I am pretty sure Searle did get picked over Lima eventually. I think Dai confirmed it when specifically asked in interview, saying that was not injury or rotation but that Searle had earnt the shirt on merit. It was not for long, iirc Searle played well in half a European game, and got the nod over Lima for maybe two games a little further on, the second of which was Bristol, where he got injured, and that was basically that. I was not saying that Searle was especially good, just that people are either too harsh on him or too kind to Lima in their comments.
I don't think Searle would be a good acquisition, and I think it should be someone with experience, hence my suggestion of an Andy Goode type, so we don't disagree on the fundamentals.