[Archived] Are Blackburn The Least Ambitious Club In The Top Flight

[chris]

Some one at work said it, but its probably true, teams less successful, West Brom, Fulham, Sunderland, all spent a lot more on players then we do.

We needed a right sided midfield, yet our biggest signing is a 3.5 defensive midfielder.

Our best player left to go to a club that finished below us and have 1 point out of a possible 9.

[modes98]

Some, like stoke needed to spend money to try and stay in the league. There is no point in spending for spending's sake, especially when you have limited funding.

Unless we get a rich backer we will always have to be careful with our money.

[USRoverME]

Only if you think spending loads of money on questionalbe talent is teh only sign of "ambition".

West Brom, Fulham, Sunderland, all spent a lot more on players then we do.

Who did thsoe 3 sides sign that would improve our squad?

Fulham: maybe you can make an arguement abotu Schwartzer over Robinson, maybe... Gera is old and with out record, AJ wouldn't get enough pens to make him an option up front for us.

Sunderland: maybe Chimbonda, and perhaps Malbranque, but those are sideways moves for Rovers, really.

West brom: I wouldn't want any of ther lot in our side...

For the weaknesses in our side, none of their players would help, so why bang on about their "ambition"? Unless you ant Rovers to spend money to WEAKEN the team.

[CrazyIvan]

The simple answer to this question is no. If the money was there to spend, I'm sure Rovers would spend it but not by buying other teams cast-offs ala Sunderland. The squad we have is better than Sunderlands purely by virtue of the fact we finished above them last year and above the team they got most of their new players off.

If lack of ambition, in todays terms, means not spending copious amounts of money on average (at best) players then I support this clubs management and board in their 'lack of ambition'. What does it really mean anyway? The club has no ambition to better itself? The stated goal of the club is to improve season on season. We've been doing that generally ever since we got back into the Premiership with the occasional blip (thinking Souness last couple of years here).

Does anyone truly think that Rovers can get into the Champions League without some serious investment from a new owner? We might sneak in there once as we are but, like Everton, I don't think we could maintain it. Also this club is still out-performing many clubs much bigger and much better funded. That's a testament to this board and the past management, I can't include Ince as we've only just started this season. If we're in a decent spot at the end of the year i.e. 8th or above then yes I'll include Ince too.

[broadsword]

We've been punching above our weight for ages.

We're ambitious, but it's tempered by a natural desire not to jeopardize the long-term future of the club.

Having said that, it's bloody frustrating at times.

[Plastic Head]

We are not the plaything of a dodgy foreigner.

We don't have anyone playing for us who is a money grabbing overpaid ponce.

We are just about the cheapest season ticket in all 4 divisions.

We have a ground based in a traditional location.

Our finances, although a little bare, are in reasonable order.

I know a good number of the people at Ewood every matchday and see them regularly in the town.

The club has a soul that most other Prem teams lost long ago.

You know where to go if you want to sit amongst thousand of glory hunting plastic fans snapping photos of some greasy millionaire from a third world country while they are taking a corner, of sat texting on their mobile while the game goes on.

If you don't then listen to the football phone-ins they're full of them.

We've had a brilliant run compared to many clubs from towns our size and if the club slips down the divisions I for one will still be there. If Ali Abba Dabba takes over I won't.

Rant over.

[waggy]

[LeChuck]

We've been punching above our weight for ages.

We're ambitious, but it's tempered by a natural desire not to jeopardize the long-term future of the club.

Having said that, it's bloody frustrating at times.

Agree with that pretty much.

I think it really hurts more this season though, because the clubs we would consider to be below us are starting to show more ambition than ourselves; Wigan, Bolton, Fulham and Sunderland have spent big and undoubtedly improved their sides from last year...whereas we've taken at least one step backwards.

Also, in recent seasons we've been wanting to spend to progress, and the fear was we wouldn't be catching the sides ahead of us if we didn't spend. This year the fear is that many clubs will overtake us that really shouldn't be doing so. The last summer we had similar to this was when Duff and Dunn left and we wasted all that money on dross (relative to the outgoings), and we dropped from 6th to 15th. This window has been alarmingly similar, and I fear a similar (if not worse) outcome.

If we are genuinely keeping the money back for the right players, then fair enough. I just don't think this is the case however, I think we'll continue to be cautious for the next 12 months, and all the money we've made this summer will be quietly forgotten about, we'll maybe spend £6-7 million of it at the most. Also, like a few other people have mentioned, the announcement that the trustees are putting £3 million back in to the club this year feels like a really cheap publicity stunt at the moment.

[gumboots]

Me too

[Al]

Of course we are. The reason is that the trustees don't really want us at all and are paying lip service to what Jack Walker wanted the funds to be used for.

It's all about damage limitation for them and the sooner they can offload us within the terms of Jack's will they will do so. It seems to me that they don't care what division we are in as long as it doesn't cost them much money.

I know I'm beginning to sound like Vinjay but I am really angry about our abject failure in this transfer window.

[gumboots]

Of course we are. The reason is that the trustees don't really want us at all and are paying lip service to what Jack Walker wanted the funds to be used for.

It's all about damage limitation for them and the sooner they can offload us within the terms of Jack's will they will do so. It seems to me that they don't care what division we are in as long as it doesn't cost them much money.

I know I'm beginning to sound like Vinjay but I am really angry about our abject failure in this transfer window.

Bet the guys we have brought in are really happy to read that you think their signings are abject failure. They don't inspire me but I wouldn't be scathing like that about them.

[Elegia]

We've been punching above our weight for ages.

We're ambitious, but it's tempered by a natural desire not to jeopardize the long-term future of the club.

Having said that, it's bloody frustrating at times.

Bang on, people have short memories or are too young to remember the days as a club languishing in the lower divisions. Without Uncle Jack Rovers would either still be there or out of business by now.

Rovers are now a well established top ten side and imho have far exceeded any expectations I had when I started watching them over 20 years ago.

And for me to see us stay in the premiership every season is all I hope for.

[Al]

Bet the guys we have brought in are really happy to read that you think their signings are abject failure. They don't inspire me but I wouldn't be scathing like that about them.

It's not about the players we signed. It's about the player we did not sign! Although, with the exception of Robinson and Carlos they are a bunch of journeymen.

[Rovermatt]

Nobody is suggesting that we fork out money on sh*t players. It's not a matter of spending money. We have to compete and we're simply not doing it.

[colbert]

We are not the plaything of a dodgy foreigner.

We don't have anyone playing for us who is a money grabbing overpaid ponce.

We are just about the cheapest season ticket in all 4 divisions.

We have a ground based in a traditional location.

Our finances, although a little bare, are in reasonable order.

I know a good number of the people at Ewood every matchday and see them regularly in the town.

The club has a soul that most other Prem teams lost long ago.

You know where to go if you want to sit amongst thousand of glory hunting plastic fans snapping photos of some greasy millionaire from a third world country while they are taking a corner, of sat texting on their mobile while the game goes on.

If you don't then listen to the football phone-ins they're full of them.

We've had a brilliant run compared to many clubs from towns our size and if the club slips down the divisions I for one will still be there. If Ali Abba Dabba takes over I won't.

Rant over.

Spot on,

read in a newspaper somewhere that our finances are not that bad at the moment with the tv money coming in and even in the past whe have only been loosing about 3.5m a year which has been covered by the walker trust.

Also we are (apparently) the most supported club considering the size of our town by locals.

Something, i think is very rare in this day an age. A true communitly club.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Why are so many people moaning about the fact we haven't frittered away money for the sake of an exciting closure of the window? The club have admitted that they tried to sign people and failed, making huge offers at the last minute would be knee jerkingly more worrying than Ince sitting down and having a proper think about who would strengthen the squad.

We tried but failed in bids. That doesn't show lack of ambition, rather the opposite. Can't always get the players we want.

[Billy Castell]

Long term, the only future we have is to sort our youth system out like Boro, Man City or Liverpool have, and produce players the likes of Chelsea or now Citeh are willing to lob £20m+ at. Don't know if our current set up is able to do this after our changes, but it is now more important than ever. A blend of these youngsters who won't rise through the ranks at the big 4, Spuds and Citeh, and a few players who the rich clubs are bored with, and our Premiership future is assured.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Why are so many people moaning about the fact we haven't frittered away money for the sake of an exciting closure of the window? The club have admitted that they tried to sign people and failed, making huge offers at the last minute would be knee jerkingly more worrying than Ince sitting down and having a proper think about who would strengthen the squad.

We tried but failed in bids. That doesn't show lack of ambition, rather the opposite. Can't always get the players we want.

How much we should have spent on a right winger is irrelevant in my view, what is relevant however is we have a glaring weakness in the team on our right flank, particularly if we play a 4-4-2 system.

What annoys a lot of people is that we have had plenty of time to scour the globe in search of a replacement for Bentley, it was obvious he was going to leave pretty much when he refused to sign a new contract. It should have been one of the first areas we looked to find a replacement for IMHO.

It looks like we left it until the last day to make a solid bid for someone and we had no backup, obviously they thought they could get the player cheaper if they have waited and it has backfired.

Unless we change formation, or someone really steps up to the plate and shows they can play there on the right, whether that’s Emerton, Reid, Treacy, Pedersen or Judge you would think we are going to struggle until January. Look how easy Etherington ripped us apart against West Ham on our right flank.

[mattyboy6000]

The reason is that the trustees don't really want us at all and are paying lip service to what Jack Walker wanted the funds to be used for.

It's all about damage limitation for them and the sooner they can offload us within the terms of Jack's will they will do so. It seems to me that they don't care what division we are in as long as it doesn't cost them much money.

I know I'm beginning to sound like Vinjay but I am really angry about our abject failure in this transfer window.

I completely agreed with you here on this, BUT the trustees do not equal the club.. and the people running the club on a day to day basis do seem to have ambition. Nor does spending a wedge of cash equate to ambitiousness.

If Treacy, Villaneuva, Andrews, Roque have a good season and we sort the defence out, which we're capable of with the players we already have on the books, we could have an excellent season

[Mr. E]

what in the bloody hell?

are you less ambitious of a human being because you don't own 10 Lamborghini's? or win the lottery?

[Veevs]

I completely agreed with you here on this, BUT the trustees do not equal the club.. and the people running the club on a day to day basis do seem to have ambition. Nor does spending a wedge of cash equate to ambitiousness.

If Treacy, Villaneuva, Andrews, Roque have a good season and we sort the defence out, which we're capable of with the players we already have on the books, we could have an excellent season

We are all resorting to If.. I have been way to negative so far in regards to this transfer window.. but I just cant help myself.. it has been rather painful... Valdo was our final RW target and he is a first team player for a club who do not need to sell, we should of had other options and we should of made our moves sooner rather than later.

To use another IF what happens if RSC continues to have injury problems through out the season, so far same injury twice in 6 weeks...

what if a 22yr old little lad struggles with the epl.. what if Treacy is not ready for the EPL.. what if we can not sort the defense out..

Transfer window is closed.. time to sit back and support what we have even if we feel let down.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

And for me to see us stay in the premiership every season is all I hope for.

But this is where that particular argument fails. Unless you buy decent players then your chances of staying in this league dominated by obscene money becomes extremely difficult-impossible.

Fans harp on about how we have prospered and done well without spending any money under Hughes: but that was under Hughes, who for me ( taking away his conduct since leaving the club) is the best manager outside of Fergie & Wenger. Hughes could produce miracles on a million or two, where as Ince clearly can’t.

In years gone by, clubs could get-away with the tactics been deployed by the trust: but when you have the likes of city with their new £25 billion owners- this is no longer an option. I am more worried about the threat of relegation than I have been for a long time.

[gumboots]

It's not about the players we signed. It's about the player we did not sign! Although, with the exception of Robinson and Carlos they are a bunch of journeymen.

But it is about the players we signed as well. You can't look at the transfer window as abject failure without casting aspersions on the talent of those who came in. Journeymen they may be but they all need encouragement and support. It's not all about the player we didn't sign but the players we did sign now.

[Al]

But it is about the players we signed as well. You can't look at the transfer window as abject failure without casting aspersions on the talent of those who came in. Journeymen they may be but they all need encouragement and support. It's not all about the player we didn't sign but the players we did sign now.

I'm commenting on the transfer window which was an abject failure not now. You are twisting my post to suit your reply. In any case if the new signings need me to pat them on their heads and tell them they are good boys and we really wanted them all the time they are not good enough for my team.

I have no choice but to get behind them now and you know as well as I do that my comments were aimed at the management and the trustees in particular and not the players.

If you want to comment on my posts do so on the text and not what you want to read into it.

[Hasta]

Some one at work said it, but its probably true, teams less successful, West Brom, Fulham, Sunderland, all spent a lot more on players then we do.

Rather silly way of judging ambition but for the record I think Wigan are therefore the most unambitious club in this transfer winodw.

Bah Humbug.