[Archived] Transfer Deadline Day

[den]

When his head is straight he can be a game changer, which is what we are short of in general, Rhodes can do it but only if he gets some service

Rhodes gets the same service as any other striker we've had in the last few seasons - he feeds on scraps. Which just goes to show the argument that Kalinic would be a great striker if he got the service was always cobblers. Strikers make things happen.

[chris_h]

Rhodes gets the same service as any other striker we've had in the last few seasons - he feeds on scraps. Which just goes to show the argument that Kalinic would be a great striker if he got the service was always cobblers. Strikers make things happen.

I think 'scraps' would be overstating the opportunities that poor Kalinic had to work with tbh. Playing up front on his own in England with his back to goal and trying to make the best of clearances lumped forward from what I remember.

Dunno what Allardyce was thinking of there.

[den]

I think 'scraps' would be overstating the opportunities that poor Kalinic had to work with tbh. Playing up front on his own in England with his back to goal and trying to make the best of clearances lumped forward from what I remember.

Dunno what Allardyce was thinking of there.

The only reason he couldn't play the lone front man was because he wasn't technically good enough. He couldn't trap a bag of cement.

[LeChuck]

I'm very much of the same opinion as regards Bentley. I'm not usually one to forgive and forget when players have shat on the club

Shat on the club? He left and we got a huge fee for him. He didn't complain or shirk his duties during the playing season.

He wanted to leave when Hughes left and we put Ince and Archie Knox in charge. Plenty of stories about how they approaced training during that summer (stories of making Bentley do push ups for laughing). No wonder he wanted out.

Seems like people like to make a drama out of every transfer nowadays. It's not a soap opera.

[chris_h]

The only reason he couldn't play the lone front man was because he wasn't technically good enough. He couldn't trap a bag of cement.

Surprising how folk can see the same player so differently.

He wasn't quick, didn't have much of a physical presence, wasn't great in the air but, for me, was a fairly typical Balkans player in that he was technically sound and generally hit the target (or its frame) when he got the chance.

I didn't understand why we signed him. He was totally unsuited to us at the time and was never strong enough to play as a lone striker.

He was a poor signing. Thankfully and luckily we got our money back but Allardyce didn't cover himself in glory with Kalinic.

Shat on the club? He left and we got a huge fee for him. He didn't complain or shirk his duties during the playing season.

He wanted to leave when Hughes left and we put Ince and Archie Knox in charge. Plenty of stories about how they approaced training during that summer (stories of making Bentley do push ups for laughing). No wonder he wanted out.

Seems like people like to make a drama out of every transfer nowadays. It's not a soap opera.

Swaying around on Sky Sports with a drink in his hand whilst announcing he wanted out was hardly a professional or respectful way to treat the club or its supporters

In my opinion.

[LeChuck]

Swaying around on Sky Sports with a drink in his hand whilst announcing he wanted out was hardly a professional or respectful way to treat the club or its supporters

In my opinion.

No of course, I wouldn't argue with that being unprofessional. I think it's a long way from "shat on the club" though. He did it in the off season, we got great money for him and had plenty of time to replace him.

He shouldn't have given that interview, but then it was very cheap media work by Sky to interview him in that scenario.

[thenodrog]

I'm very much of the same opinion as regards Bentley. I'm not usually one to forgive and forget when players have shat on the club but the manager must be allowed to bring in the players he wants.

Eh? Bentley made us 8million quid profit! I wish he'd sh1t on me! Players only sh1t on the club when they do what Hoilett and Grella did and run their contracts down. We got 4m for Hoilett but if he could have avoided that altogether and got a bigger signing on fee from QPR he would have done.

You need to wake up to the real world chris.

I think 'scraps' would be overstating the opportunities that poor Kalinic had to work with tbh. Playing up front on his own in England with his back to goal and trying to make the best of clearances lumped forward from what I remember.

Dunno what Allardyce was thinking of there.

Wasn't he second / third best and all we could afford? I seem to rem allardyce might have had Lewandovski as 1st choice.

[chris_h]

Eh? Bentley made us 8million quid profit! I wish he'd sh1t on me! Players only sh1t on the club when they do what Hoilett and Grella did and run their contracts down. We got 4m for Hoilett but if he could have avoided that altogether and got a bigger signing on fee from QPR he would have done.

You need to wake up to the real world chris.

Wasn't he second / third best and all we could afford? I seem to rem allardyce might have had Lewandovski as 1st choice.

Having lurked over the forum for a while I know that you are of the opinion that players are within their rights to cause a fuss or use similar means to get out of their contracts and grab a lucrative contract elsewhere.

I can't agree and put Bentley in the same bracket as Price, Hendry, Le Saux, Sherwood, Sutton, Neill, Santa Cruz and Samba who have, yes, sh1t on the club in using the media with their agents to manipulate themselves out of contracts that they freely entered into. In the process of doing so they destabilise the club, show it in an unfavourable light and let down supporters.

Henning Berg demonstrated how a player can get a move to a top club and do so with dignity.

[m1st]

Surprising how folk can see the same player so differently.

He wasn't quick, didn't have much of a physical presence, wasn't great in the air but, for me, was a fairly typical Balkans player in that he was technically sound and generally hit the target (or its frame) when he got the chance.

I didn't understand why we signed him. He was totally unsuited to us at the time and was never strong enough to play as a lone striker.

As one who also always felt that Kalinic was the traditional square peg in a round hole in his time at Ewood, I've just looked on Wiki to see how he's gone on with Dnipro. In 31 League games, [19 last season; 12 so far this year], he's got 15 goals [10 & 5 respectively] and has been capped by Croatia 8 times with 4 goals.

Obviously, I don't know the quality or style of the Ukranian league and I'm not going so far as to say that if we'd built the team around him, we might have had a similar sort of nearly 50% return from him in terms of goals per game but I always felt a bit sorry for him - I agree with chris, he wasn't right for us at the time he played for us.

[den]

The thing you can blame Allardyce for, was signing him. It was opportunism. You can't blame Allardyce for Kalinic's lack of technique though. Since then, our teams have gone down the nick quality wise, playing more long ball football than we ever did under Sam, but Yakubu and Rhodes have still shone. Niko never did.

[G Somerset Rover]

Apologies if somebody else has mentioned this, but anyone given thought that the Bentley deal is probably nigh on imposisble for us to do solely because Spurs are trying to screw us over for us costing them £15 million quid.

They didn't have any trouble farming him out to west Ham, Brum and some Russian outfit, but us? Levy will be looking to bleed us dry on this deal.

[bypass06]

Rekik completes loan move

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/blackburn_rovers/news/10231660.Rekik_completes_loan_move/

[den]

Bentley still wanted. Appleton expects another in today.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/blackburn_rovers/news/10230826.Appleton_backing_Karim_to_play_part__in_play_off_push/

[LeChuck]

The thing you can blame Allardyce for, was signing him. It was opportunism. You can't blame Allardyce for Kalinic's lack of technique though. Since then, our teams have gone down the nick quality wise, playing more long ball football than we ever did under Sam, but Yakubu and Rhodes have still shone. Niko never did.

I can see why Allardyce took a gamble on him. Despite all this "he wasn't suited to us" stuff, I can see why Allardyce might have thought he could use a 6 ft 2 in striker on his own up front.

Kalinic's biggest problem was that he had absolutely no balance. He couldn't hold the ball up because he'd just fall over every time anyone touched him.

[JAL]

Rekik completes loan move

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/blackburn_rovers/news/10231660.Rekik_completes_loan_move/

Does this signal the beginning of the end for Markus Olsson with his twin Martin being pushed further forward lets hope so.

[booth]

Common sense at last...

“I certainly hope to have another one done by this evening.

“I doubt he will be involved on Saturday. But I am 90 per cent sure that will be done.

David (Bentley) is a wide player and we have been talking about wide
players. He is definitely on the list and in an ideal world I would like
to bring two wide players in.

“So whether he is one of the two lets see what happens. He has a great history with the club and a lot of quality.

“I think the only time I will get the feeling this is my squad is in
the summer though. The squad I walked into, I recognised the balance was
not right.

“I wanted to try and address that as soon as I could but you don’t get
the opportunity to do that to a full extent until you have the summer.”

[CapeTownRover]

Man Appletons interviews are so refreshing to listen to. If Bentley or Thomas comes in, and Leon Best can get into the action for the last 10 or so games, then i am more than optimistic that we can end in the top 6. Our attack will be strong, but then it will all be up to Dann, Hanley, Olsson and Rekik to keep things solid at the back. We will score goals with Rhodes, DJ and Best, but we cant undo all that with any lapses of concentration at fhe back.

[Plastics]

Common sense at last...

Indeed. It's nice to be able to listen to interviews again. I've not done so since Ince came to the club.

[Kelbo]

Indeed. It's nice to be able to listen to interviews again. I've not done so since Ince came to the club.

With all due respect to the posters here and I do think Appleton is addressing things in the correct way, interviews are much easier when things are going OK, much more difficult if you get a run of bad results!

[CapeTownRover]

Well that is normally the case Kelbo, no matter who the manager is. I remember after we beat Sunderlans at Ewood to pull clear of the bottom 3, that @#/? head looked all proud of himself. Once it went pear shaped, he was back to being a fool again. If you are under pressure, well then there is no hiding. Its how he is going to handle the pressure once we hit a few bad results, that will tell us more about him

[Plastics]

With all due respect to the posters here and I do think Appleton is addressing things in the correct way, interviews are much easier when things are going OK, much more difficult if you get a run of bad results!

Of course, but he speaks with honesty, unlike the three managers who followed Hughes.

[CapeTownRover]

Sunderland

[Amo]

I can see why Allardyce took a gamble on him. Despite all this "he wasn't suited to us" stuff, I can see why Allardyce might have thought he could use a 6 ft 2 in striker on his own up front.

So all it boils down to is his height? Even the most cursory glance at Kalinic in action would've shown you that he was more of a Filippo Inzaghi type of striker and not another Kevin Davies in the making. It was a poor, knee-jerk signing as Sam was unable/unwilling to play to his strengths.

[martonrover]

With all due respect to the posters here and I do think Appleton is addressing things in the correct way, interviews are much easier when things are going OK, much more difficult if you get a run of bad results!

Fair point, but Appleton is articulate, not full of himself and talks sense.

[LeChuck]

So all it boils down to is his height? Even the most cursory glance at Kalinic in action would've shown you that he was more of a Filippo Inzaghi type of striker and not another Kevin Davies in the making. It was a poor, knee-jerk signing as Sam was unable/unwilling to play to his strengths.

If Allardyce could have succeeded in building his upper body strength and work with him in training, why not? Kevin Davies didn't look like a Kevin Davies in the making at 21, he was a winger at that age.

Quick point on the last sentence...what are Kalinic's strengths? I can't think how we could have set the team up to play to them. Inzaghi was a player from a different era.