Brown's a wanted man



James Brown


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View GalleryBy Michael Gannon
JAMES Brown is set to be at the centre of a megabucks bidding war in January involving several Championships clubs.
The 20-year-old Hartlepool United star's sizzling form this season has not gone unnoticed and an army of spies have been following his progress almost every week.

The attacker – who has scored an impressive eight goals this term from the wing – is being closely monitored by at least three Championship clubs and even one Premiership side has been to see the talented youngster who turns 21 in January.

Brown has been watched by officials from Sheffield United, Watford and Hull City and Norwich are expected to join the race when Pools coach Paul Stephenson finally completes his move to the coaching staff at Carrow Road, expected to be confirmed in the next few days.

He has also attracted the attention of Premiership big guns Tottenham Hotspur after former manager and occasional consultant David Pleat was left raving about him after watching Pools against Leyton Orient and Millwall.

Pleat was doing some scouting on behalf of Nottingham Forest at the time, but Brown's future appears to lie at a higher level than League One.

There were several scouts in the stands on Tuesday night as Pools went harshly went down 1-0 at Swansea where Brown's performance was once again the highlight.

Brown tormented Swansea full-back Angel Rangel – who ironically scored the eventual winner – and was the name on most scouts' lips afterwards.

Pools are now bracing themselves for several bids when the transfer window re-opens on January 1, but it would take a series big-money offer to tempt the Victoria Park club into cashing in their most valuable asset.

Striker Adam Boyd left Pools for Luton in the summer of 2006 for almost £600,000 and it is believed that it would take more than that to prise Brown away from the Vic.

In August manager Danny Wilson laughed off a reported bid of £500,000 from Scottish giants Rangers saying that figure would not be enough to buy the youngster's big toe.

However, a bid of double that amount may be enough to purchase the rest of him.

FOR full story story see today's Mail

J.B.is our only flair player and to lose him things could get a bit sticky.

unless we actually use a transfer fee of a mill plus to actually stregthen the areas of the team that are crying out for it ?

or am i kidding myself ?

West Brom are interested in him also..........FACT by the way!

thought so

Didn't we all want Brown to play striker with Porter?
If that's the case we must already have someone pencilled in for the wing.
So who could play striker instead of Brown if he goes? Foley? McKay? Tymon? Rae? If not then what are we keeping those four for? And before anyone talks about experience, how much experience does Browny have?

And even if we do discard those four, if we can get a million for JB we should be able to spend a quarter of that to buy a decent goal getter shouldn't we?

It would be nice to keep him yes. But selling him wouldn't be the end of the world.

Just think how many right backs you could buy, for a million quid

the wage cap is only enforced in the League 2.

Bonuses are not taken into consideration when assessing wage capping!!

Cue £100,000 offer over 4 years from a Championship club, Roederesque style

how longs left on his contract?

We need to keep him, even if we are offered a million quid.

He is quality and the most promising and exciting player we have had for yonks.

I will be fecking mad if we sell him for less than 3 million quid

i cant think of a north est team he wouldnt get in

he is 20, therefore there is three and a bit years before we lose him for nowt. There can be no doubt that Stephenson has told Roeder about him, and hence the Norwich interest.
However, after Roeder's recent comments, the chances of KH and DW wanting to sell Brown to them for anything less than a king's ransom are now looking very slim indeed. For some reason, I've always disliked Norwich - an irrational dislike if you will - but now I've really got a reason to dislike them if they come in for Brown, especially when they only offer the typical derisory sum towards HUFC as is past tradition.
However, as IOR have frequently stated, we don't HAVE to sell, and as a result I would love watching Norwich behave like spoilt kids who didn't get their most-wanted Xmas present after all!!!!

I have an an irrational dislike of Scunthorpe, not just the team but the town, it's wierd, seems a traditional working class town, but they all seem a bit up their own arses for my own liking

Anyone else have an irrational dislike of a town of football team?

Norwich will turn up and offer a couple of hundred grand because they don't realise the club is run properly. I was incensed during the Bournemouth Sky match when the commentator came out with the old line that clubs like Hartlepool will always sell players like Brown to balance the books.

wont stevo have told them how the club is on a sound footing
we should not be the pushovers we were in the past on transfers

Would it bollocks be the end of the world. Someone else would fill the void. They always do.
This does not mean I want James Brown to leave.

Well said. 3 million for James Brown?! Howay!

OK, I don't see him every week, and when I have seen him he looks canny, but as an example of recent exciting strikers Boydy was twice the player! Wasn't he?

I was a big fan of Adam's, but surely James Brown is a good deal more reliable and consistent?

Browny definitely has the poise and confidence of a top-class-player-in-the-making. More importantly he seems to have the temperament, which was what Boyd never had whatsoever.
Pound for pound on ability, I think Boyd has (had) more natural talent and skills, but there is a hell of a lot more to Brown's game than that. He could be Pools' first £1m player, if he continues to improve like he is doing. He really is a lot better than quite a few previous lower league players I've seen, who went on to better things in football.

And I don't think Adam is 'dumb'. Complicated, perhaps......

Uncle Ken vs. Delia.

That would a bloodbath.

Key phrase, if he continues to improve.
At the moment he is still learning his trade, unfortunately he is in the wrong position.
He needs to be put up front, with Joel, and allowed to develop into a fully fledged striker.
Then we could have a million pound player on our hands.

It's the most frustrating thing about Danny Wilson. Everyone and his dog, cat and mouse can see Brown/Porter is crying out to be given a chance but it never happens.

but we have barker

who considering he doesn't get booked is unlikely to be dropped

or McCunnie Nelson Nolan Humphreys