Transfer Window Chat Thread

[BiggusLaddus]

Last season he was either injured (and therefore not training with the other players) or was not picked due to other 'issues' off the field, so I will stand by him only having 1.5 seasons worth of experience in the league.

You certainly can't count Hoilett as experienced when he's only been a first team regular for 6months.

That said, I don't think the balance between youth and experience is too bad, especially if we bring in Ibisevic and A. Nother forward of similar age.

I do worry that we are putting too much hope in Petrovic though, as he might not work out at all and if he doesn't then we really don't have anyone to come in. Even if he turns out to be Makelele, Roy Keane and Viera all rolled into one we'd still need reliable cover when he or the Zonz get injured/suspended.

[67splitscreen]

I have to say I agree with LeChuck here - we are really missing some characters who not only have quality but also can inspire those around them. Sometimes this can be achieved by the very young - see Phil Jones last season - but usually comes from those who have self confidence to communicate with those around them built on knowing what the demands and environment are.

I think everyone would feel a lot more confident about our ability to command and control games, keep our heads up and maintain our shape if we had a Jermaine Jones and a Raul to call on. We need inspirational characters.

I really hope we can bring a couple in - like Jones or Raul - before the window closes. All our strongest leaders are in defence and goal - we need more of those further up the pitch. Roberts, Dunn, Perdersen, Grella have all been round the block but as it stands it is hard to see how they will be playing regularly as they just don't have the quality. Hoilett, Olsson, Nzonzi do but they are quiet young men finding their feet in the game.

A calm head or two - particularly in midfield - could be the difference between relegation or not in my opinion.

A calm head or two - particularly in midfield - JJ

[callumrovers]

If Dunn and Pedersen form part of our strongest midfield then we're are screwed. To borrow a post from the Everton match thread...

We've all been complaining about those two for years!

At the moment they do form part of our strongest midfield. This may change by January when we have seen Formica Rochina and Vuckuvic play, but at the moment they are part of our strongest midfield.

If we are that screwed with Pedersen and Dunn playing why havent we been relegated yet? I cant think of anyone apart from Emerton (and even he played right back alot) who we have lost from midfield who was an important player.

And if anything the teams cwho came up this year are worse than last year!

[BiggusLaddus]

That said, I don't think the balance between youth and experience is too bad, especially if we bring in Ibisevic and A. Nother forward of similar age.

I do worry that we are putting too much hope in Petrovic though, as he might not work out at all and if he doesn't then we really don't have anyone to come in. Even if he turns out to be Makelele, Roy Keane and Viera all rolled into one we'd still need reliable cover when he or the Zonz get injured/suspended.

In addition to this bit - there is also the odd game where playing a triangle of 3 defensive minded midfielders together can work out well (e.g. the 0-0 at Arsenal last season), so I would definitely like to see another player in this position come in. And he really should be an experienced head.

[Roverdale]

You can only blame the failings of previous regimes on the current transfer strategy. I agree it's not good but you have avoided what would be your remedy.

My players in purely on football merits, two out of the three are guesses at fees. All have moved or about to so would have been available.

D Cisse 5m 40kpw - Lazio

Barton 2m signing on fee 40/50kpw- QPR

NRC 1m signing on fee 30kpw - Bolton

Would have added O'Hara but he doesn't fall into your categorisation IMO.

Leaving us with:

---------------N'Zonzi

--------NRC-----------Barton

Hoilett--------------------Olsson

---------------Cisse.

Even that lacks goals IMO from MF.

We could play this game for ever.

Time for a short break back in nine days.

Not that I'm disagreeing but I saw JB at 60k pw.. which is a lot for a player who is a complete and utter tosspot.

Our problem from midfield is our players either make runs TO the ball and then rather than turning players they just pass it right back where it came achieving nothing except they're now slightly more tired. Or the make runs AWAY from the ball but nothing pacey or clever enough to lose their marker. The number of runs Goodwillie and Rochina made against Sheff Wed where they set off then stopped leaving the ball going free was ridiculous.. everyone needs more time to gel and to learn how all their teammates are likely to move and react. We need a Tugay character in the centre to run the midfield someone who really can pick out the right passes and always knows exactly where the players want it.

You could argue that this player needs to be experienced.. but you could also argue it just needs to be a player who's willing to put the time in to learn his teammates in training. Premier League experience is good to learn the pace of the game etc but the gelling and experience of the team is even more important in my opinion. Bringing in a young crop of players who are going to grow up together and learn each others moves for years to come can only be a good thing.

[EgyptianPete]

At the moment they do form part of our strongest midfield. This may change by January when we have seen Formica Rochina and Vuckuvic play, but at the moment they are part of our strongest midfield.

If we are that screwed with Pedersen and Dunn playing why havent we been relegated yet? I cant think of anyone apart from Emerton (and even he played right back alot) who we have lost from midfield who was an important player.

And if anything the teams cwho came up this year are worse than last year!

Having a quick lunch break and Just gone through TWO pages of you lot arguing/debating who has prem experience, this thread is supposed to be about potential incoming transfers, can we keep on THAT topic please, start another thread on your debates keep this to transfers please. :brfc:

[Hughesy]

At the moment they do form part of our strongest midfield. This may change by January when we have seen Formica Rochina and Vuckuvic play, but at the moment they are part of our strongest midfield.

If we are that screwed with Pedersen and Dunn playing why havent we been relegated yet? I cant think of anyone apart from Emerton (and even he played right back alot) who we have lost from midfield who was an important player.

Erm Jermaine Jones?! The lad that wwas MOTM in probably 3 or 4 of our last 10 games or so??

[AJW]

from what i saw on saturday it was an awdful rovers performance not because a lack of experience , but with a lack of leaders Dunn and Pedersen have all the exp. in the world but NO leadership

[EgyptianPete]

Having a quick lunch break and Just gone through TWO pages of you lot arguing/debating who has prem experience, this thread is supposed to be about potential incoming transfers, can we keep on THAT topic please, start another thread on your debates keep this to transfers please. :brfc:

So Kamy and co, any news on potential targets or imminent signings, all gone quiet again after last weeks target list was put out. :!: :!:

[Roverdale]

Having a quick lunch break and Just gone through TWO pages of you lot arguing/debating who has prem experience, this thread is supposed to be about potential incoming transfers, can we keep on THAT topic please, start another thread on your debates keep this to transfers please. :brfc:

If you'd read the thread title and description it says 'for all OFF TOPIC transfer stuff' money, who we need etc..

The other threads are to discuss the incomings.

[callumrovers]

Erm Jermaine Jones?! The lad that wwas MOTM in probably 3 or 4 of our last 10 games or so??

Lol, Mind blank sorry!

Im kind of hoping Petrovic can fill that void.

Or they can get him back on loan

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

So we're less than 24 hrs away from cut off time to have new faces in the team for Everton...any sign of any players actually signing?

[Hughesy]

Ideal line up based on realistic targets & current squad

------------P Cisse----Ibisevic---------

----Hoilett-------Barton------Vukcevic--

------------------Nzonzi----------------

----Olsson---Givet---Samba---Onouha-----

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

Rest of squad – Bunn, Nelsen, Ribiero, Hanley, G John, Ramm, Petrovic, Dunn, Lowe, Rochina, Formica, Lansbury, Roberts, Goodwillie

[malk]

N'Zonzi has two seasons experience in the Premiership, Petrovic has 19 international caps. I'm expecting the pair to be our holding midfielders.

Hoilett has 47 league games (and has looked pretty good in them!). Vukčević has 32 international caps. Formica and Rochina are inexperienced. Dunn and Pedersen have piles of experience.

Roberts has a cartload of experience. Goodwillie has played 117 for Dundee United including two full seasons (the last two) in the Scottish Premier. If we sign Ibišević then he has over 100 games in the Bundesliga and 34 international caps.

This doesn't suggest to me a total paucity of experience outside the back four. Equally, if we're talking Premier League experience, who can we sign? Good players from similar teams to us won't come to us. Cast offs from similar teams we generally don't want which pretty much leaves ageing squad players from United and Steve Bruce isn't our manager so we won't get them!

Without doing any real research, the teams that try and fill their squads with experienced Premier League players don't fare so well because good ones are so expensive. Look at what we paid for Nathan Blake and Ashley Ward! We seem to be identifying a mix of good young talent (Petrovic, Rochina, Formica, John)) and experienced players from overseas coming into their prime (Vukčević, Ibišević). Seems like a good plan to me.

[MarkBRFC71]

At the moment they do form part of our strongest midfield. This may change by January when we have seen Formica Rochina and Vuckuvic play, but at the moment they are part of our strongest midfield.

If we are that screwed with Pedersen and Dunn playing why havent we been relegated yet? I cant think of anyone apart from Emerton (and even he played right back alot) who we have lost from midfield who was an important player.

And if anything the teams cwho came up this year are worse than last year!

Pedersen, and to a lesser extent Dunn, are nowhere near part of our strongest midfield. Pedersen plays like he's counting down to retirement these days, and Dunny's been ravaged by a series of niggly injuries and old age.

Assuming we're going to play 4-2-3-1, then the best midfield we can put out is:

.......N'Zonzi.....Petrovic

Hoilett.....Rochina......Vukcevic

Granted, we've not seen Vukcevic play, but he's the record cap holder for his country and has just come from Sporting so he's not a nugget and has experience of top-level football.

Not much Premier League experience there, but that doesn't alter the fact that ability-wise they're the best we've got at present.

[AJW]

Ideal line up based on realistic targets & current squad

------------P Cisse----Ibisevic---------

----Hoilett-------Barton------Vukcevic--

------------------Nzonzi----------------

----Olsson---Givet---Samba---Onouha-----

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

Rest of squad – Bunn, Nelsen, Ribiero, Hanley, G John, Ramm, Petrovic, Dunn, Lowe, Rochina, Formica, Lansbury, Roberts, Goodwillie

we can but dream !! thats a great team hughsey but by my reckoning thats an outlay of approx £15m on Cisse and Onouha alone + the £5m on Ibisevic .....no way will we spend £20m on 3 players without sellin Samba

[Amo]

Ermm, I thought both NZonzi, Petrovic, Grella are all defensive/Holding midfielders Topman.

Grella? You are joking, right?

This season has already proven that without one of Nzonzi/Petrovic, we're lightweight in midfield. We need another body there.

[67splitscreen]

Ideal line up based on realistic targets & current squad

------------P Cisse----Ibisevic---------

----Hoilett-------Barton------Vukcevic--

------------------Nzonzi----------------

----Olsson---Givet---Samba---Onouha-----

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

Rest of squad – Bunn, Nelsen, Ribiero, Hanley, G John, Ramm, Petrovic, Dunn, Lowe, Rochina, Formica, Lansbury, Roberts, Goodwillie

You crusade for JJ in one breath then omit him from your realistic signings and adding a player to the attack in P Cisse who will cost more than we have spent to date.

Realistic or wishful thinking?, someone is going to be digging very deep to add him and Onuoha. 16-18m at least. I hope your right but ....... doubt it.

[Give 'Em the Axe]

If you'd read the thread title and description it says 'for all OFF TOPIC transfer stuff' money, who we need etc..

The other threads are to discuss the incomings.

True, but this is the thread where those with the info have been posting their pearls of wisdom.

[AJW]

Owen Hargreaves is still available..... during his time with Utd and Bayern i've seen him play r/b r/mid and centre mid (i.e all positions Emo played) he could also provide that experience we are short of

[Eddie]

Would I like to sign another Jason Roberts?

No point continuing this.

If the emphasis is on experience then we will end up with players like Roberts. Players with 2+ years of premier league experience are only sold for 2-3m when they are either not very good or quite old (and quite often it is both).

Some of you seem to live in a dreamland where there are dozens of quality premier league players being sold for reasonable fees. Once a player has proven himself in this league his value increases significantly, often exponentially, so to expect us to be signing players who have both experience and the quality to improve the first 11 is unrealistic. A bit of experience in other leagues is necessary, we can't field a team of 18 year olds straight from youth squads, but we have signed players this summer who have plenty of experience playing in good leagues, european competition and for their respective nations.

True, but this is the thread where those with the info have been posting their pearls of wisdom.

It doesn't take that long to skim through and you can also go to the specific player topics. More updates go there it seems.

[Rover & Out]

I wouldn't say it's experience as such that we lack, more a leader on the pitch.

This has been evident in the first few games with the absence of Samba.

It's something that Jermaine Jones brought too; driving forward from midfield and taking the game by the scruff of the neck.

Pedersen & Dunn have bags of experience but they don't have presence or the ability to rouse others.

[brian_gallagher85]

Owen Hargreaves is still available..... during his time with Utd and Bayern i've seen him play r/b r/mid and centre mid (i.e all positions Emo played) he could also provide that experience we are short of

Experience... of the treatment table.

And Hughesy I think your time with Kean has caused you to become as delusional as him!

[Eddie]

That really comes down to style of play. Central defenders can do it, but the fill-ins we have had have been understandably timid given their lack of experience. In central midfield we've had more attack-minded players who don't add that presence. Nelsen, Givet and Samba returning will help that as would having the likes of Petrovic and N'Zonzi in midfield.

[patrickvalery]

Le Chuck is totally correct. However its not just PL experiene we require, It's just general nous which comes with age. We need someone in the centre of the park who can lift the younguns when we're up against it or reign them in when we needn't be too cavalier. The daft thing is we could have brought in someone to do this with ease. Off the top of my head Barton, Reo Coker or Poullsen would have done just fine in terms of experiene and leadership qualities alone.