Archived News from January 2008
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TOM POPE STAYING PUT AT CREWE
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Loan target staying put for now
CHAD.co.uk, 18 Jan 2008, by Tim Morriss STAGS' hopes of bringing in Crewe striker Tom Pope have been dashed - at least for the moment. The Division 1 club said on Friday that a shortage of forwards at Gresty Road meant that the 22-year-old forward would not be released. On Thursday it was revealed that the striker, who has little League experience, was a loan target of Mansfield manager Billy Dearden during the January transfer window. However, Crewe this week had a £175,000 bid for highly rated non league forward Stuart Fleetwood rejected. And on Friday Crewe assistant manager Neil Baker said the player, who last played for the Alex as a substitute at the end of October, was going nowhere for now. Baker said: "While Mansfield would take Tom tomorrow, we can't do that at the moment because of the numbers we have got up front." But there is hope for the Stags and Dearden, as Crewe plan to bring in another striker on loan, Burnley's Steve Jones. The former Alex player seems set to return once Burnley have sorted out their own attacking plans, with the Clarets star striker Andy Gray possibly on the move. On Thursday it was also reported that Dearden had missed out on another transfer target, Peter Gain, who signed for Dagenham. The manager revealed his frustration at failing to bring in new players, saying he was being hampered by being unable to offer prospective players 18-month contracts. But chief executive Stephen Booth said that would be 'financial suicide for the club'. He told Chad: "I am very wary of saddling the club with long-term liabilities without a clear idea of which League the club will be playing in next season." ----------------- 17 January 2008 An unofficial Crewe website reports that Billy Dearden is keen to take Tom Pope on loan to Field Mill. Pope To The Stags? http://www.crewe.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=96904 Mansfield boss Billy Dearden is keen to take Pope on loan to Field Mill and is keenly following his progress at Crewe. Steve Holland is likely to assess Crewe's attacking options before making a firm decision though. With incoming forwards looking likely during the transfer window, former Biddulph man Pope will be hoping to make an impact if loaned out in the near future. -------------- ALEX STRIKER LOAN TARGET 17 January 2008 http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk Crewe striker Tom Pope is a loan target for League Two Mansfield Town.And the Alex are prepared to let the former Biddulph Vics hitman go out to earn some competitive experience after his failure to get close to the starting XI in the past three months. The 22-year-old last featured as a late substitute in a 2-2 draw at Cheltenham on October 27. Alex first team coach Steve Holland will assess his frontline resources before letting Pope go, but Stags boss Billy Dearden has been in regular touch about the Stoke-born player's availability. |
Latest | January 2008