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Loach Joins Rotherham
Thursday, 5th Jun 2014 15:42

Keeper Scott Loach has joined Championship new boys Rotherham United on a two-year deal after his contract with Town was cancelled by mutual consent. Boss Mick McCarthy had previously made the 26-year-old available for transfer with his opportunities having been limited during 2013/14.

Loach, a Blues supporter and academy schoolboy as a youngster, returned to Town in the summer of 2012, joining from Watford for a fee of £150,000 and signing a contract which was due to run until the summer of 2015.

He made 32 starts and one sub appearance but never firmly established himself at Portman Road.

“My time at the club is over but I just want to thank everyone for making me feel welcome here,” the former England U21 international told the club site.

“I’ve always had a great reception from the fans and I think the club is a credit to itself. The people at the club and the fans who support Ipswich all deserve a big future and I hope they get just that.”

A Town spokesman added: "The club would like to thank Scott for all his efforts in a Town shirt and we wish him well for the future."

Rotherham boss Steve Evans told the Millers' official site: “Scott has made over 150 starts for Watford in the Championship so he has great experience at this level.

"He has played under the likes of the excellent Malky Mackay and Brendan Rodgers and they are two individuals who know a player when they see one.

"He has just turned 26 so he is at a good age; he has previously been called up to the England senior squad and has been capped repeatedly at U21 level.

"He has great stature, he kicks well, he has all the attributes that a top keeper needs and he fits in perfectly to what we are looking for.”

He added: “Similar to Matt Derbyshire and Conor Newton we are signing a player who is still young, still has a point to prove and is hungry for success.

“He had a dream move to Ipswich, his boyhood club, for a sizeable undisclosed fee but it hasn’t quite worked out as he would have wished.

"We are delighted to sign Scott, like our other signings, he has a fantastic pedigree and he wants to help take this club and his career forward.

“I talked to him purely on football terms and the discussions were very straightforward. He wants to come in and grab the number one shirt and he is under no illusions to how tough that will be.

"Both our keepers will know that come August 9th I will pick the person that we genuinely believe deserves the shirt, there can be no other way.”

Meanwhile, former Yeovil central defender Byron Webster, who has been linked with the Blues amongst others this summer, is reported to be close to joining Millwall.

The Blues watched Webster and his former Glovers team-mate Luke Ayling in action last season with the latter understood to be of greater interest.

Right-back Ayling is, like Webster, out of contract but as he's only 22 Yeovil would be entitled to compensation, however, manager Gary Johnson says no club has so far been in contact to make an offer.


Photo: Action Images



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oscarwhiting added 15:48 - Jun 5
Thanks Scott, Shame to see one of our own leave. All the best in the future mate.
12

CanadianBlue added 15:51 - Jun 5
All the best to him.
7

TractorCam added 16:01 - Jun 5
Good luck Scotty
6

tractordownsouth added 16:02 - Jun 5
Shame but he clearly was not favoured. Wish him well as he is a model pro who always wanted the best for the club.
8

warwickblue added 16:10 - Jun 5
Good luck and best wishes Scott.
4

bring_back_Wickham added 16:12 - Jun 5
He left on a free? Feel we could have commanded a fee.
5

gazzmac4 added 16:17 - Jun 5
As posted above we will always root for a player who is town through and through but sometimes it doesnt work out. Shame.

Good luck to the guy though! I hope he enjoys 44 great games next season, and lets a few in, in the other 2... ; )
3

irishtim added 16:20 - Jun 5
Hope it goes well for you Scott.
1

MaySixth added 16:30 - Jun 5
Exceedingly shaky on crosses and always a mistake lurking.

Seems a decent lad though. Good luck.
3

bigolconnor added 16:41 - Jun 5
Is his goals to games ratio much less than Gerken?
0

Surco72 added 16:48 - Jun 5
Good luck Scott , has years ahead of him in the game , I hope its another release we don't regret as not a lot between the two keepers for me
1

pazelle added 16:49 - Jun 5
Best of luck Scott!

Rotherham signed Matt Derbyshire?!?
1

therein61 added 17:00 - Jun 5
All the very best Scott I feel that you have had a bit of a rough deal at the club you love!!, but MM seems to have blinkers on regarding Gerkin so it looks like he is only going to sign a back up rather than serious competition hope I'm wrong
2

theobald1985 added 17:01 - Jun 5
good luck to scott loach as he still has a good future ahead of him.
knew his time was up when he came in was MOM and then was dropped-treated badly by mcarthy in my view.
2

StowTractorBoy added 17:09 - Jun 5
Good luck Scott Loach I wish you well just a great pity you never ventured further than your six yard box. Very good shot stopper (but not against Leeds at home) and good kicker but as per MM Gerks is the better keeper. I would like to see a potential first choice goalkeeper signed though.
0

blueblood66 added 17:10 - Jun 5
If he is not going to be number 1 there why leave us? Good luck to him, assuming Crow will now be our number 2?
0

Mark added 17:35 - Jun 5
> He left on a free? Feel we could have commanded a fee.

I suppose in reality we paid him to leave. That happens time and time again to Ipswich for players we signed for transfer fees (before McCarthy).
5

BotesdaleBlue added 17:51 - Jun 5
Totally agree Mark

I suspect Taylor will be the next one paid to leave. It's not his (Loach's) leaving that gets me, its the fact that we rarely receive any transfer fees for under contract players and end up paying them to go effectively - time and time again.
10

Jimmy86 added 17:56 - Jun 5
Couldnt make it up, well mick I hope you have a replacement lined up who is better than loachy and also better than gerken. We need a stand out number 1 as for me there wasn't much, if anything between loach and gerken anyway. In fact gerken made more costly mistakes than loach did. Was also telling it was a town spokesman who wished scott well and not mick himself. Mick treated loachy disgustingly and after his MOM performance in the 0-0 bore draw against blackpool, where he deserved to keep his place, afterall thats micks mantra, play well and you keep your place, yea right. That and the fact he was made available for transfer and then we go and pay his contract up!!! If rotherham wanted him they could have bought him!!! We dont have any money as it is without settling his contract. Poor all round, good luck scott
8

Jimmy86 added 18:01 - Jun 5
Funny that stowtractor coz there's nothing between gerken and loach. Gerken certainly isn't any better than loach, thats for sure. We need a new number 1, coz gerken made too many costly mistakes. And before you go on about he commands his area better and comes off his line, does he??
1

blueboy1981 added 18:05 - Jun 5
Real Shame - another good, young, committed player leaves our Club.

Anyone remember Rhodes !! and someone by the name of Wickham !! - to name but a couple of a looooooong line of such players.
Just watch both the above this coming season and see what could, and should, have been for us.

Rhodes 'arrived' previously, and Wickham has now 'arrived' big time - so much for the 'experts' on this forum who I will remind said such as ..... not proven, won't make it at higher level, not this, not that,etc; etc;

WELL DONE BOYS - you've made it. AS I PREDICTED FOR BOTH.

I wish a few more people who follow ITFC understood the game - that way they would see that 'we have got it far from right' - as a Club - pretending to move forward.
2

blueboy1981 added 18:10 - Jun 5
....... and still we cough up.

Wait for it ............... How long have I got to wait before I'm told to go to Norwich ? ............ seems the stock answer for some to spew up every so often.
-1

62WasBest added 18:13 - Jun 5
BotesdaleBlue - can see your general point but I think the fact that it was a contract cancelled by mutual consent means we save money. Loach would still be being paid through the summer if he'd stayed waiting for a buyer. A lot of clubs are like us - looking for frees and Bosmans so there'd be no guarantee we'd get a fee anyway and might have had to have kept him even longer -even to 2016 - paying even more, but never playing him.
1

runaround added 18:15 - Jun 5
A real shame it didn't work out for Loach here & I echo some of the comments above that I really don't think Gerken is much, if any better than him.
Also find it strange we paid him off to leave? Surely a free transfer or a small fee could have been achieved?
I suspect Taylor will be next allowed to go for nothing or paid off.
Just hope this is to cut wagebill ready for a few bargain freebies
0

blueboy1981 added 18:18 - Jun 5
Once a Blue - Always a Blue ............. but sometimes this Club really pi-ses me off.
-3


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