Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Iwelumo heads out on loan
Saturday 13th February 2010, 8:44AM GMT.
Wolves striker Chris Iwelumo is set to gain some much-needed match practice after joining Bristol City on a 28-day emergency loan.
The 31-year-old Scotland international signed in time to make his debut in today’s clash at Sheffield United.
Bramall Lane is a happy hunting ground for Iwelumo after he scored twice there for Wolves in a 3-1 win there last season.
Iwelumo has slipped down the pecking order since making only his second Premier League start against Manchester City on December 28, one of 10 appearances he has made this season without scoring.
With Kevin Doyle used as the lone front man in recent games, Sam Vokes has been used on the bench as the target man option and Wolves also have Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Stefan Maierhofer in reserve, while Andy Keogh is nearing full fitness after two months out with a damaged tendon in his ankle.
Iwelumo is needed by City where both main forwards are injured.
Eleven-goal top scorer Nicky Maynard is out for a couple of weeks with a dead leg and strike partner Danny Haynes is sidelined through illness.
Boss Gary Johnson is seeking experience to lead his young side out of a poor run of two wins in 17 games that has left them five points off the drop zone before today.
Today’s game could give Iwelumo six Championship outings, with a home debut on Tuesday against Leicester followed by the visit of Albion a week tomorrow in a televised game.
Iwelumo is also available for the matches against Ipswich away on the 27th, Doncaster at home on March 6 and a trip to his one-time suitors Crystal Palace three days later.
And the big striker, who has scored 16 goals in 45 games for Wolves since his £400,000 move from Charlton, is hoping for a fresh start at Ashton Gate with much of 2009 a write-off through injury.
Last season ended prematurely for him in April when he damaged medial knee ligaments in a 2-0 defeat at Birmingham.
Then he twice broke his foot, initially in his comeback in the first pre-season game in Australia against Perth, then again on his Premier League debut at Stoke on October 31.
Chief executive Jez Moxey said: “It’s purely to give Chris some games. They need a striker and we have a good working relationship with Bristol City.”
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good luck chris,think this will do you good,but in terms of confidence im not sure ebanks blake might have benefitted more on a short team loan
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Agree could be good for Blake if he went out on loan for a short while
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Moxey,
Do u think we all dont ave a brain, we are currently playing 4-5-1 or 4-1-4-1 we have 5 fit strikers with keogh also nearing fitness hes not going out purely to get games hes currently not good enough to get in the 1st 11, cut our loses sell our dead wood and lets get some more quality in like Doyle and Guedioura.
Out
Hill
Elokobi
Halford
Surman
Friend
Iwelumo
Maierhofer
In
Robbie Keane
Aidan Mc Geady
Joe Ledley
Scott Parker
Nicky Shorey
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I agree with you on those we should let go, but are you serious in thinking that all of those players would want to come to us ? Theirs no getting round the fact that we are a newly promoted, non established, relegation threatened club and until that changes then we are NOT going to attract these type of players ( Ledley apart, but he’s injured ). Yes, of course we’d all like these players, but come on get real
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I agree that they are the first players on the out list if we can pick up signings.
But do you really think that list of players will improve our squad that month.
Robbie Keane seems past it now. Ledley is crocked for 12 months, Shorey is not going anywhere, McGeady is ok in the SPL, but then again so is Kenny Miller.
I think you need to have a look at who we need in again.
I would leave it to Mick and the scouts, they seem to do a pretty good job.
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I stil think that Surman and Friend are two for the future. I don’t have a problem with your other outs.
We are not going to pay £75K per week wages to Robbie Keane. It just ain’t gonna happen. He is now happy at the team he supported as a boy, with the chance for Champions League Football.
Shorey just got a new club, Parker is also on high wages, and Ledley is injured for quite a while.
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Good luck to the big man. I think he has performed well for us in the very few minutes he has been given a chance.
In one of his only starts at home to Man City, Iwelumo won almost everything in the air, got several flick-ons, had a good shot deflected wide and linked well with Doyle.
It was more than SEB had offered all season. Not sure why Iwelumo hasn’t been given a chance despite performing well when used. Hopefully he’ll get a few for Bristol and then be given a chance.
He does get penalised for a lot of fouls though!
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I not sure which games against man city you were watching. Iwelumo hardly got a touch. He was waiting for the ball to fall to him and when it did he miss controlled it. I like Chris he has the right attitude but against defenders in the premier league, he’s just not good enough. Hope he has a successful loan at Bristol city. UTW.
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Have a good one CHRIS liked your attitude lets hope you have a good loan period at the BLADES.. Thanks mate Crazey Dave
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Hes gone to Bristol not sheffield mate, All the best Big Chris!
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At Bristol City .
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I agree that SEB should have gone out on loan to gain confidence, then bring him back for the run-in.
Good luck to big Chris, he has been a great player for Wolves in his short spell at Molineux.
P.S. Make sure you score a couple past the Baggies next week!
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I have heard when asked by some Wolves on Wednesday night why he is not in the team, he said his ‘face doesnt fit.’ To be honest he is not really good enough but should do a decent job in the Championship!Good luck Chris!
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His face fitted last season didn’t it?
If he is saying this to fans he is obviously bitter that he is not in the team.
The truth of the matter is that he has been exposed at this level and runs around like a carthorse – no disrespect to him, he served us well in our promotion season, but in the limited time he has had on the pitch, he just aint cut the mustard!!
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I think Surman and Friend are ones for the future, Surman especially looks good and expect him to push on next year. SEB definitely needs some games to get fit and lose a bit of excess weight. Good luck to Chris, may have played his last game for Wolves but will be fondly remembered for helping us back to the promised land.
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good luck chris remember your screemer against the blades last season….
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Big Chris has a contribution to make, inside a well organised squad structure.
Unfortunately, we don’t have such a thing at WWFC. This is run by a man who once forget to order some balls for a training session!
This leaves Chris as an outsider, looking in. Whereas he should be part of the squad setup. He has done it for us and has earned the right to the respect!
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Thanks Big Chris for everything you’ve done at Wolves, ive always thought you did a great job whenever you played in the team. Perhaps not so much in the Premier but there again so have most of our squad struggled i hope it goes well for you at Bristol City, i for one will be sad to see you leave, but with MM now only playing one up front for the rest of the season your not going to get many games, once again Thanks Chris you scored some good goals and made many many more for SEB
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cant help but think it should be Vokes going out on loan moreso than Iwelumo. However I understand that he seriously needs gametime, good luck Chris.
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Hmm when he’s fit I wonder about a part-exchange, Iwelumo for Maynard?
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Big Chris has served us well last season thanks and all that but we need to move forward imv; We tend to be far too ‘nostalgic’ when it comes to players – and really need to think ‘Premier League’ rather than ‘How we did in the Chumpionship’
SEB has struggled all season and I agree that maybe he would be better off out on loan in the Chumpionship for a month or so – Maybe he can rediscover his form?
Riding on the ‘crest of the wave’ win against Spurs – I just hope that we can move forward and progress from here
Against the likes of Chelski and Man U – I would be happy to go out and ‘have a real go’ win, lose or draw that would make me proud
Having the same mentality against the lesser teams should see us safe imv – and I really hope that the new lad Gaudo (sp???) is allowed to develope and not become another player that disappears out of sight
I still say that full backs that can play at right and left back are important and should know how to play in tandem with a wide right or left midfielder/ winger – If this was done correctly it would allow us to play 4-4-2 – and give us the 2nd striker option that we have needed to finish off teams and get a result
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If we have such a good working relationship with Bristol City Moxey why the hell didn’t we sign Roger Johnson then???
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