[Archived] Nicko's Thread

[Presty On Tour]

owen to blackburn???? that would be some coup!

really cant see it happening as with cruz, mCarthy, derbyshire, roberts and rigters on our books at the moment we should really be looking to strengthen other areas.

[broadsword]

£3 mill over 6 months, that's £500k a month, £125k a week.

That's just outrageous.

Deleted.

[Presty On Tour]

still on the shelf is DAVID ALBELDA!

i really hope we go in for this guy, he's got the gear to make a real impact in the premiership.

not wanted by Valencia and available for transfer. just what we need imo, much better than koumas and faye put together.

whats the latest nicko?

[Martin]

Am I alone in thinking Owen's best days are behind him?

Granted he's had his injury problems but I have not been impressed by anything he has done for some years now. He has lost that yard that made him deadly.

I would hate to see us gamble £3m in wages on him.

[Presty On Tour]

Am I alone in thinking Owen's best days are behind him?

Granted he's had his injury problems but I have not been impressed by anything he has done for some years now. He has lost that yard that made him deadly.

I would hate to see us gamble £3m in wages on him.

i'm speculating here but i would hope to think if this did ever happen there would be a clause that the contract would be canceled if he picked up an injury.

i wouldn't worry about it martin, the chances of owen coming to us are very slim.

[Rover down South]

still on the shelf is DAVID ALBELDA!

i really hope we go in for this guy, he's got the gear to make a real impact in the premiership.

not wanted by Valencia and available for transfer. just what we need imo, much better than koumas and faye put together.

whats the latest nicko?

Totally agree, he is just the player we need, would fit into our side well. As he is not wanted by Valencia, they may want to offload quickly. Any idea what wages he'd demand?

[pksrover]

any news on anybody else who could be leaving blackburn??

cheshire blue on the thread said a couple of day ago about owen could come here as he wants to leave newcy..he wants to move back to north west.. with the close departure of mcarthy...just wondering if anything on mcarthy..

so where is he off then? are you just making stuff up?

[spencey7]

Personally speaking I think RSC and Roberts look good as a strike partnership. No defenders like facing power and pace. Roberts running onto RSC's lay offs would frighten most defenders.

Most defenders - Maybe.

Any goalkeepers? - No.

[nicko]

There will be some more Sidwell chat in the morning. Everton meant to be keen now after the Sunderland rumour.

However...

It turns out he is on around £75,000-a-week.

Now we know why he has not moved and why Chelsea might want to get rid at the moment.

The game's gone.

[spencey7]

still on the shelf is DAVID ALBELDA!

i really hope we go in for this guy, he's got the gear to make a real impact in the premiership.

not wanted by Valencia and available for transfer. just what we need imo, much better than koumas and faye put together.

whats the latest nicko?

What a signing Albelda would be.

But I fear there's as much chance of this happening as there is of us signing Michael Owen.

[spencey7]

It turns out [sidwell] is on around £75,000-a-week.

[American]

Manager who has lost the faith of the owners.

Fans who side with the boss against the owners despite the fact that his signings and tactics have made them also-rans.

Owners who never come to games and would sell if they could find a buyer.

And if they miss out on the top four...the next Leeds United?

Interesting, I remember arguing with you a couple months ago of how he was no better, if not worse, than Houllier, and you said how great he was and broke out the fact he does well in a certain knockout competition.

(Yes, you being a writer, I know that is a horrible sentence I just wrote.)

[Exiled_Rover]

Am I alone in thinking Owen's best days are behind him?

Granted he's had his injury problems but I have not been impressed by anything he has done for some years now. He has lost that yard that made him deadly.

I would hate to see us gamble £3m in wages on him.

He's lost more than a yard of pace. Watch the goal against Argentina, or the one for Liverpool against Newcastle (where he rubs his hands together as a celebration). That's when he was world class - a sublime finisher with electric pace. Now he's just a sublime finisher, and not really big enough to compensate for his loss of pace (whereas Shearer, for example, was able to put himself about after his injury).

[Exiled_Rover]

Double post.

[1864roverite]

Many years ago little old Blackburn Rovers FC stunned the footballing world when they went straight across to sunny Spain and pulled off a fantastic loan signing in Steve Archibold, hastily followed by Ossie Ardiles. Both signings contributed,some way, to an appearance in the play offs. At that time, the club found itself in financial troubles yet still pulled off what to some was an awesome signing.

Now, as time has moved on, BRFC are an established, well respected, hard working and good footballing Premiership team. SURELY it is not beyond our club to do something similar. There are players worldwide that Rovers could take on loan to assist us, not just in England BUT Europe as well.

I am slightly concerned that the management do not appear to have identified a midfielder or midfielders that we crave, in addition to that we desperately need a right back to back up Bert.

2 places in the league gross a cool 1.3 million and in position 8 at the mo, we stand just 3 points off 4th spot.

This weekend could feasibly see us just 1 point off 4th spot if results all fall our way, even better would be for Rovers to get the avalanche of goals we so desire just to put us even more in the positive goal difference.

So, if Rovers Board can see fit to loosen the purse strings to a fee of around 4m, SIDWELL is the midfielder for us. He is paid for with the Savage transfer fee and 3 spots up the table. A right back - HALFORD - on loan could be the back up for that position.

Come on Rovers loosen the grip on that purse !!

[nicko]

Interesting, I remember arguing with you a couple months ago of how he was no better, if not worse, than Houllier, and you said how great he was and broke out the fact he does well in a certain knockout competition.

(Yes, you being a writer, I know that is a horrible sentence I just wrote.)

Benitez is great in Europe, one win and one final in the Champions League. Just hasn't cracked the Premier League.

I still think it would be a mistake to sack him although he is a rather odd chap.

[Plastic Head]

We have no central midfield...... no central midfield........ no central midfield..........

Agreed

And we have 4 forwards.....

[Tris]

owen could come here as he wants to leave newcy..he wants to move back to north west.. with the close departure of mcarthy...just wondering if anything on mcarthy..

so where is he off then? are you just making stuff up?

It was on radio gullible ...

[Eddie]

Do you think his success in knock-out competitions, but lack of success in the league, may be down to the fact that he isn't a very good manager? He has enough good players to compete with anyone and in Gerrard he has a player who can win a game by himself, but he isn't good enough to either put together a side for a 38 game season or continue to inspire them to perform. Anyone can win in one-offs, especially when you consider that the big teams are virtually certain to make the knock-out stages. His success in the knock-out stages have also involved several penalty shoot-out and close-run wins, hardly convincing stuff. Obviously no club would be unhappy with a champions league win, but if you're cv is supported by the flip-of-a-coin that is a penalty shoot-out, you probably need to start doing more.

[Eddie]

Agreed

And we have 4 forwards.....

and we even have 4 players who can do some sort of a job at right back, not counting any youngsters who might be able to step-up. The big hole is in central midfield, which in my opinion is the most important area of a football pitch, it's a worry and needs to be addressed with some serious talent.

[revolutionrock!]

Newcastle have joined Aston Villa in the chase for £10m Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe (thisislondon.co.uk 1415 GMT).

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt mentioned that Ashley wouldnt give BFS the cash for Diarra?

[nicko]

Do you think his success in knock-out competitions, but lack of success in the league, may be down to the fact that he isn't a very good manager? He has enough good players to compete with anyone and in Gerrard he has a player who can win a game by himself, but he isn't good enough to either put together a side for a 38 game season or continue to inspire them to perform. Anyone can win in one-offs, especially when you consider that the big teams are virtually certain to make the knock-out stages. His success in the knock-out stages have also involved several penalty shoot-out and close-run wins, hardly convincing stuff. Obviously no club would be unhappy with a champions league win, but if you're cv is supported by the flip-of-a-coin that is a penalty shoot-out, you probably need to start doing more.

Benitez has his faults and gets a bit confused at times, but I can think of a hundred clubs who would love his Champions League record.

One CL win - as many as the legendary Fergie at Man U.

[Exiled_Rover]

£10m for Defoe?! £5m for King?! No wonder we can't bloody sign anyone. The world has gone mad.....again.

[nicko]

Newcastle have joined Aston Villa in the chase for £10m Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe (thisislondon.co.uk 1415 GMT).

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt mentioned that Ashley wouldnt give BFS the cash for Diarra?

Tottenham are just trying to start an auction for Defoe. Why would Newcastle want Defoe?

And Ashley was mesing BFS around at the time of the Diarra interest.

[FourLaneBlue]

Do you think his success in knock-out competitions, but lack of success in the league, may be down to the fact that he isn't a very good manager?

How many other not "very good" managers have this kind of roll of honour by the time they are 47?

Honours

Liverpool FC

* UEFA Champions League

o Winners 2004-05: 1

o Runners Up 2006-07: 1

* European Super Cup

o Winners 2005 1

* FA Cup

o Winners 2006 1

* FA Community Shield

o Winners 2006 1

* Carling Cup

o Runners Up 2005 1

* FIFA Club World Championship

o Runners Up 2005 1

Valencia CF

* Spanish Champions: 2

o 2001-02, 2003-04

* UEFA Cup: 1

o 2003-04

CD Tenerife

* Segunda División

o Third and promotion 2000-01

CF Extremadura

* Segunda División

o Runners-Up 1997-98

Real Madrid U-19s

* Spain U-19 League: 2

o 1993

* Spain U-19 Cup: 2

o 1991, 1993

As you can see...there are two La Liga titles in there which were won with a club outside the big two. As the Spanish league is over a 38-game season he obviously is also a very good league manager.

Benitez just hasn't quite managed to get to grips with the Premier League just yet. With the track record he has he should be given time...but what he what he really seems to want is money to spend. More and more of it too....