Dunne On Jabo & Signings

Joe Dunne has said that new signing Jabo Ibehre has a point to prove and is 'ready to be unleashed'.

Jabo's arrival until the end of the season was confirmed on Tuesday following an earlier loan spell that was brought to an abrupt end in the one-goal defeat at Walsall as he limped off with an abdominal injury.

Having not featured for MK Dons in his return to stadium:mk, Dunne said the front man would have a point to prove in his return to the club.

'I think Jabo has unfinished business, which can only be good for us,' he told BBC Essex ahead of this weekend's game with Walsall.

'Since he has been back he's looked sharp, full of confidence and just like the player that I first brought in back in September.

'He's hungry, and the good thing about Jabo is that he's someone who feels like he has a point to prove, so he's a hungry player ready to be unleashed.'

In his first spell the experienced striker hit the ground running, bagging two goals on his debut against Hartlepool followed by another two goals in his next four appearances.

However, that remained his lot during that spell as his goalscoring form tailed off along with the U's, who have since lost nine consecutive games going into this weekend's fixture.

Dunne remains confident that there were mitigating circumstances surrounding that form, however.

He said: 'The initial energy Jabo brought was excellent, and as time went on I think his lack of games at MK Dons had probably caught up with him a little, as well as a lack of service.

'Some players were reverting to type and, with the change in personnel, that could make it difficult at times.

'Other teams were also working hard to stop Jabo, so we needed other players to chip in with goals.'

Indeed, Jabo remains the U's top scorer with four goals this season which only goes to highlight the desperate lack of goals from elsewhere in the side; the U's have found the net only twenty-five times in their twenty-seven league outings this season.

In terms of potential departures, the Irishman confirmed that there was still nothing concrete to discuss.

Reports earlier this week suggested that Charlton had had a bid accepted for Anthony Wordsworth but, instead, that has since been rebuffed from both parties.

Dunne remains hopeful that activity will pick up as the deadline looms ever closer.

'I've made the players available but there's still nobody going out at the moment,' he continued. 'That may change as we approach the deadline and I'm surprised I've not had more calls for those players, but that's the climate.

'All this talk of players coming in can be unsettling; I've been there myself. So in terms of bringing players in, I want to focus on what I have got now and get the group focused.'


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