[Archived] Roque Santa Cruz Thread

[bazza]

With regard to RSC (and Kaka, for that matter), having the best players in your team doesn't necessarily mean you will win things.

I'm thinking of Alf Ramsey and his England squad in the build-up to world cup 1966. He didn't always choose the best eleven players. He chose the players he wanted to play a specific way as a TEAM. Football is a team game as we all know.

I think RSC should be sold for as much as we can get. Whether or not he excels at Man City is irrelevant.

If Roque stays he will sink into the creature he became at Bayern Munich.

Big Sam must build a team who will play for each other.

[Majiball]

With regard to RSC (and Kaka, for that matter), having the best players in your team doesn't necessarily mean you will win things.

I'm thinking of Alf Ramsey and his England squad in the build-up to world cup 1966. He didn't always choose the best eleven players. He chose the players he wanted to play a specific way as a TEAM. Football is a team game as we all know.

And one day someone will get it right!

Imagine a team of galactico's who play as a team, its more than possible the problem at Madrid was always that the coach had no input, as it would seem at city so far.

I wonder what Mourinho could do with the ability to buy anyone he wanted, now that would really worry me.

[tony gale's mic]

Thing is though keeping him like this could mean we get the best out of him this season. He knows that unless he gives 110% and bangs in the goals there's no chance any big clubs will be sniffing around him this summer.

Gut instinct says sell, but theres upsides to keeping him.

[Paul]

Thing is though keeping him like this could mean we get the best out of him this season. He knows that unless he gives 110% and bangs in the goals there's no chance any big clubs will be sniffing around him this summer.

Gut instinct says sell, but theres upsides to keeping him.

There haven't been any big clubs sniffing around him at all. IMV he isn't that good, just one good season under Sparky. I have a horrible feeling we are going to be left with a player who is average at best, is disappointed at missing out on a big money move and won't score goals until we sign a right winger.

JW is now in danger of making a mistake on this one. Hughes is the only manager interested, we should have taken the money because it is clear now City are either simply making us sweat or have lost interest. Rovers either end up with a last minute deal for money we can't then spend or stuck with RSC.

City need to buy an entire squad - perhaps 15-16 players - to achieve their aim of competing on the world stage. If RSC is good enough to be part of that why aren'e the REALLY big clubs looking at him?

You'd have to laugh if City buy Ka Ka and RSC and then go down.

[trs]

You just cant shut the fella up http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport...icle2141453.ece

[Sysagent]

Take it or leave it, but last night in a conversation the statement "Cruz has gone (read going)" was mentioned by someone very good mates with one of the the players (he had just come from their house) and the only reason why Cruz is playing today is because somebody is injured.

Take it or leave it, I believe it.

[Pugg]

He really is keeping his options open isn't he. He loves Rovers but wants to achieve more .

I like Sam's bit at the end.

[RoyRover]

Reading the online Lancashire Telegraph, I see that Santa Cruz does indeed have a clause in his contract. I'm sure this is old news, I just missed it. These release clauses go to show that these players have no intention of staying around for us. We take a chance on them, offer them first team football, enable them to produce their best form and then the first sign of interest from a bigger club they are off. What does bug me about Santa Cruz is that all along he has said that if a bigger or more ambitious club come in for him, then he would like to leave. A bigger or more ambitious club is someone who can pay his transfer fee. He's obviously seen Manchester City come from a long way off, knowing that Mark Hughes would probably be interested, so when he made an offer, Man City would be that bigger and more ambitious club. He talks about how he loves Blackburn and the fans, like that makes it all right, that he continually talks about leaving. He says that he is very ambitious himself, well not so long ago, his ambitions must have gone as far as making the Bayern Munich bench. It's amazing how things change. I would still keep him until the summer, because the chances are that City will come back for him then, no matter what they say and we have a better chance of being in the Premiership with him at the club until then.

[cravenblue]

Itwill be interesting to see what sort of reception he gets if he plays

[thenodrog]

There haven't been any big clubs sniffing around him at all. IMV he isn't that good, just one good season under Sparky. I have a horrible feeling we are going to be left with a player who is average at best, is disappointed at missing out on a big money move and won't score goals until we sign a right winger.

JW is now in danger of making a mistake on this one. Hughes is the only manager interested, we should have taken the money because it is clear now City are either simply making us sweat or have lost interest. Rovers either end up with a last minute deal for money we can't then spend or stuck with RSC.

Makes our next move rather obvious. Maybe he'd have scored a few more already if the numpty had replaced Bentley adequately.

Meanwhile why are you so keen to bend over and let Hughes humiliate us first and then shaft us proper? He's taking the p1ss paying Kaka's team an est £28m whilst only valuing the player he intends to play Kaka off at half as much! Let him play Kaka's effin agent up front! Sam has it right Paul. You need to take note how he's on the front foot in this and do your best to emulate him.

"But Allardyce hit back: “I don’t give two hoots if they decide to look elsewhere. The money is not important to me.

“What is the money going to do for me? There are no players out there you can hang your hat on and go and buy.

“Nobody as good as Roque Santa Cruz is, anyway.

“Mark Hughes put pressure on me? I don’t think so.”

btw I'm not certain how it works but if Kaka's remuneration never crosses our shores as I suspect then the govt really needs to work out the best way of stiffing the arabs for a slice.

[Hughesy]

"But Allardyce hit back: “I don’t give two hoots if they decide to look elsewhere. The money is not important to me.

“What is the money going to do for me? There are no players out there you can hang your hat on and go and buy.

“Nobody as good as Roque Santa Cruz is, anyway.

“Mark Hughes put pressure on me? I don’t think so.”

Every credit to big Sam for telling them how it is. Stump up the cash now and you get your man, dont and he will probably be here for a few years yet as nobody except City will pay what we want and Hughes wont still be there by the summer. The pressure is on you Mark!!

[Paul]

Makes our next move rather obvious. Maybe he'd have scored a few more already if the numpty had replaced Bentley adequately.

Meanwhile why are you so keen to bend over and let Hughes humiliate us first and then shaft us proper? He's taking the p1ss paying Kaka's team an est £28m whilst only valuing the player he intends to play Kaka off at half as much! Let him play Kaka's effin agent up front! Sam has it right Paul. You need to take note how he's on the front foot in this and do your best to emulate him.

"But Allardyce hit back: “I don’t give two hoots if they decide to look elsewhere. The money is not important to me.

“What is the money going to do for me? There are no players out there you can hang your hat on and go and buy.

“Nobody as good as Roque Santa Cruz is, anyway.

“Mark Hughes put pressure on me? I don’t think so.”

btw I'm not certain how it works but if Kaka's remuneration never crosses our shores as I suspect then the govt really needs to work out the best way of stiffing the arabs for a slice.

I can't see any reason why I should want to emulate any football manager. It's clear RSC would prefer to play his football at a more ambitious club - his words not mine - in which case let him go and do it. He'll simply join a long list of players who have done this and how many medals have they won?

I'm not keen to see anyone humiliate the club but I see no signs of this happening. What I do see is a player we picked up for £3m or so wants away and we've turned down £16m. There's little to suggest we will sign a winger to supply the ammunition Santa Cruz needs so why keep him? Plus as I understand it if we sell him in the summer the club has to pay RSC £5m, sell now and he gets zilch. Finally you have the question will anyone want him in the summer? Doesn't look very likely to me as it's only Hughes who wants him now or who has expressed any interest in him in the last 12 months or so.

IF RSC was the type of player who could significantly contribute to the relegation struggle I'd feel differently about this. The reality is without the supply line he isn't going to score goals what we need is the players who can create chances and the RSC money would represent the best chance of finding those without putting the club in hock for years.

[1864roverite]

The reality of the situation is this.

If CITY want him THEY know the going rate and the price what gets his signature. IF they want him that badly then they will pay the going rate, theyc ant quibble or haggle thats the way it has to be.

Rovers have made their intentions clear, we want to keep him BUT if you pay the going/asking rate then he is yours.

Until then, Hughes and City should put up or clearly Foxtrot Oscar back to the Council Owned Manchester Stadium.

Now then Mr Hughes, its over to you.

[Eddie]

The reality of the situation is that we are getting screwed with our pants on.

We have an opportunity to sell an overrated injured player for huge sums of money, but it is going to fall through because City won't back their manager enough.

This will leave us without enough transfer funds to really improve the squad or bring in another striking option, but leave us with a striker who will probably be out of form and injured for the rest of the season and on top of that he'll probably be disinterested.

[joey_big_nose]

The reality of the situation is that we are getting screwed with our pants on.

We have an opportunity to sell an overrated injured player for huge sums of money, but it is going to fall through because City won't back their manager enough.

This will leave us without enough transfer funds to really improve the squad or bring in another striking option, but leave us with a striker who will probably be out of form and injured for the rest of the season and on top of that he'll probably be disinterested.

We only get screwed if we can't keep Cruz and get him back to his best.

That is not impossible. Sam has done it himself with Anelka the first time he wanted to elave bolton and they held onto him. Newcastle have had success with persevering with Owen (when he is not injured). Look at Barry at Aston Villa - although admittedly they are having the season of their life at the moment.

The recent example is McCarthy who turned appalling in the wake of the Chelsea interest. But every player is different. If Roque stays I think if it is handled correctly we can get more out of him.

[RevidgeBlue]

Well done to Sam on this one if he sticks to his guns.

Let him go in the summer - if he helps keep us up it will be well worth losing a bit on the fee then if necessary.

[thenodrog]

My only reservation about the whole issue is whether or not Sam can get RSC and Benny playing well together. Hughes never really could. Benny does not appear to like a supporting role.

[DeadlyDirk]

The thing is we can't be critical of turning down an offer when were not even exactly sure what it is. By most reports they never got higher than £16 million, sure that sounds good but look at the cost of players these days, what could we buy with that in January? Nobody better than Rocky.

I've said from the start that if we sell him we need to make sure we have someone else in first and not make the same mistake we made with Bentley. Otherwise were only left with Roberts, McCarthy and the out of form Derbyshire, it only takes one of them to get injured and were in big trouble.

I don't hold any grudges against Roque in this, he seems to have kept his head down as much as possible, the papers have done enough talking for him. Sure we can say that Man City are in a similiar position to us but in reality we can see their intent, they won't be down there for long. You can't blame him for wanting to play with the likes of Kaka when he bar his time with us he has always been at a top club.

I like the fact he says he is committed to us while he is here and is not throwing his toys out of the pram. To me he seems pretty genuine, he would like to play for a bigger club but loves us too and will do his best for us while he is here for as long as that might be.

I say we do what's best for everyone, tell him to get his head down and keep us up and then if he still wants to leave in the summer then have a look at it.

If Man City can't bring players in during January then how the hell would we have a chance without paying enormous fees and wages!

[yoda]

I thought you might reply . The way the sentence was, reminded me of the actual Yoda, not you!

an actual yoda!

[thenodrog]

To the people that booed RSC's appearence today. (Please don't use that word again) RIGHT OFF! Do you realise how difficult you are making Sam Allardyce's job by trying to hound out one of our best players? God knows I hate ignorance and right now I hate half the Blackburn End for that very reason. Pigshitignorant (Please don't use that word again)inhalfwits and their stupid (Please don't use that word again)ing facebook antics are the very reason that we are threatened with relegation!

To the others who drowned them out ...respect and well done!

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

I think Roque, and everyone with half a brain knows that the only people who booed him are the morons. There was a murmur of booing followed by a 5x as load chorus of "Rocky Rocky" which he applauded. He knew that most of us wanted him here.

[alexanders]

Wasn't the booing Newc fans?

[Gav]

I think Roque was a bit naughty with the 25 million comments made in the press, maybe thats why he got an initial booing. But it was good to hear the reception after that.

The guy has publicly stated that he doesn't want to play for the club anymore, after signing a new contract in the summer, so I'm afraid its open season, although I won't be booing him.

Good to hear Sam quoted in the local press about not giving "two hoots" about the money city are offering for Roque. I think we'll sell in the end, but to give Hughes and the Arabs the hump is good in my book.

[thenodrog]

Wasn't the booing Newc fans?

No, imo the only booing during the match today was from BRFC supporters for RSC and Joey Barton.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Wasn't the booing Newc fans?

No, some plonkers around me in the BBE. The Rocky chants were much louder and he gave us a wave of acknowledgement.