[Archived] Transfer Window Thread

[imy9]

Imy, do you think Mr Rao is lying then?

Rao has now rubbished the rumour. He said: “That is not true. There is no interest at all, they are just rumours.

Has JW been lying to us then? He said we would have the Benni money to spend and when we tried to sell the Bilgarian striker said that it would only happen IF Roberts left. Things change, people create smokescreens all the time, Good old Harry said we are not signing anyone and then he signed RVV hours later! Key from that article was that we are close to signing TWO players after the Liverpool game and may get two more after that. BPF has said that they are looking for a we mean business signing, can't wait.

[PAFELL]

I bet Nicko just self-ignited after reading that story...

It used to be fun reading news and nickos about Rovers, but now it is nothing but bull. One story denying the other.

Nicko can only report what has been given to him or what he has discovered. If he has been fed a cock and bull story, by whoever, for whatever reason. Then I am sure he will investigate further and act accordingly.

There must have been a live story for Nicko to put to his editor to print. Was the telegraph wrong as well as the mirror. Even though the Sun riddiculed the situation, there must have been a story for them to counter act. If there wasn't why bother.

I think we should also consider that there will be people who do not want indian involvment in English football, and will do their upmost to ridicule the situation. People with hidden agendas, especially where Rovers are concerned. As it appears to me that Rovers are a club that the media like to hate.

[Fylde Coast Fan]

The real story here seems to be that Mrs Desai needs to keep her brother Balaji on a shorter leash. He's the one touting Maradona and Ronaldinho and giving the nationals, who've cast Blackburn as the naive villains in the Allardyce saga despite previously hating Allardcye's "anti-football", all their ammunition. Mrs. Desai and Venkatesh Rao seem to be constantly contradicting quotes and stories attributed to Balaji Rao. It's embarrassing.

[John]

Has JW been lying to us then?

Don't think he was and it is pretty out of order to question his integrity IMO.

[imy9]

The Raos have only given interviews to the LET as far as I am aware since Sam was sacked.

[broadsword]

John, they put it oh their own twitter and Facebook pages. If it's not right they want to have a good look at what information is being leaked by their representatives.

technically it's not a leak if it's on their official twitter/ facebook pages.

I don't know what to make of this. The Rao's have been after Ronaldinho for ages apparently. It came out on their twitter/ facebook pages, now we have a quoted retraction.

i am distinctly uneasy about the mixed messages coming out, it might be an OK way to run an Indian food wholesaler's, but not Blackburn Rovers FC. I am getting exceedingly pi$$ed off at the way my football club is being run. It's a bloody shambles. If someone wanted to be harsh, they might say that the statements now coming out of the club could be seen as disingenuous.

So what's the story now, then? Does Kean have a budget for four players plus a marquee signing? What is the big plan now? I thought we were signing up-and-coming players? Are we trying for 5th position or 12th? Or what position? Are we going to "lease" players? Where is the bidget coming from?

It's total confusion. The strategy appears to change by the day.

[imy9]

Don't think he was and it is pretty out of order to question his integrity IMO.

Merely pointing out that this happens in football all the time. People say certain things and then they do others when things change.

[Parsonblue]

I must admit some relief that the Rao's have firmly denied any interest in Ronaldinho. The sort of money that the newspapers were talking about would have been a ridiculous outlay for a club in our position. That type of money could bring in two or three young players who could help build the long term future of the club. The Rao family should look at how Jack spent his money in the early nineties - young players or players who were reaching their peak and not yesterday's men.

With over half the division vying against relegation, it is the club's who spend wisely in January who are going to have the best chance of pulling out of the danger zone. At the moment I'm not convinced that the Rao's realise just what a precarious position the club are actually in. It's all very well talking about finishing in the top six next season, but we have to ensure we remain in the League this season. I would hope that at least a couple of the players we are looking at are experienced Premier League players who can hit the ground running and not need time to find their feet in English football.

As for the Ronaldhino story being splashed all over the backpages making us a laughing stock - well what's new? However, talking to opposition supporters at West Brom and Sunderland, I found that rather than finding us a figure of fun they simply found it sad that we should become the latest club to become a toy for a foreign owner.

We can but hope that the Rao family can prove the doubters wrong and the January window is their opportunity to do so. However, so far their ownership has lurched from one PR disaster to another. It would now be better if their was a period of silence from the owners and they allowed their chosen manager to get on with bringing in some new players.

[bluebruce]

We've literally turned into a 5-year old boys toy I think.

We literally haven't.

[Fylde Coast Fan]

The Raos have only given interviews to the LET as far as I am aware since Sam was sacked.

Nicko's story on Ronaldinho says the plan is the brainchild of "Flambuoyant" Balaji Rao, and that installing Maradona as manager was also his idea. Within a day or two of Nicko's stories, the other brother or Mrs Desai are in the LET denying it. There's a few possibilities there: Balaji is a loose cannon acting on his own without the approval of his siblings; someone close to him takes every crazy suggestion he makes and runs to a newspaper reporter; or the other two support the plans until they make the papers and we get laughed at.

Whichever it is, something needs sorting because we're a laughing stock AGAIN.

[philipl]

Has JW been lying to us then? He said we would have the Benni money to spend and when we tried to sell the Bilgarian striker said that it would only happen IF Roberts left. Things change, people create smokescreens all the time, Good old Harry said we are not signing anyone and then he signed RVV hours later! Key from that article was that we are close to signing TWO players after the Liverpool game and may get two more after that. BPF has said that they are looking for a we mean business signing, can't wait.

I am getting some flak on here and that impugning of JW's integrity needs calling out.

I wouldn't build your hopes over the other signings timings either. The list, such as it is, has only just gone to Pune and the budget is not agreed yet. We don't even know if the list has been valued by JW- that was part of the process which was explained to us.

[PAFELL]

I must admit some relief that the Rao's have firmly denied any interest in Ronaldinho. The sort of money that the newspapers were talking about would have been a ridiculous outlay for a club in our position. That type of money could bring in two or three young players who could help build the long term future of the club. The Rao family should look at how Jack spent his money in the early nineties - young players or players who were reaching their peak and not yesterday's men.

With over half the division vying against relegation, it is the club's who spend wisely in January who are going to have the best chance of pulling out of the danger zone. At the moment I'm not convinced that the Rao's realise just what a precarious position the club are actually in. It's all very well talking about finishing in the top six next season, but we have to ensure we remain in the League this season. I would hope that at least a couple of the players we are looking at are experienced Premier League players who can hit the ground running and not need time to find their feet in English football.

As for the Ronaldhino story being splashed all over the backpages making us a laughing stock - well what's new? However, talking to opposition supporters at West Brom and Sunderland, I found that rather than finding us a figure of fun they simply found it sad that we should become the latest club to become a toy for a foreign owner.

We can but hope that the Rao family can prove the doubters wrong and the January window is their opportunity to do so. However, so far their ownership has lurched from one PR disaster to another. It would now be better if their was a period of silence from the owners and they allowed their chosen manager to get on with bringing in some new players.

I do believe there was interest from Rovers for Ronaldhino - quotes from his agent are in the media - unless these media outlets have made up the quotes.

I also did not think Rovers would pull this transfer off. To a top player, who is Steve Kean. Is he not just a coach who has become a manager, for awhile. Do not players consider who the manager is before considering playing for a club.

[chaddyrovers]

The Raos have only given interviews to the LET as far as I am aware since Sam was sacked.

They have give interviews to sky sports news, bbc radio 5 live, bbc lancashire and the bee. and they have sent mixed messages from the both of them.

[philipl]

They have give interviews to sky sports news, bbc radio 5 live, bbc lancashire and the bee. and they have sent mixed messages from the both of them.

...and numerous interviews to the Indian media.

[Sysagent]

There's no publicity like bad publicity.

(ask Frankie Goes To Hollywood or The Sex Pistols)

It's obvious what's going on here, how do you raise your company "profile" in the media with no outlay at all (in real terms), mmm let me think...

Tell you what we buy a football team in the most overhyped Football League in the World and then start to link it with icons / stars past and present to get a reaction.

Viola!

Everybody who has been blinded by the hype and follows it becomes instantly aware of who Venkys are and what they do.

Eventually the "cry wolf" mentality will settle in, but Hell what free publicity we have had this past few months.

Not nice is it to be used as a platform for the Great Pretenders is it?

[sam_rovers]

I think people are going over the top with this laughing stock business. Granted, some bad decisions are being made but it's nothing that isn't reversible yet.

Being linked with Ronaldinho then denying it doesn't make us a laughing stock- It would have been nice to have a player of that ilk in Rovers colors but it doesn't mask the fact that we are short in many areas of the pitch and are in dire need of investment. If we don't invest sufficiently during this transfer and keep an inexperienced manager for what looks like a looming relegation battle then we will be a laughing stock.

[steo]

If there was a genuine interest in ronaldinho why the hell would the owners deny it?venky's would have been applauded for trying to sign a creative genius as it shows they mean business but now they just look like clowns.

[Fylde Coast Fan]

I think people are going over the top with this laughing stock business. Granted, some bad decisions are being made but it's nothing that isn't reversible yet.

Being linked with Ronaldinho then denying it doesn't make us a laughing stock- It would have been nice to have a player of that ilk in Rovers colors but it doesn't mask the fact that we are short in many areas of the pitch and are in dire need of investment. If we don't invest sufficiently during this transfer and keep an inexperienced manager for what looks like a looming relegation battle then we will be a laughing stock.

If the story was "Wolves bid for Ronaldinho" what would your reaction be? I'd be laughing.

[Brad]

If there was a genuine interest in ronaldinho why the hell would the owners deny it?venky's would have been applauded for trying to sign a creative genius as it shows they mean business but now they just look like clowns.

Maybe JW told them to pull there heads in, because if we are going shopping the prices have just gone up..

Sticking with the 5m figure is a lot smarter..

[John]

We currently have a coaching team of Steve Kean and Iain Brunskill and apparently trying to sign decent, "world class" players, some may find that slightly ridiculous.

I actually think we will sign some quality during this window, because if we don't, the end result will be catastrophic.

[PAFELL]

If the story was "Wolves bid for Ronaldinho" what would your reaction be? I'd be laughing.

My reaction would have been, where did they get the money from. I would not have laughed. If it was true I would envy them and say fair play to both the player and the club.

[Parsonblue]

I do believe there was interest from Rovers for Ronaldhino - quotes from his agent are in the media - unless these media outlets have made up the quotes.

So are the family not telling the truth when they say it is just a rumour and that they had no interest in Ronaldhino? Could it be that one brother is going off on his own and attempting to sign players without consulting the rest of the family? Either way it suggests a complete shambles. From a Rovers point of view it would be better if this was just a story floated by agents that journalists picked up on and which has now been firmly denied by the owners.

[alexanders]

Why are so afraid of becoming the laughing stock?

We have never gotten a positive word in any press anyway.

[chaddyrovers]

On Andy Cryer twitter page has said this:-

More confusion around Rovers. Venky Rao strongly denied Ronaldinho link to me, while no officials at Ewood know about it. A publicity stunt?

Maybe a PR stunt, but nicko has said the we were interest in him. Venky's wanted a big name signing to increase sponsorship and media interest in the club, but whoever the big name is, will he wanted to come to rovers and will he fit into the premier league and the way football is played in England.

We should be making inquires for players who are going to come to rovers. not for players who are clearly not goin to come. We need players in quickly but most be the right players for us tho. up to 10 players missing for the game against liverpool now with Hanley injured and Emerton playin in the asia cup.

Any more news on Steve Kean adding to his coaching staff with an experience number 2 and first team coach???

[tony gale's mic]

I think if they'd said "we had a genuine interest in Ronaldinho but he chose to go back to Brazil" then it'd be fair game.

But posting about it on their official pages, by all accounts trying to sign him for the last month but getting nowhere, and then going out and lying to the fans is a little concerning.

Ultimately, if we sign some quality this window then this will all be forgotten. But if we fail to strengthen our squad significantly then all the focus will be on Venky's and how they wasted their time going after someone who never would have joined us.