Official: Chris Herd joins on loan from Aston Villa

It can get relegated to League 1 worse. Not for a second am I saying the younger players aren't up to it, I've no idea (none of us do) but the logic is obvious - improve the first team. 

Honestly though I think he's being brought in as a to play on either side of midfield, he'd be well suited to a diamond and is a better footballer than Pratley. His ability to play full back is a bonus and if McNaughton is still out maybe he will be cover.

Barryjw wrote:
Was he mislead by PG before accepting the appointment?

I'm guessing he wasn't listening as he was busy counting the zero's on his pay check.

Norpig wrote:but he does have another choice, the young players he's keen to talk up but never actually plays them. As i said before what kind of message does this send to them?

I tend to agree with you but suspect Dougie is trying to protect his younger players at the moment.

We all remember the excellent performances last season in a winning team by Threlkeld, Kellett etc. Yet Threlkeld, White and other youngsters have not looked like the same players in a badly performing side this season where they are not being supported by the senior pros

Barryjw wrote:

Norpig wrote:but he does have another choice, the young players he's keen to talk up but never actually plays them. As i said before what kind of message does this send to them?

I tend to agree with you but suspect Dougie is trying to protect his younger players at the moment.

We all remember the excellent performances last season in a winning team by Threlkeld, Kellett etc. Yet Threlkeld, White and other youngsters have not looked like the same players in a badly performing side this season where they are not being supported by the senior pros

Threlkeld had a good game followed by a stinker. White was variable too. Josh Vela was the same a couple of seasons ago. Seems like the youngsters are not top quality but are there or thereabouts.

If a kid has a stinker, Dougie gets very protective of them but personally I'd generally prefer to throw straight back into the next game instead of wrapping them in cotton wool - but I suppose it depends on their personality and only Dougie would have an insight into that so begrudgingly I have to trust him. I would still prefer trial by fire though. 

After all, what are the chances of the fans getting on Dougie's case for giving the youth players too much of an opportunity?

I can only think this is every man and his dog at BWFC clutching at straws. If we can't do it with the regulars, get loanees in. So okay up to November the 8th, we win every game 25-0 with Herd herding in the goals, then he goes back to Villa and we lose games again. So we end up in the same position as before he came. I would love to be proven wrong, so here's hoping, as Bob used to say. 

wanderlust wrote:

Barryjw wrote:We've heard Dougies complaint about his failure to turn out a settled team hindered by loan players returning to their parent clubs and suspect this is non other than a back handed criticism of the board failing to support him in the transfer market. e.g. Juke,Dawson etc.
Was he mislead by PG before accepting the appointment?

I think you may be right Barry. The list of players he identified but was not backed to get was extensive so he was forced into the loan market.

Now some people are complaining that "it's another loan" - well that's the only option he has now so why whinge about it as if it's what Dougie wanted? We don't like it and Dougie has made it clear he doesn't like it but there is no other choice.

As for Herd - he's a utility player who plays on the right with loads of experience at right back and I suspect that's where he'll be used until the walking wounded are available again.

I come back to my point on another thread. No offence to Herd, know nothing about him and after my 'anti-Juke' stance I won't make the mistake of judging a player just off his stats again. 

But why sign another loanee anyway? It's the quantity v quality issue. If Herd's good then sign him for all season not a month. If he's no good why waste the time effort and money to bring him in at all? It's like he's been signed more so it LOOKS like we're doing something rather than because we actually need another midfielder. It says he CAN play at the back but so what? If we need a defender then sign a defender not a midfielder who plays in defence now and again. 

We need a real Left Back and a quality striker. This isn't the answer to those problems.

Maybe he's not been made available for the whole season? 

and we simply dont know who's out there to get and what we can afford. 

in an ideal world we'd sign 3 or 4 quality players for 10-12 million, or pay expensive loan fee's and get in some top clubs promising talents... but we swim in the shallow end of the pool, the outdoor one with all the leaves and mould.

Emergency loans max length is a month, if he does well we can extend and would probably be able to get the whole season - like Danns last season.

If Chris Herd is a left footed player then I'll give Freedman a pass on this one as we are crying out for a left winger/midfielder.

However, if he's right footed then it's another ridiculous loan signing that won't benefit anyone. I don't know many teams that insist on their right back being left footed and their left winger being right footed.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:Maybe he's not been made available for the whole season? 

and we simply dont know who's out there to get and what we can afford. 

in an ideal world we'd sign 3 or 4 quality players for 10-12 million, or pay expensive loan fee's and get in some top clubs promising talents... but we swim in the shallow end of the pool, the outdoor one with all the leaves and mould.

I totally agree about our available resources which makes husbanding and using them carefully all the more important wouldn't you say Hipster?

It's just strange to me that we're signing yet another midfielder on a short term loan (whether extendable or not 1874) when we have a desperate need for a striker. Wouldn't whatever money we have to pay Herd have been better kept in a pot somewhere and perhaps added to later to sign a player we really need when he becomes available? 

I'm not against Herd personally, I don't know enough about him to judge but I'd rather we signed no one and kept hold of the money rather than someone just to be seen to be making a signing. 

I know it's a risky proposition to sit and wait, that the player we need with the quality we need might take a while to appear but I truly believe that's the way to go in the long run. With our finances frittering away ANY of it needlessly is silly.

Natasha Whittam wrote:If Chris Herd is a left footed player then I'll give Freedman a pass on this one as we are crying out for a left winger/midfielder.

However, if he's right footed then it's another ridiculous loan signing that won't benefit anyone. I don't know many teams that insist on their right back being left footed and their left winger being right footed.

He's ambidextrous

Barryjw wrote:
Was he mislead by PG before accepting the appointment?

YES! 
Im 100% certain he was.

Reebok_Rebel wrote:

Barryjw wrote:
Was he mislead by PG before accepting the appointment?

YES! 
Im 100% certain he was.

I have that feeling and I think DF has been very gracious about it so far having followed the party line in all his dealings with the media.
Maybe when they part company, the real story will come out in a "Gartside f****d me up the chocolate tunnel" exclusive?

wanderlust wrote:

Reebok_Rebel wrote:

Barryjw wrote:
Was he mislead by PG before accepting the appointment?

YES! 
Im 100% certain he was.

I have that feeling and I think DF has been very gracious about it so far having followed the party line in all his dealings with the media.
Maybe when they part company, the real story will come out in a "Gartside f****d me up the chocolate tunnel" exclusive?

I'm almost certain RR and lusty are right, he was lied to. But that doesn't excuse his own failings since. It may ameliorate them somewhat but the fact is he still hasn't got the best out of what he has and still isn't making any real forward progress on doing so.

Anyway, imo Gartside and Freedman BOTH need to go pronto, then a full review of the club needs to be carried out by a competent team with a brief to turn the entire club around and the resources should be allocated for them to do just that. It may take a while, several years in fact but it needs to be done and done right.

I don't think he gave a shite. He was about to get the push from Crystal Palace where he had no proper contract, and BWFC were offering him £500k per year.

No brainer.

True, except Palace offered him a new improved contract and wanted to keep him on.

bwfc1874 wrote:True, except Palace offered him a new improved contract and wanted to keep him on.

Not what I've heard, I've heard Jordan told him to fuck off.

Natasha Whittam wrote:I don't think he gave a shite. He was about to get the push from Crystal Palace where he had no proper contract, and BWFC were offering him £500k per year.

No brainer.

Nothing to do with the fact that we are a bigger club with world class facilities and a fantastic history?

I always see you saying that we are still an attractive club to most managers.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

bwfc1874 wrote:True, except Palace offered him a new improved contract and wanted to keep him on.

Not what I've heard, I've heard Jordan told him to fuck off.

Considering Simon Jordan left in 2010, I think your mole has set you up to look a bit dim. Again.

bwfc1874 wrote:

Considering Simon Jordan left in 2010, I think your mole has set you up to look a bit dim. Again.

I was talking about Katie Price.