Source: Northern_Echo
Strachan in for Halliday
GORDON STRACHAN will step up his search for a new creative midfielder this week and hopes to conclude a deal for highly-rated Scottish teenager Andy Halliday.[LNB] Halliday has been in prolific form in the Scottish Third Division for Livingston and Boro scouts have been to watch him on numerous occasions.[LNB] The 18-year-old winger has been attracting interest from home and abroad in the last 12 months and had a trial at Parma last year.[LNB] But this season's form has alerted many top clubs, with Rangers, Manchester City, Sunderland and Newcastle among those to have been represented at Almondvale in recent months.[LNB] Halliday has scored ten times for Livingston this season and Middlesbrough are hoping to strike a deal until the end of the season for the player, with a view to a permanent arrangement.[LNB] Boro hope to pay an initial £50,000 to land the player for the remainder of the season, although the Scottish club are looking for more.[LNB] Livingston have successfully sold on the likes of Graham Dorrans, Robert Snodgrass and Joe McKee in the last couple of years and their first team boast a number of promising Academy graduates.[LNB] As well as Halliday there is also strong interest in his Livingston's team-mates Keaghan and Kyle Jacobs, Cammy MacDonald and David Sinclair.[LNB] Strachan is keen to add Halliday to his squad in the hope that he will bring exciting wing play to his Boro team following last month's departure of Adam Johnson.[LNB] Strachan also remains interested in Peterborough's George Boyd and Blackpool's Charlie Adam, but Middlesbrough have so far been unable to match their valuations.[LNB] Meanwhile, two of Boro's youngsters have left the club on loan for an initial 28-day period.[LNB] Midfielder Josh Walker has joined Rotherham United, while goalkeeper Jason Steele has linked up with fellow League Two side Northampton Town.[LNB] Walker, who has made eight senior appearances for Boro, made his first start of the season in last month's 1-0 home win over Peterborough.[LNB] He joined Northampton at the start of this season, only for a dislocated shoulder to force an early return to the Riverside, and has also spent time at Bournemouth and Aberdeen.[LNB] Steele, an England Under- 20 international, was elevated to the Boro bench while Brad Jones was injured recently, but is yet to make his senior debut for the Teessiders.[LNB] He joins a sizeable Middlesbrough contingent at Northampton that also includes fellow loanee John Johnson and former Boro assistant Malcolm Crosby.[LNB] QPR boss Mick Harford is under no illusions about his future at Loftus Road.[LNB] Rangers have lost six of their last seven matches under Harford, Saturday's reverse at the Riserside the latest, and the club continue to be linked with a move for Neil Warnock at Crystal Palace.[LNB] The fact is there is a manager's job up for grabs and this is a good club with good fans and a good bunch of players,'' said Harford.[LNB] I have openly said the club needs a manager to come in and stabilise the place.[LNB] If that happens, so be it.[LNB] All I can do is concentrate on the football and work on the training pitch.''[LNB]
