Town boss Mick McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor spent Monday evening watching West Ham’s U23s beat their West Brom counterparts 2-1 at Dagenham and Redbridge’s Victoria Road with Hammers striker Ashley Fletcher understood to be the reason for their trip.

Fletcher, who TWTD reported in August was on the Blues’ list of potential replacements for Daryl Murphy, created his side’s opening goal in the seventh minute, a Baggies defender turning his cross past his own keeper, then netted the second himself in the 33rd minute.

The 21-year-old Keighley-born frontman played youth football for Bolton Wanderers and then Manchester United and spent the second half of last season on loan at Barnsley, scoring eight goals in 16 starts and 11 sub appearances.

The three-times-capped England U20 international joined West Ham in the summer after turning down a new contract at Old Trafford, signing a four-year deal.

Fletcher, who is 6ft 1in tall, has made one Premier League start - in the 3-1 defeat at Manchester City in August - and five top flight sub appearances as well as coming off the bench twice in the Europa League. He is yet to open his account for the Hammers.

Having sold Murphy to Newcastle and having been unable to replace him before the August transfer window closed, another striker is top of Town’s January wish-list.

The Blues are unlikely to be the only Championship club considering making a loan move for Fletcher and Leeds United have previously been linked.

Photo: Action Images

kizaitfc added 22:03 - Oct 31 Would much rather we signed a player then loaning more youngsters who we wont see again. Additionally feel we need a more proven threat up front. Chris Wood or Rickie Lambert would have been my choice
7

mickeyjb added 22:13 - Oct 31 Agreed. No loans. We players that we know will be ours for the future and not just using us to get in shape ready for someone else with a few quid to buy them.
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ITFCGloryDays added 22:18 - Oct 31 Another bloody loan! Jeez...
4

BrettenhamBlue added 22:37 - Oct 31 No clue about this player but do know that Sam Ford is considered their best U23 striker. A man we gave away for nothing.
9

Michael11 added 22:40 - Oct 31 Another loan is really not what is needed. We need players who are committed to our club and not just here to use us as a stepping stone to impress someone else. However, at least the lad isn't just a big lump so hopefully McCarthy (if he stays) is targeting a different style of striker to Murph.
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Vizslaraner added 23:01 - Oct 31 Very good young player and ripped it up at Barnsley last season on the way to promotion. The downside to this is it's a loan, and more worrying is that McCarthy is looking at him for when the window opens! This means he is likely to still be here! Just go ffs! If this lad did come he will destroy him in no time with his draconian ways and prehistoric training methods.

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BlueNomad added 23:12 - Oct 31 Do you know he is draconian and that his training methods are prehistoric or are you just surmising them? If it is the latter you are just using those descriptions to vent your antipathy towards him without any evidence to support them.
3

wedgieblue added 00:06 - Nov 1 no matter how good any striker is they're going to suffer as we can't give them good service or make openings for them....!! (Freddie was a 20+ player before MM got his hands on him) Unless by good service I mean, playing 'Panic-hoof, go fetch football'...! In which case sign a giraffe....!!! They're good in the air....!!! I although I'm guessing harder to get on loan....!!!

4

Guessblue added 00:08 - Nov 1 And that's why I want McCarthy sacked. He is becoming as loan obsessed as Paul Jewell. Why pay a loan fee and wages for a player that will be gone in a few months putting us right back at square one. We have wasted millions doing this. The man is a total prat, and the sooner he is gone the better
13

oldegold added 00:22 - Nov 1 Ipswich Star headline tonight " Mick goes on the defensive "...couldn't stop laughing...this guy has been defensive all of his managerial career
19

GiveusaWave added 00:51 - Nov 1 Given the way we play it's crystal clear that we are desperately in need of a target man. This is a link to a target man so that's a good start. However, we should have replaced Murphy IMMEDIATELY, especially given our "style" of football. Hoofing it forwards to Best and Mcgoldrick isn't working, they are both similar players and feed off target men. In theory, Varney is a target man but it would be a huge risk and ask playing him from the start every game. Overall thinking investing in new permanent signings is a better option than very expensive short term loans. It's not the best business plan.

5

NoelTheDub added 02:27 - Nov 1 A harget man for a hoofball just what we need super deal for our dying club we are in s##t street if this is true.Murf is gone play football for gods sake.. The more I read these stories the more it wrecks me head.Any lad coming here will be destroyed by this man in charge hes on a different planet.
6

parkinshair added 04:38 - Nov 1 No, no, no ,no and no. We already have two youngsters on loan we need a permanent replacement for Murphy. How about putting a bid in for a 25 year old Danny Ward that tore us a new one on Saturday?
2

flyingdutchman added 05:05 - Nov 1 pay wolves to take him away ffs
6

Penguinblue added 06:12 - Nov 1 I was hoping against hope he would be spending the evening resigning, being sacked, packing. Just go McCarthy OUT
8

dukey44 added 07:01 - Nov 1 Let me think didn't the club say they would be investing money in signings in January!??? Surely this means transfers NOT LOANS??
3

yorksblue added 07:08 - Nov 1 Get Peter Crouch or bring Kevin Francis out of retirement
2

BrettenhamBlue added 07:46 - Nov 1 Zigic and Maierhoffer are both free as of July 2016. I'd sign both just to give competition for that position. We could play with two target men on some occasions which gives a greater chance of one of our players making contact with those hoofs.
-1

GiveusaWave added 07:58 - Nov 1 Some good points made by yorksblue and pjewellisagod. Playing hoofball without a target man just seems plain stupid. But then again, we play strikers as wingers and centre backs as right backs, time waste when we are losing, use the same tactic over and over again and play under-performing players game after game after game. But I agree with ArmieM as I believe this is a club problem not just an MM problem.

3

sidtheswan added 08:06 - Nov 1 Looks a good prospect but we need a permanent replacement for Murph!
1

TrumptonBlue added 08:29 - Nov 1 Would much rather give Morris a chance than developing other teams' youngsters for them.
8

blues1 added 08:52 - Nov 1 Sorry guys but as much as I agree with the sentiment of wanting McCarthy out (sooner the better for me), I don't get where people are coming from with the constant reference to hoofball? Since Murphy left we have been playing a lot more football on the ground, not just hoofing it forward. The problem is were still going out not to lose games rather than to win and the football we are playing is too slow and we giving the ball away too often.

7

d0nk added 09:32 - Nov 1 Slow news day?clutching at straws here a bit arent we?the news is that people are starting to not give a toss anymore. Hopefully the club will wake up to this sooner rather than later and take action. Its becoming very depressing.
1

jonbull88 added 09:48 - Nov 1 Whilst I don't agree with loans we have been a club for loaning players for at least 10 years. Difference is now prices to buy players are 1000% overinflated. I could almost put my house on if we managed to get up, whether with mm or not, we would almost buy a new team. For a club A loan is considered risk free, if they work well and get us top 6 then smashing, if they end up a dud and a waste of space they can go. As I stated I would prefer not to have to loan players but whilst teams are spending silly money which they don't really have I guess we must accept it.

0

karls_dad added 09:50 - Nov 1 Yet another loan, sigh!! it was not that long ago when the attendance at Portman rd was 22k to 24k, thats 9k gone walkies, how muh further has it to fall before the club realises that its in trouble? I like many others are fed up and disenchanted at what is happening to my once proud club! Who do we blame, the faceless M E ? or MM with his dire style of football, we have sold so many great players of late and used the funds to pay journey men, Best, Coke for example, so tired of all this nonense from the club, we have not a prayer this year, and will do well to finish away from the scary zone, So many words to say how i feel, but none encouraging!

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