[Archived] Nickos Thread

[they_think_its_all_rover]

They've also had help from the ref.... a lot!

[1864roverite]

....Mind the GAP.....mind the GAP........

MIND THE GAP

[USRoverME]

Was the Mail link suggesting Rovers have been a leading advocate in these discussions? I would very much like to know what this article was about.

Paul, if it was the story I got a chance to see... the way I read it was that Rovers were one of four sides that got some advance notice basically as a "sounding board" for the idea. Not so much that Rovers were supportive and touting the idea (although that would be implied based on the talking heads saying they have "unanimous support" or whatever their term was). It was ambiguous whether Roverswere cooperative and helped firm up the proposal, or simply played devil's advocate and shot it full of holes.

My opinion, Rovers are recognized as being well run, so the idea was ran buy the club since the club has a decent financial sense and would make heads or tails of it.

[philipl]

The four clubs who constitute the Premier League Audit Committe were consulted- Rovers, Bolton, Chelsea and Man U.

Must have been fun when the Audit Committee looked at the Obi and Tevez cases.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Nicko - is there any truth in the rumours that Ooijer and Santa Cruz both apologised to their team mates after the Newcastle match for missing so many chances ?

[Tim Southampton Rover]

There is as much truth in that than when I heard that Kaka will be joining Rovers in the summer after being fed up with AC Milan being awful.

[brian_gallagher85]

YEAH, but we had photo evidence that time

[modes98]

Nicko - is there any truth in the rumours that Ooijer and Santa Cruz both apologised to their team mates after the Newcastle match for missing so many chances ?

If they have i hate to think what Michael Owen is having to do at Newcastle. As a goalkeeper i can confidently say even i would have scored 1 of those chances.

How is that gap nicko?

Liking the current Cov situation mind you

[nicko]

How is that gap nicko?

Liking the current Cov situation mind you

Bad result, shocker in fact. No point in saying any different. But the way the Championship is means it is still all to play for. The bottom line is that seven points from the next three games is a necessity.

As for Coventry, I hear they are going to splash out a bit on loan players very shortly. Ranson planning to invest...at last.

Only Rovers news of any interest is that big Ryan Nelsen seems to be struggling with this hamstring/backside problem that he has. That's six weeks now, as someone once said, and it may be make-or-break time on whether he needs to have the surgeon's help.

[modes98]

As for Coventry, I hear they are going to splash out a bit on loan players very shortly. Ranson planning to invest...at last.

Only Rovers news of any interest is that big Ryan Nelsen seems to be struggling with this hamstring/backside problem that he has. That's six weeks now, as someone once said, and it may be make-or-break time on whether he needs to have the surgeon's help.

Hopefully there clubs won't let them go. Coventry are on the slide big time and a defeat tonight could all but break them.

Are Pompey still interested in him? they can have him for £5m.

[nicko]

Hopefully there clubs won't let them go. Coventry are on the slide big time and a defeat tonight could all but break them.

Are Pompey still interested in him? they can have him for £5m.

I somehow think he wouldn't pass a medical right now...but it's a bit harsh to criticise somebody you signed for nothing who has been oustanding. Nobody will be more upset with his injury than Nelsen himself. He is one of the good guys.

[joey_big_nose]

Are Pompey still interested in him? they can have him for £5m.

Ah, nothing like the fans loyalty is there? Quality player, top bloke, club captain, sustains an unfortunate career threateing injusry and we want to kick him out as quick as possible.

Glorious.

[T4E]

Ah, nothing like the fans loyalty is there? Quality player, top bloke, club captain, sustains an unfortunate career threateing injusry and we want to kick him out as quick as possible.

Glorious.

Sod loyalty, football is a business. £5m for Nelsen would be excellent business. Nothing wrong with stating so.

[philipl]

Sod stupid fans then.

[joey_big_nose]

Sod loyalty, football is a business. £5m for Nelsen would be excellent business. Nothing wrong with stating so.

Fair dos. If thats the case can everyone stop moaning about it when a player leaves to earn more money at a lower placed club than Rovers.

Personally I would like to see us back the captain because he is integral to the club and one of our finest players when fully fit. We should give him a chance to recover and some support. A good club is not founded on kicking out key players and getting in new ones just because on paper they look a bit better. Spurs and Newcastle can tell you all about that. You stick by the core performers, get them back to health and maintain that team mentaility which wins you matches.

If we kick out the man who represents our club what kind of message does that send out to the players who the manager will tell to go out and play for the shirt every week? Why should Benni, Roque, Bentley, Ooijer perform for an employer who views them as pieces of meat, thrown out if they have some bad luck? If thats the case they should just play for a contract and then just pick up their pay check. The notion that they are part of a team and a club that cares for them is a big part of motivation. Why undermine that?

I doubt Hughes will be looking to sell Nelsen the same way Scholes wasn't kicked out by Ferguson when he had an eye injury, King wasn't thrown out by Spurs. He will back him and look for him to make a recovery. Anything else would send out a message of huge negativity to the rest of the squad.

[modes98]

Ah, nothing like the fans loyalty is there? Quality player, top bloke, club captain, sustains an unfortunate career threateing injusry and we want to kick him out as quick as possible.

Glorious.

I was joking but we saw the point of loyalty with Matt Jansen. Where is the point in keeping a player because he's been a good servant.

Nelsen was at the centre of our defensive issues earlier in the season, if that is the standard he can now reach then we have to chop him. If that was down to injury and he can get over it then by all means he should be kept. I would rather get rid of a crock for a million or 2 than keep him on the wage bill and get nothing for your loyalty. The Savage transfer would be a good case in point.

[joey_big_nose]

I was joking but we saw the point of loyalty with Matt Jansen. Where is the point in keeping a player because he's been a good servant.

Nelsen was at the centre of our defensive issues earlier in the season, if that is the standard he can now reach then we have to chop him. If that was down to injury and he can get over it then by all means he should be kept. I would rather get rid of a crock for a million or 2 than keep him on the wage bill and get nothing for your loyalty. The Savage transfer would be a good case in point.

What you would be doing is selling out a player who is core to the club beccuase he has suffered bad luck. The damage to morale would be huge. Its one thing for Savage to go pf his own volition, but to sell a player because he is "a crock" - a player who was brilliant for us when fit and extremely well liked by the squad - is not going to do you any favours at all when trying to tie Bentley to a new contract or looking to get the next Roque Santa Cruz to join the club.

I don't know about you but I want Rovers to have a repuatation of standing by its players and improving them, not casting them aside. Look at Roque, look at Dunn, look at Reid. These are guys with serious injury issues. They are key players for us. They have sorted their injury problems with us.

You get what you put in. If we treat our players with respect and care they will repay us in kind.

[LeftWinger]

Any truth in Lita to Charlton?

Seems like a strange move for him to me.

[Ewood and I Would]

Got this e-mail this morning from a nob-rot of a Villa fan

Read an article by your mate Nicko & co in the Mirror about Newcastle making a bid for Bentley and Rovers chairman John Williams admitting it will be a 'Battle' to keep him in the summer. Seems like 'Bents' is looking to move on to bigger and better prospects . . . .

I presume he's paraphrasing your report as I haven't read it yet.

[nicko]

Got this e-mail this morning from a nob-rot of a Villa fan

I presume he's paraphrasing your report as I haven't read it yet.

Firstly, it's not my story.

Secondly, there's no fuss.

Bentley has years to run and will sign a new deal. End of.

If somebody wants to offer fortunes in the summer that's a different matter. But I wouldn't be too worried - if at all worried.

[modes98]

What you would be doing is selling out a player who is core to the club beccuase he has suffered bad luck. The damage to morale would be huge. Its one thing for Savage to go pf his own volition, but to sell a player because he is "a crock" - a player who was brilliant for us when fit and extremely well liked by the squad - is not going to do you any favours at all when trying to tie Bentley to a new contract or looking to get the next Roque Santa Cruz to join the club.

I don't know about you but I want Rovers to have a repuatation of standing by its players and improving them, not casting them aside. Look at Roque, look at Dunn, look at Reid. These are guys with serious injury issues. They are key players for us. They have sorted their injury problems with us.

You get what you put in. If we treat our players with respect and care they will repay us in kind.

No but i would sell a player who can no longer fulfill his role for the club because of a couple of very bad injuries.

Savage was at the centre of our team when Hughes got him, but time moves on and injury's take have a big impact the older you get.

I doubt that selling players would impact badly on attracting players to the club. By your philosophy we would never sell anybody unless they were a trouble maker.

I have no problem giving players a chance to come back from long term injuries. Reid has been an inspiration since coming back and Dunn similar. The problem with Nelsen is we don't seem to be talking about an injury anymore, we are talking about something that will dramatically affect his standard of football. This season alone he has cost us plenty of goals with his decidedly suspect judgment when making tackles in and around the area, also with his lack of pace, which with this injury is not likely to improve. In my opinion he would struggle to make it back into the team at the moment anyway, Ooijer has been superb and Zurab is doing a job.

Some players have loyalty, a lot don't and will never give a damn about the club, they see it as a stepping stone. Strange how Benni has a mixed season, the Chelsea rumours go with Jose and then he wants to finish his career with us, no doubt with a pay rise. Sometimes you have to forget loyalty and put the clubs interests first, but I'm agreed that at other times you should value loyalty, i just don't think there is much/if any in today's football.

I hope Nelsen comes back and is able to play the way he used to, but i fear he won't and if he does he may suffer from Dunn syndrome.

[LDRover]

[quote name='joey_big_nose' date='Mar 5 2008, 10:23 ' post='591136'

You get what you put in. If we treat our players with respect and care they will repay us in kind.

In an ideal world yes Joey. But I remember Shearer being given time off to have an op before Euro 96 and repaying us by leaving. Other players to spend months injured and do one once fit are Sutton, McKinlay, Bellamy and Le Saux.

If that's the repayment in kind the club have had in the past, I know what stance I'd take.

[modes98]

Nicko what do you know about Walsall youngster Sean Geddes? Name being banded around in links with us today.

Had a search of their site and the only info i can see is that he played a few high profile games for Man Utd youth earlier this season.

[Mozzer]

what makes me laugh is these villa fans seem to think bentley wants to move on to bigger and better things-and yet think they have a chance of getting him..

if bentley was going to leave it would be to someone like man utd, liverpool, arsenal or chelsea-not someone like villa-which in my opinion would just be making a side step...

nicko is there anything more on quinton fortune??? i know he lacks the fitness, but how has he been doing in training by your sources??

[joey_big_nose]

[quote name='joey_big_nose' date='Mar 5 2008, 10:23 ' post='591136'

You get what you put in. If we treat our players with respect and care they will repay us in kind.

In an ideal world yes Joey. But I remember Shearer being given time off to have an op before Euro 96 and repaying us by leaving. Other players to spend months injured and do one once fit are Sutton, McKinlay, Bellamy and Le Saux.

If that's the repayment in kind the club have had in the past, I know what stance I'd take.

The whole point is that sure, some people abuse it but all do not. Why does someone like Bentley stay when he could easily leave the club and get paid more and play for a bigger team? Because he has respect for the manager and the club and enjoys the atmosphere here. It is his choice, not ours.

If you abuse the players they will walk. How the club treats an individual who suffers an injury has a huge impact on the judgment of the club by the players. I am amazed people can't see that. The single biggest fear any player will have is that a serious injury could end their career. The support and security offered to them by their employer is a huge deal to them.

I am not suggesting we should never sell a player who doesn't want to go, all I am saying is you stick behind them and give them a chance rather than hound them out the door. Its part of the idea of being a team.