[Archived] Sam's January Targets

[BRFC1995]

di santo did a great job of playing his price down tonight

clinical finisher whatever their age has to be the priority followed by pace on the wings

starting to get depressing that every time a window comes around i'm pleased more by shipping out deadwood than i am by new signings, andrews, grella,benni,peds,salgado,van heerden,roberts, quite possibly even kalinic which is hugely disappointing ( with cup games 15 to 16 games into a season and he's been seen as either not ready or not good enough by the management and had zero impact)

[Iceman]

di santo did a great job of playing his price down tonight

clinical finisher whatever their age has to be the priority followed by pace on the wings

starting to get depressing that every time a window comes around i'm pleased more by shipping out deadwood than i am by new signings, andrews, grella,benni,peds,salgado,van heerden,roberts, quite possibly even kalinic which is hugely disappointing ( with cup games 15 to 16 games into a season and he's been seen as either not ready or not good enough by the management and had zero impact)

Kalinic and Benni i would keep. The rest i agree with, although having watched Roberts last night i thought he could still do a job for us. Midfield is still a huge problem, with it just being way to slow.

[Miker]

Despite the problems that we've all highlighted about the midfield, I actually think that now that we have N'zonzi and Grella is fit we have enough options in the centre, especially if Dunn plays there too. I always said Dunn and Grella is a strong midfield pairing. On the other hand, our wingers are terrible. Despite Emerton being decent there, we definitely need someone better than Pedersen or Diouf on the left. So I would like a much better and faster winger brought in. Emerton is quite fast, so another quick winger will strengthen the team a lot. All other areas of the team are fairly decent, they just need to gel.

[bubblerrovers]

Despite the problems that we've all highlighted about the midfield, I actually think that now that we have N'zonzi and Grella is fit we have enough options in the centre, especially if Dunn plays there too. I always said Dunn and Grella is a strong midfield pairing. On the other hand, our wingers are terrible. Despite Emerton being decent there, we definitely need someone better than Pedersen or Diouf on the left. So I would like a much better and faster winger brought in. Emerton is quite fast, so another quick winger will strengthen the team a lot. All other areas of the team are fairly decent, they just need to gel.

Dunn and Grella is not a strong midfield pairing, there can be no arguement. Just watch last nights game, Grella is ok, prob a good championship player, Agree with everything else you've said tho

[LeChuck]

On the other hand, what are the odds the board will hold up money for January sales because of a perception that we've wasted it on Salgado and Elrio?

That would be incredibly harsh.

If the board are going to force Sam into dealing in free transfers to plug holes in the squad then they have to expect the odd dud to arrive.

[Amo]

If the board are going to force Sam into dealing in free transfers to plug holes in the squad then they have to expect the odd dud to arrive.

What Rovers manager hasn't signed the odd dud or two? Salgado & Elrio hardly broke the bank in terms of transfer fees.

As for someone suggesting we offload Kalinic... WTF? He's a young investment who has yet to receive the consistency to prove himself. To cut our losses at this stage is absolutely ludicrous!

[Jackson]

Said this in another thread but I will here, if I was in charge of Rovers I'd do everything in my power to bring back Bentley, sell Diouf, Pedersen, Andrews and Reid and get him in.

He could change the whole team and be perfect for Di Santo.

Shame he wouldn't come back even if we could afford.

Couldn't agree more. 4 out, 1 in.

[LeChuck]

So then we'd have a midfield of Bentley, Emerton, Grella, N'Zonzi, Dunn and Van Heerden. Doran and Treacy would almost certainly have to come back.

I'm not sure how anyone could expect us to survive, especially with Grella and Dunn being injury prone.

Anyway, don't we need central/left sided players instead of a right winger? Along with Dunn, Emerton is probably our strongest midfielder at the moment, it's the rest (except N'Zonzi) that need replacing.

[Blue blood]

Jury's still out on Grella. Apparently first half he was excellent, second half very poor. Regardless no one will buy him so he has to be part of our plans.

For me cm is decently covered, depending on what formation we use. Grella & Dunn is too static, but in the 4-4-1-1, either player with Emerton would be a decent combination. Factor in N'Zonzi and encourage him to get forward a bit more, then we could well be ok there.

The big problem is the wings. Diouf and Pedersen have been unimpressive, meaning Emerton has to play out wide. If this is the case, the midfield in the centre looks rather thin. A couple, or even one good wide player would mean we could keep Emo in the centre where he's best. Buying in a cm would mean emo definately pushed to the wings, which would mean we'd be settling for mediocracy rather then good players out wide (albeit still an improvement on Diouf and Peds). Also Emo isn't that creative and what we really need is another creative player other than Dunn. This again would be easier to find in a wide player than in the centre midfield positions.

[mellison24]

We all know Roberts isn't a finisher. So getting some dosh for him and bringing in a free, younger version (Ellington) to perform the same role isn't too bad an idea. I would look at offloading Treacy to Sheff Utd for a half-decent fee (maybe 200k? bit more?). I'd offload Pedersen and Diouf and use that transfer money to bring in Ibricic for the left wing. After that, I'm not so sure, so lets get rummaging in the Bargain bin. On the subject of DiSanto, Ancelotti refuses to let Borini go, so with Anelka, Sturridge and Borini available in January, maybe he'd let us keep DiSanto on loan? Or even sell him to us?

[BrownieFC]

In regards to reo-cocker isn't Sam well known for getting the best out of stroppy young players that like to have hissy fits.

[unluckymorton]

di santo did a great job of playing his price down tonight

clinical finisher whatever their age has to be the priority followed by pace on the wings

starting to get depressing that every time a window comes around i'm pleased more by shipping out deadwood than i am by new signings, andrews, grella,benni,peds,salgado,van heerden,roberts, quite possibly even kalinic which is hugely disappointing ( with cup games 15 to 16 games into a season and he's been seen as either not ready or not good enough by the management and had zero impact)

We're 12 games into the season and Kalanic has has minimal chance to impress. He wasn't match fit when he joined us and now needs to get up to the pace of the Premier League. If he was the finished article and ready to walk into a Premier League team and score goals every week he would have cost an extra £10m.

[Amo]

In regards to reo-cocker isn't Sam well known for getting the best out of stroppy young players that like to have hissy fits.

Savage, Bellamy, Bentley. None of them came to Rovers with the most placid reputation, but they all worked a treat for Rovers.

[Miker]

Ok look... everyone is basically saying Grella is poor because of the second half showing. They either disregard the first half or say that because in the second half he was poor, that cancels out his good aspects.

So what about the rest of the team in the second half? I mean, honestly? Are people really that desperate that they need to point at Andrews and Grella at every chance possible to pinpoint where we lost? Our midfield was sent into disarray due to the long ball tactics that were employed in the second half and suddenly the entire team became useless. Diouf was clearly poor, Robinson was clearly at fault for the first goal. Grella and Andrews being poor though for ONE half seems to be symptomatic of a drop in performance throughout the team, not in individual players.

If people honestly want to point at Grella and say he is "poor" or just "ok" based on 45 minutes then they are fooling themselves. Yes there can be an argument for Dunn and Grella being a strong midfield pairing. Dunn is our most creative player and Grella is fantastic defensively. Our problem is that if Dunn gets marked out of the game then our other two creative players (the wingers) are awful and need replacing. Emerton can do the job though, but if he's injured... well, we need to bring in two more wingers. Otherwise Hoilett or Van Heerden need to be ready to play.

[4ever&ever]

I'd be very happy with Reo Coker as he would surely add quality to our side.

[broadsword]

So then we'd have a midfield of Bentley, Emerton, Grella, N'Zonzi, Dunn and Van Heerden. Doran and Treacy would almost certainly have to come back.

I'm not sure how anyone could expect us to survive, especially with Grella and Dunn being injury prone.

Anyway, don't we need central/left sided players instead of a right winger? Along with Dunn, Emerton is probably our strongest midfielder at the moment, it's the rest (except N'Zonzi) that need replacing.

The squad is terribly weak and it's a question of "who do we keep?" rather than "who should we get rid of?"

[Steve Moss]

Andrea Dossena will allegedly be sold by Benitez. Is he decent and, more importanly, affordable?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/2437947/Paper-View-Football-news-rumours-headlines.html

[LeChuck]

The squad is terribly weak and it's a question of "who do we keep?" rather than "who should we get rid of?"

Can't argue with that. I'd say Dunn, Emerton and N'Zonzi are the only 'keeps' - I'd be happy to lose the rest of them and get new players in.

[broadsword]

Chimbonda and Givet I'd say also worth keeping. Samba and McCarthy.

Hoillet is determined to go otherwise I'd keep him. van Heerden we haven't even seen anything of. Doran?

Can't think of anyone else?

Got to be the weakest squad for years.

[LeChuck]

Ah sorry, I was just on about midfielders there. Personnel wise, I think we'd struggle to improve the defence. Strikers are an obvious problem but they're so hard to find for a reasonable price.

[Tom]

Lol I was about to question you're sanity till I saw your second post.

In theory our defence is decent enough but we are shipping goals, Chimbonda and Jacobsen have both been bright points of the season so far though.

We have to get at least one good winger in January so we can stop relying solely on Dunn for creativity.

[Steve Moss]

Can't argue with that. I'd say Dunn, Emerton and N'Zonzi are the only 'keeps' - I'd be happy to lose the rest of them and get new players in.

Mid-season is a bad time to shake up the squad, but I think some changes need to be made in January. I think the entire premier league is in a transitory stage, not just us. Next year the opposition will be fiercer and we'll have to be ready to face it.

Our first team (per Wikipedia):

1 GK Paul Robinson: Despite an occassional bad game, he is an outstanding keeper and we need him.

2 DF Lars Jacobsen: Consistently good.

4 DF Christopher Samba: A star.

5 DF Gaël Givet: Consistently good.

6 DF Ryan Nelsen (captain): Good, but getting older, making errors. Keep him but we need to start winding him down.

7 MF Brett Emerton: Injury prone. He should only be kept on a contract that contemplates his availability for 20 games/season.

8 MF David Dunn (vice-captain): A star.

9 FW Jason Roberts: A most a sub player to defend a lead and worry defenders. If he can't accept that role, sell him.

10 FW Benni McCarthy: Skilled but lazy with an over-inflated opinion of himself. Sell him.

11 MF Vince Grella: Consistently good.

12 MF Morten Gamst Pedersen: No drive, no ambition and no heart. Sell him.

15 MF Steven Nzonzi: A star in the making.

17 MF Keith Andrews: I like Keith, but he should be a substitute only. If we can get a decent fee, sell him.

18 MF El Hadji Diouf: Skilled but disruptive and has an over-inflated opinion of himself. Sell him.

20 MF Elrio van Heerden: One for the future, I think. Jury is still out.

21 DF Martin Olsson: Ditto.

22 FW Nikola Kalinić: I think he's coming along well. Should get a run of games as a starter. I think he's a star in the making.

23 FW David Hoilett: He might be a star in the making but he's not for us. Sell him and minimize our losses.

26 FW Franco Di Santo (on loan from Chelsea): Buying him should be one of two objective this January. A star in the making.

27 DF Míchel Salgado: I only have seen him a few times, but I have a good feeling about this player. Keep him.

28 DF Phil Jones: A star in the making who deserves some game time.

29 DF Gavin Gunning: No opinion.

32 GK Jason Brown: No opinion.

34 GK Frank Fielding: No opinion.

39 DF Pascal Chimbonda: Consistently good.

The only players who must go, IMO, are Reid (not listed above as he is off budget [i assume] at QPR), MGP, EHD, Hoilett, and McCarthy. Roberts and Andrews are maybes, considering their desire to stay a Rover (Roberts' issue) and the cash we could get for selling them (Andrews' issue). Our first goal should be keeping Di Santo and our second should be getting a pacey left side player. The other problems can be dealt with in the summer (such as Rigters and other fringe players).

[mellison24]

Savage, Bellamy, Bentley. None of them came to Rovers with the most placid reputation, but they all worked a treat for Rovers.

Add Todd, Dickov and Neill to that lot.

[Amo]

11 MF Vince Grella: Consistently *injured.

* Fixed.

[Tom]

Mid-season is a bad time to shake up the squad, but I think some changes need to be made in January. I think the entire premier league is in a transitory stage, not just us. Next year the opposition will be fiercer and we'll have to be ready to face it.

Our first team (per Wikipedia):

1 GK Paul Robinson: Despite an occassional bad game, he is an outstanding keeper and we need him.

2 DF Lars Jacobsen: Consistently good.

4 DF Christopher Samba: A star.

5 DF Gaël Givet: Consistently good.

6 DF Ryan Nelsen (captain): Good, but getting older, making errors. Keep him but we need to start winding him down.

7 MF Brett Emerton: Injury prone. He should only be kept on a contract that contemplates his availability for 20 games/season.

8 MF David Dunn (vice-captain): A star.

9 FW Jason Roberts: A most a sub player to defend a lead and worry defenders. If he can't accept that role, sell him.

10 FW Benni McCarthy: Skilled but lazy with an over-inflated opinion of himself. Sell him.

11 MF Vince Grella: Consistently good.

12 MF Morten Gamst Pedersen: No drive, no ambition and no heart. Sell him.

15 MF Steven Nzonzi: A star in the making.

17 MF Keith Andrews: I like Keith, but he should be a substitute only. If we can get a decent fee, sell him.

18 MF El Hadji Diouf: Skilled but disruptive and has an over-inflated opinion of himself. Sell him.

20 MF Elrio van Heerden: One for the future, I think. Jury is still out.

21 DF Martin Olsson: Ditto.

22 FW Nikola Kalinić: I think he's coming along well. Should get a run of games as a starter. I think he's a star in the making.

23 FW David Hoilett: He might be a star in the making but he's not for us. Sell him and minimize our losses.

26 FW Franco Di Santo (on loan from Chelsea): Buying him should be one of two objective this January. A star in the making.

27 DF Míchel Salgado: I only have seen him a few times, but I have a good feeling about this player. Keep him.

28 DF Phil Jones: A star in the making who deserves some game time.

29 DF Gavin Gunning: No opinion.

32 GK Jason Brown: No opinion.

34 GK Frank Fielding: No opinion.

39 DF Pascal Chimbonda: Consistently good.

The only players who must go, IMO, are Reid (not listed above as he is off budget [i assume] at QPR), MGP, EHD, Hoilett, and McCarthy. Roberts and Andrews are maybes, considering their desire to stay a Rover (Roberts' issue) and the cash we could get for selling them (Andrews' issue). Our first goal should be keeping Di Santo and our second should be getting a pacey left side player. The other problems can be dealt with in the summer (such as Rigters and other fringe players).

I agree with most of these but is Emerton really injury prone? Until his knee he hadn't really missed that much had he?