Not quite the same. Wasn't very good first time he was here on loan yet we signed him after a far worse season at Birmingham anyway. The Hirst deal isn't win win anyway. Either he flops and we don't want him or he does well and we pay top dollar. More Lose/pay over the odds.

Ermmm........I assume you're being facetious and the joke has whooshed over my head but Doctor Who's time machine?

Key thing arising out of the weekend was, Wharton deserves a chance and players should be picked on merit not reputation. If he gets a start tonight that would signal a massive difference between JDT and Mowbray. If not, not so much so.

If we sell him half an hour before the deadline, do we have a Tardis to get someone else in in time?

This law of attraction and positive thinking lark isn't working too well at the moment. Let's hope we can pull a couple of unexpected and last minute rabbits out of hats and BBD stays.

Would prefer a sensible answer to a sensible question rather than your usual sarcasm but hey ho?

OK then. Since no-one has been willing to quantify it, what does he actually have to do to justify us paying a fee of £5m in 12 months time? Negligible chance of that happening imo therefore there must be far better deals we can pursue elsewhere.

I think he was being sarcastic.

Not sure that anyone criticised the acquisitions of either Brittain, Morton or Hyam. Just some slightly more discerning people judge each individual situation on it's merits and don't slavishly applaud every single thing the Club does.

Zeefuik, although he turned out with the benefit of hindsight to be absolute shite, at least came with a better CV and reputation than Hirst. Essentially you're endorsing a deal for £5m for someone who has failed already at Championship level. The point I'm trying to make is, it's not a smart deal. Either he bombs and goes back or we pay top dollar for him.

Ergo, if he does sign a new deal, they are then going to (and apparently already have) demanded top dollar for him. It's such an obvious point I don't know what's so difficult to understand. He hasnt shone up to press. From our point of view it should have been cheap gamble now or walk away.

I know that's the rumoured price. I'd be walking away like a shot. Ludicrous for someone who has already failed at this level, and the whole exercise is highly likely to be a colossal waste ot time if not money.

And if the option price is prohibitive? What does he need to make it worthwhile? 30 goals? (Bearing in mind he has a record at this level of none in 31 or 32)

I obviously understand there will be a fixed fee. What everyone apart from me and roverandout are seemingly failing to grasp is that as Leicester want to sign him up to a new contract first, that fee will obviously be set by them at a prohibitive amount.

Exactly this, he's patently not an Elliott, and almost certainly not a Tosin, Reed, or JPVH either. For those type of players such a deal might be worth a go. This guy obviously isn't in that bracket.

Ain't that the truth. Reg Varney would have been more use "Get that bus out Butler".

It will be prohibitive when the deal is signed.

The irony of the above statement is simply breathtaking. It's you who has completely misunderstood the point. If it was the normal sort of situation where the player was under contract, the selling Club didn't fancy him that much, and we wanted to have a look at him before we took the plunge, then, yes, a loan with an option at a sensible level would be the perfect option. This is completely different. Leicester are apparently going to make him sign a new contract first, therefore they must fancy him a bit, and either think there's a slight chance he might improve further to the extent he might be of use to them, or, they will get top dollar for him if they sell. We won't be getting him at a bargain price, no matter what he does. Negligible chance he ends up here permanently imo. Another situation where we potentially develop the player and ultimately miss out.

Without knowing the exact figures, if it ends up being a loan with an option to purchase I think it's a terrible deal in principle. From our perspective, he's done nowt so far, it should have been a case of buy him now for a reasonable fee or walk away. Leicester obviously think he has a bit of potential otherwise they wouldn't be considering offering him a new deal and loaning him out. Once he's signed a new contract, any price on the option to purchase is likely to be completely prohibitive. Almost zero chance he ends up here permanently I'd say. Either he does OK and we probably can't afford him or he doesn't and we don-t want him. More can kicking down the road and another position that probably needs filling in 12 months time.

Every cloud.....

No money apart from the £6.5m already spent?

And get rid of our RB and put a chap called Gallagher in there.

Gallagher, Gallagher, Gallagher, Gallagher, Gallagher.

Computer says no. He can have Pears, Edun, Pickering, JRC and Gallagher as part of a package deal though.

I agree, can only be a loan but from our point of view no bad thing. The less we commit to this particular deal the better imo.