Chris O'Grady

[spring hall convert]

Amazing how people conveniently forget the mess left by Ken Brown for Barber to pick up, both off and on the field.

That's the point, it's an unfair comparison. We were haemorraging money at an unsustainable rate before Barber/Burke arrived. He's not comparing apples with apples.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

How do you know he was available? Palace fans have been vocal in their expressions of regret that he's left them, and if they get relegated while he scores a hatful for Reading, it'll be a PR disaster for their board. That would be magnified tenfold if they'd sold him to us. Just because they were willing to let him go, doesn't mean they'd have been willing to let him go to US.

To be fair it is a loan with a view to a purchase so Palace could call him back in Jan I think when transfer window re-opens. HOWEVER I would be very interested to know why we were not first in the queue and that is the ONE question I want to put to whoever is in charge.

Did we miss a trick or was it Palace didnt want to loan or he didnt want to come back. If its the former then SHAME on the whole "recruitment" team if the latter then fine nothing we can do about it. Murray has scored more championship goals in about 3 games than all our midgets put together.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

To be fair it is a loan with a view to a purchase so Palace could call him back in Jan I think when transfer window re-opens. HOWEVER I would be very interested to know why we were not first in the queue and that is the ONE question I want to put to whoever is in charge.

Did we miss a trick or was it Palace didnt want to loan or he didnt want to come back. If its the former then SHAME on the whole "recruitment" team if the latter then fine nothing we can do about it. Murray has scored more championship goals in about 3 games than all our midgets put together.

We'll never know, I suppose.

But Palace had made a bad start to the season, and if I was one of their directors, the last thing I'd want is to let a club hero leave for their hated rivals, even ones who aren't playing in the same league. The (rumoured) proposed swap deal with Hoskins a couple of seasons ago was completely different, as Murray had had a fairly crap season with Palace at that stage and was hardly revered amongst their support, therefore they'd have had little to lose.

Presumably they knew Reading were interested, they knew Murray wasn't good enough to play a part for them in the PL, so they probably couldn't get his £20k a week wages off the bill fast enough when Adkins came in.

 

[spring hall convert]

£20k a week wages

I suspect you don't need to look much further for the reasoning if we did have a lack of interest.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I suspect you don't need to look much further for the reasoning if we did have a lack of interest.

That also occurred to me. They gave him a new contract after they got promoted, when he was still recovering from his knee injury: I'm fairly sure it was supposed to be in the £20k p/w ballpark. He's 31 now, so Palace won't be getting a massive fee from anybody for him when his loan expires and they let him go permanently.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I'd be interested to see how well COG plays (if he gets the chance) in a championship side where we play our strongest other ten....from what I remember he's had only 2 games where no one played particularly well and it was before we made the signings of Holla, McCourt et al

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

We'll never know, I suppose.

But Palace had made a bad start to the season, and if I was one of their directors, the last thing I'd want is to let a club hero leave for their hated rivals, even ones who aren't playing in the same league. The (rumoured) proposed swap deal with Hoskins a couple of seasons ago was completely different, as Murray had had a fairly crap season with Palace at that stage and was hardly revered amongst their support, therefore they'd have had little to lose.

Presumably they knew Reading were interested, they knew Murray wasn't good enough to play a part for them in the PL, so they probably couldn't get his £20k a week wages off the bill fast enough when Adkins came in.

Its a fair point. However its generally recognised that the club loaning still pays the wages (or in some instances the majority: such as Bridge, Ward etc) so I think that we could have actually got him relatively cheaply.

But like you say we will never know sadly while our midgets run round like labradors fetching sticks, Reading have a proven Championship goalscorer BANGING them in.

 

[Justice]

Amazing how people conveniently forget the mess left by Ken Brown for Barber to pick up, both off and on the field.

I said when we signed him, and got berated, that CO'G was a very strange signing and didn't see how he fitter in. Seems I have been proven right

Any half wit knows the first team had more quality a couple of seasons ago than it does now. Ken Brown has nothing to do with the point I was making.

 

[Wilko]

Did we miss a trick or was it Palace didnt want to loan or he didnt want to come back. If its the former then SHAME on the whole "recruitment" team if the latter then fine nothing we can do about it. Murray has scored more championship goals in about 3 games than all our midgets put together.

Especially as Murray lives in Brighton, supposedly wanted to stay prior to going to Palace and is still loved by most the fans (me included).

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Out of interest- do you think he's looked any worse than Mackail-Smith?

Can't really compare them in any sane way. One's got the turning circle of the QEII, the other's got the turning circle of a speedboat where the occupants have all fallen off the side without engaging the dead man's handle.

 

[chaileyjem]

That also occurred to me. They gave him a new contract after they got promoted, when he was still recovering from his knee injury: I'm fairly sure it was supposed to be in the £20k p/w ballpark. He's 31 now, so Palace won't be getting a massive fee from anybody for him when his loan expires and they let him go permanently.

Yep. but just before the promotion. He was offered and signed a reported 20K a week (or rather a 1m a year contract ) in March 2013 "keeping him at" Selhurst until summer 2016. (potentially add ons if promoted / increase for being in the prem...who knows)
Reading have admitted they want him on a permanent contract if "he stays fit" so he could well be a permanent Reading player in January probably for a token fee given his age.. especially if he inevitably does the business for Reading against us on Boxing Day.

By the way he's scored 3 goals this season in league/cup. The same as CMS.

 

[spring hall convert]

Any half wit knows the first team had more quality a couple of seasons ago than it does now. Ken Brown has nothing to do with the point I was making.

Yes they do but the point that is being made is that we were spending unsustainably on it. It wouldn't have been an issue if we'd got up. We didn't and now here we are trying to do it the hard way.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

By the way he's scored 3 goals this season in league/cup. The same as CMS.

Yes and the same a Lewis Dunk

But Murray has what 3 in 3 games

CMS 3 in ? Six? Seven?

 

[Springal]

Any half wit knows the first team had more quality a couple of seasons ago than it does now. Ken Brown has nothing to do with the point I was making.

Ken Brown has a lot to do with it, as any half wit would know. His over spending on infrastructure and the squad (extra year for players part of the promotion squad anyone?) means we are still paying for it now

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Our transfer dealings are SO messy nowadays. What's going on?

Maybe if we could keep a manager over a close season he could identify targets and have some input into the transfer dealings. Nowadays we spend half the summer interviewing managers. The players are patently an afterthought. As are the punters. Maybe time to stop and take stock: nobody owes the club a ST DD. Maybe cherry-picking games is the way forward? Give that midweek post-match scrum for the train a swerve for starters.

 

[Mellotron]

Maybe if we could keep a manager over a close season he could identify targets and have some input into the transfer dealings. Nowadays we spend half the summer interviewing managers. The players are patently an afterthought. As are the punters. Maybe time to stop and take stock: nobody owes the club a ST DD. Maybe cherry-picking games is the way forward? Give that midweek post-match scrum for the train a swerve for starters.

Fair points. As you say, stability at the helm is pretty much the main thing I want at the moment. Even if it meant 2-3 seasons of midtable, I just want us to BUILD something with one man as manager for a good while.

Sadly getting rarer in football nowadays though.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Ken Brown has a lot to do with it, as any half wit would know. His over spending on infrastructure and the squad (extra year for players part of the promotion squad anyone?) means we are still paying for it now

Who can forget the numerous concourse sales to get rid of the excess shop stock?

 

[Rich Suvner]

In a few years this adds up to a surprisingly high number of signings which have been virtually written off (in the sense they fell out of managers plans) with almost immediate effect. Harley, Dobbie, Rodriguez, Agustien, OGrady. Sure there are others.

 

[BrianWade4]

A small piece in The Sun today,

Brighton boss Sami Hyypia is prepared to let striker Chris O'Grady go - just weeks after signing him.
Former Barnsley forward O'Grady, 28, is not part of long-term plans at the Amex and Hyypia would take £250,000 for him.

Blimey seems a bit drastic if true but I suppose it would be in both parties interest to get things sorted sooner rather than later if true. Would probably have to go out on loan until January and then sign I suppose.

Might not be true. Tis The Sun after all

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Might not be true. Tis The Sun after all

Bozza said he had heard the same thing regarding Toko too.