[Archived] Transfer Talk Part 3

[Ricky]

Disagree Iceman. It also helps us in the long term as he has 4 years left (I believe) of a contract rumoured to be £40-£50 thousand a week.

If we are speaking to Le Fondre at the moment it would appear he's interested at about 1/4 of that. He wouldn't score as many as Jordan but I think he could end up with over 20 a season.

[The_Expert]

Well, it is clear that something has got to change. Either we accept that we are a FFP yo-yo club and conduct fire sales to bring us back from the brink each time, or we look for another way to operate as a professional football club. Whilst the thought of starting the new campaign without our 40 goal strikeforce does hold some trepidation, perhaps by instituting some financially viable wage and operating cost structures we might find there are other options whilst we mark time and plan for the exit of the ridiculous owners.

[Roverthechimp]

Think you will find, that debts and losses go hand in hand. When you make losses, you will eventually cause debt issues, either through borrowing money which is not your own, or spending beyond your means. Everytime we make a loss, and dont generate sufficient income to offset that loss, we go into the red.

If we sold Rhodes, we will only satisfy FFP in the short term, but in the long term we will be back in to square one.

We are permanently in the red - approx 130 million total. Ffp doesn't care about that - only that the previous year shows yearly losses below a threshhold (8 million last season i believe)

[Iceman]

Think you missing my point. It's not just about FFP, its also about clearing the overall debt. While it's nice to come out of FFP in the short term, in the long run we could just end up being back here again trying go shift unwanted players on high salaries.

So do we really want to sell Rhodes for a short term gain, where in all likelihood we won't spend that money to replace quality with quality.

Best scenario is to hold onto Rhodes, and push for promotion. This is last chance saloon for both Venkys and Bowyer.

[Waggy76]

You are right Iceman but neither Venkys nor Bowyer have the acumen to bring that too reality.

[Ricky]

How does keeping a player on £40-£50k a week sit with your aim of 'clearing the overall debt'?

[Roverthechimp]

Understand your point but disagree with your conclusion. Think we have a better chance at promotion with an improved midfield/defence than with Rhodes alone. Also think that we have a better chance of earning money on player sales if we can recruit with (small) fees meaning we stay out of ffp. Meaning we can (hopefully) challenge for promotion every year without increasing overall debt as i think we both agree that only promotion can make inroads on that Mountain.

No worries and i respect your view that Rhodes is a valuable asset to the team.

[bluefred]

it minght not be a bad thing to sell rhodes for the right price thou.

have we forgot how many games last season it was like playing with

ten men because we needed to accomodate jordan.

I would rather have kept rudy.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

With Rhodes, we have a hope of promotion. Without Rhodes we have no chance.

For this season I think we should continue to try and sign free transfer/out of contract players and see what happens.

Maybe we might be able to get some players in on loan like Henry from WHU and maybe a few other hungry players who have something to prove.

If it doesn't work, let's try something else next season.

[Waggy76]

The right price ? Will we be able to re invest ?

Who will score the 40 plus goals that only got us to 8th ?

[bluefred]

The right price ? Will we be able to re invest ?

Who will score the 40 plus goals that only got us to 8th ?

those days have gone of 40 goals a season half of that equation

has moved on so let the other half go and start a fresh

[Amo]

Let's hope we get a £4m bid for big Grant maybe that would be enough to lift the embargo and allow us to keep Rhodes.

After all Grant is our captain and a full international. I just feel that we have a better Cb in Killa.

I think Bowyer would rather cut off his left nut than lose the Warrior.

[roverandout]

With Rhodes, we have a hope of promotion. Without Rhodes we have no chance.

For this season I think we should continue to try and sign free transfer/out of contract players and see what happens.

Maybe we might be able to get some players in on loan like Henry from WHU and maybe a few other hungry players who have something to prove.

If it doesn't work, let's try something else next season.

With or without Rhodes there is no hope of promotion

[Tim Southampton Rover]

With our positive fans, we will always have hope!

[Waggy76]

With or without Rhodes there is no hope of promotion

I agree but without him relegation is a cert !

I am quite happy for relegation if the Venkys do one but relegation and the Venkys ?

[Ricky]

People talk about the 40 goals a season we are going to lose. The 7 teams who finished above us didn't have those 40 goals a season yet still finished higher than us.

Le Fondre will score goals in this league. Ben Marshall playing further forward will score goals. If it enables us to tighten up at the other end then it's not all doom and gloom. We concede way too many goals, let's address that as well.

[joey_big_nose]

I agree but without him relegation is a cert !

I am quite happy for relegation if the Venkys do one but relegation and the Venkys ?

That's a bit dramatic. Without Rhodes or Le Fondre I think we would be around 15-16. Not relegation. Lose Rhodes but get Le Fondre and I would reckon we would be 10-11th ish.

However even with Le Fondre and Rhodes I doubt we will make 6th. More like 7th or 8th again. Theyre too similar to play together so they will be in and out of the team.

To get sixth or above we would need to keep Rhodes, get Le Fondre or other established quality, need Marshall, Hanley, Duffy and Conway to have much improved seasons, while Guthrie and Koita to make an improvement on what we had last season also, and some of the youngsters to have a good turn too.

I doubt it personally. Very tall order. I don't think promotion is on the cards no matter which way you cut the squad.

[Waggy76]

The problem is in over 2 years of Bowyers tenure we CANNOT stop our opponents scoring !

[Mercer]

He has seen the document and the details are very precise, how much and when. No reason to doubt him.

IF Kamy has seen the document then he's a fool for disclosing it and heads need to roll within Rovers' senior management - this could be construed as gross misconduct and it's crass stupidity.

[1864roverite]

Selling Rhodes isn't the end of our world. Any half decent striker can score goals ITS about defending first and foremost and if Rovers can get that bit right then we might not need a 40 goals plus strike force to propel us forwards.

Don't want to lose him BUT if it means the embargo has gone and we can trade then it is a bonus.

No player is bigger than the club.

[Coatbridge rover]

Can someone explain how our 4th choice keeper gets released and joins Norwich City

[Iceman]

How does keeping a player on £40-£50k a week sit with your aim of 'clearing the overall debt'?

He is one player, and a difference maker, and the one player in the squad right now, where the opposition think okay we need to watch him.

Again Ricky, you also missing somewhat of the point. What is the use, if the short term is only to get out of FFP, while we won't spend money anyway? If we hold onto Rhodes, and can sort out the defensive issues, we can try once again. We have shifted so many high high earners already, so Imo to hell with FFP right now. Make do with what we have, and see where it takes us. How confident are you , that Le Fondre will sign for us if we would Rhodes? How sure are you, that if we Sell Rhodes we will be out of FFP? Do you think, we will make it in time, to sign players before transfer deadline day, if we sold Rhodes and out of FFP?

But if we are happy with Chris Brown and Delfy up front, while getting out of FFP, then okay, but don't expect or moan when we struggle to score goals when we go 1 or 2 nil down.

The sad reality of it all, is that it has come to this. Where we are happy to let a proven goal scorer go, because we are under an embargo due to other high earners who contributed nothing at all, and were happy to take the money.

[LewisF]

Can someone explain how our 4th choice keeper gets released and joins Norwich City

Because we've got 3 better keepers and it opens up another squad place

[Iceman]

Selling Rhodes isn't the end of our world. Any half decent striker can score goals ITS about defending first and foremost and if Rovers can get that bit right then we might not need a 40 goals plus strike force to propel us forwards.

Don't want to lose him BUT if it means the embargo has gone and we can trade then it is a bonus.

No player is bigger than the club.

Cmon 1864, we have failed to address the defensive issues for a long time now. Certain things you can try an rectify, others its up to the players to sort out. Conceding goals at set pieces, that's between the players on the day, and who picks up who.

At the end of the day, sorting out the defense is alot easier, than sorting out a striker who cannot score goals. We will concede goals, but can we then expect Brown and Delfy to get up back in it when we go 1 or 2 nil down?

[rigger]

Cmon 1864, we have failed to address the defensive issues for a long time now. Certain things you can try an rectify, others its up to the players to sort out. Conceding goals at set pieces, that's between the players on the day, and who picks up who.

At the end of the day, sorting out the defense is alot easier, than sorting out a striker who cannot score goals. We will concede goals, but can we then expect Brown and Delfy to get up back in it when we go 1 or 2 nil down?

Most successful football teams have a strong defence.