Higginbotham available on a free transfer...

Red15

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According to this story, Higginbotham has given Derby County 2 weeks notice after which time he can leave the club on a free transfer (due to breach of contract for non-payment of wages). He can sign for a premiership side as it's not classified as a transfer. He must have had a good season last year because he was their player of the year.

I certainly wouldn't mind getting him back especially with our lack of cover for Silvestre.

(Sorry, I tried to post the link but it doesn't seem to work. The story looks like it's from a Derby County fan site.)
 
Would he come back?

I'd nab him if he wanted too, especially as Micky hasn't signed a new deal.

DH is familiar with the majority of the players and obviously knows the OT set up.

Be a good move imo.
 
He won Derby's Player of the Year award last term, so that suggests a definate improvement since leaving OT. My only worry would be whether he'd prefer to play reglular first-team football at a lower Division / Prem as opposed to 10-15 games a season at United.
 
If we want an English replacement to Silvestre (assuming he is leaving and I hope he is not), Higginbotham is not who I would have in mind. Wayne Bridge is well ahead of him for one, and is in the England setup.
 
Do you think Fergie will take him back?

If he does, he'd be sort of admitting he was wrong...
 
Originally posted by mathiaslg:
<strong>If we want an English replacement to Silvestre (assuming he is leaving and I hope he is not), Higginbotham is not who I would have in mind. Wayne Bridge is well ahead of him for one, and is in the England setup.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Definately. Bridge is imo the best English LB, better than Cole, and of course he has all the advantages of being English and in the England squad that we have explained previously. The Higginbotham idea is a non-starter anyhow.
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In the Guardian this morning, it says that if Derby County pays Higginbotham in the next 14 days, then his notice to leave would be withdrawn.

I was just thinking that if he was available on a free, he would be a good short-term option as he's free (and we don't seem to have any money these days) and he's one of the few players we could add right now since the transfer window is closed which prevents us from buying almost everyone else until January. And given the fact that we're really short of cover in that position, he might not be a bad option.

I'm not sure what Fergie has in mind longer-term. It's pretty clear he still wants Escude and I can't figure out what his plans are longer-term for that position. If the rumours are true that Silvestre's contract expires in a year, it's strange that he hasn't been either re-signed or sold.

Anyway, it looks like Derby Country's going to come up with the money now so it's probably not going to happen anyway.

<a href="http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,786242,00.html" target="_blank">http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,786242,00.html</a>
 
Why would we buy a player we got rid of, presumably for the reason that he was deemed of insufficient potential for our first team, not two years ago? Winning Derby's player of the year doesn't say a great deal either does it?
 
Potential can be a very difficult thing to judge. Sometimes a change of club (and the fear of having failed) can inspire a young player to improve dramatically. We've had plenty of future stars on our books, only to release them and see them prosper.

E.g. Peter Beardsley, David Platt

If he's available SAF would evaluate the player as he is, not how he was.
 
Originally posted by roxyfella:
<strong>

Remember Mark Hughes?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Not really a similar comparison I'm sure you'd agree.
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like i posted <a href="http://www.redcafe.info/forum/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=001285" target="_blank">here</a> all the Derby players will hand in their 'notice' due to serious breach of contract if they dont get paid soon.

Probably save themselves at the last moment, but if they dont we should get in for Christie above all others. Then maybe Danny or Riggot.
 
Originally posted by Dans:
<strong>Why would we buy a player we got rid of, presumably for the reason that he was deemed of insufficient potential for our first team, not two years ago? Winning Derby's player of the year doesn't say a great deal either does it?</strong><hr></blockquote>

It is because we were wrong to get rid of him from the very beginning. When Fergie sold him, he said in an interview "We may have lost a player who will play for England in the future.... but we already have Silverstre, Irwin and Phillp Neville in our team, and there is a very good prospect called Kirk Hilton in the reserve, that's why I let Danny go."

But now Irwin has left, Hilton didn't progress as well as Fergie expected and P.Neville seemed have already turned into a RB (and didn't play that well anyway), that's why Fergie is looking for a LB backup solution. Danny is a great talent and can play nearly everywhere along the back. If you tell me to choose between Higginbotham and P.Neville I will choose Danny on any day.
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Ok fair dos, although I would question the wisdom of letting someone go who he rated so highly favouring Phil Neville and a 34 yr old Denis Irwin.
 
Originally posted by Dans:
<strong>Ok fair dos, although I would question the wisdom of letting someone go who he rated so highly favouring Phil Neville and a 34 yr old Denis Irwin.</strong><hr></blockquote>

If I remember rightly this site tore SAF apart for letting Higginbottom go. From what I saw of him before he left and since i believe he's unlucky not to have picked up an England place but I think Derby were playing him centreback and not left back which may have had something to do with it.
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Originally posted by OldRed1:
<strong>

If I remember rightly this site tore SAF apart for letting Higginbottom go.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Well he was good in CM, that's probably why ;)
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ER, this is Man Utd we are talking about?
I think we can raise our sights a lot higher than
someone looking to escape from Derby Co. (can't blame him for that tho'!).
 
Originally posted by OldRed1:
<strong>

If I remember rightly this site tore SAF apart for letting Higginbottom go. From what I saw of him before he left and since i believe he's unlucky not to have picked up an England place but I think Derby were playing him centreback and not left back which may have had something to do with it.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I didn't remember this site has torn SAF apart for that, but it's true that most fans felt a little bit disappointed because he has been quite impressive whenever given a chance to play.
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