[Archived] Reflections On The Transfer Window

[LeChuck]

With late additions like Salgado and Chimbonda, I'm struggling to see where that kind of money has been saved.

Even if you fudged the numbers by adding Derbyshire and Gallagher to the outgoings, I still can't see how that much has been saved.

[Hughesy]

Chimbonda - Warnock - so no difference there, if anything a saving. + £6.5m saved from the fee

Salgado - we had already saved more than £5m before him im sure. I think we also offset some of his wages to the 900k that Gally went for.

[MarkBRFC71]

We are certainly stronger in defence. Perhaps the best we have ever been

Really?? I think I might choose Berg, Hendry and Le Saux over what we have at the minute.

I think overall the squad is slightly stronger, but the first team is weaker.

I remain to be convinced about Big Sam's limited tactics, and cannot stand the way we target games for points. We should be going balls-out, full-strength to try to get something from every game imo.

I hope Sam proves me wrong and we start to play something resembling football when everyone is fit, but I think we might be looking at the Ewood sky more than the pitch this season.

[Jackson]

The cost of relegation is supposedly circa. 30-40mil.

The cost of a neat ball-playing midfielder, I suppose, could be around 10mil.

The cost of each place in the PL is circa. 800k.

I genuinely believe that a tidy passer in the middle could make the difference between 6th and 16th, as do others, and I think that the mgt have missed a trick here, given that such would pay for himself within that year and you would still have a saleable asset come the end of it.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Chimbonda - Warnock - so no difference there, if anything a saving. + £6.5m saved from the fee

Salgado - we had already saved more than £5m before him im sure. I think we also offset some of his wages to the 900k that Gally went for.

Hughesy i know you love to be positive about every single decision the club makes, but its too early to judge on the difference between Warnock and Chimbonda. Chimbonda has only had one game and he really is a right back, Warnock is one of the best left backs in the prem.

There are going to be games where being right footed is going to be problematic if he is playing left back, especially against tricky pacey wingers.

On Salgado Sam had to push for the wage budget to be increased if rumours are to be true, there clearly wasn't room in the wage budget to bring him in but Sam's pressure meant that he got his man. Did we have to sell Warnock to cover the increased cost of wages when Salgado signed?

[mckenny16]

Hughesy i know you love to be positive about every single decision the club makes, but its too early to judge on the difference between Warnock and Chimbonda. Chimbonda has only had one game and he really is a right back, Warnock is one of the best left backs in the prem.

There are going to be games where being right footed is going to be problematic if he is playing left back, especially against tricky pacey wingers.

On Salgado Sam had to push for the wage budget to be increased if rumours are to be true, there clearly wasn't room in the wage budget to bring him in but Sam's pressure meant that he got his man. Did we have to sell Warnock to cover the increased cost of wages when Salgado signed?

While I liked Warnock, I wouldn't go as far as "one of the best left backs in the prem". When he was on form, yes, but there was too many games when he was just OK.

Chimbonda played half a season at left back at Spurs before he went to Sunderland, and did a good job there. Defensively, Chimbonda is a better player.

[OJRovers]

POSITIVES:

N'Zonzi - looks promising, could could good given time

Givet - Good to get him on premanent deal

Di Santo loan - hopefully we'll see him play a bit

Hoillet - again looks promising

Chimbonda - adds a bit of strength and cover at the back

NEGATIVES:

Midfield: ANDREWS HAS PLAYED EVERY GAME SO FAR so clearly the problem hasn't been addressed. Hopefully with injuries returning he will resume bench warming duties.

Left back: Ollsen looks to have improved, but no experienced specialist LB. Chimbo should be ok though.

Left wing: MGP has been rubbish for 3 years, he still hasn't got any competition for his place.

Salgardo: Not too sure where he is going to play.

OVERALL:

Assuming players like Dunn/Emerton stay fit, we have a stronger squad than last year. (Remember Danny Simpson at right back!!??) Big Sam needs a bit of luck with injuries to get a settled team and the results will come.

[TimmyJimmy]

The poll is a sham. Where's the "We'll have to see how the new signings get on" option?

I'm finding it really hard to post on this board, it's fast becoming a dumping ground for the depressives of the school playground. You make me so depressed I'll start posting krap soon like the rest of the nay sayers.

Your comment Bob is just the same as saying "we'll wait to see how it turns out, then we'll place our bet". Are you one of those who only enjoys stuff in hindsight? Isn't the whole point of supporting the Rovers just to enjoy the ride?

It must be me. I'm so out of step that I'm now well and truly depressed. I'd better change my vote and fall in line, everyone's so insistent we're going down the pan I'd better follow the mob, they must be right

[bob fleming]

You're right Timmy, it was a bit of a daft comment really. Clearly the poll is asking for what people think now rather than later. So I'm with you on that. I'd hardly constitute what I put as saying we're going down the pan though!

[spencey7]

If this guy at Portsmouth actually has cash I would see them as a major threat as they will almost certainly be in the bottom three in December and they will sack Hart. Allardyce would be the obvious choice for anyone in that position just like he was for ourselves. If they have real money it will be attractive for him.

[joey_big_nose]

I'll be very interested to see what the figures show next time they are released, because I'm struggling to believe that at the moment.

I would say our wage bill has almost definately gone up personally.

Givet, Diouf, Chimbonda, Salgado, Kalinic will all be on very significant money.

We have only lost Cruz and Warnock who are in that sort of bracket.

Maybe the departure of Mokoena, Gallagher, Tugay, Vogel bridges the gap, but I don't think they do. On top of that you have the additions of Jackobsen, NZonzi, Van Heerden, Di Santo (if we pay him anything).

Its hard to estimate but it seems likely to have risen.

For example I would say it is extremely probable Chimbonda is on more than Warnock rather than less with his transfer history. And Givet knew he was massively wanted by Sam also, so his agent would negotiate on that basis.

[LeChuck]

We were paying Diouf and Givet last season though, so that's not a new cost we've taken on this summer. Maybe a little bit extra depending on how the deal with Givet was set up...I can't imagine us giving him much of a rise on his Marseille contract though, wasn't that rumoured to be about £35k a week anyway?

[T4E]

Don't forget a raise for Andrews.

Though I'm not sure how anyone could forget that.

[Mr. E]

We did not buy a quality central midfielder, which TBH is all that needs to be said.

[rover6]

Allardyce has an eye for defensive players (Givet, Chimbonda, Nzonzi look very good).

However, his eye for attacking players, is, it seems, as faulty as Mark Hughes' eye for a CM.

I am not impressed with the signing of Diouf or Kalinic. To my mind, Kalinic is not much of an improvement on Derbyshire. Di Santo should be useful - but I can't get excited about him because he's only on loan. We still have the dodgy duo of McCarthy and Roberts at the club, without earning their money, imo - especially McCarthy.

The impressive newcomer to our attack is David Hoilett. And he was already attached to the club.

[tonyoz]

Since then the speed of our decline has been alarming. In just twelve months we've sold Friedel, Bentley, Roque, Warnock, and Derbyshire and finally lost Tugay from the squad. Savage was never replaced either and imo the only real quality addition in the last three windows has been Robinson. So it's not hard to see why we're struggling at the wrong end of the table.

Yes we have but these first four all arrived at Ewood as flawed alternatives. This is where we are and this is where we are likely to stay for the foreseeable future. Jack has gone and we are left searching the bargain basement barrel in the hope of finding a gem or 2. Robinson and Givet look like they fit the bill, we seem to have been far-sighted in the recruitment of Hoillet and some think that N'Zonzi has real potential. Den was right, I think, much rests on the shoulders of young Kalinic. This season and last so many points have gone begging because the damn ball wouldn't go in the net!

Up front from a purely footballing perspective we needed to replace RSC with a proven Premiership performer like Bent or Crouch.

We were never in the hunt for Bent and Crouch - we have to pay the bills. I don't suppose we will ever know what goes on between JW and the bank manager but everything I read and hear about Williams makes me confident that we have a competent and sensible guy at the helm. In the present climate, many banks and businesses have struggled because they took on too much debt - I reckon we are merely being prudent.

Golden oldies like Chimbonda and Salgado are another piece of the puzzle. They won't be sold for big money but they have the quality to make a difference on the pitch. Sam has had success with such characters before.

I think that Sam is realistic. He knows the score better than anyone and his interviews reflect this. I prefer to think that he relishes the challenge rather than resents the miserly budget presented to him.

I think this has been a shocking window, we've sold players for 29m and still haven't addressed our longstanding midfield problem.

Hmmm I am with you on this one. We were a different team when Tugay was in his pomp. He made the whole team tick and we were good to watch. I missed the WHU game but from the reports on here I am disappointed to read that we made not losing a priority. I don't care what kind of team we have to put out, we have to set out our stall to beat teams like West Ham at home.

[Ozz]

I expect we will finish higher than last season, but not by too much. So the squad must be generally stronger. I see a lot of potential in N Zonzi, Hoillet, Kalanic, Di Santo and the promise of a fit Dunn, Reid and Emerton coming back. If everything goes to plan, and people fulfill potential, then we could end up top ten. But, knowing Rovers, things won't and we will be bottom feeders again this year.

So what Sam has done the summer window could be great, but there is an element of a gamble-like a lot of Hughes signing s were-just hope Sam is as lucky as his predecessor!

[Al]

With late additions like Salgado and Chimbonda, I'm struggling to see where that kind of money has been saved.

Even if you fudged the numbers by adding Derbyshire and Gallagher to the outgoings, I still can't see how that much has been saved.

How is that fudging the numbers? They are real transfer fees, although maybe not salary savings, as they were both on loan for at least a part of last season.

[imy9]

Allardyce has an eye for defensive players (Givet, Chimbonda, Nzonzi look very good).

However, his eye for attacking players, is, it seems, as faulty as Mark Hughes' eye for a CM.

I am not impressed with the signing of Diouf or Kalinic. To my mind, Kalinic is not much of an improvement on Derbyshire. Di Santo should be useful - but I can't get excited about him because he's only on loan. We still have the dodgy duo of McCarthy and Roberts at the club, without earning their money, imo - especially McCarthy.

The impressive newcomer to our attack is David Hoilett. And he was already attached to the club.

Kalinic is an international player who has proved that he can score goals- Derbs could not (not enough anyway).

Diouf and Givet were key to our survival last year and for £1 million was an absolute snip.

Hoilett may have been attached to the club but the credit needs to go to Sam as he pursued the work permit when no other manager did, so if it works out then Sam deserves the accolade.

[PAFELL]

Doc you picked up on one observation from a lengthy post.

As the Irishman answered when asked the way to Dublin; "Well I wouldn't start from here", nobody in their right mind would plant a Premier League club in Blackburn.

But we are a top Premier League club for all our foibles and failings and as a Blackburnian I am mighty proud of it. Last season an Ince experience would have killed the Premiership status of at least half the clubs in our league but Rovers were strong enough to pull through. This summer's big cash adjustment was in part the price paid for Ince so far as I am concerned.

I bet the Board are not budgeting on finishing 10th this season and that alone is a product of the Ince disaster.

It is pick yourself up and start again time and Rovers have a Premiership squad in strength and depth everywhere except question marks over the forwards just now even though one of them holds a CL winner's medal.

In the light of all the transfers in and out, how well do you think Rovers are nowmoney wise? How much debt would you say they are in now. There have been a lot of changes to the squad as well as wages, money in and out, so the money situation of Rovers must also have changed.

[LeChuck]

How is that fudging the numbers? They are real transfer fees, although maybe not salary savings, as they were both on loan for at least a part of last season.

I meant just for the wage bill as I was disputing Hughesy's £5 million a year figure that we're supposedly saving.

I'll be bitterly disappointed if we're using transfer money to fund wages as that is inherently unsustainable and will just mean we have to sell again in 12 months to pay the wage bill. I'm hoping that getting rid of people like Reid and Dunn next year will allow us to do that.

[Al]

I meant just for the wage bill as I was disputing Hughesy's £5 million a year figure that we're supposedly saving.

I'll be bitterly disappointed if we're using transfer money to fund wages as that is inherently unsustainable and will just mean we have to sell again in 12 months to pay the wage bill. I'm hoping that getting rid of people like Reid and Dunn next year will allow us to do that.

Ah! OK I get your meaning and I agree that transfer money should not be used to fund wages. I also agree about Reid. He was a big disappointment last time he came back from injury but the jury is out on Dunny. He something about him that makes me want to keep him. Andrews should be sold for any bid in January. He has outlived his usefulness.

[1864roverite]

Some very interesting views from members.

Personally I am disappointed we havent addressed the central midfield spot, it seems it is going to be forever the one spot in our team that will be forgotten and never ever addressed DESPITE the fact that previous managers have been aware, the board have been aware and our current management are also aware of the problem

Looking at our squad, my view is that we appear to be slightly stronger than before.

The defence is certainly much stronger. Givet for me is class and if Samba can iron out his early mis-form they could be one of the stirling centre back partnerships in the league, strongly supported by Salgado, Chimbonda, Jacobsen and Nelsen whilst also supplemented by Reid, Emerton and Olsson (plus Zurab if he is around this time next week).

The midfield is the major question. Can Dunny, Emerton and Reid remain fit ? Can Grella continue to improve ? Can NZonzi become our shining light ? Can MGP become MGP of old ? Will Andrews EVER win over the Ewood faithful ? On paper and if fit, Rovers have a solid central midfield albeit they do lack the art of creativity. Workmanship wont ever be a problem because we have seen Grella in action, breaking up play, we have seen NZonzi settle in and become a potential major signing, we know both Reid and Emerton are capable of solid performances in this league but sadly we all know the case of keith Andrews, the midfielder who just cannot seem to cut it amongst the Ewood faithful. MGP is frustrating, in and out of games, he is capable of the sublime whilst he is also capable of the ridiculous basic errors. Diouf is also an enigma, good but bad it seems but clearly capable and able to produce skill when required.

The front men are a set of interesting players. McCarthy CAN be class but also can be just a lazy cannot be arsed footballer who couldnt care less. Roberts can be on the end of the most easiest of chances BUT then miss the target altogether. Kalinic has shown touches but needs to get fit and score an early career goal. di Santo clearly has the swagger of a Chelsea player who could be a quality signing. Hoilet looks to be a star in the making whilst I havent really any knowledge about Elrio, our South African signing from Belgium.

If ONLY Rovers could have seen the way to making that central midfield berth a priority we could have seen Rovers being a well equipped team. We are now of course, but it seems a little tinkering is needed and the injury list needs shortening as well.

When we have a full fit squad it looks healthy. When we havent it looks a little bit thin. Despite this, the players onboard should easily be capable of ensuring that we dont need to fight a relegation battle this season.

A week on Saturday should see Rovers with a full squad available. The team sheet should make interesting reading.....

[AJW]

A player of santa cruz's quality is always gonna be a big loss to blackburn , however i think we lost him a long time before his transfer to city, tugay is a legend , but his ability to control a game had gone , he had flashes of brilliance periodically , but did often go missing is some games , those are the only 2 players that have left this season that we are going to miss ,i would have loved to have signed a natural LB to replace warnock but , overall i think we are better than last season , we also have a better manager , yes , some games are goin to be dull , and sometimes BFS is gonna leave all scratchin our heads , but i fully expect rovers to be in and around mid-table .................and kalinic and N'zonzi are gonna be stars!

[thenodrog]

Money - We had £16m debt, we finished 15th therefore losing £2.5m on places and we also had topay Ince etc off for £3m. Thats almost £22m debts.

Untill I see that in black and white I will refuse to believe it.