[Archived] Summer Transfer Topic

[patrickvalery]

I cannot understand the depths of negativity on here at the moment. I would have thought the majority of fans would be buzzing with all the takeover talk we have endured this summer. Its what most have cried out for over the last few years.

I'm sure Allardyce is less than impressed with what has been a frustrating summer in terms of recruitment. Perhaps in other circumstances he may have walked by now. But the facts remain that he is at the helm whilst the best bunch of youngsters are emerging in our first team in years. It looks increasingly likely we are weeks away from a takeover on a scale not dreamt of by many. A takeover which will enable him to spend funds he has previously never had at his disposal. A chance to build a legacy. A project he can manage from start to finish should he do a good job. Few of us know what goes on behind the scenes. But assuming Sam has yet to meet Mr Syed then i would be astonished if he left before doing so. For his own sake and the chance to achieve the above, he will surely allow himself the opportunity to listen to Mr Syed's plans.

John Williams seems to be receiving a large amount of criticism on here. I'm really not sure why. MikeB claims to have been informed this summers transfer budget would be in the region of £5m. Well so what? Things change. I'm pretty sure this takeover wasn't on the cards at the time of discussion. Whats the man supposed to do?

"It'll be £5m providing the roof of the JW stand doesn't need repair. Or perhaps it'll top £6m if we can shift Zurab out. Saying that it could be £2.5m if we somehow finish 10th and squad bonuses are above expected" - My point is, a throw away conversation with a fan of corporate stature or otherwise should not be considered gospel truth. It cannot cover all eventualities. Including a takeover. Mr Williams is almost certainly frustrated too. He has backed all of his managers to the tune of whatever is available to him. It has been said many many times by many posters, the club is up for sale and as such its owners will not fork out monies it will most likely not recoup in a pending sale. Nicko has said time and time again the 'business as usual' line coming out of the club is nonsense. And so it seems.

I hope Allardyce stays on and allows himself the opportunity to work under any new regime. I guess we cannot forget he has had his fingers burnt once before in this situation. But it would seems short sighted to up and leave now after what has been published from Mr Syed in terms of his opinions of Sam's work. Yes it has been a slow summer and yes a few new faces about the place would have freshened things up. But if this takeover happens and is as good as it sounds then come January all of this summers frustrations will seem an age away.

[Kelbo]

I think much of what is happening on this foum at the moment is out of pure frustration at the lack of activity in the transfer market.

I would like to make my observations and hope that either Nicko or anyone on here can actually clear this matter up.

Firstly, it has been stated on this messageboard that money would be available due to our 10th league position as opposed to the budgeted 13th place, that the money from the Benni Transfer would also be available to bring in a couple of players, did the club actually say this or was it pure speculation.

If the club did actually state this, then Rovers are guilty of misrepresenting themselves to both season ticket holders and the businesses who buy the corporate packages.

I cannot hold the view that transfer money has to include wages as then I would have to deduce Benni was not paid at all!! Where did his wage go?

The PR from the club as been incredibly poor and as a staunch supporter of JW, believe that he is not being open here to the supporters or businesses.

The only defence he can really offer is that the proposed takeover could hamper any sale of the club as of course the numbers on the balance sheet could change accordingly.

But, the Club should be explaining this to the supporters as I know of at least 14 season ticket holders who have not renewed due to the conflicting statements from the club and lack of activity in the transfer market. If I know 14, there will be many more of the same opinion. Cheap season tickets are fine, but like groceries, if it doesnt taste good you will not buy it again and I feel as though supporters have indeed been cheated.

I understand the argument of having no money and that is why I ask the question 'Did the club actually make the statements of money being available and if they did, they are clearly wrong.

[RevidgeBlue]

I think much of what is happening on this foum at the moment is out of pure frustration at the lack of activity in the transfer market.

I would like to make my observations and hope that either Nicko or anyone on here can actually clear this matter up.

Firstly, it has been stated on this messageboard that money would be available due to our 10th league position as opposed to the budgeted 13th place, that the money from the Benni Transfer would also be available to bring in a couple of players, did the club actually say this or was it pure speculation.

If the club did actually state this, then Rovers are guilty of misrepresenting themselves to both season ticket holders and the businesses who buy the corporate packages.

I cannot hold the view that transfer money has to include wages as then I would have to deduce Benni was not paid at all!! Where did his wage go?

The PR from the club as been incredibly poor and as a staunch supporter of JW, believe that he is not being open here to the supporters or businesses.

The only defence he can really offer is that the proposed takeover could hamper any sale of the club as of course the numbers on the balance sheet could change accordingly.

But, the Club should be explaining this to the supporters as I know of at least 14 season ticket holders who have not renewed due to the conflicting statements from the club and lack of activity in the transfer market. If I know 14, there will be many more of the same opinion. Cheap season tickets are fine, but like groceries, if it doesnt taste good you will not buy it again and I feel as though supporters have indeed been cheated.

I understand the argument of having no money and that is why I ask the question 'Did the club actually make the statements of money being available and if they did, they are clearly wrong.

The Club have never made any public utterances about how much transfer money is/isn't available.

Andy Cryer in the LT has consistently said we had a transfer pot of around 2.5m representing the money received from Belly. Whether that is true or not is anyone's guess but I doubt he would have been printing that all summer without the say so of the Club - it's a way of keeping supporters expectations in check.

As regards the tenth place finish I'm sure I remember JW saying in an article in the LT that because Sam persuaded them to bring in Salgado last summer we had to adjust our budgeted finish upwards from 13th to 11th. So we're only slightly ahead in that respect.

So on that basis there should have been around 2.5m plus another 750k available. What we don't know is how much has been spent on giving various players improved contracts and we probably haven't been able to shift off the fringe players we were hoping to like Zurab/Chimbonda/Jacobsen.

Edit: I still think Salgado was the most colossal waste of money, if we'd never signed him we'd be no worse off on the pitch imo and if we'd saved on his wages over two years we would hypothetically have now been in a position to offer a new striker 80k p.w. over the next twelve months.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Though we may have to wait for the accounts to be released for the period in question - I do think thre are some unanswered questions about our current finances.

1. I can agree that there is a recession - and that some additional money may have had to be found to cover reduced sponsorship etc. However, I thought that the Premiership had signed a new foreign rights deal that increased revenue for all clubs ?

2. Can't beleive that Salgado's wages took all of the £2m+ gained by finishing 10th. Also - we never replaced Benni - so in theory we only had to find Salgado's wages for 1/2 a season ?

Having said all that - we can't spend what we don't have. At no point do I think that the Trust are taking anything out of the club - though I do wonder what impact the period of due diligence has on the permitted outgoings from the club while the books are being looked at (spending £2 - 3m on a transfer would greatly impact P&L figures).

For all those that complain - ultimately the people of Blackburn get what they pay for - well they actually get more than we pay for.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

For all those that complain - ultimately the people of Blackburn get what they pay for - well they actually get more than we pay for.

Not sure I can agree with that. We were told prior to the release of season tickets there would be a decent kitty (place money + Benni money). We also knew they had to replace Benni and Di Santo (and we never replaced Derbyshire).

If we had been told all we would sign is an old free crock and a lad on loan from Man U - would season ticket sales have dropped?

Did we get what we paid for on the basis of the pre season ticket hype?

On the other hand if they came out and said we were going to improve the squad by bringing in the likes of Raul, Guti, Lewandowski and Ben arfa on loan then I'm sure S/T sales would have potentially increased. I personally (and I'm sure many others would agree) would be happy to pay more for a S/T on that basis.

[joey_big_nose]

Aston Villa came out with a statement today saying they are looking for an 'experienced premier league manager'. There isn't many more experienced managers at this level than Sam.

Thinking about it the system there would perfect for Sam, Villa play a direct style of play but as a bonus they also have the pace and support to back up that forward.

If what you say is true then i guess we better hope that a takeover goes through and there is the promise of some funds in January. If we are stuck with the current owners or no funds are made available then Sam might seriously consider leaving, unless of course Villa approach Sam before the takeover situation is resolved one way or the other- lets face it if that happens then he is gone imo.

Yup. I think it is pretty straightforward if they come in Allardyce will go. They have the perfect players for Sam, and will give him a second crack at a 'big club'.

We will again be in a position where who we choose to manage is absolutely crucial.

[Amo]

2. Can't beleive that Salgado's wages took all of the £2m+ gained by finishing 10th. Also - we never replaced Benni - so in theory we only had to find Salgado's wages for 1/2 a season ?

And what about the Warnock money? Where did that go? I thought that was supposed to cover Salgado's wages? Also, we sold Benni and Steven Reid, who were both earning a pretty penny.

[thenodrog]

There are lots of unhappy bunnies out there !

To be honest, I've had enough of eight months of utter lies and s---e.

It's a f----n disgrace and I've come to the conclusion that there are lots of people talking total b------s including those two t---s (Pinky & Perky) at the Lancashire Telegraph.

If we've not made at least one decent signing by c.o.p. Tuesday, I'll tell f----n Simon Williams what he can do with his corporate entertaining facilities and believe you me, there are lots of other local business men who feel the same way.

I'm off to the local to get p----d as tomorrow I've a day off.

I'm amazed that you are actually in business with some of the stuff that you post on here.

Is it a big window cleaning round you have?

[SamTheShrew]

I will be highly peeved if BFS goes to Villa. I have had much fun watching their manager search as there is literally very little good manangers available.

If the tables turn to us, then that is worrying.

Also, if he did go, would it impact any potential takeover? How much influence would syed Ali get?

It's certainly not ideal for the first job for a new owner is to find a new manager, particularly as he doesn't seem to have much experience in football bar David Beckham...

[Oklahoma]

If Rovers are still trying to get some players, here are two suggestions for Sam:

Hleb, currently negotiating a loan to Benfica but with a premier league cllub trying to get him as well. Hope it is us.

Rodrigo, under 21 spanish striker, very promising player that Benfica bought from Real Madrid and want to loan for one or two seasons. It seems Bolton are interested.

[Andy]

I think it's fair to remember that we've been making realistic bids on players all summer, offers within our £2-4m budget, but the market just hasn't got going and people have a) unrealistic prices on their players' heads, and been waiting for a chain reaction to be set off - ie one player comes in, so another player can leave.

I'm sure the club will have done everything to bring in the players that Sam and his scouting team identified, but it's just not happened for whatever reason.

I don't for a minute believe that Sam is contemplating his future at Ewood due to the summer of transfer inactivity, particularly with the young and upcoming squad he has and the impending pro-Sam takeover, but I do think if Villa came knocking he'd be off quicker than Jordan's crackers on night out.

[thenodrog]

If we don't sign anyone and people want someone to blame well surely Sam would have to take some small portion of it, whatever budget he is working with however small he has had so much time to get deals done.

Rubbish. He's tried and failed to get Roberts, Zurab and Grella off the wage bill and they won't bloody well go unless we give in to blackmail and make it worth their while. They and their agents have our arm up our back good and proper. Any blame can only be apportioned to whoever gave them such long contracts. Dunno bout Roberts cos Allardyce has reportedly had a bust up with him (and I'd imagine that wouldn't be too hard either) but the other two are legacies of previous regimes which he obviously had no control over. Quite understandably and sensibly the owners have stipulated that must happen before any new players are added to it. If they hadn't run the club in this way for the last decade but had run it the way some on here think they should then we'd be a Portsmouth, Leeds or WHU by now.

I've pointed out before that the average player contract in the Prem is twice the average managerial tenure. I'm also of the opinion that the way forward is high value short term contracts in many cases. My option this summer would have been to offer MGP even more money but put him on an evergreen or rolling 12 month contract. Any 4 year deal would make me nervous.

It can't be easy looking at players you have no regard for lording it about on big money that you need to bring new players in and in effect to safeguard and secure your own employment. I'm suprised some big city gangster is not employed to 'av a word' with an agent or two on occasion. The temptation must be massive.

[Andy]

*Duplicate post*

[thenodrog]

MikeB seems like a decent guy who occasionally 'goes off on one'!

I think his frustration is echoed by most supporters and I think that the Rovers' board have shown a lack of respect to the club's supporters with little, and even then possibly misleading, or no communication.

Let's hope we are all pleasantly surprised come Tuesday!

The Walker's style is to keep schtum about their business. Compare that to the Dildo brothers whose all mouth and trousers approach has dangled carrots in front of the gullible east enders all summer (Ronaldinho at one stage) simply to sell tickets and merchandise and still end up with very little except hostile bids for Cole and Parker.

[thenodrog]

If this transfer period doesn't prove that the Trustees could care less for the club, than I'm afraid nothing will...they have been hiding behind the "pending takeover" in order to do absolutely nothing...and where has the McCarthy money gone that Sam was promised...like every other transfer fee, it dissapears..absolutey shambolic behavior and I for one can't wait til the Trustees are OUT

Since Bosman and freedom of contract clubs are now open to all sorts of blackmail, prima donna player tantrums and related shenanigens. Clubs are in a lose lose situation. We currently have 3 players holding our club, our manger and indirectly us to ransom. I understand from a reliable but dissillusioned source that the practice of agents taking their charges to some Harley St quack to procure a sicknote and therefore not expose themselves to the risk of injury by actually playing a game is rife these days. Whatever committment the board shows I don't know but what I do know is that I wouldn't even give some of these players and their agents the steam off my ######.

Maybe Sam isn't as impressed with Mr Ali as much as we are.

'We' Kamy? I'm impressed by nothing yet. In my book actions speak louder than words.

[ABBEY]

There's no chance of us - even with Syed's money - signing the likes if Adebayor. He's on £125,000 a week - no way we'll be forking out wages like that.

and if hes serious about playing with the 'big boys' he will also have to pay big boy wages and not little boy ones.

[Al]

They were the darlings of the fans not long ago and couldn't do a thing wrong. Now this view is becoming more and more common. A sad way to end Jack's legacy.

It is the trustees that are spoiling Jack's legacy not the supporters. I am sure that Jack never meant Rovers to die of starvation.

[thenodrog]

You are a joke !

I've been supporting the club since 1964, mainly as a season ticket holder and also in recent years as a taker of corporate hospitality.

What have you done for the club ?

Well for one thing he's put you in your place.

[thenodrog]

And what about the Warnock money? Where did that go? I thought that was supposed to cover Salgado's wages? Also, we sold Benni and Steven Reid, who were both earning a pretty penny.

I don't really care if it's gone straight in the owners back pocket. Benny's too. It's their business, they've sunk many millions in it so if they demand a return every now and again who could ever deny them that?

[daren]

1. I can agree that there is a recession - and that some additional money may have had to be found to cover reduced sponsorship etc. However, I thought that the Premiership had signed a new foreign rights deal that increased revenue for all clubs ?

I'm pretty sure that this had come up before with the answer being that Rovers have the interesting and quaint notion that they don't spend that money until they get it. So they don't budget for increases in sponsorship money, meaning that we are in effect spending at last season's TV money levels.

The recession affects more than just sponsorship, although I sure that took a battering, and our advertising is not expensive anyway, I seem to recall. Shirt sales, attendance, pies at half time, pints at half time, programmes, etc. all get squeezed, and it's a cumulative effect.

2. Can't beleive that Salgado's wages took all of the £2m+ gained by finishing 10th. Also - we never replaced Benni - so in theory we only had to find Salgado's wages for 1/2 a season ?

£2m per year is less than £40,000 per week, so I can well imagine it (while I realise that's a lot of money, not by football standards it isn't). Good question about the Benni - how much was he getting paid, and how much is Salgado on.

Having said all that - we can't spend what we don't have. At no point do I think that the Trust are taking anything out of the club - though I do wonder what impact the period of due diligence has on the permitted outgoings from the club while the books are being looked at (spending £2 - 3m on a transfer would greatly impact P&L figures).

Essentially, we've been living inside a stricter version of Platini's rules for years!

I think it's fair to remember that we've been making realistic bids on players all summer, offers within our £2-4m budget, but the market just hasn't got going and people have a) unrealistic prices on their players' heads, and been waiting for a chain reaction to be set off - ie one player comes in, so another player can leave.

I'm sure the club will have done everything to bring in the players that Sam and his scouting team identified, but it's just not happened for whatever reason.

This is a good point and something that is easily overlooked in the frustration of no signings. According to Nicko, we've had 12 offers turned down. While we'd all love to be able to spend, the fact is that if the club overpaid for a player, we'd all be going mad too.

<snip>

I understand from a reliable but dissillusioned source that the practice of agents taking their charges to some Harley St quack to procure a sicknote and therefore not expose themselves to the risk of injury by actually playing a game is rife these days.

Can the club doctors not overrule that? That's why we should have kept Mokoena. Just quietly point the player out to him on the training ground and oh, look, the note is now accurate

[thenodrog]

It is the trustees that are spoiling Jack's legacy not the supporters. I am sure that Jack never meant Rovers to die of starvation.

The only thing I am sure of is that Jack Walker on many occasions at the staret of his reign said that BRFC must be run as a business and in time must stand on it's own feet. You might opine that he didn't want it to 'die of starvation' but I'm more certain that he'd not want it to go bust.

[Hughesy]

So Sam goes to Villa, we get compensation, the takeover goes through, we still get £100m and can now afford someone like Slaven Bilic. Are we really worse off on that deal?!

Yes see below

Yes, because Allardyce knows this league inside and out and is doing a very good job for BRFC, there's no guarantee the takeover will go through or even if it does go ahead that £100m will be available, and "someone like Slaven Bilic" is not necessarily better than Allardyce and in all probability would be considerable worse.

[John]

Nelsen said: "I feel sorry for the manager because he doesn't have much to work with. "It would be nice if he could get a couple of new faces in, just to put a bit of freshness about the place."

[Amo]

Time for a Hughesy moment *dons cap*:

Warnock

McCarthy

Reid

- All of them must have been earning upwards of £30k p/week.

Warnock sold for £7m, less £30k+ p/week.

McCarthy sold for £2.25m, less £30k+ p/week.

Reid released on a free, less £30k+ p/week.

Bonus money for finishing above budget.

Chimbonda signed for £2.5m, can't (daren't) imagine he's on the same packet as Warnock.

Payrises for Pedersen, Jones, Nzonzi, and Hanley.

And our transfer budget is only £2.25m?

More questions than answers. Let's face it, the numbers never add up.

[AggyBlue]

More questions than answers. Let's face it, the numbers never add up.

That's because you base your assumptions on guesswork.