HKLatic

Could it perhaps be that its a done deal but they are waiting until after the weekend and the Fulham game to announce it, so probably Monday?

Alan Nixon tweeting that Preston will sign one more today, hoping it isn't but fearing it is Edmundson...

Hi, Back in the UK and hoping to go tonight; is anybody travelling from Horwich or Bolton that could give me a lift in exchange for petrol money etc? Long shot but thought worth a try. Cheers

An ex-Red is “living the dream” in Totnes, England — a New Age eco-community where plastic is the enemy and beards are a common thread. Ex-TFC fullback Richard Eckersley no longer is the hard-as-nails defender whose aggression and commitment endeared him to fans at BMO Field five years ago. In his own words, Eckersley has become more “chill,” living the simple life with his wife, Nicola, and their toddler after falling out of love with soccer and jumping head first into a “zero-waste” lifestyle. Eckersley and his wife recently opened Earth.Food.Love — to “create a better future” for the planet — on England’s south coast. The 28-year-old Brit has swapped his playing boots for a kitchen apron amid completely changing his lifestyle. “In Toronto, I was more about how I looked and what I drove and what kind of place I owned,” Eckersley told the Toronto Sun this week. “I was very materialistic.” An abrupt trade to New York Red Bulls in 2014 played a part in “opening (Eckersley’s) eyes” as he discovered veganism in the City That Never Sleeps. He began watching documentaries and reading more about the lifestyle amid encountering tribulations in his football career. “New York said they didn’t want to pay me anything but the minimum,” Eckersley explained. “I was like, ‘Come on.’ You want me to live in New York on minimum wage?” A brief move to Oldham Athletic a year later intensified Eckersley’s desire to change his life. The experience, he said, was nowhere near as enjoyable as it was in Toronto or the Big Apple. He couldn’t wait to leave the League One club. “The quality of the fans and the facilities from MLS to League One was a crazy difference,” Eckersley said. “You get treated really well in MLS. There were times at Oldham where I’d get paid late “I kind of chilled out a little bit. I wasn’t as aggressive. Throughout my whole career that had driven me through most games. I became more chill and it impacted my game.” So he moved into a new game — the zero-waste game. The idea to open one of England’s first “zero-waste” stores was inspired by Original Unverpackt, a German business Eckersley spotted one day while browsing Facebook. “I wanted to move to a place where we could raise our daughter the way we wanted to raise her — close to nature,” Eckersley added. “We just used our resources from playing football to start it. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m thankful for football for that at least.” He has watched two Toronto FC games since leaving the city. He watched highlights of last year’s MLS Cup final and called Stefan Frei’s game-saving stop “a worldy.” “What do you guys write about now?” Eckersley asked with a laugh. “It must be so positive and buzzing.” Asked if he’s surprised to see the Reds finding so much success a few years following Danny Koevermans’ “worst team in the world” quip, Eckersley said it was bound to happen. “It was always going that way. It just needed time,” said Eckersley, who still owns a condo near BMO Field. “The fans have always been amazing. All the imagination has come to fruition. “As long as the fans are happy, I’m happy. Everyone is having a ball. What a city to be in when you’re winning. We were losing and it was still a great city to be in.” The one thing he regrets is how his time in Toronto ended. “It was badly done by the head honchos there at the time,” he said. “They didn’t let me thank the fans. They didn’t have anything for me afterwards. “Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to go and have a parade around Toronto. But even just a 15-20 minutes on the pitch to clap the fans off. That’s what I wanted.” A more “chill” Eckersley now refers to his sudden BMO Field exit as “water under the bridge.” In what could have been the prime of his playing career, Eckersley’s found something far more important to him.

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/09/06/ex-red-goes-green-former-toronto-fc-fullback-richard-eckersley-fell-out-of-love-with-soccer-now-hes-living-a-zero-waste-life Richard Eckersley, bit of a dig there

Somebody on here said we were so I googled him, that's about as far as it goes I think!

Richie Bennett is from Oldham and used to play for our youth teams before being released apparently

This is great news for us living abroad but I do have an overriding feeling of concern I must admit. There is always a way to access these streams on the internet these days- people in the UK who want to get it will be able to surely if they want it enough! Just seems surprising that the vast majority of clubs have signed up to this; hopefully I'm talking nonsense but won't the adverse effect of lost ticket sales outweigh the relatively small income from fans abroad?

I have to agree with this, such a naive way to view it. Regardless of the increased exposure and extra pressure and all that type of thing that comes with it, I think the increase in technical ability required to progress is on par with any outfield position. I'm not proclaiming to be any expert but I just think people look at goalkeepers, and largely, from a layman's perspective, they are judged on their shot stopping abilities, because that is what wins them the headlines. Of course in principle the job does not change too much in that respect; great finishes and the capacity to make great saves exists at all levels. Obviously consistency with this comes into it, but I think even in terms of technical ability, there are big differences. One, although I do think over hyped by Guardiola et al, is footwork and distribution- I don't think you need to be a Neuer but you need to find the big fella's head (or whatever may be required at the top level).The biggest difference I think though, particularly in terms of bridging the gap between the Championship and Premier League, is the quality of crosses coming into the box. How many times do you see great shot stoppers in the lower leagues who make great saves and have that same Achilles heel? Off the top of my head there was that lad Tommy Lee, Paul Jones who was Exeter a while ago and I'm sure there are loads of better examples. I think the key difference is decision making and the ability to command you area well and with consistency, rather than shot stopping. Good shot stopping seems to be a prerequisite for all professional goalkeepers. If a goalkeeper makes a mistake more often that not its a goal, whereas in the premier league will see these so called flair players playing up front and getting a 5/10 3/4 games. I think sometimes the difficulty of the role is underplayed and like at the top level of so many sports/positions, those who make it there have that mentality and composure that so few have. Btw I think the chances of Ripley coming back are less than zero, I think in the championship he will definitely be their number 1. These comments about him being number 3 etc or a new manager never having seen him are absolute buffoonery. When a new manager comes into a new, unknown level, he is obviously going to rely heavily on his backroom staff, particularly those who have been there for a while. Otherwise they would fall flat on their backsides every single time, particularly in the lower leagues. Not wanting to go off on a tangent but I think they will go for a British boss who knows the championship this time anyway. But to say that they cannot/will not promote him to the number 1 spot based on reports is ridiculous- if this is the case how is anyone to progress as a loanee?! If the new manager is given glowing reports by multiple members of staff who have observed him and are respected at the club then more than likely they are going to put him in. It is the perfectly logical progression for him, and Boro have a tradition of giving youth a chance and are very patient by modern standards in terms of their philosophy. If they hadn't been in the premier league this year I think he possibly may have broken in this year. I just think some people seem to play football manager a bit too much! It would not be even remotely bold to put him as Boro no 1 next year; if he had been our player, at his age, and boro had signed him from us in the championship, I would expect him to be number 1 (especially given that the position is vacant)! I think because he was a loan player people assume he kind of reverts to where he was before in their pecking order when it is almost like a new player for them in some respects. He now has two full seasons under his belt, where he has excelled, with consistency. With the premier league this year it wasn't viable but he's a completely different proposition to two years ago. Also, his path was (partially) blocked previously because they had promoted another one of their own (Jason Steele) to first choice!

Simple question folks. Given the palpable wave of optimism that seems to have swept over the club since Shez came back, there seems to be almost an expectation among supporters that we will pull off the great escape again. Having had a look at our run in though, but having not seen much of the action this season (living in Hong Kong), I can't help but fear that our chances are still very slim. Having witnessed the home defeats to the likes of Shrewsbury earlier this season, I can't help but feel as though these results will come back to bite us, especially so given that these teams are around us in the table now. Would be great to get the thoughts/votes of people who are watching week in week out.

I clicked on that link, it's just some student!

Shame really. It does make you wonder whether Corney just wants them in the team to showcase them in order to hasten a more immediate sale rather than developing them for perhaps a more substantial figure later down the line. I know its easy to be critical with finances being the way they are and what not but you would hope that lessons had been learnt with previous players being cashed in on too soon. The most frustrating thing is that although I'm sure no fee received is negligible in our predicament, we've probably still spent more on people like Dummigan, Fane, Rhys Murphy etc in the very recent past. All seems a bit whimsical.

Edmundson is going? First I'd seen of that. Such a shame to lose our home grown players so soon. Especially when he'll just end up another Scott Spencer etc. Never understand why if a young player is on loan from another club, he gets game time (Erwin et al), yet if he's our own we don't play them or farm them out on loan.

He's from Wigan, used to play junior football with him. He was at the time the short fat kid that used to be put in goal. Shows where practice gets you and a bit of growth! Mind you expect he wont play much and will then drop into non league.