Eoin Doyle

At the time a loan deal where Doyle spends the duration of the season with you guys made perfect sense for both parties, and a gentleman's agreement was probably made to accommodate this. We get a 3rd choice striker off the books and reinvest and Swindon get a player with a proven track record. The fact that he's since gone on to become the most prolific striker in Europe whilst our own strikers struggle for goals changes the entire complexion of the discussion. What Wellens once thought was happening is now irrelevant. The only person who truly knows where Doyle will be playing in January is Gary Bowyer and he's not giving away much.

 

I'd be happy to let you take on his present contract then you'll have time to sort a future deal out with Doyle and his agent.

 

Any news at your end whether Doyle will be allowed to play in the cup for your lot?

 

He said today the majority of loanees are cleared to play but chose not to say who isn’t under the guise of not giving Cheltenham a heads up.

Tbh, I ain’t got a clue about the likely outcome.

 

Aye, I mean selling to Swindon. Given he cannot play for another club this year they could potentially look to sign him in January and beat the queue. If they wait until the summer, while he will be on a free, they could face competition from others (and likely be pipped by another club offering higher wages).

Realistically I don't think they have the funds to offer any sort of a fee to us in January or up their wage contribution, so whether he stays there depends on whether we have a recall clause and whether Bowyer wants him back here.

 

Swindon are skint, they won't be able to sign Doyle unless they go up maybe.

 

I'd be very happy to let Doyle leave on a free then Swindon just have to satisfy his wage demands.

 

None of us really complained when he left. Not really. He hadn't performed for us - albeit we never used him in the best way - and shifting his wages on was vital to strengthening the side. There were few, if any, impassioned pleas to keep him at the expense of bringing in players elsewhere.

So whilst it may feel uneasy, surely him doing well is a good thing? Out ability to bring him back, in form, is much easier than going out and signing an in form striker. Alternatively, we might be able to sell him or force Swindon to cough up more to keep him, which allows us to strengthen further.

 

Think I said at the start of the season that with Donaldson, Vaughan and Doyle then we certainly go up automatically but it was understandable why the club let Doyle go out on loan or even have sold him.

However, I always felt that Doyle wasn't played correctly under Bowyer and I feel the same with Vaughan. These kind of players do their best work in the box (Vaughan's goal last weekend highlights this) and not link up play. Doyle and Vaughan drop far too deep for my liking under Bowyer.

I don't think selling Doyle to any other club than Swindon is possible because you can't play for more than two clubs in a season but for me he has to come back to us. He is the leading goalscorer in the league and if we're serious about going up then for 6 months paying his wages is a gamble I would take.

Donaldson has been out and we miss him and Vaughan is always a walking on the edge of a booking or sending off.

If the club decide not to recall Doyle then Swindon have to cover more of his wage.

BRADFORD CITY NEED TO STOP RUNNING LIKE A CHARITY!!!

 

Always was a mystery though apart from the fact that he was on his own in the opponents half while he was here that he wasn't as prolific has he had been elsewhere...suppose i've answered my own question there though...

 

All decent points Fordy - I actually kind of agree with you for once but we haven't (in reality) missed Donaldson as we've pushed on and continued to get the wins but I get where your coming from.

As for having all 3 strikers, one of them would have sit it out on the bench every week - that wouldn't please any of them at this stage in their careers. Bowyer could try sell the 'squad rotation' line but I doubt they'd be happy with a spot on the bench and trying to keep them all happy I don't think would work.

Unless we replicated the way that Swindon play and play to Doyles strengths which again I think disrupts the current team then I don't see how it works to bring him back and back to play. Yes it upsets Swindon but we are doing better, in terms of league position, as we are now.

I'm also not sure what would happen if we brought him back with the wage dilema of having to get him off the books to bring players in - that could be the biggest issue.

 

I fully understand what you're saying about keeping all 3 of them happy but that is what a top manager would be able to do considering we should be(come the end of the year) be fighting the automatic or even winning the league.

In terms of the wages the club will have to take risk v reward method.

Some on here believe Reeves will be the second coming and will be back like superman, so if that is the case then send Palmer back because he's been disappointing but I don't believe Reeves will be back like superman and I would like to think the club will take the risk to benefit us going up.

 

Worst case, we should be squeezing Swindon to pay all his wages till the summer. A cost of ~50-60k to keep the divisions top score when you're going for promotion? They'd take that.

 

Not getting into another Reeves debate but you've massively overstated what people have said. The more obvious option is to try get rid of McCartan and Patrick if Doyle came back. Both don't really seem to fit in with Bowyers plans.

 

There’s another and probably the biggest factor in all this which I don’t thinks even being mentioned unless I missed it, and that is Bowyer likes a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 sort of formation. This means one out and out striker, so actually 2 out of Vaughan, Donaldson or Doyle would miss out if he came back. He tried to shoehorn all 3 at the start and it failed, then tried 2 up top with more success but he’s recently been able to get his own way eventually and go 1 up top and it’s seen us rise to second in the league so even when Donaldson comes back I think it’ll be off the bench for the last 20 minutes or so.

I’m for bringing Doyle back, or at least making them pay the full amount. But if he comes back you have to be realistic and say he’ll spend a lot of time on the bench, and I’d rather his wage be put to good use on strengthening the midfield which is the key part of that formation.

 

And possibly Longridge too. Still early days for him but Wood has made that position his own.

 

Patrick and McCartan can both go for me.

Not overstating anything.. 20 months and counting out, contract up in the summer... bye Reeves! Thanks for nothing should be the call.

Others should be going out on loan also to free up wages.

 

I'd want us to bring him back even if they were prepared to pay all his wages.

he's the best striker in the division. unless Swindon wish to buy him outright for a fee then get him back here and get him in our team. lord knows our strikers are hardly prolific.

 

Nothing new there.