[Archived] Rhodes To Boro

[47er]

This is a strange place at times.

Rhodes has been here for 3 and a half years, scoring over 20 goals a season, and he's the bad guy who we can't wait to get rid of.

Whereas, Lambert has been here 3 months, taken us on a run of 7 league games without a win, playing some of the worst football I've ever had the misfortune to see us play (after spending 3 years doing something similar at Villa too) and he's treated like the messiah.

One win, against a poor league 2 side, has got some of you a little giddy I think. In my opinion we are a stronger team with Rhodes than without and, as such, Lambert's comments today are a little silly.

Might be the case generally, but from what I've seen of Elliott Bennett, he's just about the worst player to pull on the shirt

Worse than Delfy? Koita? Anderson? Wow!

If Lambert rebuilds this squad of dross and gets us promotion in the next couple of years or so then he is the next Messiah as far as I am concerned.

One thing is for sure, there is no other candidate for the position.

[RevidgeBlue]

Quite obvious that we have been paying him way way too much.

If he stays we'll be facing a massive loss. He's shot himself in the foot with his greed and it's a real shame that the club could be left holding a baby that we don't want now. Shame we can't deem him in breech and renegotiate his remuneration down to a reasonable level (at the most a quarter of it's reputed current value) without turning him into a free agent.

Straitjacket for jimmy, Rhodes has done nothing whatsoever wrong here. Rhodes has requested permission to speak to Boro. We've agreed and agreed a fee we're happy with (though God knows why) with Boro.

We don't know why the parties were unable to agree personal terms, I would have thought that everything would have been agreed before he went up for a medical. Given the sort of money he's on and the fact he wanted to go I think it's far more likely Boro tried to screw him over on the terms that had been agreed once he got up there expecting him to just accept.

The only person really at fault in this is Lambert. He's made the cardinal and elementary error of going public and letting the world know he doesn't rate our star player. What he was thinking after yesterday's game by saying we should have sold him two years ago I've absolutely no idea and he's compounded that by his idiotic statements today on the club website seemingly designed to turn the fans against Rhodes.

Wouldnt be surprised if another more professional club than Boro came in for him before the deadline but if he stays it SHOULD be fantastic news for the Club. That may however be dependent upon Lambert being able to put his dummy back in and being prepared to use our best asset for the benefit of the club and not leave him out through spite etc.

[JHRover]

He has wanted out in each of the last 3 transfer windows, his performances have highlighted this and then when he gets his wish he gets greedy, asks for more readies and gets his bid rejected and now rovers are to accept him back like nowt has changed.

Not in my world, yes if he stays we have to get a tune out of him, but once he has gone thru that exit door he is a goner like an ex girlfriend, it's time To move on and look forward to the next one. I bet that is how Lambert views it.

Rhodes engineered it and he fcooked it up.

Has he?

I'm not aware of any evidence that Rhodes has been anything other than 100% committed to BRFC up until Middlesbrough's bid in the summer. In the summer of 2014 he willingly signed up for another 2 years at the club, committing himself until 2019 despite us being nowhere near promotion in his 2 seasons up to that point.

Soon after he extended his contract there was the very public Hull City transfer fiasco, when Rovers (Bowyer and Shaw) had basically accepted a bid and had all the wheels in motion to transfer Rhodes to a Premier League side, until at the very last minute Venkys pulled the plug on the whole thing by rejecting Hull's bid and releasing a statement setting out their intention to keep Rhodes here. At that point Rhodes could have kicked off, he could have made statements or submitted a transfer request, yet did none. He got his head down, was available for selection and if i remember correctly put in a fantastic performance against Bournemouth the following Saturday.

There's no evidence I've ever seen that anyone else made a bid in the summer of 2014 or January 2015 or that Rhodes was angling for a move at any stage.

Last summer there was nothing from Rhodes until the Middlesbrough bid came in. Rhodes made it known that he wanted to discuss a move to Middlesbrough, but didn't feign injury, didn't submit a transfer request and didn't muck Rovers about in any form. He accepted the clubs decision, frustrating as it might have been for him, and got down to work, setting off the season as the league's highest goalscorer.

Then Middlesbrough have come back in. Lambert asked if he wanted to speak to them. Rhodes has probably realised that Lambert isn't his biggest fan and sees a chance to transfer to a club favourites for promotion rather than fighting relegation with a club where the manager might not want him anyway. I don't blame him for that. Once again, he hasn't pressured the club, he hasn't tried to force them to sell him, he hasnt submitted a transfer request and I'm sure he'll be fit and available for selection on Saturday if he's still here by then. If he was that determined to leave Rovers he could have waived some bonuses to ensure the move was completed smoothly.

I think Rhodes needs to release a joint statement with the manager if he doesn't leave tomorrow.

But I think it's unfair to portray him as someone who has been angling for a move for ages. He fancied going to Boro in the summer, yet since then has worked hard and scored 11 goals for a poor side.

[RevidgeBlue]

No point lying though is there?

If the truth of the situation is that he has (to some extent) said that he wants out for over 12months and has been given his wish BUT through greed burnt his bridges, then why would any self respecting person say otherwise? We've had too many people scared of giving opinions or downright talking bullpoop in our recent past. I much prefer the, "I am the boss and you created this awkward, time-wasting situation" approach.

I'm sure every single one of the squad would have left if a Club chasing promotion had have come in for them on the same or more money. The reason they haven't had the opportunity is that they've been so crap no -one wants them. Only Rhodes has performed well enough to be considered for the chance.

Should Lambert say that as well? Of course not. Some things are better left unsaid. Incredibly unprofessional from Lambert and he compounded the error by making disparaging comments about Rhodes twice.

[Veevs]

I'm sure every single one of the squad would have left if a Club chasing promotion had have come in for them on the same or more money. The reason they haven't had the opportunity is that they've been so crap no -one wants them. Only Rhodes has performed well enough to be considered for the chance.

Should Lambert say that as well? Of course not. Some things are better left unsaid. Incredibly unprofessional from Lambert and he compounded the error by making disparaging comments about Rhodes twice.

What comments?

[Jimmy612]

Think Gibson's been a good owner actually though it isn't that long since he was being criticised. So much for Middlesbrough suddenly being the pinnacle of ambition. Though they are lucky to have had an owner that cares for the last 30 years. As for the 96-97 incident you never know what could have happened. If any of their usual first team squad had been fit (don't know if any were) they could have shown up and broken their leg during the game.

Boro were punished because they had enough full time and registered professional players fit and free from illness to complete the fixture. The fact that not all of them were in the 1st team squad or even had 1st team experience is irrelevant.

[AlanK]

What comments?

These comments....its Obvious PL is not happy with Rhodes

Manager Paul Lambert said: “After a fee was agreed between the two clubs, Jordan asked to go and speak to Middlesbrough.

“This is the third window now where he has wanted to go and we felt it was right to give him that opportunity.

“After securing a good deal for the club, which would have enabled me to rebuild the squad, we allowed him to leave the team hotel on Friday night, but it appears that he could not agree personal terms with Middlesbrough.

“We had a terrific victory yesterday over Oxford United in the FA Cup, with some great performances by the players who came in, and we’ll continue to try and do that.”

Read more at http://www.rovers.co.uk/news/article/blackburn-rovers-jordan-rhodes-middlesbrough-2930096.aspx#UxZFvL5JPvZBMwdU.99

[RevidgeBlue]

What comments?

It was reported on here that Lambert said we should have sold him 2 years ago. Then today on the website he said that Rhodes has wanted to leave for the last 3 windows as well as implying he's not especially welcome back because he'd rather have the dosh.

[Jimmy612]

Challenge now is for PL to get the best out of JR, who is the victim to a certain extent in this.

Could be a blessing in disguise if it works out

Rhodes a victim? I guarantee there will only be one victim and that will be BRFC and everybody connected with it. So what have we?

We know that Rhodes wants away again and is seeking more money. If he stays he will lose nothing and will still be stiffing us for his ludicrous 2 million pa for the next 3 or 4 years by which time he will be virtually worthless.

We can deduce from comments that PL doesn't rate him, sees him as being too expensive and wants shot of him. Also it's been inferred that his remuneration and performances are unsettling other squad members. If that is indeed the case then he will soon be a rotten apple and the situation will deteriorate quickly and it will become a it's him or me, lose lose situation by both parties. Rhodes will not be an automatic starter and his value will plummet.

If the Rhodes corner won't budge and if Boro won't pay both us and him what we want then the only logical solution is for us to take a hit on the transfer fee. I'm not at this point ruling out the possibility of collusion between Gibson and Rhodes and his agent agent here, and possibly even with a certain member of the press having a small taste of the action for services rendered too. So Boro will surely see this as an opportunity to save a few million, Rhodes will see it as a way to do the same and it's almost certain Lambert too will be pushing the Rovers board to give way as his problems with Rhodes are mounting and will inevitably start to get messy.

In effect our club is involved in a high stakes poker game with a crap hand and we've even shown the other players in the game our cards.

[RevidgeBlue]

Rhodes a victim? I guarantee there will only be one victim and that will be BRFC.

We know that Rhodes wants away again and is seeking more money. If he stays he will lose nothing and will still be stiffing us for his ludicrous 40k pw.

We can deduce from comments that PL doesn't rate him, sees him as being too expensive and wants shot of him. Also it's been inferred that his remuneration and performances are unsettling other squad members. If that is indeed the case then he will soon be a rotten apple and the situation will deteriorate quickly and it will become a it's him or me, lose lose situation by both parties. Rhodes will not be an automatic starter and his value will plummet.

If the Rhodes corner won't budge and if Boro won't pay both us and him what we want then the only logical solution is for us to take a hit on the transfer fee. I'm not at this point ruling out the possibility of collusion between Gibson and Rhodes and his agent agent here, and possibly even with a certain member of the press having a small taste of the action for services rendered too. So Boro will surely see this as an opportunity to save a few million, Rhodes will see it as a way to do the same and it's almost certain Lambert too will be pushing the Rovers board to give way as his problems with Rhodes are mounting and will inevitably start to get messy.

In effect our club is involved in a high stakes poker game with a crap hand.

Have you been on glue tonight jimmy? I know you can't stand Rhodes but collusion between him, his agent and Boro? Come on!

Secondly, I shouldn't have to point out the obvious but it's not Rhodes fault he is on 40k p.w. We agreed to pay it him, if you want to blame anyone for that, blame whoever at the Club sanctioned the deal although to be fair that's the only reason rival clubs are bidding 10m plus for him and not a nominal fee with his contract about to run out so swings and roundabouts in that respect.

[yankfan]

I think Gibson has panicked after seeing how we played at Oxford and how we changed the style without JR

I find it difficult to imagine that anyone put much into us looking decent against a team two leagues down

[Iceman]

With JR on the bench, being a pro he will be chomping at the bit

Hopefully if Rhodes replaces Watt after 60 mins, then I hope he has the same amount of energy as Tony.

[Iceman]

Problem is, that in all honesty we need the Rhodes money. We can easily bring in a few more high energy players, on less money who will be able to give the squad a more balanced and ruthless look. Rhodes is a goal scorer, but it's clear he wants out, and his performances in recent weeks/months has hurt us.

Lambert clearly sees the attitude of Rhodes has changed, and his performances have dipped. So with good money being offered, it was clearly the right move by the club. If Rhodes and his agent are to blame, then I can't see Lambert being happy, and can see him put Rhodes on the bench.

[Mani]

It was reported on here that Lambert said we should have sold him 2 years ago. Then today on the website he said that Rhodes has wanted to leave for the last 3 windows as well as implying he's not especially welcome back because he'd rather have the dosh.

Alleged?, implied?.. I am astounded how many people are upset with these PL comments. All he did was tell the truth.

I often forget how well stocked the world is with grey men who fear upsetting anyone..thankfully, leaders seldom struggle with the concept.

I applaud Lambert's stance and handling on this.

It will also send a clear message to all the rest of the players that you mess with the manager at your peril.

I also applaud Gibson who has said enough is enough of this greed.

I think Rhodes will have a sleepless night and scarper up to M'boro early doors tomorrow with his tail between his leg and an agent with a bloodied nose.

Great post.

[Speedie Dived]

Apologies oldjamfan,buy it is related to the Rhodes transfer as speedie dived is suggesting we would have to pay up Rhodes contract and his loyalty bonus on top of the sell on clause to huddersfield.We wouldn't be making any profit at all if that is the case

The secret footballer has confirmed it o Twitter. Deal has collapsed as we are refusing to pay him off and Boro won't match the difference.

[donnermeat]

Yes let's accept a £9m bid, makes sense as we would have to give Rhodes £7.3m of it, let's not forget Huddersfield's share at £200k, leaving Lambert £1.5m to rebuild the squad!

[47er]

It was reported on here that Lambert said we should have sold him 2 years ago. Then today on the website he said that Rhodes has wanted to leave for the last 3 windows as well as implying he's not especially welcome back because he'd rather have the dosh.

Sounds right to me.

[Ricky]

can you not see where your logic falls down on this one Speedie???

No player would ever be transferred if your logic was applied as the selling club would make absolutely nothing. You're wrong on this one as you've been told by everyone already.

When you're in a hole stop digging.

[Speedie Dived]

Yes let's accept a £9m bid, makes sense as we would have to give Rhodes £7.3m of it, let's not forget Huddersfield's share at £200k, leaving Lambert £1.5m to rebuild the squad!

It won't be that much and buying club tends to pay (signing on fee). Either way Boro and ourselves are not paying according to TSF.

[Speedie Dived]

can you not see where your logic falls down on this one Speedie???

No player would ever be transferred if your logic was applied as the selling club would make absolutely nothing. You're wrong on this one as you've been told by everyone already.

When you're in a hole stop digging.

Not going on about it as it's boring to everyone. But last point is it's rarely paid in full and more often than not by the buying club.

And a few others on here agree with me.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Not going on about it as it's boring to everyone. But last point is it's rarely paid in full and more often than not by the buying club.

And a few others on here agree with me.

I don't know whether you are wrong or right - but it is usual for players to receive a "so called" loyalty bonus. At the end of the day Boro supposedly offered to match his wages and also give him a year longer on his contract - so why would Rovers have to pay any of his contract up in that scenario.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Has he?

I'm not aware of any evidence that Rhodes has been anything other than 100% committed to BRFC up until Middlesbrough's bid in the summer. In the summer of 2014 he willingly signed up for another 2 years at the club, committing himself until 2019 despite us being nowhere near promotion in his 2 seasons up to that point.

Soon after he extended his contract there was the very public Hull City transfer fiasco, when Rovers (Bowyer and Shaw) had basically accepted a bid and had all the wheels in motion to transfer Rhodes to a Premier League side, until at the very last minute Venkys pulled the plug on the whole thing by rejecting Hull's bid and releasing a statement setting out their intention to keep Rhodes here. At that point Rhodes could have kicked off, he could have made statements or submitted a transfer request, yet did none. He got his head down, was available for selection and if i remember correctly put in a fantastic performance against Bournemouth the following Saturday.

There's no evidence I've ever seen that anyone else made a bid in the summer of 2014 or January 2015 or that Rhodes was angling for a move at any stage.

Last summer there was nothing from Rhodes until the Middlesbrough bid came in. Rhodes made it known that he wanted to discuss a move to Middlesbrough, but didn't feign injury, didn't submit a transfer request and didn't muck Rovers about in any form. He accepted the clubs decision, frustrating as it might have been for him, and got down to work, setting off the season as the league's highest goalscorer.

Then Middlesbrough have come back in. Lambert asked if he wanted to speak to them. Rhodes has probably realised that Lambert isn't his biggest fan and sees a chance to transfer to a club favourites for promotion rather than fighting relegation with a club where the manager might not want him anyway. I don't blame him for that. Once again, he hasn't pressured the club, he hasn't tried to force them to sell him, he hasnt submitted a transfer request and I'm sure he'll be fit and available for selection on Saturday if he's still here by then. If he was that determined to leave Rovers he could have waived some bonuses to ensure the move was completed smoothly.

I think Rhodes needs to release a joint statement with the manager if he doesn't leave tomorrow.

But I think it's unfair to portray him as someone who has been angling for a move for ages. He fancied going to Boro in the summer, yet since then has worked hard and scored 11 goals for a poor side.

Err, Rhodes came to see Lambert and asked to speak to ' Boro. Not the other way round. Let's not rewrite history in this.

[philipl]

So am I correct in assuming that in fact there are no more developments yet today?

[chaddyrovers]

From Twitter page TransferCentre9

Sheffield Wednesday look to swoop for Blackburn Rovers forward Jordan Rhodes with a bid around £11Mil #swfc #brfc

[Hasta]

Radio Lancs interview with Lambert where he says "the club should have done it (see Jordan) a couple of years ago to rebuild"

Starts talking about Rhodes half way through/

https://audioboom.com/boos/4126169-it-s-good-to-come-here-and-win-lambert-delighted-with-onerovers-facup-progression