Barnard loan blocked

[John Boy]

Albion's hopes of having Lee Barnard in their attack for Saturday's crunch clash at home to Leicester have been dashed by Spurs.

The north London giants are refusing to let Barnard leave White Hart Lane on loan.

The 21-year-old prospect, fresh from 14 goals in seven games for the reserves, was on the bench ahead of unsettled former Derby striker Grezgorz Rasiak for Sunday's Premiership win at home to Charlton.

Albion manager Mark McGhee's worst fears were confirmed when he contacted Tottenham yesterday.

"They are not going to let him (Barnard) out," McGhee said. "That is a huge disappointment."

If McGhee's loan hunt draws a blank then Gary Hart, Jake Robinson, Colin Kazim-Richards and Chris McPhee will fight it out for the two forward spots against relegation rivals Leicester.

"We still have one or two others we are pursuing and we're not giving up," McGhee said. "We are also not giving up on improving the strikers we already have. I've looked very carefully at the game at Coventry on Saturday and some of our play was excellent.

"As long as we are still trying our upmost to find a player that is going to help us, as we have been, then we cannot do any more than that.

"Equally, we have got to keep working with the ones we have to improve them to a point where, before the end of the season, we get enough goals and points to stay up."

French pair Alex Frutos (dead leg) and Seb Carole (ankle), plus Irish duo Paul McShane (back) and Wayne Henderson (hip) should all be fit to play against Leicester.

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

He'll likely be available again in a couple of weeks when Mido is back.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

like i said. you really want rgypt to lose in semis

 

[dwayne]

you couldn't make this shit up it's hilarious

 

[fleet]

Its a jinx

 

[Simster]

like i said. you really want rgypt to lose in semis

Couldn't care less. There is a 3rd place playoff to be played.

 

[Icy Gull]

We should be setting our sights a little lower than a player on the fringes of Premiership football. Are there no reasonable London based Premiership strikers who've been out injured for a while looking to get their fitness back? A few games in Albion's 1st team would benefit both clubs.

 

[Simster]

We should be setting our sights a little lower than a player on the fringes of Premiership football. Are there no reasonable London based Premiership strikers who've been out injured for a while looking to get their fitness back? A few games in Albion's 1st team would benefit both clubs.

I agree. We should've been sniffing around Charlton & Fulham for spares.

 

[blockhseagull]

We should be setting our sights a little lower than a player on the fringes of Premiership football. Are there no reasonable London based Premiership strikers who've been out injured for a while looking to get their fitness back? A few games in Albion's 1st team would benefit both clubs.

But then some would have moaned that we had some no-mark who isn't fit to play reserve team football.

At least McGhee is actually trying to recruit some quality rather than get in a player who is no better than the ones we have. He obviously wanted an experienced striker in Shipperley but that won't happen, so decieded to try and get a striker in a rich rein of form (allbeit in reserve team football) in Barnard.

There is no point getting in a player who is neither has we already have five strikers like that !!!

 

[Black Country Seagull]

He'll likely be available again in a couple of weeks when Mido is back.

even with mido back, spurs probably won't release him as he will be back up for the bench as Grezgorz Rasiak is now below him in the pecking order. Unless they put a recall clause in the deal.

Still surely Rasiak is worth agoe, perhaps he is only unsettled as he his not playing all the time.

 

[Gwylan]

No doubt Spurs refusing to release him is McGhee's fault too.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

we are going down.

 

[Superseagull]

Mido has been injured in the African Nations cup so there is every chance he won't be fit for Spurs when he returns. Jol told Mido that if he returned injured or put weight on during his time in Egypt he would not play for spurs again!

 

[Infernal Optimist]

Rasiak is probably on about £10k a week so would be a non-starter.

Barnard will probably be available when the ACN finishes. Looking on the Spurs websites about him though the consensus
of opinion was that although he has ability and his positional play is excellent. He can't head a ball to save his life, which is what we are looking for I thought.

He would appear to be a 2nd striker rather than a CF which is what we need.

 

[Marshy]

Its like trying to get a player on loan in on Championship Manager....nigh on immpossible !

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Not good news to start the day with

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Rasiak is probably on about £10k a week so would be a non-starter.

... although if he's on loan, presumably we wouldn't have to pay all his wages.

 

[JJ McClure]

If he's now above Rasiak in the pecking order at spurs then that's fine, we'll just have Rasiak instead please thank you very much.

 

[Superseagull]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Not good news to start the day with

Hardly surprising though given our track record so far this season!

 

[Napper]

we've had more knockbacks than a one armed sex pest