Kitson not at Boro to stay

Nov 21 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

“My family’s carved out its own life away from football. My wife has a very good job in London, she’s worked really hard to get and it wouldn’t be fair for her to leave at this stage.

“That’s just how it is, this would be a fantastic club to come to, but my ties are such that it would make it difficult, if not unfair, to come for more than six weeks.”

Boro boss Gordon Strachan will have to decide whether to start with Kitson against Forest, although the fact the 29-year-old was willing to move so far north from Stoke implies he has been promised first-team football while he is here.

That could mean a rekindling of Kitson’s successful partnership with Leroy Lita after the duo once terrorised Championship defences together at Reading.

The Scot is happy with the loan signings he has been able to make with Kitson joining Marcus Bent and Isaiah Osbourne at the Riverside, but will target perma-nent signings in the transfer window.

Strachan said: “I’d love deals to be permanent, but at the moment we have three loan strikers. I’d like more permanent players alongside me because I think that helps.

“We need experience, that’s for sure. Someone phoned me about a good young player. They should stop it now – I’ve got enough of those players.”

As well as recruiting in January, Strachan would also like to see crowds increase at the Riverside, although he insisted the players had praised the backing they have received since he arrived.

He explained: “I can’t do anything about the numbers – I can’t force people to come in at a time of recession, and with Christmas coming up. But in terms of support, I think the players are quite happy with the actual support they’re getting. The support has been good.

“It’s very hard for a fan to get vocal if there’s not anything happening. It’s like going to the cinema to watch a comedy and, if there’s no comedy in the film, you can not laugh.”