Savage Signs

[Radagast]

"It is a sign that someone does not want to be here and would rather play their football elsewhere."

Well the bloody hell else would it be?

What a clown. What a stupid ex-Man U clown. With stupid wooly hair.

[Bobby G]

Steve Bruce is a mercenary himself.Always leaving the club he was with for another one in the middle of the job.

Rejecting Newcastle was the first time he had stasyed put.I dont expect him to stay at Brum for long.He will continue his ditching trend.

[AndyC]

bruce really is an idiot.

I don't mind brady and sullivan getting upset - but here is a man that has deserted the previous 2 clubs he has managed when he has got a better offer!

[AndyC]

sorry bobby g - must have posted at the same time!

[Billy Castell]

Time to let this bid rest and look for a centre forward. £2.5 million is more than enough for Savage and Birmingham would obviously rather give him away than let him come to Blackburn.

I agree with this statement. £2-2.5m is enough for the kind of player he is in today's market, and that we need a striker more than another central midfielder. If we took a punt at Dean Ashton at around £2.5m, then that would be better. Brum are being awkward because Blackburn are the only club making firm offers, and they got out their pink handbags after the first bid. We have Flitcroft and Douglas for that 'tough guy' role in midfield.

[SuperStella]

Birmingham to Wrexham: 73.80 miles

Blackburn to Wrexham: 75.8 miles

[bellamy11]

I would also agree with Al that if Brum are not prepared to take £2.5m then they should look elsewhere. At the very least we've disturbed the most influential player at a club at a similar level to ourselves.

We have at least £2.5m, and with the Beattie money I would expect us to have somewhere in the region of £4m (just an assumption). This could buy a very good striker. Somebody approaching his peak (i.e. 25/26 years old) would be ideal. We have some of the better young, promoising strikers so there's no real need to go after more raw talent.

Flitty has been playing well recently, and that is almost certainly connected to the Savage rumours. We should still look to improve this area, if only to keep players on their toes and performing consistantly.

[rover6]

With stupid wooly hair.

Now that was uncalled for.

I can't help agreeing with Sullivan's conclusion that Savage's desire to leave is motivated by 'greed' but footballers are greedy, that's a fact. Actually, most humans are greedy.

[mhead]

Savage story should reach a new twist after he's spoken to Sullivan and Gold today.

Savage in the team allows ferguson to play higher up pitch,is an insurance policy just in case we get a £6m+ bid for Ferguson,which the Board would accept,and ensures that our fighting spirit approach to the season continues.This still means that our main post-Dunn/Duff problem of quality play on the ball continues until some of our youngsters(Johnson,Peter,Donnelly etc) can be bloodied.We can no longer afford to buy quality cos we do not have the £4m+ that buys the finished article.

[MCMC1875]

Savage in the team allows ferguson to play higher up pitch,is an insurance policy just in case we get a £6m+ bid for Ferguson,which the Board would accept,and ensures that our fighting spirit approach to the season continues.This still means that our main post-Dunn/Duff problem of quality play on the ball continues until some of our youngsters(Johnson,Peter,Donnelly etc) can be bloodied.

Are we expecting a bit of bother?

[Eddie]

Good that you know so much about the opinion of the board and our financial situaiton, would you like to give us a source on that Ferguson comment.

I would be surprised if we sold Bazza for anything less than what we bought him for, to be quite frank, I'd be surprised if we sold him full stop.

[Eddie]

On a note, even if we don't sign Savage, at least we've really messed up their team now

[vindaloobob]

the whole thing has got tiresome in some ways and interesting in others. tiresome because it's dragging on and on and on, and interesting to see what laughable statement one of the brum triumverate will come out with next.

some of the best imo have been: bruce whinging about how the right way to enquire about a player is to ask if they are available without making a fuss (note at this point the number of brum/savage quotes in the media and contrast that to the number of rovers quotes) and the cunningham (i think) saying that he hopes that savage can stay professional about the situation (note the brum chairman saying that savage is greedy and effectively calling him a liar - highly professional, and just what every employer wants to hear from their boss)

i think it's almost certain that savage will now move, tho i get the feeling that brum have shot themselves in the foot with their bleatings, for if he does stay it's obvious that he doesn't particularly want to and that he doesn't have the support of the manager or the board. something which i am hoping wont have escaped the notice of the rovers board and which can surely be used as leverage in negotiations

[grizfoot]

Just been on SSN, he's been left to train on his own, and the reason he wants to move to a north west club is because it would be nearer Chester which is only 30 mins away from Wrexham

Edited January 5, 2005 by grizfoot

[Alan75]

Ah so Chester have out bid us.

[brfcshabba]

He would be with another Welsh legend in Ian Rush

[modes98]

Birmingham to Wrexham: 73.80 miles

Blackburn to Wrexham: 75.8 miles

time to get out of brum: 2 hours

time to get out of blackburn: 2 mins

[Eddie]

Well I've had the pleasure of travelling from Birmingham to Chester and from Chester to Blackburn a few times as well as Chester to Manchester. I can tell you from experience that the first takes much longer then the second two. They have to sell him now, if not they are simply wasting money on his wages.

[Roaming Rover]

Blackburn to Wrexham = 1hr 23mins

Birmingham to Wrexham = 1hr 42mins

(from AA website route plan)

And it doesn't take into account the traffic around Brum

Edited January 5, 2005 by Roaming Rover

[Quack]

Cracking quotes from Bruce in today's Mail:

He has made his feelings clear by handing in a transfer request. That stinks to me. It is a sign that someone does not want to be here and would rather play their football elsewhere.

What planet is Bruce on? Has he only just got to grips with what a transfer request is? Fancy the very thought of a player not wanting to be at a club any more - that stinks! It's disgraceful.

Bruce would not win any Mensa competitions with statements like that!

[modes98]

i have to say i am starting to feel sorry for savage and think of him as our player!

Seeing the poor guy on his own makes you think! £30k a week and still wants to move to us who would not pay him that!

I was thinking last night why don't we ask for permission to discuss terms with him and medical. Then work out a fee after?

[mhead]

According to Tribal Football we might be accepting only £5m for Barry ferguson so we need a holding midfielder badly.

And its the time fom Brockhall to Cheshire thats the vital issue cos the M6 thru Staffs is the 2nd worst jam in UK.So he's using this as an excuse to get a last payday.We get 3 years"loyal" service and a will to win attitude.

[bellamy11]

Perhaps Savage could pay up some of the fee himself if he was that desperate to move away and get to Chester?

Sorry, just getting my nomination for ridiculous suggestion 2005 in early.

[Lathund]

It's rididulous to sell Barry to finance the purchase of Savage. Now I've always been in favour to buy Savage, and I still am, but for the reason that those two together would be a great midfield. I do think Savage and Tugay would work for the remainder of the season, but Tugay is injured and we'd only have "grafters" as backups. So no thanks.

I don't think it'll happen either. Remember that there's been stories in the press about Ferguson leaving since two weeks after he got here.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

According to Tribal Football we might be accepting only £5m for Barry ferguson so we need a holding midfielder badly.

Fantastic news!

We're about to be shafted twice then......f'kin marvellous.