Here we go ...... a different point of view ....... obviously pleased that Britt is scoring goals and then some more goals ........... but I can't say that I am happy that it is a loan player getting us points rather than our own contracted players.
What is the point of the loan system? Watford get a player developed "for free" and may make millions from it whilst we (S.U.F.C.) get a temporary lift from the situation, the club is left without an asset come the end of the loan period. Without the loan system in place, might it not be the case that Britt and other talented youngsters would be in lower league clubs on contracts and then being sold on .............. you know, like it was for many years before the loan system. I've lost count of the number of loan players who have scored against us so perhaps it just evens itself up over time.
So, good for Southend United in the short term (? until Christmas) ...... but what about the longer term, I ask?
This argument has been had over on the Watford forums for years now.
I do understand your point of view, however, with the current financial climate and with the plethora of young talent available at these big clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea etc, it makes perfect BUSINESS sense to go to these clubs and 'loan' a few gems in order to climb the leagues and ultimately gain promotion (in an ideal world) and then once you've gained valuable revenue from being in a higher division you can then re-invest that money into your youth set-up.
Obviously I can't comment on the situation at Southend, because I have no clue about what goes on at your club.
Over the last 5 years (post Boothroyd era), we have had to beg, borrow and steal players from Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea in order to keep us in the Championship. We've done this with success as we're still a permanent Championship fixture, and have been since 1997 (when we dipped into League One for one season).
When Boothroyd signed Adam Johnson from Boro on loan, he did exactly what Britt has done for you so far. He scored goals, made goals and generally looked a class apart from anything in the division. Sadly for us, he was re-called by Southgate before Christmas and we couldn't get him back in January. Had we kept him for the season we'd have won promotion at a canter (we finished 6th that season and lost to Hull in the play-off semi's. Johnson left us when we were top of the league by about 10 points). Hopefully that won't happen to you with Britt.
Losing AJ back to Boro ultimately cost us £80,000,000 of Premiership money!! Incredible when you put it into that context.
On the flip side, we managed to loan Tom Cleverley from United a few years ago, and he was pivotal in ensuring we stayed in the league. Had it not been for his 10 goals from midfield we'd have definitely been relegated.
Take the loan system for what it is. Yes it's short-term initially, however, i'm sure club owners would say it does serve a long term purpose in a clubs future if the loans are successful.