[Archived] Summer Transfer Topic

[Doaksie]

Is Sam still doing his World Cup work for Al Jazeera Sports in the middle east, hence his reason for being there, or has that now finished and he's enjoying a well-earned break on the beach?

Something tells me a certain Mr Raul is in Dubai checking out the possibility of a move there, and Sam has decided to stay an extra few days to regail him with glorious tales of the defence splitting passes he could be receiving from Keiith Andrews next year?? Just an idea.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Who cares? Don't read too much into it, he wasn't around for the first week of training last preseason either, it doesn't mean it's time to stay up all night fretting.

[Gav]

Does nobody else think that Sam's behaviour (apparently courting the Dubai move, taking an extra week off and bemoaning takeovers and lack of transfer funds) is displaying a certain lack of commitment (or maybe even respect) to Rovers?

Typical of the man, self publicist, uses the media to bulls**t himself up.

No surprise surely?

[gumboots]

Does nobody else think that Sam's behaviour (apparently courting the Dubai move, taking an extra week off and bemoaning takeovers and lack of transfer funds) is displaying a certain lack of commitment (or maybe even respect) to Rovers?

It depends to some extent on his motivation. If he's trying to get things moving for Rovers then no. However, if his motivation is to get himself out of Rovers then yes, he is being very disrespectful. It must be frustrating for him, but then a lot of us face frustration in our jobs but we are very circumspect in what we say and who we say it to. WE don't go shouting from the rooftops that we're fed up, especially if our current employer had treated us well andthe cause of the frustration is largely beyond their control.

[LDRover]

Who cares? Don't read too much into it, he wasn't around for the first week of training last preseason either, it doesn't mean it's time to stay up all night fretting.

No fretting from me ADB, I'm sure he'll do as he pleases.

I just find it a tad disappointing to read, especially when you consider how he was presiding over a team that couldn't buy a win in the middle of the last campaign.

[Brfcrule1]

Nicko, just a couple of points that need clearing up it says in today's LET it says he is working continuously to bring in a striker then it says:

I have been in touch with our head of player recruitment Martyn Glover and Neil McDonald while taking a break to see what the situation is regarding the one key player we are looking for.

"Unfortunately that hasn’t managed to materialise at the moment.

do I take it from that one player he has identified is in Dubai & discussions are ongoing if so any idea who the key player in question is?.

then it says: We are at a situation where we have to commit to someone otherwise what will happen is we will end up with nobody. Or we will end up with someone that is not good enough out of desperation.

This statement to me says we have got so many targets but have not decided who to go for and might end up with one striker out of desperation is he indicating a move for Benjani by saying desperation?.

Then it says: The Rovers boss has identified a couple of possible targets and is expected to keep making enquiries over the next few days.

Allardyce said: “It is like everything else. You have got to try and move forward even though it might not be the right time for the football club financially.

That says to me he knows who he wants but is unsure because if a takeover happens we might then be lumbered?. Am I right in my assumptions here?.

Then it says: “You have to trust that we will make the budget right at the end of the transfer window by shifting around the player we need to shift if that player becomes available.

“It is taking the gamble and then if it is above what you wanted to pay then you take the responsibility as a manager to put that right.

"As a manager I have never not put it right, if you look at my record at every club I have been at.”

By this it indicates he knows the player he wants will be expensive but if we spend over and above the budget trust him to balance the books later when shifting players around this indicates he would like either Guti/Raul and if we get either in he would adjust the books accortdingly and let some players go to accomodate this is that the thinking behind this statement?. Please clarify thanks.

[roversam]

you cant blame sam for watching his back.

After his health scare the lure of the millions and a relaxed lifestyle in Dubai could well appeal.

It was only 6months ago people were foaming at the mouth wanting him out. Remember the vitriol after City away.

Sam knows things can turn quickly. There is a section who don't like his style of play and will turn quickly if results don't go our way.

If we dont strengthen the squad then a struggle is likely.

With the takeover there is a lot of uncertainty, Chelsea and City have benefited but for Westham, Utd, Liverpool and Pompey it has been a disaster. The new owners may well want their own man he has been bitten by that bug before

[Fylde Coast Fan]

Does nobody else think that Sam's behaviour (apparently courting the Dubai move, taking an extra week off and bemoaning takeovers and lack of transfer funds) is displaying a certain lack of commitment (or maybe even respect) to Rovers?

Not really. Players, managers and clubs are constantly playing games with each other to get what they want. Sam and Rovers will only ever be a marriage of convenience - I'm sure he's not forgotten that he was passed up first time around, only for our board to come crawling back when Ince turned out to be a disaster. We need a safe pair of hands and he needed a job to rebuild his shattered reputation after Newcastle.

Now he's angling to get some money to spend before all his targets move elsewhere. If the club aren't willing to spend at all in pre-season then he's got to chance his arm, because if we're bottom at Christmas he's the one who'll be out of a job.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Actually i am happy the board have told Sam that we can't go for a striker or midfielder yet due to takeover talks, especially if the options are Guti and Raul.

The whole 'Sam plea for a striker to be brought in now- he will balance the books later' sounds like bad management to me, especially if the wage budget is as dire as JW makes out. It also pretty much guarantees that we would have to sell one of our best players in January or in the following summer to fill that wage gap, something we shouldn't be doing if we are trying push on.

The prospect of bringing in a couple of veterans and then having to sell someone like Samba or Jones to pay for their wages is not one i would look forward to and i doubt many others.

[John]

something we shouldn't be doing if we are trying push on.

Trying to push on? How on earth is that going to happen when we only have around £2 million to spend.

Under Sparky and now Sam, the main reason we have excelled in recent times has been because of top class management. There are not many decent managers around so we should we grateful when we have one.

Personal opinion of course, however, when Sam leaves we are going to be well and truly in the sh*t (with our current financial resources).

[nicko]

Nicko, just a couple of points that need clearing up it says in today's LET it says he is working continuously to bring in a striker then it says:

I have been in touch with our head of player recruitment Martyn Glover and Neil McDonald while taking a break to see what the situation is regarding the one key player we are looking for.

"Unfortunately that hasn’t managed to materialise at the moment.

do I take it from that one player he has identified is in Dubai & discussions are ongoing if so any idea who the key player in question is?.

THE MANAGER WANTS A STRIKER...BUT AS THERE IS NO MONEY JUST NOW AND A LOT OF DOUBT ABOUT SO MANY THINGS HE HAS DECIDED TO TAKE A FURTHER BREAK...I DON'T THINK HE HAS ONE SPECIFIC TARGET ON HIS MIND...JUST A LOT OF ANNOYANCE ABOUT THE LACK OF ACTIVITY.

then it says: We are at a situation where we have to commit to someone otherwise what will happen is we will end up with nobody. Or we will end up with someone that is not good enough out of desperation.

This statement to me says we have got so many targets but have not decided who to go for and might end up with one striker out of desperation is he indicating a move for Benjani by saying desperation?.

Then it says: The Rovers boss has identified a couple of possible targets and is expected to keep making enquiries over the next few days.

Allardyce said: “It is like everything else. You have got to try and move forward even though it might not be the right time for the football club financially.

That says to me he knows who he wants but is unsure because if a takeover happens we might then be lumbered?. Am I right in my assumptions here?.

Then it says: “You have to trust that we will make the budget right at the end of the transfer window by shifting around the player we need to shift if that player becomes available.

“It is taking the gamble and then if it is above what you wanted to pay then you take the responsibility as a manager to put that right.

"As a manager I have never not put it right, if you look at my record at every club I have been at.”

By this it indicates he knows the player he wants will be expensive but if we spend over and above the budget trust him to balance the books later when shifting players around this indicates he would like either Guti/Raul and if we get either in he would adjust the books accortdingly and let some players go to accomodate this is that the thinking behind this statement?. Please clarify thanks.

THERE WON'T BE ANYTHING GOING ON JUST NOW...IT'S TOTALLY JAMMED UP BECAUSE OF THIS TAKEOVER POSSIBILITY...ANYONE WHO CLAIMS IT IS 'BUSINESS AS USUAL' [AS I READ SOMEWHERE] IS SERIOUSLY DELUSIONAL...

[Tim Southampton Rover]

What are the odds on Big Sam leaving to join this club in Dubai?

[Roberto Policano]

Nicko, any idea how much Lucas Barrios would cost?

Teams in Europe quoted £16-£18 million.

Genoa have joined the hunt for Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Sven favourite for Fulham.

[modes98]

Genoa have joined the hunt for Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Sven favourite for Fulham.

Has he gone missing? I last saw him on TV a few days ago if that helps

Boateng is nothing special.

Ffan will be pleased. I would be looking at Hughes way before Sven if I were Fulham. Mind you he is better than Sir Alan Curbishley.

[Steve Moss]

From what I can understand SA is a very impatient man and a continally nagging thorn in the side of his Chairman when he thinks things are moving too slowly for him.

By any objective standard things are moving too slowly. Sam predicted problems with the Rovers' business was not complete by the start of the World Cup, and he was proven right. The 'bargain' players are proving their value and driving up their prices. And all of this is complicated by the rumored take over.

The club needs to progress. At current pace, NOTHING will get done by the start of the season. And if something happens then, intergrating the new players (if there are any) into the squad will take a month or three, which means the team will not be firing on all cylinders and giving up needless points in the meantime. If I were Sam I would feel like I am fighting with one hand tied behind my back.

Does nobody else think that Sam's behaviour (apparently courting the Dubai move, taking an extra week off and bemoaning takeovers and lack of transfer funds) is displaying a certain lack of commitment (or maybe even respect) to Rovers?

Sam's "gamesmanship" with the club is minor in compared to what the Board has done to Sam. If one wants respect, one should give it. And I don't mean words (which are cheap) but deeds. If the Board isn't going to keep faith with Sam, why should he keep faith with them? Loyalty is a two way street.

It depends to some extent on his motivation. If he's trying to get things moving for Rovers then no. However, if his motivation is to get himself out of Rovers then yes, he is being very disrespectful. It must be frustrating for him, but then a lot of us face frustration in our jobs but we are very circumspect in what we say and who we say it to. WE don't go shouting from the rooftops that we're fed up, especially if our current employer had treated us well andthe cause of the frustration is largely beyond their control.

I think Sam is trying to light a fire under the Board. He seems a generally loyal sort. Most clubs he hasn't left voluntarily and he left Bolton after years for issues which still aren't clear. Given his way, and a small amount of support where he could make small, incremental postive changes over a period of a few years until retirement I think he'd stick with us. Give the man 5 million in the transfer market and the instruction to make up the difference between Benni's 2.5 million via cutting the wage bill, and I think he'd do it and be happy in the process.

If you haven't guessed, I am a Sam supporter. He's proven himself over the last 18 months and some trust and faith is due in return.

[gumboots]

By any objective standard things are moving too slowly. Sam predicted problems with the Rovers' business was not complete by the start of the World Cup, and he was proven right. The 'bargain' players are proving their value and driving up their prices. And all of this is complicated by the rumored take over.

The club needs to progress. At current pace, NOTHING will get done by the start of the season. And if something happens then, intergrating the new players (if there are any) into the squad will take a month or three, which means the team will not be firing on all cylinders and giving up needless points in the meantime. If I were Sam I would feel like I am fighting with one hand tied behind my back.

But nobody has really got going in the transfer market yet! A few signings here and there, but nothing much, not because clubs are being aken over but because of the World cup, shortage of cash, change of manager, lack of availability of the right player for their club. Arsenal have signed Chamakh, but that was a done deal last summer and just didn't happen till now; they look like Koscielny is a done deal too, but then he wasn't involved in the World Cup and, whilst Lorient were looking to maximise their very small investment and have done so x5, it was never a question of their not selling because the player thinks Arsenal is a fantastic move and 10m+ is a vast sum for Lorient. Otherwise clubs both big and small are holding fire or finding negotiations very slow. French clubs are all back in training but very few transfers have happened there yet either.

[Lars-Erik]

Teams in Europe quoted £16-£18 million.

Genoa have joined the hunt for Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Sven favourite for Fulham.

I can really see Svennis going to Fulham - in a way (transfer-wise) he and Roy H. courts the same principles: Buys twenty+ players and half of them might turn out to be decent. The rest is shifted during the next window.

[Hughesy]

According to LT - Piquionne is very much on the radar now, with West Brom having bid £800k....He is due in England in the next few days for talks with clubs

[vintageadidas]

I am sooooo excited for the potential signing of Frédéric Piquionne.

[alexanders]

If we can get Piquionne for 800k - 1m I would say we should do it and we can spend the rest on a midfielder/right winger

[whiteinpeace]

If we can get Piquionne for 800k - 1m I would say we should do it and we can spend the rest on a midfielder/right winger

We had a debate about Piquionne on the Bolton forums. Is he really what you guys need? 31, fairly average at best goalscoring record?

I mean he looked decent enough to me last season but is he an improvement over what you have?

[alexanders]

He is an improvement on Di Santo (left on loan) and on J. Roberts.

If we had

I guess he would be second choice striker anyway, considering Kalinic is the first choice.

Being that cheap I think it would be a good deal.

Then we could use the money on streghtnening the areas where it is needed the most ie Midfield / Right winger.

Which could see us line up like this:

Robinson

Salgado-Samba-Nelsen/Jones-Givet

Grella(new mid)/-Nzonzi

Dunn(New attacking midfielder)

Hoilett-Kalinic-Olsson

With that line up I will be very happy.

[Sparky Marky]

We should seriously look to cash in on Ryan Nelson in my opinion...Had a great world cup, but we all know he's started to look a bit ropey in there during the season...I bet some turkish side would pay daft money for him on the strength of his performances.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

We should seriously look to cash in on Ryan Nelson in my opinion...Had a great world cup, but we all know he's started to look a bit ropey in there during the season...I bet some turkish side would pay daft money for him on the strength of his performances.

If Ryan leaves then you'd have to either relocate Givet or bring in Jones. You relocate Givet and then we'd need more full back cover and if you brought in Jones then you'd have barely any Centre Back cover. Nelsen deserves to stay after his world cup performance. If he can keep out Italy virtually single handedly then he can still be a force in this divsion.

[alexanders]

We should seriously look to cash in on Ryan Nelson in my opinion...Had a great world cup, but we all know he's started to look a bit ropey in there during the season...I bet some turkish side would pay daft money for him on the strength of his performances.

Highlighted in the Norwegian press - picking Nelsen on the WC ALL STAR TEAM based on the recent performances.

WC Dream Team