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

[BuckyRover]

Good to hear about the trustees commitment but its obvious that they hired an inexperienced manager but JW had more ambitious transfer wishes than the manager, with this was the Beckham rumour one of those said wishes.

Source said Ince turned Beckham down when the club was offered him on loan for around £5m plus, now we find that we have no right sided midfielder how can the fans remain positive when Ince is bringing in Robbie Fowler - embarrassing.

Didn't Ince play with Beckham for England?

ALWAYS BRINGING HIS MATES IN!!!!

:sick

[S15]

Ince turned down a Beckham loan with a fee of £5m??

He may lack ambition, but atleast he isn't lacking in brain cells.

[Amo]

Beckham would get asses on seats and send a lot of publicity our way.

That said, I don't believe he was offered to us or whether he'd even want to play for us.

[colin]

Beckham would get asses on seats and send a lot of publicity our way.

And quite a few donkeys too.

Sorry. I've skipped a few pages on this thread but I was getting the impression that a good number of people think Rovers being an "ambitious club" equates with spending a shed load of money. Which the club doesn't have.

Can someone please explain what it meant by being an "ambitious club?" Then how the current regime could change to become "ambitious."

It seems a bit like that phrase "half a yard of pace" which everyone uses and no one has a clue.

And I'll go t' foot of our stairs if I can get a reply to this one.

[colbert]

i dont think there was ever a remote chance of beckham coming to us

[Mr. E]

I'm guessing ambition is attacking 4th spot or at least Europe. There is not a single club in England that does not want to do that. But the difference is - very few have the recourses to do that. We are not one of them. We are far from one of them. Recourses don't depend on the club - they depend on the geographical location of the fanbase and the potential profit to be gained from the area. In this way, we will never have the recourses. Unless another Jack Walker pops up...but unfortunately - there's only one.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

And quite a few donkeys too.

Sorry. I've skipped a few pages on this thread but I was getting the impression that a good number of people think Rovers being an "ambitious club" equates with spending a shed load of money. Which the club doesn't have.

Can someone please explain what it meant by being an "ambitious club?" Then how the current regime could change to become "ambitious."

Apparently according to some you are wrong about the money. To become ambitious you have to invest every penny you've got then some more that you don't have on adequate players

[donis1410]

So you're saying that relegated Birmingham last season were "ambitious" because they spent loadsa money, are you saying that rovers were not ambitious with sparky bringing in players for tuppence?

[Majiball]

Surely an ambitious club is one that has a desire to better its self to improve. It does not mean spending bundles of cash.

[yoda]

Surely an ambitious club is one that has a desire to better its self to improve. It does not mean spending bundles of cash.

Good point,

Also Rovers must be one of the most ambitious clubs, they go out every week against other supposed bigger clubs with infinate more finance and compete with them and finish higher in the table than some of them!

[Al]

So you're saying that relegated Birmingham last season were "ambitious" because they spent loadsa money, are you saying that rovers were not ambitious with sparky bringing in players for tuppence?

Actually I think you will find that it was Dingles SD4E's pathetic attempt at sarcasm.

[Majiball]

Good point,

Also Rovers must be one of the most ambitious clubs, they go out every week against other supposed bigger clubs with infinite more finance and compete with them and finish higher in the table than some of them!

Well Said!

Exactly. Just a small town in the Premiership. Every year we defy predictions of struggle in the league this year will be no different.

Anyone who thinks we are not ambitious because we do not spend beyond our means or for the sake of it needs to use the link below:

Ambition

[JAL]

6) I believe the reality of this summer's transfer activity has had far more to do with the new management team's lack of experience and current knowledge of footballers at the top end of the Premier League than lack of ambition on the part of the club.

I have heard it said more than once that the ultimate irony was the Chairman was more ambitious in his transfer wishes than the manager was this summer.

Cant believe nobody has asked philipl to expand more on his final line.

[philipl]

Cant believe nobody has asked philipl to expand more on his final line.

Unfortunately South Aussie Rover thinks I post too much so I must consider declining the invitation...

Put it this way, the fans were not alone in being gobsmacked when the club had the most decent war chest in years to spend and the new management team asked for Fowler, Andrews and unlimited access to Youtube.

The good news is that the big fallout at Liverpool between Rafa and his reserve/youth management means Rovers will be going into the next transfer window vastly more informed than we were in the last one.

However it does not hide the fact that Ince was not only bad at doing coaching badges homework during his sojourn in the lower leagues, he had lost touch with the developments at the top as well much to the embarassment of the folks who picked him.

Or so I am hearing...

[DP]

Unbelievable? War Chest? You've just made that up.

But of course you know from your sources over there in Malta just exactly what JW and the board think of their appointment.

[SouthAussieRover]

Unfortunately South Aussie Rover thinks I post too much so I must consider declining the invitation...

'Tis typical that you didn't accept the invitation.

[philipl]

OK DP, how much do you think Rovers had to spend this summer?

How much was that compared with the spending last summer?

Have they invented telephones and the internet in your part of London yet?

[JAL]

Unfortunately South Aussie Rover thinks I post too much so I must consider declining the invitation...

Put it this way, the fans were not alone in being gobsmacked when the club had the most decent war chest in years to spend and the new management team asked for Fowler, Andrews and unlimited access to Youtube.

The good news is that the big fallout at Liverpool between Rafa and his reserve/youth management means Rovers will be going into the next transfer window vastly more informed than we were in the last one.

However it does not hide the fact that Ince was not only bad at doing coaching badges homework during his sojourn in the lower leagues, he had lost touch with the developments at the top as well much to the embarassment of the folks who picked him.

Or so I am hearing...

Thank you philipl,

You've opened up the debate there it seems that Rovers are going to have to develop the manager whilst the manger is expected to deliver for us ...what a scenario, the odds are stacked firmly against him but if his team can recruit quality come the christmas window he may may just survive.

If Ince comes through this then it must go down as one of the all time achievements at Rovers.

[S15]

OK DP, how much do you think Rovers had to spend this summer?

How much was that compared with the spending last summer?

Have they invented telephones and the internet in your part of London yet?

List them.

[DP]

OK DP, how much do you think Rovers had to spend this summer?

How much was that compared with the spending last summer?

Have they invented telephones and the internet in your part of London yet?

I see you've used the word "think" and not "know". I don't know how much Rovers had to spend this summer but I reckon it was a lot less than the supposed sum we received for Bentley. Despite £25 million a year (or whatever it is) from the Sky and Setanta deals I also think this is still only enough to cover our wage bill. The rest, as we know is peanuts so what we have is money in from transfers, some of which we won't have received yet. I don't believe the trust are too interested in funding anything at the moment and are probably more than happy to bank a little profit whilst biding their time waiting for a suitable takeover bid.

As for JW and the board. I think it's far more likely they asked Ince to identify transfer targets and the money he will need. They assessed a few (a good chance one of these was Pennant) and with Ince's agreement decided who they could and would go for. Assuming they're suitably impressed with the return Ince has provided come January I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more funds released from the Bentley sale to bring in more of a big name player.

As for your 2nd question, I don't think the Internet or telephone were invented in my part of London, but I do have access to them yes. Most of what I read on it though is pure speculation, which I don't then take and pass on a gospel, just because it supports my opinion.

[philipl]

Take last year's published accounts, add the published increase in the Sky money received, deduct the repayment of £7m increased temporary overdraft which the club had stated they would pay, take away the budgeted increase in wages which the club disclosed in the annual report and what is left is roughly the £10m that nicko suggested was the starting amount available for transfers.

Add on £4m profit on the management swap and £3m from the Trustees.

Then the rest is transfers and sell-on clauses etc from this summer's player trading.

Last summer's net spend was £3.8m by the way.

[Exiled in Toronto]

However it does not hide the fact that Ince was not only bad at doing coaching badges homework during his sojourn in the lower leagues, he had lost touch with the developments at the top as well much to the embarassment of the folks who picked him.

Or so I am hearing...

I'm not sure why you think someone who has spent the last 4 years playing in the Championship and then managing in the bottom division should have kept a bulging dossier on the global market for expensive players. If the folks who picked him assumed that he had, well more fool them.

Or did they think that someone who had been rightly focused on the opportunities for Macclesfield and then MK ought to have been able, within 6 weeks, to recruit an entire coaching and scouting staff for a top 7 club, scout the world for players (most of whom were also on close season) and then wisely spend every penny of a budget alleged to be far in excess of anything we have spent in a close season?

Maybe its your hero Mr Williams you should be directing your ire at. By the way, have you settled on being anti-Ince now, or will a good result next Saturday prompt your next 180?

[DP]

I'm not doubting your well massaged numbers Philip but do you really think we have over £25 million to spend on new players? I'm more iinclined to believe the suggested £10 million was just that, and no more.

[Iceman]

Why do we always pull our hair out, trying to guess what we have to spend? Every club has some sort of ambition, but there are limitations to every club. Times are changing, JW and the trustees know this, and unless we find somebody who is financialy strong, we wil be struggling to keep up.

[philipl]

It was £10m before things started changing this summer.

Most commentators have Rovers making an £8m profit so assuming the Arsenal clause and the manager/trust money roughly nullify each other, then there is a possible £18m left in the kitty.

I think I've been pretty consistent;

- there are signs that Ince is producing a more attractive and attacking football game than Hughes did, but

- he is struggling to say the least in the Premier League transfer market