TWTD understands that Town are set to make a renewed attempt to sign Sunderland striker Daryl Murphy. The Irishman was close to joining the Blues in a joint £5 million deal involving Dean Whitehead earlier in the summer and even got as far as having a medical at Portman Road.

That move collapsed when Hull City came in for the former Waterford United frontman, but talks between Murphy and the Tigers broke down and he is still at the Stadium of Light. Whitehead subsequently moved to Stoke.

The Hull move would have seen the Black Cats receive a fee of £1.5 million for Murphy, building up to £2.5 million with top-ups and it is likely that the Blues had agreed similar terms with the Wearside club.

The 26-year-old, capped nine times by the Republic of Ireland without scoring, spent several spells on trial at Playford Road during 2004/05 before deciding to join Sunderland — who had recently been promoted to the Premier League — at the end of the season for €100,000, shortly after signing a new contract with Waterford to ensure that his hometown side received a fee.

The 6ft 3in tall frontman or left midfielder was a regular in Roy Keane’s Sunderland side.

Photo: Action Images

SouperJim added 19:13 - Aug 5 The proof of the pudding will be in the eating and I hear Roy is a good cook.
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barmyarmy added 19:16 - Aug 5 both danny shittu and dave nuget have been made avalible by their clubs! they are two quality players, and realistic targets. although i would love to kick nugent to death he is a good goal scorer at this level!
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purdue_blue added 19:19 - Aug 5 Regardless of who our manager is, ITFC is in a tough market. We have to stop looking back at 1978-1981 and thinking that our accomplishments at that time with dear Sir Bobby have any impact on today's players. They mostly weren't even born. We are what we are. Now. In the present. Not stuck in a 70s-80s time warp that lots of you seem to think. Roy Keane will manage the club and the players to the best of his ability and with committment. That is all we can ask. He is dealing in the transfer market as well as he can given the financial resources and the present state/status of the club. Please support him and stop the negativity. We have no right to expect instant success/results/promotion.

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CarrotCruncher added 19:40 - Aug 5 Purdue thats spot on. Though lucky enough to watch the wonder team. I think the future could be bright and all we can ask for is the lads giving 100%.
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jas0999 added 20:02 - Aug 5 Great news. Let's look at the options RK inherited from Jim: - Stead - decent but hasn't scored in pre-season. Scores once in every 4 - Lisbie - Terrible striker. Murphy is certainly no worse! Shipped out on loan - Rhodes - possibly a good player, but at Championship level? Who knows? His Dad probably applied pressure on him to leave Town after being sacked by Jim. - Counago - Terrible goal scoring rate. Doesn't score away and was given a whopping contract extension by his mate Jim. RK has to offload him. - Wickham - seems a decent prospect BUT good enough / old enough to handle the pressure? Time will tell. Looking at the above I am struggling to see the criticism towards RK. Murphy would be no worse than the players we have and has experience on Wickham.

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blue_moon09 added 20:09 - Aug 5 Ipswich have a ex premiership great as manager and a mega rich owner and still people are not happy. All you moaners wanted Jim out his gone now get behind the new regime. Keane is going to build a good side here but first his got to get rid of the mistakes JM made and bring in winners! be patient and keep the faith
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CapnBlues added 20:11 - Aug 5 Jas I think the criticism comes from not looking for a striker asap. Keane has been here since April and has had time to know what we need and what we have. Now we're days away from the start of the season with 3 strikers: one is injured/unfit and one is a boy! We really need to hit the ground running and can't afford to wait another 2/3 weeks or so to actually complete our squad. We've played catch up for too many seasons now.

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radiogaga added 20:12 - Aug 5 And the point of signing Nugent would be... Yes, I am sure he is a good goalscorer but I haven't seen it yet to be truthful... He had 2 good years at Preston and helped them reach the play-offs... but apart from that? He also seems completely disinterested whenever I see him on Sky, and this is whilst he is playing in the best league in the world!!! You would have thought being found out in the premiership has brought him down a peg or two, but he still beleives his own hype. And after three failed attempts already to persuade him to come, only for him to basically say he is bigger than the Championship and that £15,000 per week contract offer is insulting, I can't beleive people still suggest him. Many of these people no doubt criticised Campo (rightly so) for his lack of commitment and productivity in return for the obscenely high wages being paid. That was a fair criticism, but what more could be expected of Nugent exactly? There are some town fans out there who lack consistency...

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jas0999 added 20:17 - Aug 5 CapnBlues - okay point taken - but every one RK has been even remotely linked too has been on the whole slated by many. Should we not at least give Roy a chance?
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gtd added 20:27 - Aug 5 Murhpy or Priskin. I'll be thrilled with either. Why? Because Keane knows better than all the whingers on here put together.
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radiogaga added 20:34 - Aug 5 And as for the above statement about not signing a striker sooner, all summer Keano has set his sights on signing two strikers... Murphy and Tamas Priskin are who he wants to specifically pursue. If he wants to focus all his energies on getting those two, I have no problems with that. A manager who does not resort to signing second choices is a manager who demands only the best and high standards, which is what we all want right? I'd rather he doesn't do what Magilton did last summer, chase a greedyguts like Nugent all summer and then realise it isn't going to happen, so rush in to beat Barnsley and Plymouth to the panic buy of Kevin Lisbie, look what that got us

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Borsetshire_Blue added 20:43 - Aug 5 On a Sunderland website they said he's on 25k a week and numerous posters were willing to deliver him to us, hmm.
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gtd added 21:08 - Aug 5 Borsetshire_Blue, tat doesn't necessarily mean he's going to be awful for us, does it? Lisbie was great for Colchester and terrible for us, so some players have certain clubs they slot in to and play their best football. Plus, you're trusting the views of a few whinging Mackems instead of the judgment of Roy Keane? Pretty pathetic tbh...
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Borsetshire_Blue added 21:33 - Aug 5 Yes you are entitled to your opinion, lets see what transpires.
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bluecheese added 22:48 - Aug 5 if he turned hull down due to wages - how much would we have to offer him?
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MarkITFC added 22:56 - Aug 5 we have to go in for Danny Shittu , he is a defensive rock always wins headers and i think would make out defence 10 times better . Balkinstine/Wright ---- Shittu----McAurly -----Delanley Great Back 4 !!
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tractorboybig added 08:52 - Aug 6 dear markeyboy Cole- Ferdenand -Terry -johnson, would make our back four better
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MarkITFC added 09:29 - Aug 6 Nah i would rather keano went in for Dan Alvez :L not johnson
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Bluroo added 09:36 - Aug 6 Jim spent last summer finding it difficult to sign a decent striker and in the end, somewhat desperately, signed Lisbie. I'm impressed by Keanes patience. Either sign the right player for the right money or not at all. Its the only way to improve the squad. I gather Keane has a premiership loan striker lined up if we don't get Priskin or Murphy.
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blueboy65 added 10:02 - Aug 6 Agree with Bluroo, RK certainly has shown us he has patience, and a few mind games , learnt from the Master himself Fergie, Lets leave Roy to it and start voices our opinions 10 to 15 games into the season
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