[Archived] Clearout begins at Rovers

[Parsonblue]

Build a team around him...no point building a team with no focal point or end product to it

If we had the money I might agree but we don't. We are trying to build a team by developing younger players and that takes time. In twelve months time we will be struggling with his wages if we are still in the Championship.

[Parsonblue]

Flipping the coin over. How many goals did Rovers score last season and how many were not scored by Rhodes?

But if we hadn't spent the money on Rhodes and bought two or three other players in midfield and attack the team may have scored more goals. The point I was trying to make is that Rhodes is the icing on the cake but at the moment we are struggling to find the ingredients to make a cake. Rhodes scored 27 goals last season but we were nowhere near promotion and spent much of the season trying to avoid relegation. Whilst I believe that Gary will get us to a comfortable mid-table position this season I'm not convinced that if we sold Rhodes and bought two or three better quality players in key positions it would make us relegation candidates.

[Brad]

Dude, just like we got relegated with YAK!!

It's not good having one player kicking 20+ goals, and the team struggles to kick 40 for the year...

I take it you got the point!!

[Jimmy612]

How many goals did Rhodes score last season? Where did we finish? Cardiff's top scorers had 8 goals each. The discussion is a valid one in that a goalscorer on his own will not achieve promotion, particularly a player like Rhodes who requires others to create the chances for him. The main issue I would have with selling Rhodes is that we are unlikely to get what we paid for him. For me his game has too many flaws that need addressing for a Premier League club to pay top money for him. £4 or £5 million and you might, just might gamble on him. However, the sort of club he is likely to attract in the Premier League would probably be reluctant to pay that for him. However, if he has a poor season with the Rovers this year then his value will drop considerably more. If someone did offer £5 million and if the whole amount was invested in the team there is a chance we could be stronger as a unit. In twelve months time if we are still in the Championship I have no doubt he will be sold for whatever we can get to simply get him off the wage bill.

A point I made not even a week ago Parson and an absolutely valid discussion.

We overpaid for Rhodes and unfortunately will not re-coup the money we paid for him, unless perhaps a relegation threatened team decide to take him in January as a gamble. Norwich almost did exactly that when they bid £9m for Hooper last Jan.

There are many Rovers fans that wear JR coloured spectacles - Rev being my most frequent opposition. Fact is we paid £8m to place a cherry atop a cake made out of sawdust. A seriously flawed decision made by a Malaysian Gentleman who has no idea about football. (No not Tony Fernandes)

We should have invested that money into creating a strong, balanced squad capable of competing in this league.

[den]

Build a team around him...no point building a team with no focal point or end product to it

You build teams around leaders.

I would sell him tomorrow with one proviso. That being we get all the cash to spend. The biggest problem is do we have a manager who could spend it wisely?

28 goals yes, but we almost got relegated. No point in doing that again.

[Brad]

A point I made not even a week ago Parson and an absolutely valid discussion.

We overpaid for Rhodes and unfortunately will not re-coup the money we paid for him, unless perhaps a relegation threatened team decide to take him in January as a gamble. Norwich almost did exactly that when they bid £9m for Hooper last Jan.

There are many Rovers fans that wear JR coloured spectacles - Rev being my most frequent opposition. Fact is we paid £8m to place a cherry atop a cake made out of sawdust. A seriously flawed decision made by a Malaysian Gentleman who has no idea about football. (No not Tony Fernandes)

We should have invested that money into creating a strong, balanced squad capable of competing in this league.

+1

Sorry, tried to quote it... Just didn't happen!!

[SoldierMo]

But you got to take into account if we did have the 8million to spend it would have been keane spending......the rest as they say is history......

[Al]

But if we hadn't spent the money on Rhodes and bought two or three other players in midfield and attack the team may have scored more goals. The point I was trying to make is that Rhodes is the icing on the cake but at the moment we are struggling to find the ingredients to make a cake. Rhodes scored 27 goals last season but we were nowhere near promotion and spent much of the season trying to avoid relegation. Whilst I believe that Gary will get us to a comfortable mid-table position this season I'm not convinced that if we sold Rhodes and bought two or three better quality players in key positions it would make us relegation candidates.

Rhodes takes up 1 shirt. You would have to have at least 3 shirts to score that number of goals leaving you only 7 outfield shirts to do all the rest. That's why we need him.

[Brad]

Really, silly argument.

Has anyone got the states on Rhodes scoring with GB as manager please?

[Lytham]

Rhodes and Bowyer were the two bright spots of last season.

This season we should build around those two, which is in fact what we seem to be trying to do.

In the meanwhile, let's get behind them.

[RevidgeBlue]

You build teams around leaders.

I would sell him tomorrow with one proviso. That being we get all the cash to spend. The biggest problem is do we have a manager who could spend it wisely?

28 goals yes, but we almost got relegated. No point in doing that again.

Strange how for someone who's usually so vehemently opposed to selling our "best" players, you're so much in favour of selling Rhodes.

[den]

Strange how for someone who's usually so vehemently opposed to selling our "best" players, you're so much in favour of selling Rhodes.

I've seen better players than Rhodes, even in the lower leagues.

[RevidgeBlue]

A point I made not even a week ago Parson and an absolutely valid discussion.

We overpaid for Rhodes and unfortunately will not re-coup the money we paid for him, unless perhaps a relegation threatened team decide to take him in January as a gamble. Norwich almost did exactly that when they bid £9m for Hooper last Jan.

There are many Rovers fans that wear JR coloured spectacles - Rev being my most frequent opposition. Fact is we paid £8m to place a cherry atop a cake made out of sawdust. A seriously flawed decision made by a Malaysian Gentleman who has no idea about football. (No not Tony Fernandes)

We should have invested that money into creating a strong, balanced squad capable of competing in this league.

I'm going to have to butt in again there jimmy. It's not Rhodes' fault the rest of the team is crap. You put a less prolific striker than him in last season's side without any improvements elsewhere, you go down it's as simple as that.

If you spend say 2 -3m on a lesser striker then have 5-6 m to spend on the rest of the side, how far do you really think that goes?. The chances are just as good that you'll completely waste the money on three or four duckeggs as transform the fortunes of the side.

If the choice was something like Rhodes and last years side against say Billy Sharp, Fabregas and Gerrard you'd have a point. But it isn't. The unknown players would be a complete gamble who might not come off.

If it was as easy as you say, how come our fortunes didn't take off when Shearer was sold out the end of the 1996 season? 15m - British transfer record at the time - . That should have been more than enough to build a strong all round side. Instead we were relegated inside two seasons. It doesn't just work like that and it's not such an obvious route to go down as you're making out.

I've seen better players than Rhodes, even in the lower leagues.

Right. Nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that you refuse to admit Venky's could make a decent signing then?

[T.J.Newton]

I don't want to see Rhodes go, as well as being a great finisher, he's a model professional and a real role model(compared to most scummy young footballers) But it may be the best thing financially for the club long term, as long as he's replaced with a proven championship forward.

But as another poster earlier pointed out, whe are unlikely to get a buyer willing to pay more than 5mill for him right now(and I cant see the venkys being willing to take that kind of a loss on him after paying 7+mill for him only 12 months ago)

[den]

Right. Nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that you refuse to admit Venky's could make a decent signing then?

I've consistently given my view about Rovers spending 8m on Rhodes, Rev. Turning it around to me simply not liking Venky's is poor form.

The right manager selling Rhodes and investing that 8m elsewhere, could make us a better team.

[Tom]

Rev, Rhodes was something of a gamble as well and it was proven last season that if you shopped a little smarter you could get about the same return in this league for less money (Murray and Austin among the handful of examples - you ignored the fact last season when you were proven wrong)

Still we didn't have an ounce of sense between people choosing players last season and selling clubs knew that and could hold us to ransom like they did with Rhodes. It's all hypothetical anyway and we will never know either way, one thing almost nailed on, we would have been better splashing out on a proper manager instead of sticking with Kean and giving him and Shebby a penny to spend

We have him now though, I still think we over paid but now he's here id much rather keep him as if we did sell him I would expect the money wouldn't be spent again

[RevidgeBlue]

I don't want to see Rhodes go, as well as being a great finisher, he's a model professional and a real role model(compared to most scummy young footballers) But it may be the best thing financially for the club long term, as long as he's replaced with a proven championship forward.

But as another poster earlier pointed out, whe are unlikely to get a buyer willing to pay more than 5mill for him right now(and I cant see the venkys being willing to take that kind of a loss on him after paying 7+mill for him only 12 months ago)

I have to say that in my view that assertion is a complete fallacy peddled by those who don't rate his all round game.

We don't want to sell him therefore obviously we're going to put a high price of something like 12m on his head to deter predators.

If we actually wiloling to sell and the asking price was the same or less than we paid for him there'd be no shortage of interest imo.

[RevidgeBlue]

Rev, Rhodes was something of a gamble as well and it was proven last season that if you shopped a little smarter you could get about the same return in this league for less money (Murray and Austin among the handful of examples - you ignored the fact last season when you were proven wrong)

Still we didn't have an ounce of sense between people choosing players last season and selling clubs knew that and could hold us to ransom like they did with Rhodes. It's all hypothetical anyway and we will never know either way, one thing almost nailed on, we would have been better splashing out on a proper manager instead of sticking with Kean and giving him and Shebby a penny to spend

We have him now though, I still think we over paid but now he's here id much rather keep him as if we did sell him I would expect the money wouldn't be spent again

Rev, Rhodes was something of a gamble as well and it was proven last season that if you shopped a little smarter you could get about the same return in this league for less money (Murray and Austin among the handful of examples - you ignored the fact last season when you were proven wrong)

Still we didn't have an ounce of sense between people choosing players last season and selling clubs knew that and could hold us to ransom like they did with Rhodes. It's all hypothetical anyway and we will never know either way, one thing almost nailed on, we would have been better splashing out on a proper manager instead of sticking with Kean and giving him and Shebby a penny to spend

We have him now though, I still think we over paid but now he's here id much rather keep him as if we did sell him I would expect the money wouldn't be spent again

It's all right saying that with the benefit of hindsight after they've had a good season. Another point is that prima facie Austin and Murray weren't available last season and their Clubs might not have been willing to sell to another Championship rival.

Rhodes wasn't available either. Unless we paid 8m.

Edit: whoops meant Austin and Murray

[Tom]

Whilst you have a fair point there were others that moved last season for far less with a similar output but I'm too lazy to look them up at the moment

As to argue against my own point through there are no guarantees in football and some moves just don't work and some clubs don't suit players, Murray / Austin / whoever could have flopped here as could Rhodes or he could at his next club

Just a shame we couldn't have kept Yakubu and had cash to spend, what a fluke signing that was and a real bargain must be our best signing of the last few years (not saying much)

[Baz]

Sell Rhodes?

Not in our position.

Also why would we offload for less than we paid?

[donnermeat]

Sell Rhodes?

Not in our position.

Also why would we offload for less than we paid?

Not only that Baz, but also buy a replacement who will cos a third of that amount and yet score half his goals and then some. It really is THAT easy!!

[T.J.Newton]

Not only that Baz, but also buy a replacement who will cos a third of that amount and yet score half his goals and then some. It really is THAT easy!!

nobody is saying anything is easy, its just a discussion and all hypothetical(I think that's the right word ) but you just make chippy comments if that's all you have to offer.

[darrenrover]

One thing regarding Rhodes, last season he scored for fun feeding off relative scraps and being asked to play the loan striker role which he is clearly not suited to.

He may not have pace, may not be the strongest but boy can he finish.

It may be early days but it appears GB is setting our attacking play and team up to play to his strengths, on that basis alone, unless we get an offer we can't refuse I can't see him being sold this transfer window.

[roverandout]

its astounding that clubs like Swansea and cardiff are willing to gamble on foreign, unproven players such as bony and the Danish guy and yet not willing to stump up less for a proven, English (yes I said English) player like Rhodes, albeit he hasn't yet shown himself at the top level but neither have the aforementioned players.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Still maintain we can't lose with Rhodes thanks to the length of his contract. Either a big bid comes in for him, or we've got him for a very long time. Either way we'll get our money's worth because the one thing you can guarantee is he'll keep scoring.

Noticed the ITKs are keeping quiet who were telling everyone he was on his way for £8m or something ridiculous a couple of months ago.