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James Bailey


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JAMES Bailey admits he still doesn’t know if the game at Stevenage will be his last for Coventry City.

The 24-year-old has only missed one league match since joining the Sky Blues in September.

“I still don’t really know what’s happening. I think Coventry and Derby are in talks but I don’t know what the deal is – hopefully something can be agreed because if not it looks as if I will be going back to Derby after the game and it will maybe get sorted after that.

“All I want to do is play football. I am happy here; it’s a great bunch of lads and we’re moving up the league with the fans behind us now and I’m enjoying my football.

"We want to have a really good Christmas in terms of points because with games coming thick and fast, one day you can be in the bottom half and before you know it you can be in contention for the play-offs.”

Bailey enhanced his impressive spell at the Ricoh Arena when he scored his first goal for the club, and only second of his career, against Preston on Saturday.

But the more defence-minded midfielder revealed: “The last time I scored was against QPR for Derby more than two years ago and that was the only goal I had scored, so I have got two now, so don’t be expecting any more any time soon.

“That was back in my first season in my third or fourth game and I think Derby fans thought I was going to get a few for them but it wasn’t the case.”

Re-living his precision finish at the weekend when he was teed up by Gary McSheffrey, he said: “I saw him have a little look up so I held my run and sat there and thankfully he picked me out perfectly and I just knew I had to keep my head down and I hit it through the lad’s legs and past the keeper.

“I think we let our foot off the gas a little bit after that and didn’t pressurise them as much as we should, and gave them too much time on the ball.

“The pressure was building and it did almost feel that they were going to score and it was a poor one to give away when it came. But, as a team, if we want to get to the top of the league we’ve got to deal with that and see games out. So that’s something we’ll have to work on.

“It was a good point in the end, although we’re disappointed whenever we get a point these days because we go out there expecting to get a win."

Whether he will still be turning out for Coventry when Preston return to the Ricoh in a fortnight remains to be seen, but there’s no doubting Bailey’s feeling on the matter.

“I’d love to still be here when Preston come back in the JPT,” he said. “I want to play as many games as I can.”

[url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/coventry-city-fc/coventry-city-fc-news/2012/12/27/james-bailey-unclear-on-coventry-city-future-92746-32501065]http://www.coventryt...-92746-32501065

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I can't imagine Coventry are in a position to buy him outright, certainly not for the kind of offer we'd hope for.

With Bryson having to play when he's not fully fit and Hughes attracting interest from Premier League clubs, it might be the ideal time for Bailey to be welcomed back into the fold and given a chance.

All things considered, his loan will probably get extended until the end of the season.

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Doubt Bailey would want to be just cover, he's good enough to play in the Championship for say, Barnsley etc, but we've got too many better options in his position here. - Hendrick, Bryson, and Hughes, even Paul Coutts and Freeman can play CM.

If that was the case, why is Bryson having to play when Clough has admitted he's nowhere near fully fit? Bryson has also been quoted as saying he expected to be out for four to six weeks. And now it's clear rather than a speedy recovery, he was rushed back. Surely if we've got so much depth in that position, Bryson could have been eased back in.

For me, there would be no better time for Bailey to be given a chance, especially if we're not going to go out and invest in a new signing. I don't see the point of playing Bryson at 60-70%. It's risky business. Look what's happened to Barker when he had to play with an injury.

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If that was the case, why is Bryson having to play when Clough has admitted he's nowhere near fully fit? Bryson has also been quoted as saying he expected to be out for four to six weeks. And now it's clear rather than a speedy recovery, he was rushed back. Surely if we've got so much depth in that position, Bryson could have been eased back in.

For me, there would be no better time for Bailey to be given a chance, especially if we're not going to go out and invest in a new signing. I don't see the point of playing Bryson at 60-70%. It's risky business. Look what's happened to Barker when he had to play with an injury.

I would rather see Freeman or Coutts in CM than Bailey..
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I would rather see Freeman or Coutts in CM than Bailey..

Surely if Clough wanted to play Coutts in central midfield while Bryson recovers, he would have moved him across and played Ben Davies down the right?

Why would he play Freeman in central midfield? He can't even command a place in the team in his natural position so I find it unlikely he'd suddenly be a better option than Bailey who is naturally a central midfielder.

Like I say, Bryson is obviously not at 100% so why not give Bailey a chance when he returns from Coventry?

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Nigel Clough has confirmed that James Bailey has returned to Derby County after the conclusion of his three-month loan at Coventry City, but he has confirmed the Rams are talking to the Sky Blues about extending his stay in the West Midlands.

The 24-year-old made 18 appearances for Mark Robins’s League 1 outfit and impressed during his temporary stint with at the Ricoh Arena, after finding himself unable to force his way into Clough’s first-team plans during the early weeks of the season.

He also scored only his second career goal in their 1-1 draw with Preston North End last Saturday, before bringing down the curtain on his loan spell with a fine display in their 3-1 win at Stevenage on Boxing Day.

Robins has publically stated he wants to see Derby’s 2010 summer signing from Crewe Alexandra re-join his side, and Clough says dialogue is already taking place between the two clubs.

He said: “James is back with us for a few days now although Coventry have made it clear they would like to keep him, and we are talking to them about that.

“He’s enjoyed himself there and got games under his belt, so we’ll try and work something out which suits everyone.

“It’s no slight on James and his ability that he can’t get in our side either, it’s just that the likes of Craig Bryson, Will Hughes, Paul Coutts and Jeff Hendrick can all play in that position and are head of him.

“He trained with us today and he’s around for the next few days at least, so we’ll just see how things progress.”

Since joining Derby from Crewe in a double deal which also saw John Brayford head to Pride Park in May 2010, Bailey has made 62 appearances for the Rams and the last of those came as a substitute on the final day of last season against Peterborough United.

http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/bailey-back-with-rams-563580.aspx

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Surely if Clough wanted to play Coutts in central midfield while Bryson recovers, he would have moved him across and played Ben Davies down the right?

Why would he play Freeman in central midfield? He can't even command a place in the team in his natural position so I find it unlikely he'd suddenly be a better option than Bailey who is naturally a central midfielder.

Like I say, Bryson is obviously not at 100% so why not give Bailey a chance when he returns from Coventry?

What is Freemans natural position? When ever he's come off the bench he's played a CM role and looked decent.
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What is Freemans natural position? When ever he's come off the bench he's played a CM role and looked decent.

I think he prefer's central midfield, but played on the left hand side for notts county and did well there. I'd hoped when we'd bought him in we'd develop him into a left back for when Roberts calls it a day, but I think Clough wants him as backup in the middle

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