[Archived] Big Fat Sam's Shopping List

[MeanGreenMachine]

Vassell, have you been living under a rock for the last what 3 years. He is pathetic.

[Guest benmaxwell]

Realistically, we could be cheeky and offer Santa Cruz to Spurs for Bent and Huddlestone with Bentley a loan option (with option to buy). Not quite sure how that would effect Roque's loyalty clause, but if we can screw him over that way then im all for it. Sell Gally for £1 million and Derbs £3 million and bring in Sturridge for a minimal fee. That leaves us needing a RB and additional CM...

[beerwins]

Reading through these pages can be as bad as hello magazine, some need to wise up and face reality, sam will sign the best he can for the money available, he is an old hat in the transfer market a bit like saggy chops without the cash, rest assured whoever goes will be replaced with better or equal.

Also for those saying this is a sam signing go play FM 2009 i place my trust in sam for better signings and a better season and anyone who is really digging into future signings isnt doing rovers any good, the less we know the better as far as i am concerned (same didnt apply to ince).

Let the man get on with it, douse your curiosity in the hope that we wont sign trash and im sure sam wont let us down.

[Eddie]

No problem with speculating and guessing. The less we know the better? Hardly. Obviously good for the club for some targets that there interest doesn't become public, but that isn't because there is any harm in the fans knowing. Allardyce has a good record, but like all managers he's also signed some stinkers. This is as important of a summer as I can remember in recent times and may well even be the most important he has ever had. We need to replace several key squad members and improve in several areas as well, it is no small task. There are some people on here who know quite a bit about football and foreign leagues and players, they are worth listening to.

[joey_big_nose]

I would love huddlestone too, he is only going to get better with age, and does have the talent to "be the new Tugay". Plus we have tried to buy him before and he is known to the club.

If we did get him we would need to play him with someone who is going to do the hard yards in the centre. He is not a runner by any stretch of the imagination!

[AussieinUk]

Realistically, we could be cheeky and offer Santa Cruz to Spurs for Bent and Huddlestone with Bentley a loan option (with option to buy).

Honestly not a bad idea... Spurs have previously executed 'packaged' exchanges in the transfer market with a few clubs (i.e. Pompey etc).

RSC = £16-18m

Bent & Huddlsetone = approx £16m

I don't think many MB members on here, would turn their noses down on a deal involving those three, especially with Bent and Huddlestone. Although loaning back Bentley from Spurs is the safest option, the future transfer fee would have to be agreed from the outset. If it ever happened, I would still feel uncomfortable about seeing Bentley in the blue and whites halves again....

All three are English and highly probable first teamers next season. Maybe you could even squeeze a couple of £m out of Spurs, but I doubt it...

Only issue's I can see are wages and the question of whether they would move to the north west...

With RSC, Brown, Ooijer, Vogel, Mokoena, Tugay, Gallagher, Derbs, Simpson, Villenueva, & Ritgers all being shown the door or retiring, I'm sure SA could secure another quality striker (Sturridge?), established RB (Onuoha plays RB and CH) and just maybe a back up CH (Zat Knight is up for sale I understand).

When/If the Geordies go down, I wouldn't mind putting in a cheeky bid for Duff - Wages again might be an issue, but definitely some serious competition for Gamst on the left..

My team for next year,

Robinson/Bunn

Emerton/Onuoha

Samba/Knight

Nelsen/Zurab

Givet/Warnock

Diouf/Bentley - LOAN

Huddlestone/Grella

Dunn/Reid/Andrews

Gamst/Duff

McCarthy/Bent

Roberts/Sturridge - LOAN

23 players in the first team and 11 English..

EDIT: Looking at it, I maybe dreaming, but the concept is definitely possible. The major stumbling block would be the wages

[philipl]

Didn't Huddlestone have a serious knee op two weeks ago?

[thenodrog]

Isn´t Sol Campbell out of contract? Sam´s type of buy..

Are you kidding? An ageing centre half on huge wages is the last thing we need.

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and for all the members who love to get in a self righteous froth over the likes of Joey Barton / Savage / Bellamy signing for BRFC.

Enjoy.........

(From the BBC rumour site)

" Wigan manager Steve Bruce is ready to do battle with Everton and Blackburn for the signature of Newcastle's Alan Smith. (News of the World) "

[Guest benmaxwell]

Roberts/Sturridge - LOAN

Why sign Sturridge on loan when he would be surely looking for a move this summer for a minimal fee. Might as well sign him up perminantly...

[Majiball]

Come on guys, Harry Redknapp master of wheeling and dealing is never going to give us Huddlestone and Bent plus Bentley on loan for a striker who is injured. It wouldn't even happen on FM, if we're going to play this game (which is quite fun) then lets at least be realistic. Harry has been around for years and is never going to consider that deal.

I would however be quite happy to see them here, except Bentley.

[Ninjathunder]

Big Sam interviewed on 5 Live this morning. Reckons that he will be given a budget that will hopefully get us to mid-table.

[AussieinUk]

Why sign Sturridge on loan when he would be surely looking for a move this summer for a minimal fee. Might as well sign him up perminantly...

If through lack of available funds, loan him with the option to buy - when does his contact with Citeh run out?..

If we can get him on a minimal fee, then I would agree with you on the perm option..

[Majiball]

If through lack of available funds, loan him with the option to buy - when does his contact with Citeh run out?..

If we can get him on a minimal fee, then I would agree with you on the perm option..

in about 30 days. He's one we should definitly be looking at we can give the boy what he craves playing time, if we get him I'll have the biggest grin on my face for days.

[RevidgeBlue]

Patrick Vieria anyone? About to leave Inter if anyone comes in for him, could be worth a dig, still only 32, could replace toogs for a year or so.

I don't know if these days he's anything like the player he was at Arsenal, but if he's still half decent Vieira would be a sensational signing and would boost our profile no end. I would be very excited by that.

Vieira oh oh oh oh

Vieira oh oh oh oh

Meanwhile once the alarm clock's gone off, we'll probably end up with Gary Speed.

[RevidgeBlue]

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and for all the members who love to get in a self righteous froth over the likes of Joey Barton / Savage / Bellamy signing for BRFC.

Enjoy.........

(From the BBC rumour site)

" Wigan manager Steve Bruce is ready to do battle with Everton and Blackburn for the signature of Newcastle's Alan Smith. (News of the World) "

What surprised me most about that article was that he is allegedly on 60k p.w.! No wonder Newcastle are in the poop if they go down.

Think we can safely say that that's a non starter.

Shame in a way because Smith was a cracking little player a very long time ago as an out and out striker.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

What surprised me most about that article was that he is allegedly on 60k p.w.! No wonder Newcastle are in the poop if they go down.

Think we can safely say that that's a non starter.

Shame in a way because Smith was a cracking little player a very long time ago as an out and out striker.

No surprise, this is Newcastle we are on about.

But before disgarding him as a Rovers target, remember Sam signed him for Newcastle

[RevidgeBlue]

No surprise, this is Newcastle we are on about.

But before disgarding him as a Rovers target, remember Sam signed him for Newcastle

Hope not.

According to Soccerbase, Smith has made only 73 starts in 5 seasons for ManUre and Newcastle.

So if you assume he was on 60k p.w throughout, he has earned over 200k per starting appearance during what should have been the peak period of his career!.

(No goals in 30 starts for Newcastle over two seasons either.)

[Majiball]

We're going to get linked to every player Sam has ever signed, if we're going to work with a smaller squad we won't be signing players with the track record of Smith (at least I hope not), it smacks of making a hard job, harder.

Curiously does anyone know whether Sam played/saw him as a striker after alex tried to turn him into the next Keane?

[philipl]

I sincerely hope that it is once bitten twice shy for Sam so far as ex-barcodes are concerned. From memory, I cannot recall any of them covering themselves in anything other than odure whilst Sam was there and every last one of them is way overpaid compared with what Rovers would contemplate for a failed has-been or never was.

Seen some suggestions that the entire squad will be offered for sale simply because of the £70m+ wage bill would have to be met by at most £30m of income next season.

Anyway, Brad and Villa have to do their stuff this afternoon first.

[tony gale's mic]

When/If the Geordies go down, I wouldn't mind putting in a cheeky bid for Duff - Wages again might be an issue, but definitely some serious competition for Gamst on the left..

I would certainly mind...

[roversmum]

I'd prefer Smith and Barton not to be amongst those arriving in the summer. Much as I love Duffer for the seasons of joy when we sang 'all you need is Duff' and a moment of his magic would transform a match, those days are gone. The treatment room has enough inhabitants for now.

[Guest benmaxwell]

Smith broke his leg really badly at United didn't he, and it ended any pace he had in him which is why Alex dropped him back to center midfield in the hopes he could transform him into a Paul Scoles type of player...

I would not be happy if we signed Duff, Smith or Barton as they are all injury nightmares waiting to happen...

[Fylde Coast Fan]

Onuoha is starting CB right now - won't be in August granted, but he'll at least want to fight for his place I would have thought.

Huddlestone I'm not sure about. He looks like he has the skills but the last three Spurs managers have started with him and given up, which makes me wonder what his attitude is like.

Zat Knight in for Chris Samba is NOT an upgrade! Villa will want £4m+ too.

Duff?!

Sturridge in would be a great coup if Chelsea and Villa are really interested, but it comes down to where the lad's head is - if he wants money and 10 games a year he'll go to Chelsea, if he wants a "bigger club" and 20 games a year he'll go to Villa.

As for Alan Smith... I just hope Nicko's "three clubs = lie" rule is always right

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Don't want Smith or Duff for the obvious reasons, I stll think Barton could be a good signing, ability wise he's a step up on the current midfield at Rovers, the problem is his temperament. I'd like to think Sam could sort him out but it's taking a risk. I'd prefer him to Nolan. who IMHO is just a plodder with only one string to his bow.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Don't want Smith or Duff for the obvious reasons, I stll think Barton could be a good signing, ability wise he's a step up on the current midfield at Rovers, the problem is his temperament. I'd like to think Sam could sort him out but it's taking a risk. I'd prefer him to Nolan. who IMHO is just a plodder with only one string to his bow.

Knight - no thanks, I'd rather have Zurab. Onuoha's been playing well for City at centre half but I can't believe he'll be in the first 11 next season. I didn't rate him at first but I think he's proved me wrong. However I'm not sure of him at full back, he's not the greatest on the ball. I'll have to ask his dad- he teaches at the school I work at.