Norwichtaff

I made the suggestion in February that Sam Vokes (then of Bournemouth) could have been the long term answer to the striker problem.   Too late now as he scored for Wolves on Saturday - he would not have cost more than £400K maximum given Bournemouth''s financial problems at the time.  Still, what do I know?

Wouldn''t put much credence on the Sierra Leone story.  It came out in the Sun and Bellamy is taking legal advice on whether it''s worthwhile taking them to court.  If as they claimed he had two ex-SAS bodyguards with him, his little feet wouldn''t have touched the ground as they would have removed him immediately.  Those boys don''t go looking for trouble but if there had been, think the damage would have been a lot heavier than it was claimed to be.   Since returning from Africa he has refused to talk to any of the English media and can you really blame him?  Know he''s a pain but for once his heart/money was in the right place with these football schools - perhaps the tabloids couldn''t get their heads round that.

Appreciate what you''re saying.  However, there is no love lost between Hughes and Toshack concerning Wales and Ched is very much a Toshack man.  Hughes only concentrated on the senior team during his time as international manager and did nothing towards youth development - he left both an ageing team and no structure whatsoever for bringing through young talent.  Know it won''t be Toshack''s decision where Ched goes but I wouldn''t assume it will be Cardiff just because he''s Welsh.  Both Hughes and Ched are from North Wales - there is history of previous Welsh teams where players from the north didn''t get on with the ones from the south.  Mind you, these days, with the all the boys coming out of England, via Welsh grandparents, that shouldn''t come into it.   Think it''s a case of wait and see. 

Maybe of some interest.  Taken from Manchester Evening News via Dragon Soccer. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1055312_dilemma_for_city_as_clubs_eye_ched    

I wouldn''t worry too much as far as Ched is concerned with Mark Hughes taking over and the Welsh connection etc.  Fact is that when Hughes was Welsh manager he just concentrated on the senior team and had no interest in youth development.  It is only in the last 18 months that players like Gareth Bale, Chris Gunter, Aaron Ramsey, Wayne Hennessey, Sam Vokes and of course, Ched, have come through under the current management team led by Toshack.  He (Toshack) may be somewhat grumpy but, give him his due, he''s never been afraid to give youth a chance - two other examples that stand out are Alonso (Liverpool, soon to Juventus?) and the Turkish captain, Nihat, who scored 2 goals last night - both were developed by him.  Anyway, I digress - what my argument is that Ched''s loyalty at international level is towards Toshack and not Hughes - the two of them can''t stand each other.  More worrying is the news on certain websites that up to ten clubs have approached Man City about taking him on a season long loan - am sure he would like to come back to Norwich but as in life, we do not always get what we would like.        

If they''re looking for a big centre forward, Sam Vokes of Bournemouth would fit the bill.  Only 18, the club are in administration, Crewe had a 200K bid accepted but turned down by the player, so wouldn''t cost much.  He also plays alongside Ched at under 21 level.  Know he''s young but the average age of that team (under 21s) is 18 years 2 months so he''s a bit of an old timer.  Then it would be a case of trying to prise Ched away from Man City at as cheap a price as you could get.  

This is very much a shot in a dark regarding a young striker to play alongside Ched for the rest of the season - it also goes with the ''you never win anything with kids etc''. At under 21 level Ched plays alongside an 18 year old from Bournemouth, Sam Vokes, over 6 foot and nearly 14 stone.  This is his first full season and he''s on 8 league goals which is not bad for his age/experience.  Under 21, not as prolific as Ched, but he has scored 4 goals against, amongst others, Sweden and Bosnia.   Crewe failed with a 200K bid in the transfer window, but with Bournemouth going into administration and being deducted 10 points, would think worth a gamble.  The joy is with him being Welsh qualified, he''d cost peanuts compared to an English boy of similar potential.  Know it''s outside the window but there''s always ways and means with loans now, buy later.      

Thought there might be a flicker of interest with you English boys in that Chedwyn has just scored 2 of the 4 Welsh goals in Malta.  Know it''s not the same as a hat trick against France but what the heck, they all count.  Note the household names and the clubs they play for!!!!   UNDER 21 RESULT: Malta 0 Wales 4   Tuesday 5-Feb-08 UEFA U-21 qualifier - kick off 12:30pm UK time: RESULT: Malta..0 Wales..4 In the end a comfortable win for Wales as four second half goals gave Brian Flynn Under 21 side the victory in Malta. A Ched Evans header from a free kick gave Wales the lead, before goals from substitute Simon Church and defender Rhys Williams put Wales 3-0 up, a late Ched Evans penalty wrapped up the points and have put Wales top of Group 10. Wales travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina for their next group game on March 26th. Match action: goal: Ched Evans (pen) - update 14:19 goal: Rhys Williams - update 14:16 sub: King on Allen off - update 14:10 goal: Simon Church - update 14:06 sub: Church on Vokes off - update 14:02 goal: Ched Evans - update 13:47 sub: Brown on Ramsey off - update 13:45 Second half: Ched Evans goal for Wales from a free kick, things are turning nasty Half time score 0-0. First half: Wales started to dominate mid-way through the first half, played some good possession football, Brian Flynn side playing well within themselves with half time approaching, also missed two good chances both headers. Wales line up: Owain Fon Williams (Crewe Alex), Darcy Blake (Cardiff City), Joe Jacobson (Bristol Rovers) (Capt), Mike Williams (Wrexham), Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough), Joe Allen (Swansea City), Jack Collison (WHU), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff City), Shaun MacDonald (Swansea City), Ched Evans (Manchester City), Sam Vokes (Bournemouth). Subs: Rhys Taylor (Chelsea), Christian Ribeiro (Bristol City), Neil Taylor (Wrexham), Andy King (Leicester City), Lloyd James (Southampton), Jonathan Brown (Cardiff City), Simon Church (Reading). GROUP 10 table: Teams Pld W D L F A Pts Wales 5 4 0 1 15 4 12 Romania 5 3 2 0 9 1 11 France 6 3 2 1 10 5 11 Malta 5 1 0 4 2 12 3 Bosnia-Herzegovina 5 1 0 4 5 13 3 Original squad line up: Goalkeepers: Rhys Taylor (Chelsea), Owain Fon Williams (Crewe) Defenders: Joe Jacobson (Bristol Rovers), Darcy Blake (Cardiff City), Christian Ribeiro (Bristol City), Neil Taylor (Wrexham), Mike Williams (Wrexham), Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough) Midfielders: Joe Allen (Swansea City), Mark Bradley (Walsall), Jack Collison (West Ham Utd), Andy King (Leicester City), Shaun MacDonald (Swansea City), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff City), Nicky Adams (Bury) Forwards: Simon Church (Reading), Ched Evans (Man City, loan Norwich City), Sam Vokes (Bournemouth). - 28-Jan-08 [12:00]