[Archived] January Transfer Window 2014

[Blue blood]

Considering we are not buying from the top shelf these days when it comes to player talent, I'd say Bowyer looks to have a pretty good strike rate with his signings so far.

Im certain he's done his research on rudy, so if GB is happy, then Im happy.

A bit excessive, but he's not been bad in the market. Evans is exactly what we needed and is good quality Spurr has been good, as has Cairney. Both great signings imo.

Marshall looked a bit of a flop and waste of money at first, but has been good the last few games. Not looking like a total waste of money I feared he was at the start, but I'd like to see him keep up his form for a bit longer before I say he's a good buy. But it's at least beginning to look promising.

Kane seemed like a sensible move but has not done that well for us. Hindsight shows that may have been a mistake - although I'm sure it's one many of us, including myself, would likely to have made, in the same position. So not blaming him for this one.

However we've brought in some duds as well - Marrow, Songoo, Judge, Eastwood - ok they're cheap and arguably as squad players getting it right is less important but none of them really improve the team, and are probably a waste of money. Especially given that we'd a huge squad at the start of the season, plus a promising academy, the need was to get players who'd improve the first team in, rather than squad players. Kilgallon, I've not seen enough to be certain but suspect as he has decent pedigree for this level he'll be a good, reliable squad player who doesn't show a dip in quality when he plays.

You could also argue that given our game focuses on a creative player, only having Dunn and Rochina (who Bowyer doesn't seem to rate) not getting in another player who excels in the hole is a mistake. As is not getting in a good proven keeper at this level. Perhaps Bowyer's failings in the transfer market are more to do with what he hasn't done.

The point I'm trying to make is that whilst he's done a decent job in the transfer market and made some astute signingshe's not the next Mark Hughes for us.

And on that, that's why I'm a bit cautious of Gestede. From what I've seen/heard of the guy he doesn't strike me as that great. Hopefully Bowyer will get something out of him that others haven't but he's not a signing I'm enthusiastic about.

[RockinRover]

Oh so Eastwood makes a couple of mistakes and we discard him we can't go on dropping keepers like confetti that will do nothing for their confidence and out of all the options available Eastwood is by far the best imo his handling in the box is very good, yes he has had some howlers but so has all the others majority of the time he has been very good.

He's made more than a couple in very few games and it's exactly those kind of mistakes we can't afford to let keep happening if we want any chance of getting into the playoffs.

[Ricky]

Chaddy, you said the reason we didn't sign him was because he was on £60k a week.

So how am I supposed to read that.

[RockinRover]

Looking at our squad it's disturbing considering how many players we should probably get rid of.

We need to be looking at getting rid of any of the following players via either loan or release to trim the wage bill down. (I understand some will probably already be out on loan)

Loan Out: Raya, Kean, Raheem Hanley, O'Sullivan, Marrow and Mahoney

Sell: Orr, Etuhu, Olsson, Nunes, Best and DJ Campbell.

Then we need to possibly loan in or buy a better more experienced goalkeeper and possibly a couple of strikers to back up Gestede and Rhodes plus give us more options.

[niggit]

But what club is going to buy the players that we want rid of. They have bigger egos then they do ability and will struggle to sell. Can see us having to pay them out or mutual termination for some of them.

[RockinRover]

Hey I never said we would get rid of them, I said we should.

I reckon a few clubs would risk DJ Campbell and Best.

Believe it or not there's a few out there dafter than us!

[niggit]

Nothing was ever aimed at you towards anything.

Just seems maybe trying to release them, may be better then trying to gain some of the money back and keeping the bad attitude at the club.

Venky's made these mistakes, yet rovers as a club end up with all the debt from that.

[Tom]

Now Campbell has featured once I expect him to be a regular on the bench, the 'damage' is done with one appearance so it doesn't make much odds now

[Bucksrover]

Tony Mowbray really fancied Leon best during his time at Boro , cant see that happening now with the new man , however Leeds are in the market for a striker and are showing an interest in him , there wont be much of a fee , but i'm told they are willing to match his wages , it could even be a loan until end of season to begin with

That's encouraging news if true.

[perthblue02]

Now Campbell has featured once I expect him to be a regular on the bench, the 'damage' is done with one appearance so it doesn't make much odds now

I think having Campbell on the bench makes superb odds for some people

[Brfcrule1]

You say that as if he has been performing well for years and has just had a brief loss of form. He has made quite a few errors, as well as many flaps in a short space of time. He is not the answer, and we cannot afford for our keeper to be making mistakes.

I can understand why Portsmouth fans were shocked that we came in for him as they didn't rate him that highly from what I read, as he didn't impress that much. We need Robinson back or an experienced keeper because we need someone who the defence is comfortable with or it will cost us points between now and May.

Also Eastwood's handling in the box is very good? Must have been watching different games.

Jim I think you are being a bit unfair on Eastwood,Robbo & Kean stating none are satisfactory as looking at him Eastwood has done ok yes he has made mistakes but so does every keeper I agree with you Kean is not the answer as his handling,kicking & shot stopping is not good enough but Eastwood has done ok his handling over 6 games has been good he may have cost us vs Brum but that is 3 points however you also have to look at the other side due to his world class saves he has earned us 11 points if wasn't for him we would have left Loftus road with nothing, same can be said for Sheff Weds at home & Yeovil away he also helped us to three wins in that period & in 6 games Eastwood has kept 3 clean sheets and imo that is not too shabby a record.

None of the 3 goalkeeping options are satisfactory at present.

Kean and Eastwood are both inexperienced and make too many unforced errors while Robinson has not played for a long time and looks to have gained weight.

Poor goalkeeping has already cost of 6 points or more this season and the situation needs addressing now. It could be the difference between making the play-offs and staying in mid-table.

Well how have a broke Boro got him then Chaddy? There's no way in hell that they are paying him that!!!

Ricky I do believe he is on loan at Boro so Villa are prob paying a huge chunk of that.

If we dont sign a keeper then we are either stupid, or have faith in robbo stepping up

see above

3.5 year deal for Gestede after he has basically had ONE decent touch of the ball in an uneventful loan period AND we paid money for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not done enough to earn anything other than an extension to his loan deal.

Also that fat simpleton Shaw has come back out of his hole with his tongue extending all the way to Pune to a probe some back passages

It all beggars belief !!!!!!!!!

B&WA not entirely true don't forget the goal he scored vs Leeds, defensive clearance from a Leeds corner he has a monster leap as his goal showed so can be useful in both boxes and he was bought to take the pressure of JR thus in turn giving JR more space to operate in which he has leading to his recent upturn in scoring goals & getting more chances he needs to work on his play on the ground but looking at the stats he's won all of his aeriel headers & so will get many assists & is a vital member of the team & given we are having many probs with Best we needed someone to fill that void & Gestede does that.

we do like a good moan at everything lol

in all honesty, Gestede is not that bad of a signing. its the likes of Etuhu, Orr, and Best that we need to get rid of that is important

Isgak spot on & what people have to remember Gestede has signed for a nominal fee so it is like we have wasted huge amounts of dosh on him totally agree we need rid Etuhu, Orr & Best esp Orr as it has been confirmed Orr is on an eye wateringly 6 figure sum here however finding someone willing to waste money on him might be difficult can only hope Brunei come calling soon!.

[chaddyrovers]

Tony Mowbray really fancied Leon best during his time at Boro , cant see that happening now with the new man , however Leeds are in the market for a striker and are showing an interest in him , there wont be much of a fee , but i'm told they are willing to match his wages , it could even be a loan until end of season to begin with

They can have Best on a free transfer. we just need rid

Chaddy, you said the reason we didn't sign him was because he was on £60k a week.

So how am I supposed to read that.

Given is on 60k a week with Boro playing half of his and Villa the rest. that was my Point.

Bowyer wanted Gestede in on loan and then we signed him permanent. maybe GB is happy with the 3 keepers he got,

Looking at our squad it's disturbing considering how many players we should probably get rid of.

We need to be looking at getting rid of any of the following players via either loan or release to trim the wage bill down. (I understand some will probably already be out on loan)

Loan Out: Raya, Kean, Raheem Hanley, O'Sullivan, Marrow and Mahoney

Sell: Orr, Etuhu, Olsson, Nunes, Best and DJ Campbell.

Then we need to possibly loan in or buy a better more experienced goalkeeper and possibly a couple of strikers to back up Gestede and Rhodes plus give us more options.

defo wouldn't loan Kean or Mahoney out for sure or sell DJ

[davulsukur]

Nobody is buying DJ Campbell anytime soon

[oldjamfan]

Nobody is buying DJ Campbell anytime soon

I wouldn't bet on that.

He would though.

[RockinRover]

DJ Campbell has a decent record at this level, he probably would be okay for us if he wasn't so.. distracted by his fellow banished team mates and placing bets.

[chris_h]

Tony Mowbray really fancied Leon best during his time at Boro , cant see that happening now with the new man , however Leeds are in the market for a striker and are showing an interest in him , there wont be much of a fee , but i'm told they are willing to match his wages , it could even be a loan until end of season to begin with

Thats' encouraging. Celtic are on the look out for a striker and Best ticks a few boxes for them - relatively young (or young enough), Premiership and Championship experience, Republic of Ireland International and best of all cheapish. Celtic have generated millions in the transfer market and have Champions League cash however, they are as tight as a nats chuff so Best might fit the bill. A bidding war between them and Leeds would be good!

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Neil Lennon doesn't like players with big ego's or ones who kick up a fuss. Can't see him wanting Best tbh. They need a goalscorer as well, not just a striker.

I think Palace or someone might take a gamble.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Quite happy with the Gestede signing. I think he's done ok in my opinion and already contributed more than DJ. Got a bit of presence and seems willing to put a shift in.

[Neal]

This is a load of bunkum in my opinion Neil, Hanley wouldn't be half the player we think he is without Dann marshalling him at his side. Couple that with unsettled full backs and keepers new to the side Danns doing a very good job. It's no surprise Premiership managers are after him, think about it.

He's no world beater I'll give you that, but looking at our home defensive record says much about the defensive unit we have in place, why change that now, madness in my book.

Well this probably one of those times where fans just see totally different things. Personally, I see a team keeping hold of the ball for 5 mins to try and get a foothold in the game... Which then falls at Danns feet who the ooofs it up to Rhodes and gives away possession... This happened more times than I could keep count of against Wednesday. On the other hand Hanley reads the game far better, sets up play by stepping into midfield & is twice the header of the ball than Dann. If prem clubs are looking at him instead then it's a blessing in disguise. Based on what we paid, he's been a very poor signing.

[Mani]

So here it is...believe it or not, it's up to you but this is more or less from the horses mouth..

Rhodes CAN go for a figure ranging between £10-12m but the club do not expect or want that bid to come in January.

They ARE expecting Dann to leave for decent money to a PL club.

They aren't happy with Eastwood or Kean and Robbo is 2.5st over weight apparently.

They are trying desperately to cut the wage bill but this is motivated by the need to get rid of egos as much as financial. They do NOT expect FFP to be enforced next season as scheduled due to the fact that several clubs are looking to take out law suits due to its elitist nature and because it's wide open to immoral deals like the Man City sponsorship saga.

Like iv said before. I don't post unless it's something iv heard from someone in the club. Don't want any acclaim, I'm just a fan passing stuff on to other fans.

[jim mk2]

So here it is...believe it or not, it's up to you but this is more or less from the horses mouth..

Rhodes CAN go for a figure ranging between £10-12m but the club do not expect or want that bid to come in January.

They ARE expecting Dann to leave for decent money to a PL club.

They aren't happy with Eastwood or Kean and Robbo is 2.5st over weight apparently.

They are trying desperately to cut the wage bill but this is motivated by the need to get rid of egos as much as financial. They do NOT expect FFP to be enforced next season as scheduled due to the fact that several clubs are looking to take out law suits due to its elitist nature and because it's wide open to immoral deals like the Man City sponsorship saga.

Like iv said before. I don't post unless it's something iv heard from someone in the club. Don't want any acclaim, I'm just a fan passing stuff on to other fans.

Neither are the fans, while Robinson deserves a clip round the ear for being unprofessional.

Some daft PL club might pay £10m but Rhodes isn't worth it. Dann would be more of a loss than Rhodes.

[FGS5635]

No way is robbo 2.5 stone over weight. Look at that pic in the xmas party thread

[chaddyrovers]

So here it is...believe it or not, it's up to you but this is more or less from the horses mouth..

Rhodes CAN go for a figure ranging between £10-12m but the club do not expect or want that bid to come in January.

They ARE expecting Dann to leave for decent money to a PL club.

They aren't happy with Eastwood or Kean and Robbo is 2.5st over weight apparently.

They are trying desperately to cut the wage bill but this is motivated by the need to get rid of egos as much as financial. They do NOT expect FFP to be enforced next season as scheduled due to the fact that several clubs are looking to take out law suits due to its elitist nature and because it's wide open to immoral deals like the Man City sponsorship saga.

Like iv said before. I don't post unless it's something iv heard from someone in the club. Don't want any acclaim, I'm just a fan passing stuff on to other fans.

thanks Mani for this post.

What is decent money for Dann??? 3.5 mil roughly?

Also any idea who Bowyer would sign as Dann replacement?

With Rhodes asking price around 10-12 mil and thats what I thought the price would be.

Also heard that Rovers have scouting Wells from Bradford for past 6 months. Is this true? A likely replacement for Rhodes if he does go if we dont stay up.

I also said that I dont expect FFP to come in next season for ages now.

[Oz Rover]

I reckon a few clubs would risk DJ Campbell and Best.

Agree with that and i'm sure a few other clubs would gladly have them. That said finding a club that will pay their over inflated wages would/will be the main problem.

[Neal]

Dann would be more of a loss than Rhodes.

Scott Dann? Our 2nd best centre half of only 3 would be more loss than our top goal scorer?