[Archived] Nickos (newer) Thread

[Hughesy]

Thats what I think will happen, MGP to provide the crosses, Lennon to provide the pace to get behind teams and then lay the ball off or the new creative midfielder to pick holes with passes to find Roque.

[LeChuck]

In todays market that is a bargain. Muamba (£5m), Sidwell (£5.5m), (Milner £8-9m) and thats before the transfer window kicks off.

Hughesy...is there any reason why you've decided to start putting the quote below what you type? It's a little bit annoying having to scroll down to read what you're replying to, then back up to see what you've written. It just flows horribly, especially if you're multi-quoting.

[Rover down South]

Lennon, SWP and Pennant all fall into the same category of players.

Quick and can go past a man but final ball is poor.

In order of preference for me it would be:-

SWP

Lennon,

Pennant

Agree with that. Would like to see Shaun Wright-Phillips at Rovers, but I bet he's on top money at Chelsea. Even if we could afford his wages, I should imagine Chelsea would want to recoup much of the fee they paid for him.

[Hughesy]

Hughesy...is there any reason why you've decided to start putting the quote below what you type? It's a little bit annoying having to scroll down to read what you're replying to, then back up to see what you've written. It just flows horribly, especially if you're multi-quoting.

This way round instead LeChuck? Sorry didnt know it mattered, although I can see your point.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Thats what I think will happen, MGP to provide the crosses, Lennon to provide the pace to get behind teams and then lay the ball off or the new creative midfielder to pick holes with passes to find Roque.

Not sure that suits Roques playing style.

We saw last season on lots of ocassions Bentley floating a ball to the back post and Roque met it with a simple header or tap in.

It would be nice to have a creative attacking midfielder in order to add something different, but i still think we are at our most dangerous when we are whipping balls into the box. If Gamst continues his bad run of form and we sell Bentley and don't replace him i can see us in big trouble.

[den]

Lennon does NOT have a club willing to buy him right now...his value is £5 million and there are no takers just yet.

Now how could that be, when he's got frightening pace and will, under the right coach, be able to become an excellent crosser of the ball/maker of goals? Can't understand it myself.

[gumboots]

That would be;

a) the team with a new manager who plays a completely new form of football which requires pace in midfield

the team that was very very lucky with injuries last season, ala Dunn

c) the team that has been crying out for pace in its midfield, and a creative midfielder in the center

d) the team that has a wantaway player, who scored some very important goals and provided the majority of assists last season that got us to 7th place in the first place?!

Not suggesting we can't improve our squad. Just that buying or trading for several of the spurs squad who finished below us doesn't sound the smartest thing to do. One of them I think might improve us but 3? And i'm not suggesting we shouldn't sell Bentley either, Just that we make very sure we get the best possible deal for ourselves out of it. We are not a charity case glad to accept whatever they want to send our way in the way of handouts. We are a good premiership side and sometimes need to remember that. Obviously unless you find a gem through your own academy you have to rely on taking players who may have "failed" elsewhere, but you don't have to fall over yourselves to get rid of the best you've got and take whatever they want to allow you to have.

[LeChuck]

This way round instead LeChuck? Sorry didnt know it mattered, although I can see your point.

Nah it doesn't really, I just had a bit of a hard time reading your multi-quoted post that's all. I'm just used to it this way round that I thought all your posts weren't making sense at first, until I realised it was 'upside down' so to speak.

[Rover down South]

Now how could that be, when he's got frightening pace and will, under the right coach, be able to become an excellent crosser of the ball/maker of goals? Can't understand it myself.

Been looking at Ince's coaching methods & it appears he bought in sprinter Darren Campbell to assist in the running/sprinting in training when at Macclesfield & MK Dons. link to story here

http://www.mk-news.co.uk/mknews-sport/Disp...e.asp?ID=129441

Any chance Beckham could teach Lennon to cross if we got him!! what a player we'd have then!!

[Eddie]

Now how could that be, when he's got frightening pace and will, under the right coach, be able to become an excellent crosser of the ball/maker of goals? Can't understand it myself.

No one really wanted Bentley.

No one would have paid 5 million for Santa Cruz.

No one would have paid 5 million for Nelsen.

No one would have paid 5 million for Friedel

Tugay

Neill

Reid

MGP

Benni

Ooijer

Warnock

Do you want me to keep going?

[T4E]

Kalvenes should be in the paper...Driver ongoing...Riordan only if the price drops. There are three or four others on the cards too.

For a guy who left his club because his wife didn't like living in Dundee, a move to Burnley may not be the wisest move

[Tom 1]

What actually is the Bentley price tag Nicko.

Strange that Spurs would sell Lennon for just 5m, I know he has his flaws but he'd be a good signing for most prem sides, pace is the buzz word these days.

[rover6]

Now how could that be, when he's got frightening pace and will, under the right coach, be able to become an excellent crosser of the ball/maker of goals? Can't understand it myself.

Perhaps, there are no takers because no-one genuinely believes that Spurs will let him go for £5 million. A season back, he was the flavour of the month, arguably Spurs' most potent midfield threat. He will return to being a top-notch winger and Den, you will have to recant and admit an error of judgment.

People's memories seem awfully short. Some would be wise to learn from their presumptuous conclusions on the likes of Owen Hargreaves and Peter Crouch

[den]

No one really wanted Bentley.

No one would have paid 5 million for Santa Cruz.

No one would have paid 5 million for Nelsen.

No one would have paid 5 million for Friedel

Tugay

Neill

Reid

MGP

Benni

Ooijer

Warnock

Do you want me to keep going?

If you like Eddie, but what's that got to do with anything. How can you say that NO-ONE would have paid any more than £5m. for those players? The fact that we found out about their availability and got them for that price, doesn't prove your theory. If other managers believed that Lennon could be made to add a "finish" to his play, he'd be bringing a lot more than £5m.

[den]

Perhaps, there are no takers because no-one genuinely believes that Spurs will let him go for £5 million. A season back, he was the flavour of the month, arguably Spurs' most potent midfield threat. He will return to being a top-notch winger and Den, you will have to recant and admit an error of judgment.

People's memories seem awfully short. Some would be wise to learn from their presumptuous conclusions on the likes of Owen Hargreaves and Peter Crouch

Or another perhaps, - perhaps people see him as another Derbyshire, - good as an impact player against tired legs, but not good enough to start on a regular basis. Oh and as for Crouch, I still much prefer footballers.

[JamieUK]

Not sure that suits Roques playing style.

We saw last season on lots of ocassions Bentley floating a ball to the back post and Roque met it with a simple header or tap in.

It would be nice to have a creative attacking midfielder in order to add something different, but i still think we are at our most dangerous when we are whipping balls into the box. If Gamst continues his bad run of form and we sell Bentley and don't replace him i can see us in big trouble.

I think MGP was starting to get back to his best towards the end of the season - Was it not 4 goals in 10 games or something similar?

[gumboots]

If you like Eddie, but what's that got to do with anything. How can you say that NO-ONE would have paid any more than £5m. for those players? The fact that we found out about their availability and got them for that price, doesn't prove your theory. If other managers believed that Lennon could be made to add a "finish" to his play, he'd be bringing a lot more than £5m.

The thing is I don't see the point of deciding to get rid of proven, for potential, unless the proven is past its sell by date. Bentley may have mucked things up here with certain fans but then so had Warnock according to some a week or two ago. He is proven. He is still young. If Lennon could be improved then no doubt he'd be a good signing but he's been at good clubs and not found that improvement yet. It may be a gamble we have to take but if not then I'd rather keep what we have. I understand the arguments about him disrespecting the club. I understand the possibility of his disrupting the dressing room atmosphere. I understand that Ince might want rid to bring in other players. However, losing matches also creates a bad atmosphere. Feeling that the clubs ambition is low creates a bad atmosphere, so we need to be as sure as we can be that selling Bentley is the best option.

[gumboots]

OK, rolling back a few years... but that would have been like saying "Don't buy Matt Le Tissier because Southampton are crap". I'd also be interested to know the "several" Spuds players you're referring to!

someone suggested if you read back Jenas Huddlestone and Lennon.

[joey_big_nose]

Now how could that be, when he's got frightening pace and will, under the right coach, be able to become an excellent crosser of the ball/maker of goals? Can't understand it myself.

How did we get Roque for 3.5m?

[joey_big_nose]

If you like Eddie, but what's that got to do with anything. How can you say that NO-ONE would have paid any more than £5m. for those players? The fact that we found out about their availability and got them for that price, doesn't prove your theory. If other managers believed that Lennon could be made to add a "finish" to his play, he'd be bringing a lot more than £5m.

That logic is completely ridiculous!

Cruz was touring Europe for 3.5m, lots of people looked at him, including Man City. THey didn't buy him because based on his awful season for Bayern Munich they thought he was finished as a player.

So by your logic Cruz is an awful player who could never be decent because we were the only team who wanted to buy him!

Mental.

[Jan]

How did we get Roque for 3.5m?

We had a manager who could spot potential and develop it. Note the word HAD. People who continually say "well, we made player X better so we can to that to player Y" seem to forget all the years before Hughes when we bought players who played well for a few games and then disappeared into dreadfulness (Emerton, Reid anyone?).

We have no idea whether Ince and the 4th division posse will improve players or take players backwards.

[Tris]

Never mind. I hear Ince's training fellow is an ex army man - a nice bit of army training should do the lads sound. Can't wait to see the effects of it

The effects of it on a bunch of soft mollycoddled overpaid primadonnas might be quite detrimental and have them all heading for the door!!

On a serious note, I think the first few days of pre-season are vital. Ince has to quickly gain the respect of the players and I don't think he'll do that by unleashing army style fitness exercises on them.

Past and present players have indicated that training under Mark Hughes and his team was exceptional and they loved it. Ince and his mob have a tough job to follow - so the appointment of the right 1st team coach is absolutely critical IMO.

[broadsword]

He will return to being a top-notch winger and Den, you will have to recant and admit an error of judgment.

Will this be the same day that Paul Sturrock admits he is the son of God, and is now walking amongst us as the second coming, with David Icke dressed as a lizard as his right hand man?

[den]

How did we get Roque for 3.5m?

You think he was a crap player that our coaches made into a top player? Check his international record with Paraguay and ask yourself why would a club like Bayern Munich keep hold of him for 8 years.

[joey_big_nose]

The thing is I don't see the point of deciding to get rid of proven, for potential, unless the proven is past its sell by date. Bentley may have mucked things up here with certain fans but then so had Warnock according to some a week or two ago. He is proven. He is still young. If Lennon could be improved then no doubt he'd be a good signing but he's been at good clubs and not found that improvement yet. It may be a gamble we have to take but if not then I'd rather keep what we have. I understand the arguments about him disrespecting the club. I understand the possibility of his disrupting the dressing room atmosphere. I understand that Ince might want rid to bring in other players. However, losing matches also creates a bad atmosphere. Feeling that the clubs ambition is low creates a bad atmosphere, so we need to be as sure as we can be that selling Bentley is the best option.

Bentley doesn't want to play for us. To keep him means to keep him against his will. This is a bad idea. Look at McCarthy last season.

If we get a decent price it is worth letting him go. For the good of the dressing room, for the future of the club. By holding on to him we only reduce his value. Move on.