Lowe will return to Stoke.
We will continue without adding a new players.
Matt, Adomah, Josh, DJ, Cleary will be enough up top
Problems will come if L Gordon, Barrett, Matt get injured and if Josh come back crap.
So it wonāt be enough then.
In all honesty, I donāt know if Lowe will be recalled. I can see reasons for and against, but if he is recalled he wonāt have the same impact in the Champ as he has done here. The jump is just too great.
I feel things are different now with Trivela and they wonāt let this slip. If Lowe returns, I have faith they have plans in place to counteract this, but I also think weāll see some additions to see us through.
3 Likes
Lowe wonāt go back to figure in stokeās plans however they could possibly send him to a top 10 league one team to continue his development.
If I was in charge of development at Stoke Iād be insisting he stays at Walsall along with Tommy Simkin to have a taste of promotion or at worst challenging for promotion, this is a huge part of the development looking at how they handle these situations.
If they do take him back then Iām more than confident in Trivela (and their back room team) finding an adequate replacement, they got us DJ, Freddie and Lowe, they certainly recognise the importance of the top end of the pitch something their predecessor ignored due to the cost.
A promotion will look fantastic on Trivela CV and surely they wonāt gamble with it in January if Lowe does get recalled, Iām sure theyāll pay whatever Lincoln will be asking for Freddie to ensure we push on, imo he will be a very good investment if we can get him for the figures that are being thrown around.
8 Likes
Draper scored for us 10 times in L2 as part of a team that was lower mid-table through most of his time here, and tbh was carrying us a fair bit as the rest of the team was pretty inconsistent and he was the only one scoring goals. He went back to a Lincoln side just 1 rung above but doing OK (just missing out on the playoffs last season, in the mix this); he hasnāt pulling up any trees since as the 1 step up appears to be too much.
Lowe has 10 L2 goals in a team that has been firing all season and has had players around him who have themselves been a cut above and nearly all have chipped in with goals. He would be going back to a Stoke team 2 rungs up and in a relegation scrap. What they need is a proven Championship striker (plus probably a few others) so would they put their trust in an teenager unproven at that level?
After Draper left, DS managed to get the team playing a fair bit better even with a major cog missing. Not quite good enough but better.
This team is already better so that although Lowe would be a miss, it should be less of one than Freddie was last season - and I trust Sadler (plus the rest of his coaching team and Trivela backing them) to adapt anyway.
BTW DJT scored 13 times in a Drogheda side that was struggling (but still won a trophy and qualified for Europe) so why are we writing him off as not good enough to come back in January and do enough of a job in a better team than he was part of previously?
4 Likes
Personally I think Lowe is a level above Draper, donāt get me wrong I like Draper and he was good for us, but Lowe is just a better player I donāt think we have anyone else who could have scored the goal yesterday, so I do think he would be a big loss , also remember he has actually scored for Stoke in the Championship so heās not a complete novice at the level.
Iām confident that the management will have good options lined up but whether they will be available in January is debatable.
3 Likes
Draper would be more of an upgrade on a player like Josh Gordon, who works hard, and occupies defenders, but Draper has more goals in him. Lowe is a far more intelligent player, levels above. I agree that Stoke probably wonāt want to put their trust in a teenager to get them out of the doo doo. Letās hope not anyway.
Who is DS who got the team playing better? Letās not forget we replaced Draper with Faal, who did reasonably well for us also.
We are in such a good position, it would be madness to gamble on DJT being good enough. He did well at Drogheda no doubt, but once that window shuts that is it.
Best case scenario, Lowe stays and I reckon we go on and win the title. Worst case, in my opinion, we must try and replace him the best we can.
3 Likes
I think Deano must have been on my mind as I was typing that. 
1 Like
Thought Micky Mellon was managing Oldham these days? 
I know that this is a pun @AndyWTaylor but in terms of Oldham links, Josh Stones is on loan there from Wigan.
Iām sure that we were linked with him last January but then he sustained an injury. A big burly, hungry, young striker that could certainly enhance our attacking options.
If Lowe returns, we are in a strong position to get a player like Stones or Mellon on loan.
By the way, I also think that DJT and Josh Gordon are undervalued by many on here. I said similar things in the summer about Harry Williams when one or two were saying that he was a sick note that should be released, tooā¦
You see that sort of thinking gets you play offs imo.
Clearyās barely played so that would be a huge gamble.
Gordon is relatively proven at this level but not really for goals wearing this shirt and heās returning after a four month injury lay off.
No issue with DJ starting more but not the managerās favourite for his gameplan as we all know by now.
Basically that plan needs Matt to stay fit for the rest of the season and you just know the day after the window closes and Lowe isnāt replaced heād pick up an injury that would keep him out for a few months.
This type of thinking has cost the club before e.g. Jan 2016 so this imo is Trivelaās chance to really shine and show the past is the past and the club will now take advantage of significant opportunities to advance on the pitch.
3 Likes
Maybe just a thought. Lowe stays because stoke will look at drapers fall off after he went back. Maybe they think hey let him stay ha
Heās one I was rooting for us to sign in the summer and pretty sure we were in for him but was never going to rival Stockport with there upward trajectory unfortunately. But Iām so impressed with this lad that Iāll put my neck on the line here and say we sign Michael Mellon and weāre promoted he is that good (for this level) Iād even argue second half of the season if his to replace Lowe that he will be hitting the same number of goals that he has first half of the season! If his to come in and we keep Lowe then thatās the title wrapped up. You can keep this as a flagged statement in May.
4 Likes
Louie Barry recalled by Villa, bet Stockport will be in for Lowe now!
Why are Villa recalling him? Is he seriously going to get in their matchday squad right now and get any sort of game time?? Or maybe they are looking to loan him into Championship.
My first thought. Maybe thereās been a bid for him.
Going to Boro by all accounts.
1 Like
This article says that he may be off on loan to Leeds to play at a higher level.
Thatās interesting to hear, I mentioned on the ā Nathan Lowe ā thread days ago that I was told that Lowe would be recalled by Stoke and Stockport was where he was going to gain League 1 experience, hope my contact is wrong.
Ahh! Hope your contact is wrong too!