[Archived] Transfer Talk

[tonygreenbank]

Read a great book recently, The Nowhere Men by Michael Calvin. It's a book on scouts and academy coaches and the vital role they play in football. Warburton gets quite a few mentions. I didn't realise he'd come up with NextGen and created David Beckhams academy. He also set up Watford's academy, which according to the book is 'groundbreaking' in that it married 'sporting and academic excellence' and invested as much time in the education of the young players as in their football coaching.

Before he became manager at Brentford he oversaw their scouting network, and found players for Rosler to sign. He's a lot more than just a manager and seems an incredibly bright bloke and progressive thinker. He uses stats but doesn't subscribe to the Moneyball approach in the same way as Bentham. Like he says in the book, stats are great but they don't tell you how quickly a player thinks or if he makes the right decisions at the right time on the pitch.

Warburton would love the facilities at Brockhall and i think he's be perfect for us. Plays great football, gets results and has a wealth of experience and knowledge of academy football.

Exactly right.

I agree with the above!

Apparently he was a trader in the City before his football carer and said he was handling billion pound deals on a daily basis. Not surprising he wanted some financial say in club affairs

[tomphil]

No he wasn't. He was played in the wrong position and in the wrong role. He's not quick enough to play on the wing, not physical enough to play in the middle of a 4-4-2 either. His position is in the hole in a 4-5-1 where his trickery, invention and strong shot can be better utilised.

GB played him on the wing too often because back then we had Rochina, Dunny and Cairney all competeing to play in the hole. Rochina and Cairney too have all been stuck on the wing way too often as GB continually attempts to accommodate the populist belief by playing two out and out strikers..... It's why we let so many goals in.

We are certainly way too easy to play through in a 442 although some of that is down to the non tackling non closing down deep sitting midfielders. Add in the messing about with the centre halves and the poor form of some of them and you could soon iron out a good few goals even in our 442. Just how many was captain (un)fantastic responsible for before only an alleged injury finished his season ?

If we lose a striker then with the sheer amount of midfielders we have then 451 is the way to go next season, particularly away. We should be able to cope although it won't be pretty

[Commondore]

Here's the inveitable "PL players out of contract" list:

GK
Damian Martinez (Arsenal).
Conrad Logan (Leicester).
Brad Jones (Liverpool).
Steve Harper (Hull).
Ben Amos (Man Utd).
Brian Murphy (QPR).
Thomas Sorensen (Stoke).
Gerhard Tremmel (Swansea).
David Cornell (Swansea).
Brad Friedel (Tottenham).
Jussi Jaaskelainen (West Ham).
Boaz Myhill (WBA).

DEFENDERS
Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa).
Micah Richards (Manchester City).
Chris Herd (Aston Villa).
Michael Duff (Burnley).
Steven Reid (Burnley).
Damien Delaney (C Palace).
Brede Hangeland (C Palace).
Sylvain Distin (Everton).
Antolin Alcaraz (Everton).
Luke Garbutt (Everton).
Marcin Wasilewski (Leicester).
Paul Konchesky (Leicester).
Matthew Upson (Leicester).
Maynor Figueroa (Hull).
Liam Rosenoir (Hull).
Paul McShane (Hull).
Alex Bruce (Hull).
Glen Johnson (Liverpool).
Kolo Toure (Liverpool).
Jon Flanagan (Liverpool).
Richard Dunne (QPR).
Clint Hill (QPR).
Andy Wilkinson (Stoke).
Anthony Reveillere (Sunderland).
Wes Brown (Sunderland).
Guy Demel (West Ham).
Chris Baird (WBA).
Gareth McAuley (WBA).

MIDFIELDERS
Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal).
Abou Diaby (Arsenal).
Dean Marney (Burnley).
Ross Wallace (Burnley).
Anthony Knockaert (Leicester).
Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester).
Dean Hammond (Leicester).
Gary Taylor-Fletcher (Leicester).
Stephen Quinn (Hull).
James Milner (Man City).
Tom Cleverley (Man Utd).
Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle).
Ryan Taylor (Newcastle).
Joey Barton (QPR).
Alejandro Faurlin (QPR).
Karl Henry (QPR).
Wilson Palacios (Stoke).
Youssouf Mulumbu (WBA).
Claudio Yacob (WBA).

STRIKERS
Darren Bent (Aston Villa).
Danny Ings (Burnley).
Gael Kakuta (Chelsea).
Didier Drogba (Chelsea).
Shola Ameobi (C Palace).
Jerome Thomas (C Palace).
Owen Garvan (C Palace).
Yannick Sagbo (Hull City).
Scott Sinclair (Man City).
James Wilson (Man Utd).
Sammy Ameobi (Newcastle).
Jonathan Walters (Stoke).
Peter Odemwingie (Stoke).
Carlton Cole (West Ham).
Nene (West Ham).
Bobby Zamora (QPR).

[Amo]

Jonathan Walters would be an absolute steal.

[tomphil]

Jonathan Walters would be an absolute steal.

I see what you did there

[blueboy3333]

We are certainly way too easy to play through in a 442 although some of that is down to the non tackling non closing down deep sitting midfielders. Add in the messing about with the centre halves and the poor form of some of them and you could soon iron out a good few goals even in our 442. Just how many was captain (un)fantastic responsible for before only an alleged injury finished his season ?

If we lose a striker then with the sheer amount of midfielders we have then 451 is the way to go next season, particularly away. We should be able to cope although it won't be pretty

time for your tin-foil hat.

[tomphil]

He could quite simply have been dropped and they put out the niggling injury line to save face for him. Not unusual in football.

[thenodrog]

Do you think GB has learned from this mistake? Or will he continue to marginalise creative, forward-thinking players?

No idea but if that Glen Mullan is right in his opinion that someone in Pune is interfering with team selection and perhaps insisting that we play JR plus A N Other up top then he has to do just that, and the only place for creative forward thinking players is either on the wing...... or on the bench. Who really knows?

Not sure 4-4-2 is why we let too many goals in, I think Brentford conceded more than us this season and Boro have the best defence in the league and play 4-4-2. Playing Killa and Baptiste at CB all season would have improved our goals against column.

Because when we don't have the ball we revert to our usual 4-4-1 formation.

[Stuart]

No idea but if that Glen Mullan is right in his opinion that someone in Pune is interfering with team selection and perhaps insisting that we play JR plus A N Other up top then he has to do just that, and the only place for creative forward thinking players is either on the wing...... or on the bench. Who really knows?

I don't believe that. In any case, any self-respecting manager would walk away from that position. We know that Bowyer is an extremely honourable bloke. He wouldn't put up with that.

[Mike E]

Sell Gestede, sign Bent?

Quite a few on that list I'd have; McAuley, Wilkinson and Faurlin stand out in particular.

[danger19_80]

Faurlin? Has he been fit any time in the last three years?

[RevidgeBlue]

No idea but if that Glen Mullan is right in his opinion that someone in Pune is interfering with team selection and perhaps insisting that we play JR plus A N Other up top then he has to do just that, and the only place for creative forward thinking players is either on the wing...... or on the bench. Who really knows?

Seriously doubt that's the case. GB inexplicably dropped Rhodes from the starting line up on numerous occasions in the second half of the season.

Usually after he'd scored.

[Husky]

Here's the inveitable "PL players out of contract" list:

GK

Damian Martinez (Arsenal).

Conrad Logan (Leicester).

Brad Jones (Liverpool).

Steve Harper (Hull).

Ben Amos (Man Utd).

Brian Murphy (QPR).

Thomas Sorensen (Stoke).

Gerhard Tremmel (Swansea).

David Cornell (Swansea).

Brad Friedel (Tottenham).

Jussi Jaaskelainen (West Ham).

Boaz Myhill (WBA).

DEFENDERS

Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa).

Micah Richards (Manchester City).

Chris Herd (Aston Villa).

Michael Duff (Burnley).

Steven Reid (Burnley).

Damien Delaney (C Palace).

Brede Hangeland (C Palace).

Sylvain Distin (Everton).

Antolin Alcaraz (Everton).

Luke Garbutt (Everton).

Marcin Wasilewski (Leicester).

Paul Konchesky (Leicester).

Matthew Upson (Leicester).

Maynor Figueroa (Hull).

Liam Rosenoir (Hull).

Paul McShane (Hull).

Alex Bruce (Hull).

Glen Johnson (Liverpool).

Kolo Toure (Liverpool).

Jon Flanagan (Liverpool).

Richard Dunne (QPR).

Clint Hill (QPR).

Andy Wilkinson (Stoke).

Anthony Reveillere (Sunderland).

Wes Brown (Sunderland).

Guy Demel (West Ham).

Chris Baird (WBA).

Gareth McAuley (WBA).

MIDFIELDERS

Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal).

Abou Diaby (Arsenal).

Dean Marney (Burnley).

Ross Wallace (Burnley).

Anthony Knockaert (Leicester).

Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester).

Dean Hammond (Leicester).

Gary Taylor-Fletcher (Leicester).

Stephen Quinn (Hull).

James Milner (Man City).

Tom Cleverley (Man Utd).

Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle).

Ryan Taylor (Newcastle).

Joey Barton (QPR).

Alejandro Faurlin (QPR).

Karl Henry (QPR).

Wilson Palacios (Stoke).

Youssouf Mulumbu (WBA).

Claudio Yacob (WBA).

STRIKERS

Darren Bent (Aston Villa).

Danny Ings (Burnley).

Gael Kakuta (Chelsea).

Didier Drogba (Chelsea).

Shola Ameobi (C Palace).

Jerome Thomas (C Palace).

Owen Garvan (C Palace).

Yannick Sagbo (Hull City).

Scott Sinclair (Man City).

James Wilson (Man Utd).

Sammy Ameobi (Newcastle).

Jonathan Walters (Stoke).

Peter Odemwingie (Stoke).

Carlton Cole (West Ham).

Nene (West Ham).

Bobby Zamora (QPR).

If you could pick an entire new team (including everyone on that list), which members of our current squad would you have in it?

Don't phone, it's just for fun.

[chaddyrovers]

cant see us signing any out of contract PL Players will be on too much.

I would look at players like McGoldrick from Ipswich who is out of contract this summer.

[RevidgeBlue]

Not too many names I'd be interested in on there, Ings and Milner will obviously command big money moves.

With the exception of Bent and James Wilson at Man Utd. the young striker? Thought he was highly rated.

[AdamRochina]

Out of thEm freebies our 11 could look good haha

Gk-friedel

Lb- Ollson

cb- killGallon

cb- hangeland

rb- henley

Rm-knockheart

Cm- yacob

cm palacios

Lm- Conway

St- bent

st- Rhodes

Subs - steel, Duffy, cairney, Marshall , Evans, rittemberg

[chaddyrovers]

I wonder if Rovers will sign any players from Germany, Austria and Scandinavia where Scouts have been scouting according to Kamy

[Stuart]

I wonder if Rovers will sign any players from Germany, Austria and Scandinavia where Scouts have been scouting according to Kamy

Hope not. Now is the time to start recruiting and promoting from within, not unknown foreigners. Sure, if these players are incredible talents, hidden gems, but invariably they aren't.

[RevidgeBlue]

Just going back to that list Karl Henry has always been renowned as the sort of whole hearted tough tackling player we're lacking but I'd have thought our experiences with Etuhu and Murphy showed that signing ageing Premiership rejects on huge wages is most definitely not the place to go. (Even if we were allowed)

Loaning up and coming youngsters who can't get in the first eleven at the very top Clubs is a different matter entirely.

[ABBEY]

I wonder if Rovers will sign any players from Germany, Austria and Scandinavia where Scouts have been scouting according to Kamy

Loads of em oops one word EMBARGO

[chaddyrovers]

I agree with that Stuart somewhat.

I think 3 or 4 of the under 21's squad come make the step up next season. Players like Mahoney, Nyambe and Mansell.

I expect Raya, Lenihan and O'Sullivan to part of next season squad.

Plus going off Bowyer's comments in the LT today he wants Kilgallon, Williamson, King and C.Taylor to be part of next season and re-sign here. (I hope Williamson doesnt tbh).

I think Bowyer biggest task will be signing 2 strikers to replace Rhodes and Gestede do leave this summer.

Abbey, on Embargo?

We can sign free transfers and loans.

Plus maybe the embargo will be lifted this summer. Who knows? Only time will tell

[Commondore]

If you could pick an entire new team (including everyone on that list), which members of our current squad would you have in it?

Don't phone, it's just for fun.

Not sure about an entire squad, but you could quite easily pick out a decent PL starting eleven from those players. Don't think any of out current lads would get close, with a possible exception for Gestede or Rhodes.

At first I thought Wilkinson would be a no-brainer for our rampant lack of right backs, but then I saw that he was part of the fairly awful Milwall side that went down this season. I'm sure it wasn't all his fault, but not exactly a seal of quality. The other three players on that list that both would fill an apparent need and could plausibly come here are Hammond, Knockaert and possibly Palacios, but I'm more hopeful of Bowyer doing what he's actually good at; finding skilled players on the cheap in other Championship clubs.

[Al]

Hope not. Now is the time to start recruiting and promoting from within, not unknown foreigners. Sure, if these players are incredible talents, hidden gems, but invariably they aren't.

In that case our scouts are wasting their time and Rovers money.

[Stuart]

What's knew?

[JAL]

I agree with that Stuart somewhat.

I think 3 or 4 of the under 21's squad come make the step up next season. Players like Mahoney, Nyambe and Mansell.

I expect Raya, Lenihan and O'Sullivan to part of next season squad.

Plus going off Bowyer's comments in the LT today he wants Kilgallon, Williamson, King and C.Taylor to be part of next season and re-sign here. (I hope Williamson doesnt tbh).

I think Bowyer biggest task will be signing 2 strikers to replace Rhodes and Gestede do leave this summer.

Abbey, on Embargo?

We can sign free transfers and loans.

Plus maybe the embargo will be lifted this summer. Who knows? Only time will tell