[Archived] Blackburn Rovers Transfer Topic

[Tom]

Bugger i forgot that we had them up first, a couple of debut goals are guaranteed then.

Then again they wont have gelled as a team as much as they may end up doing though.

[PAFELL]

The good thing is that it will deffo be a full house. So everyone wins. I'm all for it in the long-run. It's going to be fun. Total madness, but entertainment.

The big four havehad their own way for long enough, watching City have a go will be great.

Sad to say it means everyone else is probably aiming at sixth place next season.

But if one of the current big four start missing out on the Champions League cash it could seriously damage their health.

Surely some of the fringe players are not going to happy just being part of a squad! A player worth his salt wants to play football not just be at a club.

[Tom]

QUOTE (nicko @ Jun 28 2009, 16:21 ) *

The good thing is that it will deffo be a full house. So everyone wins. I'm all for it in the long-run. It's going to be fun. Total madness, but entertainment.

The big four havehad their own way for long enough, watching City have a go will be great.

I wouldn't mind but I have a dislike of City fans

[nicko]

Surely some of the fringe players are not going to happy just being part of a squad! A player worth his salt wants to play football not just be at a club.

The problem is that the fringe players will still earn more than your best players...and your modern-day top-level footballer thinks about his salary more than the 'need' to play football.

[joey_big_nose]

City will struggle to get into the top 6 in my opinion.

Hughes isn't Championship winning quality and they haven't got enough water-carriers.

I'm not sure about that. Hughes is a quality coach.

It is going to be exceedingly hard for him to get a settled side together. He needs to have a solid first two months to steady the boat. If they lose a few at the start it could descend quite quickly into a circus like Spurs last year.

Crucial period for them.

[ffan]

"...Defender Ben Haim has been offered to Blackburn Rovers, but wages could be a stumbling block. Striker Benjani has been told he can leave the club, but as of yet there are no takers for the injury hit player..."

http://www.football-latest.com/footballnews/

This fella is 70/80% right all the time.

[thenodrog]

I know were digressing but please AN City need to build a team that walks before it runs.

its no good buying star after star, they have to gel and create a team ethic. Now, I would love to see a team like City demolish the current top 4 but, simply buying like they are is not the way forward.

Hughes is a like a kid in a sweet shop.

Too much buying and not enough thinking behind the purchases, its like the wife when she goes to the supermarket, buys because she simply has to !

The current squad is growing and growing, egos are being massaged and before they know it, the stars who were signed in phase 1 are quickly being replaced in phase 2. The money aspect beggars belief because the players on the way out are going to find difficulties obtaining new clubs because of the wage factor.

City, always a circus, are a time bomb waiting to explode. They are either going to fill the trophy cabinet with every peice of silverware on offer for the next 5 years or they are going to go bust when the Shiek walks away with another plaything.

No matter what happens, they are going to be upsetting football fans, football players and the applecart along the way, because for me, no matter who they buy or sell, I still dont see them being established in the top two in English football and I certainly dont see them being in the top 7 of world football.

Could their fans replace Chelsea and Manure as the most despised in football ? The answer is YES they can

I'm not sure about it all being down to Hughes. It smacks more of that clown Gary Cook's style. Typical corporate man, big, brash and bullying. All fur coat and no knickers. Can't stand em.

[67splitscreen]

Is it MH's shopping list, or is he just the delivery boy.

[PAFELL]

The problem is that the fringe players will still earn more than your best players...and your modern-day top-level footballer thinks about his salary more than the 'need' to play football.

Sadly you are probable right. Could not city 'cancel, rip up contracts )after all they have the money to do so) in order to get the fringe players out of the squad. Having these players at the club, could they not disrupt things / attitudes etc

[nicko]

Is it MH's shopping list, or is he just the delivery boy.

To be fair, Hughes has had a result. He could have been bumped but was given next season to get it right.

Barry is DEFINITELY his. Tevez is possibly 'upstairs' influence. But nobody would turn down Eto'o - as long as someone else is paying.

Given was his - he had to over-rule the view that Hart was 'one for the future. Bridge was his. Bellamy was his. De Jong was his.

[daren]

An interesting question. Anyway, we've seen that just spending piles of cash on any name that pops into the head isn't enough, you need time to build a side. At this rate, Hughes will have nearly no-one that he had last year. I suspect that we're going to see how well the Football Manager "buy all the stars" tactic works in real life... It'll be interesting, if nothing else.

[PAFELL]

To be fair, Hughes has had a result. He could have been bumped but was given next season to get it right.

Barry is DEFINITELY his. Tevez is possibly 'upstairs' influence. But nobody would turn down Eto'o - as long as someone else is paying.

Given was his - he had to over-rule the view that Hart was 'one for the future. Bridge was his. Bellamy was his. De Jong was his.

RSC was also his - after nobody else would have paid that amount of money.

[nicko]

"...Defender Ben Haim has been offered to Blackburn Rovers, but wages could be a stumbling block. Striker Benjani has been told he can leave the club, but as of yet there are no takers for the injury hit player..."

http://www.football-latest.com/footballnews/

This fella is 70/80% right all the time.

Ben Haim is on huge wages. Rovers don't need another centre half. And Sam wants striker first.

I think there will be a long wait before that one comes round.

RSC was also his - after nobody else would have paid that amount of money.

Of course. Ta, saved me an edit.

[PAFELL]

Ben Haim is on huge wages. Rovers don't need another centre half. And Sam wants striker first.

I think there will be a long wait before that one comes round.

Of course. Ta, saved me an edit.

I still think Kris Boyd may be worth a shout for rovers - after all there are not many decent, affordable strikers around.

[Gally]

I think Boyd's a good shout too, but he's a goalscorer and absolutely NOTHING else, totally absent when it comes to anything other than sticking the ball in the back of the net. In this respect, he's more of a fans striker than a coaches striker, and Sam likes his workers more than most.

[tcj_jones]

There are some older posts in this thread in reference to points that I have made, which I do intend to respond to. However, as I'm just taking a quick break from uni work, I'll leave it to later.

Having heard about Eto'o, I just wanted to comment that I think Roque will still be starting the large majority of the matches in which he is fit for. City are going a bit nuts in the striking department, buying the best players available. However, bringing in both Tevez and Eto'o won't, IMO, benefit the team, because neither can lead the line effectively enough. In fact, the only quality player who can is somewhat injury prone. They need a Berbatov type.

I'm trying to imagine how City will play if they sign these two. I think they'll go for a 4-3-3 with Robinho on the left of Roque up top and Eto'o on the right, with Tevez on the bench. However, I just don't see the latter being happy with the arrangement at all. Furthermore, the side would have to operate without any natural wingers. Well, I suppose Barca do it well enough.

I think the midfield and attack will look something like this:

------ Ireland / De Jong / Barry

Eto'o ----------------------------- Robinho

------------------ RSC

I'm not sure where that would leave SWP, Petrov, Bellamy and Tevez, but it would allow for stunning options from the bench and quite a fightening front line. Only if Roque stays fit, mind.

[Sandman]

Nicko, does Fergie really want Rodwell.

[1864roverite]

There are some older posts in this thread in reference to points that I have made, which I do intend to respond to. However, as I'm just taking a quick break from uni work, I'll leave it to later.

Having heard about Eto'o, I just wanted to comment that I think Roque will still be starting the large majority of the matches in which he is fit for. City are going a bit nuts in the striking department, buying the best players available. However, bringing in both Tevez and Eto'o won't, IMO, benefit the team, because neither can lead the line effectively enough. In fact, the only quality player who can is somewhat injury prone. They need a Berbatov type.

I'm trying to imagine how City will play if they sign these two. I think they'll go for a 4-3-3 with Robinho on the left of Roque up top and Eto'o on the right, with Tevez on the bench. However, I just don't see the latter being happy with the arrangement at all. Furthermore, the side would have to operate without any natural wingers. Well, I suppose Barca do it well enough.

I think the midfield and attack will look something like this:

------ Ireland / De Jong / Barry

Eto'o ----------------------------- Robinho

------------------ RSC

I'm not sure where that would leave SWP, Petrov, Bellamy and Tevez, but it would allow for stunning options from the bench and quite a fightening front line. Only if Roque stays fit, mind.

Okay tcj, nice thoughts.

Now add the following to the equation.

Bellamy, Wright-Phillips, Elano, Bojinov, Johnson, Tevez, Petrov, Jo, Benjani, Caceido, Evans and Kompany.

Thats a whole team of players just fighting for 6 slots on the bench and 3 potential subs spots on the pitch.

Its a scenario for nothing but a soap of ego massaging. I could understand it if City had anything other than money to offer. They have as many games as Rovers this season, probably less as Rovers always seem to progress the cups better than MCFC

In a way, I am really looking forward to them coming to Ewood then our hardworking stars cna slap the prima donnas back down to earth

[Billy Castell]

Man City are like when you fiddle with the FM database and give your team almost infinate money. You buy all the top players and put them all on huge wages, and yet you still sign the ones who come under the 'wonderkid' catagory as well, so no-one else has them. So you end up with a squad of 40 orgasmic players who all want to play every game. This leads to you having to rotate the squad faster than a doosra and a pretty boring game as you win every match, and have to sell the unhappy players.

[67splitscreen]

One of those surplus strikers will definitely get a run out at Ewood, after Big Chris let's RSC know which side of the fence he's on now.

[nicko]

Nicko, does Fergie really want Rodwell.

I can't see that. Funny feeling that tale is coming from someone trying to hike up his contract. The kid is ok, but has a long way to go.

nicko: are the nzonzi (or whatever his name is) deal done?

He has been over for a medical. I think it is a £400,000 signing with extras.

Cheap and cheerful. No harm done.

[insiderover79]

Whatever the quality may end up being, we have signed 4 players this summer so far, with a maximum age of 27. Hope we can sign an experienced right back, 2 strikers and one more central midfielder then maybe we will have the right sort of freshened up squad for a full season.

[tcj_jones]

Okay tcj, nice thoughts.

Now add the following to the equation.

Bellamy, Wright-Phillips, Elano, Bojinov, Johnson, Tevez, Petrov, Jo, Benjani, Caceido, Evans and Kompany.

Thats a whole team of players just fighting for 6 slots on the bench and 3 potential subs spots on the pitch.

Its a scenario for nothing but a soap of ego massaging. I could understand it if City had anything other than money to offer. They have as many games as Rovers this season, probably less as Rovers always seem to progress the cups better than MCFC

In a way, I am really looking forward to them coming to Ewood then our hardworking stars cna slap the prima donnas back down to earth

True, true. Trimming the deadwood will certainly take time and will cause a fair amount of bad feeling in the camp, and then there will be a few egos to manage as well.

So far though, the overwhelming impression is that Hughes is trying to build a squad comprising the very best Premier League players, ideally British and preferably from outside the top four, with the aim of gradually bridging the gap. You only have to look at his recent signings in Given, Barry and RSC alongisde the likes of SWP, Bridge and Bellamy (although I doubt he'll feature much as of next season) who he brought in recently and then those already at the club in Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Ireland (who has been handed a new contract) and then those whom he has been heavily linked with - Lescott, Toure etc to see this.

Next season will be a learning curve both for Hughes and his squad, but I fully expect City to be challanging alongside the others in the top four by the 2010/2011 season, and maybe even for the title.

EDIT: I certainly believe, however, that signing both Tevez AND Eto'o is a recipe for disaster. Before, it was pretty obvious to fans and players alike who would be staying, who would be going and who would be starting. Now, however, there are too many big name players in the same position with similar playing styles and too many egos. I also didn't consider the fact that they aren't in Europe. Even after you've trimmed the deadwood, their squad is far too big.

[adbo99]

The good thing is that it will deffo be a full house. So everyone wins. I'm all for it in the long-run. It's going to be fun. Total madness, but entertainment.

The big four havehad their own way for long enough, watching City have a go will be great.

Sad to say it means everyone else is probably aiming at sixth place next season.

But if one of the current big four start missing out on the Champions League cash it could seriously damage their health.

the only good thing that Hughes is doing, he seems to be signing solid, proven and established premier league players like Barry, Given, SWP, Tevez etc.........

[Eddie]

Frederic Piquionne...in final par.

Would like to know his current form from our French friends.

He was a handful before he went to Lyon but looks to have made the wrong move.

Reasonable choice at a low-ish price.

One to stay away from. A wasted talent and a journeyman striker.

N'Zonzi is a well respected talent.