[Archived] New signings

[USABlue]

Positions which need strengthening: all of them, really apart from goalie.

i would say friedal has been under preforming this season

I HAVE BEEN saying Friedal has been underperforming for some time.

At Fulham I actually saw him come off his line to narrow the angle and thought "oooh good someone is teaching him some basics". Saw the Spurs game and I am not so sure, he is always stuck within a yard or two of his goal line.

[USABlue]

Instead of posting what positions you think need strenthening, how about posting which players should be sold off in order to raise the funds to pay for all these new quality centre backs, defensive midfielders and strikers???

Are you on a mission from Sparky Lee?

Ooops almost forgot the whole point of the thread, Centre Half, with leadership abilities. defensive Midfielder.

No point have a scorer if we can't stop the goals, not point having a scorer if we can't breakdown the opponents attack, no point having a scorer if we can't win possesion in the middle of the park. The best goalscorer in the world would struggle with the number of chances we create. The platform had to start at the back, middle. Shore up that, allow our creators to create, provide opportunities for our striker. That should do it.

Edited December 8, 2004 by USABlue

[tenpo]

I'm the only one who voted for a left back? Yet everyone wants a new right-back? We all know Neill can be quality, and he seems to be getting better with each game lately. Witness great tackling on Defoe in the Tottenham game, and for once SURELY he can't be blamed for the other team scoring

As for the left. Nils was poor, McEverley hasn't had much of a look in after his display against Liverpool where he was repeatedly exposed for pace until he broke someone's leg! Gray has become the missing man - is he injured?

Perhaps I'm missing something obvious here, please tell me. But to all those calling for Neill to have competition for his place.. what about a half-decent left back instead?

Apart from the left-back position I'd want a good defensive mid to protect the back four. Once we stop letting goals in it'll free up our attacking players and the goals will come - we have enough quality for it to happen, as long as we're not contantly picking the ball out of our own net, i think.

[FourLaneBlue]

You can have as good defenders as you like but if teams cut through the midfield like a knife through butter they still won't keep clean sheets. A defensive midfield player who can break up attacks is a must and it would actually free up some of our more attack-minded players. We have midfield players with creative talent (Emerton, Ferguson, Tugay, Thompson, Djorkaeff, maybe even De Pedro and MGP if we ever get to see them) who are often too harassed trying to defend to be able to spend much of the game attacking. If we had someone who could protect the defence and give the midfield some stability then for once the other team would be back to worrying about what we are going to do than what happens now with us worrying about the opposition danger-men.

After that...well, almost everywhere could be improved really couldn't it? A new striker in a different mould to what we have now may be worth looking into. A big targetman up front maybe, possibly giving the tried-and-tested little man and big man partnership up front. A new centre half? Why not, if they're good enough. Certainly most of the team needs improving but to my mind the one vital position is a central midfielder to make us hard to play against once again. Martin Andresen has had his critics on here (unjustly most of them were I feel) but he came into the team and did a job, no-nonsense and that must have made a difference, it was certainly an important part of our four match winning streak last Spring. Every team needs a hard tackling central midfielder, a "water carrier' (copyright Eric Cantona) if you will, just ask Wenger/Ferguson/Clough/Ramsey any decent manager ever really.

As for who can go...almost any for the right price.

[greggyk]

Instead of posting what positions you think need strenthening, how about posting which players should be sold off in order to raise the funds to pay for all these new quality centre backs, defensive midfielders and strikers???

well according to JW in the LET. We wont need to sell anyone as the depth of the squad is good so Hughes only wants players who can come into the team straight away.

[Al]

You cannot win games without scoring goals and none of our so called strikers can do that.

We badly need a goal scorer then maybe we can look for a defensive midfielder to shore up the defense and to allow our best player (Ferguson) to get forward and create.

[Dan Furness]

Totally agree with Bryan and Scotty in their assessments on who should go. Spot on lads !

Interesting to hear J.Williams qoute in tonights LET that Rovers budgeted the wages for a mid table position is that ambition or what.

its called financial sense

called not 'doing a Leeds'

[G Somerset Rover]

A Centre half and a ball winning midfielder for me too. However the problem of a solid left back keeps coming back to haunt us!!! Hughes' is obviously not picking micky Gray for a reason, so I guess that if we can get a left back on the cheap then Hughesey may think about it. A striker is also required, however with Rovers' financial predicament we must prioritise.

[RevidgeBlue]

We are in desperate need in two positions, a youngish centre half with a bit of quality to complement Short/Todd and a striker who actually knows where the back of the net is.

Trouble is every team in the bottom half of the table is equally desperate for the latter so they're not easy to find.

I think we can more than make do in the other areas of the team.

I do think Stead will come good again given a chance. Needs a couple of goals to go in off his backside, but the difference is he hasn't had someone with the presence and excellent movement of Cole alongside him this season.

Although Stead and Gally have looked decent as a combination together in the past and are worth another look I reckon.

Who needs to go?

In the "don't let the door hit you on the backside on the way out" brigade are Matteo, Amoruso, Gresko (when injuries permit) Flitcroft and De Pedro.

[jim mk2]

Opportunity knocks at Parkhead.

After Celtic's exit from all European competitions last night Martin O'Neill talked about the need to make significant changes to his squad.

Celtic are struggling for cash as much as anyone else (despite 60,000 crowds), so they need to get players off the payroll first.

Might I suggest a joint bid for Hartson/Sutton in January ? Balde might be tempted away too.

All of them might be available at knockdown prices because they are not in the first flush of youth and they have not got long on their existing contracts.

They would all add height/strength to a very lightweight (tub of lard De Pedro excepted) Rovers squad.

[MCMC1875]

Get in for Sutty now!!

[Realbluesman]

Sutty & Hartson sound exciting but they are both injured all the time aand at their age that won't get any better. Thompson is also useful but isn't he similar in terms of age and injury. We need a Makele type player - anyone know of one going cheap?

[rover6]

Sutty & Hartson sound exciting

I am registering no excitement. Maybe it just me.

[broadsword]

Balde is a clumsoid and Sutton disrepspected teh club, wouldn't either of those two. Hartson maybe.

[Gav]

Xavier in talks?

[Ricky]

Thought he was a decent player for Everton. Not sure of his age now though.

[greggyk]

ITS BREAKING NEWS ON SSN!!

Nooooooooooooooo!! Xavier is ######!

[Neil Weaver]

Meanwhile, Balde and Amoruso could have a competition with the milk for who turns faster. So, that's Celtic out of the way, not many to go now.......

[Ewood Dream]

Xavier aint a bad defender actually.

[greggyk]

Sutty & Hartson sound exciting

I am registering no excitement. Maybe it just me.

and Ciaran Donnelly does excite you?

[blue/white]

I understand the clamour for a centre half, but one new central defender isn't going to sort out the defence. We'll still be shaky.

Whereas one striker could keep us up, virtually on his own.

Den- easy to take that option with Stead fresh in our minds, but the problem is that our back end isn't stocked with good, young (read:quick) defenders and midfielders. That should be our first option if we want to build for a lengthy stay in the prem.

Build a strong backbone first.

[philipl]

I certainly remember Xavier producing soome fantastic performances for both Everton and Liverpool.

As well as the odd 'mare

Don't know if we have the personnel capable of playing to Hartson's strengths but I do think we will be well capable of discovering his ample weaknesses.

Sutty is a different matter. I'd have Sutty back in a flash and sod his disciplinary and more colourful off-field reputation. He can still hack it up front and has more mobility and guile than Hartson, gives us a central defender option and I'm sure he could do the sort of midfield job Sparky did for us in the Cup Final.

Edited December 9, 2004 by philipl

[wicklowrover]

Ok, lets face facts we have limited funds. Therefore, I think it is more reasonable that we would be able to purchase a decent Centreback than a decent Striker, and lets face facts we have one of the worst defensive records in the premiership at the moment and it has to be fixed FAST.

I am not sure that all these trial signings are the answer. Xavier hasn't played yet this season and not sure that a New Zealand international who plays in America really has the credentials to keep pace with the Premiership either.

Maybe in this era of loans thats the best way to go... John O'Shea isn't getting much of a game at Man U at the moment and rumour has it he is not a happy boy.

Surely there is someone in Chelsea's excessive squad we could borrow, after all Jose is on the record as saying he does not like dealing with large squad... that may give us a decent CM for the rest of the season.. I like the idea of Scott Parker.

[joey_big_nose]

I seem to be a to be at odds with most of the MB here but I think we have an extremely decent sqaud. Friedel, Todd, Short, Ferguson, Emerton, Reid and Dikov have all looked like players who would get into, even walk into, most of our rivals sides. On top of that Niell, Gray (frozen out though), Gallagher Tugay, Thompson have all looked good at varying stages.

We need a couple of additions but in real terms the only difference between our team and that of 2002 is Berg, Duff and Cole. And that has been arguably mitigated, if not absolved, by Ferguson and Dikov.

You can complain all you like but if the squad assasination recomended on this board every week when we lose actually happend we would not have a team at all.

Any decent manager would be able to work wonders with our squad and a small transfer budget. We arguably posess more overall quality than Everton- they might have found in their transferless misery a team solidatity which we sadly lack.

If you lot were TOffees you would of had them all out last year after their disasterous performance.

We will stay up even if we dont buy a player. Hopefully we will and do much better than that. Naieve? Bugger off you whingers, salute them as heroes one week and slag them off the next if you like. Rome was not built in a day.

Edited December 9, 2004 by joey_big_nose

[wicklowrover]

I seem to be a to be at odds with most of the MB here but I think we have an extremely decent sqaud. Friedel, Todd, Short, Ferguson, Emerton, Reid and Dikov have all looked like players who would get into, even walk into, most of our rivals sides. On top of that Niell, Gray (frozen out though), Gallagher Tugay, Thompson have all looked good at varying stages.

We need a couple of additions but in real terms the only difference between our team and that of 2002 is Berg, Duff and Cole. And that has been arguably mitigated, if not absolved, by Ferguson and Dikov.

You can complain all you like but if the squad assasination recomended on this board every week when we lose actually happend we would not have a team at all.

Any decent manager would be able to work wonders with our squad and a small transfer budget. We arguably posess more overall quality than Everton- they might have found in their transferless misery a team solidatity which we sadly lack.

If you lot were TOffees you would of had them all out last year after their disasterous performance.

We will stay up even if we dont buy a player. Hopefully we will and do much better than that. Naieve? Bugger off you whingers, salute them as heroes one week and slag them off the next if you like. Rome was not built in a day.

What rivals would these players teams walk into... those staring at relegation too? Well thats why they are there. Or are you talking about Burnley?

Seriously what Premier teams would be delighted to have Dickov, Short, Reid or Todd walk into there starting 11s, I am not trying to take anything away from the effort some of these players have put in nor am I reacting to recent games but lets face facts

Short and Dickov are getting on, they are hardly the most skillful players and they don't exactly make up for this in pace.

Todd and Reid are not even guaranteed regular first team spaces

And the loss of Berg, Duff and Cole is not even close to being made up for by the presence of Fergusson and Dickov.

Have you seen the league table lately, or have you been reading it upside down?