It is much more likely it was Les Reed and his team of 20 scouts who spotted him than Koeman.

It was the scouts. We were linked with him last year or the year before. He went to stoke instead tho.

F**K SAKE!!! NO NOI NO NO NO

Loan? If we have an option to buy I can see the sense. Just because he couldnt get into the Stoke team doesnt automatically mean he is a bad player. Maybe this would happen regardless of other options. I cant see Koeman dangling a carrot of expected additions for it to turn out to be a loanee from Stoke.

With regards to the "confrontation with Barnsley fans after 1 5-0 defeat". I would imagine that anyone with an ounce of passion would react to be beaten by 15 goals

From Townsend England international, to a moderate MLS player with one PL appearance. With all the scouts and financial resources we have, a loan of a player of this calibre is up there with the Zigic to Arsenal rumours. Let's hope its not true.

There are gems to be discovered in the bargain basement. I could understand uproar if we were paying big money for him as an untried player. But try before you buy seems good business, I can't imagine his wages to be that high. After all with all the big money flops we've bought in, surely it makes good sense. Mayuka?

All Stoke City fans seem VERY happy about this:

The reason Shea has had very little time on the pitch is because all of the evidence about his playing ability shows that he is a very, very poor football player. We can not afford to pick very, very poor football players.

He had a great opportunity to prove that he can actually play at Barnsley, where he failed miserably. If we get any offer at all for Shea, even if it's to just take over his contract so we can save his wages, we should take it without hesitation.
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He is obviously well out of his depth at this level, he struggled at Barnsley FF
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Seriously - Do you expect him to some how become something he isnt (a Premier League standard footballer) just because he has a point to prove ?
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When he signed, we weren't sure if he was a full-back or a winger. Now we're not sure if he's a footballer.
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I'm not even sure if he's a man, if I'm honest.
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Shea sucks, PR signing.
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PR for what?
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The only position I'd play him is left outside.

There is nothing in those comments i would take seriously Dirk, how does a stoke fan know how well he played at barnsley, how does a stoke fan know how well he played for stoke come to that he barely played for them because of injury.

We have to have an open mind about these things, sometimes they come off and sometimes they dont, what Shea is is a plan B (or C) to give us an option if our real targets dont come off.

Its a cheap gamble which is why i find it strange that some feel its the sign we are imploding and others think its a sign we dont know what we are doing, better to give him a try if we have space in the squad than not

You should see what the Barnsley fans have to say about him then, Nick. They hate him even more than the Stoke fans do:

"Would rather pay for him not to be here.

Be lucky to go to another club after us on loan."

I dont even think its plan B or C. I cant see why we wouldn't do both. Yes there are wages involved, but i would also a returns policy aka Barnsley.

If this is a player that we wanted last season and lost out to stoke for what is the issue of taking him on loan with a view to a purchase? If he's as carp as the Stoke fans says he is send him back.

I disagree Nick, the board have chased unrealistic targets all summer, and now at the other end of the scale will entertain this? We are not in the position to take a punt on players, we need them to come in and perform straight away.

Just updating a compilation of some of the comments made about Brek Shea on the Stoke and Barnsley messageboards. There are hundreds of scathing comments about him. Rarely have I seen a player detested as much as Brek Shea is by Stoke and Barnsley fans. They all seem to think he has the attitude of Dani Osvaldo combined with the ability of Ali Dia.

Stoke fans hate him:

When he signed, we weren't sure if he was a full-back or a winger. Now we're not sure if he's a footballer.
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I'm not even sure if he's a man, if I'm honest.
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Shea sucks, PR signing.
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PR for what?
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The only position I'd play him is left outside.
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Barnsley fans hate him even more:

Would rather pay for him not to be here. Be lucky to go to another club after us on loan.
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Will be "remembered" as one of the worst loan signings we have had, in recent times.
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Cywka may as well be Brek Shea he's that useless today.
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We'd be better off re-igniting Zaha's career with a loan/option to buy move... surely?

Dirk now do me a compilation of comments made by Saints fans about Artur Boruc after his game against Spurs at home

Sorry, Nick, you are really struggling to convince anyone with this one. I think you will find that the vast majority of comments about Boruc, including mine, are highly complimentary.

He will come good.... I know I'm the only person here that thinks so, but being and American Saints fan I have actually watched the lad play and am not just going by articles, posts, or non-sense fueled with hate from Barnsley or Stoke fans that I have read....

The PERKS: He's tall, he's fast, huge strides, jumps out of the stadium, has good posession and ball skills, he attacks and barrells down on defenders, he has good technically abilty as far as style and flash on the pitch go (passing, ball moves, etc.), and the man loves to get back and help on defense.

The FAULTS: He can at times get a little out of control with his crosses (but what needs to be known is that he always getting them in even if they are a little inaccurate, so he is always still creating chances), his social media and off the pitch habits have been siad to be bad (he posted two questionable pictures that honestly were nothing it was all media rubbish, and has never actually been in any kinda off off the pitch trouble other than social media), apparantly has a bad attitude some say (they say this because of the Barnsley bird-gate fiasco... but tell me if youre a player, you have teammates you battle for, youre getting thrashed 5-0, fans are throwing things and yelling and trying to attack you teammate and then they start attacking you, i dont blame him for reacting, Barnsley managemnt even said it wasn't the biggest of deals but because the fans instantly hated him so much that they had to react... so essentially he got sent back bc of fans not his play or ability, the coach actually liked him quite a bit as did the players... hell dawson who was actually the main person involved stayed with the team???), and lastly people knock him for not game time and they said he has not played any games so how can he be good? (quiote simple really, he was never given a chance (when he was initially signed Pulis said he was for next year, so he ddint play that season, next season he was dominant in preseason and boom get hurt from a horror tackle, doesnt play that season, now this year he dominates in preseason and they want to send him elsewhere?? he isnt not playing because of talent, he is not playing because he has not been given a chance)...

sorry for the rant but I'm tired of this man getting hates on for no reason.... Other than one middle finger (which was made a bigger deal than it was by bitter Barnsely fans, who keep in mind were crying about having an American before he even arrived) and two questionable (pushing it with that, nothing to see there either) Instagram posts, and getting hurt twice in 3 years the lad has done nothing to hurt his chances, he jsut has not been given them (except with USA where is actually has played quite well 2-3 goals and 3-4 assits that i recall not to mention the countless times he saved us by getting back defensively or creating a build up play).......

REALLY HOPE THIS HAPPENS!!!!!!!

I don't think Saints have chased any unrealistic targets all season. I think they have just given off the appearance of chasing targets to appease the fans.
I don't think the board have ever wanted or expected to sign Townsend, Rojo or Alderweireld. Just bluff. They've done their business and replaced what they sold, like for like in the same positions. Oh, and £50m better off to pay back the Liebherrs for their initial investment.
If we were offering £12m for Townsend, why only offer up to £3.5m for Redmond, knowing Stoke have offered more.
I hate to be so cynical, but I'm not seeing any evidence to the contrary. Settle the ship, sell the club or continue to profit from selling new players whilst investing a chunk of EPL money in the youth set up and Eorkd youth scouting for a hidden gem, like Benfica do.
Maybe we'll sign a cheapie on deadline day but I'll be amazed if it's an extravagant signing. Break Shea or similar fits the bill

World, not Eorkd
We'll know true intentions next year.
No way would Katharina sell us straight after flogging all our rising stars. Wouldn't make commercial sense and too fresh in the mind of any buyer

I am remaining cautiously optimistic until Monday. But if I am quite honest what StRipper says above matches pretty much what I think. Survival will be the aim this year followed by a sale so Kat can make some money. She has spent way less than she made. It follows both her history of business dealings and with what happens regularly in football. I will be very surprised if she is still in charge this time next year.