[Archived] Nicko's January Rumour Mill

[Bobby G]

We have one of the best center backs in the Premiership sitting on our bench and he is only 26.

[RevidgeBlue]

We have one of the best center backs in the Premiership sitting on our bench and he is only 26.

Hmm........... I think he can count himself a bit unlucky successive managers haven't given him a bit more of a run, but I think that's stretching things a bit.

[AJW]

dont think we need any defenders tbh , before yesterday we kept 2 clean sheets , just to show we dont need better defenders , just better organisation

the 2 goals yesterday were individual errors by a player who many believe to have been our most consistant defender

nicko

gallacher will spend the rest of the season with plymouth , considering fowler has now left the club , effectively we are 1 striker down i am suprised big sam hasn't brought him back , if only to have look for himself and judge him

[Bobby G]

How do you displace the club captain for starters and secondly a 6'5 monster who more often than not has done well for us? I think he has been unlucky, and he is possibly the best reader of the game at the back that we have...

[John]

Bit of a random question, but any idea if Sam plans to utlilise Barry Whitbread's knowledge ahead of the window? Surely Whitbread must have a dossier in place of potential targets, as has been in the job for a number of months.

I know under Hughes, we had a sophisticated player profiling system on players throughout the world, but not sure what goes on these days!!

[bonger 26]

hi all just wondering if anybody knows of any serious candidates put forward as new players in the transfer window?

[Stuart]

Nicko, we saw a lot of trials being done by Ince, with every one being under scrutiny - possibly down to the amount of information available during his leaky reign. I'm sure Hughes used the trial system too, it just wasn't made public as much. Do you know what Sam's M.O. is with regards to transfers? Is he likely to continue the trial basis or be more confident about his targets via his scouting network?

[nicko]

On potential signings...I think some of the players who were being watched under Paul Ince may still be considered, although I suspect Sam had a pretty good file of his own...Barry Whitbread put in a lot of miles, so his work should not be run down...but as of now there are no concrete names or bids that I have heard of...just positions and a few on a list for those roles...I think we all know where the problem areas are.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Any information on the possible future of Paul Ince? I know a lot of people in the game wanted him to succeed and have shown their backing to Paul Ince when he got given the boot.

[American]

On potential signings...I think some of the players who were being watched under Paul Ince may still be considered, although I suspect Sam had a pretty good file of his own...Barry Whitbread put in a lot of miles, so his work should not be run down...but as of now there are no concrete names or bids that I have heard of...just positions and a few on a list for those roles...I think we all know where the problem areas are.

What about Zak Whitbread? Not a bad choice for the previous post about a young center half.

[Jan]

Any information on the possible future of Paul Ince? I know a lot of people in the game wanted him to succeed and have shown their backing to Paul Ince when he got given the boot.

He might make quite a good milkman. Or at a stretch he might make an environmental officer (binman)- if he REALLY tried hard.

Or he could go back to the 4th division and never get his badges.

By the way, aren't MK Dons doing well without Ince and Andrews? Suggests- as I did at the time- that anyone could manage the richest team in that league. Although I do think Roberto di Matteo had the attributes of a good manager (not arrogant, self-important or "guvnor-like")

[PAFELL]

Any information on the possible future of Paul Ince? I know a lot of people in the game wanted him to succeed and have shown their backing to Paul Ince when he got given the boot.

I thought he was interested in the Charlton post - ironically a number of clubs have been having bad run of results, but nobody has been looking to Ince to rescue them. Leeds, forest, now Derby, Prior to Ince being sacked Rovers were already having people speculating over who would take over Ince - Sam, Souness.

I think Charlton are the only club where any hint with regards to Ince has come in and even that has gone very quiet now.

[BuckyRover]

He might make quite a good milkman. Or at a stretch he might make an environmental officer (binman)- if he REALLY tried hard.

Or he could go back to the 4th division and never get his badges.

By the way, aren't MK Dons doing well without Ince and Andrews? Suggests- as I did at the time- that anyone could manage the richest team in that league. Although I do think Roberto di Matteo had the attributes of a good manager (not arrogant, self-important or "guvnor-like")

Grow up. If you are honest with yourself you know that Ince will bounce back. He was dealt an impossible task. Allardyce has already made many of the "mistakes" that Ince made.

[PAFELL]

Grow up. If you are honest with yourself you know that Ince will bounce back. He was dealt an impossible task. Allardyce has already made many of the "mistakes" that Ince made.

You have started an interesting debate - what 'many' mistakes has Sam made that Ince also did?

[thenodrog]

I do not think it right to suggest at the moment that Carlos is a bad player. A lot of us had great expectations of him because of the utube video.

Videos are for the gullible Pafell. Nobody videos the crap bits about a player do they?

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Videos are for the gullible Pafell. Nobody videos the crap bits about a player do they?

Have you ever heard of a man called Titus Bramble?

[John]

Have you ever heard of a man called Titus Bramble?

Bramble seems to be playing OK at the moment: Bruce praises brilliant Bramble

[Mc Love]

Any chance this can be kept on topic, and any ince talk be conversed in the Ince thread!? Bit stupid that we are talking about ince or rumours of his next job!

[thenodrog]

Have you ever heard of a man called Titus Bramble?

His best bits are crap!

By paying 7m for him Bobby Robson was doing his old club Ipswich a big favour when they were in the sh1t imo.

.............Bit like GS and Gers.

Thats the hand that Ince has left big Sam with no alternatives

Come this transfer window hopefully big Sam will be able to deal Rovers a better hand than the one Ince tried to play with.

Indeed and a replica of the situation that Hughes found himself in with us in those first few months before Jan.

[John]

Jermaine Pennant chooses Wigan over Real Madrid

[John]

It is going to be an interesting and fascinating this transfer window from a Rovers perspective. Crunch time has come. We are in an almighty battle to retain our Premiership status - the manager and board are fully aware of this.

Sam has said he needs players who can come in and perform straight away. It appears he will try and sign players who have Premiership experience.

Geremi could be a shout for midfield? Sam made him captain at Newcastle, so would appear to rate him.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

I've always considered Geremi as an attacking version of Mokoena.

Totally awful!

[trueblue]

Ok, you've been warned once about keeping this on topic, this is now warning number two... you won't get a third, the thread will be closed !

[RevidgeBlue]

It also doesn't change the fact that the manager carries the can, and therefore it is his fault that we didn't get 3 wins out of 3.

I was very disappointed yesterday afternoon. I thought we had "turned the corner".

Just as Ince couldn't be blamed for players making stupid individual errors, or on occasion getting themselves sent off, so Allardyce can't be blamed for Roberts missing a sitter in the 90th minute or Ooijer heading the ball across his own area and then leaving Robinho completely unmarked.

We're in the position we are in because the players either aren't good enough or haven't performed well enough this season. Granted we've been immeasurably better since Sam took over but I do worry what will happen once the "new manager bounce" (TM SKY SPORTS) wears off.

Back on topic, the players we have been linked with thus far, albeit tenuously, tend to suggest that Sam is going for proven Premiership performers with a bit of devilment in them. Which is probably the right way to go in our current situation.

[tony gale's mic]

Ok, you've been warned once about keeping this on topic, this is now warning number two... you won't get a third, the thread will be closed !

Come on show a little common sense. Yes ideally this thread will remain just nicko, but these posts generate debate which then leads to further debate etc - where do you draw the line? It'd be a shame if some perfectly good discussions were stifled due to overmodding...