[Archived] Sam's January Targets

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Not bothered whether anyone else is better off Nicko. We are worse off. Terrible management weakening an already shot shy "strike" force.

To be frank, I'm disgusted in Rovers. Amateurish to say the least. What is there to look forward to between now and the end of the season?

Should be interesting going to the Turf with that strike force.

We are very marginally worse off. You're disgusted? what, that we failed to sign Benjani or Dindane???????? If this had been another Bellamy or Roque then fine, but Benjani?? Dindane?? they're useless. We dodged two bullets there.

What is there to look forward to? well the same as what we had to look forward to before the West Ham game.

[den]

A lot of people seem to think that there were only Dindane and Benjani available from the whole footballing world. Because we didn't sign either of those two doesn't mean we have done well.

Incompetence from my club.

[ebenrocks]

I hate to say it but we almost need to be in a relegation battle to get some money off the Trust. I think that because we manage to stay up every season they just think that there is no need to give a decent transfer budget coz we've managed before without it. If we get stuck in a proper gnarly relegation battle towards the end of the season, it will scare the Trust shitless and may help guarentee us a decent budget come the summer. Not sure its worth the risk though.

I just cant see any other way to get money off them. Tight @#/?s.

I can almost guarantee that come July we will have a transfer budget that equates to the grand old duke of f**k all and next season we will struggle again.

[Guest Kamy100]

Like who? Do you really consider Dindane or Benjani worthy replacments for Benni?

I certainley do not!!!

Given the calibur of players available during the window I for one am glad we saved the cash, those harping on about how great McCarthey was need to start remembering that he wanted to leave, he made that very clear.

Once it goes that far the club and manager can do very little else, the 2million will come in very handy in the summer when we will be on the lookout for more reinforcments.

It is a loss, not a major one like some suggest though.

Allardyce would get slated by 50% of this board whatever he did during the transfer window.

I am not saying that the are adequate replacements (although Dindane's pace would have given us something different), what I am saying is that Benni should not have been sold until we had signed a replacement. We are now weaker in upfront. What really surprises me is that I thought that Sam had a replacement lined up when he kept saying that Benni would be sold if an adequate offer was received.

For me personally Rovers have dropped the ball on this one.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Abysmal stuff how Can you sell benni and nt replace him at all

if we were to go down now it would be deserved IMO

The money will be gone in summer

UNBELIEVEABLE

Astonishing that there are so many people who think like this. WE WERE ALMOST LUMBERED WITH DINDANE/BENJANI/BEATTIE!!!!!!!!! That would have been far far far worse.

You think we deserve to go down because of that?

People seem to be so quick to have a pop at the manager/board these days. Instead of actually looking around at the market and at other teams, they seem to be determined to lay this down at the feet of Sam. THERE WAS NOBODY TO BUY.

If you rather the club had just bought any journeyman striker to act as a replacement for Benni then fine, I personally am glad that we didnt buy complete dross and saved money for a better player in the summer. Some people need to get a grip.

[Gamst]

I'm somewhat aghast that we have failed to sign a striker! We have known for several months that Benni wanted out and we have known for a good while that West Ham were willing takers. How long do we need to find a replacement? If you fail, cancel the sale! We never seem to have anything to cheer us up during these damn transfer windows! We have 1 decent striker now in Kalinic. Roberts is a carthorse and Di Santo is not really ready for the prem. We also have the likes of Hoilett, who has much to learn and is not really a striker and EHD who was once a poor striker and is now a complete waste of space. Thankfully, there are other even worse teams than us in the Premiership so we will probably not get relegated. Hardly gets the juices flowing though. I would like to think that the money made from selling Benni and the wages saved will be available in the summer, but we all know that this will not happen. The money will be absorbed by the banks and will be forgotten about. Whilst this is dissapointing, its typical of many clubs nowadays and if the money means we continue to exist as a going concern, then so be it. Id say role on the summer, but we will no doubt be dissapointed in the next window also. I suppose we should all take solace that we are not in the same predicament as Pompey!

2 questions for Nicko: Firstly, How do Man City complete deals at 5.45pm when we are not allowed to complete the Dindane deal? They did this with Benjani a few years back also. Secondly, do you think Sam will be on the lookout for out of contract strikers that can still join the club now the transfer window is shut?

[Manchester Blue]

Not bothered whether anyone else is better off Nicko. We are worse off. Terrible management weakening an already shot shy "strike" force.

To be frank, I'm disgusted in Rovers. Amateurish to say the least. What is there to look forward to between now and the end of the season?

Should be interesting going to the Turf with that strike force.

We panned them at home with the same squad so why should it be so 'interesting'? They are arguably in a far worse state than we are compared to the last match.

[den]

We panned them at home with the same squad so why should it be so 'interesting'? They are arguably in a far worse state than we are compared to the last match.

We'll see. We're playing them away, not at home. Can't see how we're going to score many at the turf or anywhere else away from home for that matter MB.

[Tom]

UNBELIEVEABLE

Astonishing that there are so many people who think like this. WE WERE ALMOST LUMBERED WITH DINDANE/BENJANI/BEATTIE!!!!!!!!! That would have been far far far worse.

You think we deserve to go down because of that? that there were no decent strikers around for us to purchase???

I'm sorry I didn't realise only your opinion counts around here

Sam said he wouldn't sell benni till we had a replacement. Where is it?

[LeChuck]

Surely it's only bad if Kalinic receives a long term injury, Basturk turns out to add nothing and Dunn can't get himself fit again?

As long as those three things don't happen then we're fine, McCarthy would have been on the bench anyway.

[vyeo]

I think we are over-reacting... somewhat. This is not an ideal situation, but it is far from a disaster. The likeliest scenario for the next four months is that we will muddle through somehow. This means that it is effectively status quo; we will not hit the dizzying heights of Hughes' tenure, though we are also unlikely to degenerate to the pits such as during Kidd's time in charge. This is of course not good for us - the fans - because we've been spoilt by the relative success under Souness and Hughes. But these are different times, the nightmare that was Ince has put us back a decade and staying in this league is our priority now. While I am fairly confident we will survive, the sad thing is that survival is mainly because there are at least three teams worse than us and not because of our merits. The failure to add a striker and Benni's exit also means that the stage is set for Sam to persist with his one striker rubbish - hoofing long balls up to Kalinic. This is ineffective because Kalinic is simply not equipped to play that role physically, and not because of his technical failings. In fact, he has shown a world-class first touch on several occasions, including once against West Ham. He also reminds me of Jansen, but I digress.

From an analytical point of view, we probably have enough people to fill the striker's spot vacated by Benni - Diouf, Hoilett and Peds can all play there to some extent if needed. Basturk and/or Dunn could also play off the striker in the hole. If we can get Grella fit and keep Reid fit, I would not be averse to seeing something like Kalinic upfront, Dunn/Basturk behind him, Grella, Reid, the new-old Peds and Emo in midfield. The ultra-optimistic amongst us (though there are not many) could even see this as a chance for a Di Santo-Kalinic pairing that we've been crying out for, although there is no evidence that the expert is thinking this way.

The negatives are of course that Andrews and Roberts remain at the club. Its not Andrews' fault that he's at the club, but that does not mean he's not rubbish. It is also not his fault that he is picked, so if he plays, its Sam's fault as far as I am concerned. It was also most certainly his fault to reject Fulham's bid for Andrews in the summer. Roberts is infuriating, but he can pop up with the odd goal, so better Roberts than no one for now.

The real test for the club is the summer. We need to massively reshape the squad. There is an opportunity because there will be a substantial amount of wages saved from exiting players who are out of contract. But the board must also make some funds available if we are to do so significantly, though the prospects for such a scenario is bleak to say the least. There is also some chance that Sam could go, though perhaps I'm saying this out of hope than genuine belief. (As a supporter, my belief is that we need to lose Sam to move ahead.)

But for now, we have to, in Souness' words, "wee with the willy we've got" because like it or not, we're stuck with what we have. So cheer the team on, those of you in England, and we who are not will do likewise in spirit. And remember, things could be worse. We could be Burnley (or Portsmouth, for that matter).

[super_arran]

I'm sorry I didn't realise only your opinion counts around here

Sam said he wouldn't sell benni till we had a replacement. Where is it?

I'm sure he said that he wouldn't sell benni til the price was right, can't remember him saying anything about a replacement before we sold. Link?

[Hi Mack]

UNBELIEVEABLE

Astonishing that there are so many people who think like this. WE WERE ALMOST LUMBERED WITH DINDANE/BENJANI/BEATTIE!!!!!!!!! That would have been far far far worse.

You think we deserve to go down because of that?

People seem to be so quick to have a pop at the manager/board these days. Instead of actually looking around at the market and at other teams, they seem to be determined to lay this down at the feet of Sam. THERE WAS NOBODY TO BUY.

If you rather the club had just bought any journeyman striker to act as a replacement for Benni then fine, I personally am glad that we didnt buy complete dross and saved money for a better player in the summer. Some people need to get a grip.

UNBELIEVEABLE that you think there are only 3 strikers available in the world.....What are our scouts actually doing?

Fair play they found Nzonzi but surely we should have been looking for a replacement for Benni months ago!

Benjani-Dindane and Beattie hardly take alot of "scouting"! Wigan seem to have come up trumps in this window!

[den]

I'm sure he said that he wouldn't sell benni til the price was right

He said he wouldn't sell Benni until the financial and footballing side of things were right.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

A lot of people seem to think that there were only Dindane and Benjani available from the whole footballing world. Because we didn't sign either of those two doesn't mean we have done well.

Incompetence from my club.

Please tell me who else we could have bought as you clearly know more then the club does about these things. You'd rather we had gone for Mido? or Healy? There was nobody who moved today that would have been in our price range and improved the squad.

None of us truly know who else was available so lets assume that Dindane/Benjani were the best we could have gotten, instead of jumping to the conclusion that our club is incompetent and that they should have done miles better, when quite frankly you dont have a clue.

[saxo1man30]

i think no transfer budget in the summer and many will get their wish, i reckon sam will walk having felt he`d done all he can with rovers and can`t progress us beyond keeping us up every season. if that happens we will be in poo street big time with the likes of o`driscoll, ian dowie and gary johnson the standard of likely replacement for sam.

[LeChuck]

He said he wouldn't sell Benni until the financial and footballing side of things were right.

All sounds like he's happy with Basturk as a replacement then, which seems to make perfect sense given the role that Benni has been playing anyway.

[joey_big_nose]

Surely it's only bad if Kalinic receives a long term injury, Basturk turns out to add nothing and Dunn can't get himself fit again?

As long as those three things don't happen then we're fine, McCarthy would have been on the bench anyway.

The issue is really that those three things are not that unlikely. However Di Santo is here also. Hopefully he can find some form in front of goal.

[den]

All sounds like he's happy with Basturk as a replacement then,

Well not really LeChuck. Benni wasn't a midfielder, he was a goalscorer. If he had been happy with Basturk, he wouldn't have been trying for another striker.

[Esulx]

Sky Sports are reporting that Benjani is about to be unveiled as a Sunderland player.

[Mr. E]

I think we are over-reacting... somewhat. This is not an ideal situation, but it is far from a disaster. The likeliest scenario for the next four months is that we will muddle through somehow. This means that it is effectively status quo; we will not hit the dizzying heights of Hughes' tenure, though we are also unlikely to degenerate to the pits such as during Kidd's time in charge. This is of course not good for us - the fans - because we've been spoilt by the relative success under Souness and Hughes. But these are different times, the nightmare that was Ince has put us back a decade and staying in this league is our priority now. While I am fairly confident we will survive, the sad thing is that survival is mainly because there are at least three teams worse than us and not because of our merits. The failure to add a striker and Benni's exit also means that the stage is set for Sam to persist with his one striker rubbish - hoofing long balls up to Kalinic. This is ineffective because Kalinic is simply not equipped to play that role physically, and not because of his technical failings. In fact, he has shown a world-class first touch on several occasions, including once against West Ham. He also reminds me of Jansen, but I digress.

From an analytical point of view, we probably have enough people to fill the striker's spot vacated by Benni - Diouf, Hoilett and Peds can all play there to some extent if needed. Basturk and/or Dunn could also play off the striker in the hole. If we can get Grella fit and keep Reid fit, I would not be averse to seeing something like Kalinic upfront, Dunn/Basturk behind him, Grella, Reid, the new-old Peds and Emo in midfield. The ultra-optimistic amongst us (though there are not many) could even see this as a chance for a Di Santo-Kalinic pairing that we've been crying out for, although there is no evidence that the expert is thinking this way.

The negatives are of course that Andrews and Roberts remain at the club. Its not Andrews' fault that he's at the club, but that does not mean he's not rubbish. It is also not his fault that he is picked, so if he plays, its Sam's fault as far as I am concerned. It was also most certainly his fault to reject Fulham's bid for Andrews in the summer. Roberts is infuriating, but he can pop up with the odd goal, so better Roberts than no one for now.

The real test for the club is the summer. We need to massively reshape the squad. There is an opportunity because there will be a substantial amount of wages saved from exiting players who are out of contract. But the board must also make some funds available if we are to do so significantly, though the prospects for such a scenario is bleak to say the least. There is also some chance that Sam could go, though perhaps I'm saying this out of hope than genuine belief. (As a supporter, my belief is that we need to lose Sam to move ahead.)

But for now, we have to, in Souness' words, "wee with the willy we've got" because like it or not, we're stuck with what we have. So cheer the team on, those of you in England, and we who are not will do likewise in spirit. And remember, things could be worse. We could be Burnley (or Portsmouth, for that matter).

very good post.

I especially would like to see Di Santo and Kalinic play together upfront in a 4-4-2, but why oh why must we continue to suffer with Diouf is beyond me. We don't have that bad of a squad, but we need the right formation and the right choices.

[super_arran]

He said he wouldn't sell Benni until the financial and footballing side of things were right.

Basturk? Afterall benni has been playing as the second striker/dunn's role for the past few appearances

[Tom]

Maybe it will all work out if Basturk proves a success but I still cannot see the footballing logic by selling someone liking McCarthy and not replacing him.

It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't obvious the money will now disappear.

And if I hear the phrase keeping the powder dry I will cry

[jim mk2]

Middlesbrough have signed strikers Scott McDonald from Celtic and Lee Miller from Aberdeen.

McDonald would have been worth a gamble for the right fee.

[mellison24]

I'm personally glad that we didn't get some more dross in. Sam said he'd wait until the price was right to sell McCarthy. I am yet to see where he said 'we'll only sell when we have a replacement lined up' though.....link anybody?

Even so, I think we are in a much better position. We've saved wages, acquired 2million, got rid of someone who'd have become a bad influence if he couldn't move, brought in Basturk (pay as you play) and Linganzi (potential). That is a successful window compared to most other teams in the Prem.

To say it is a bad thing to not replace Benni is a bit silly imo. We play one up front anyway. 3 strikers for one position is a decent position to be in.

I'm not complaining. I think we've done well this window, considering what could have happened.