[Archived] Summer Transfer Topic

[davulsukur]

Cheers Hughesy, thought i read it somewhere, with talk of Roberts may be on his way ilan in for free as his replacement might not be too bad. Plus swells the coffers if no takeover comes through

[LeChuck]

If we can flog Roberts and put his money to the £3 ish million we have from last season, we could probably get a good striker. Then we can just get someone like Ilan, Benjani etc. on a free to bulk out the squad.

I'd could handle getting someone like Benjani/Beattie if Roberts was sold and a good replacement brought in.

[Bobby G]

Selling Roberts is a mistake. Wont get much money and we will lose more than we gain without doubt.

People are forgetting we only have 2 strikers in our whole squad. Even with our formation of playing one up top, we would need 3 in the squad at the very least.

[Majiball]

If we can flog Roberts and put his money to the £3 ish million we have from last season, we could probably get a good striker. Then we can just get someone like Ilan, Benjani etc. on a free to bulk out the squad.

I'd could handle getting someone like Benjani/Beattie if Roberts was sold and a good replacement brought in.

But can we afford to get the two in without shifting out some players????

Wage budget is already stretched and any back-up player will surely command 20K a week?? With a decent striker on top 30-40K thats a serious increase in our wages that I'm just not conviced we can afford.

Even if Roberts goes I still only expect 1 to come in.

[Iceman]

From the Mirror...

West Ham are in talks with Olympiakos about selling flops Alessandro Diamanti and Radoslav Kovac.

would he be worth taking a chance on?

[dave birch]

No doubt it is best to move on cos you will never admit that you were wrong, but the irrefutable fact is that shortly after you were checking with him that Brad did leave. If his contract wasn't up and I don't believe it was then why did he leave if it was against his own free will? Doesn't make sense. Nobody can be forced to simply tear up a contract, if they could I guess Sam would have forced Grella and Zurab to tear theirs up.

Whether money or other outside factors forced his hand I don't know but when he was putting pen to paper at Villa Park it's obvious that he then wanted to leave. You make it sound like JW and Ince virtually had to sneak up on him, tie him up and throw him kicking and screaming into the boot of O'Neills car.

Instead of being in continual denial about what you wrote when it's down in black and white, you might be better employed finding out exactly what it was that changed Brad Freidels mind so suddenly AFTER he had spoken to you. That way your error won't seem quite as glaring.

An opportunity arose to solve a problem.

Maybe it was because his academy in the US was going under, and he saw the transfer and with the increased money he might be able to save it, or at least wear a less of a loss.

[Iceman]

We got decent money for Brad, whether he wanted to leave or not well thats another story. At the end of the day, it was probably a good deal for both us and Brad. Its not like we got a rubbish replacement in to replace him, with Robbo still young as far as goalkeeping is concerned and very experienced as well.

[LeChuck]

But can we afford to get the two in without shifting out some players????

Wage budget is already stretched and any back-up player will surely command 20K a week?? With a decent striker on top 30-40K thats a serious increase in our wages that I'm just not conviced we can afford.

Even if Roberts goes I still only expect 1 to come in.

We should be able to get someone in on a free now, we didn't replace McCarthy (one of our top earners), we've lost Reid, Basturk and Di Santo...we should be able to squeeze a £20k a week freebie into the squad without selling.

Then it's a case of selling Roberts and using whatever money there is to get a better striker.

We do need to shift some players out though. If we could sell any of Grella/Emerton, Chimbonda, Brown, Diouf then that'd help,without weaking the squad.

I think we desperately need to find a goal-scoring wide player too, since whoever we play on the right wing will not threaten goal. Hoilett might in the future, but he's toothless at the moment.

[T4E]

An opportunity arose to solve a problem.

Maybe it was because his academy in the US was going under, and he saw the transfer and with the increased money he might be able to save it, or at least wear a less of a loss.

He knew he had history with Ince, he knew Ince wanted to bring in his own keeper, and he knew playing under Ince would be difficult. Villa knew this and made the most of it, offering him a decent payrise and a better level of football. Brad did the right thing for Brad and took it. Just because he did this willingly does not mean it was always his desire to go.

[John]

Wonder if there was anything in those Emerton rumours we had before the World Cup. Could see us selling him to raise funds – he is not a guaranteed starter even though think he could do a workman like role in the centre of the park.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Selling Roberts is a no brainer. He is a poor poor player. Obviously if no one was to come in to replace him then the move shouldnt happen, but clearly that isnt the plan. He is a championship player, the premiership was never his level.

[Rainmaker]

He knew he had history with Ince, he knew Ince wanted to bring in his own keeper, and he knew playing under Ince would be difficult. Villa knew this and made the most of it, offering him a decent payrise and a better level of football. Brad did the right thing for Brad and took it. Just because he did this willingly does not mean it was always his desire to go.

Perfectly put.

Some seem to believe that leaving automatically means that there is a desire to leave. That not the case.

With Brad i think it was a case of him actually wanting to be at Rovers. Ince however wanted another keeper.

Whet the Villa deal came along Brad, and Rovers, found the deal beneficial for both parties.

Brad did not request a transfer, as far as i know, but he left. I truly believe that his originalintentions was to stay, and he would have had not a (better) offer come along.

[T4E]

Brad did not request a transfer, as far as i know, but he left. I truly believe that his originalintentions was to stay, and he would have had not a (better) offer come along.

Although true, the words "a better offer" could easily be replaced by "Ince".

[philipl]

Wonder if there was anything in those Emerton rumours we had before the World Cup. Could see us selling him to raise funds – he is not a guaranteed starter even though think he could do a workman like role in the centre of the park.

IF Emerton gets his fitness and form back, he is the obvious right wing back in a 3-5-2 with Salgado switching to deep lying midfield.

[thenodrog]

He knew he had history with Ince, he knew Ince wanted to bring in his own keeper, and he knew playing under Ince would be difficult. Villa knew this and made the most of it, offering him a decent payrise and a better level of football. Brad did the right thing for Brad and took it. Just because he did this willingly does not mean it was always his desire to go.

Why do you say that? That is an accusation that Brad Freidel has denied frequently. So if nicko's continued insistance that brad did not want to leave just what did change his mind so drastically and in so short a time?

[Bobby G]

Is there much in this 3 at the back talk? Are we moving towards it?

[thenodrog]

IF Emerton gets his fitness and form back, he is the obvious right wing back in a 3-5-2 with Salgado switching to deep lying midfield.

Suggesting that Salgado can play that role at the top level is one big assumption, and not one that I would readily make.

[JAL]

Selling Roberts is a mistake. Wont get much money and we will lose more than we gain without doubt.

People are forgetting we only have 2 strikers in our whole squad. Even with our formation of playing one up top, we would need 3 in the squad at the very least.

Agree !

It looks like Sam is turning into a madman if this is the way we are going or his he just showing his contempt for the situation he finds himself in at the moment.

[thenodrog]

We got decent money for Brad, whether he wanted to leave or not well thats another story. At the end of the day, it was probably a good deal for both us and Brad. Its not like we got a rubbish replacement in to replace him, with Robbo still young as far as goalkeeping is concerned and very experienced as well.

Disagree. It was often opined that Freidel was worth between 5-9 points to us over a full season. If that had been the case we'd have had 3m in place money in the first season alone. As it was we had to put a significant amount to Freidels fee to sign Robinson. I know that he will have to retire soon but the fact that it was a good deal for us is a myth.

[T4E]

Why do you say that? That is an accusation that Brad Freidel has denied frequently. So if nicko's continued insistance that brad did not want to leave just what did change his mind so drastically and in so short a time?

Brad is a gentleman who said all the right things about a football club that he loved. You can't knock him for that. It doesn't make it fact.

We should be sitting here right now discussing how to celebrate the upcoming testimonial season of our greatest ever goalkeeper, but unfortunately we are not. You have your opinion on why that is, and I have mine.

[Bobby G]

Does anyone even think Sam is happy with the situation or of selling Roberts to fund another striker? I highly doubt it. You can be sure he would have wanted to have signed his players by now, giving them a full pre-season with the squad. We are only a month away from the season.

[waggy]

Selling Roberts is a mistake. Wont get much money and we will lose more than we gain without doubt.

People are forgetting we only have 2 strikers in our whole squad. Even with our formation of playing one up top, we would need 3 in the squad at the very least.

you on acid roberts is a disgrace worse cf since ward

[Bobby G]

Yes, lets sell him for 750k and add it to the 2 million to sign ONE striker who may be better than Roberts, but leaving us with only two FIT strikers in the squad. Its STUPID with a 45-50 match season ahead of us.

[LeChuck]

Yes, lets sell him for 750k and add it to the 2 million to sign ONE striker who may be better than Roberts, but leaving us with only two FIT strikers in the squad. Its STUPID with a 45-50 match season ahead of us.

There is no way Sam will head into the season with two strikers.

He'll be selling Roberts so there is more money to get a better calibre of striker for the first team, then he'll either get a freebie/loan to add competition.

He was trying to sign a fourth striker in January after McCarthy left, there is no way he'll go into the season with two strikers.

[bellamy11]

Of course I watched him.

Financially Andy Cole cost us massively. He was no way cheap. Consider this..... £7m from Man Utd plus wages over 3 seasons (I'm estimating his wages at 40k pw, if anybody knows different then substitute that figure). So thats approx £13m overall cost to the club! In return we got 80 odd appearences out of him and around 30 goals before we inexplicably gave him away! In my book that works out around £160,000 per game! Alternatively if it's goals that count then it's in the region of half a million pounds per goal.

Still think he was a bargain JLAV?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001%E2%80%9302_FA_Premier_League#Blackburn_Rovers

Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn had little time to savour their Worthington Cup glory that resulted from a 2–1 win over Tottenham on 24 February - they were deep in the relegation mire and occupying third place from bottom. But Graeme Souness inspired his side, bolstered by the arrival of striker Andy Cole, to a considerable turnaround in form which saw them climb to 10th place in the final table.