Town have completed the loan signing of Celtic defender Darren O'Dea until January. Bhoys boss Neil Lennon first revealed that the 23-year-old was set for Portman Road on Saturday.

Irish international O'Dea, who had a spell with Reading last season, will be with the Blues until January 17th.

The 6ft 1in tall Dubliner, primarily a left-sided central defender but also able to operate at full-back, played youth football with local club Home Park, moving on to Celtic when a teenager. While at Parkhead he played alongside Blues boss Roy Keane and skippered the side on occasion last season.

O’Dea, who has two full caps and nine at U21 level, was previously linked with the Blues in 2008 during Jim Magilton’s time as manager, although the reports were dismissed by the Northern Irishman.

The Blues new signing, who is contracted to Celtic until June 2012, is set to train with his new team-mates on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, new skipper David Norris has told the club site that despite the decent first week of the season, it's too early to start eyeing a play-off place: "It's our aim, of course but we spoke so much about it last season.

"We have had a good start to the season but we are only one week in and we're certainly not getting carried away.

"If we are up near the top after 15 games or so then maybe I will start thinking and talking about it then, but not before."

Photo: Action Images

StowTractorBoy added 23:57 - Aug 17 Totally agree NorthernBlue the SPL is Mickey Mouse Football as is being proved at Middlesbrough at the moment with their SPL signings. Bit surpised by this signing as we have ample cover at the back (right back apart) but its another body in a season that could mean we play well over 50 games. Like others I feel we desparately need a striker. Unless this is solved I can see only mid table mediocrity which to be fair is better than I thought at the start of the season. Come on Mr. Clegg lets get a striker before Saturday and really go for the top 6.

0

cammeray added 00:24 - Aug 18 Nothing wrong with a loan until 17th Jan. If he plays well chances are the loan will be extended, if he's bad and/or doesn't get much game time then he goes back and someone else possibly replaces him during the January window for the second half of season on loan. Makes sense to me.
0

maimeetang added 00:31 - Aug 18 This is good 'news'.
0

oxfordblue3 added 00:54 - Aug 18 Sounds a bit like "Oh Dear" ... hope it's not a sign. I can see the headlines if he drops a clanger or scores an OG
0

ITFC_Budapest added 06:45 - Aug 18 Oh'dear!! Yeah like we need more defenders. That will get us scoring more!
0

Surco72 added 07:47 - Aug 18 This is a very good loan signing especially until Delaney and Kennedy are fully fit again , .To those who talk about the youngsters if you had been to the Exeter game and seen Brown ,Eastman and Ainsley playing together in the back four you would see why this loan was needed ,good youngsters maybe but way off a long run in the first team in the championship . And on the striker front like i have said for over a season it was not just a 20 goal striker we needed it was goals from midfield and all over we have been lacking compared to last season playoffs/promoted sides and 7 goals in first 3 games against two of the best sides in division is hardly struggling is it ?

0

dobbie73 added 08:03 - Aug 18 Welcome Darren! That headline is a bit of a tongue-twister, lol. O'Dea Deal Done O'Dea Deal Done O'Dean Dole Doo O'Doe Doo Day O'Dee Doo Da O' b*gger it!
0

bluelady added 08:41 - Aug 18 i have to agee with a lot on here, yes a good signing and will be good cover - after such a nasty injury Delany may take a while to settle back in. HOWEVER we have absolutely no cover at right back/Right Centre Back. Also the promised 20 a season striker once again seems to be an open promise that isnt happening. I do hope i am wrong, always like to look on the bright side, but at the moment whatever happened first games of season i dont think we have the depth to really challange - i also think that the Middlesborough, Burnley favourites is a red herring as there are some other really very good clubs out there who have made much better signings than us thus far. I hope i am proved wrong.

0

brittaniaman added 08:49 - Aug 18 Just a comment on Bellamys loan to Cardiff, if Man. City are paying half of his wages, how the hell are Cardiff going to pay the other half of 86k per week ???????. They owe other clubs money as well !!!!!
0

bluefishx added 09:04 - Aug 18 At least it's not, O'Dea Deal Dead, even if that sounds a better headline.
0

robdaful added 09:25 - Aug 18 brittaniaman added 08:49 - Aug 18 Just a comment on Bellamys loan to Cardiff, if Man. City are paying half of his wages, how the hell are Cardiff going to pay the other half of 86k per week ???????. They owe other clubs money as well !!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yeah thats what I thought but I flicked onto sky sports news and they were talking about it and then the Motherwell chairman came on and said he is taking legal action on Cardiff as Cardiff still owe them money from last year signing of Paul Quinn. He also said they should be paying off there debts rather than adding to them with Bellemy. Also I Motherwell win their court case then I'm sure Cardiff will need to sell otherwise they could go under. Hopefully Chopra will have to come to balance the books.

0

jbb added 09:33 - Aug 18 On the face of it a left sided defender shouldnt have been a big priority. However I would trust the management, that O'Dea will strengthen the team. The most likely reason for his signing is, as RK mentioned at the weekend, the team is physically very small at present, Burnley were a much bigger side, and two points were lost due to not being able to defend a corner. With Walters gone as well, there was need for some physically big players, which would suggest O'Dea/Smith will replace O'Connor, with O'Dea providing much needed additional height and physical presence at CB/FB. Of Saturday's squad only McAuley & Smith were capable of defending dead balls. Another less likely reason for his signing is that rumours of Blackburn interest in Smith were correct, and that O'Dea is being brought in as replacement until Delaney is fit. I am sure the club are trying very hard to sign a CF, and would agree that it should be on terms that the club can afford. I would very much like to see them bring in a stronger defender at RB. Peters does a lot of things well but unfortunately will not do as a defender in a team seeking to be in the top 6.

0

8ashblue added 09:45 - Aug 18 you all seem to have overlooked DD's absense so it would appear that the loan is timed until DD returns. Ok Smith is in position now and didnt do much wrong so far but i hardly think that Brown etc are ready for Championship yet. Plus O'Dea will give us options and he seems to hav emore physical presence than say O'Connor for the tough games coming up.
0

suffolksam added 10:31 - Aug 18 ac milan coach reckoned he was the man a while back we will see
0

bluelady added 10:42 - Aug 18 http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_6319574,00.html think the above will have any bearing on the McCormack situation - the deal was on the understanding that Cousins went to Cardiff i understand?
0

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 11:12 - Aug 18 Can't really see why people would question this move. It seems sense to me. It's only short term (so far), and who's to say another of our backs might not get injured? I would have thought the right-hand side was more urgent, but you get what you can when it's available. If Kennedy is out for longer than we thought, O'D can take his place and Smithy stays where he is. Or if Smith needs a rest or gets injured, O'D can cover there instead. There are a number of permutations.... The fact we also need a striker doesn't make this a bad deal.

0

slowerball added 11:20 - Aug 18 Darren Day? Oh, I read it wrong... Welcome aboard. Home Farm... mmmmmmmmmmmmmm... do they just supply us with players / targets or do they do yoghurts, cream, free range eggs, etc?
0

BlooooCD added 11:36 - Aug 18 Does this below detail mean we could now possibly re-ignite the Jason Scotland deal.... Because to be honest Defenders bore me a little! ha ha! Skysports: 'Roberto Di Matteo has confirmed that West Brom have agreed terms with Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie' I am going to need some convincing that Clegg can actually sign his own name let alone any players - he does seem a far distance away from the mark on getting us players! Anyone agree? or disagree and can convince me otherwise?

0

bluelady added 12:08 - Aug 18 BooooooCD what has that move got to do with Wigan? Im a bit confused :-) do agree though personally think sack Clegg that'll free up some wages to pay a decent striker!!!!
0

BlooooCD added 12:30 - Aug 18 bluelady - I share your confusion with that comment of mine! I shall now have to sit red faced and hang my head in shame! I seem to have got myself in a confused mess with all this transfer gossip! ha ha! dear oh dear... Walk of shame coming up! The Clegg one made much more sense... ha ha!
0

Suffolk_n_Good added 12:39 - Aug 18 Ok, he's a young centre-back for cover, he's not gonna be here for ever, welcome Darren I hope you have a successful spell at our beloved club..... HOWEVER, We need a bloody striker!! OI CLEGG, DID YOU HEAR ME...... WE NEED A BLOODY STRIKER!....... Mr Clegg Sir, I believe you would struggle to sign a new cleaning lady! For crying out loud, PLEASE pull your finger out (all 10 of them!) & start getting some bloody ink on these so called contracts,..... AH hold on, maybe thats the problem....... Clegg (with a cheesy grin on his face) puts the contract in front of our new potential striker, & offers him his pen, the striker goes to sign it, but Cleggs pen has ran out of ink! Clegg panics, "Hold on there I'll find a pen that works for you", he takes that long to track down ME & speak to him about finding/buying a new pen, & what budget he has for a new pen, by the time it's anywhere near sorting, the striker has got fed up of hanging around, his agent has sorted him out with another club, who have invested in a WHOLE pack of new pens, lined up on the Chief Executives desk, just in case the first one doesn't work!!!

0

bluelady added 12:55 - Aug 18 suffolk_n_good did that make me laugh out loud or what!!! i even had a vivid picture in my mind. Fantastic, more like that please to ease an otherwise stale situation!!!!!! Also do agree welcome Darren - got an decent mates who can score goals you can bring along to the party?
0

comeonthegoodtimes added 13:29 - Aug 18 suffolk and good - you could be on to something there.... This goes out to anyone who works in any STATIONARY DEPARTMENT in suffolk. If you could just pop up to Portman road and donate a box of pens to the Guy's that would be great.... Mr Clegg, if you are reading this then there's no need for you to apply for the job or anything.....when i say STATIONARY, I mean stationary in the pens,pencils and ruler department. NOT the STATIONARY transfer market we seem to have in our club at the minute. You seem to have that job running just smoothly at the minute.......NOT

0

BlueBagel added 13:34 - Aug 18 Walters has gone to Stoke for £3.5m http://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s626/st161732.htm Great business if true.
0

bluelady added 13:56 - Aug 18 comeonthegoodtimes stop it you will start to confuse our good Mr Clegg, he will begin to concerntrate his efforts on biros and bics - next thing we know there will be real issues in the stationery cupboard as he looks for a transfer deal for his best piece of equipment thinking that swaping for another item such as a ruler would be a better option than popping down to W H Smith and purchasing the best and finest ink pen one can afford.... no no no that isnt the way forward - we must remove all the pens from the cupboard and then hope a freebie comes in the door with one of those surveys....... :-)

0

Blogs 297 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls