[Archived] Reasons for Optimism

[True Blue & White]

I admire the research! Very rarely you get people who put the effort in here (me included) so impressed by that.

You did miss Ferguson off the 4m+ list (I think he cost 6m?) who was had a couple of good games but was in the majority injured then wanted to go home. Also Grella was 4m quid so I think he should be up there.

In balancing it out the guys who came on free/or up to 500k I think it is harsh to criticise unless they were on massive wages. They were cheap gambles with little impact on the club. So of the guys who cost 0.5m to 4m who were not worth the cash?

Fowler (for the wages), and Andrews. Um, actually I'm struggling to identify anyone else who seemed that much of a waste of money - are there people missing from your list as even I thought we had more garbage out of the budget rack than that ... Linganzi if he goes maybe (very cheap though....), Matteo was hit and miss.

I used this site

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/premier-league/transfers/verein_164_2008.html - Use the drop down to choose the season.

..and you're right, Ferguson was £8.5m according to the site (which would make him our record signing if true) but they state Grella was around £3.52m.

All our outstanding players came in for less than 4m, and I don't buy this "law of averages" malarky. We got them because we did our research and got in hungry talented players with points to prove.

We also did our research on the dross we bought too. When I say law of averages I'm not saying we're picking players at random but you can have the best scouting networking in the world and they would still rely on a slice of luck and won't get every one right. Besides, mots of the great sub £4m players we bought were done by different managers, chairman and scouts that we have now.

[thenodrog]

If I was otto-man, I'd be asking for a second opinion

It's taken you a long time Bucky but that is a top post.

Im very optimistic people in this thread will stop arguing with each other, stop dragging it way off topic and as a result of that stop me closing it. :-)

Behave yourself.

[tonyoz]

Reasons to be optimistic? Here's one - of the thousands of doom-laden predictions posted on this board this close-season - none have come true!

I'm optimistic that it will stay that way.

[1864roverite]

Just over a week to go to the big kick off and I am just about getting ready to think about football again.

Have 3 weeks off work and will do a spot of fishing and golf, a bit of walking and a bit of relaxation.

In the middle of it all, I shall venture down to Ewood and take up a season ticket even though I have muted my disgust at the way our club has portrayed itself this summer.

I am ultimately a little optimistic. Looks like we have a good one on our hands in Petrovic whilst DG looks to be a decent prospect. Although saddened by the impending departure of Samba (he really isnt the talisman some think on here) I remain upbeat that we can get decent replacements in to replace and supplement the squad.

I am optimistic that Junior will sign his new deal and that we will endeavour to get a fab striker through the doors.

I am ever enthusiastic about Rovers in that we wont have to suffer an Andrews entry onto the pitch, never have I ever felt so deflated when he is named in the squad or even worse, the starting 11.

I am optimistic that if Grella and Dunn manage to stay fit and play 75% of the season then we have the grafters in the centre of the park. If we can just find that creative spark then who knows what Formica and Rochine can do. The boy Petrovic excites me, I just hope he doesnt flop.

I am optimistic that in Kean we will see him either get this club going or he will have fallen on his sword by the end of september, leaving us with the incoming saviour of Mark Hughes making a dramatic return to Ewood.

I am saddened by the clubs lack of shirt sponsor, the slight change of the style of the shirt and the suggestion of a Venky design on the front. I just hope we can find a decent sponsor to inject a little more cash.

I am optimistic that despite Ozzie Jones not having a season ticket we will still see him making a comment/giving his views on the different styles of chicken that will no doubt be on sale in the concourse.

I am saddened that I wont be able to chat with Rev, Den and Baz and Capt Mike in the JW Upper as I am moving back to the Blackburn End.

I am optimistic that Jason Roberts will actually score more than 7 goals this season unless Rovers get a bid that is simply irresistable from Wigan.

I am glad that EHD wont have to be tolerated like Andrews.

Bring on the Wolves

[True Blue & White]

Reasons to be optimistic? Here's one - of the thousands of doom-laden predictions posted on this board this close-season - none have come true!

Plenty of people said we wouldn't spend "nicko's" £50m, and that's come true (barring a miracle that is)

[Mattyblue]

Reasons to be optimistic? Here's one - of the thousands of doom-laden predictions posted on this board this close-season - none have come true!

I'm optimistic that it will stay that way.

What doom laden predictions were they then?

Jones would go? True

Samba would go? in the balance

Hoilett wouldn't sign a deal? Still hasn't.

ST sales would be down? True

We wouldnt have a sponsor? True

Venky's wouldn't even spend the Jones money? True

Now, none of this is a 'disaster', and we are plodding on as we always have, there is just a realisation that BRFC hasn't moved forward at all this summer.

[Gav]

BRFC hasn't moved forward at all this summer.

Compared to last summer Allardyce has gone, thats a step forward

Sorry sorry sorry, fishing trip

[yoda]

Oh dear, so what porkies has he been telling the players?

They used real chicken in the ad

[Mattyblue]

Compared to last summer Allardyce has gone, thats a step forward

Sorry sorry sorry, fishing trip

Haha, you don't admit it's a fishing trip, you leave it hanging and we can have a fiesty debate for the next twenty pages about 10th place finishes, 'oofball, budgets, extrapolated league positions, Fat Slugs, backstabbers and so forth.

[yeti-dog]

Haha, you don't admit it's a fishing trip, you leave it hanging and we can have a fiesty debate for the next twenty pages about 10th place finishes, 'oofball, budgets, extrapolated league positions, Fat Slugs, backstabbers and so forth.

Which would have been all well and good but after those 20 pages what would have been achieved?

Bugger all I'd suggest.

Perhaps it's time we all agreed to differ and started to look towards the future...

[Gav]

Haha, you don't admit it's a fishing trip, you leave it hanging and we can have a fiesty debate for the next twenty pages about 10th place finishes, 'oofball, budgets, extrapolated league positions, Fat Slugs, backstabbers and so forth.

I couldn't do that Matty, could I?

[FourLaneBlue]

Perhaps it's time we all agreed to differ and started to look towards the future...

Aye, cos we're all really good at doing that kind of thing round here

[tonyoz]

Plenty of people said we wouldn't spend "nicko's" £50m, and that's come true (barring a miracle that is)

Well if Nicko makes up some fantasy figure, the club can hardly be blamed for ignoring it!

[tonyoz]

What doom laden predictions were they then?

Jones would go? True

Samba would go? in the balance

Hoilett wouldn't sign a deal? Still hasn't.

ST sales would be down? True

We wouldnt have a sponsor? True

Venky's wouldn't even spend the Jones money? True

Now, none of this is a 'disaster', and we are plodding on as we always have, there is just a realisation that BRFC hasn't moved forward at all this summer.

Sorry Matty - the Jones sale was not in the doom and gloom basket - it was good business. None of your other pronouncements have come to pass either. I am optimistic that they won't. You obviously disagree and I respect that.

[Mattyblue]

Selling your best player and not replacing him is not 'good business'

and as for sponsor and ST sales- True.

[CaliRoverNYC]

Selling your best player and not replacing him is not 'good business'

neither is panicking and spending all that money right away just because the fans want you too. You have to find the right players for the right price and to do that owners need patience. I'm not saying thats why we have seen few buys this summer, but I am excited that when we have spent we have spent on young players. Rochina Formica and Goodwillie should all be cause for optimism, as should the success of our young players in the reserves. It's not all sunny at Ewood but It's not all gloomy either.

[tonyoz]

Selling your best player and not replacing him is not 'good business'

and as for sponsor and ST sales- True.

Or maybe you are just impatient?

[Mattyblue]

Not at all, but it seems unlikely that we will be bringing in a centre half this summer- ergo not good business.

[tonyoz]

I think we will bring in a couple more decent players yet.

[True Blue & White]

Selling your best player and not replacing him is not 'good business'

We haven't sold Andrews yet mate.

[brian nelsen]

Ha ha. I've not read any of this thread. At what point did it go from being an optimistic thread to a pessimistic one. Second post in?

[philipl]

I think we will bring in a couple more decent players yet.

Yes but we are totally hamstrung in terms of not having the people behind the scenes we need to sign no risk solid PL performers.

Hanley, Rochina, Formica, Petrovic, Goodwillie are all unproven risks and the names in our transfer thread are mostly more of the same. We may laugh at Steve Bruce's signings but at least they know their way around the PL.

As I keep saying, we simply have to get lucky this season both in terms of players coming good and avoiding injuries. Just imagine if we had the same problems that Bolton Wanderers currently have with injuries- not even imy9 would be giving us a prayer of staying up.

[Mattyblue]

I think we will bring in a couple more decent players yet.

We probably will, and offensively we look to be a stronger outfit than last season- however we are one and could be two top class defenders down.

There you go some reasons for optimism!

[Kelbo]

We probably will, and offensively we look to be a stronger outfit than last season- however we are one and could be two top class defenders down.

There you go some reasons for optimism!

Yes offensively we do APPEAR to be stronger, my concern is that if Kean deploys a diamond formation, which I am informed he favours, we will leave the back four badly exposed.

I do say appear to be stronger, we still dont know if Rochina, Formica, Goodwillie or Petrovic can perform well in the Premier League and another worry is this, JJ was a good defensive midfielder who got forward well but was very quick to get behind the ball when defending, looking at Petrovic, he does seem to be very much an offensive player, we shall see.

As for optimism. if we can hit the ground running in the first three or four games, we have a chance of a decent season, should we not pick up 6 points from those games it will be a very tough season.

[dave birch]

Yes offensively we do APPEAR to be stronger, my concern is that if Kean deploys a diamond formation, which I am informed he favours, we will leave the back four badly exposed.

I do say appear to be stronger, we still dont know if Rochina, Formica, Goodwillie or Petrovic can perform well in the Premier League and another worry is this, JJ was a good defensive midfielder who got forward well but was very quick to get behind the ball when defending, looking at Petrovic, he does seem to be very much an offensive player, we shall see.

As for optimism. if we can hit the ground running in the first three or four games, we have a chance of a decent season, should we not pick up 6 points from those games it will be a very tough season.

Kelbo, there's every chance that a decent start is on the cards if we play some of the new guys. Other teams won't know how they play and can't plan for that. Until they've seen a few games, they won't know what to expect.

It's after four or five games that I expect that any slump will come.