[Archived] Blackburn Sign Chilean Superstar Carlos Villanueva

[Hughesy]

500k in your pocket + 40k a week, or another loan to us?

Not many will choose the latter.

[JAL]

According to the Lancashire Telegraph Rovers made a last ditch effort to extend Carlos's loan for another year but this was rejected.

He has so much technical ability but at the moment lacks the strength to be effective in the Premier League. Very strange move for him as I thought that a move to Spain would have seen him really shine.

Andy Cryer in tonights LT labelled Villaneuva a 'playmaker', with the exception of the Grimsby game he never showed himself to be strong enough to be a playmaker in any other Rovers games.

The level of opposition that allowed him to thrive shows the level Villaneuva should be playing at, is it not that, unless Big Sam, Williams and co., see Rovers competing in the future against your Grimsby's of this world or are they blind to the level of opposition Rovers are going to face every week come next season.

[den]

Well, I'll trust that of the manager and many others including myself who've watched him struggle in the reserves against kids no stronger than himself and he hasn't even stood out there. Unlike Tugay who has often seen the pass after the pass he's about to make, Villanueva is slow of thought which makes him entirely unsuitable for the English league. I can't understand the desperation to ignore what is blatantly obvious to most who have seen him play. Just because you wanted the guy to succeed doesn't mean he was going to. I wanted him to too but he was never going to however much playing time he had in whatever position or formation the way the Premier league is at the moment. Now that may be an indictment of the league and the priorities it has in terms of strength and athleticism over skill, but then football has always been a physical game and the best players like Best were always supremely skilful but also up to the physical challenges thrown at them and possessed football brains that told them how to get out of trouble and how to avoid it wherever possible. Villanueva didn't.

Spot on GB.

Carlos has one or two quality strings to his bow. He can pick out the occassional quality pass and he can be dangerous with a free kick. Apart from that, IMO, not much else. He has had opportunities here, so I don't understand why some posters feel he hasn't. 12 starts is it, plus sub appearances? That's enough to see what his game has to offer.

The other thing that puzzles me, is why some folk also reckon he will make a comeback in the Italian top division. Why is he capable of playing in a league with the quality that seria A has, when he's quite a way short of making the Prem? More room and space in Italy, not as physical? I don't really think so, not enough to allow Carlos to become a seria A star. The argument that Carlos is some sort of top quality player that could play in any other top league in the world except England, because of the physical side to our game, is wrong as far as I can see. I doubt we will hear much of Carlos after he's gone.

I would like to be wrong because he comes across as a top young man trying to do his absolute best in the game.

[Blueandwhitemike]

You did write him off ab awfully long time ago though didn't you then. Unfortunately Carlos hasn't adapted to the premier league quick enough to make an impact during this relegation threatened season, and he hasn't shown enough to justify spending precious millions on him. On the other hand he has shown enough during games, and maybe particularly in training, to warrant an attempt by Sam and JW to keep him for another year. I think they made the right decision and I trust our manager's judgement that there was a fair chance he has enough to make a difference in our league, just a shame someone else came in for him.

[Blue n White Rover]

Am I right in thinking that we must have put £3 million aside for Carlos. Now we won't be signing him does that mean that money will be spent elsewhere? Or was it never available to us?

[joey_big_nose]

Am I right in thinking that we must have put £3 million aside for Carlos. Now we won't be signing him does that mean that money will be spent elsewhere? Or was it never available to us?

I think that is sort of right. However the goal posts have moved quite a lot since Carlos arrived. Our league position has changed affecting prize money, and I am sure some financial agreements will have been made with Allardyce.

I have no idea whether we will have anything from nothing to 10 million before the sale of Cruz or whoever else. Based on recent form I would probably say we have very very little before sales. But we could be suprised....

[LeChuck]

I'm pretty sure the £3 million would have been set aside for use in January as that's when we had to make the decision. We signed Givet and Diouf and only sent out Derbyshire then, so the £3 million probably went there.

I'm positive it won't still be set aside now.

[Sparky Marky]

It just goes to show that seeing a few nifty skills on YouTube won't get you a Premiership-level player.

He's the captain of Chile. Perhaps Rovers didn't get the best out of him... Lets face it, Ince wasn't gonna make anyone a better player....and Sam has to what he thinks is right now...I've no doubt that if managed correctly, maybe a regime of tough weight training and conditioning maybe he could become a premier league player...

[gumboots]

He's the captain of Chile. Perhaps Rovers didn't get the best out of him... Lets face it, Ince wasn't gonna make anyone a better player....and Sam has to what he thinks is right now...I've no doubt that if managed correctly, maybe a regime of tough weight training and conditioning maybe he could become a premier league player...

He is still slow of thought, doesn't seem to see trouble coming and weight training doesn't affect that.

[modes98]

500k in your pocket + 40k a week, or another loan to us?

Not many will choose the latter.

It depends how much faith you have in your own ability. There are plenty of people who take lower paid jobs because of the future prospects and earnings. He won't exactly be on a rubbish wage with us and would play in a league that is light years ahead. Not even saying that he should come back to us, he should look around europe though.

[Hughesy]

He will surely only be getting with us, what he would get in Chile? Which id expect to be far less than 40k, infact probably less than 1/4 of that!

[Montfort]

He came accross as a genuine lad who wanted desperately to succeed here and went about it in the right way. He worked hard and he showed the club the respect they deserved for giving him a chance. Perhaps he could have been used more often but with our lowly league position it was a gamble too far even for Ince.

Good luck Carlos. I hope the Dubai move lines your pocket and provides the stepping stone to better things which your talent deserves.

Totally agree. I finally accept that the dream of having an effective Carlos at our club is over. It is ironic that someone like Grella who has never done anything to excite me ( yet ? ) is still at the club whilst Carlos who was a massive talent in many ways has left. When I first saw him against Grismby I was knocked out by his shooting ability and passing ability. The margin between success and failure in the premier league is often very narrow and I still think of what might have been.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Totally agree. I finally accept that the dream of having an effective Carlos at our club is over. It is ironic that someone like Grella who has never done anything to excite me ( yet ? ) is still at the club whilst Carlos who was a massive talent in many ways has left. When I first saw him against Grismby I was knocked out by his shooting ability and passing ability. The margin between success and failure in the premier league is often very narrow and I still think of what might have been.

Personally I think you have summed up what is wrong with premiership football as a whole. A creative footballer like Carlos cannot get a look in and is deemed a failure whilst a negative footballer like a Grella, a destroyer and little else can carve out a career in the premiership. It is a shame that there isn't room for both.

Carlos had skill and possibily could develop into a great talent but in today's premiership he just wasn't up to it. His low body strength and speed meant his football ability was irrelevant.

[joey_big_nose]

Personally I think you have summed up what is wrong with premiership football as a whole. A creative footballer like Carlos cannot get a look in and is deemed a failure whilst a negative footballer like a Grella, a destroyer and little else can carve out a career in the premiership. It is a shame that there isn't room for both.

Carlos had skill and possibily could develop into a great talent but in today's premiership he just wasn't up to it. His low body strength and speed meant his football ability was irrelevant.

I think the jury is out on whether Grella can make a career here! If the Australian were in Carlos' contractual position I am sure Sam would not make the contract permanent either.

I am praying Vince finds two yards of pace down the back of a sofa somewhere. Without it he is going to be a massive failure in the Premiership. He is primarily a "destroyer" and can pass a bit but what is the use in that if you cant catch your prey?

[roversmum]

I have a solution. Wolves and Stoke are reputed to be after our Axe, so flog Vince to whoever loses out on the Axe. Everyone's a winner

[bubblerrovers]

Not bothered at all about him going, waste of time, he was so weak wind would blow him over, has no pace so needed strength, So he looked good against Grimsby doesn't count for much really

[JAL]

I have a solution. Wolves and Stoke are reputed to be after our Axe, so flog Vince to whoever loses out on the Axe. Everyone's a winner

Excellent solution roversmum

[LeChuck]

Doesn't sound like it's going well for Villanueva - Sent off and criticised by the manager for holding on to the ball for too long. If he messes it up out there he might do a Grabbi-esque disappearance from the football radar.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Villanueva was given his marching orders by referee Mohammad Omar for elbowing into Al Wasl skipper Eisa Ali late into the second half.

Did he elbow his bum or something?! Surely the ref should have realised that Villanueva is only 3ft tall.

[mellison24]

Did he elbow his bum or something?! Surely the ref should have realised that Villanueva is only 3ft tall.

Ah, but a nasty blow to the bumcheeks is enough to receive a dead leg. Dangerous stuff. Carlos should be hung, drawn and quartered for such petulance!!!

[BrownieFC]

I was out in that part of the world for a few months recently and the humidity is a killer, tried playing football a few times and it was agony. I'm suprised to hear he wanted to keep the ball as me and my collegues passed as much as possible so we didn't have to run in that heat and humidity lol

Oh yea and that was at about 9 p.m. when it had cooled down a lot