[Archived] Don't Sell Friedel!

[modes98]

I can't believe how many intelligent posters, plus yourself () are ignoring the fact he is 37 years old and can be replaced at a good price by a England international 9 years his junior.

Brad is my hero and even I can now see the logic in moving on.

Maybe Brad's letting us off the hook of having to chop him in the future and getting a hefty pay rise in the process. I just hope he'll come back in a few years and take up a coaching role with us.

[RevidgeBlue]

I do have a problem with the blame for this being pinned on Brad. It is not at all difficult to see where this has come from.

If there's any "blame" to be apportioned, it's surely on the Clubs bidding for him.

You can't blame Brad for being interested in an extended "double your money" deal at this stage of his career. (Assuming he is)

Nor can you blame Rovers for not wanting to match those terms, but feeling the money would be better spent on a younger keeper. (Assuming they don't want to match them)

[tcj_jones]

I cannot believe we might actually be LOOKING to replace one of the world's best keepers with, well, Paul Robinson. I don't care how good business this is; how much money we might get for Brad, how old he is etc etc. Right now, he is a vastly superior keeper to Robinson and has at least two seasons left in him. Even if he does continue to decline over that period, he'd still be a better player than Robinson.

We are creating a problem for ourselves which just doesn't exist right now. Why not wait another season or two, or maybe even three?

[RevidgeBlue]

We are creating a problem for ourselves which just doesn't exist right now. Why not wait another season or two, or maybe even three?

We're not creating a problem for ourselves, it seems Villa are offering a ridiculous financial package for someone of Friedel's age, he probably wants to take it, therefore we are being forced into looking at a replacement.

Edit: Get the replacement in before the player is sold as thenodrog always used to say when Hughes was in charge. However I doubt he'll give credit wher it's due now as it's Ince!.

[rebelmswar]

We're not creating a problem for ourselves, it seems Villa are offering a ridiculous financial package for someone of Friedel's age, he probably wants to take it, therefore we are being forced into looking at a replacement.

Edit: Get the replacement in before the player is sold as thenodrog always used to say when Hughes was in charge. However I doubt he'll give credit wher it's due now as it's Ince!.

I will admit that it will be a good bit of business for the board but a very unpopular one with the fans.

[thenodrog]

Would you do that? Why do you hate Ince so much anyway? Have you ever enlightened anyone. What has made you hate a guy so much you just aren't willing to give him any form of a chance?

Dunno he just p1sses me off shillitoe.... always has too. Call it instinct if you like but the problem is that my instincts usually turn up having an above average degree of accuracy.

[RevidgeBlue]

Friedel has to retire eventually, and at his age handing him a new improved contract is a huge gamble.

On the other hand, he might play unimpaired for another three years until age 40.

What do you do then, do you give him another three years on even better terms? There'd be no reason not to really, if he'd made it to 40 unscathed.

On a related issue, personally I wouldn't have given Tugay another contract and I wouldn't be surprised if Ince isn't wondering why Hughes did as well.

[RevidgeBlue]

I will admit that it will be a good bit of business for the board but a very unpopular one with the fans.

Not if we're in the top 6 by the end of October, it will soon be forgotten.

That's not to take anything at all away from Brad who will rightly be remembered as one of our best ever players whether he stays or goes.

[thenodrog]

Edit: Get the replacement in before the player is sold as thenodrog always used to say when Hughes was in charge. However I doubt he'll give credit wher it's due now as it's Ince!.

Correct. Hughes would never let a player go if by doing so it weakened the squad. And Robinson for Freidel weakens the squad, as would signing Fowler to replace the drummer boy.

[LeChuck]

How many goalkeepers kept playing at the highest level past their 37th birthday? Even legendary figures like Schmeichel and Seaman couldn't perform past that age.

I know everyone is different, but on that basis I think it's a little naive to think we'll get 2 or 3 good years out of Brad. I'm not sure why everyone is so down on Robinson either, he's an excellent goalkeeper but his confidence took a real hammering during his difficult spell.

[RevidgeBlue]

And Robinson for Freidel weakens the squad,

That's a subjective matter of opinion which I personally don't agree with.

At his best Robinson is an excellent keeper. I'll readily agree he has lost confidence and form recently but if he gets that confidence back, we'll have the England keeper at Ewood in a year or two's time.

Whereas Brad might be hanging up his gloves.

[MancVillan]

That's a subjective matter of opinion which I personally don't agree with.

At his best Robinson is an excellent keeper. I'll readily agree he has lost confidence and form recently but if he gets that confidence back, we'll have the England keeper at Ewood in a year or two's time.

Whereas Brad might be hanging up his gloves.

You'll get many years out of Robbo, and if he's not doing too well, I'm sure you'll still be able to get £3-4m back for him. If he gets his career back on track and gets back into the England team for the WC - you could easily make a profit on the guy. I just don't think you can lose (unless he's terrible and leaks goal after goal - doubt it).

[Dave S]

Correct. Hughes would never let a player go if by doing so it weakened the squad.

Like selling Savage without a replacement?

[philipl]

Interesting that nobody disagreed with my assessment that Brad was abysmal at Brum and I would just hate that to have been his farewell performance for us.

[CaliRoverNYC]

Didn't Villa just sign Guzan? He's pretty solid. As for BF it would be a shame to lose him as he is the sole reason i started supporting rovers but if we are getting good value for him and we can secure a younger replacement maybe it's time to let him get a pay day.

[S15]

Interesting that nobody disagreed with my assessment that Brad was abysmal at Brum and I would just hate that to have been his farewell performance for us.

What makes it a tad annoying is that his slippery slidey gloves cost us a place in europe, handing that price to....

NNNOOOOOOOOOO!!????????

[S15]

Dunno he just p1sses me off shillitoe.... always has too. Call it instinct if you like but the problem is that my instincts usually turn up having an above average degree of accuracy.

Well drog, below is your 'instinct' on Hughes appointment...

Afraid I'm in Phils camp on this one. Footballing history is littered with unproven ex-players turned managers (Blackpool ). Most worrying by far is that he is supposedly the players choice!

I obviousy wish him well though and I hope that I am proven well wrong. In fact nothing would give me greater pleasure because if he fails then our days in the Prem will be consigned to the hstory books. Much will depend on his choice of assistants.......(ST anybody?)

But I just have to wonder exactly how many on here from the pro Hughes corner would have wanted him if he had never played for BRFC?

Would that be considered an 'average degree of accuracy.'

And people very rarely hold a hatred for people in football unless the person is actually good at what they do. Ie, nobody would have cared about Ince if he had been a @#/? player, and alot of people are now annoyed that he did two bleeding good jobs at the start of his management career. I wonder how many would have loved to see him drop out of the football league, and were spitting blood when he somehow pulled that one off.

[RevidgeBlue]

Well drog, below is your 'instinct' on Hughes appointment...

Would that be considered an 'average degree of accuracy.'

Ouch!. great spot shillito.

BTW was Gordon agreeing with blue Phil or Philip L?

If it was Philip it's reassuring to know that Philip's gut was as spectacularly wrong as usual on Hughes, and that having dubbed Ince "dead meat" a couple of days prior to his appointment, our new manager therefore has every chance of being a roaring success!

Edit: It was Blue Phil. Apologies to Philip L.

P.S. A lot of the comments on the Mark Hughes thread at the time of Sparky's appointment are pure m/b gold with hindsight.

[gumboots]

Not if we're in the top 6 by the end of October, it will soon be forgotten.

That's not to take anything at all away from Brad who will rightly be remembered as one of our best ever players whether he stays or goes.

It won't matter though if we're in the top 6 at the end of October because the season doesn't finish then. It'll be robinson's first mistake that gets fans on Ince's back even more, despite the fact that brad would probably have made at least one mistake himself. Only by ensuring a top 10 finish can Ince really be popular, judging by the comments of most fans on here.

[Parsonblue]

Not if we're in the top 6 by the end of October, it will soon be forgotten.

That's not to take anything at all away from Brad who will rightly be remembered as one of our best ever players whether he stays or goes.

Does anyone seriously believe that we will be in the top 6 at any point next season? Selling your best players and replacing them with inferior ones is not the best plan to achieve a top 6 finish.

[thenodrog]

Well drog, below is your 'instinct' on Hughes appointment...

Would that be considered an 'average degree of accuracy.'

And people very rarely hold a hatred for people in football unless the person is actually good at what they do. Ie, nobody would have cared about Ince if he had been a @#/? player, and alot of people are now annoyed that he did two bleeding good jobs at the start of his management career. I wonder how many would have loved to see him drop out of the football league, and were spitting blood when he somehow pulled that one off.

I've held my hand up for that many times, and was glad to be proven wrong too.

My initial misgivings were because Hughes was a team member and according to Craig Short he was the teams choice for new manager. Many such appointments end in tears as the step up involves a definite pull back from freindship.

[RevidgeBlue]

Does anyone seriously believe that we will be in the top 6 at any point next season?

I've no idea, before a ball is kicked. I usually think you can get a very good idea of where you're going to finish after about five or six games though.

I wasn't expecting Friedel to leave but if he does, and we manage to land Robinson, that's an impressive start by Ince imo.

[gumboots]

Does anyone seriously believe that we will be in the top 6 at any point next season? Selling your best players and replacing them with inferior ones is not the best plan to achieve a top 6 finish.

I agree totally. However, some change was bound to come and we all know that most human beings don't like change. We like the familiar tried and tested in most areas of our lives. It's not the changes themselves I object to but that all the unwelcome news seems to be coming at once without any good news to alleviate it. There are those who think the probable arrival of robinson is good news. I'm unconvinced. Not anti, just not sure that what makes good business sense also makes good sense on the pitch and in the dressing room. Losing Friedel and Bentley, who are both on decent contracts, surely sends out to the other players the message that their contracts don't matter either and we will do nothing to hold onto them. The nightmare scenario where we lose even more of our decent players and end up with inferior replacements comes closer with every player we sell without a better replacement already in the bag.

[thenodrog]

Ouch!. great spot shillito.

BTW was Gordon agreeing with blue Phil or Philip L?

If it was Philip it's reassuring to know that Philip's gut was as spectacularly wrong as usual on Hughes, and that having dubbed Ince "dead meat" a couple of days prior to his appointment, our new manager therefore has every chance of being a roaring success!

Edit: It was Blue Phil. Apologies to Philip L.

P.S. A lot of the comments on the Mark Hughes thread at the time of Sparky's appointment are pure m/b gold with hindsight.

I've owned up to that many times. I had serious concerns at the time that a team member (and Craig Short's verification that Hughes was the 'players choice') would be able to step up to the manager's role. I am glad to say that I was very wrong.

But if you want that on Mboard gold Simon then where would you pin the opening comment on this thread from Oct 2005 then Simon?

http://www.brfcs.co.uk/mb/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=357300

Encklemen in the team / Freidal dropped eh?

..... and I don't think at this stage that I need to mention John Curtis.

[RevidgeBlue]

Can't see anything wrong with suggesting at the time that BF should be dropped for a couple of games to give him a kick up the backside but touche all the same!