[Archived] Other Premier League Happenings

[Al]

I give up, why dont you judge players on their performances for Rovers rather than other clubs? Big Brad was rubbish at Liverpool, Tugay at Rangers, etc but this prejudice against Fowler is pathetic, check out his stats (I have shown them a number of times), he can score goals in the league and HAS scored goals in PL in the last THREE years forget ten. Roberts and Derbyshire have inferior records so what are you left with RSC and Benni, great depth assembled by Hughes

Fowler will be a stop gap until Ince can judge the strength of each position, I will be concerned if he is given a three year deal, on £70K a week until then he is on a pay as you play, find me a better striker for the money and short term deal, I am all ears

Cheap and short term is no good if he's useless. All four of our other strikers are better than Fowler.

[BuckyRover]

It was exactly the same when Ferguson signed Larsson from Helsingborgs. Except that Fowler is younger and was playing in a higher quality league.

He wasn't better than all of their strikers. He was there to make up the numbers. Like Fowler is.

[Billy Castell]

With regards to Spuds, bum. They won't be relegated now. Ramos and co. were doing such a good job too.

[LeChuck]

I see Bentley provided an assist with a good cross. If they play him in his proper position like today then I'm sure he'll start doing well.

'Arry has a tendency to play players out of position though, so it might not be the case.

[imy9]

I can't, you're right.

Hardly a reason for signing him though, is it? Generally, you get what you pay for.

If he was in his twenties I'd be more than happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. It's just incredibly naive to think he'll turn round a decade of inept displays and turn in to a Premiership player with us.

Ince knew what he could do and as it was short term he was worth taking a punt on.

I think Fowler can contribute something to Rovers (an assist already shows he can), now the level of contribution is debatable but on a short term deal (pay as you play) we cannot lose out, it is win- win!

Cheap and short term is no good if he's useless. All four of our other strikers are better than Fowler.

IF is the key word, we wont know unless he is given a chance in a ROVERS shirt. I certainly think if Fowler is given a goal scoring opportunity he WILL score more often than Derbyshire and Roberts, that is a fact based on stats.

[LeChuck]

I'm sorry, but when he puts in awful displays like at Bolton then it's not win-win.

And that 'assist' wasn't a good pass, it sent Olsson the wrong way and the defender really should have dealt with it. Olsson still had a lot to do, it wasn't like Fowler laid a goal on for him.

[gumboots]

I see Bentley provided an assist with a good cross. If they play him in his proper position like today then I'm sure he'll start doing well.

'Arry has a tendency to play players out of position though, so it might not be the case.

Most managers get a honeymoon period anyway so Spurs were bound to win today. It's whether he can keep it going that matters. It depends how deep Spurs problems are and so on.

[imy9]

I'm sorry, but when he puts in awful displays like at Bolton then it's not win-win.

And that 'assist' wasn't a good pass, it sent Olsson the wrong way and the defender really should have dealt with it. Olsson still had a lot to do, it wasn't like Fowler laid a goal on for him.

What about Roberts' awful performances for the last 2 seasons for us and he cost us £3 million pounds!

So Fowler had a bad game, he played well against Everton and it was an assist, you cannot revise history, it could be argued that if the ball did not land where it did Olsson would never have scored...

[DingleBaiter]

Cheap and short term is no good if he's useless. All four of our other strikers are better than Fowler.

Let's try and give a bit of a balance to this please.

Cheap and short term is better than expensive, long term and pesh isn't it though?

I'm not enamoured by the Fowler singing, but try and see it for what it is - an opportunistic, calculated gamble. We should be applauding the fact he's not gone down the traditional route of spending big on a poor striker just for the sake of it.

Despite what folk want to believe/portray, Ince hardly threw money at Fowler and jumped to sign him. He took as long as possible to decide to offer him a deal, and then held his guns when Fowler balked initially.

What's the difference between Fowler and what Hughes did with Jeffers? Personally, I think it's less of a gamble to make a stop-gap signing than blowing 5mill plus on a international journeyman (Zigic, Olic etc.) gamble. Too many people seemed to think Olic was a good player at the time purely because there was a love-in with the Croatia side then, not so many championed him when he tanked against England though.

One could equally argue we should have not signed anyone at all though I guess, and seen what happened with the strikers we had?

At the minute, if our strikers were all only paid on performance-based criteria such as goals, they'll all be trading down their Range Rovers and Bentleys

[philipl]

Bad set of results all round for our European qualification hopes.

[den]

Despite what folk want to believe/portray, Ince hardly threw money at Fowler and jumped to sign him. He took as long as possible to decide to offer him a deal, and then held his guns when Fowler balked initially.

You delude yourself DB.

Ince doesn't do the contracts. You would be nearer the truth if you said that Ince wanted Fowler [and Andrews] from day one. JW and the board probably baulked at offering Fowler a permanent deal.

[Bobby G]

Bad set of results all round for our European qualification hopes.

There is no chance in hell we will qualify for Europe this season through the league. I am certain of that. Too many teams playing better and more consistent than us. And dare I say it at least two or three teams with superior players vying just for the UEFA Cup, albeit brought to fruition cause of funds, a la Villa and Man City to name just two.

A couple of years ago we could pull punches with the "second tier" of the league, but I am sure now that we need a major injection to retain our top 8 spot.

[Amo]

Shouldn't all this other talk be in the 'Paul's Progress' thread or whatever? Don't mean to pseudo-mod, but you know...

[JAL]

You delude yourself DB.

Ince doesn't do the contracts. You would be nearer the truth if you said that Ince wanted Fowler [and Andrews] from day one. JW and the board probably baulked at offering Fowler a permanent deal.

Dont know what it is den but I dont believe the club have offered Fowler just a contract till xmas until I hear hes on his way come xmas only then will I believe the club.

If Ince and the club continue going down this route with this type of policy then it will only serve to see further erosion of the home support.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Looking at numerous football boards it looks like Spurs fans are exhibiting the usual delusions of grandeur after today's win. Talk about a top six finish or even higher after just one win.

I can't see Spurs getting relegated (shame i know) but Europe must be out of question via the league.

[John]

BBC Sport understands former Spurs midfielder Tim Sherwood could also make a return to the club in a coaching capacity.

[Blue n White Rover]

Must have been a horrible Weekend for Pompey fans. I really do feel for them. They must have gone to sleep Saturday night, dreaming about 3 points VS Fulham. Wake up next morning, switch on SSN and want to hear the latest team news, but instead they read "Harry Redknapp appointed new manager of Spurs". On top of that leading Fulham until the 87th minute and then concede late on. What a crap weekend!

[gumboots]

I'm not enamoured by the Fowler singing, but try and see it for what it is -

have you heard him?

[thenodrog]

OK, I'll have a go.

A "big club" is a club who will be expected to be in the running for major trophies, for the forseeable future.

Newcastle and Spurs are classed as big clubs and they've won precious little for yonks. Villa and Sunderland too but did anyone have any of them down for a major trophy this season?

Urgh. Fowler has shown repeatedly for the best part of a decade that he can't make an impact in the Premier League.

In a nutshell.

Bad set of results all round for our European qualification hopes.

I gave up on that 3 months ago. In fact you appear more convinced that we will be fighting relegation than for a place in Europe. You blow hot and cold more than any other poster.

[den]

Newcastle and Spurs are classed as big clubs and they've won precious little for yonks. Villa and Sunderland too but did anyone have any of them down for a major trophy this season?

They might be "classed" as big clubs Gord, but that's not what you asked. You asked "what IS a big club"

[jim mk2]

Bad set of results all round for our European qualification hopes.

Come orf it philip ; having lost 2 of our best players in the summer and with the prospect of losing Santa Cruz in January those of us who actually watch matches will be happy if Rovers are still in the Prem next season.

[Hughesy]

Come orf it philip ; having lost 2 of our best players in the summer and with the prospect of losing Santa Cruz in January those of us who actually watch matches will be happy if Rovers are still in the Prem next season.

Speak for yourself doomsday merchant. Id be happy with a 8th-10th finish based on our current side.

[philipl]

I was deliberately provoking.

If Hughes were still with us, the expectation would have been we would have spent net £10m and not made an £8m profit in the summer transfer market and that we would be serious challengers for UEFA qualification again.

When I point out that we are still perilously close to the drop slots and have serious defficiencies (like no wingers) the criticism is no less vitriolic.

However, we have to be in with a decent prospect of European football to have even the remotest chance of keeping RSC.

[Exiled in Toronto]

I was deliberately provoking.

If Hughes were still with us, the expectation would have been we would have spent net £10m and not made an £8m profit in the summer transfer market and that we would be serious challengers for UEFA qualification again.

When I point out that we are still perilously close to the drop slots and have serious defficiencies (like no wingers) the criticism is no less vitriolic.

However, we have to be in with a decent prospect of European football to have even the remotest chance of keeping RSC.

Here's what I don't understand: for years now you have been tirelessly (and tirsomely) singing the praises of John Williams as the greatest living football chairman. The one thing he has to get right to earn his rather large salary, in fact more than everything else put together, is choosing and enticing the right manager. You clearly seem to think Ince is not the man. So where do you stand on the chairman, who had a good 6 months notice that Hughes was going to jump ship, as did we all who saw that famous guppy response to the Newcastle vacancy question.

You can't blame Ince for being Ince, doing what Ince does and talking like a lad brought up on the wrong side of the tracks. The accountability for any perceived managerial shortcomings has to lie in the corner office.

And please stop with the 'If Hughes was still here' routine. He never was going to be.

[den]

Here's what I don't understand: for years now you have been tirelessly (and tirsomely) singing the praises of John Williams as the greatest living football chairman. The one thing he has to get right to earn his rather large salary, in fact more than everything else put together, is choosing and enticing the right manager. You clearly seem to think Ince is not the man. So where do you stand on the chairman, who had a good 6 months notice that Hughes was going to jump ship, as did we all who saw that famous guppy response to the Newcastle vacancy question.

You can't blame Ince for being Ince, doing what Ince does and talking like a lad brought up on the wrong side of the tracks. The accountability for any perceived managerial shortcomings has to lie in the corner office.

And please stop with the 'If Hughes was still here' routine. He never was going to be.

Williams can't do anything until the manager leaves though, can he?