[Archived] Bentley

[herbergeehh]

Bentley's value won't drop in a long while though, he's just 22 and on the verge of breaking into the England team. I would be gutted to see him go, even for 12m.

[Wolverine]

OK. But what if, just what if Bentley doesn't want to go anywhere?

[John]

If the noises coming from the club so far this transfer window have taught us anything, it's that we're going to have to find some alternative ways to raise the funds we require to keep active in the transfer window and retain Sparky's interest. The only way I can see to do this is to sell our assets when they are at their most valuable and look to sensibly reinvest the proceeds in MH's usual way.

Right now may be to time to do this with Bentley.

We've already missed the boat with McCarthy and Pedersen, who are probably now worth at most half of what we may have got for them when they were at their most desired.

I'd suggest we could get around £10m for Bentley, being young and English. With Sparky's expertise in the market, we could replace him with circa 3 good standard players.

Absolute madness. Cannot believe I just read that...... very strange.

[thenodrog]

i personally think anyone suggesting to sell bentley is mad-along with cruz hes been our best player this season..sell him for 10million so we can buy 3 players-thank god you aint the manager...

Now I'd hate to see Bentley go but football at this level is a business before it is a sport. So...

Q1....Do you think that BRFC need new players mozzer? Yes/No?

Q2.... If the answer is 'yes' as it surely must be then it's plain that we need to raise sufficient funds. Yes/No?

Q3.... We are in the bottom three on terms of turnover. Our attendances are low. Our supporters are quite happy to watch from the pub so the club has had to reduce admission prices which most fans think is a forward move. Yes/ No?

Q4.... Hughes signed Bentley for buttons as he did with RSC, Samba/ Menni Mac, Warnock. Yes / No?

So if we all agree from past performance that Mark Hughes and his mgment teams big strength is in recognising and unearthing talent for little money then we must support and develop that talent cos to a club in our situation it is bloody priceless. Selling players is one of the few options open to us, and as we all know old / poor / crocked players fetch nowt. To anybody who believes that it is impossible to keep on finding top talent and luring them to a mid table team in the worlds richest league ..... Rubbish! Every up and coming talent across the globe must dream of playing in the Prem League. We might make one or two ricks like Berner for example but the cost of that can easily be written off by the potential profit made from the others.

If anybody has an alternative suggestion other than finding a trillionaire mug (and there wont be many of those walking the earth) or merging with the likes of Notlob and PNE (which seems vaguely unpopular amongst the great unwashed on here for no appparent reason) to form a super power then feel free to enlighten the rest of us.

[T4E]

OK. But what if, just what if Bentley doesn't want to go anywhere?

If someone was willing to pay £10m for him, they'd likely also be happy to double or maybe even treble his wages. I don't think Bentley wanting to stay would be a major problem.

Absolute madness. Cannot believe I just read that...... very strange.

As Gordy says, can you suggest an alternative means for financing the club?

[John]

No, I cannot at the moment.

Selling your best players is not the way to go about it, and Hughes would never do that.

[RevidgeBlue]

I've been musing over the possibility of selling Bentley over the last few days. Normally I'm dead against selling our better players but in this particular instance I think Bentley is far too inconsistent. He plays one good game, one bad game at best and more usually one good game in every three or four.

Would still not be totally happy about it because it sends out all the wrong signals but for 12m or so it might represent good business.

That said, where Tugay's and Gordon's argument falls down is that any potential replacement might want sky high wages rendering the whole exercise obsolete. (e.g. Diarra wanting a reported 90k p.w. to go to Newcastle.)

[T4E]

No, I cannot at the moment.

Selling your best players is not the way to go about it, and Hughes would never do that.

Thats an incredibly naive thing to say. When Bentley decides he wants to go, and his agent finds him a place to go to, he will be off. Hughes will have no say in it.

It's going to happen anyway, it always does. How about doing it within our timescales, on our terms, for once?

[John]

Sell Bentley, our match winner.

Hughes would never even consider it. He will obviously leave for greater things, but Hughes would never sell him to raise funds (that is the point I am making).

[modes98]

Thats an incredibly naive thing to say. When Bentley decides he wants to go, and his agent finds him a place to go to, he will be off. Hughes will have no say in it.

A contract is a contract. If the board backs the manager you can make a player sit it out. Not that I'm saying it's the thing to do because of the financial loss but it's always an option for a club.

[BRFC1995]

Downing apparently worth £12m Nani cost £20m Sissoko apparently £10m Does anyone seriously think that with no clause a mere £10m would get beckhams replacement aged only 22!!!!!!! If the likes of liverpool came sniffing about offering players plus cash, the player better be one of thier 1st team regulars and they could shove the likes of kewell up thier arse!!!!!!!

[T4E]

A contract is a contract. If the board backs the manager you can make a player sit it out. Not that I'm saying it's the thing to do because of the financial loss but it's always an option for a club.

Given the choice of taking £10m or letting a player leave for free, the club will always sell. We all need to wake up - the player is in charge these days. When was the last time a small club managed to keep a player out of the grasps of a big club. It does not happen. Ever.

In the above scenario, we would be scrambling to get the money spent, and other clubs would know we were in desperate need to spend, and would hike up their prices. With my original suggestion, we could even identify players and approach clubs before selling. Its inevitable that we will have to sell eventually - lets do it on our terms.

[gumboots]

We wouldn't have to let him go for free because he's recently signed a new contract and if he made a song and dance about wanting to go, provided his contract is still a decent length we could ask an appropriate fee. What does it say to othe people if we actively decide to sell one of our better players and what will it say to a new manager if we have to get one, and would you want Bentley coming back to play against us for Spurs or whoever, because I'm not sure he'd go to another really big club at this point. Imagine him scoring for West Ham or someone against us.

[philipl]

Currently our terms are to give him an extended contract for the second time in six months.

Discussion ended?

[thenodrog]

That said, where Tugay's and Gordon's argument falls down is that any potential replacement might want sky high wages rendering the whole exercise obsolete. (e.g. Diarra wanting a reported 90k p.w. to go to Newcastle.)

Your counter argument is more flawed Simon. It's obvious that if clubs will pay 90k per week for Diarra then our best players prodded by their Mr 20%'s will demand parity with that or they'll be off to where the grass is greener. Whatever the going rate is BRFC don't set it nor can BRFC exist in it's own bubble.

As I said in an earlier post the time to sell Bentley is when Capello makes him an England regular. Not just because we cannot afford to miss what would be a very large large transfer fee but more because we might not be able to afford to pay him.

[The1mattjansen]

It has to be noted that the 3 players we have received concrete offers/confirmed interest in in recent times have all spectacularly under-performed this season. Pedersen, McCarthy and Nelson that is.

Although it doesn't bode well to sell you're best players, I agree that whilst we have a manager with the purchasing track recording of Sparky it would make sense to let him roam a little bit and find some more gems that could balance the books over the coming season. However, I beleive this could be done with funds from fringe players such as Roberts, Savage etc as opposed to selling the crown jules, especially with them still appreciating in value, as with Bentley.

On a side note, how is Bentley valued at only £10m in the current market? He's 3/4 in the current runing for player of the season, almost guaranteed to be involved in the England setup under Capello and 22 years of age. I would think we would be looking for upwards of £15m.

[T4E]

We're still yet to see anyone with a viable alternative suggestion for financing the club and keeping active in the transfer market.

[philipl]

Quite apart from selling him now would invite a total collapse of form and would put-off anyone who might want to join as we'd be seen as a selling club, £10m price tags are a joke compared with Carrick and Hargraves at £18m each.

We are in cutting our noses to spite our faces territory if the motivation is to sell when we want to.... who exactly is lined up to sign on the dotted line if he goes?

In markets as tight as this, we sell Bentley and the wish list targets will certainly not come to Ewood.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

We're still yet to see anyone with a viable alternative suggestion for financing the club and keeping active in the transfer market.

Here's a new one, why dont our super rich owners spend some of their 700m + fortune , or...........

Spend some of the extra 15 odd million we will recieve in extra income this year, Both it seems have become rather revolutionary ideas at our club of late

[T4E]

We are in cutting our noses to spite our faces territory if the motivation is to sell when we want to.... who exactly is lined up to sign on the dotted line if he goes?

Can you read Pip? Apologies if that comes across as rude, but I'm not quite sure how else to deal with that comment.

What I said was that we should look to line up replacements, then sell, thus reaping the benefits of doing it within our own timescales. Therefore, if the theory is followed, we would always have targets lined up, or we wouldn't look to sell.

Pretty straight forward I thought.....

[John]

Can you read Pip? Apologies if that comes across as rude, but I'm not quite sure how else to deal with that comment.

What I said was that we should look to line up replacements, then sell, thus reaping the benefits of doing it within our own timescales. Therefore, if the theory is followed, we would always have targets lined up, or we wouldn't look to sell.

Pretty straight forward I thought.....

I can see what you are saying T4E, but you don't sell your best player just to raise cash. Well clever managers would not. In addition, I could never see Hughes selling him (unless he really wanted to go).

Fair play to you though for persisting with your opinion on this one.

[92er]

Here's a new one, why dont our super rich owners spend some of their 700m + fortune , or...........

Spend some of the extra 15 odd million we will recieve in extra income this year, Both it seems have become rather revolutionary ideas at our club of late

It has recently struck me that there are 2 possible answers.

1-They, as recently stated, see no current reason to do so in view of the extra Sky money.

2-The Chairman has failed to put up an argument along the lines of.......we have an ageing, rather unbalanced squad , the opporunity to make a challenge for a higher position in the league, the need to keep on board a talented manager, and any other arguments he wishes to throw in.

Unfortunately, I do not know what the reaction would be to any such request when MH has said this is the most talented squad he has had, and when until recently, members of BRFCS were happy with the squad.

[thenodrog]

Quite apart from selling him now would invite a total collapse of form and would put-off anyone who might want to join as we'd be seen as a selling club, £10m price tags are a joke compared with Carrick and Hargraves at £18m each.

We are in cutting our noses to spite our faces territory if the motivation is to sell when we want to.... who exactly is lined up to sign on the dotted line if he goes?

In markets as tight as this, we sell Bentley and the wish list targets will certainly not come to Ewood.

Au contraire Philip. Lets look at the other side of the coin. imo with Bentley turned from a free transfer into a multi million pound talent recognised at full international level, with Samba / RSC / Warnock / Nelsen similar. Agents with promising but stuttering talents would view Blackburn Rovers as the best possible club to place to develop their prodigies. Hughes phone might never stop ringing.

This is why I've frequently said that Hughes and his team should be on some sort of commision structure to basically reward them for making the club money. The structure would have to be very carefully thought out to avoid obvious pitfalls but it might just prove to be the best way to keep our manager, it would give him incredible kudos for 'one of the clubs he has played for' to approach him in the fullness of time and it would allow our club to compete annually in the Prem. Corny comparison but with our facilities and situation we might aim to be the Crewe Alexandria of the Prem.

[Cocker]

Here's a new one, why dont our super rich owners spend some of their 700m + fortune , or...........

Hi Lofty

[T4E]

I can see what you are saying T4E, but you don't sell your best player just to raise cash. Well clever managers would not. In addition, I could never see Hughes selling him (unless he really wanted to go).

Would you call Arsene Wenger a clever manager? In the last few years Vieira, Cole, Reyes and Henry have all left Arsenal when perhaps Wenger would've liked to keep them. He did, in most cases however, sell them when he was good and ready, and has cleverly invested the money in new players. Unbelievably, Arsenal are arguably better now than they were before the sales. In the past Arsenal have not had a huge bankroll, yet Wenger has continually been able to revamp and freshen up his squad through wise usage of transfer proceeds. Hughes has proven himself capable of the same.

For continental examples of similar theories in practice, see Sevilla and Valencia.

Agents with promising but stuttering talents would view Blackburn Rovers as the best possible club to place to develop their prodigies. Hughes phone might never stop ringing.

Not a side of the arguement I had considered, but indoubtedly another plus point.

Infact, take away the "stuttering" part, and you have an almost exact replica of the Arsenal system.