Omar Bogle (again)

Quoted from male private Nale

Bogle on £1200 a week at donny ?? I am struggling to believe that one, considering we were paying £2k a week to the likes of Matt Green in league two. He must be the lowest paid No.9 in league one.

Quoted from Poojah

Well, while we’re waiting for something (or nothing) to happen, here’s some unrelated GTFC loan news to pass the time. Scunny have sent youngster Fin Shrimpton on loan to Grantham Town - can you imagine the pun-fest that would ensue should he ever end up here?

https://mobile.twitter.com/HumbersideSport/status/1435310936332640262

Quoted from Mikey_345

Does anybody actually know that his heart isn’t in football anymore. Or have we just heard one or two people say that and it’s suddenly become fact…..

Quoted from Mikey_345

Does anybody actually know that his heart isn’t in football anymore. Or have we just heard one or two people say that and it’s suddenly become fact…..

Quoted from Poojah

He said he liked music in an interview over a year ago. That’s enough evidence for me.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

Here's your coat......I've called a taxi.....

Quoted from Poojah

I think there are some reasonable arguments that have been made against Bogle, but I'm not sure they stack up under scrutiny. Certainly, if given the choice between a 28 year old Bogle (he's not 29 by the way) and the up and coming Bogle / Hearn of the next generation, then I'd probably be inclined to choose the latter, potentially hungrier option. If we were ever to have Bogle back on a permanent basis at some point in the future, then the chance of any future resale value would be slim at best.

But that assumes there's some kind of binary option at play. In my opinion, if 'the next Bogle' was out there, had been identified and was available within our means then we've had already done it by now. Hurst has a good track record of brining players up from the regional leagues, the trouble being at this moment in time they've hardly played in the last couple of years due to Covid. Both Bogle and Hearn arrived having been consistently prolific in the Conference North over the course of the previous year or two - there just isn't the data from that level to go and easily find a player of a similar ilk.

I'd distance this from the usual Podge-fest that comes up every transfer window (and to a lesser degree, the usual Bogle-fest). This is different. Here are the facts:

• Our squad is calling out for a number 9; someone physical and direct who can score goals at this level
  
• In terms of playing style and record at this level, the level below and the level above, Bogle 100% ticks that box
  
• Hurst has said publicly, that having seemingly exhausted our options during the window, that we would be looking at players made available for loan after it has ended.
  
• He also said that this is precisely the scenario under which he brought Conor Townsend back to the club in 2015
  
• Bogle is available and is currently playing for a club 50 miles down the M180
  
• Realistically, he can only sign for a club in this division due to the closing of the transfer window, and most of our rivals already appear to have done their business up top
  

The whole thing just makes a lot of sense on a number of levels. I actually think the whole thing would be given a lot more credence if perhaps Bogle had achieved what he did for us at another club - those endless "let's get player X back at BP" posts can get a bit boring over time, but this one does seem genuinely different in terms of the way the stars at least appear to have aligned.

That said, there could of course be reasons why this might be a complete non-starter. Perhaps Omar's given up on football. Perhaps he can't handle a return to non-league, or can't face the idea of a full-circle return to Blundell Park as it would just rubber stamp the fact that he's failed in his time since leaving. All of those things would be understandable, but I can understand why it's a topic of conversation.

Irrespective of current form (albeit at a much higher level than this) I'd welcome the lad back with open arms. If, and I'm making assumptions here, he's lost his mojo and needs a spark to reignite the fire, where better to do it at this moment in time than Blundell Park, and who better to do it with than the man under whom he played the best football of his life in Paul Hurst?