Chris O'Grady

[Blue Valkyrie]

Seems like a loan striker is coming in on a 93 day loan?

And perhaps it'll be converted to a further half season loan in January

Or are we going to just sign a decent striker in Jan

 

[crasher]

Except...

1. We signed CoG after Hyypia had joined.
2. He might not be keen on CoG but has said many times in public that he is.
3. We're not trying to recoup our fee now ...we can't for starters. We wouldn't be able to sell him until January at the earliest.
4. I've seen the PFA page that "confirms" he's transfer listed. Except it doesn't as every other bit of information about every other player on that page is months out of date.

Apologies, you're right that he signed after Hyppia joined. My mistake.

In which case I guess the question is why has SH done a U turn on COG so quickly?

 

[Bozza]

Except...

1. We signed CoG after Hyypia had joined.
2. He might not be keen on CoG but has said many times in public that he is.
3. We're not trying to recoup our fee now ...we can't for starters. We wouldn't be able to sell him until January at the earliest.
4. I've seen the PFA page that "confirms" he's transfer listed. Except it doesn't as every other bit of information about every other player on that page is months out of date.

1. Yep.
2. Hyypia is a consummate professional - he'd not say anything different.
3. Loan out now with a deal agreed for a sale in January is one very obvious option, particularly as I believe Hyypia has been 'encouraged' to do similar to get a striker in.
4. Yep.

 

[chaileyjem]

that would include those available for loan.

True. Hyypia hasn't denied he could go out on loan so this might , although its unlikely i'd say, be an explanation...

"We need to try to take advantage of [emergency loan system] with maybe the likes of Chris O’Grady. Maybe that could be one option for him to get more minutes on the pitch if he would go somewhere on loan but that’s also up to him.
I wouldn’t let him go at the moment while Sam (Baldock) is a bit injured.”
via http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/11503294.Hyypia_insists_Albion_striker_O_Grady_is_not_for_sale/

 

[Bozza]

Also, I just remembered (and managed to find) this...

[tweet]511254404570554369[/tweet]

https://twitter.com/benbirks/status/511254404570554369

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Also, I just remembered (and managed to find) this...

[tweet]511254404570554369[/tweet]

https://twitter.com/benbirks/status/511254404570554369

If that's true that's quite sad

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

If that's true that's quite sad

I agree. He isn't as bad a player as some would have us believe.

 

[chaileyjem]

If that's true that's quite sad

Presumably BenBirks had asked him why he hadn't made the bench that afternoon behind Colunga, CMS and Baldock. I doubt he said much beyond, according to him, Albion have a strong squad and he'll have to fight for his place. He didn't literally say "I'm not good enough" as BenBirks admits. He says he paraphrased the conversation ( "he basically said" ). Not sad. Just realistic.

 

[8ace]

Maybe COG has gone on the transfer list at his own request

 

[Blue3]

COG is a good player did nothing wrong at watford last weekend holds the ball up brings others into the game he is good enough as a squad player he in no Uolla, Murry or Zamora but I for one am happy to have him part of the team

 

[c0lz]

Maybe COG has gone on the transfer list at his own request

This

To me sounds if true it will be his own doing , it does not make any sense the club putting COG on the transfer list while we are lacking others up front.

 

[spring hall convert]

Just remind me who was the last of our strikers to score a league goal.

And who scored the one before that?

It's mid October and our club record signing has 1 league goal. If we have ambitions of being a top half side, CMS is not good enough. He's mediocre at this level.

He scores less than 1 goal in 4 games in the Championship.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Presumably BenBirks had asked him why he hadn't made the bench that afternoon behind Colunga, CMS and Baldock. I doubt he said much beyond, according to him, Albion have a strong squad and he'll have to fight for his place. He didn't literally say "I'm not good enough" as BenBirks admits. He says he paraphrased the conversation ( "he basically said" ). Not sad. Just realistic.

I'm fully aware that the tweet is merely alluding to something that COG may have been suggesting, and in my opinion it's still quite sad for COG to have such low esteem and a lack of confidence that he would feel this way. Whilst he hasn't done anything fantastic since he's been here he certainly hasn't disgraced himself, maybe if he had some belief he'd do okay, I've certainly seen nothing to suggest he's inferior to CMS.

 

[GT49er]

Without going into the 'Who does what' and 'Who has the final say' debates, it's becoming increasingly apparent that our player recruiting system, whoever does what, is a bit of a mess. Too many cooks, perhaps?

 

[maidstoneseagull]

Adam Virgo tweet seems to confirm he's on the list looking for loan

 

[brightonrock]

Without going into the 'Who does what' and 'Who has the final say' debates, it's becoming increasingly apparent that our player recruiting system, whoever does what, is a bit of a mess. Too many cooks, perhaps?

Sorry, how exactly? Because one player may or may not be getting shipped out?

Stockdale, Hughes, Bennett, Holla, Gardner, Teixeira, McCourt...all looking good and recruited by the same system. In previous seasons (just since moving to the Amex!) - Kuszczak, Bruno, Upson, Bridge, Ward, Crofts, Stephens, Buckley, Conway, Orlandi, Vicente, Lopez, Ulloa, and more besides...are they terrible?

We do not have a 100% success rate, no - but no club does. Utd spent 30m on Veron. Chelsea spent 50m on Torres. Because O'Grady and Toko haven't been huge successes, that does not make it "increasingly apparent our recruitment system is a mess". I can only think of 4 players who have been utterly useless/pointless signings - Gonzalez, Harley, Dobbie & Kemy. The rest are all either short term loans, decent, very good or unproven either way yet. I'd say we have a pretty good record, all in all.

 

[Fulking Seagull]

Sorry, how exactly? Because one player may or may not be getting shipped out?

Stockdale, Hughes, Bennett, Holla, Gardner, Teixeira, McCourt...all looking good and recruited by the same system. In previous seasons (just since moving to the Amex!) - Kuszczak, Bruno, Upson, Bridge, Ward, Crofts, Stephens, Buckley, Conway, Orlandi, Vicente, Lopez, Ulloa, and more besides...are they terrible?

We do not have a 100% success rate, no - but no club does. Utd spent 30m on Veron. Chelsea spent 50m on Torres. Because O'Grady and Toko haven't been huge successes, that does not make it "increasingly apparent our recruitment system is a mess". I can only think of 4 players who have been utterly useless/pointless signings - Gonzalez, Harley, Dobbie & Kemy. The rest are all either short term loans, decent, very good or unproven either way yet. I'd say we have a pretty good record, all in all.

Pretty fair response I think

 

[GT49er]

Sorry, how exactly? Because one player may or may not be getting shipped out?

Stockdale, Hughes, Bennett, Holla, Gardner, Teixeira, McCourt...all looking good and recruited by the same system. In previous seasons (just since moving to the Amex!) - Kuszczak, Bruno, Upson, Bridge, Ward, Crofts, Stephens, Buckley, Conway, Orlandi, Vicente, Lopez, Ulloa, and more besides...are they terrible?

Fair enough, except that Kuszczak, Upson, Bridge, Ward, Buckley, Conway, Orlandi, Vicente, Lopez, Ulloa are no longer at the club, and the current squad does not look as good as the previous couple of seasons.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Fair enough, except that Kuszczak, Upson, Bridge, Ward, Buckley, Conway, Orlandi, Vicente, Lopez, Ulloa are no longer at the club.

What has that got to do with the player identification / recruitment team?

 

[Stat Brother]

I've heard some interesting bits about Hyypia's heightened involvement in player recruitment recently - really stamping his thoughts and views on targets. I'm pretty sure I posted a week or so ago that I'd also heard that Toko and COG were unlikely to have any future at the club too.

Has that not always been the case?
Didn't your source tell you the club was a little upset by Oscar's lack of involvement?


Re Toko it's worth remembering his arrival time.
The simple fact that he came to the club BEFORE the already scouted Holla. (by WA in the second half of the Dutch season).

From what we've seen of Holla it'll be safe to assume Toko isn't in the same class.
The club were right to sign Toko at the time, and more importantly even righter to snap up Holla when the opportunity arose.

Hardly a situation worth beating the club up, over.