[Archived] Transfer Talk Part 3

[chris_h]

Completely different scenarios. These players were moving to bigger clubs in every single case. Champions League contenders (with the exception of Shearer who went to his boyhood club) and Neill and McCarthy who wanted money.

Rhodes wants to move to one of our Championship rivals who should be aiming for the same as us. However, it appears we don't have aspirations of promotion and that's clear enough to Cairney, Rhodes, Gestede and no doubt soon to be 'etc'.

It's hard for you to see what a dud GB is all the way from Oz, Chris, despite us finishing 9th with the best/second best strike force in the league. For those who watch the dull football and playground tactics employed every week, it's pretty clear to the majority. I think you'll realise what a dud we have in charge next season, that's for sure.

I know you can't resist mentioning Australia but I did see games last season. Whilst I didn't particularly enjoy the games I saw I did appreciate the job Bowyer has done for the club. Some of those I spoke to who go to every game reckoned the 'duds' are the ones with short memories who don't get that.

[RibbleValleyRover]

No problems at all with his comments, if I was a professional footballer I would want to play at the highest level possible as well and he clearly feels that won't be with Rovers. At some point it will be highly detrimental to the team to keep an unhappy player who has been looking for a move for some time, maybe Rhodes might try and force the issue this time?

Again it just puts into perspective about how we had those couple of years after relegation to really have a go at promotion otherwise it would then become extremely difficult to achieve with the financial situation and player turnover. Such wasted years.

[Amo]

At some point the players have to take some responsibility

People said the same thing under Kidd, Ince, Kean...

despite his standard 20 goals a season - he actually missed a fair few as well.

Can't believe you're actually ragging on Rhodes for not scoring more than 20 goals last season.

[Don Said]

What human being with any talent would want to play under Bowyer and Venkys with such a directionless, characterless regime?

Hope he stays but wish him nothing but the best if he does leave.

[mustard]

I know you can't resist mentioning Australia but I did see games last season. Whilst I didn't particularly enjoy the games I saw I did appreciate the job Bowyer has done for the club. Some of those I spoke to who go to every game reckoned the 'duds' are the ones with short memories who don't get that.

I wasn't using the 'Australia' thing as a means of discrediting you, but you must admit it's a little harder for you to make a sound judgement when watching 2-4 games a year or whatever, compared to the 30+ that I and the majority critical of Bowyer are term 'lucky' enough to get to see.

I appreciate the job Bowyer has done too. Done. Past tense. Bowyer did a sterling job in steadying the ship, but why stick with him when he is clearly out of his depth and unable to attain our ONLY means of getting out of this clusterf*ck of a mess, which is PROMOTION? I'd say those you spoke to are the minority, Chris. The majority can see Bowyer is not up to the job. There is no time for sentiment in football. Bowyer doesn't deserve a job for life (or until we are in the drop zone) on the basis of doing a great job in turning things around after Kean and his cronies were ousted from the club.

He's been poor tactically for near two years now and, despite moving us forward in his first six months, has now undone all that hard work by failing to get close to achieving the aim of promotion in the past two years. We've now likely missed the boat on going up and certainly look to be regressing. Look at the position the club is in now, financially and in terms of personnel moving in and moving/wanting out. If we are near the drop zone next season, which I very much believe we will be with Bowyer's tactics and a weaker squad, we will be back where we were after Kean et al and IMO in a far worse mess than when GB took over. This is where such sentiment has got us.

[JHRover]

Can I just remind people that this is Middlesbrough we are talking about here.

Not the 'highest possible level'.

They finished 5 places above us last season and will be with us playing MK Dons and Rotherham next season. It will be at least 12 months before they are at a higher level than us. Their odds/likelihood for promotion might be better than ours, but that's about it.

If it was a Premier League side like Hull last year then fair enough, but Middlesbrough is not a step up.

[Amo]

I wasn't using the 'Australia' thing as a means of discrediting you, but you must admit it's a little harder for you to make a sound judgement when watching 2-4 games a year or whatever, compared to the 30+ that I and the majority critical of Bowyer are term 'lucky' enough to get to see.

You'll find with chris_h, blueboy333, roverzee etc., it's not so much that they back Bowyer, it's that they detest his more vociferous critics. There's a subtle difference.

[bluebruce]

What human being with any talent would want to play under Bowyer and Venkys with such a directionless, characterless regime?

Hope he stays but wish him nothing but the best if he does leave.

I don't wish him the best. If he had kept his mouth shut and ended up going, then I would have. But if Boro are as ambitious as he claims, they will pay what we want for him anyway. All he has done is weakened our bargaining position at a time when we can't replace him. All his good work of being professional in his approach over the last few years has been undone by one undignified piece of willy waving to a club that aren't even in a higher league. I don't wish him ill, but he's demonstrated he's just the same as the rest of them, so I have indifference towards his future career if he does now leave. Apart from hoping that Boro flop for their blatant disregard of the sanctions.

[Neal]

Think it's probably time to discuss who we could replace them with (impossible task under FFP). The thought of Browny fumbling around up front makes me queasy. Don't really understand why they don't try for the lad at Everton...

Chaddy: We know you wan't Sam Gallagher or Graham

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

People said the same thing under Kidd, Ince, Kean...

Can't believe you're actually ragging on Rhodes for not scoring more than 20 goals last season.

You can't get away from the fact that at times it was like playing with 10 men - can you remember a match where he was star man. I realize goals win matches - but have always wondered whether we would be better off with a player who maybe didn't score as many but possibly more to his all-round game.

[mustard]

You'll find with chris_h, blueboy333, roverzee etc., it's not so much that they back Bowyer, it's that they detest his more vociferous critics. There's a subtle difference.

Is it pride that has made them so intent on sticking with Bowyer, despite knowing he's not up to the job? Surely they all know promotion is the only way out of this mess and we should have gambled on a new manager 12 months ago (or before). It's almost like they'd rather see us plodding along with Bowyer than excelling with someone else at the helm.

[Amo]

You can't get away from the fact that at times it was like playing with 10 men - can you remember a match where he was star man. I realize goals win matches - but have always wondered whether we would be better off with a player who maybe didn't score as many but possibly more to his all-round game.

It would help if we had a midfield actually capable of controlling a match and posing a goal threat. Why does our 20+ goal a season strike bear the brunt of the team's shortcomings?

[chris_h]

The club appear to have stuck with Bowyer because the owners have created an absolute pigs breakfast, don't know how to extricate themselves and have thrown in the towel. Hardly Bowyer's fault, he certainly doesn't deserve the grinding, relentless moaning about him on here which is totally out of proportion.

I reckoned he should go last October after gubbings at Wolves and Norwich, largely because he seemingly can't set us up to stop conceding soft goals. He hasn't gone and I haven't whined on about that because a. It does more harm than good and b. He doesn't deserve that.

[den]

It would help if we had a midfield actually capable of controlling a match and posing a goal threat. Why does our 20+ goal a season strike bear the brunt of the team's shortcomings?

We couldn't strengthen midfield because we spent all our transfer money on one player.

[bluebruce]

Not true Den. Wages thrown in we spent about the same on Etuhu and Murphy in the very same summer.

[JHRover]

Rovers should say that it is £12 million upfront for Middlesbrough, or £10 million upfront for any Premier League club. A £2 million premium applies for them.

Rhodes' comments about a higher offer than we paid for him appear to suggest that he is deciding what his own value is!

The people who paid £8 million for him and have contracted him until 2019 on a mega salary are the people who decide his value.

[Amo]

We couldn't strengthen midfield because we spent all our transfer money on one player.

How much did Bournemouth's midfield cost, Den?

[AdamRochina]

Are we sure that's actually Rhodes that's gone public? And not just media bullshite to stir the pot

[Neal]

he certainly doesn't deserve the grinding, relentless moaning about him on here which is totally out of proportion.

As your sig states... You really are in a land far, far away.

[yoda]

Unacceptable for any player to make those comments in the media. Ironic that he is talking about the 'next step' in his career - to Middlesbrough!

Perhaps he should have thought twice about signing that 2 year contract extension last summer. He knew then that we had to get promoted last season otherwise the embargo would be coming and things would get really difficult. So I don't really have any sympathy. He knew what he was committing to.

However, I think there are other factors to consider here. I am convinced that there are dark forces at work at Ewood Park. It is clear that Venkys don't want to sell him and have no intention of doing so unless their valuation is met, and I don't believe for one second that they are trying to sell him.

Rhodes is probably getting increasingly fed up of the club i.e. Shaw and others, basically advertising him for sale. Discussing a possible transfer with other clubs, mucking him around like they did with Hull last year.

I'm reluctant to blame Bowyer here but his comments over the last 12 months have basically represented a 'come and get him' broadcast for interested clubs to come in with bids. A club and manager that 'meant business' would continue to send out the message that he isn't for sale.

Now these comments are there from Rhodes it will make the job much easier for those trying to get rid of him. They can say to the supporters and Venkys that he demanded a move and there was nothing they could do as he wanted to go and we couldn't keep an unhappy player. Job done.

If they let both Rhodes and Gestede go things are going to get very messy. Sob stories about FUP and reducing losses won't be acceptable when selling your best players to rivals.

I think he just making a point that he has no faith in the current set up getting us back to the PL, which will spur Middlesbrough on to make another approach

[bluebruce]

Are we sure that's actually Rhodes that's gone public? And not just media bullshite to stir the pot

Well the LT have gone along with it, which would be surprising if there was nothing in it, since they don't like to stir the pot. I don't think ESPN just make up quotes, either. And they are saying he told them directly, so it isn't something they've ran with from elsewhere. Strange choice of media source to open up to though.

[chris_h]

You'll find with chris_h, blueboy333, roverzee etc., it's not so much that they back Bowyer, it's that they detest his more vociferous critics. There's a subtle difference.

That's actually very perceptive, hats off to you.

[Hasta]

Are we sure that's actually Rhodes that's gone public? And not just media bullshite to stir the pot

I thought that but it's hardly a one-line sound bite. It's quite clear and , to be honest, confrontational.

[yoda]

Rovers should say that it is £12 million upfront for Middlesbrough, or £10 million upfront for any Premier League club. A £2 million premium applies for them.

Rhodes' comments about a higher offer than we paid for him appear to suggest that he is deciding what his own value is!

The people who paid £8 million for him and have contracted him until 2019 on a mega salary are the people who decide his value.

If we had a Communication Director instead of a sick note then the players would not be able to do this

[bluebruce]

I think he just making a point that he has no faith in the current set up getting us back to the PL, which will spur Middlesbrough on to make another approach

Which will be about a hundred quid higher than the last one now he has come out and said this. They know we are under more pressure to sell now.