a youngish, quick, mobile, strong in the air CB. We also currently have a need for a CB to cover for GG's absence and any other injuries or suspensions during the rest of this season.
These two problems might need two different solutions. At the moment we seem to be trying to find one solution to both problems and as a result we are making things harder for ourselves.
Solution 1 get someone experienced in on loan now.
Solution 2 look for another van Dijk type CB for the long term.
As far as VD is concerned we may be able to sign him in the Summer by which time Groningen might well be in the Dutch 2nd League. This might mean we could acquire him then for a more reasonable fee.
Thoughts anyone ?
I did suggest we sign him and loan him back for rest of season, and get loan in . That would cover all options.

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fansince57 says...
10:18am Wed 30 Jan 13

ballantrrae wrote:
sloughseagull wrote:
I hope I am wrong but Gus has always been honest about transfer targets and Iooks as if we can't afford this guy. To be honest anything above £2m is a bg risk. Hopefully we will get an experienced CB before the deadline, if not then we will have to cope but would imagine the playoffs will be a lot harder to achieve. Regardless UTA!
I agree.
The problem is that we have a long term need for a youngish, quick, mobile, strong in the air CB. We also currently have a need for a CB to cover for GG's absence and any other injuries or suspensions during the rest of this season.
These two problems might need two different solutions. At the moment we seem to be trying to find one solution to both problems and as a result we are making things harder for ourselves.
Solution 1 get someone experienced in on loan now.
Solution 2 look for another van Dijk type CB for the long term.
As far as VD is concerned we may be able to sign him in the Summer by which time Groningen might well be in the Dutch 2nd League. This might mean we could acquire him then for a more reasonable fee.
Thoughts anyone ?
Ballantrrae, you beat me to it - my thoughts exactly! Yes we need someone now, with experience a top priority. Come the summer both we and Groningen will know what division we are in and can plan accordingly. If they get relegated they are likely to want/need to unload players and we'll be in a much better bargaining position.

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WestStander17 says...
10:44am Wed 30 Jan 13

As long as no-one nips in and nabs VvD, from what I've heard, we could well get our man in the summer at a far more reasonable price. I wonder what happens if VvD were to put in a transfer request in the next 24 hours? If what his agent says is true and he wants to play for us, that would potentially force Groningen's hand. Is he really going to help keep them up when he has one eye on playing elsewhere? Depends on the lad's character I suppose.

Need a loan player at least anyway. Was relieved to see the younger, less talented Ferdinand head to Turkey yesterday. Don't want him!!! There must be a good CB not getting games in the Prem somewhere.

On the topic of "being ready" to go up, my view has changed recently. I think we should get up there with the big boys ASAP. I think our team is pretty close to as strong as its going to be in this division. Yes, it's not the finished article quite yet, I think most agree at least one centre-back and a "Vieira" in the midfield would improve things. However, if we wait to get those, who is to say we won't have lost Bridcutt, Vicente or maybe even Gus by then meaning we had other, possibly bigger gaps to fill. Where are as ready as we are going to be....LETS GO FOR IT!!!

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wiseman of hove says...
10:52am Wed 30 Jan 13

Having posted that I expect the manager to secure our dutch target, I had better start baking the humble pie now for consumption tomorrow, just in case.

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Gibseagull says...
10:53am Wed 30 Jan 13

I smell (I hope) a bit of late transfer window bluffing going on here. All these deals contain an element of risk. However this guy looks the business and if that's the case and his value at the moment is somewhere between £2.1m and £4m then in a few years time he could be worth 2 or 3 times that amount - you have to speculate to accumulate! Looked at like that it would be a pity for the deal to be off for the sake of a few hundred thousand quid.

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wiltshire seagull says...
10:54am Wed 30 Jan 13

George Boyd, 6' +? Be nice to nick him from under Palace's nose, lol.
UTA............

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mark by the sea says...
10:59am Wed 30 Jan 13

Carper gorrks from Reading , loan . Ideal player.

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Claude Back says...
11:04am Wed 30 Jan 13

wiltshire seagull wrote:
George Boyd, 6' +? Be nice to nick him from under Palace's nose, lol.
UTA............
No, it wouldn't.

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sloughseagull says...
11:14am Wed 30 Jan 13

wiltshire seagull wrote:
George Boyd, 6' +? Be nice to nick him from under Palace's nose, lol.
UTA............
Off to Leeds apparently.

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sloughseagull says...
11:16am Wed 30 Jan 13

sloughseagull wrote:
wiltshire seagull wrote:
George Boyd, 6' +? Be nice to nick him from under Palace's nose, lol.
UTA............
Off to Leeds apparently.
Sorry I meant Gorrks off to Leeds and not Boyd. I agree Gorrks would be a great interim or even permanent signing.

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LAWgull says...
11:17am Wed 30 Jan 13

I Know he has other things on his mind at the moment But Lewis Dunk England under 21 international standard Van Dijk Dutch under 21 standard Surely cant be that much difference Hurry Back Dunky

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mark by the sea says...
11:25am Wed 30 Jan 13

LAWgull wrote:
I Know he has other things on his mind at the moment But Lewis Dunk England under 21 international standard Van Dijk Dutch under 21 standard Surely cant be that much difference Hurry Back Dunky
Has dunk played for under 21 s. ? Without being unkind, Dutch football is another level,

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mark by the sea says...
11:26am Wed 30 Jan 13

Ian Brady to run academy?

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Hovite says...
11:33am Wed 30 Jan 13

Hope not mark

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Yogi says...
11:33am Wed 30 Jan 13

mark by the sea wrote:
Ian Brady to run academy?
Like that idea.

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Old Scrote of the Amex says...
11:34am Wed 30 Jan 13

mark by the sea wrote:
LAWgull wrote:
I Know he has other things on his mind at the moment But Lewis Dunk England under 21 international standard Van Dijk Dutch under 21 standard Surely cant be that much difference Hurry Back Dunky
Has dunk played for under 21 s. ? Without being unkind, Dutch football is another level,
It is at the top. At the bottom, not so much. #meh

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SA Seagull says...
11:34am Wed 30 Jan 13

What about the Spanish younger from Arsenal "Ignasi Miguel" 6ft 4in. somewhat willowish but as a loan to perm deal, as was mentioned back at the start of the season if my poor memory serves me right.

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Old Scrote of the Amex says...
11:35am Wed 30 Jan 13

mark by the sea wrote:
Ian Brady to run academy?
I'm not sure he's the best person to be in charge of the kids!!!

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mark by the sea says...
11:37am Wed 30 Jan 13

Old Scrote of the Amex wrote:
mark by the sea wrote:
Ian Brady to run academy?
I'm not sure he's the best person to be in charge of the kids!!!
He mentioned recently he was looking forward to working for years to come, and still lives down here, leaving arsenal in may 2014 , about the time ours will be ready to open.. Anyone not wanting him must be mad, probably get a job at any club in country.

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Dr Baldhead says...
11:40am Wed 30 Jan 13

Old Scrote of the Amex wrote:
mark by the sea wrote:
Ian Brady to run academy?
I'm not sure he's the best person to be in charge of the kids!!!
lol!

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WestStander17 says...
11:45am Wed 30 Jan 13

mark by the sea wrote:
Old Scrote of the Amex wrote:
mark by the sea wrote: Ian Brady to run academy?
I'm not sure he's the best person to be in charge of the kids!!!
He mentioned recently he was looking forward to working for years to come, and still lives down here, leaving arsenal in may 2014 , about the time ours will be ready to open.. Anyone not wanting him must be mad, probably get a job at any club in country.
I think you mean Liam Brady!

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mark by the sea says...
11:47am Wed 30 Jan 13

WestStander17 wrote:
mark by the sea wrote:
Old Scrote of the Amex wrote:
mark by the sea wrote: Ian Brady to run academy?
I'm not sure he's the best person to be in charge of the kids!!!
He mentioned recently he was looking forward to working for years to come, and still lives down here, leaving arsenal in may 2014 , about the time ours will be ready to open.. Anyone not wanting him must be mad, probably get a job at any club in country.
I think you mean Liam Brady!
Lol just realised who I wrote! Slightly better than hInsh, yes Liam. Bloody ipad ( obviously not me)

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wiltshire seagull says...
11:50am Wed 30 Jan 13

Claude Back wrote:
wiltshire seagull wrote:
George Boyd, 6' +? Be nice to nick him from under Palace's nose, lol.
UTA............
No, it wouldn't.
Oooooo!,Bit tetchy this morning, are we CB?
UTA......

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Yogi says...
11:55am Wed 30 Jan 13

Liam Brady has been at Arsenal for 24 yrs and is leaving his post in April '14 so would be ideal for us especially as he has such an affinity with The Albion.

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mark by the sea says...
11:59am Wed 30 Jan 13

Yogi wrote:
Liam Brady has been at Arsenal for 24 yrs and is leaving his post in April '14 so would be ideal for us especially as he has such an affinity with The Albion.
Yes not only his ability, but his scouting network is worldwide, just his contacts would be a massive asset to the club.

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saraman says...
12:29pm Wed 30 Jan 13

I can just see the headlines tomorrow. ''Dutch superstar signs for Albion at the eleventh hour for £2.5m''. OK I can dream can't I.

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pte says...
12:38pm Wed 30 Jan 13

The way I see it unless a Prem club is willing to pay more and none have shown their hand at this late stage, then Groningen are in a week position.

If they hold onto a dissatisfied player that wont help their relegation fight and he will be worth less in the summer.

Groningen are playing brinkmanship hoping Albion will crack or a Prem team will come in but at this stage thats unlikely

I expect him to sign for us

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tug509 says...
12:40pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Just spotted on the Sky News,Liam Brady is apparently leaving his post at Arsenal,and George Boyd is talking with that lot,you know them up the road. UTA

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Claude Back says...
12:55pm Wed 30 Jan 13

wiltshire seagull wrote:
Claude Back wrote:
wiltshire seagull wrote:
George Boyd, 6' +? Be nice to nick him from under Palace's nose, lol.
UTA............
No, it wouldn't.
Oooooo!,Bit tetchy this morning, are we CB?
UTA......
Not at all. I just don't agree we need Boyd. He is a good player and worked well with CMS a few years back but we do not need another midfielder/attacker like him at the moment.
In my opnion that money would be better spent on the Dutch CB to clinch the deal. Don't you agree? Or are we talking about different players here?

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Freeloaders says...
1:18pm Wed 30 Jan 13

LAWgull wrote:
I Know he has other things on his mind at the moment But Lewis Dunk England under 21 international standard Van Dijk Dutch under 21 standard Surely cant be that much difference Hurry Back Dunky
The brain dead are back.Van Dijk is liked by many top clubs.Dunk is not wanted by any other club.Do you ever read Gus & his staff saying its ok we still have Dunk to come back,or his one for the future.Between 10 or 15 shots and a bottle of wine.Not really the making of a grait player lol.

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Eddy B says...
1:42pm Wed 30 Jan 13

The young Latvian lad can play Centre Back too apparently.

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russellsnr2 says...
2:03pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Come On Huddersfield!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!

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IKnowNowt says...
2:10pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Groningen are in an 8 way fight to avoid relegation, their fate is nowhere near sealed. VvD is in contract till 2014 so Groningen would seem to hold the trump cards. If we wait and try to sign him in the summer there is no guarantee that the price demanded will have changed, other than the slight devaluation that always happens in the summer window. I think we should trawl the loan market, or rely on our excellent utility players (eg RV IC DH) filling in until our situation improves.

But what do I know?

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mr punch says...
2:32pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Poyet said: “We need him. Like me, if I don’t go up with Brighton to the Premiership in a few years I am going to go to the Premiership, that’s my aim, somehow I need to get there. And I suppose Liam Bridcutt is the same.

“So either we do it together or we need to do it on our own, so we’ll see what the future brings.”

How's that for honesty! Nice one Gus. What with Butland turning down Chelski, it's been a day for REAL football ppl, not money grabbing sphincters. TA

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VegasSeagull says...
2:51pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Well this deal would seem to be dead, I don't really see any brinkmanship going on, but I wish there were.
When they suggested that we do not come back with a third offer, I think that made it clear that only stupid money was going to get the lad.

Gus is suggesting that we might not get anyone, not even a loanee, it would seem that we might get to see just how good the Latvian lad is. I seem to recall that the lad is a right side defender or right side midfiled, don't recall him being talked of as a center back.

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mark by the sea says...
2:55pm Wed 30 Jan 13

VegasSeagull wrote:
Well this deal would seem to be dead, I don't really see any brinkmanship going on, but I wish there were.
When they suggested that we do not come back with a third offer, I think that made it clear that only stupid money was going to get the lad.

Gus is suggesting that we might not get anyone, not even a loanee, it would seem that we might get to see just how good the Latvian lad is. I seem to recall that the lad is a right side defender or right side midfiled, don't recall him being talked of as a center back.
Looking at our home fixtures, I can see us winning all of them, or a real chance of, spending 2 million on ulloa . Club clearly have both elabd and GG out of contract this summer, and lack of pace something to consider, massive ask for young kid to step up to this speed of game.
I honestly think we have outside chance of second place, we have thrown away over ten points this season at home in my opinion.

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VegasSeagull says...
3:15pm Wed 30 Jan 13

If you think about it, we have got to the position in the table that we currently hold without a extra center back, even though having one would have made things easier.

If our most recent center back injuries had occured next month we would just have to work around them. I think the fact that we are in a transfer window is tending to highlight our shortages.

El Abd and Calde will fill in again, David can go to right back and of course we have Bridge on the left, it's not all doom and gloom. Yes we have lost the height of Greer at set pieces but we have gained Ulloa's height to defend corners and free kicks around the 18 yard box.

The cup is half full and never half empty.


.

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bruce beckett says...
3:20pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Gus backed down from 12-1 to 6-4 with Sky Bet today to become the next manager of Chelsea.

Could this be the way our poker-playing chairman is raising money to buy the Dutch lad?

I jest, but you never know.

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mark by the sea says...
4:06pm Wed 30 Jan 13

On another thread, can anyone be serious about Qpr ? Wage and transfer bill beyond a joke, and the owner threatening to leave if they go down!
Madness

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Claude Back says...
5:26pm Wed 30 Jan 13

mark by the sea wrote:
On another thread, can anyone be serious about Qpr ? Wage and transfer bill beyond a joke, and the owner threatening to leave if they go down!
Madness
Redknapp will bankrupt them by buying loads of ageing players on big wages, like he did at all his other clubs. It works in the short term but inevitably leads to disaster which is why Levy shipped him out of Spurs, so I heard.

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wiltshire seagull says...
8:31pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Claude Back wrote:
wiltshire seagull wrote:
Claude Back wrote:
wiltshire seagull wrote:
George Boyd, 6' +? Be nice to nick him from under Palace's nose, lol.
UTA............
No, it wouldn't.
Oooooo!,Bit tetchy this morning, are we CB?
UTA......
Not at all. I just don't agree we need Boyd. He is a good player and worked well with CMS a few years back but we do not need another midfielder/attacker like him at the moment.
In my opnion that money would be better spent on the Dutch CB to clinch the deal. Don't you agree? Or are we talking about different players here?
Yes, of course I agree but that deal is now off, in fact it was never really on by the sound of it. Bloody Agents again, I hate them, they are bloodsuckers in the same guise as Estate Agents and lawyers, lol. Rant over....UTA...

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