Often Partisan

Three Players Considering Their Futures

The future of three fringe Birmingham City players has come up for discussion in the last 24 hours with Wes Thomas, Mark Duffy and Shane Lowry all having to consider what lies ahead for them at B9.

Winger Mark Duffy told the Burton Mail that he’d rather be out on loan at Burton than sitting on the Blues bench. The former Doncaster wideman is currently due to return to Blues on January 2, and having made 24 appearances for the Brewers might see his future at the Pirelli Stadium rather than being potentially behind four players in David Cotterill, Demarai Gray, Jacques Maghoma and Viv Solomon-Otabor at Blues.

Wes Thomas went to Swindon Town on loan to play first team football but he has failed to get in their matchday squad of late. The 28-year-old striker has only made six appearances on loan for the Robins – possibly due to them only being allowed to play 5 of their 8 loan players in the matchday squad. Thomas will be well aware that he is in his peak years and it’s oft-reported that he left Blues because he didn’t want to be a permanent substitute.

Shane Lowry is quoted in the Australian edition of Fourfourtwo as saying

“Obviously I haven’t played many games this season, so I’ll have to look at my options in January,”

“It came as a surprise that I was playing to begin with, because I haven’t really been involved this season.

Lowry may have been responding to Rowett’s quotes in the Birmingham Mail that he considered playing Neal Eardley at left back first before putting him into the team; there has been no word yet as to the status of Jonathan Grounds’ injury but with rumours of a new left back coming in it could spell the end of what has been an unsuccessful spell at St Andrew’s for the former Leyton Orient man.

I can’t see Wes Thomas coming back to Blues either. I get the impression that he and Rowett don’t get on and judging by the way David Edgar was shipped out I think moaning about not playing is the easiest way to get into the Bromsgrove Ranieri’s (yes I’m stealing this) bad books. Thomas not being at Blues has left us short-handed up front but it does seem that Rowett has understood that and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that rectified if Thomas does leave permanently.

I’m most impressed with Mark Duffy’s attitude. He probably knows his time at Blues is over and he’s done well with a Burton side that could end up promoted. I hope that he does extend his deal there into something more permanent and can then push his career forward with the Brewers as I can’t see him getting into the matchday squad let alone the first eleven as it stands.

I have a feeling that this window could be a busy one – both in and out. If Thomas, Lowry and Duffy indeed have no futures with Blues then I hope we cut them loose permanently – a) to save on wages and b) possibly bringing in some transfer income that can be spent on players Rowett does want.

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76 Responses to “Three Players Considering Their Futures”

  • Trevor Honnor says:

    I actually rated Wes Thomas. I saw him play alongside Donalson against Ipswich early last season and he was a right handful. Perhaps not as effective as Donaldson but definitely tried very hard and got himself a few goals here and there.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    The days of all three players have been numbered almost from the moment Rowett walked through the St Andrews door, along with the likes of Novak, Edgar and Hancox. I hope all these players find themselves new clubs quickly… a football career is short enough, without wasting years of it under a manager that has no use for you. Good luck to all of the outgoing players and thanks for their efforts.

  • nicko says:

    i agree with you staffs good luck to all the players it is a short career. i believe if you dont put the effort in training gary will look else where to find players who will kro

  • DaveP says:

    Thomas reminded me of Clinton Morrison whenever I saw him. Won’t cry if Lowry goes, think he was only brought in as a last minute cover option anyway. Would like to see Denny Johnstone given a chance though next season.

    Hancox has been unlucky in much the same way Colin Doyle was, in that there will always be better players brought in in that position ahead of him.

  • ChrisG says:

    I don’t think Duffy would be considered by GR even if Dimmy was to leave in january. Has anyone got any ideas who the left back might be if we were after one?, I did hear a rumour a while back linking Ridgewell with a move back but i’m not sure if i’d waht him.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      I think we could all have a dozen guesses at players coming in and we’d probably all be wrong. Who knows what Rowett is thinking, how much he has to spend and where he’ll be spending it.

      Good news is, Donaldson, Cotterill, Robinson and Grounds are all back in training and in contention, so that swells the ranks a little bit.

    • Waycoolblue says:

      Don’t know But I do know a bit about this guy Roberto Canella Suárez 27 years old he is a Spanish plays for Sporting de Gijón a left back.can also play right back good with both feet cheap at £340k not premiership quality yet but to good for the championship I think just what we need. not saying he is linked with us just that he fits the bill.

    • Mirkwood55 says:

      Ridgewell won the MLS title with Seattle recently and I would imagine the US lifestyle and pay would suit him better at his age than a return to a mid-table (let’s be honest) Championship club.

  • asif says:

    add gray to the list for peanuts

    • Dan Hickman says:

      What are you basing this on? Would love to know if you have some brilliant source or are just doom mongering for the sake of it?

      I think Lowry will see the season out, provide cover and get fit before moving to more permanent pastures. Good luck to Duffy and Thomas, although I kinda get the impression Thomas’ attitude doesnt endear him to managers. Cant see it happening but would love to see us ring someone like Bamford in on loan KRO

  • Knowle Blues says:

    Any chance bringing in Ricky Lambert in until the end of the season? I’d see The Don work rate and movement off CF Lambert bringing us the goals to push for playoffs. Thoughts?

  • AdamTrueBlue says:

    If your trying to work out whom we may be looking towards in January windown then look no further than leagues 1 and 2, and hope we get a diamind in the making. Kro

  • Dave Mann says:

    It’s unfortunate but expected that these players have no future with Blues in the first team so no shock horror there …. If three are coming in then Rowett will ship those three out with better quality and hold on to Gray if possible and with Donsldson and cotterill coming back its full steam ahead for Sheffield Wednesday and the rest of the season . Kro

  • Tony E says:

    I think Duffy will remain at Burton and probably sign permanently for them in the summer, if not January. The other two all depend on other clubs being interested and that is no gimme.

  • rhees says:

    The right players in ill be excited for rest of season ortherwise will be mid table which in all honesty I would have accepted start of season

    • StaffsBlue says:

      I think the rest of our season could well be defined by the players who come in during January. We are so close to being a top 6 side, maybe just 2 or 3 players short. I do think that, without at least a couple of decent additions, we’ll fall just short. Now’s the time for Mr Rowett to show what he’s made of. :)

      • Mitchell says:

        I feel the same regarding being close to the play-offs but 5/6 is really where we are looking.I liken us to Ipswich and Sheff.Wed at the moment with Hull being out of reach in the long term . Burnley are our hope for faltering in the run-in. Careful selection required for the next ten games and hopefully our position will have improved. Pleasing that our squad is now up to decent numbers when only two weeks ago we thought you might have to get your old shorts out for Dave ! Happy Xmas..

      • Shirley Blue says:

        Trouble is Staff there are not many players that are going to be available in January and a lot of clubs chasing what is available. I am sure the manager will do his best to get two or three quality players in but it’s easier said than done. Our league position will help attract players rather than being in a relegation battle. I can’t see us doing any permanent deals involving transfers and there will not be many coming out of contract now so it is going to have to be loans.

        • StaffsBlue says:

          If you look at it another way SB, although the transfer window doesn’t open for another week, that doesn’t stop negotiations. Or does it? If I was manager of BCFC, I’d be doing everything I could to get the jump on other clubs. I’m hoping that, if GR and PP have any sense, they will have identified targets weeks ago and set things in motion to tie up deals asap in January. If that’s not the way things work… then it should be.

          • Shirley Blue says:

            I am sure they have but so will all the other clubs. My point is that there will be many clubs chasing very few available players and if they are available at this time of year it’s for a reason.

  • Dave Mann says:

    Bloody hell Mitchell I spend my home and work life wearing shorts but not the ones I wore back in my prime footballing days , they would be a bit tight now mate to be honest but I think most of us trust in our managers decisions to get the right players in and without sounding like a grinch at Xmas it’s roll on Boxing Day for me and our trip to Hillsborough .. Merry Xmas to all Bluenoses , love you all really . :-). Kro

    • Mitchell says:

      Now we know what your day job is! You gave it away with the wearing of shorts- you are Brixhams own Bondi beach life guard. You shouldn’t have been so modest.

  • ian ambrose says:

    All blues player and staff manager have a xmas and new year 2016 and Good Luck GR all the best wishes bluesnose…

  • Dave Mann says:

    We will all second that Ian , merry Xmas mate . Kro

  • Waycoolblue says:

    GR as said he want two attacking players and a defender.so I fort How about we get a left LB and move Grounds to CB. Would that not work. Attacking player could be striker &/or midfield.

    • Shirley Blue says:

      I think that might we’ll be the plan. We have got decent cover at CB and very little at LB. if he can Vaughan’s loan extended for the rest of the season I would be happy with him being the striker. I have got a feeling he will see if he can get Tesche as long as he is injury free even if not totally match fit,

  • Tony says:

    That’s the problem with Tesche he does seem to spend a lot of time out injured.

  • Shirley Blue says:

    Total change of subject but just checked out ticket prices for the Sheffield Wednesday game -£36. No wonder we have only sold about half our allocation. How the hell do they justify those prices for Championship football – disgraceful.

    • chris says:

      They get an average of just over 21k which if they average around £30 a ticket that gives them over £14 million in ticket sales compared to our recently anounced £4 million.
      Even if that is a high average as it’s not including children and oap prices then at £20 a game would still give them an income of just under £10 million from just ticket reciepts.
      That’s why they do it and that’s why they arguably get better players than us and the same goes for Leeds, Brighton, Derby, Forest etc.
      Even Blues do it in the sense that some matches/teams imo should be a class lower but they are trying to eek out every pound they can.
      Some fans say make the games cheaper and Blues have done that (£10 games) the crowds only go up by a thousand or two (Forest Xmas 13/14 season the only exception i can think of) so it makes more sense (sadly) to charge 20 to £30 and have a lower crowd.

      • Shirley Blue says:

        Well we have sold 1149 out of our 2068 allocation according to our website. I would say this is well down on what we would normally take as our away support is brilliant so the price must be affecting sales. Let’s assume for simplicity they are all adults so they will turnover £42k. If the ticket prices were a more normal £25 and they sold out they would turnover £52k so they have lost out on away ticket sales through overpricing. Put it this way if Blues charged £36 for home games I wouldn’t go.

    • Knowle Blues says:

      I believe it’s the Chairmans pricing policy. Season tickets are very cheap but match days extortionate in an effort to get bigger crowds. No excuse for travelling fan prices, but I suppose his looney view would consider home fans buying cheap tickets in away end.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    I’m afraid that where Tesche is concerned, it would be a thumbs down from me. Although he’s a quality player, he’s not played a lot recently and do we really need someone who takes weeks to get up to speed? I think we’d be better spending our limited dosh on someone who might last from January until May.

    It’s the left back position that’s got me more intrigued.. waiting to see who might turn up. There can’t be that many decent ones who are available atm.

    • Shirley Blue says:

      Clubs are not going to let go fully fit, first team players unless we pay a transfer fee which is highly unlikely. There are also very few if any who will be out of contract at this time of year. The players who will be available will be those who are out of form, recovering from injuries like Vaughan or unsettled for other reasons. Tesche has been on their bench so must be fit to some extent if not fully match fit and would fit straight in as he played for us last season. He might have to have a few games where he just plays for an hour to get him up to speed but we know what we are getting – a very good, proven central midfield player. I doubt we can do better.

  • swissjonny says:

    Totally agree Staffs.We need people who can hit the ground running and make an immediate impact.Personaly I would let Dimmi go to a prem team on the basis that we get cash and two subsidised loan players.VSO can fill the wingers role and frankly I have been dissapointed with Dimmi this season.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      At the moment, VSO is behind Demarai ‘Mr Undroppable’ Gray, David Cotterill and Jacques Maghoma. I think Cotterill and Maghoma can fill the wing spots effectively, which would allow more game time for VSO too. You could argue that Viv won’t develop as quickly until Gray has gone.

      Mr Rowett has made known that he wants to keep Gray, but there seems to be an air of inevitability when talking about it lately.

      “I see it as a win-win for everybody and I think that’s how we’ve all got to view it. Should this be the window that the right Premier League club comes up for Dimmy and it’s something that’s attractive for him and the finances work for the Club, then within that, it would give us some money to go and build a little bit again. I think there is always a positive in that. And you can argue that if that was to happen would that be more helpful for us at this period in time?” (from this morning’s BM)

  • Mitchell says:

    Moving away fro Blues for a second.I watched the rather sad walkout by LVG yesterday at a press conference.He came across a broken and sad figure that no matter how much money he has or is earning- the hurt from public opinion and the Press has hit him hard. This emphasises just how much we as individuals can hurt one another. I am not a religious person and never go to church-but it does make me think about the new Charter For Compassion which is aimed at world countries and it’s people- it would like everybody to adopt the Golden Rule which is Do not do unto others that you would not like done to yourself. Football and cricket now in South Africa has I understand already backed this Charter. Hopefully this will spread throughout our love for sport.

  • Dave Mann says:

    Our press will never change , knife you when your down and praise your existence when your up , LVG as always been praised where ever he’s gone but he’s now feeling the Roth of the British press because Man Utd haven’t won for six games .. Us supporters are different , look at Chelsea fans towards Mourinho , Arsenal fans towards Wenger , Blues fans towards Rowett , we all support our manager even through the bad times but the press stir up so much crap weather it’s true or false because it’s news and sells papers , no consideration towards the individuals who at the end of the day are just managers or coaches of a football team .. Would love to see the roles reversed and press people put up on stage and interrogated by managers , make a change . Kro

    • Shirley Blue says:

      Man U fans have been directly protesting against LVG at home games so that’s nothing to do with the press. They got fed up of seeing boring, negative football which they are not used to. Mourinho shot himself in the foot by deciding to publicly humiliate and bully the female club doctor and he lost the players as a result – again nothing to do with the press.

      • ChrisG says:

        I agree with you to a certain extent shirleyblue, they’ve both made a rod for their own backs, but for me the press shouldn’t be allowed to twist the knife as they have far too often, not just with JM & LVG but they are responsible for many other sackings over the years, they’re like vultures that circle as soon as a team lose 6 games in a row. It makes me laugh that the press slag off managers in their rag newspapers & then expect them to answer their questions all nicey nicey in the press conference & when the manager walks out as LVG did yesterday, he’s made out to be the bad guy!!.

        Anyway MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. KRO

        • Shirley Blue says:

          Seasons greetings to you too. Talking to the media is all part of the deal along with the massive salaries so I have no sympathy whatsoever. If it wasn’t for the media and in particular Sky and BT they wouldn’t get anything like the money they do. The fact that Mourinho walked away with a £10m payoff after what he has done makes me feel faintly sick to be honest.

      • Dave Mann says:

        I didn’t actually say that the press had anything to do with man Utd being boring and Mourinho abusing is own players , did I ? Kro

        • StaffsBlue says:

          The thing is, in this country, the press only build people/teams up to knock them down. Twice the headlines.

          • Shirley Blue says:

            The top managers court publicity in order to massage their own ego’s and of course they are more than happy to take the megabucks. It all comes with the territory of being a manager of a top club – they are essentially box office and they know what they are letting themselves in for. The media survive on selling papers and audience numbers. It’s just the way it is. At least we can be grateful we have a free press because if we didn’t the likes of Blatter and Platini would get away with what they did.

          • StaffsBlue says:

            I think the Mourinho v The Doctor has been done to death now. Yes, he was in the wrong, I doubt anyone but him disputes that… but, it’s in the hands of the solicitors now, so hopefully, she gets what she deserves.. although, expecting reinstatement might be pushing it a bit.

  • Dave Mann says:

    Correct , as I said earlier its supporters who see it for real more so than the press when it comes to there team and manager or coaches performance on and off the field .. I agree with Shirley that Mourinho brought it on himself with his treatment of the female doctor and the players he criticised and I also agree that United are not playing the attractive football there use to but the press do love to milk it and because of the money these managers or players are earning don’t really give a toss about what they write and who it is . Kro

    • StaffsBlue says:

      If Van Gaal is sacked and Mourinho takes over… does anyone really think the papers will give a toss about the female doctor incident? Highly unlikely, there’s more milage in the Man U story for them.

  • Dave Mann says:

    Agreed, but like always there welcome him to old Trafford without any thought about Chelsea and then if he fails there bring all the past up , his spats , his criticism , his failure for longevity … It’s not always about the money but there personal pride and sometimes a lot of us forget that and Ime talking about both sides of the fence . Kro

  • I would swap Thomas +cash for Maddison of Peterborough and also sign Washington from the same ..come on we have players to swap in exchange , let’s go . Duffy could also be offered..kro

  • Dave Mann says:

    Massive respect to everyone and I hope you all have a fantastic Xmas and see you all at Sheffield or at home to Mk Dons .. :-) kro

  • StaffsBlue says:

    It seems Blues players won’t be travelling up to Sheffield until Boxing Day morning.

    “I think we had a home game once and Trevor Francis made us stay over on Christmas night while he stayed at home eating his Christmas dinner.” said Rowett. “That’s slightly warded me away from that type of decision. But I have said to the players I will try to drink as much for them as possible. If that helps them I am willing as a manager to try to do that for my team!”

    What a selfless man lol.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    Merry Christmas everyone… and a Happy Boxing Day!!

  • RicharM says:

    Heard a rumour from a credible source that Fabbrini might be keen to move back to the Blues in Jan – out of favour at Boro and keen to move away for 1st team action. Not sure how GR would accomodate Fabbrini and Toral, but let’s see if there’s any truth in it.

  • Dava man says:

    Staffs, love and respect all ways . Merry Xmas pal .kro

  • Mitchell says:

    Must mention Daniel.Graditude for OP at a time when we as fans were exhausted as to getting any info.from anybody. Hope wherever you are at Xmas-you have a good time.

  • Kazakblue says:

    To Daniel and all contributors to OP, wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.


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