Yorkshire Evening Post 30/1/09
Naylor: I'll lead my way
By Phil Hay
Richard Naylor's voice was hoarse by the time he left Elland Road on Tuesday night, proof if any was needed that he is making himself heard at the centre of Leeds United's defence.
Compensation for his sore throat came in the form of the man-of-the-match award presented to him after Leeds' 2-0 victory over Southend United, the latest of three back-to-back wins in which Naylor's performances have been roundly commended. His voice is one that United would like to hear in their dressing room for the 19 league matches to come.
The centre-back arrived at Leeds with a reputation for solid organisation and no-nonsense defending and Simon Grayson has not been disappointed. One goal conceded in 270 minutes of League One football with Naylor in his line-up has led to United's most consistent run of results for four months, a fact their manager does not see as a coincidence.
Repaired
Plans are already afoot to extend Naylor's month-long loan from Ipswich Town – a deal which will end after Leeds' re-arranged visit to Hereford United on February 17 – and Grayson has uncovered the stabilising influence he was charged with finding when the transfer window opened on January 1.
Before this month's game at Brighton, Leeds had not kept a clean sheet for 13 matches. Since Naylor's arrival the club have recorded two and repaired the defensive credentials which suffered so much damage during the first half of the season.
For the past two matches, Grayson has entrusted Naylor with the captain's armband in the absence of Frazer Richardson and he will do so again at Walsall tomorrow if the 11 players who started against Southend are deemed worthy of another outing.
The 31-year-old has years of experience of captaining Ipswich and his style of control was aptly demonstrated by the near loss of his voice on Tuesday night. As he remarked on the day of his transfer to Leeds, he is not afraid to rattle cages.
"It's not an easy job captaining this club but it is a special honour and I'm doing the job in my own way," Naylor said.
"Coming here and being made captain after a couple of weeks is a little bit of a worry because you don't want to put anyone's nose out of joint.
"Every captain has his own style of leadership, but I had to be aware that other players have been here longer than me and were still to get to know me.
"There's a certain way of going about things.
"In all the time I captained Ipswich I felt that you earned respect on the pitch, with your performances and the way you conduct yourself.
"I've always tried to be professional in the way I go about my business because it seems to me to be the best way of getting lads to respond to you. But it is my style to make myself heard."
Naylor was candid with his assessment of United's league position when he joined the club on January 15, admitting that the season was in danger of "petering out" if the first month of 2009 failed to carry Leeds closer to the business end of League One.
A victory over Walsall at the Bescot Stadium tomorrow would complete a haul of 12 points from five games since the turn of the year and the division has bowed quickly to United's form.
On Boxing Day, Leeds faced a 13-point gap to second place and a seven-point margin to sixth. After their 2-0 win over Southend, those deficits were cut to six points and three points respectively.
Naylor, who scored the second goal against Southend, said: "The way the league stands, we've got a great chance of doing something this season.
"It's almost the end of January and we're six points behind second place. That's a decent position to be in and it gives us the opportunity to achieve what we want to.
"At the end of the season, we won't have the excuse of saying there was too much ground to make up.
"It's all there for us and the priority now is to keep the run going. These three wins have made a big difference to the league and you don't climb the table by winning a game here and a game there – you need consistent results, week after week.
"I can't comment on what went on here before I came but what I do know is that Leeds have got some very good players. They've obviously struggled at times this season but I wouldn't say that's down to a lack of ability, at least not from what I've seen.
"You need a little bit of luck to go with ability and we've had that in a couple of games that I've played in – moments where other teams have missed good chances or hit the post."From what I could gather, the team were getting punished for every mistake and sometimes you just need a break.
"We're looking solid and my first thought when I went into the team was to try and help the people around me. To help good players – and they are good players – to find their best form.
"It seems to be clicking but you must be wary of getting ahead of yourselves."
That principle applies to Naylor's contractual situation which United hope to resolve before Monday's transfer deadline, the cut-off point for the club to agree either a permanent deal or a loan deal until the end of the season.
The defender is out of contract at Portman Road this summer but his wife and three children are settled in Suffolk and any long-term transfer would be considered by Naylor with their best interests in mind.
United's improving league position may help to persuade him that Elland Road is a viable destination for a player whose long career has been played out in England's top two divisions.
And their opposition tomorrow is a Walsall team that has claimed one victory from their last eight league games, a clear opportunity for Leeds to extend their sequence of wins into a fourth match.
"If this month hadn't gone well then perhaps our chance would have gone," said Naylor. "But we've grasped the nettle and we're heading into the last few months of the season knowing it's all to play for.
"That's what I was looking for when I came here – to help to start the turnaround."
Leedsunited.com 30/1/09
STRIKER JOINS CHARLTON
Striker Tresor Kandol has joined Charlton Athletic on loan until the end of the season.
The 27-year-old returned to training at Thorp Arch on Thursday morning after spending the first part of the season on loan at Millwall.
Kandol scored eight goals in 20 appearances for the Lions, but returned to Leeds when his loan spell ended this week.
Manager Simon Grayson had moved to strengthen his strike-force with the arrival of loan marksman Lee Trundle.
21-goal marksman Jermaine Beckford is fit again after injury while summer signing Luciano Becchio has scored 12 goals so far this term.
Robert Snodgrass also provides an additional option in the front-line.
Kandol has joined Charlton ahead of the Addicks weekend clash trip to Burnley and could make his debut for the Coca-Cola Championship strugglers at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Yorkshire Evening Post 30/1/09
Grayson's regret at Christie exit
By Phil Hay
Simon Grayson has expressed surprise and regret at Malcolm Christie's decision to walk out of Leeds United.
Christie left the Elland Road club yesterday after asking to be freed from his non-contract agreement with Leeds, and United manager Grayson admitted his sudden exit had blocked his plans to hold talks with the striker over a possible deal until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old agreed a pay-as-you-play contract at Elland Road towards the end of last year – a deal which earned him money every time he was named in Grayson's matchday squad – and he made a total of five first-team appearances for Leeds between his debut in November and his outing at Brighton earlier this month.
Christie's career has been blighted by injury and his time with United helped him to regain his match fitness, but he recently revealed his desire for a more secure contract having been without a professional club for almost two years. The former Derby County and Middlesbrough striker has not confirmed whether an offer from another club was behind his decision to move on.
Grayson said: "His contract situation was that he could give seven days' notice and, as a club, we could do that as well.
"Malcolm took that opportunity last week and I'm disappointed that we never got the chance to talk about extending his contract."He must have an opportunity to move to another club and I'd be surprised if he hasn't, and maybe he thought he might not figure too much here.
"It would have been nice to have given him the option to be here until the end of the season at least, but wherever he signs we wish him good luck because he's had two years of bad luck."
Christie scored his only goal for Leeds in the club's 3-1 win at Stockport County on December 28, but the recent loan signing of Lee Trundle from Bristol City has increased the competition for places in Grayson's squad.
Yorkshire Evening Post 30/1/09
HAY: Now Grayson must ensure new trio stay course
By Phil Hay
Inside Elland Road
With the exception of clubs who, like Southend on Tuesday, are unable to muster a 16-man squad, the transfer window is a time when quality signings should take precedence over quantity.
The majority of the Football League's 72 members have adhered to that mantra during a January window which, for all the hype that preceded it, can be described most accurately as subdued. In comparison to the activity seen 12 months ago, when six-figure fees were commonplace beneath the Premier League, the 2009 market has been stagnant.
It is possible that the hours before Monday's 5pm deadline will vindicate the window's dramatic billing, but there is no obvious enthusiasm for expensive transactions in the lower divisions. Be that a sign of prudence or a general lack of money, that trend has set in across the board.
Leeds United have been no different, despite the seven-figure profit announced by the club late last year. Their incoming business in the first 29 days of January totalled three temporary signings, not exactly what might have been expected when their former manager, Gary McAllister, alluded to major plans to revise his squad before Christmas.
The idea of targeting loanees might not have met with the approval of many supporters before the window opened but it is plain to see how well Simon Grayson's three signings have been received. So far, so good after performances which have met the standard of recruit sought by Leeds this month.
Unusually, the fans I spoke to after Tuesday's win over Southend were not consumed by thoughts of what else might happen in the few remaining days of the transfer window, and nor were many expressing the opinion that further signings were necessary.
The general feeling was rather that Grayson's foremost task should be to guarantee that his loanees – Lee Trundle, Richard Naylor and Carl Dickinson – do not slip through United's grasp by returning to their parent clubs next month. They are losses that Leeds could scarcely stomach, to gauge by the impression that the trio have made in their short time at Elland Road.
The loan market is a fickle conduit, but the beauty of it has always been the power it gives lower-league clubs to sign players who would not look twice at a permanent transfer.
United might visualise themselves as a future Premier League club, but a player like Dickinson – a top-flight left-back with a solid contract at Stoke City – cannot be expected to do the same. Had Grayson stuck blindly to the idea of nailing down long-term signings, Dickinson would not have been considered a serious option. Through the alternative of a loan, his arrival became possible.
It was imperative this month that Leeds made some attempt to capture players from the divisions above their own. United have made hard work of this season, but there are a limited number of available signings in Leagues One and Two who would have significantly improved their squad. Dickinson has done that and the same is true of Naylor and Trundle, professionals whose experience supplements their ability.
All three players have done more than swell Grayson's squad. They have taken hold of first-team places and deservedly retained them, Trundle pushing to the bench on Tuesday an established player in Luciano Becchio. However comfortable Grayson feels about the number of signings made – and I don't get the impression that he seeks masses more – he can be happy with those he has completed.
How successful those deals ultimately prove will now come down to United's power of persuasion and their willingness to support Grayson by bearing the cost of keeping Naylor, Dickinson and Trundle at Elland Road for the foreseeable future. A transfer strategy which has been effective so far will be open to more critical examination if Leeds are unable to retain them.
Grayson has intimated that Naylor's deal could become permanent, and securing the centre-back is an absolute priority in view of the organisation he has brought to United's defence since his winning debut at Brighton.
Trundle's importance to Bristol City is more difficult to assess, and the fact that Dickinson extended his contract at Stoke City on the day he joined Leeds would suggest that a permanent agreement for the 21-year-old is unlikely. But retaining these three players until the end of the season at all reasonable costs and by any means necessary is now essential. The outcome of United's second year in League One may depend on it.
There is always an unavoidable risk with the loan market – the fact that the players available in it are the property of other clubs. It is something that Leeds have fallen foul of before.
Lubomir Michalik has experienced an inauspicious season at Elland Road, something the Slovakian might admit himself, but his loan from Bolton Wanderers to Leeds in 2007 was an unqualified success.
In his seven appearances for a team who, prior to his arrival, lacked any semblance of form, United collected 14 points and rallied strongly against the threat of relegation from the Championship. But, having signed Michalik until the end of the season, Leeds saw the Slovakian recalled by Bolton with three matches remaining and eight days later the club were relegated.
It is wrong to argue that Michalik's departure was the difference between survival and relegation but it did not help Dennis Wise to see an established player torn from his ranks 24 hours before a crucial game at Southampton. Wise was angered by the loss and questioned Bolton's motives, but his reaction missed the point. Recalling Michalik was Bolton's prerogative, regardless of their reasons for doing so.That is the danger of loan signings and the pitfall that Grayson must work to avoid.
He has accurately targeted the type of players needed to rejuvenate United's defence – the biggest weakness at Elland Road before his appointment – and Trundle's recruitment has brought on board a striker who has previously shown himself to be a 20-goal poacher in League One.
They are already vital assets and players that Grayson will rue the loss of should they drift back to their parent clubs next month. For Leeds, the point of this transfer window was not to find momentary fixes but to consolidate the club for a League One run-in which looks full of potential once more.
To a man, United's three loan signings have earned acclaim for themselves and for Grayson. It would be a desperate shame if the improvement they have helped to initiate was watered down by the temporary nature of their deals. If United's boss ensures their season-long retention before Monday's deadline, he can view this window as a clear success.
Sky 30/1/09
Gardner departs Leeds
Young defender leaves Elland Road
Young defender Scott Gardner has departed Leeds United after his contract was ended by mutual consent.
The 20-year-old, who was a product of the club's academy system, made two appearances in the 2007/08 season.
He made his debut against Macclesfield in the Carling Cup before making his league bow against Gillingham in May.
"I'm sad to be leaving because I've been here for a long time, but this is the next chapter for me now," he told the club's official website.
"There's a good squad of players here, and hopefully this is now an opportunity for me to play regular competitive football."
Meanwhile, 18-year-old reserve team keeper Matt Edwards has joined Salford City on a month's loan.
Naylor: I'll lead my way
By Phil Hay
Richard Naylor's voice was hoarse by the time he left Elland Road on Tuesday night, proof if any was needed that he is making himself heard at the centre of Leeds United's defence.
Compensation for his sore throat came in the form of the man-of-the-match award presented to him after Leeds' 2-0 victory over Southend United, the latest of three back-to-back wins in which Naylor's performances have been roundly commended. His voice is one that United would like to hear in their dressing room for the 19 league matches to come.
The centre-back arrived at Leeds with a reputation for solid organisation and no-nonsense defending and Simon Grayson has not been disappointed. One goal conceded in 270 minutes of League One football with Naylor in his line-up has led to United's most consistent run of results for four months, a fact their manager does not see as a coincidence.
Repaired
Plans are already afoot to extend Naylor's month-long loan from Ipswich Town – a deal which will end after Leeds' re-arranged visit to Hereford United on February 17 – and Grayson has uncovered the stabilising influence he was charged with finding when the transfer window opened on January 1.
Before this month's game at Brighton, Leeds had not kept a clean sheet for 13 matches. Since Naylor's arrival the club have recorded two and repaired the defensive credentials which suffered so much damage during the first half of the season.
For the past two matches, Grayson has entrusted Naylor with the captain's armband in the absence of Frazer Richardson and he will do so again at Walsall tomorrow if the 11 players who started against Southend are deemed worthy of another outing.
The 31-year-old has years of experience of captaining Ipswich and his style of control was aptly demonstrated by the near loss of his voice on Tuesday night. As he remarked on the day of his transfer to Leeds, he is not afraid to rattle cages.
"It's not an easy job captaining this club but it is a special honour and I'm doing the job in my own way," Naylor said.
"Coming here and being made captain after a couple of weeks is a little bit of a worry because you don't want to put anyone's nose out of joint.
"Every captain has his own style of leadership, but I had to be aware that other players have been here longer than me and were still to get to know me.
"There's a certain way of going about things.
"In all the time I captained Ipswich I felt that you earned respect on the pitch, with your performances and the way you conduct yourself.
"I've always tried to be professional in the way I go about my business because it seems to me to be the best way of getting lads to respond to you. But it is my style to make myself heard."
Naylor was candid with his assessment of United's league position when he joined the club on January 15, admitting that the season was in danger of "petering out" if the first month of 2009 failed to carry Leeds closer to the business end of League One.
A victory over Walsall at the Bescot Stadium tomorrow would complete a haul of 12 points from five games since the turn of the year and the division has bowed quickly to United's form.
On Boxing Day, Leeds faced a 13-point gap to second place and a seven-point margin to sixth. After their 2-0 win over Southend, those deficits were cut to six points and three points respectively.
Naylor, who scored the second goal against Southend, said: "The way the league stands, we've got a great chance of doing something this season.
"It's almost the end of January and we're six points behind second place. That's a decent position to be in and it gives us the opportunity to achieve what we want to.
"At the end of the season, we won't have the excuse of saying there was too much ground to make up.
"It's all there for us and the priority now is to keep the run going. These three wins have made a big difference to the league and you don't climb the table by winning a game here and a game there – you need consistent results, week after week.
"I can't comment on what went on here before I came but what I do know is that Leeds have got some very good players. They've obviously struggled at times this season but I wouldn't say that's down to a lack of ability, at least not from what I've seen.
"You need a little bit of luck to go with ability and we've had that in a couple of games that I've played in – moments where other teams have missed good chances or hit the post."From what I could gather, the team were getting punished for every mistake and sometimes you just need a break.
"We're looking solid and my first thought when I went into the team was to try and help the people around me. To help good players – and they are good players – to find their best form.
"It seems to be clicking but you must be wary of getting ahead of yourselves."
That principle applies to Naylor's contractual situation which United hope to resolve before Monday's transfer deadline, the cut-off point for the club to agree either a permanent deal or a loan deal until the end of the season.
The defender is out of contract at Portman Road this summer but his wife and three children are settled in Suffolk and any long-term transfer would be considered by Naylor with their best interests in mind.
United's improving league position may help to persuade him that Elland Road is a viable destination for a player whose long career has been played out in England's top two divisions.
And their opposition tomorrow is a Walsall team that has claimed one victory from their last eight league games, a clear opportunity for Leeds to extend their sequence of wins into a fourth match.
"If this month hadn't gone well then perhaps our chance would have gone," said Naylor. "But we've grasped the nettle and we're heading into the last few months of the season knowing it's all to play for.
"That's what I was looking for when I came here – to help to start the turnaround."
Leedsunited.com 30/1/09
STRIKER JOINS CHARLTON
Striker Tresor Kandol has joined Charlton Athletic on loan until the end of the season.
The 27-year-old returned to training at Thorp Arch on Thursday morning after spending the first part of the season on loan at Millwall.
Kandol scored eight goals in 20 appearances for the Lions, but returned to Leeds when his loan spell ended this week.
Manager Simon Grayson had moved to strengthen his strike-force with the arrival of loan marksman Lee Trundle.
21-goal marksman Jermaine Beckford is fit again after injury while summer signing Luciano Becchio has scored 12 goals so far this term.
Robert Snodgrass also provides an additional option in the front-line.
Kandol has joined Charlton ahead of the Addicks weekend clash trip to Burnley and could make his debut for the Coca-Cola Championship strugglers at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Yorkshire Evening Post 30/1/09
Grayson's regret at Christie exit
By Phil Hay
Simon Grayson has expressed surprise and regret at Malcolm Christie's decision to walk out of Leeds United.
Christie left the Elland Road club yesterday after asking to be freed from his non-contract agreement with Leeds, and United manager Grayson admitted his sudden exit had blocked his plans to hold talks with the striker over a possible deal until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old agreed a pay-as-you-play contract at Elland Road towards the end of last year – a deal which earned him money every time he was named in Grayson's matchday squad – and he made a total of five first-team appearances for Leeds between his debut in November and his outing at Brighton earlier this month.
Christie's career has been blighted by injury and his time with United helped him to regain his match fitness, but he recently revealed his desire for a more secure contract having been without a professional club for almost two years. The former Derby County and Middlesbrough striker has not confirmed whether an offer from another club was behind his decision to move on.
Grayson said: "His contract situation was that he could give seven days' notice and, as a club, we could do that as well.
"Malcolm took that opportunity last week and I'm disappointed that we never got the chance to talk about extending his contract."He must have an opportunity to move to another club and I'd be surprised if he hasn't, and maybe he thought he might not figure too much here.
"It would have been nice to have given him the option to be here until the end of the season at least, but wherever he signs we wish him good luck because he's had two years of bad luck."
Christie scored his only goal for Leeds in the club's 3-1 win at Stockport County on December 28, but the recent loan signing of Lee Trundle from Bristol City has increased the competition for places in Grayson's squad.
Yorkshire Evening Post 30/1/09
HAY: Now Grayson must ensure new trio stay course
By Phil Hay
Inside Elland Road
With the exception of clubs who, like Southend on Tuesday, are unable to muster a 16-man squad, the transfer window is a time when quality signings should take precedence over quantity.
The majority of the Football League's 72 members have adhered to that mantra during a January window which, for all the hype that preceded it, can be described most accurately as subdued. In comparison to the activity seen 12 months ago, when six-figure fees were commonplace beneath the Premier League, the 2009 market has been stagnant.
It is possible that the hours before Monday's 5pm deadline will vindicate the window's dramatic billing, but there is no obvious enthusiasm for expensive transactions in the lower divisions. Be that a sign of prudence or a general lack of money, that trend has set in across the board.
Leeds United have been no different, despite the seven-figure profit announced by the club late last year. Their incoming business in the first 29 days of January totalled three temporary signings, not exactly what might have been expected when their former manager, Gary McAllister, alluded to major plans to revise his squad before Christmas.
The idea of targeting loanees might not have met with the approval of many supporters before the window opened but it is plain to see how well Simon Grayson's three signings have been received. So far, so good after performances which have met the standard of recruit sought by Leeds this month.
Unusually, the fans I spoke to after Tuesday's win over Southend were not consumed by thoughts of what else might happen in the few remaining days of the transfer window, and nor were many expressing the opinion that further signings were necessary.
The general feeling was rather that Grayson's foremost task should be to guarantee that his loanees – Lee Trundle, Richard Naylor and Carl Dickinson – do not slip through United's grasp by returning to their parent clubs next month. They are losses that Leeds could scarcely stomach, to gauge by the impression that the trio have made in their short time at Elland Road.
The loan market is a fickle conduit, but the beauty of it has always been the power it gives lower-league clubs to sign players who would not look twice at a permanent transfer.
United might visualise themselves as a future Premier League club, but a player like Dickinson – a top-flight left-back with a solid contract at Stoke City – cannot be expected to do the same. Had Grayson stuck blindly to the idea of nailing down long-term signings, Dickinson would not have been considered a serious option. Through the alternative of a loan, his arrival became possible.
It was imperative this month that Leeds made some attempt to capture players from the divisions above their own. United have made hard work of this season, but there are a limited number of available signings in Leagues One and Two who would have significantly improved their squad. Dickinson has done that and the same is true of Naylor and Trundle, professionals whose experience supplements their ability.
All three players have done more than swell Grayson's squad. They have taken hold of first-team places and deservedly retained them, Trundle pushing to the bench on Tuesday an established player in Luciano Becchio. However comfortable Grayson feels about the number of signings made – and I don't get the impression that he seeks masses more – he can be happy with those he has completed.
How successful those deals ultimately prove will now come down to United's power of persuasion and their willingness to support Grayson by bearing the cost of keeping Naylor, Dickinson and Trundle at Elland Road for the foreseeable future. A transfer strategy which has been effective so far will be open to more critical examination if Leeds are unable to retain them.
Grayson has intimated that Naylor's deal could become permanent, and securing the centre-back is an absolute priority in view of the organisation he has brought to United's defence since his winning debut at Brighton.
Trundle's importance to Bristol City is more difficult to assess, and the fact that Dickinson extended his contract at Stoke City on the day he joined Leeds would suggest that a permanent agreement for the 21-year-old is unlikely. But retaining these three players until the end of the season at all reasonable costs and by any means necessary is now essential. The outcome of United's second year in League One may depend on it.
There is always an unavoidable risk with the loan market – the fact that the players available in it are the property of other clubs. It is something that Leeds have fallen foul of before.
Lubomir Michalik has experienced an inauspicious season at Elland Road, something the Slovakian might admit himself, but his loan from Bolton Wanderers to Leeds in 2007 was an unqualified success.
In his seven appearances for a team who, prior to his arrival, lacked any semblance of form, United collected 14 points and rallied strongly against the threat of relegation from the Championship. But, having signed Michalik until the end of the season, Leeds saw the Slovakian recalled by Bolton with three matches remaining and eight days later the club were relegated.
It is wrong to argue that Michalik's departure was the difference between survival and relegation but it did not help Dennis Wise to see an established player torn from his ranks 24 hours before a crucial game at Southampton. Wise was angered by the loss and questioned Bolton's motives, but his reaction missed the point. Recalling Michalik was Bolton's prerogative, regardless of their reasons for doing so.That is the danger of loan signings and the pitfall that Grayson must work to avoid.
He has accurately targeted the type of players needed to rejuvenate United's defence – the biggest weakness at Elland Road before his appointment – and Trundle's recruitment has brought on board a striker who has previously shown himself to be a 20-goal poacher in League One.
They are already vital assets and players that Grayson will rue the loss of should they drift back to their parent clubs next month. For Leeds, the point of this transfer window was not to find momentary fixes but to consolidate the club for a League One run-in which looks full of potential once more.
To a man, United's three loan signings have earned acclaim for themselves and for Grayson. It would be a desperate shame if the improvement they have helped to initiate was watered down by the temporary nature of their deals. If United's boss ensures their season-long retention before Monday's deadline, he can view this window as a clear success.
Sky 30/1/09
Gardner departs Leeds
Young defender leaves Elland Road
Young defender Scott Gardner has departed Leeds United after his contract was ended by mutual consent.
The 20-year-old, who was a product of the club's academy system, made two appearances in the 2007/08 season.
He made his debut against Macclesfield in the Carling Cup before making his league bow against Gillingham in May.
"I'm sad to be leaving because I've been here for a long time, but this is the next chapter for me now," he told the club's official website.
"There's a good squad of players here, and hopefully this is now an opportunity for me to play regular competitive football."
Meanwhile, 18-year-old reserve team keeper Matt Edwards has joined Salford City on a month's loan.
