[Archived] Phil Jones

[Stuart]

The dynamite comment made me chuckle, gumboots! Kids playing "on a main road or motorway"; or "with knives or matches" - but "dynamite"?!! Are you Desperate Dan's mum?

[joey_big_nose]

He's not even that good.

I don't know what your on. He had probably his worst game for us against Bolton, but has excelled all season in midfield and defence.

Personally if we stay up I think we should be able to hold onto Hoilett, Olsson and Jones if we show a bit of ambition in the transfer market.

Jermaine Jones should be a serious summer target, and bring in two quality strikers who score goals and we have a good team.

-------------??????--------??????

Olsson----Nzonzi------J Jones----Hoilett

----Givet---Samba---P Jones----Salgado

----------------Robinson

It really is all about the strikers we bring in. I think that will play the major role in whether our top young players stay as it will dictate our performances.

[gumboots]

The dynamite comment made me chuckle, gumboots! Kids playing "on a main road or motorway"; or "with knives or matches" - but "dynamite"?!! Are you Desperate Dan's mum?

No, but you'd be amazed at the number of irresponsible parents who do let their kids play near main roads and then wonder why there are accidents and the number who simply have no idea where their kids are at all. I just wanted something destructive that no parent, however irresponsible, would do. Alos I was in the middle of writing a sermon for this afternoon and my ideas were mainly focussed on that.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

He's not even that good.

I reet!

[Al]

If the Venkeys sell Phil Jones it is a sure sign that they are getting as much money in as they can before walking away from Rovers. Loss limitation.

[chris]

Is a good player, I think we are a little bias, but it wouldn't be like losing shearer or Sutton or duff (left winger) or Bellamy.

Losing them flair players always hits the hardest.

I think we can build a good team with Or without him

Hopefully with though

[JAL]

If the Venkeys sell Phil Jones it is a sure sign that they are getting as much money in as they can before walking away from Rovers. Loss limitation.

Rumours going around that Mrs.D would consider selling Rovers now.

Definitely know that young Phil Jones is more than happy with his life at Rovers, so were on earth these stories begin, god knows. Maybe the owners are looking to cash in some ambition eh.

We shall see what their true commitment is to the club come the next transfer window, just hope that window doesn't turn out to be another blagging exercise.

[chris]

Rumours, they just said judge us in a year and a week later they want to sell

Just rumours

[Stuart]

Sorry JAL, what is the link between selling Rovers and selling Jones?

[JAL]

Sorry JAL, what is the link between selling Rovers and selling Jones?

Replying to Al's post.

[roversmum]

Rumours, they just said judge us in a year and a week later they want to sell

Just rumours

Ah yes, rumours. Like the one I heard about Brockhall being turned into a chicken farm ...

[RevidgeBlue]

The only way forward long term is to keep your best players and build round them. Therefore ideally Jones should be kept at all costs.

That said I think he is a very long way from being the finished article and might not mature into a truly top player. So if we were offered absolutely silly money for him, by which I mean 20m plus, I'd be gutted but not quite as gutted as if Samba or Robinson went or in the past when the likes of Duff, Shearer and Bellamy went.

[LeChuck]

That said I think he is a very long way from being the finished article and might not mature into a truly top player.

It's a definite possibility. I've noticed there's a heavy bias towards him when people are talking about matches. His mistake cost us a point against Man City and he made a few against Bolton that we got away with, but it barely gets discussed.

It's probably the right attitude to take actually, we don't want to highlight something every time he makes a mistake. The side effect is that I think people think he's performing better than he is sometimes, because those mistakes get swept under the carpet.

I definitely want us to hold on to him because the potential in him is huge. Potential doesn't always get fulfilled though, he wouldn't be the first to look very promising as a 19 year old but not quite live up to early expectations. I'd find £15+ million very hard to turn down if it was offered to me.

[den]

That said I think he is a very long way from being the finished article

A "very" long way Rev? No sorry but I think you're wrong. He's just turned 19, which is very young for a centre half and one of, if not the, best prospect in that position in the country. He has pretty much everything he needs to play that position. He just lacks more experience. He'll improve as he gets older - as most defenders do, especially if he plays alongside beeter players.

So yes, he isn't the finished article, but he isn't a very long way off.

[RevidgeBlue]

A "very" long way Rev? No sorry but I think you're wrong. He's just turned 19, which is very young for a centre half and one of, if not the, best prospect in that position in the country. He has pretty much everything he needs to play that position. He just lacks more experience. He'll improve as he gets older - as most defenders do, especially if he plays alongside beeter players.

So yes, he isn't the finished article, but he isn't a very long way off.

Arguing semantics there den. I think we both agree that we don't want to see him sold. In fact I don't think anyone would.

Would I be as upset as when Shearer and Duff left? No.

[den]

Arguing semantics there den. I think we both agree that we don't want to see him sold. In fact I don't think anyone would.

Would I be as upset as when Shearer and Duff left? No.

I wasn't looking for an argument Rev, just trying to say that in my opinion, he's a lot nearer the finished article than you seem to think.

Would I want to see him sold - hell no. I'm staggered that we still have some posters who think, given the right offer, that we can sell Jones and use the money to strengthen. Does past experience not ring any bells? Not everything that's caused us to be where we are now is down to Venky's or Steve Kean. We have been selling, or not replacing quality players for the past few seasons and you can't keep doing that without facing the day of reckoning, also known as relegation. I used to argue on here 'til I was blue in the face that a club has to do everything in it's power to keep it's best players. I think the older posters in particular know how selling top players always leads to one inevitable conclusion - because they've seen it happen many times before.

I know at the end of the day, sometimes you have no alternative but to let the player go. however, once you start accepting that a player will leave, without doing everything in your power to keep him you're guilty of shortchanging everyone at the club.

[Hughesy]

I think without doubt Jones is the best English prospect under 21....by a long way!!

I think we need to build the team around our younger players too. Jones, Hoilett, NZonzi, Olsson & then senior players like Samba & Robbo. If we could add to that someone like Jermaine Jones permanently and then another good midfielder and a couple of strikers then we could really start to go places - especially if people like Formica, Rochina and any other young players start to push through.

If we could remove some deadwood like Roberts, Brown, Andrews, Grella and actually replace with players who can impact things if involved then it would make a massive dfference to our squad.

[Exiled in Toronto]

If we could remove some deadwood like Roberts, Brown, Andrews, Grella and actually replace with players who can impact things if involved then it would make a massive dfference to our squad.

You've been saying this, with different names, for as long as I can remember. There isn't much of a market for massively overpaid deadwood until they get near the end of their bloated contracts, as we have demonstrated consistently over the last 10 years. The Matteo Syndrome.

[Majiball]

Congrat's on Making the U21 squad for the championship's this summer, will be good to see a rover there.

[Hughesy]

It would be even better if we snapped up Sturridge prior to him possibly doing well at the comp too!!

[Kremmin]

Jones must be retained under any circumstances because not only is he English, he is a Rover and his heart bleeds for the shirt ala Dunny.

Those blokes are worth their weight in gold.

[Bobby G]

Keep him at any cost BUT

If I was given an option of Jones leaving and that meant Samba stayed for the rest of his career with us, as opposed to Samba leaving and Jones staying this season and we're back to square one next time around, then it would be a very difficult decision.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

To lose one of Samba and Jones would be bad news, to lose them both would be disasterous.

[RovertheHill]

Would I want to see him sold - hell no. I'm staggered that we still have some posters who think, given the right offer, that we can sell Jones and use the money to strengthen. Does past experience not ring any bells? Not everything that's caused us to be where we are now is down to Venky's or Steve Kean. We have been selling, or not replacing quality players for the past few seasons and you can't keep doing that without facing the day of reckoning, also known as relegation. I used to argue on here 'til I was blue in the face that a club has to do everything in it's power to keep it's best players. I think the older posters in particular know how selling top players always leads to one inevitable conclusion - because they've seen it happen many times before.

Spot on. I can't understand how we keep going through this debate - get a good player, sell him for a fortune, buy 3 average players? How does that make us stronger? I'm sure someone will remember better than I do and contradict me but when we sold Shearer, Sutton, Duff, Bentley, RSC for silly money did we actually buy anyone with the money that made us stronger? A very strong KEEP for me.

[alexanders]

One of the things I love about football is seeing local lads coming through at the clubs.

Therefore this season have been somewhat successfull (Ollsson and Hoilett have had great season).

We have also seen the introducing of Lowe and Rochina who both look exciting.

KEEP AT ALL COSTS!