[Archived] Transfer Window - January 2016

[Tom]

Tom, I've already agreed the Rhodes isn't on form. That's not in doubt but I believe he will come good. Should Alan Shearer have been omitted from the Euro '96 squad? (And before some idiot says it, I'm not comparing Rhodes to Shearer).

Go and have a look at Gestede's career stars prior to and post his season alongside Rhodes. He benefitted from working with a striker that defenders feared.

I have zero doubt that Rhodes will come good because he is proven again and again, and you know when he starts scoring he will be back with a bang I've backed him to get a couple today, he had chances on Tuesday to get a hat trick which is more than he had recently. Truth be told he couldn't argue if he was dropped at the minute, we just have nobody else!

Rudy was amazing for us I just think it's slightly disingenuous to put the bulk of that down to Rhodes.

Having said that I would love the two of them up top together but don't see why brown can't do the stuff Rudy did outside the box for Rhodes even if he can't do what he did inside it.

One area I think Rhodes could improve is anticipating flick ons, granted we haven't won any this season but he always seems better at reacting to the first ball rather than the second.

[patrickvalery]

Tom, I've already agreed the Rhodes isn't on form. That's not in doubt but I believe he will come good. Should Alan Shearer have been omitted from the Euro '96 squad? (And before some idiot says it, I'm not comparing Rhodes to Shearer).

Stop comparing Rhodes to Shearer!!

Sorry stu. But I've got a reputation to keep up.

[Hasta]

Tom, I've already agreed the Rhodes isn't on form. That's not in doubt but I believe he will come good. Should Alan Shearer have been omitted from the Euro '96 squad? (And before some idiot says it, I'm not comparing Rhodes to Shearer).

Go and have a look at Gestede's career stars prior to and post his season alongside Rhodes. He benefitted from working with a striker that defenders feared.

No Shearer definitely shouldn't have been excluded as he did a lot more for the team than score goals. Even when he was in that barren spell for England, he was still playing well and contributing. He had also scored another 30 domestic goals again.

[DanielMB]

Danny Graham starts for Sunderland today

[Tom]

Interesting development - shop window?

[Mike E]

He did on Tues especially in the second half.Not saying he or anyone covered themselves in glory but why is Rhiodes always the scapegoat.

He isn't for me! The whole team is performing poorly apart from the centre backs. It's just that Rhodes' lack of goals is the most noticeable drop and so the chat moves towards him.

The team as a whole needs to help him, but I don't believe he helps himself enough. Even Dickov (for example) was able to score in games when the rest of the team played poorly. Rhodes' trouble is that he will be compared to our better strikers over the years and their superior talent leads to us talking him down.

[Pedro]

I am one of the first to have a go at the players. Honestly think they are giving it their all. Just not very good.

I think the defenders are but the attackers lack effort and energy. It's a role reversal to what we did previously.

I agree the standard of them isn't great but ultimately, too many are mentally weak.

If you can name me one cross Rhodes put in for Rudy I will agree with you.

Space is also created on the deck, not in the air where Rudy did his best work.

There was one. Literally. It was a cross/shot. The games are so boring I focus on stuff like that.

[K-Hod]

Any links to seeing the back of Kiota or Brown as part of the corrective surgery needed to giving the first team a remote chance of scoring more goals and winning more games ?

Scroll up and have a look, or use google...

[gumboots]

That's just doesn't add up to me. Lambert doesn't take any messing, this weird myth about the Bowyer holiday camp cannot exist any longer.

a manager isn't on the pitch though. I'm not suggesting lambert doesn't train differently or that he allows them to get away with things in training but when you've accepted mediocrity for so long or when you've only played at 90% or whatever of your ability then if things go against you early on, when tough tackles come in or whatever, the players seem to shrink back to how they've been under bowyer and forget what they're supposed to be doing. We haven't played that many games yet under lambert and his way of doing things is not yet deeply enough emvedded

[Amo]

Look, we've been here before. A blind man on a galloping horse can see that Rhodes isn't a back-to-goal kind of striker. There's no point hoofing 40 yard balls up to him because he doesn't have the physicality to outmuscle centre-backs or the pace to play on the last shoulder. And people like Den are probably correct when they say that these flaws will prevent Jordan from becoming a truly top-class striker. He won't contribute much in the way of link-up play but his positioning and finishing in the 18 yard box are second to none, and as such he'll thrive on incisive through-balls and crosses. Put someone like Rhodes into a team with a weak midfield such as ours, and clearly he'll fail to make much of an impact. We don't have the pace or creativity to trouble defences, which leaves Jordan feeding on scraps and puts added pressure on the few chances that do come his way. That's why teams like 'Boro & Hull were keen to sign him, because he was the missing piece of the jigsaw.

[tomphil]

I think the defenders are but the attackers lack effort and energy. It's a role reversal to what we did previously.

I agree the standard of them isn't great but ultimately, too many are mentally weak.

There was one. Literally. It was a cross/shot. The games are so boring I focus on stuff like that.

Rhodes laid a few on for Rudy although they never actually clicked as a partnership the goals from them both in the same side was there for all to see. It's a bit like the accusations flying around last time the criticism of Rhodes was at it's peak 'he's only ever a poacher'. A quick look on youtube will show an awful lot of his goals at Rovers are far from tap ins.

[den]

no den, don't do it.

[Athlete]

Yes that's right I did. It's entirely feasible that the information being bandied around at that time was wrong but I doubt it. Don't forget there are still strong links between the old and new management team who have worked together in the past...at Rovers.

I just think it's important to hold our nerve as fans. From Lamberts public interviews he has stated that he will utilise the loan markets in January and then pursue 'big hitters' in the summer. But big budgets don't just mean big fees. Big budgets mean the difference between signing Ward and Lowton as Burnley did or signing delfy and Koita as we did...the former are capable of adding to your promotion challenge but will prob cost you £5k more each p/w. The latter...well we know what the latter can achieve.

Similarly, there are loans and LOANS. Tom Lawrence is..ok but must be on the cheap as brought in during the embargo. A loan of likes of Mcgeady and Graham (both linked in the press) represent a significant jump from the last 18 months.

Most importantly, the window (which is notoriously bad) is not closed yet and the vast amount of better signings are made at the end when the big boys buy and then have a surplus..

My take on this is, be patient. There's nothing to suggest that PL is disaffected or that the goalposts have been moved. Venkys DO have the money and I know the aren't scared to spend it. It must be ffp which is driving our frugality.

If we have only signed players of the calibre of Bennett and Jackson come February then we visitor the issue again..

Again, only my opinion.

Your mate Craig has left the building

[Amo]

no den, don't do it.

Do you think Rhodes is holding the whole team back?

Put it this way, if we swapped Rhodes with a proper target-man, and the rest of the team was unchanged, do you think results would dramatically improve? Who would be the driving force from midfield, winning knock-downs, scoring goals, and running the show? I know we played well against Man. City & Liverpool in the FA Cup with only Rudy up-front, but we can't use two cup games as a yardstick for how we'd fare in the league.

[den]

Do you think Rhodes is holding the whole team back?

Of course I do. That's why he's still playing championship football at the age he is. That's why he can't get into a very poor Scotland side.

[Amo]

Of course I do. That's why he's still playing championship football at the age he is. That's why he can't get into a very poor Scotland side.

You didn't answer my follow-up question, Den.

[Kie_BRFC]

If you can name me one cross Rhodes put in for Rudy I will agree with you.

Space is also created on the deck, not in the air where Rudy did his best work.

http://youtu.be/1TXK_qp5w84

0.40. Enough said.

[tomphil]

You didn't answer my follow-up question, Den.

You got the bite though

[ABBEY]

http://youtu.be/1TXK_qp5w84

0.40. Enough said.

BOOOOOOOOM

[den]

You didn't answer my follow-up question, Den.

We're a poor all round team Amo, so changing Rhodes isn't going to make us table toppers. The point is though, Rhodes - who IMO very much affects performances adversely, carries a multi million pound price tag. Sell him and reinvest. For that money we could end up much stronger. That's one solution to move us forward as a team. What's yours - carry on as we are?

[tomphil]

0.40. Enough said.

looks like we had a decent keeper then as well. Now what was his name ???????

[Speedie Dived]

http://youtu.be/1TXK_qp5w84

0.40. Enough said.

Fair enough that's one

[Kie_BRFC]

Fair enough that's one

That's all you asked

[Speedie Dived]

That's all you asked

Correct and if you are happy with one then that's fair enough

[Kie_BRFC]

looks like we had a decent keeper then as well. Now what was his name ???????

Marshall looks a completely different player too

Correct and if you are happy with one then that's fair enough

It's one more than you have him credit for