derry

An interesting quote from an Oldham source in the Pink yesterday. "He's got some talent. When the team's not playing well he can struggle but in a good side like Southampton he will look very good indeed. He's one of those players that looks very classy a lot of the time" As our central midfield isn't really working that well and apart from set pieces we aren't scoring many, this lad may not be the answer many are banking on. If he only plays well in a team that is playing well he may have a bit of a struggle here.

He is not on anything like that. He signed a three year contract at the beginning of the season and is paid no more than our top earners and yes I do know the contract amount because he told my son at the time he signed it. We were at a barbecue at my son's house, Brian was there, I asked my son if there was any interest in him from Saints, He said that Brian had just told him that Pardew had spoken to him but he had just signed a good contract at Reading an amount over three years. 15k to 25k is a rediculous figure to quote and shows that the person quoted hasn't a clue quoting those figures.

I got the feeling that Reading not being prepared to subsidise and the fact McDermott told him he didn't really want him to leave, meant we had to foot the whole cost. He would still have cost as much as Lambert/Fonte etc. It was knocked on the head by Howard a week ago after he was picked to play at Barnsley and then was told by the manager after the game that he wanted him to stay and play a part in their play off ambitions. After all they are in 7th place three points behind and a game in hand.

No, because they went for Howard first. I think the cost put them off and Stephens fills the limited requirements of cover for midfield.

Be smart. Get a mini tape recorder, record some of his outbursts and give him a copy. He may well get the message he is on dodgy ground. Who knows on whose desk the tape might end up. I dealt with a lot of ex military dictators over promoted by their ex military mates, by working on the principle of not trying to push **** uphill, knowing that it moves downhill pretty quick. Being in demand to partner the Managing Director in golf tournaments helped. In the end they were so twitchy about me letting off steam at the Managing Director that they were terrified to do or say anything.

The need with 10 games left is to get promoted. The lad may well be cover for a central midfield that isn't exactly productive or creative, He may turn out to be a good player but he needs to be a good player in the next 10 games not potentially. I don't suggest that Brian Howard is Premier or even an outstanding player but he is an outstanding and perceptive passer. This is something that we lack. The only player I've seen in div 1 that ran his midfield this season is Gary Jones. I want to see us promoted without the lottery of the play offs and I'll wait and see what Stephens achieves in contributing to that. Brian Stock might be an alternative if we are promoted but we desperately need direction in midfield.

And after all that, the Reading manager wants to keep him because he thinks he might help to get them promoted. He is the sort of player alongside Hammond who would give our attacking players a service they lack at the moment because of the lack of a playmaker in central midfield. If we get promoted it wouldn't surprise me if he came in the summer.

You obviously haven't a clue what sort of player Brian Howard is and if you did, you wouldn't be making juvenile facetious comments like this.

We have ten games to see how good he is. If he is half as good as Howard, he will be far better than either of the present incumbents. It will be interesting to read the comments on here after his first two games unless he really has been brought in as cover and isn't playing.

For the whole of last week he was just waiting to sign but all that changed after he played on Saturday and was asked to stay and help their bid to make the play offs.

Brian Howard is one of the best ball passers anywhere in the football league. He would have given us a dimension we just don't have.

I don't know the fee, but Reading paid £500k for him, he signed a new 3 year contract last summer until end of season 2013. He is on a similar contract to that reported being paid to our highest earners. I know the exact basic figure. Contrary to opinions on here he lost his place after injury/suspension and as Reading have been on a good run playing defensive central midfielders he wasn't able to get back in until last Saturday. After the game the manager asked him to stay and in the light of no offer from Saints he decided to commit to Reading. There is no doubt that Stephens is a much cheaper option as far as a loan is concerned as there is no way that Oldham would be paying anything like the salary in Brian Howard's contract. He also hasn't the experience, stature or leadership that would be provided by Howard. Then he isn't coming and is not available as we missed our chance to get him last week when he would have signed. Stephens is probably on a par with our other two midfielders and it is doubtful whether he can come in and lift probably the worst performing part of the team in a way that Brian Howard could well have done. We are scoring the majority of goals from set pieces and produce little from play. A major problem.

Brian Howard. Yes!

Good jump.

It will be interesting to see whether the witnesses/victim/friends get collective amnesia. It's taken a long time to get this far.

Whether he is a good signing only time will tell. Before he signed I wanted a leader/playmaker brought in, but now that he has signed I just hope he is as good as his press.

Not according to one of our best players.

There is quite a bit of what you say, makes sense to me. Would I leave him out? Is he doing it in the box? I think the answer is probably no to both questions. I'd like to see him make more effort as a striker than a part time playmaker drifting out wide.

Jesus H Christ, even one of his own players slaughtered him because he was doing nothing to try and lift the players at Hartlepool. The player said that he was the only one trying to get things going and how bad it was. Hammond is no leader, he might be wearing the armband, but there it ends once he has tossed up.

Hammond is no leader but much improved lately. Chaplow is way off the pace at the moment. At least two thirds of our goals are coming from set pieces, we really aren't producing much from central midfield and need reinforcing there.

I'm spitting chips at the moment. It's not the player himself, it's the fact we have gambled on a cheap option from Oldham. We are playing poorly in central midfield and are crying out for a proper leader/playmaker with experience to get us over the line. Gary Jones, captain of Rochdale, 33 years of age, proper playmaker and leader with 14 goals wouldn't be a gamble, Howard wasn't a gamble but this 23 yrs old in his first real season is a gamble.

I saw both the Oldham games and nobody stood out for them. Benchwarmer?

A 28 year old that his club want to keep, on a good contract until the end of the 2013 season. How the hell do you know Stephens has a bright future he was anonymous against us for Oldham he has a long way to go to satisfy the aspirations of this club. If he stutters in his first match he will be slaughtered.Guly, N'Guessan and Forte have been really wlcomed when they first came.

It's not resentment it's us gambling with the second automatic spot taking the cheap option. Is he even going to be good enough if we get promoted, because this is a ten match gamble with a view to permanent transfer otherwise he wouldn't be coming for only ten games.

A cheap option for us but a lot more money for the player. If he wants to go, the rest is history. So who is he going to replace?