[Archived] Nicko's January Rumour Mill

[Manchester Blue]

I don't think your working background has taught you much about basic business practice. For example have you ever heard of the term 'return in investment' and do you think like most socialists that profit is a dirty word?

Basic business practice? Don't you mean return on investment? If you're going to show us how clever you are at least get the terms correct!!

[jim mk2]

I'll allow you a little longer to understand the principle.

Gobbledegook is gobbledegook ; please write plain English.

[hawkiiz]

well crouch is hardly banging them in for fun though. his average is around 8 per season... its like roberts. £10m? not sure.

[philipl]

Spurs received a £3m offer for Huddlestone from Fulham. They rejected and now they have decided to take him off their lengthy for sale list (not that there is a long time for them to sell any of them!).

There could be some real bargains going at Spurs in the summer as they are significantly over-staffed in midfield now.

[jim mk2]

I don't get this Huddlestone thing, I really don't. Too slow and too big. Just my opinion - I know there are plenty on here who would have him but if he's that good why isn't he starting for the mighty Spurs week in week out?

Huddlestone is creative and does have skill : he might be OK alongside our fourth division midfield battlers.

[leftfooter]

N'Zogbia is demanding a move from the barcodes. he will never ever play under kinnear again.

How much for him?

We know santa want to play under Sparky, but city cant table a proper bid, so i guess that one is off? why should we sell then? he enjoy rovers, so why sell to spurs?

could we get diouf and still have santa?

santa is much better than crouch IMO.

I'll be very happy to see Santa stay, especially with the (pending) shrewd acquisition of Spit.

Don't want to tempt fate however, but I'd wager that Crouch's knees (long term) are a lot more reliable than Santa's.

The question is I guess is; which one can (and wants) to do the best job over the next 15 or so games?

I don't have the answer.

[Bennisfromheaven]

Swapping Giselle Santa Cruz for Abbey Clancey!?! MMMMMmmmmm!!! Carlsberg dont make girlfriends, but if they did.....

[gumboots]

Swapping Giselle Santa Cruz for Abbey Clancey!?! MMMMMmmmmm!!! Carlsberg dont make girlfriends, but if they did.....

More to the point the eye candy that is santa cruz against Crouch. No contest on that front!!!!

[Scotty]

The whole Crouch thing just doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would Pompey risk relegation and sell their only decent striker to a relegation rival? Are they really that strapped for cash? Even if they are, Crouch must be on enormous wages (I doubt he took a wage cut when he left Liverpool to go to Pompey) and I can’t see how we’d be able to afford them. Finally, I’m not sure why Crouch would want to leave one relegation candidate to go to another when in the summer he’ll probably have a few clubs after him.

I reckon it’s all Fantasy Island stuff. I'd prefer Rocky to stay anyway.

[donis1410]

phew........

just updated myself with events from last night.....I have always rated diouf as a player but not as a person but in our situation we need good players and diouf has that.

with the crouch thing, another player I have always rated finding him to be in the underated bracket along with Emile Heskey and I feel that he would work well with either benni or roberts, but in my opinion £9 million plus is a bit steep for him.

The centre midfield thing is definately a worry and we do need to look into this and sort it out especially with the constant injuries of Grella and Dunn recently, but who could we go for, its the same with the striker thing, we could sign Janko who has scored 30 in 20 or whatever, but that is in the Austrian League for what is seen as their strongest side, how would he match up against stronger defenses? Alot of thought needs to be taken however, unfortunately in our case time is not on our side, and we haven't even sold RSC yet!!!

[Bobby G]

Breaking news across most networks now that we have rejected Man City's bid for Roque.

[leftfooter]

I don't get this Huddlestone thing, I really don't. Too slow and too big. Just my opinion - I know there are plenty on here who would have him but if he's that good why isn't he starting for the mighty Spurs week in week out?

First Spurs signed Modric for a lot of money and have to justify his inclusion. Secondly, yes he's a bit lumbering on occassion.

Should we take a punt, he would retain his value (should the worst happen at the end of the season) and more importantly he could do a job over the final intensive remainder of the season by taking some of the strain off Tugay.

[The Prof.]

Tomorrow nights the night guys. We're 3 points clear and could have the England CF joining. Or we're in the doodoo up to or eyes.

* Crouch - Will help keep us up and score more than RSC. Go for it!

* Diouf - horrid thought but if there's now one else he can be worse than Bert on Saturday at RM.

* Ben Ham - Just don't need him.

* Sturridge - for Derbyshire? yes please but he's going south. Top player now, outstanding prospect, no chance.

* on CM - Well Dunny will do but is he ever going to play two games. Disappointed we've no good links. It's CRITICAL JOHN not an option!

* Huddlestone - Nooooo not in a battle please. Think John Inman!

* On Jim mk2's money. I agree with him. Take £18m and spend £10m - back to Bill Fox's days and only one eventual outcome. Doom! Where's the money going!

* On Jimmk2 v Thenodrog - How much are the tickets?

* On Bent over Crouch -ugh!

* On another matter. Believe Rafa's self destruct tendancies have seen the power balance change again at 'Pool. Parry is saved for a while and Rafa's on the grill. One of 4 clubs who could implode and save us.

[gumboots]

The whole Crouch thing just doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would Pompey risk relegation and sell their only decent striker to a relegation rival? Are they really that strapped for cash? Even if they are, Crouch must be on enormous wages (I doubt he took a wage cut when he left Liverpool to go to Pompey) and I can’t see how we’d be able to afford them. Finally, I’m not sure why Crouch would want to leave one relegation candidate to go to another when in the summer he’ll probably have a few clubs after him.

I reckon it’s all Fantasy Island stuff. I'd prefer Rocky to stay anyway.

Do you wonder with the cynical part of you if the Crouch thing is just so we can say to Santa Cruz that we really did try to sign a replacement, even thinking of quite a lot of cash, but it just didn't happen so we can't sell you. If it did come off we'd have an agreement to buy a decentish striker (at least one most fans seem prepared to accept) and could let him go and if it doesn't we can't really complain because we have tried, honestly.

[T4E]

The whole Crouch thing just doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would Pompey risk relegation and sell their only decent striker to a relegation rival? Are they really that strapped for cash? Even if they are, Crouch must be on enormous wages (I doubt he took a wage cut when he left Liverpool to go to Pompey) and I can’t see how we’d be able to afford them. Finally, I’m not sure why Crouch would want to leave one relegation candidate to go to another when in the summer he’ll probably have a few clubs after him.

Agreed - can't get my head round it either.

More to the point though, why is Harry willing to pay £20m for RSC, when Crouch is apprently available for £10m and Harry knows him well and has already signed him once? Doesn't add up as far as I can see.

[Taggart]

I guess we need to ask Bentley.

Eh? Bent's hardly figured in the prem in 3 or 4 years and will have peaked years ago. Crouch has played much more football and would have played more but for the Spanish clown.

Strange that he managed to get in to the England team when he wasn`t playing at all in the last 3 to 4 years, mustn`t have been scoring either.

For Spuds 2008/2009 season 13 starts, 8 as sub, 13 goals, not too bad !

[Bennisfromheaven]

More to the point the eye candy that is santa cruz against Crouch. No contest on that front!!!!

An amazonian beauty & a leggy blonde!?!?! .......now theres something i would download!! ....we're not still talking about Roque & Crouchy, are we!?!

[thenodrog]

Basic business practice? Don't you mean return on investment? If you're going to show us how clever you are at least get the terms correct!!

Sorry 'o' is next to 'i' on my keybiard.

btw I bet you are another who doesn't much like the term 'profit' either.

[jrabrfc]

On the BBC ticker it's saying we've agreed a deal for Diouf

[Scotty]

Do you wonder with the cynical part of you if the Crouch thing is just so we can say to Santa Cruz that we really did try to sign a replacement, even thinking of quite a lot of cash, but it just didn't happen so we can't sell you. If it did come off we'd have an agreement to buy a decentish striker (at least one most fans seem prepared to accept) and could let him go and if it doesn't we can't really complain because we have tried, honestly.

The cynical side of me thinks Nicko's just made it all up - but I shouldn't say that on here as people get upset!

[T4E]

Crouch isn't Nicko's story......

EDIT: Or is it? Someone on here said earlier that Simon Bird wrote it, but the website says Alan Nixon. I'm sure he also said yesterday that it wasn't his. Confusing.

[Scotty]

Crouch isn't Nicko's story......

Mirror story

Has Nicko's name on it.

[Craigman]

Crouch isn't Nicko's story......

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-21081624/

Apparently it is, I thought he said that the El Hadji Diouf story wasn't his.

[T4E]

Yeah. Weird.

[thenodrog]

Do you wonder with the cynical part of you........

Scotty? Cynical? How dare you gumboots!