Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
McCarthy: Varney Was Terrific
Wednesday, 12th Apr 2017 18:07

Town boss Mick McCarthy has paid tribute to striker Luke Varney, who is set to come up against his old side with his current club Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium on Friday evening.

Varney joined the Brewers in January with his latest short-term deal with the Blues - his third stint at the club - coming to an end.

The 34-year-old has made four starts and seven sub appearances without scoring for Nigel Clough’s side, having netted three times for the Blues earlier in the campaign.

“He was brilliant, Reg,” McCarthy said. “He was such a great kid, everybody loved him as a player, as a personality.

“He did his achilles against Norwich [in the play-offs] and we kept him here, we put him up and got him fit.

“And he repaid us, he repaid us with a winner at Derby and he contributed a lot on the pitch but certainly off the pitch as well, he was terrific.”

The Town manager says the plan was that Varney, who rejoined the Blues in August after David McGoldrick suffered an early season injury having been released at the end of last season, would move on in January with his family based in the Midlands.

“There was always an understanding between me and Varns that he was going to stay until Christmas and then he would look at something else,” he continued.

“There probably would have been something here for him but he wanted to move back up there, and he got an 18-month contract and that was better for him.

“He was [getting in the goals before he left], but the understanding was that it went to Christmas and he could look for something else equally as we could make him an offer.

“But they made him a good offer and he chose to go back. And I don’t blame him, he’s got a young family.”

Varney’s time at Burton got off to a tough start when he suffered a punctured lung and a broken rib on his debut but he has started to establish himself in recent weeks.

The striker says he’ll be looking to grab his first goal for the Brewers against Town: “Always — we are always trying to score against any team, especially a previous team," he told the Burton Mail.

“It will be nice to see friendly faces but, hopefully, we get the positive result and we'll all shake hands after.

“I must admit, it's another football game for me — I've played in a lot. It will be nice to see a few old friends and a few old rivalries from training — I owe a couple of them one!

“It will be nice to see some of them but, at the end of the day, it's another massively important game for us.

“And it is also for them as well, because they are not quite 100 per cent clear mathematically, so they will be desperate for the points. But under the lights on Friday night, I'm sure we'll put a good show on."

How does Varney look back on his spells with the Blues, which started with a loan from Blackburn in the second half of the 2014/15 play-off season: “With great pleasure. I had a serious injury but they were great for me. They looked after me, got me fit and honoured my contract.

“It's a great club, fan base and the staff. It was one of the best two and a half years of my career. I enjoyed my time there."

In total, Varney made 14 starts and 21 sub appearances for the Blues, scoring five goals.


Photos: Reuters/TWTD



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



itfctrent added 19:25 - Apr 12
He wasn't the most gifted of players, but he always gave his all and looked like he genuinely cared about the club as per his celebrations when he scored. I hate to coin this phrase, but he was a genuine "proper bloke", and I really hope he does well at Burton.
8

chazyt21 added 19:45 - Apr 12
Everybody should turn up to Newcastle game on Monday with tape over the Marcus Evans logo in protest!!
#EvansOut
#MickOut
-5

Sam added 07:43 - Apr 13
What's the betting he'll score. Have a good game Varney, but not too good. 1-1 draw.
1

Surco72 added 14:22 - Apr 13
Headline sums it up for me , Varney at no stage in his career has been "terrific"
A hard worker and seemingly a nice bloke but "terrific " is a ridiculous comment we paid a striker for two and a half years for 14 starts and 5 goals
Does MM realise that being top blokes doesn't get you any more points than if they are all tw£$s , and for most of the season it doesn't look like the squad is playing for each other or the manager
We are wasting so much money on top blokes to get wages and not actually play Tabb spent the whole of last year getting paid , Coke , Varney , Best add these wages together and get one decent player in
2

ChrisFelix added 08:24 - Apr 14
I think Mcarthy needs to look up the meaning of brilliant & outstanding. There is no way these definitions apply to Varney.
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© TWTD 1995-2024