[Archived] Nicko's Thread Part 3

[gazsimm]

Nicko could have soooo much fun in this thread. We all know this site is monitored by other reporters as things mentioned or said on here end up in the national press.

I have just seen Steve McClaren in McDonald's at Ewood.

lets hope he is going for the manager's job at McDonald's and not the one at Ewood then, becasue that is all he is fit for

[nicko]

I might have to revise my Scolari bet...

More details as soon as.

It's all kicked off.

[MCMC1875]

I might have to revise my Scolari bet...

More details as soon as.

It's all kicked off.

In Leavers?

[alexanders]

This is all very exciting. I wonder what the outcome will be. I can't bare another day/evening/night waiting, waiting, waiting...

I need a conclusion before Euro kicks off !

[gazsimm]

Shearer is my choice for the job, he will be able to attract top players and would put bums on seats at Ewood. I think the board though will just go for someone like Big Sam though, which if they do, i will stop going to Ewood and i know many other fans who will do the same as well.

[nicko]

Scolari's deadline at Chelsea has passed...and they have ruled him out because he won't commit.

It is now Sparky OR Ancelotti. Approaches today. Result very soon.

[alexanders]

i will stop going to Ewood and i know many other fans who will do the same as well.

Would you stop going if we got Steve Coppell? I think he represents attractive football.

[Eddie]

What are Ancelotti's odds?

What are Hughes's?

Could I have the international calling number for betfair please?

[Dunnfc]

You support the team.

Not BFS.

So don't use BFS as an excuse not to turn up.

[AndyC]

I am not sure the manager is too impressed with Bentley lately, so I would have my doubts about him signing the player wherever he goes.

pot and kettle.

he's not happy with him, because he's looking at a move?!

that would be a tad hypocritical!

[gazsimm]

Would you stop going if we got Steve Coppell? I think he represents attractive football.

he does not excite me at all and yes i would stop going. I can't see Steve Coppell progressing the club forward. What has Steve Coppell actually done by the way!!!

[Eddie]

Improved every club he's been at. Got a smaller team (at least in terms of squad) to finish about our magical Hughes in its first season in the premiership.

But you're right, apart from that nothing.

[gazsimm]

You support the team.

Not BFS.

So don't use BFS as an excuse not to turn up.

yes i do support the team, but i like to be entertained when i am watching football and not get a bloody sore neck. We pay good money to go and watch Rovers, so we should at least be able to enjoy the football

[joey_big_nose]

Well on the positive side of things whoever comes into the Rovers is going to have 15m to spend - more than Hughes had net the whole time he was at Rovers - and a decent squad to work with. This is going to give us a springboard for a new manager. For my money Friedel, Nelsen, Emerton, Reid, McCarthy, Pedersen are all here for the longhaul and will support pretty much any decent manager that comes in. The worry is that Warnock, Samba, Vogel, Cruz and Bentley are going to be unsettled by the move. Roberts and Derbyshire on the other hand might be encouraged by the possibility of a new manager lending a new lease of life to them.

So for me the big thing for JW and his interview team has to be the scouting credentials that back them up the candidates. If we get someone in who has already identified a large range of targets through a high quality network of scouts and contacts that is a massive bonus as we can hit the ground running.

My reservation about Coppell is that whilst he did a tremendous job at Reading his work in the transfer market has been a bit average. Also he is probably not going to particularly impress McCarthy, Bentley and Cruz etc. I think he would find it hard to hold the squad together and build on it.

Bilic on the other hand oozes enthusiasm and buzz, plus seems to know how to get the best out of a broad range of players and is familiar with a range of European leagues in which we can compete financially. He has to be our first port of call. His name will attract a whole raft of talent from central and Eastern Europe.

On top of that he knows how to use the sort of highly technically able palyers we have like Cruz, Bentley and McCarthy. Coppell history of management is a much more physical sort of football.

Only problem on the Bilic front is we can't wait until August for a man to come in....

[alexanders]

Improved every club he's been at. Got a smaller team (at least in terms of squad) to finish about our magical Hughes in its first season in the premiership.

But you're right, apart from that nothing.

He is also higly-regarded as a player for the English National Team.

I loved the way Reading played there football. At least it won't only be 1 goal victories. I also think he has great tactical skills, which I miss from Hughesy.

I guess Bilic would be the best alternative though.

[Howard Gayle RulesOK]

Scolari's deadline at Chelsea has passed...and they have ruled him out because he won't commit.

It is now Sparky OR Ancelotti. Approaches today. Result very soon.

Sparky was 8/1 for chelsea manager yesterday. He's down to 6/4 fav. Im not bothered. I couldn;t bare to make a bet on this tho. i would feel as i lost either way.

[vintageadidas]

Nicko has just sent shockwaves through the betting world. Hughes gone from 10/1 to the best bet being 2/1 now!

[nicko]

he does not excite me at all and yes i would stop going. I can't see Steve Coppell progressing the club forward. What has Steve Coppell actually done by the way!!!

Possibly the daftest question since 'What did the Romans do for us?'

He has improved every club he has been at - with one obvious exception in Madchester.

He talks straight, he's from up here, he gets respect from players, he is a shrewd judge.

Nope, don't see the appeal.

[Eddie]

He is also higly-regarded as a player for the English National Team.

I loved the way Reading played there football. At least it won't only be 1 goal victories. I also think he has great tactical skills, which I miss from Hughesy.

Hughes and tactics?

Reading in their first season were much admired by everyone. Watching they way in which they played and got forward was fantastic. If he could get to us to play in the same way, which he should be able to do with a better squad then we'd be both entertaining and effective.

He has also shown that he can work on a small budget. He signed Doyle, Hunt, that South Korean guy, Bikey (I assume), Kitson (did he?), Sidwell (maybe), Harper (maybe) as well as others. Some of those I know he signed for a very small fee and certainly he could have signed all of those players within our budget (although I'd only really have wanted Doyle, Hunt (sort of), Harper, Bikey and Sidwell, although Kitson is essentially a variation on a Roberts).

[RibbleValleyRover]

Hughes is going one way or the other, whether thats to Man City or to Chelsea.

What really is worrying me is future of some of our star players. I hope we can legally put something in place to stop Hughes from raiding the club, perhaps a time based preventation, i.e. cannot buy a player from us this season. Roque is my main worry.

We might be able to bring in a manager who can do a good job with a couple additions and the core of our squad remaining. However if we lose our best players, especially to a rival like City it could really damage us.

[philipl]

Scolari's deadline at Chelsea has passed...and they have ruled him out because he won't commit.

It is now Sparky OR Ancelotti. Approaches today. Result very soon.

Rung my Italian contacts and they have nothing on Ancelotti going to Chelsea.

I suspect its Sparky's lucky day.

[gazsimm]

He is also higly-regarded as a player for the English National Team.

I loved the way Reading played there football. At least it won't only be 1 goal victories. I also think he has great tactical skills, which I miss from Hughesy.

He's not in the same league as Hughes. Hughes can attract players, spot a bargain and makes sure the players work as a team. Unlike Coppell who can't attract players and it seemed last season the players at Reading had totaly lost confidence in him

[cn_barlow]

Well on the positive side of things whoever comes into the Rovers is going to have 15m to spend - more than Hughes had net the whole time he was at Rovers - and a decent squad to work with. This is going to give us a springboard for a new manager. For my money Friedel, Nelsen, Emerton, Reid, McCarthy, Pedersen are all here for the longhaul and will support pretty much any decent manager that comes in. The worry is that Warnock, Samba, Vogel, Cruz and Bentley are going to be unsettled by the move. Roberts and Derbyshire on the other hand might be encouraged by the possibility of a new manager lending a new lease of life to them.

So for me the big thing for JW and his interview team has to be the scouting credentials that back them up the candidates. If we get someone in who has already identified a large range of targets through a high quality network of scouts and contacts that is a massive bonus as we can hit the ground running.

My reservation about Coppell is that whilst he did a tremendous job at Reading his work in the transfer market has been a bit average. Also he is probably not going to particularly impress McCarthy, Bentley and Cruz etc. I think he would find it hard to hold the squad together and build on it.

Bilic on the other hand oozes enthusiasm and buzz, plus seems to know how to get the best out of a broad range of players and is familiar with a range of European leagues in which we can compete financially. He has to be our first port of call. His name will attract a whole raft of talent from central and Eastern Europe.

On top of that he knows how to use the sort of highly technically able palyers we have like Cruz, Bentley and McCarthy. Coppell history of management is a much more physical sort of football.

Only problem on the Bilic front is we can't wait until August for a man to come in....

Excellent post.

All of the doom and gloom merchants on here need to get a grip. It was exactly the same when Souey left and very few people wanted Sparky to come in....

TRUST JOHN WILLIAMS!

whoever comes in will be in a better position than when Hughes came in....£15m to spend....potentially double that if Bentley buggers off.

we just need to get the right man in. For me that man is Bilic, but would he be interested? or willing to sign a deal before the euros? im not so sure.

Apart from him i would try for;

Rikjard

Grant

Advocaat

They may be ambitious, BUT they are all out of work, and they are all top managers so why the hell not.

Edit: With the exception of Advocaat of course...

[ftry]

I don't see Coppell walking out on Reading just a month after they persuaded him to stay!

[BlueWhiteDynamite]

seems quite strange all these newspaper reports of hughes will have 40mill to spend but he wants Bents and Roque, so thats 25-30 million gone outof his budget already. so if this was to happen, he'd have 10 million to spend and erm would probably have a similar team to that he had here, were he would have also has 10 million to spend.

ALSO, if Hughes is on 1.5mill a year as reported in the Sun, Why would we offer Alladyce a 2mill a year deal? thats pure stupidity