Strengthen during transfer window?

[Renegade]

He'd be a way better signing than Gary Glen, that's for sure!

[RiG]

A striker better than Gary Goal-en? Never!

[Guest Mahonio]

I see that Celtic have released Mo Bangura and Saint J released Rory Fallon, worth signing?

[PerfICT]

I see that Celtic have released Mo Bangura and Saint J released Rory Fallon, worth signing?

Not Fallon - useless. Don't know about Bangura....

[Guest Mahonio]

With Ferguson now off on loan to Montrose, we probably need 2 Strikers in imo.

[Guest Mahonio]

With it just over 2hrs until close of window, is it safe to assume nothing is happening regarding incomings or outgoings?

It is great to see NONE of our best players leave, but imo, we needed at least 1 Striker, if not 2.

[PerfICT]

With it just over 2hrs until close of window, is it safe to assume nothing is happening regarding incomings or outgoings?

It is great to see NONE of our best players leave, but imo, we needed at least 1 Striker, if not 2.

Think you're right in the ideal world, but I fear the ICT reality is that we'll have to cross fingers that Billy stays fit for the duration. Agreed, it leaves us short of options to change to 2 up front, but we do have the mighty Richie Foran for that?!

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

There will be stacks of footballers looking for contracts despite the closure of the window. 100's have left clubs by mutual consent as a way of getting around the window. Yogi has said that he will be on the look out. 

[Council Juice]

Sometimes it's better to wait for the free agents as due to desperation to get employment wage demands may not be so high and the prospect of travelling to the bitter North may not be so daunting

At least I hope thats Hughes angle. 

[Sneckboy]

 

I've said it before, and I repeat, get Sam Winnall back.  He is scoring goals 'for fun' in EPL2

He wouldn't come back here unfortunately.

 

 

Sam Winnall was being discussed on The Football League Show last night. He's now top scorer in League Two and the discussion was centred around how he was a steal for his club (Scunthorpe United) who didn't have to pay a penny for him. A thinly-veiled dig at Butcher also when Steve Claridge said something along the lines of his previous manager not rating him but football's all about opinions!

[Caley Mad In Berks]

Yes, I banged on about Sam Winnall more than once during the transfer window. It would not surprise me if, or should I say when, he leaves Scunthorpe, that he commands a higher fee than we might get for Billy.

 

And yet, he was not rated here in the previous management regime.  Did he ever get a start for us? I can't remember.

[JamesColven00]

I was going to say Robert Earnshaw on a free transfer but his wages will be too high.

[Scotty]

I was going to say Robert Earnshaw on a free transfer but his wages will be too high.

 

Earnshaw was on US$155,150 last year at Toronto FC (or roughly £1827 per week) but scored only 8 goals in 27 appearances. Admittedly he was playing in a bad team but he himself blew hot and cold all season. 

 

Matias Laba would be a better bet if looking at TFC players. signed last year as a "young designated player" the 22 year old Argentinian was very good before he got an injury. great vision and passing ability and tracked back well, a very hard worker, but looks like Toronto will have to sell, trade, or loan him out this year after signing Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Gilberto to designated player deals for the coming season. You are only allowed 3 designated players and TFC currently have 4. This would probably be a wage problem for ICT though as he is on a US$200K per year deal which is about £2400 per week.  

[Kingsmills]

 

I was going to say Robert Earnshaw on a free transfer but his wages will be too high.

 

Earnshaw was on US$155,150 last year at Toronto FC (or roughly £1827 per week) but scored only 8 goals in 27 appearances. Admittedly he was playing in a bad team but he himself blew hot and cold all season. 

 

Matias Laba would be a better bet if looking at TFC players. signed last year as a "young designated player" the 22 year old Argentinian was very good before he got an injury. great vision and passing ability and tracked back well, a very hard worker, but looks like Toronto will have to sell, trade, or loan him out this year after signing Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Gilberto to designated player deals for the coming season. You are only allowed 3 designated players and TFC currently have 4. This would probably be a wage problem for ICT though as he is on a US$200K per year deal which is about £2400 per week.  

 

 

More of a problem would be that, unless he has duel EU nationality, we would be unlikely to get a work permit.

[Yngwie]

The lack of any real back-up striker is getting increasingly concerning. Hughes is still no doubt scouring the free agent market, and let's hope there's a decent striker there amongst all the mid-season cast offs, but as time goes by those candidates must be drifting further and further away from match fitness.

 

To an extent we can just reshuffle the pack if need be, and we know that Foran can still do a job there, but it's far from ideal, especially when we have an intense make or break phase of 2 games a week coming up for the next 2 months.

[RossP]

http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Football/Meekings-searching-for-home-comforts-13022014.htm

 

Meanwhile, Hughes insists he is still on the look out for a forward to act as cover for Billy Mckay, but if none can be found then he is confident he has options within the squad to cope. "We always knew that Richie could go and play up there, going back into his old position" said Hughes, who has no fresh injury worries with Matthew Cooper now back in training after a lay-off with an ankle problem. "He done that against Stranraer to great effect.

"It’s one that we felt if we could get someone in just to give us that bit of competition for places that it’s something we would look at, so we’ll see what happens.

"However, we do have options. I remember back to before the League Cup semi-final we picked the team to face Hearts and played the rest of the boys against them. "Nick Ross was causing all kinds of problems playing in a different kind of position and Marley (Watkins) the week before that, we asked him to play centre forward and he was absolutely outstanding. "There are players that we can shift about, so we’re not bad for numbers. As long as we keep everyone injury-free and suspension-free, we can shuffle the pack enough to get through the games."

Hughes confirmed that talks are continuing with Ross Draper and James Vincent regarding both players signing new deals. The two midfielders are out of contract at the end of the season, but Hughes is optimistic there will be positive news on this front next week.