Reply With QuoteThanks for this -
always informative, amusing and so well-written.
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Twelve players out on loan for now and, while it's still a case of quantity rather than quality, there's been enough action this weekend to justify opening the office doors at Velikonja House and calling all available staff in to put together a new episode of Loan Watch for its loyal and discerning fanbase.
Let's start at Preston where Eoin Doyle has hit some form, following his winner at Bolton with a late equaliser against QPR yesterday. A lot of praise from manager Simon Grayson regarding both his ability and character, it's a timely return to form for Eoin as Jermaine Beckford is fit again and pushing for a striking place after six months out. Not much else happening in the Championship, Tom Adeyemi and Joe Lewis didn't make their respective squads and Adam le Fondre didn't get on for Wolves. Federico Macheda made his second start for Nottingham Forest but was subbed in a 1-0 loss to Derby.
1,921 Gillingham fans made the trip to Southend to welcome Deji Oshilaja back for his second spell at the club. The usual eventful 90 minutes for Deji; a booking, a disallowed goal and a header blocked on the line along with some good defensive work in a 1-1 draw. Declan John played the 90 minutes at left-back for Chesterfield as they continued their recent revival with a hard fought 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe. Manager Danny Wilson feels a run of games for Declan could see him force his way into the Wales squad for the Euros. Unlikely but there's more chance of that than Russell Slade picking him I suppose.
Disappointingly, Matty Kennedy has found himself on the bench in the last couple of games at Port Vale after a very positive start there. It's hard to understand how such a talented footballer is struggling to make progress in the game but his lack of goals can't be helping, 2 goals in 71 first team appearances is a poor return. Tommy O'Sullivan has also had to make do with a place on the bench at Newport after a promising start at Portsmouth.
A good week for our foreign legion although Kenwyne Jones had to come off the bench in a 1-1 draw wherever it is he's playing. Filip Kiss is starting for Haugesund as they top the table in Norway after two games. Six Haugesund players were booked yesterday and Filip will be disappointed to have missed out. He'll make up for it in the coming weeks, no doubt. When Etien Velikonja scores two goals against a team called Heist, as happened yesterday, then there are plenty of opportunities for plays on words involving 'smash and grab', 'plunder', 'ramraid' etc but Loan Watch is a bit too highbrow for that kind of shenanigans and won't be stooping to that level, of course. A 4-0 win takes Lierse to 9th in the table, 21 goals in 24 games this season for Etien.
Plenty of goals for our former players including Peter Odemwingie at Bristol City, Haris Vuckic for Wigan, Mark Hudson, Matt Green and Jo Inge Berget.
Thanks for this -
always informative, amusing and so well-written.
Thanks Loramski, and all the other hard-working Loan Watch staff at Velikonja House.
Excellent report as always.
brilliant write up. taOriginally Posted by jon1959
Thanks Loramski, and all the other hard-working Loan Watch staff at Velikonja House.
Excellent report as always.
Thanks for that. Always a good chuckle.
Thanks Loramski - your usual high standard stuff.
Reading that, it really brings home reasons why our wage bill has been so huge in the past - I would have thought the club would be looking to get rid of Adayemi, LeFondre and Doyle in the summer, while, surely, Kiss and Velikonja's contracts are up this year?
Regarding Matt Kennedy, I'm not sure the "problem" with him is anything to do with what he does on the pitch.
Thanks all.
Yes, I'm aware of the rumours about Kennedy's attitude but he made such a positive start at Port Vale that I'm surprised to see him benched recently. Manager Rob Page was very impressed with his fitness when he arrived so he'd obviously been looking after himself while being out of the picture here. Page was also impressed with his work rate, tracking back right to the end of games, so it seemed that he was out to prove a point to Slade. Kennedy wanted to extend his loan deal and Port Vale were happy to oblige, not quite sure what's happened since. It could just be a reaction to starting 9 games in a row having had little football here so I'm not going to read too much into it yet.
It's back
Thanks Loramski
I think they are Bob and what makes it worse is that we are probably still paying part of each of these players wages.
Doyle I wouldn't write off- and he's probably not on a high wage, but the others have done nothing to show that they would be of any use to us next season either.
This time last year, Kennedy was making a big impact and was looking like one of our real hopes for 15/16, but right from pre season he seemed to be out of the picture here - when I try and work out why that should be, one of the most convincing reasons I can come up with is that he came back after the summer not in the sort of condition he was expected to be in.
When I've seen him in the Under 21s this season, he's been a bit self indulgent, but he's generally been effective and hard working - he'd be near the top of any list I made of players who have deserved a chance in the senior side on the back of their Development team performances. However, notwithstanding what Robert Page has had to say about his fitness levels, Kennedy has been withdrawn in six of the nine games he has started for Port Vale (three times before the sixty minute mark) and was also left out for the match at Peterborough last week as well as on Saturday - you know I often argue that our young players deserve to be given more chances in the first team, but apart from Deji at Gillingham and, possibly, Semi Ajayi at Crewe, it seems to me that none of them have been starting every week and doing well at the lower league clubs they've been loaned to.
21 in 24 for velikonja is bordering on the ridiculous for a player never given a chance here, especially given he's at a very mid table side, and he's scored almost half of their goals.
Given his contract is up in the summer, I wonder who he will go to next- he's clearly too good for that division, I wonder if any English clubs will take a chance on him again?
That's a fair assessment. I may have generalised about Kennedy's fitness from a couple of isolated quotes but he went straight into Port Vale's starting line-up and I remember Page saying it was a credit to him the shape he was in considering he hadn't been playing here. I didn't doubt the tracking back quote either, it was something I'd been impressed by in the DVP games I'd seen him play. Kennedy said after a couple of weeks at Port Vale that he wanted to extend his loan spell to the end of the season because the more games he plays, the better and fitter he'll get. The fact that Port Vale did extend it surely indicates that there wasn't an underlying problem. It seemed that he had a point to prove so I'm surprised how it's turning out. Still time for him to turn it around there.
Yes, it's been an odd season loan wise, even Declan was benched for a game recently. I'd include Rhys Healey in the successes, he'd forced his way into the Dundee team and started four in a row there before his injury. One other youngster who seemed to do well was Jazzi Barnum-Bobb. He was a regular starter at Newport and seemed to hit a level of consistency that Tommy O'Sullivan struggled to find. Sheridan was shifting between a back four and a back five almost week by week but it wasn't phasing Jazzi so I was surprised the way that loan spell finished. You're right though, the youngsters haven't exactly covered themselves in glory this season overall.
It's an interesting one. There seems to be an assumption that he'll sign for Lierse but, like you say, surely he's shown that he's too good for that level. Also, if Lierse don't finish top eight then they'll get relegated due a restructuring of the leagues so I expect he's keeping his options open. He's 27 now but I'd be surprised if there aren't a few offers coming his way.
Surprised he's still only 27, that must have meant he was only 22-23 when we signed him, which makes it all the more strange we didn't give him a chance.
I've said on here before that it's only been in the last weeks that the first team have played the kind of football that would suit his game. He might have gone home with two match balls after the Leeds game but he would've struggled to make an impact with the kind of service the strikers have had in the years before that. I'm hoping that the first team continue to try and play in a similar way to the DVP and Academy sides, it will make it so much easier for youngsters (and fringe players) to make the transition from the under-21s to the first team.
Maybe Tan will pick Velikonja up for one of his other teams? Then, if he continues to do well, we could take him on loan. How ironic would that be?
He made up for it within 28 minutes of the next match in fact. Two yellows and the earliest of baths for Filip tonight as Haugesund lost 2-0 to a team with a long name.
Not much else to report. Federico Macheda was subbed after 63 minutes as Forest lost 3-0 at home, Adam le Fondre came on for former City target Michal Zyro as Wolves drew 0-0 with Ipswich. Declan John is injured so missed Chesterfield's 4-2 win over Port Vale, for whom Matty Kennedy came on near the end. 90 minutes for both Deji Oshilaja and Tommy O'Sullivan as Gillingham followed a midweek 1-0 win at Bury with another clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with Coventry but Newport lost at Yeovil to a goal from Cardiff-born Jack Compton.
An important 1-0 win for Lierse at table-topping Royal Antwerp. A speculative shot from outside the area in the 88th minute would've been a tap-in for Etien Velikonja had the keeper fumbled it but he let it through his legs instead to save Etien the bother. Lierse move up to 7th as they chase the top 8 place that will save them from relegation to the restructured third tier in Belgium.
Goals this weekend for former City marksmen Ross McCormack (his 22nd of the season), Jo Inge Berget, Javi Guerra and, er, Kevin Theophile-Catherine. KTC's first goal for over three years as St Etienne stay in the hunt for a Champions League spot.
veli is shit
Is Velikonja due a testimonial?
Glad to see that you've renewed
Heretics.
Not much happening this week so just a quick update again. Matty Kennedy was recalled from his loan spell at Port Vale, hopefully he will pick up some game time for the under-21s here as they push for the play-offs. Declan John remains injured at Chesterfield, Filip Kiss was suspended for Haugesund, Joe Lewis ineligible for Fulham, Federico Macheda and Tommy O'Sullivan didn't get on in their games, Kenwyne and Tom Adeyemi came off the bench in their teams' defeats.
Only four starters then. Adam le Fondre failed to make much impact for Wolves and was subbed in a 0-0 draw with Blackburn but Eoin Doyle played the 90 minutes and had an effort cleared off the line as Preston came close to taking a point off Middlesbrough. A third clean sheet in a row for Deji Oshilaja's Gillingham in their 0-0 draw at Sheffield United and two more goals for Etien Velikonja as Lierse won 2-1 in Belgium. I think they were playing a team called Tubize, I'll look it up. Tubize or not Tubize, that is the question.
A quiet week for our former players although I'm sure I saw Danny Drinkwater and Kasper Schmeichel get mentioned somewhere.
Etien has only failed to score in 10 games this season.
If you're thinking I'm going to make a pointless and irrelevant comparison with Revell here then you're right. He's failed to score in 28 out of 32 appearances.
Etien has proved he can score at that level, but maybe not in the Championship. He's probably on high wages for what he has produced for the club and will be moved on in the summer, but would have been more of a potential goalscorer than Revell.
Are there any TV highlights of his goals in this week's game? What i mean is were they on the telly.......Tubize?
Thanks for that. Don't call us though, we'll call you.
The highlights are halfway down this page, Velikonja's goals are in the second half footage ( second video down).
http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/voetbal/l...asse/1.2624053
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