[Archived] Benni Mccarthy - Gone

[Rovermatt]

There's not a chance of us getting huge money for him. He's a lethal finisher no doubt but at 30 years old, we can expect nothing north of 8 million quid. Personally I would love him to stay but if he's not committed the f*** him! He can nick off and sit on Chelsea's bench for all I care.

Edited May 12, 2007 by Rovermatt

[joey_big_nose]

Make certain that you all give him a cheer and chant his name against Reading, he deserves it for the goals this season and also to remind him that he IS wanted at Ewood.

Too easy for the jerks around to help make his mind up the wrong way.

I have to agree with that, there is absolutely no value in booing him. All its going to do is make him want to leave more which in turn is going to make it more difficult for sparky to either get a decent transfer fee or persuade Benni to stay. I think substantial booing woul be a very substaintial blow to Hughes' position.

If we want voice our displeasure then we can do that after he, if he, leaves.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

I have to agree with that, there is absolutely no value in booing him. All its going to do is make him want to leave more which in turn is going to make it more difficult for sparky to either get a decent transfer fee or persuade Benni to stay. I think substantial booing woul be a very substaintial blow to Hughes' position.

If we want voice our displeasure then we can do that after he, if he, leaves.

IMO this is MCarthy stating he would like to play Champions League football again and not necessarily saying he is gonna leave. The Sun can put any kind of spin they want to around that statement.

Lets wait and see what develops before we have a go at Benni.

[brfcshabba]

IMO this is MCarthy stating he would like to play Champions League football again and not necessarily saying he is gonna leave. The Sun can put any kind of spin they want to around that statement.

Lets wait and see what develops before we have a go at Benni.

I have to agree with you on that

[Eddie]

He's said time and again that he'll stay as long as we want him and I'll believe him. Of course if we accept a bid he'll be off like a shot, just like everyone in this side, but I don't think he'll cause any trouble and I doubt that any serious bids from the big four will come in.

[Rovermatt]

The threat may not come from Liverpool, Arsenal, United or Chelsea. Neither is short of decent forwards nor the money to buy them. An approach from Spain could yet materialise though this is obviously conjecture.

Edited May 12, 2007 by Rovermatt

[Lathund]

IMO this is MCarthy stating he would like to play Champions League football again and not necessarily saying he is gonna leave. The Sun can put any kind of spin they want to around that statement.

Lets wait and see what develops before we have a go at Benni.

Yeah, that was my initial reaction too before my paranoia set in. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, a lot depends on what questions he was asked and how the interviewer acted. A good (Or rather manipulative, but that's seen as "good" I suppose) interviewer can get pretty much the answers they want, and then spin them further when selecting what to quote. And they can do this without printing any false information. I mean does anyone expect any professional footballer to answer "no" when asked if they want to play in the CL, or if they miss the CL? Likewise, who wouldn't want to move to a club like Chelsea, working under a manager they have a good relationship, play in the CL and get a pay raise? The questions could've been "Do you miss the CL?", "If the club accepted a bid from Chelsea, how would you feel about that?" and similar. In those cases, his answers don't feel all that strange. Maybe he's simply not very media-savvy, and doesn't always realise that the things he say can be interpreted in ways other than he intended them to be? Then there's also another possibility, that even if he would want to leave he'd still be professional enough to just get on with it and give 100% even if he was denied a move. Like (And some would disagree with this, but it's my firm belief anyway) Lucas did. And booing him in that situation wouldn't help at all then.

[Modi]

Absolutely amazing - well actually it isn't - that Rovers fans when faced with two totally contradictory interviews in the space of a week decide that the negative one must be the real one.

Why don't we just club together and buy him a ticket to go to whichever club is going to sign-him.

As I've said time and time again, don't forget Tugay's not even played for Rovers for the last 5 years. He's been at Newcastle ever since he gave that infamous interview were he had the audacity to say the barcodes were a great club and he wouldn't have a problem palying for them.

The press will spin whatever they want. Players say things in all innocence. Rovers fans believe the worst.

[RevidgeBlue]

Everyone's trying to be very charitable towards Benni but "I've enjoyed (past tense) playing for Blackburn" sounds quite final to me from his perspective.

He might just have to eat some serious humble pie for Mark Hughes and the rest of his team mates if there are no suitable bids forthcoming for him.

It's still the timing of it that gets me. If he'd said it after the season had finished I'd have been more inclined to think "It's a shame but possibly only to be expected."

(Despite all the guff he's given us this season which made us all think that he was cuddly wuddly Benni and not a bit like that nasty wasty Bellamy!)

[BRFC4EVA]

There's not a chance of us getting huge money for him. He's a lethal finisher no doubt but at 30 years old, we can expect nothing north of 8 million quid. Personally I would love him to stay but if he's not committed the f*** him! He can nick off and sit on Chelsea's bench for all I care.

Well if nobody offers us more then 8 mill, then its simple he wont go. We will not be forced into selling on the cheap, £12m and higher

[thenodrog]

1. McCarthy wanted some of the money swilling aroound in the Prem.

2. We were the best club willing to take a risk on him.

3. He's done his bit and we've done ours.

4. Sell him for big money, give Hughes 10% commision as I have suggested previously and let him do it again. Players may come and go but Mark Hughes is the person that we do NOT want to see leave to go to our rivals, if one of the big 4 comes for him then OK but for goodness sake lets ring fence him from the likes of Spurs, Newcastle and Villa.

We've rescued the careers of and added value to so many players since Hughes came that he really should be the best paid manager out of the big 4. I'm sure that many Agents will nowadays actually be recommending to their charges that they sign for Blackburn instead of similarly placed rivals. They will recognise the value of a season under Hughes's team and want their players to progress to the best of their ability.

imo there is little difference in value in the Prem squads outside of the top 4 and the bottom 1 or two. The big difference is in the management team and we have one hell of a good one. Proof of this will be clear next season when I think Bolton will drop like a stone from their current lofty and regular position.

[thenodrog]

Everyone's trying to be very charitable towards Benni but "I've enjoyed (past tense) playing for Blackburn" sounds quite final to me from his perspective.

He might just have to eat some serious humble pie for Mark Hughes and the rest of his team mates if there are no suitable bids forthcoming for him.

It's still the timing of it that gets me. If he'd said it after the season had finished I'd have been more inclined to think "It's a shame but possibly only to be expected."

(Despite all the guff he's given us this season which made us all think that he was cuddly wuddly Benni and not a bit like that nasty wasty Bellamy!)

Damned if you do and damned if you dont eh? Last summer Bellamy was widely criticised for lying about his future before the season ended and leading our supporters up the garden path and now Benni is getting stick for doing the opposite.

[G Somerset Rover]

I've said it before but I cannot see any of the Premiership big guns coming in for Benni. I'd be more worried about the likes of Sevilla and Zaragoza giving him another crack at Spanish football.

Edited May 12, 2007 by Somerset Rover!

[bob fleming]

Absolutely amazing - well actually it isn't - that Rovers fans when faced with two totally contradictory interviews in the space of a week decide that the negative one must be the real one.

Exactly. Two days ago Hughes says that Benni is stopping. Today there's an interview in The Sun (of all places!) and everyone assumes he's off! Who's buying him by the way? Has a fee been agreed?

Everyone's trying to be very charitable towards Benni but "I've enjoyed (past tense) playing for Blackburn" sounds quite final to me from his perspective.

This is a footballer Rev, not a top politician who has to make sure every word and tense is correct, like what that George Bush would do.

If he goes he goes - we'll get a few quid in no doubt and get someone else in. Rovers will go on. No stress. Let's see what pans out before totally lambasting him.

Besides, if he does go, his work rate is rubbish, he provides no assists and he's always off side. If he stays, he's scored loads of goals, best striker we've had since Shearer (apparently). Either way we can't go wrong!

[SouthAussieRover]

Should he stay or should he go?

Is he unsure which way to go?

Whatever happens the Bob Flephming chap will keep us entertained.

I couldn't care either way what the overpaid pro does. BRFC will live on.

[Hasta]

Wait till tommorow when he finds out he's not even won Player of the Season. :ph34r:

[Montfort]

This is a great pity. It is like a love afair when you realise that you care about them alot more than they care about you. But what can you do.

I dont think he will go unless it is to one of the big four or as he says a Champions league club. Hope there is no clause that means he can go for a knock down fee though. Benni is real class. He has that eye for goal that very few have. Stats dont lie

[RoyRover]

Obviously any chance of a transfer is far from being completed, but the thing which upsets me most is how players backtrack on what they say. It was only a couple of days ago that he was saying that he wanted to stay at Rovers and the only way he would leave would be if they sold him. Now, he's talking about how he would like to move to a team in the Champions League, even though he knew we wouldn't be playing in it. This is what annoys me the most.

[92er]

I've said it before but I cannot see any of the Premiership big guns coming in for Benni. I'd be more worried about the likes of Sevilla and Zaragoza giving him another crack at Spanish football.

Maybe Sevilla want to pair Benni with Jason.

[philipl]

Maybe Sevilla want to pair Benni with Jason.

Brilliant - yes the President of Sevilla has uncontrollable urges thinking about Roberts and McCarthy leading his front line next season. (Probably to lock the cheque book away).

And as for Zaragoza- anyone been there? Blackburn any day compared with that desicated dump. And they will be left grovelling in the hot dust compared with Rovers' economic power if we have a half decent season next year.

[Manchester Blue]

Damned if you do and damned if you dont eh? Last summer Bellamy was widely criticised for lying about his future before the season ended and leading our supporters up the garden path and now Benni is getting stick for doing the opposite.

Exactly. He's been interviewed and asked would he be interested in a move to Chelsea. If he said no i'm committed to Blackburn and then moved he'd be slated. If as he's said, he says i'd obviousdly be very interested then he gets slated when he's simply being honest and he'd be stupid to turn the move down.

I never understand some fans logic. Jon Stead gave us a year and a half of hard work and toil and we sold him off, did we all complain? Of course not we got Bellamy in who was far better. There is very little loyalty in football and to be honest why should there be. Benni is 29 and he is the 2nd highest scorer in the league, he'd be daft if he didn't think imagine what I could do at a top 4 side.

Sadly we are used to, or at least should be used to, getting top players only to see them pinched. If in the close season we lose Benni but keep MGP and Bentley we will have done very well indeed.

[philipl]

Just read through the Benni thread.

Except for the 'drog who has used this morning's Sun story to rehash his 10% of transfer fee income to the Manager codswallop, there is a remarkable correlation between those posters who call Benni lazy and those who are howling about the "reported" "comments" in the "Sun" ?*!article;-)

Which of course we all believe to be the Gospel truth as that is the Sun's strong point.

I have watched Benni's reactions on being subbed recently and to say he looked totally unhappy would be an under-statement. I know he was supposed to have been kicked in the back at Spuds on Thursday but that was a fit of pique when he got subbed if ever I saw one.

To stir the pot a little, given Bellamy, Roberts, McCarthy, a rejuvenated Nonda and Derbyshire kicking on without second season syndrome, who would be first choice up front next season at Ewood? Despite being a Golden Boot contender and Champs League winner, Benni knows that Hughes is way ahead of him in terms of footballing achievement and will pick the best irrespective of reputation and ego.

Perhaps the blah blah was for domestic consumption at Ewood more than a realistic invitation to Abramovich's cheque book?

Edited May 12, 2007 by philipl

[Laurence]

Benni Happy at Rovers from the LET Mon 7th May.

[Roar of the Rover]

What if scores tomorrow annd kisses the badge, will that mean anything??

[ultrablue]

Could mean anything you or he wants it to. People kiss things they're leaving, they kiss things they love. Silly gesture at the best of times. If he came out and said I don't want or intend to go, those who wanted to believe it would and those who are more sceptical wouldn't. He's put himself in a difficult position if he really said what the Sun is quoting as saying as well as putting the club and its fans in a difficulrt position going into tomorrow's match. Usually we laugh at his babblings - this time we just wish he'd had the common sense and decency to keep the mouth shut for another few days.