[Archived] Transfer Window - January 2016

[Lancaster Rover]

I always found berkovic infuriating, passed the ball sideways and backwards too much. Tugay did at times obviously but he did so in a way to create and angle to then play forward where Berkovic just want sideways like a crab. The gulf between them was huge.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I always found berkovic infuriating, passed the ball sideways and backwards too much. Tugay did at times obviously but he did so in a way to create and angle to then play forward where Berkovic just want sideways like a crab. The gulf between them was huge.

I don't agree. I rated Berkovic. He got forward more for a start. Most people though Souey was mad to pass up on Berkovic to sign some guy we'd never heard of. Souey was right though.

[Lancaster Rover]

I can see why Hartson booted him to be honest

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I can see why Hartson booted him to be honest

Me too but I could also see with Batty squared up to Le Saux. Still good players though.

[1864roverite]

The thing about Shearer was that he was instinctive precise and didn't worry about his finishing. He had pride and burst himself with a never say die attitude something sadly lacking in some of today's so called stars

[Mani]

Come on peeps. Transfers please

[tomphil]

I'll never forgive Stapleton for that crap penalty away at Villa in the FA cup

Legs were almost completely gone when he came to Rovers but he could still finish. Wheels had come off a bit then but if the team was a bit better he'd still have got a bagful probably.

Lamberts got his men in now to shake things up a bit but it would be really good if they could pull off a bit of a coup signing from somewhere just capture the imagination.

[RoverMinion]

One thing people haven't picked up on is that several of the players pre-Lambert and post-Bowyer have come as a result of their clubs terminating their contracts via mutual consent, with less than 6 months remaining on their deal.

This seems to happen at Rovers and not happen as much at other clubs. It saves us, and those other clubs money and seems pretty logical.

Can't help but admire the logic, and the the communication from Rovers when this happens.

A far cry from the days of extensive fee's and agent involvement, granted I suppose their could be agent involvement we haven't seen yet.

Wonder how many more rabbits Lambert has up his sleeve.

Plenty more deals need doing as far as I am concerned.

I also wonder whether some players coming in might allow us to also end contracts early, or shift some players out on loan.

I think Matthew Kilgallon, Nathan Delfouneso, Chris Brown, Marcus Olsson, Lee Williamson and Sacha Petshi's time might be done at the club though.

With Ward coming in, it makes room for Kilgallon to go, Delfouneso wasn't favoured by Lambert at Villa and has hardly impressed at Rovers, Brown's short display against Newport must have hammered the last nail into the coffin of his Rovers career, Olsson's stalling on a new contract and his removal from the 1st team must be the beginning of the end and the fact that Petshi can't make it onto the bench infront of Williamson must mean his time is short as well.

[tomphil]

Makes sense for a player to take a reduced wage settlement from his club if another club has put a contract on the table to be signed there and then, possibily on more money. It's a winner for the player and the club he is under contract to providing they want rid of him. Helps the new club by tempting them to come there and then instead of messing around I suppose.

[McClarky]

One thing people haven't picked up on is that several of the players pre-Lambert and post-Bowyer have come as a result of their clubs terminating their contracts via mutual consent, with less than 6 months remaining on their deal.

This seems to happen at Rovers and not happen as much at other clubs. It saves us, and those other clubs money and seems pretty logical.

Eh? All this does is allow failed players and agents to make a fortune out of players who have signed contracts and failed to perform. Mutual consent means a pay off to terminate a contract early to get someone off the books and allow the player to earn a fortune and move on to another club to do the same. if you look at the players who have been released in this way by Rovers this should give an ideas of what we should do with these players from other clubs, avoid like the plague.

[JHRover]

I'm sure Lambert has already said that any side should have 4 senior recognised centre backs. It is inevitable that at some stage your favoured two are going to be missing due to injury/fatigue or suspension, and the club needs to be well prepared to deal with these things. Dropping a kid from the Under 21s into the battle of the Championship is extremely risky.

These last couple of seasons we have been plodding along with 3 senior CBs, with Kilgallon being a regular benchwarmer. This has meant that on occasion we have been short in the department and has seen Tommy Spurr. even Jason Lowe at CB with short term loans like Doneil Henry coming in when needed. It seems Lambert wants to stop that and reach a stage where we have natural back-up rather than having to shoehorn people in from other positions. Lambert clearly likes the look of Darragh Lenighan, which is pleasing, but he isnt a natural CB.

Lambert clearly prefers a more secure approach were we are better protected in this department. Bringing in another of his ex players with a wealth of experience in this league makes this a very low risk signing. Lambert knows exactly what he is getting and knows that as a starting point Ward, with Bennett and Jackson before him, will come into the club, know what is expected, and will demonstrate the right attitude.

[Mullionvagrant]

I would add Salgado to the list of players who had seen better days but gave their all (more recent times).

Did a job and had an excellent attitude in the dressing room/brought another dimension/professionalism to the squad.

A squad needs a few older players.

[JAL]

Ward is very experience at this level.

Plus Lambert knows him from his Norwich days.

Who's position is he taking ?

[onlyonejackwalker]

Who's position is he taking ?

Do you understand a cultural change is urgently required within the club?

[JAL]

Do you understand a cultural change is urgently required within the club?

Cultural change ? Who will he be replacing was the question.

[oldjamfan1]

Cultural change ? Who will he be replacing was the question.

I think we all know where this one is going JAL. He won't walk into a fully fit team, if that's what you're asking. As it is, we have players injured so he will obviously take the place of those players initially, then lets see how he does.

You're obsessed man!

[Swanson]

So a midfielder seems to be the thing we need after getting Graham and Ward onboard. Looking at some PL teams, it looks like these guys haven't had much game time the season so far.

Joe Ledley and Jordan Mutch (Palace), Gibson and McGeady (Everton), Teixeira (Liverpool), Nick Powell and Perieira (Man U), Gouffran and Marveaux (Newcastle), Ramirez (Soton), Sidwell (Stoke), Gomez (Sunderland).

Surely we should be able to get one of those on loan ?

[JAL]

I think we all know where this one is going JAL. He won't walk into a fully fit team, if that's what you're asking. As it is, we have players injured so he will obviously take the place of those players initially, then lets see how he does.

You're obsessed man!

Fine it was just a question that had been raised by another poster.

[Mullionvagrant]

Cultural change ? Who will he be replacing was the question.

Anybody in the defence who doesn't raise their game in training, reckons they don't need to work hard and questions the tactics of the manager/training regime i would guess or is injured.

A player who will back the manager, silence moaners and drive the team moral among the youngsters in the right direction-plus do a professional job based upon experience.

All for a relatively low price/risk.

Seems a very logical decision...but yes time will tell if he has still got it etc. **** Already saying the right things about Lamberts high standards and raising game/ As did Grahams( re fitness levels) quite telling for me that both have made a marked point of mentioning this in interviews-so obviously an issue and obviously a major reason they were both brought in.

[RoverMinion]

Eh? All this does is allow failed players and agents to make a fortune out of players who have signed contracts and failed to perform. Mutual consent means a pay off to terminate a contract early to get someone off the books and allow the player to earn a fortune and move on to another club to do the same. if you look at the players who have been released in this way by Rovers this should give an ideas of what we should do with these players from other clubs, avoid like the plague.

There are different layers and levels in football.

The quality of the squad Bournemouth has is a couple of notches above ours at the moment.

By ditching players only a notch higher than us, they can bring in better quality players to replace them or add to their squad.

So we end up with better than what we have now in squad depth, whilst the team releasing the player can make use of that wage space as well.

Doesn't mean the player is rubbish for us.

[JAL]

Anybody in the defence who doesn't raise their game in training, reckons they don't need to work hard and questions the tactics of the manager/training regime i would guess or is injured.

A player who will back the manager, silence moaners and drive the team moral among the youngsters in the right direction-plus do a professional job based upon experience.

All for a relatively low price/risk.

Seems a very logical decision...but yes time will tell if he has still got it etc. **** Already saying the right things about Lamberts high standards and raising game/ As did Grahams( re fitness levels) quite telling for me that both have made a marked point of mentioning this in interviews-so obviously an issue and obviously a manger reason they were both brought in.

But don't professional players have media training to say such positive things these days ?

[oldjamfan1]

Anybody in the defence who doesn't raise their game in training, reckons they don't need to work hard and questions the tactics of the manager/training regime i would guess or is injured.

A player who will back the manager, silence moaners and drive the team moral among the youngsters in the right direction-plus do a professional job based upon experience.

All for a relatively low price/risk.

Seems a very logical decision...but yes time will tell if he has still got it etc. **** Already saying the right things about Lamberts high standards and raising game/ As did Grahams( re fitness levels) quite telling for me that both have made a marked point of mentioning this in interviews-so obviously an issue and obviously a major reason they were both brought in.

Not disagreeing with you at all but it is entirely possible that they've been 'encouraged' to say these things about PL - it wouldn't be the strangest thing that has happened at this football club.

Christ, I'm turning into another regular poster who shall not be named before my own eyes here..........

[Pedro]

I always found berkovic infuriating, passed the ball sideways and backwards too much. Tugay did at times obviously but he did so in a way to create and angle to then play forward where Berkovic just want sideways like a crab. The gulf between them was huge.

Sorry, I think you are way off the mark. Berkovic was brilliant and he was the key to unlocking the defences that gave us a hell of a lot of respect as that season went on. We were often faced with ten men behind the ball but he'd carry the ball along the line and get it through the eye of a needle for Jansen, Dunn and Bent to run on to. When we were promoted, teams didn't fear us and gave Tugay more time and space to pull the strings, which he obviously did brilliantly.

[oldjamfan1]

But don't professional players have media training to say positive things these days ?

Thanks JAL - see my above post and you'll realise that I am actually laughing out loud now!

[booth]

I think LR was watching a different Berkovic.