[Archived] Nicko's Thread

[bonerdude]

he probably watchin rovers play sporting

[m4xypp]

come on nicko please can we have our update now i mean its a long time since that teaser of yours

[Fife Rover]

Was nice to come on here and read all the comments for Bouma, I know you don't like the Villa invasion that kind of happened on the site, but genuinly was classy to see that from another teams fans...

Hope the lad is not too badly hurt and back playing fairly soon. I read somewhere that it is not as bad as it first appeared.

Thanks also for your kind comments about us Rovers fans. We are not a bad lot really; we just get a bad press most of the time.

[bonerdude]

maybe hes transfered to another forum....first the club get raided by the bigger clubs now they nab our nicko....oi

[ffan]

we just get a bad press most of the time.

At least you get press.

[roverfanuk]

Hope the lad is not too badly hurt and back playing fairly soon. I read somewhere that it is not as bad as it first appeared.

Thanks also for your kind comments about us Rovers fans. We are not a bad lot really; we just get a bad press most of the time.

He suffered a dislocation of the ankle and some ligament damage. All things considered, he was rather lucky as with that type of injury a break can easily be sustained. He will be out for about 6 months...

[bonerdude]

bummer hope he gets better soon

[American]

We're all either retarded or moronic but we have hearts.

Sum of we is both.

[RevidgeBlue]

Only a commitment by one side of the deal though. It's madness. The world is on the edge of a 'perfect' recession ffs! Why not just pay him 40k pw with an evergreen 6 month contract? Why have we committed ourselves bare-arsed to an outlay of nigh on 13m even if his question mark wobbles prove permanent?

It's just as likely he will rediscover a bit of confidence, his best form , and his place back in the England side. A good World Cup in 2010, he'd be hot property, and we'd look right charlies having to let a keeper that's worth 10m + go for nothing!

What's your alternative? Paying a 37 year old 70k p.w over three years? (10.5m in total)

[JohnS]

It's just as likely he will rediscover a bit of confidence, his best form , and his place back in the England side. A good World Cup in 2010, he'd be hot property, and we'd look right charlies having to let a keeper that's worth 10m + go for nothing!

What's your alternative? Paying a 37 year old 70k p.w over three years? (10.5m in total)

He won't be on that much at Villa, i reckon its around 50k

[nicko]

Apologies for lateness...enjoying the chat with some players of a previous generation at the excellent Masters.

Anyway.

Newcastle are offering Duff for Warnock - and remarkably it is being considered in some quarters. I did hear from someone quite close to things at the aforementioned Masters tonight that Warnock may fancy the idea too.

Very strange. I thought this would have been nipped in the bud, but it seems to have 'legs' and keeps on running.

I have also written that I think there will be huge opposition to this within the club, so this is one worth watching.

The right back target who has been watched is the Eintracht Frankfurt defender Ochs. And I believe he did well enough to be watched again. But they are still drawing up a short list.

Some good tales in the People about other moves too but I don;t want to take away from your enjoyment.

I think it's important to be clear on what's fact, and what's a guess - we've a responsibility to all the doom mongers who can't interpret things properly after all ...

Nicko said 'he thought' Rovers maybe were looking for another keeper (i.e. he didn't know - or want to say he knew) and 'somehow' word got around..... lot of supposition on one comment to jump to that being fact, or being interpreted as akin to that. You've added another level of assumption by 'presuming'...

So, Nicko guessed, you've interpreted & presumed and God know what the naysayers will read into that; it's manna from heaven for them once there's a degree (no matter how far removed) of credibility & they'll turn your 'interpretation' into a fact, no doubt by saying it's come from a good source. Not doubting Nicko, or digging at you, but it's easy to see how guesses, rumours, innuendo etc. get given more credibility and urban myths get started like this!

Maybe that is actually what happened, maybe we'll never know (though I do think it's the most likely option), but please don't give supposition credibility especially when it's going to fire up the anti-Ince brigade!

That is how it happened...you can interpret it how you want...but that is also the way it worked out.

As I said quite a few times that doesn't mean anyone has to be blamed. That was the sequence of events.

[joey_big_nose]

Interesting. Pertinent questions are:

1) Are Newcastle offering cash plus Duff or just Duff?

2) Is Olsson good enough to take Warnock's spot?

3) With MGP and Mr Pineapple head do we need another left sided player?

4) Would he want his Newcastle salary matched?

I can see the attraction in getting Duff provided he passed a thorough medical, but it isn't really part of the team that currently needs addressing.

[Billy Castell]

I'd be outraged if the Duff/Warnock move happened. Duff is a washed up crock who has been pants since that first season or so at Chelsea. Who'd be left back? Olsson? Kane? Gamst? a re-signed Berner?

[roverfanuk]

Apologies for lateness...enjoying the chat with some players of a previous generation at the excellent Masters.

Anyway.

Newcastle are offering Duff for Warnock - and remarkably it is being considered in some quarters. I did hear from someone quite close to things at the aforementioned Masters tonight that Warnock may fancy the idea too.

Very strange. I thought this would have been nipped in the bud, but it seems to have 'legs' and keeps on running.

I have also written that I think there will be huge opposition to this within the club, so this is one worth watching.

This sounds stupid. Not only are we swapping a 26 year old for a 29 year old, but we would also be bringing in a player for a position we dont need filling?!

All this would do is stretch out our budget both transfer wise and wages wise further.

Gamst had the best game i have seen him play in years the day before yesterday, probably because Bentley wasn't on the pitch, and it would make no sense whatsoever to bring in Duff?! Im not going to go into the obvious injury comparisons.

I can put up with Friedel being replaced with a good keeper, and i can also put up with Bentley being sold and replaced. What i cannot put up with is one of Englands up and coming defenders being thrown away for a hasbeen midfielder who spends 80% of his season injured.

Why the heck should we let Warnock go and have to spend money we don't have to chuck around on a replacement. Downright stupid!

As for the right back... Never heard of him...

[tony gale's mic]

"Some quarters"...can you expand on this nicko?

[Paul]

Newcastle are offering Duff for Warnock - and remarkably it is being considered in some quarters. I did hear from someone quite close to things at the aforementioned Masters tonight that Warnock may fancy the idea too.

Astonishing, absolutely astonishing. A very good left back for a washed up winger who has wasted his talent and career. I do hope it isn't Ince who is considering this?

[Blue n White Rover]

This sounds stupid. Not only are we swapping a 26 year old for a 29 year old, but we would also be bringing in a player for a position we dont need filling?!

All this would do is stretch out our budget both transfer wise and wages wise further.

Gamst had the best game i have seen him play in years the day before yesterday, probably because Bentley wasn't on the pitch, and it would make no sense whatsoever to bring in Duff?! Im not going to go into the obvious injury comparisons.

I can put up with Friedel being replaced with a good keeper, and i can also put up with Bentley being sold and replaced. What i cannot put up with is one of Englands up and coming defenders being thrown away for a hasbeen midfielder who spends 80% of his season injured.

Why the heck should we let Warnock go and have to spend money we don't have to chuck around on a replacement. Downright stupid!

As for the right back... Never heard of him...

Spot on!

Pretty much sums up my feelings towards this aswell. I reckon most Rovers fans feel the same aswell.

Interesting. Pertinent questions are:

2) Is Olsson good enough to take Warnock's spot? NOPE

3) With MGP and Mr Pineapple head do we need another left sided player? NOPE

[DingleBaiter]

That is how it happened...you can interpret it how you want...but that is also the way it worked out.

As I said quite a few times that doesn't mean anyone has to be blamed. That was the sequence of events.

Sorry, my bad - didn't realise you had stated that as a fact, was just trying to protect a source! Typical journo, always speaking with forked tongue ;-)

Surely, for this Duff thing to have any sort of legs, they must only be able to offer same cash for Warnock with Duffer in as a makeweight for the extra amount. Duff's best years well behind him, he's been on stellar money, and his head's gone IMO. Frankly, other folks' heads must have too to even think of this crackers move, who's considering it? The cleaner?

Cheers for update, worrying/amusing as it is !

Who played for Masters side then?

[roverfanuk]

Interesting. Pertinent questions are:

1) Are Newcastle offering cash plus Duff or just Duff? YEAH. LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO OFFER 2 MILLION AND THEN CHUCK IN DUFF AND FURTHER MONEY?! THIS IS NEWCASTLE YOUR TALKING ABOUT?!

2) Is Olsson good enough to take Warnock's spot? NO! MAYBE GIVEN A YEAR. HE HASNT LOOKED AT ALL READY DURING THE PRE-SEASON

3) With MGP and Mr Pineapple head do we need another left sided player? IT COULDNT HURT TO GET SOMEONE AS BACKUP. BUT PREFERABLY VERY YOUNG. NOT 29... 19-20

4) Would he want his Newcastle salary matched? NO, HE WILL BE WILLING TO TAKE A 99% WAGE CUT... THIS IS A FOOTBALLER WERE TALKING ABOUT... HE WILL WANT THE SAME

I can see the attraction in getting Duff provided he passed a thorough medical, but it isn't really part of the team that currently needs addressing.

With regards to the last sentence. Ask yourself whether you would be willing to get lesser central midfielders and a lesser right midfielder. As this is what we'd have to do compramising our budget by having to purchase a new LB...

Edit: Sorry, didnt mean to make it sound like i was shouting, forgot to bold it...

Edit x2: Also, Duff made his decision. No player is bigger then his club, this is what Duffer forgot when he went to Chelsea... With Dunn it was different as it was Souness's choice...

[Kai]

On Duff: It's like having your car stolen then thrashed to an within an inch of its life. Would you want it back?

It's plain mental to swap Warnock for Duff, we'll still need a leftback. Maybe the crazy idea is to move MGP onto the right, put Duff on the left... but again, we'd still need a full back and with half the premiership looking for a decent one I don't fancy our chances much of getting anyone in that's better than what we've already got. I'll say it again: mental.

If we're that keen on Duff, just buy him back outright, I'm sure the Mags want to get rid anyway and he'd be available for less than £4m. In anycase, if we're after another left winger, take N'Zogbia. That boy is class, but I'd doubt he'd want to come to us.

edit: I just remembered in the heady days when Souness was in charge at the Toon, didn't he play Duff at fullback? I just hope that those within our club review the footage of those games and realise what a disaster that was.

[thenodrog]

Emerton is possibly the fastest player we have and his ability to beat a fullback has never been in question. The trouble with Bert on the wing is (was?) that he puts his head down and keeps running when he should pass/cross.

And he's not great at crossing.

It's crap that! Emerton gets half a yard on the full back and into a potentially dangerous position ........... and then turns back!

I usually am left wondering just wtf is going on between his ears?

[roverfanuk]

If we're that keen on Duff, just buy him back outright, I'm sure the Mags want to get rid anyway and he'd be available for less than £4m. In anycase, if we're after another left winger, take N'Zogbia. That boy is class, but I'd doubt he'd want to come to us.

Personally, at present, i dont value him anything above 1.5-2 million...

Besides, if we wanted a crock to eat our wages, we should have just got Harry Kewell on a free! Woulda still been cheaper!

[steverovers]

Duff isn't half the player he was when he left us, for one reason or another. Mostly it is because he has been injured for 80% of the time. Even if he is fit now, it would be a huge gamble to have him back. Chances are he would break down again in no time as he always has before.

No, this should never be allowed to happen, and I'm sure it won't unless they are throwing stupid money into the deal as well!

[roverfanuk]

No, this should never be allowed to happen, and I'm sure it won't unless they are throwing stupid money into the deal as well!

...Newcastle...?! :rolleyes:

[Grabbi Graeme]

How about we do on the left what we did on the right, shove Pedersen to left back and Duff left wing, it would be a great left and right combination, well it would it Bentley didn't want to go.