[Archived] Nicko's Thread Part 3

[they_think_its_all_rover]

Would be interested to hear your comments about wembley when you return.

Enjoy.

I will do & thanks.

[they_think_its_all_rover]

BERNER - has had a couple of Championship clubs on. Quite well-respected.

Who's interested? Burnley? ...personally, I think he could do a job for a mid-low Prem team.

Ivan Campo to Hull?

Owain Fon Willians from Crewe, in as Encklemen's replacement?

[LeChuck]

Ivan Campo to Hull?

I wouldn't be surprised to see a few ex-Bolton players go to Hull if they get promotion.

I reckon Stelios would be a nailed-on cert to join them, unless he fancies finishing off his career in Greece.

[philipl]

Bloody unbelievable isn't it? If you had posted that a decade or two ago Oklahoma you would have been sectioned under the mental health act.

I think this is a real problem in that English football fans' expextations are so unbelieveably low in relation to the economic power the clubs they support have.

All 20 EPL clubs should be taking a hoover to the world's greatest talent instead of getting marginally faster and fitter cloggers from Poland or Uruguay than traditionally were available in Scotland. Go back a dozen years and Serie A genuinely was the league of all the world's talents.

The EPL seems incapable of raising its eyes to that level largely because the fans are so insular.

There are only at the very most twenty clubs outside England which could stand up to Rovers financially in a transfer stand-off even in our post-Walker largesse days.

[thenodrog]

All 20 EPL clubs should be taking a hoover to the world's greatest talent instead of getting marginally faster and fitter cloggers from Poland or Uruguay

Poland /Uruguay? How about Paraguay?

[Baggio]

Villa have put bids in for Milner and the Wolves keeper apparently.

[philipl]

Poland /Uruguay? How about Paraguay?

Of course you are not understanding the point I am making.

Well I'd say the Rovers are somewhat exhonerated from this criticism. Until tomorrow night, we are the only EPL club with a forward line comprising two CL winners both of whom are world class. Tugay is one of the finest players produced by Turkey and Brad is the best footballer ever to come out of the USA.

It is a relief for the Rovers that they are not doing but the every other club in the rest of the bottom 16 ought to be at least comfortably equalling the Rovers for star quality in their ranks.

[LeChuck]

It is a relief for the Rovers that they are not doing but the every other club in the rest of the bottom 16 ought to be at least comfortably equalling the Rovers for star quality in their ranks.

You're making a rash assumption that money is the only motivator for a player deciding which club he goes to.

I think if a player had the choice of playing in France/Germany/Portugal and battling for the title/playing in Europe year after year, or playing for a lower-half Premiership side for £10-15k extra per week, that most would pick the European option. The ones who might take up the Premiership option are those that will be hoping to put themselves in the shop window to the top four (Benni?), and kick up a fuss if/when they're bored of being in the lower half.

[S15]

What is the point you are making?

Only 20 clubs are able to compete with Rovers for players?

There are probably only 20 or less available players who could definately improve Rovers and those 20 other clubs.

So alot of risky signings are made. Benni McCarthy and Roque Santa Cruz being two of them. Not all of them pay off.

[philipl]

The point I am making is that 12 years ago far more of the world's very best players were in Serie A than are in the Premiership now. And 12 years ago, players of enormous international standing were plying their trade at clubs outside of Italy's Juve, AC, Inter elite as well with world beaters at clubs like Sampdoria, Parma, Udinese, Fiorentina, Napoli and even places like Bari and Atalanta, not forgetting Roma and Lazio. Many of them were happy to stay and play a large proportion of their careers at those so-called lesser clubs.

I think the fact that for all its wealth, the EPL is not able to do the same is down to three factors:

- the strangulation by the Top 4 making the bottom 16 a less attractive proposition

- the ridiculously over-tight UK immigration rules applied to football

- the fans not appreciating that Wigan can and have every right to kick sand in the face of Benfica in the transfer market and therefore not expecting that the JJB should be attracting the best players away from Lisbon.

[bellamy11]

Of course you are not understanding the point I am making.

Of course you didn't understand the joke he was making.

[ihateburnley]

The point I am making is that 12 years ago far more of the world's very best players were in Serie A than are in the Premiership now. And 12 years ago, players of enormous international standing were plying their trade at clubs outside of Italy's Juve, AC, Inter elite as well with world beaters at clubs like Sampdoria, Parma, Udinese, Fiorentina, Napoli and even places like Bari and Atalanta, not forgetting Roma and Lazio. Many of them were happy to stay and play a large proportion of their careers at those so-called lesser clubs.

I think the fact that for all its wealth, the EPL is not able to do the same is down to three factors:

- the strangulation by the Top 4 making the bottom 16 a less attractive proposition

- the ridiculously over-tight UK immigration rules applied to football

- the fans not appreciating that Wigan can and have every right to kick sand in the face of Benfica in the transfer market and therefore not expecting that the JJB should be attracting the best players away from Lisbon.

What the hell are you banging on about Phil? Sounds to me like you believe the fans have some kind of bearing on who the clubs sign/do not sign! The Top4 debate has been done to death and obviously has a bearing on things, and the UK immigration laws I don't know enough about, but the fans...come on...what do they have to do with anything really?

If I was offered the same job in Portugal that I could do in Wigan, you can rest assured that I would be sunning it up in no time.

[Oklahoma]

For me there is nothing much to discuss.

EPL teams pay more than portuguese top teams pay (the daily cost of life is very diferent as well).

So, a player has to decided what is main goals are.

Still, most of those that chose less ambitious team in England do it to show themselves to get to bigger teams.

One good argument for EPL is that the level of play, the atmosphere and the fans are much better than in Portugal.

In Portugal, we know from a long time ago that we need to produce the players cause we can't afford to buy them. And even the prospect teams in South America and Africa are now much more effective and bring talented players to portuguese squads.

The news about Zoltan Gera was probably fake. Benfica will only sign players that the new manager agrees to.

[Exiled_Rover]

What the hell are you banging on about Phil? Sounds to me like you believe the fans have some kind of bearing on who the clubs sign/do not sign! The Top4 debate has been done to death and obviously has a bearing on things, and the UK immigration laws I don't know enough about, but the fans...come on...what do they have to do with anything really?

If I was offered the same job in Portugal that I could do in Wigan, you can rest assured that I would be sunning it up in no time.

Even if the job in Wigan was offering you twice as much?

[ihateburnley]

Er, yeah probably.

When you get to say 15k a week, is 30k a week that much of an incentive? Not only that, but Benfica offer football in a massive stadium, for a club with massive support and European football.

Wigan can offer you money. Oh and the chance to play with Emile and Marcus.

[philipl]

That is exactly the low level of aspiration by English fans I was referring to.

There is no expectation/pressure from the fans on Wigan to behave like its financial status warrants whereas an Italian Wigan in the '90s would be out there scouring the world for their own Batistuta (who played virtually all his career at an Italian equivalent of Aston Villa).

[S15]

I still don't really understand what you're going on about, but alot of foreign players would not come to England to play for anyone other than the big clubs because of our climate.

Your reference to fans is strange, and a little irrelevant.

And your reference to Wigan isn't one which makes any sense. Batistuta played his career at the equivelant of Villa? Right, well Wigan are perennial strugglers, how many world class players played for perennial strugglers in the Serie A era you talk about?

Add to the fact that ''world class'' is thrown around willy nilly. The players were probably the equivelant of Bentley, Santa Cruz, Yakubu, Arteta, Martins, Owen, Berbatov, Keane, Ashley Young, Martin Laursen, Elano, Micah Richards, Petrov etc etc etc etc plying their trade at the calibre of clubs they are now.

So again, what is your point?

[philipl]

Did you watch Serie A in the '90s? Your weather knowledge is quite limited as you've no idea what Italian winters are like.

Take Bari- just picked that one at random, a club that wobbled in and out of Serie A. Their players in the '90s included:

Zvonimir Boban, David Platt, Thomas Doll, Florin Radiciou, Kennet Andersson, Klas Ingersson.

Most of the lesser lights in Serie A attracted names which are instantly recognisable even now.

[Russ]

Nicko, what's this Hossam Ghaly story I've just read on sky sports website?

""Blackburn want to sign me. I have offers from other Premier League sides in addition to a Hertha Berlin bid but I haven't chosen my next destination yet," Ghaly told FilGoal."

No truth in it I hope. Had a stinking attitude when at Spurs by all counts didn't he??

Have to assume there's some truth in it, if the player himself is saying that??

[nicko]

Nicko, what's this Hossam Ghaly story I've just read on sky sports website?

""Blackburn want to sign me. I have offers from other Premier League sides in addition to a Hertha Berlin bid but I haven't chosen my next destination yet," Ghaly told FilGoal."

No truth in it I hope. Had a stinking attitude when at Spurs by all counts didn't he??

Have to assume there's some truth in it, if the player himself is saying that??

It's a new one to me, but I'll check.

By the way Arsenal have made a bid for Samir Nasri at Marseille....someone asked the other day and it seems to be on.

[EwoodGlory]

Villa have put bids in for Milner and the Wolves keeper apparently.

Any ideas on how much the Milner bid is? I would except £5m+

Newcastle need someone who can produce better quality delivery into the box.

Though the fans seem to want him to stay.

[Cocker]

Nicko, what's this Hossam Ghaly story I've just read on sky sports website?

""Blackburn want to sign me. I have offers from other Premier League sides in addition to a Hertha Berlin bid but I haven't chosen my next destination yet," Ghaly told FilGoal."

No truth in it I hope. Had a stinking attitude when at Spurs by all counts didn't he??

Have to assume there's some truth in it, if the player himself is saying that??

I hope and pray thats not true. We have the axe for our allocated non footballing player.

[EwoodGlory]

It's a new one to me, but I'll check.

While your checking the Ghaly one, do you know if Miller back to Rangers is on? If you don't mind me asking.

A lot of the fans seem against it, but I think they need someone like that, I've always liked him, should never have gone to the hoops though

[nicko]

While your checking the Ghaly one, do you know if Miller back to Rangers is on? If you don't mind me asking.

Rangers have not come in, but Derby would sell - they want money for several strikers.

I think Rangers will bid for another striker before the end of the week...and it won't be Miller.

[Big Archie]

Rangers have not come in, but Derby would sell - they want money for several strikers.

I think Rangers will bid for another striker before the end of the week...and it won't be Miller.

Alan Smith?