[Archived] Transfer Talk Part 2

[perthblue02]

We all know who is responsible for Nzonzis ostracising and therefore exit. Still cheap but I doubt the four Indian horseman/woman of the apocalypse had the say in that one.

Good point but who gave the project partners control of the club ? Think the phrase used by the meerkat was, but somebody said they could run it cheaper .....

[JBiz]

Good point but who gave the project partners control of the club ?

Yes yes yes yes we know Venkys are ultimately responsible for everything!!!!!

The point toppers replied to was about selling players cheap- we've sold a couple for cheap due to mistakes like nzonzi and shebby "allegedly" accepting a lower few than the tribunal for Hoilett etc.

The initial point mani made remains. The owners seem rather difficult to budge on certain players in certain situations. Samba, Jones, Rhodes and Gestede are testament to that.

[tomphil]

If the choice is £10 million IN & Rhodes/Gestede OUT, or £0 IN and £10 million extra from Balaji's back sack OUT, which choice do you think the V's will make?

Don't forget they've sold TC so that will keep us ticking over for a bit but your right they'll have to bung money in again soon somehow. Failing that another enforced sale in Jan.

[Mani]

Back to transfers....this Koita? Anyone heard anything about him? Seen him play? Weird one for current management...doesn't fit the usual mold.

[tomphil]

What transfers ????

[donnermeat]

Back to transfers....this Koita? Anyone heard anything about him? Seen him play? Weird one for current management...doesn't fit the usual mold.

I was thinking exactly the same.

[Reedy You're A Star]

Attached to the same agency as Modeste and Dabo. Make of that what you will, but might make a bit more sense.

[Neal]

Back to transfers....this Koita? Anyone heard anything about him? Seen him play? Weird one for current management...doesn't fit the usual mold.

Something must have defo got lost in translation there... Absolutely no way will we be signing him before coming having a look at him, surely just coming on trial.

[BlooBoy]

Gordon Strachan, good god he was a bang average midfielder who has done nothing in league management, only got the job because hes one of the boys, JR would not get found out in the PL, hes there to score GOALS, not bloody defend, i think thats why you have defenders.

Sorry Pete have to disagree with you there.

Teams defend from the front,especially in the Premiership. To play Rhodes up front to chase and hold the ball up to give a team the chance to get out of their own half wont happen.We ve seen that ourselves.

As for scoring goals in the Premiership? If hes playing for one of the lower ~Premier league teams he ll get a couple of chances if lucky a game, not 5-7 like the Championship.

Against the better sides in the Championship hes been marked and held at a high line because they know exactly where hes least effective.

Same will apply even more in the Premier League..just my opinion Pete.

[Guest]

The Axe is still available. Although not had a club for a couple of years. What's he up to?

Or even Anthony Annan. Anyone remember when he was linked with us? Think it was Ince who wanted him. Got to be worth a shout!

[BlooBoy]

Something must have defo got lost in translation there... Absolutely no way will we be signing him before coming having a look at him, surely just coming on trial.

Be actually nice if we are having a close look at players. Need something to kick start the season in at least some positive way.

[rickard]

The Axe is still available. Although not had a club for a couple of years. What's he up to?

Or even Anthony Annan. Anyone remember when he was linked with us? Think it was Ince who wanted him. Got to be worth a shout!

Wow, is Annan without a club? That guy was destined to be a star I recall. correctly. Something must have gone wrong along the way. Now that I think about it, I think that he was close to signing for a club here in Sweden, Malmö FF. Ended up in Finland I beliveve.

Could be woth a shout as you say. Couldn't be worse that some of what we have...

[Guest]

Andy Wilkinson, anyone? Released from Stoke at the end of last season. No-frills right-back.

[neophox]

Andy Wilkinson, anyone? Released from Stoke at the end of last season. No-frills right-back.

No takers at the moment. Struggled at Millwall last season on loan.

[The Rover of Finland]

Annan was here in Finland with HJK Helsinki. He was decent in Europa League. He isn't here anymore and probably is without a club. Demba Savage from the same club could actually be good enough for Rovers. But the club is selling with a fee.

[neophox]

Koita is something coming from agents. Koita was released by caen and free to find a club. Almost signed for turkish side Sivasspor. Dont know what happened. Gifted young striker with potential but a risk.

Maybe Koita is playing tonight as a trial.

Anyone going tonight?

[roverandout]

Hardly gifted if he is playing in non league in france

[Guest]

Dont know what happened. Gifted young striker with potential but a risk.

Not sure how you can draw that conclusion unless you've seen him play in the flesh. He's nearly 25 and scored 13 goals in 112 club appearances. Gifted but a risk? Can't see much potential there at the time that he's about to be in his peak. I'd rather we went without.

[Stuart]

Some people might call it stupid but I think that putting hefty price tags on Rhodes/Gestede is exactly the way to do business. Don't budge an inch. They are our players, very good players, and we can't do very much to replace them. Why on earth should we be under pressure to sell them?

I agree but there has to be a deadline as well. No use accepting a bid if we don't have time to get in bodies to replace them.

[Kie_BRFC]

Sorry Pete have to disagree with you there.

Teams defend from the front,especially in the Premiership. To play Rhodes up front to chase and hold the ball up to give a team the chance to get out of their own half wont happen.We ve seen that ourselves.

As for scoring goals in the Premiership? If hes playing for one of the lower ~Premier league teams he ll get a couple of chances if lucky a game, not 5-7 like the Championship.

Against the better sides in the Championship hes been marked and held at a high line because they know exactly where hes least effective.

Same will apply even more in the Premier League..just my opinion Pete.

We don't create 5-7 chances for Rhodes each game, I don't know what team you was watching last season but from what I saw Rhodes was feeding off scraps most games and had to score a goal out of nothing. Set the team up to attack and create chances and Rhodes will flourish, none of this lumping it to his ear at 90 mph and expecting him to control it.

He's not actually bad at holding the ball up, I watched him and Gestede in the last home game against Ipswich and Rhodes was much smarter and showed better technique when holding the ball up, by bringing it in and spreading it accurately out wide. Gestede has the build to hold it up, which Rhodes doesn't, however, technically on the ground Rhodes has much better technique which is backed up by his assists for the season.

I'm not sure either would cut it in the prem, because both lack pace and that is massive in the prem, but people on here saying that Rhodes has no ambition to play in the prem because he knows his limitations is just ridiculous; Rhodes doesn't kick off to leave because he is happy here and if a prem team did come knocking I'm sure he would leave if we were willing to sell.

'Feed Rhodes and he will score'

[mustard]

Pity they can't keep them both. Rhodes up top against the weaker opposition where we will have territorial advantage and expect to be in and around the box more and Gestede up top for when we play the big boys of the Division.

Just as an aside if we set up to play a big man up top who is strong with his back to goal, can dominate centre halves and can bring in the midfield players then Brown and Gestede are pretty interchangeable should injury / suspension demand it. Although his 1st touch is poorest of all three Gestede is like a hybrid of the best bits of the pair of them

I don't think Gestede's finishing is all that great tbh, besides with his noggin. Quite a few of his goals scored with his feet last season were scuffs (youtube Gestede goals 2014/15 and same for Rhodes, you'll see the tremendous difference in finishing skill. Also Rhodes gets his head on a handful and also scores a good few from nothing). Gestede doesn't seem to have the composure or finishing that Rhodes has (nor the intelligence) but is a beast physically, something which can make all the difference in this league. Brown has his moments of looking like he can play, getting a decent touch on the ball and bringing in other players, then the next minute he looks god-awful. My gf is friends with an ex-teammate of his at Preston currently playing League One football (well, as of 15/16). Spoke to him and he really rates Brown. Said he won't get you many goals but he'll set them up.

One thing I will say on Gestede, for a chap who is supposedly so good at holding the ball up, he didn't bring other players into the game enough for me last season. Didn't contribute many assists, at least not as many as a target man should do, possibly due to the lack of a good footballing brain. As an aside, it's probably a good job Rhodes doesn't have the pace of King or the physicality of Rudy, or else he'd have signed for one of the Champions League sides a few years ago.

Gestede is supposedly available for £7mill. Considering his goal scoring record for Rovers, you'd think that's a steal. So why aren't there many suitors? IMO it's because he's got the ability to dominate the limited defenders in the air in this league. Something which I doubt would be so easy in the Prem. I don't think his all-round game is enough for a guy of his stature, doesn't link up too well with other players nor does he have the best finishing, or else a number of clubs would be snapping our hands off. One thing I think is for certain, put Rhodes on the market at the same price and plenty of Prem teams would be interested. Also, Rhodes is younger and has that on his side.

[mustard]

"Play the ball to his feet" I hear .

Under pressure, away from home, the ball to relieve pressure is the ball into the corner. The long straight ball is the worst ball out of defence. All the good strikers run the flanks, but Rhodes just can't do that job. There's talk of us not playing the ball up around his ears, but any straight ball would have to be up around his ears because anything straight and along the ground would be cut out. Again, the most effective outball to feet is the one into the corner.

As you say, he's a finisher, a very good one, but nothing else.

When has Rudy EVER run the flanks? The chap barely runs at all. I think because Rudy is a big lad who wins a lot of headers, people are just blind to the fact that his hold-up game isn't much better than Rhodes's, if at all. He wins a few headers that go to no one yet doesn't really bring in other players that much as his footballing brain isn't that great. Rhodes actually does very well with the ball into feet, often draws a foul or brings in the likes of Conway. I think you're incredibly harsh on him den, and I have no doubt you never mentioned these issues with his game before last season, where Bowyer's football (and IMO his training to make Rhodes stronger and thus slower) have dumbed down not only the team's game but also Rhodes's.

As I suggested to Gordon, feel free to youtube Rhodes's goals and Rudy's and spot the difference. Hell, on a few occasions Rhodes even harries defenders and forces mistakes to get a goal, something you don't see Rudy do.

[JHRover]

We don't create 5-7 chances for Rhodes each game, I don't know what team you was watching last season but from what I saw Rhodes was feeding off scraps most games and had to score a goal out of nothing. Set the team up to attack and create chances and Rhodes will flourish, none of this lumping it to his ear at 90 mph and expecting him to control it.

He's not actually bad at holding the ball up, I watched him and Gestede in the last home game against Ipswich and Rhodes was much smarter and showed better technique when holding the ball up, by bringing it in and spreading it accurately out wide. Gestede has the build to hold it up, which Rhodes doesn't, however, technically on the ground Rhodes has much better technique which is backed up by his assists for the season.

I'm not sure either would cut it in the prem, because both lack pace and that is massive in the prem, but people on here saying that Rhodes has no ambition to play in the prem because he knows his limitations is just ridiculous; Rhodes doesn't kick off to leave because he is happy here and if a prem team did come knocking I'm sure he would leave if we were willing to sell.

'Feed Rhodes and he will score'

Exactly.

Saying Rhodes has no ambition because he hasn't kicked off and made noises about wanting to leave Rovers is shocking stuff. Why any Rovers fan would be anything other than very pleased and impressed with Rhodes' professionalism in his time here is beyond me.

Presumably Rhodes staying here is a lack of ambition, but if he were to push to move to the likes of Middlesbrough or Sheffield Wednesday that would be showing lots of ambition!

Its very simple really.

Rhodes enjoys being at BRFC. He is happy at the club and appreciates what a good number he is on playing football for a living. He is contracted to the club and has twice in the last three years put pen to paper on lengthy contracts to commit to the club.

He has been at the club for 3 years now and the only evidence of any top-flight team having serious interest to the point of bidding for him was an eleventh hour approach from Hull City last summer when they were desperate for a striker having sold Shane Long. They are now back at our level.

Its not the case that Rovers have fended off countless Premier League clubs to keep Rhodes here. Rhodes knew what it would do to his price tag when he signed an improved contract last summer.

I really don't get the self depreciating attitude of so many Rovers fans. If a Premier League club shows serious interest then I am sure Rhodes will let the club know his views on that and push for a move if he really wants to. Until then he's in the Championship, and that might as well be with us where he is happy and settled. Why it shows a lack of ambition just because he didn't throw his toys out of the pram when Hull came in I don't know. To me it shows a refreshing level of loyalty and professionalism that is scarcely seen in modern day football.

Would people prefer it if he submitted a transfer request to try and force a move to the mighty powerhouse that is Middlesbrough? Or would they prefer it if Rhodes' ambition was to score the goals to get us above Middlesbrough next season?

[mustard]

Sorry Pete have to disagree with you there.

Teams defend from the front,especially in the Premiership. To play Rhodes up front to chase and hold the ball up to give a team the chance to get out of their own half wont happen.We ve seen that ourselves.

As for scoring goals in the Premiership? If hes playing for one of the lower ~Premier league teams he ll get a couple of chances if lucky a game, not 5-7 like the Championship.

Against the better sides in the Championship hes been marked and held at a high line because they know exactly where hes least effective.

Same will apply even more in the Premier League..just my opinion Pete.

Haha you think Rhodes (or anyone in our team) gets 5-7 chances a game under Bowyer's brand of football?!

EDIT: Oops Kieran beat me to it!

[Pedro]

£3m for Nzonzi was pretty cheap.

Martin Olsson too.