[Archived] Nicko's Thread Part 3

[den]

People who say the top 4 can't be broken are being short-sighted. Of course it can be broken - you either need a lot of money in the bank or a lot of decent players to really excel at the right time, but it can be done. Liverpool could certainly be ousted out of 4th spot. Even Arsenal, owing to a bad run, could slip a few places. Money may not buy the title, but I think it could buy a top 4 finish. Question is, will the crazy Thai be willing to wait 2 or 3 seasons for this to occur? I don't think so, and the one thing a club challenging that high needs above all else is stability.

Of course Hughes "might" take city into the top four. The chances of him doing that on any kind of long term basis is so extreme, it's virtually impossible. Don't underestimate how far in front of the rest the top four are. Everton gave it a go this season, but in the end came nowhere near. The thing is with Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool, the club structure is so solid with them picking up all the best talent around the world, that even trying to stop the gap widening is a massive task, never mind trying to overtake them. The best chance City have is Abramovic leaving Chelsea.

Yes City have got money now, but how much will they need to catch the top four? Don't forget they spent £40m last summer and it got them nowhere. IMO, they will for the most part be fighting for the UEFA spots.

[thenodrog]

not got over him leaving yet drog

Like losing a wife to another fella 10 years ago who has just kicked her out now. Would you want her back knowing that she still wants the other fella and would be off like a shot should he snap his fingers at any time in the future?

I really don't think Shearer is either clever enough or more importantly shrewd enough. We want a bloody good manager and NOT some ex player for whom we have fond memories of! It was a suprise that Colin Hendry failed so abysmally in management at lower level so just what makes so many assume that Shearer is the new Sparky? He could just as easily be the new Hendry and then we'd be history. I sincerely hope that short term sales of ST's is not a box to tick in this decision.

btw ...... Logical answers only please! The doey-eyed romantics amongst you do not need to answer.

[iamarover]

Maclaren's odds have crashed on Betfair...

He's shortening with every bookmaker and all else are drifting. But there is no money in the market so the odds look wrong. $100k on Betfair matched - over $2m on the Chelsea market. This is such a huge decision. I'd take Shearer, Henk Ten 'Kiss Me' Cate, or Ince. Anyone but Allardyce or McClaren really.

[tony gale's mic]

My order of preference:

1. Laudrup

2. Advocaat

3. ten Cate

4. Allardyce

5. Ince

6. McLaren

7. Shearer

[Ewood Spark]

Like losing a wife to another fella 10 years ago who has just kicked her out now. Would you want her back knowing that she still wants the other fella and would be off like a shot should he snap his fingers at any time in the future?

I really don't think Shearer is either clever enough or more importantly shrewd enough. We want a bloody good manager and NOT some ex player for whom we have fond memories of! It was a suprise that Colin Hendry failed so abysmally in management at lower level so just what makes so many assume that Shearer is the new Sparky? He could just as easily be the new Hendry and then we'd be history. I sincerely hope that short term sales of ST's is not a box to tick in this decision.

btw ...... Logical answers only please! The doey-eyed romantics amongst you do not need to answer.

I couldn't have put it better myself Theno. Thankfully John Williams wont be taken in by the hype. The only thing to take from the LT poll is an indication of the lack of football knowledge of (seemingly) a majority of it's readership.

[gumboots]

I couldn't have put it better myself Theno. Thankfully John Williams wont be taken in by the hype. The only thing to take from the LT poll is an indication of the lack of football knowledge of (seemingly) a majority of it's readership.

As I've just posted elsewhere it depends on who you poll and how you ask the question. "Who should be rovers manager?" ask reporter of old lady in shopping mall. Lady hesitates "How about Shearer?" "OH yes" replies old lady glad to recognise a name. "Oh no " says next person interviewed "but there's that guy who used to manage England. He hasn't got a job at the moment has he?" And so on.

McClaren's odds are bound to have changed because he's one of the few, if not the only one, who's said himself "I'd like the job" By the way for those who think he might come as coach with Shearer or whoever, he did say he wanted the manager's job and not the assistant's.

[bob fleming]

Every player has worked under multiple managers, why would Shearer be any better?

And if you're advocating having Shearer but surrounded by experienced coaches then thats neither here nor there. Shearer as manager has to be the one making the decisions. If he's not making the decisions then he will be a puppet of them. If he is, whats the point of having all these experienced senior men around?

Of course Shearer would make the decisions, he'd be The Manager. But there's no harm in surrounding yourself with experienced coaches is there? In fact it would be crazy not to even though he has the badges now apparently. See also the Tony Parkes interview that's knocking around - Dalglish did next to no coaching but was the figure head, the one the players looked up to who had been there and done it and the decision maker. Why couldn't something similar work again?

It's all a gamble whichever way you look. We'll have to agree to disagree and all that. I don't want any bother I can see the pros and cons as well as the next doey eyed romantic. If this was an easy decision and there was an obvious candidate it would have been done by now.

Imagine what the Board will be like when they come to make the decision - will they all be in agreement? I doubt it. But that's why John Williams get's paid the big bucks - and good luck to him!

[nicko]

Just read the last 6 or 7 pages of this thread for the first time today, and I see Nicko's "outed" Ten Cate as the Candidate B. As a result it seems his odds went down to almost even money on Betfair.

Well, his odds are now 18/1 on Betfair, so someone has been laying him a bit. Wonder who it could be?

Like the snivelling coward that you are I see you don't have the courage to point a finger directly here - but go and half-wittedly do it somewhere else.

If you even qualified as a half-wit you might have spotted that Ten Cate's name came out in a Dutch newspaper yesterday morning.

You have a choice. Apologise now...or apologise now.

[T4E]

Oooooooooooooooooooooh

[brian_gallagher85]

Fight fight fight

Heard any word on Shay Givens future at Newcastle....if he has one, Nicko?

[RibbleValleyRover]

Nicko ignore the troll, its not worth getting all heated up about it.

Its blatantly obvious to anyone who has been closely following this thread that it was a dutch newspaper that revealed Ten Cate's name and his interest in the Rovers job before you could get the opportunity to do so.

[Manchester Blue]

Nice one Nicko...really made me chuckle.

[AndyC]

scotty - calm down fella.

if people want to bet - that's their business. nicko did actually tell people it wasnt worth putting money on.

funny how 99% of the people on the message board all appreciate his postings. if you don't like it - put him on ignore, rather than snipe like a 12 year old girl.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

scotty - calm down fella.

if people want to bet - that's their business. nicko did actually tell people it wasnt worth putting money on.

funny how 99% of the people on the message board all appreciate his postings. if you don't like it - put him on ignore, rather than snipe like a 12 year old girl.

It’s rather amusing to watch certain members of the clique get there knickers in a twist in regards to Nicko.

Nicko has rocked the establishment with his popularity and the fact that he is actually in the information loop rather than just pretending to be so. Im afraid some of the older posters don’t like it. Thus the subsequent snipping, gripping and moaning about Nicko, It’s simply jealously and is very very silly.

Keep up the good work nicko, without you this messageboard will die a slow painful death.

[RovertheHill]

Of course Hughes "might" take city into the top four. The chances of him doing that on any kind of long term basis is so extreme, it's virtually impossible. Don't underestimate how far in front of the rest the top four are. Everton gave it a go this season, but in the end came nowhere near. The thing is with Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool, the club structure is so solid with them picking up all the best talent around the world, that even trying to stop the gap widening is a massive task, never mind trying to overtake them. The best chance City have is Abramovic leaving Chelsea.

Yes City have got money now, but how much will they need to catch the top four? Don't forget they spent £40m last summer and it got them nowhere. IMO, they will for the most part be fighting for the UEFA spots.

Agree wholeheartedly. You may get teams occasionally grabbing 4th place a la Everton but unless another Abramovich comes along (QPR anyone?) the top four will remain as they are because it is sustained investment that is required. Take Utd for example. I found this table on Wiki. These are there highest transfer fees so don't even include the "cheaper" players like Vidic and Evra. The money is staggering

Rio Ferdinand £29.1 million 22 July 2002

Juan Sebastián £28.1 million 12 July 2001

Wayne Rooney £27 million 31 August 2004

Ruud van Nistelrooy £19 million 1 July 2001

Owen Hargreaves £17 million 1 July 2007

Anderson £17 million 2 July 2007

Nani £14 million 2 July 2007

Michael Carrick £14 million 31 July 2006

Louis Saha £12.825 million 23 January 2004

Even Arsenal who probably spend the least have done it over 10 years or so. Do you think Sinatra will be funding 40m-65m a year for the next 10 years? City fans and Hughes are kidding themselves if they think they can break into that

[brfcshabba]

Keep up the good work nicko, without you this messageboard will die a slow painful death.

This messageboard has been here long before Nicko arrived. Granted he has enhanced the messageboard but to say it will die a slow painful death is a tad over the top.

[nicko]

I'm having a sense of humour failure right now.

Too much info getting out, some fool leaking a story I was doing for Sunday and hearing that a drunk footballer killed two kids on the M6 at Stoke this morning - and running around trying to find out who it is.

Then I fund some numpty who can't even count his fingers comes with a half-assed conspiracy theory...

The funny bit is I'm about the only one round here who didn't back Ten Cate - until last night when the odds went to a sensible 16-1 - and I am hardly going to lay off on something I think has a good chance of happening.

There comes a point when you just have to tell it like it how it is...

[Bazzanotsogreat]

This messageboard has been here long before Nicko arrived. Granted he has enhanced the messageboard but to say it will die a slow painful death is a tad over the top.

I'd suggest that postings on ICINF are down perhaps as much as 50% , and if you take away Nicko's thread and any other Nicko's related threads; postings will be down on the main forum as well IMO.

[roverich]

It’s rather amusing to watch certain members of the clique get there knickers in a twist in regards to Nicko.

Nicko has rocked the establishment with his popularity and the fact that he is actually in the information loop rather than just pretending to be so. Im afraid some of the older posters don’t like it. Thus the subsequent snipping, gripping and moaning about Nicko, It’s simply jealously and is very very silly.

Keep up the good work nicko, without you this messageboard will die a slow painful death.

In contrast I think some of the older posters are grateful for some of his insight: it makes a refreshing change to the number of people who claim to be somebody's sons cousins mates half-brother who has heard of someone who is best mates with someone who was born in the same hospital as nobody in particular. Although saying that, I met someone in town last night who's brother had a cousin whose last wife.... and they had absolutely no idea what was going on with the takeover!

Also, your reference to the older posters does seem to contradict your final opinion in as much as they were here before, are here now and as such can fully be expected to be here after nicko. I think the point is that this messageboard has an awful lot mroe to offer than nicko and whilst we are grateful for his insight, I for one am no more grateful than I am for any other intelligent insight by any poster new or old.

[nono91291]

There comes a point when you just have to tell it like it how it is...

Any new news on the chelsea job nicko?

[Head Rover Heels]

In contrast I think some of the older posters are grateful for some of his insight: .... I for one am no more grateful than I am for any other intelligent insight by any poster new or old.

If you want a noob's view - I've been a distant reader for a couple of years, but signed up officially after the appearance of Nicko - It was actually to contradict something he was saying at the time (Something minor, and i can't remember what irrelevant fact it was, but it was just one of those things)

I think the only people that bother the older posters on here, are the influx of noobs who are happy to glean info from the resident journo, and then spout rubbish or post it elsewhere as if it's their own.

As mentioned, i signed up pretty much as a direct result, but only because i was content with the other 4 forums i peeked at previously. Since coming here more often, i've gained an insight into some of the more regular posters, and kind of like it here now.

Whether our rather helpful journo remains, disappears, posts hints, hunches, truths or bare faced lies, i'm here for the duration now - He's not the life and soul of this place, that role belongs to the long standing fans of the club, but he's certainly a decent advert for this site, and i would imagine/hope he gains as much from being here as we do him.

(Sorry for talking about you and not at/to you btw - Just easier to put my point across that way)

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

You probably already know this Nicko, but the player that killed 2 children was a Plymouth player.

[ihtd]

I have got to say Nicko has breathed new life into this MB, i have only been a member and poster on here since 2003 and i stopped posting around early 2007 as i were getting fed up with the Vinjays etc on the site, but Nicko has come here, not a Rover himself and started a great thread. His threads spark up excellent debate among the regulars on here and his insight makes it a lot more interesting that the my friends friend was walking the dog and saw Ronaldinho down Nuttal Street etc.

Even transfer rumours are again fun because of Nicko, for last few months, iv looked forward to logging on first thing in the morning to see who Nicko has heard we could be going for or what could be going on regarding a take-over. We now know more than what we just would from watching SSN as i think Nicko has proved over the last week, cannot really be believed. I'd like to thank Nicko for posting the little bits of info he can post because surely the man is jeopodising his scoops in certain cases by posting them to us first. I know i greatly appreciate reading his comments, so thanks Nicko. I might even buy the Sunday People tommorrow as a thanks

As for our vacant manager slot, Bilic could become avalible quite quickly if his side falters during the group stages, as i think many a pundit are expecting them to make it out of their group as runners-up.

[T4E]

Just when you thought we'd got rid of AESF, some idiot does that. No doubt he'll be back imminently to give us his view on this despicable monster.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Zing.