[Archived] Blackburn Rovers Transfer Topic

[AJW]

However, most people will admit that midfield is currently more of a worry than upfront. If we still have £10 million left I'd much rather we shipped out the crocks and tried to strengthen this area with some quality -

seconded! i would be happy to start the season with benni and di santo up front with roberts hoillet and the camel as back-up , i think now the attention must be the midfield where we are lacking in quality , from what i hear dunny looked sharp at leeds , but how long will it be before he breaks down , nzonzi will take time to adapt to the speed and physical nature of the prem leage , grella is still taking time , and reid has hardly played in 2 years , so we are left with andrews

[brian_gallagher85]

Roque had never played a Premier League game before we signed him and very few Bundesliga games either

[bob fleming]

I would be shocked if we ended up with 1.7 million being spent on a striker, an unknown entity at best, to replace Santa Cruz.

We need a proven goal scorer.

Where will the money go if the LT article is true?

No point spending all that money is there? Keep our powder dry! Not with today's inflated prices. Best just to hang on. Prices are just bound to improve in January, they always do.

Then again I doubt it is true. It can't be.

[daveoftherovers]

Ref this comment:

This Di Santo kid has never played a game of Premier League football and yet he is our Roque replacement? Unbelievable.

He is meant to be something of a unique shall we say, he's part of the Argentinian set up and Chelsea won't release him, so he's def. got something about him, a win-win for me, but I don't believe for a minute that he is RSC's "Replacement, "Watch this space" I think is the most appropriate comments, BS will sort it all out...

By the way, WT* is this???:

http://www.4thegame.com/club/west-ham-unit...it_baradji.html

[American]

This Di Santo kid has never played a game of Premier League football and yet he is our Roque replacement? Unbelievable.

9 appearances, I believe - never a full game, though.

Roque had never played a game of Premier League football either (or scored more than 5 in a season), nor had Benni.

[tcj_jones]

Sorry, the game of Premier League football bit didn't come out as I meant it. My point is more that he is pretty much completely untested at any significant level and, presumably, we're going to be throwing him into the first team and expecting him to perform. He is the only striker we have that suits style of gam, while everything Nicko says about Sam's gentleman's agreement that he will play regularly suggests that this will be the case.

Much like when Bentley was sold, the club couldn't wait to get the cash - fair enough, both times it was a large amount - but then they came out and said how is was a priority and how he was going to be replaced etc without having a player lined up. Unless it was Di Santo all along? Except Sam said he was going to spend his whole budget on a new man up top...

I bet we don't see a penny more of the Roque / Derbs money. It will disapear back into the club.

Unless Di Santo really turns it on or McCarthy gets his act together this season, we're really going to struggle to score goals.

[G Somerset Rover]

Two thoughts on that LT report:

- Sam might have seen medical reports on one or more of Dunn, Reid and Emerton and is now seriously looking at big money being needed for midfield;

I could tell him for free that the former two cannot be relied upon to play even half of the games between them.

The Telegraph story said that should Rovers get Di Santo then Sam would be happy with his striking options.

Well if this is the case then big money needs to be spent on the midfield or big questions need to be asked about where our money has gone. I'm not going to get carried away as we're not into August yet but it happened last year so it wouldn't suprise me in the slightest if it happened again this year.

[Gav]

The Telegraph story said that should Rovers get Di Santo then Sam would be happy with his striking options.

If true, it’s a very big gamble the manager is taking in my opinion.

Both Benni and Roberts can’t be relied upon to hit the back of the onion bag, so these 2 will have massive expectations on there shoulders.

The bottom line is, if you can’t score goals you inevitably struggle, could be a long season.

Two thoughts on that LT report:

- Sam might have seen medical reports on one or more of Dunn, Reid and Emerton and is now seriously looking at big money being needed for midfield;

You make a good point philip, I'm sure nobody is kidding themselves into thinking our midfield doesn’t need new blood.

I’m going to go as far as to say that the current midfield is the worst I can remember for many years. We don’t have a stand out midfielder at the club who can be relied upon.

[The Prof.]

Benni has it all to play for. If he is really serious about making the WC squad, then he will sort himself out. He knows this could be his last world cup, and hopefully he will prove his worth again.

I think thats his last big incentive in football. South Africa look a tidy football side without much of a goal threat. Benni's streetfighting nous could push them a couple of stages further and he wouldn't have to track back in such a mobile side. But this is Benni!

Loan outs. Lot of people on here suggesting loan outs for youngsters like Judge and Doran. Can anyone tell me a loan out who came back and got into the first team squad? They just don't work for me. A loan out appears to be "You'e in the shop window mate - make it count."

Has Di Santo come? I thought yesterday was D-Day. At best all he buys us is a year to get someone else in doesn't he?

[Kelbo]

I would be shocked if we ended up with 1.7 million being spent on a striker, an unknown entity at best, to replace Santa Cruz.

We need a proven goal scorer.

Where will the money go if the LT article is true?

I read this and other posts and cannot believe the unilateral thinking of some posters!

Take a look at whats happened in this window to date, we have injected youth, pace and legs to the team which was sadly lacking last year, we will find a much fitter outfit than we had under Ince now that Sam has had a proper pre season.

More importantly, he has players such as Hoilett who will probably play wide, the albanian, who will play as either a second striker or behind a front man, and from set plays we have Nzonzi 6'4" - Samba 6'4" and Di Santo 6'4"

that tells me unlike previous seasons, there are goals from all over the place as well as McCarthy, Roberts etc!!

However, I dont feel McCarthy is a Sam type player and if he can move him on I think he will and then we will see another striker brought in. On the other side of the coin, Benni is a box player and with the extra pace within the team, would expect him if he stayed to hit 15 to 20 goals in a season!!

I said on an earlier post, we cant just look at replacing a player with a cloned image, we lost Duff and we couldnt replace him as a player, Bellamy the same, but we survived and got on with it, we will again, football is a team game and we have so much flair in the squad at the moment, unless another striker is bought, I cant see how Sam could play one up top, so thios may be a season for the purists, I hope so, but am holding my breath!!

As for a proven goalscorer, yes, one would be fine but you can mark a proven goalscorer out of the game, to mark three or four out of the game will be much more difficult!!

[The Prof.]

I read this and other posts and cannot believe the unilateral thinking of some posters!

Take a look at whats happened in this window to date, we have injected youth, pace and legs to the team which was sadly lacking last year, we will find a much fitter outfit than we had under Ince now that Sam has had a proper pre season.

More importantly, he has players such as Hoilett who will probably play wide, the albanian, who will play as either a second striker or behind a front man, and from set plays we have Nzonzi 6'4" - Samba 6'4" and Di Santo 6'4"

that tells me unlike previous seasons, there are goals from all over the place as well as McCarthy, Roberts etc!!

However, I dont feel McCarthy is a Sam type player and if he can move him on I think he will and then we will see another striker brought in. On the other side of the coin, Benni is a box player and with the extra pace within the team, would expect him if he stayed to hit 15 to 20 goals in a season!!

I said on an earlier post, we cant just look at replacing a player with a cloned image, we lost Duff and we couldnt replace him as a player, Bellamy the same, but we survived and got on with it, we will again, football is a team game and we have so much flair in the squad at the moment, unless another striker is bought, I cant see how Sam could play one up top, so thios may be a season for the purists, I hope so, but am holding my breath!!

As for a proven goalscorer, yes, one would be fine but you can mark a proven goalscorer out of the game, to mark three or four out of the game will be much more difficult!!

Has Di Santo come then?

[den]

You're making a massive assumption that all the new lads will be up to the task Kelbo.

If they're not, we're screwed. [unless we bring in a bit more real quality, of course].

[Uxbridge rover]

By the way, WT* is this???:

http://www.4thegame.com/club/west-ham-unit...it_baradji.html

Keep up mate .

[Guest TrueBlue2009]

By the way, WT* is this???:

http://www.4thegame.com/club/west-ham-unit...it_baradji.html

Keep up mate .

haha indeed, he was sat in the stands at the leigh game last night with the camel by all accounts

[Bobby G]

Exactly my point Den!

[BRFCBOY]

i think gally may well be out on his rear if di santo and this algerian lad are on their way. Still hoping for another midfielder and striker. Think we have enough cover at the back for now.

[imy9]

I dont think it matters if Di Santo scores a lot of goals or not, the key is that he will be the focal point of the attack, holding the ball up and allowing the new quicker players, Hoillet, Elrio and The Kamel to run on to through balls and score goals for us. Certain people are also a little delusional if they think Benni cannot score goals next year, he WILL score goals alongside a target man.

A key point to note is despite the scaremongering about Sam signing players from Dad army, he has signed youthful players:

Givet- 28

Elrio- 26

The Kamel- 25

Nzoni- 20

Jacobsen- 30

Di Santo- 20

ONE 30 year old and the rest with sell on value too, In Sam we trust

[socngill]

Moan, moan, moan.

The Bentley money didn't "disappear" it was spent. We brought in Grella for £4m, Andrews for about £1.5m, Carlos cost £1m, Robinson probably cost another £1-2m after taking away the Friedel fee. A total of about £8m plus sign on fees, wages and agent fees. A good few players got new contract as well, plus Arsenal took a big slice, something like £8m+. Nobody "took" the money.

Also, even with Di Santo coming in, plus having Gally here the only strikers with premiership experience are Benni and Roberts. So even if we buy a "star" striker from abroad I very much doubt they will be starting from the off. If we play 4-4-2 it is very likely that one, if not both of Roberts and Benni will play. Benni is a proven Premiership player who can, and has, scored over 15 goals in a Premier League season when playing as the main striker.

The new guys will all be eased in to the side unless we get injuries. Even if we buy a new top quality striker from Europe he won't be up to speed with the league and will have to get used to it, the way we play, his team mates, his surroundings etc, etc.

There is no way either Roberts or Benni will be leaving. it just makes no sense. And even with Di Santo and a new quality guy coming in Benni will still be the second best striker at the club.

IF we don't spend the rest of the RSC money now it won't simply "disappear". There is nothing to suggesting that would happen. Some may go towards other aspects of running the club, or clearing debts etc. But if Sam needs it in January or next summer it will (or certainly the majority of it) be available. All these accusations of theft by the board and owners is ridiculous.

Rant over.

[Captain Spaulding]

Does noone actually think that Sam is bluffing?

Comes out to the media and says 'Yes, i'm happy with my striking options now' - therefore removing the 'desperate for a striker' tag that was hanging over our heads.

This then means that we can go back to clubs and negotiate with a 'take it or leave it' attitude and they might be more receptive...

that's just my opinion anyway, i just don't think he'll settle for what he's got.

[Tris]

If this is true then the it's disgustingly negligent of the club who quite clearly will have mis-led and even out-right lied to the fans. I guess it's something that we should be getting used to after last season's Bentley debacle though.

This Di Santo kid has never played a game of Premier League football and yet he is our Roque replacement? Unbelievable.

What a load of rubbish.

Find one quote by Allardyce or anyone else at Rovers which has turned into an outright lie.

It would be disgustingly negligent of the club to go and blow 10 million quid on Kevin Davies, or 12 million on Darren Bent, or even 9 million on Peter Crouch (who wouldn't move beyond Watford Gap anyway).

If the answer to boosting the firepower is a proven goalscorer costing less than 20% of those ridiculous fees, and a promising youngster on loan from Chelsea, then that's fantastic business.

The only people feeling lied to I would suggest are those who have been lapping up the constant stream of idle speculation on this thread. Just because this Algerian bloke has sneaked in under the radar (and was already at Brockhall - medical completed - when his name appeared on here yesterday), then the tittle-tattle generation are feeling a bit short changed.

[roversmad95]

Does noone actually think that Sam is bluffing?

Comes out to the media and says 'Yes, i'm happy with my striking options now' - therefore removing the 'desperate for a striker' tag that was hanging over our heads.

This then means that we can go back to clubs and negotiate with a 'take it or leave it' attitude and they might be more receptive...

that's just my opinion anyway, i just don't think he'll settle for what he's got.

i think your right i was thinking the same... maybe he told zenit 3million no more if you fancy it call me....

[Iceman]

We wanted pace, seems like Sam has addressed that issue. Ghilas is quite quick as well.

[RovertheHill]

Personally I'm delighted with the signings so far. To me it signals the right intent. After the pathetic gnashing of teeth about anti-football during the Davies links we've gone and signed decent young players with touch, energy and pace. Ofcourse there's a risk they won't be up to it but frankly no more so than any of the "established" names from abroad. Some people won't be happy until their pet Russian/Austrian/Serbian/French giant is signed though

[AspRover]

Some people won't be happy until their pet Russian/Austrian/Serbian/French giant is signed though

And then they'll be complaining about the long ball football...

[joey_big_nose]

Lancashire Telegraph reports that Ghilas has had medical and agreed personal terms. He will sign today for £1.7 million. Also if Di Santo arrives then Sam will be happy with striking options.

Personally, I shocked that RSC has been replaced by 2 unproven strikers. To me it looks like Rovers have gone for the cheap option if the telegraph report is correct and mo other strikers are bought.

Well I suppose Sam has decided he has what he needs. He must ave looked at Di Santo and seen a player who can do the target man role better than anyone else we can afford. Its not as if Sam hasn't looked at more established players , they just don't offer value.

I suppose the next phase is to look to sell a couple if we can as the squad is looking bloated, and keep a look out for a quality midfielder or striker who becomes available at the right price over the next month.

We certainly do have a completely different shape to the squad - in the last six or seven seasons we have only ever had one smallish quick player - Bellamy. Now we have four of them - Hoilett, Van Heerden, Ghilas and Doran. Sam must have a plan for them....

Certainly doesn't look like we will be playing hoofball.