Sanchez ‘refreshed’ by young guns

Some of the new boys are impressing the boss:

“I enjoyed seeing the new players in action that I hadn’t seen before. Players like Sean Webb. I wanted to give them all a chance.
“Young Lafferty did himself a lot of favours in the short time he was on the pitch. We know James Quinn is not going to be around for ever, so we’ll need someone to replace him. Lafferty might be that particular player.
“And Peter Thompson caused them a lot of problems. We thought about starting him with Quinn but then decided to go with Ivan Sproule in attack and Steve Jones on the right. However Thompson did do very well when his chance came.
“I also thought we were very dangerous from Sammy Clingan’s set plays. That is an asset to us and something we will be working on because it will be crucial for our goalscoring. We need to be making the most of those deliveries. Sammy had a good game. He was tidy on the ball and gave us natural balance because he played as defensive midfielder and therefore allowed Steve Davis to stride forward. He made the important challenges and tackles and a defensive midfielder is what we need with Damien Johnson going to be missing from the first two games of the European qualifiers.
“I’m going to sit down today and have a think about my selection for Friday but there will be changes. We have a few options so I might give other players their opportunity. These new players on this tour have every chance of being involved in the European qualifiers and it’s been refreshing working with them.”

One player missing out is Sammy Morrow, who would have been there but for injury:
“Lawrie had been watching me in the last few Under-21 matches and saw me score a few goals. He told me I would be going to America and that I’d win my first cap over there. So the injury was a bit of a blow but Lawrie has reassured me. He told me to get back fit as quickly as possible and that my debut wasn’t too far off. That made me quite happy and has given me something to look forward to, hopefully before Christmas.”
“Lawrie told Dean his operation wouldn’t end his international career and that’s proved to be the case. It’s fantastic for Dean, he’s had a lot to deal with but he’s a strong character and it’s all credit to him that he’s across in America just now.”
On the innocuous challenge that led to his 6-month injury:
“I was going for a ball over the top, I got it before the centre-half and he pushed me in the back and I stumbled. It’s the sort of thing which has happened a million times to me in games but it’s just the way you fall. I heard a snap but tried to kid myself I hadn’t.
“I played on for a couple of minutes but my leg was flopping about all over the place. I knew something was wrong and when the doctor took me to the changing room my knee went up like a balloon. But Hibs have been great, our physio Colin McLelland got me scanned one day, I saw the surgeon the next and the operation was done very quickly. It was first-class.”
Morrow has a year left on his contract at Hibs, but his aim now is just to return to fitness:
“The manager might go out and sign five strikers or he may not sign any. My personal target is to get myself in good shape so whoever I am playing for I can give 100 per cent.”

Thompson signs full-time contract

Thompson won his 2nd NI cap against Estonia on Wednesday night
Linfield striker Peter Thompson has ended the speculation over his future by signing a 3 and a half year full-time contract with the Belfast club. It will keep him with Linfield till the end of the 2009 season. Thompson said:
“This shows massive ambition and a massive committment by Linfield. I will now be able to train five days a week, which will be of benefit to both Linfield and myself. I am happy to be a Linfield player and am happy to have signed a new contract.”
“I am absolutely delighted with this new deal which means that I can concentrate on nothing else but playing football from now on.”
“The club have always looked after my interests and I am happy with the way they have dealt with approaches from other clubs”
Linfield turned down bids for him from QPR and Gretna in January.

Hibs keeping an eye on Thompson

Ivan Sproule has put in a good word with Tony Mowbray for Linfield striker Peter Thompson. From the SL:
Queen’s Park Rangers can expect a serious challenge for the signature of Linfield striker Peter Thompson by Edinburgh giants Hiberian. For Easter Road boss Tony Mowbray has been digesting glowing reports on the Belfast postman from his Northern Ireland ace Ivan Sproule. But again the asking price could scupper any deal! Sproule was highly impressed during international training sessions with the Blues’ goal machine and reported back to Mowbray. And after QPR boss Ian Holloway failed to clinch a deal before the transfer window closed last Tuesday, Pistol Pete will be up for grabs again at the end of the season. Hibs are on red alert because it’s odds on their own talisman Derek Riordan will be on the move, Rangers having failed in a beat-the-deadline swoop for the Scotland international striker.
Sproule said: “The boss obviously heard about Peter and asked me about him so I told him exactly what I thought. Even in the international training sessions Peter was knocking in the goals and obviously enjoyed doing it. His goal scoring record speaks for itself and I’ve no doubt he could do the business in the Scottish Premier Division. If I can make it then I’m sure Peter can too. But it’s all about getting the opportunity. I was lucky in that Institute made it easy for me but Peter could be a different proposition altogether.”
It’s already well known that Gretna, who are being tipped as the next big thing in Scotland, have already tried and failed with what appeared to be a reasonable bid. Money is tight and even the bigger clubs in Scotland are bringing in players on loan or on free transfers. Derek Riordan is only 23, already a proven product and a Scotland international, yet according to reports was valued by Rangers at only £300,000. Sproule joined Hibs for a miserly £5,000 and became an instant success, announcing his arrival with a power packed hat-trick ironically against mighty Rangers, the team he grew up supporting.
His rapid progress has proved Irish League players can adapt swiftly to the demands of the full-time game. Mowbray who has two other Northern Ireland lads on his books – Sammy Morrow and Dean Shiels – was impressed by Sproule’s verdict on a player who has been tracked by a posse of clubs.

Window shuts with Thompson still at Linfield

Peter Thompson is still hoping for a transfer at the end of the season after QPR failed to meet Linfield’s valuation of him in January. However, Thompson has also stated that he’s pleased with how Linfield have handled the situation:
“For a club to think I can join them and help make them a better team is flattering. If I can keep on playing well anything can happen at the end of the season.”
“The transfer business is for another day. At the moment all I will be doing is concentrating on playing for Linfield and being successful at the end of the season.”
“The club has informed me of every development at every stage. It is up to the club to get what they think is a fair valuation for me. Until the clubs agree a fee it is not about me, it is out of my hands. I am happy with the way Linfield have dealt with everything so far.”

Thompson watched by QPR and Barnsley bosses

QPR (Championship) manager Ian Holloway and Barnsley (League One) boss Andy Ritchie were both at Windsor Park last night to watch Peter Thompson play for Linfield against Glentoran in the County Antrim Shield semi-final. Glens keeper Elliott Morris stole the headlines however in what the reports seem to suggest was the greatest display of goalkeeping in the history of the game, restricting freescoring Linfield to ‘only’ a 1-0 win. Holloway said of Pistol Pete:
“He looks a very good player. The lad was neat and tidy and worked his socks off. Now I’ve got to think about the state of my club and whether we’ve got the finance and what we can do.”
Ritchie however had been distracted from his mission:
“We came here to look at a striker yet could be going home with a goalkeeper!”
24 year old Morris is an ex-NI U21 keeper and was at West Brom from 1999-2002.

Linfield reject ‘derisory’ offer for Thompson

Irish League ‘Champions Elect’ Linfield have turned down an offer of £50,000 plus a few condition-based payments for striker Peter Thompson, who has scored 29 goals in 31 appearances for them so far this season, as well as making his Northern Ireland debut as a second half substitute against Portugal.

Blues boss David Jeffrey told LinfieldFC.com:
“Linfield Football Club would never prevent any of our players making the move into full time football, however we must be realistic. Gretna’s initial bid is below the level we would expect for a player of Peter’s quality and potential. Eight years ago we paid £55,000 for Glenn Ferguson and look at England where Gareth McAuley is valued at £150,000. This initial bid of Gretna’s is derisory, because we believe that it seriously undervalues Peter as a player. Should Peter leave to go to another club, Linfield must then replace him and for a player of that quality, it isn’t going to come cheap.
“Peter has been informed of the move by Gretna, and has stated that he is enjoying playing for Linfield. He understands that an offer which may be acceptable to Linfield may eventually come in, but he has said that the offer will also have to be right for him.”
To be honest, Gretna have some cheek – no just for making such a woeful bid, but for thinking that ANYONE is going to leave the Irish Premier League to play in the Scottish League SECOND DIVISION! It looks pretty certain that they’ll get promoted, but Thompson would still have to wait half a season before he could mix it with the likes of Airdrie United and Stranraer.

Sanchez urges Thompson to go full time

Lawrie Sanchez has told Linfield star Peter Thompson that he needs to make the move across the water to full-time football for the sake of his Northern Ireland career. Ahead of Thompson’s expected debut-from-the-bench tonight, the boss said:
“Peter Thompson hasn’t looked out of place in training. He has had a great season so far with 18 goals, but now he needs to take the next step and that’s to go across the water. With no disrespect to the Irish League, it is a big step up to international football and it is a big ask to expect players to make it. If Peter was playing in England it wouldn’t be such a big step. A move would benefit him, I would like to think that Linfield would make quite a bit of money on him and then it would be up to Peter prove himself over there. From what I understand he’s going to be up very early in the morning after the game to go back to work and he needs full-time training so that he doesn’t have to worry about early starts.”

Peter Thompson in squad for Portugal

Linfield striker Peter Thompson is in the Northern Ireland squad for next month’s friendly against Portugal. Thompson, 21, has scored A Wile Lot of goals for league leaders Linfield in the Irish Premier League so far this season, including about 3 successive hattricks. He has been linked with Aberdeen since the end of last season, and Fulhalm are sending a scout over to watch him next month. Linfield however have slapped a £250,000 price tag on the young lad. Thompson’s Linfield teammate Alan Mannus is on standby for the squad. Roy Carroll is still crocked after wrecking himself picking balls out of a net.