Sheff Wed

[The Laughing Bluebird]

Dave Jones seemed to spend the last two weeks in the post season signing players who could do a job in the Premiership.

I'm pretty sure Koumas and Purse could do a decent job at the top level, and I wouldn't mind betting that Glenn Loovens, the lad we have on a season-long loan from Feyenoord, will end up in the Premiership next season (but not with us!).

He really is a class act.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Purse did OK at Birmingham I seem to recall....if its the same one.

 

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

You must be giving praise to the managerial genius that is Bryan Robson for letting both Purse & Koumas go. What a brilliant decision that was for West Brom! Purse must have been playing regular Premiership football for the past few seasons and Koumas would be a useful player for them right now.

Those injuries last night must be bad news. Dave Jones says you only have a squad of 19 players! Is that true? And what happened to Cameron Jerome over the close season? Last season he was missing chances and looked well out of his depth according to match reports I read. This season he's scoring for fun and is one of the best strikers i've seen so far this season.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

And what happened to Cameron Jerome over the close season? Last season he was missing chances and looked well out of his depth according to match reports I read. This season he's scoring for fun and is one of the best strikers i've seen so far this season.

Probably because he is being coached properly. Something Mcghee (even tho he was a striker) can't seem to coach our "couldnt hit a donkeys arse with a banjo" set of strikers.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Probably because he is being coached properly. Something Mcghee (even tho he was a striker) can't seem to coach our "couldnt hit a donkeys arse with a banjo" set of strikers.

Some may go as fair as saying Mcghee has coached the skill out of the strikers

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

You must be giving praise to the managerial genius that is Bryan Robson for letting both Purse & Koumas go. What a brilliant decision that was for West Brom! Purse must have been playing regular Premiership football for the past few seasons and Koumas would be a useful player for them right now.

Those injuries last night must be bad news. Dave Jones says you only have a squad of 19 players! Is that true? And what happened to Cameron Jerome over the close season? Last season he was missing chances and looked well out of his depth according to match reports I read. This season he's scoring for fun and is one of the best strikers i've seen so far this season.

Bryan Robson's done us two huge favours with Koumas and Purse, no doubt that. Koumas despises Robson, so he won't be going back to West Brom in a hurry, which is good news. But there is a clause in his loan deal which says that Albion can sell him during the transfer window if another club comes in with an offer we can't match. We have first refusal, but if someone comes in with a hefty bid he'll be gone, because we simply haven't got big money to spend these days.

We do have a small squad. Several players have been playing with injuries for weeks. Cooper has needed an operation for over a month, but has played on. Now we have a ten-day break he's having the op today. I expect Ardley will fill in for him while he's out, but Ardley doesn't have Cooper's pace.

Jerome will miss the Preston game through suspension, which is bad news, but Ricketts should be back by then and he's been doing ok for us.

The reports you read about Jerome last season were inaccurate. He did really well for a lad who was thrown into the first team straight from the academy. He was a bit rough around the edges, but he looked an exciting prospect and scored and created a few goals.

This season he's a little older, a little stronger, and a lot wiser under the management of Dave Jones. He has a lot of natural pace and power, and Jones worked hard on his movement and positioning during pre-season. Jerome has praised Jones in the press several times recently, saying that he's taught him to waste far less energy during a game making pointless runs.

Jerome's in the latest England Under-21's squad.