[Archived] Mk Dons At Home

[Stuart]

We are going round in circles here. If Rhodes hadn't been sold there would not have been an Improved midfield for him to get in front of!

The fact is, he wanted to go, he was ineffectual and NOT SCORING! So can we move on?

I don't miss him, if you do there's nothing you can do about it anyway.

I will if everyone else will.

Time to raid the German league.

But then we won't get any!

[Lancaster Rover]

I would be surprised if Rhodes starts tomorrow evening. Karanka nearly always plays 1 up front and it seems he currently favours Nugent as the lone striker and expect to see that continue tomorrow evening. The only reason I can see him dropping Nugent is if he feels Rhodes 'insider knowledge' can benefit them against Hanley and Duffy.

[den]

I will if everyone else will.

We're still discussing Allardyce and he left over 5 years ago Stuart.

[K-Hod]

Rovers have NO Money chaddy !

People saying the opposite have said why they think that is the case. Is there any danger of you doing the same, JAL?

[den]

Do you REALLY think Lambert would have come here unless he got money to spend this summer to build a promotion squad for next season

Yes, I do Chaddy.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

People saying the opposite have said why they think that is the case. Is there any danger of you doing the same, JAL?

None whatsoever.

[hollowsr]

I'd be very pleasantly surprised if we spent 10m/15m on transfer fees this summer, I think it may be 5m transfer fees plus anything that we can bring in (which I don't see being much) I think the rest of the Rhodes money will basically be treated as another year of parachute payment

[tomphil]

Bingo.

Although after the previous few years 5 mill will seem like a kings ransom. Should be enough to re establish us in midtable

[VinjayV4]

Bingo.

Although after the previous few years 5 mill will seem like a kings ransom. Should be enough to re establish us in midtable

Main ambition for the rest of this season should be to finish top half and go unbeaten at home. Though I wouldn't hold my breath on either.

[tomphil]

Unless Gomez remains on song and Graham pitches in with a few there's not much chance of us finishing much different to where we are I don't think. Although Rovers form does seem to traditionally pick up towards then end of the season.

[JHRover]

Looking like I was right about how much money we will look to spend come this summer.

IMO, Lambert wouldnt come here unless he got money to spend this summer and got those assurances from the Advisors/owners

Ultimately for many Rovers supporters it seems to preferable to believe in the possibility that there will be no money and never will be again.

This is something that has existed now for many years. Not just since Venkys arrived. Even when we were an established Premier League club many people preferred to 'buy in' to the philosophy/mentality that we were destined to always be a selling club.

Rightly or wrongly the larger proportion of Rovers supporters appear to be more comfortable with the concept that Rovers are a small, poor, limited club that has no money, never will, and as such will be held back by that. I believe it is a '70s/80s' mentality, where people who have experienced those times believe that is our destiny as a club and always will be. The difference now is that football has changed so much that we will have to spend even to stand still, and that these days we have owners who have the ability to spend substantial amounts should they decide they want to, which we didn't have back in the day.

The fact is not one person on this messageboard has even the slightest idea how much money will be available in the summer. Many people predict that there won't be any at all, and use examples of Venky's ownership so far to make this out to be a fact. They could be right, though only time will actually tell on that front.

I fall into the same camp as you, where I interpret the signs and actions so far to suggest that there will be money available to strengthen considerably. The appointment of Paul Lambert and Alan Irvine, the comments made by Lambert since he arrived, the lifting of the transfer embargo and decision to sell Rhodes all point towards Lambert being promised/expecting significant amounts of money. If that doesn't transpire then events since November have been a waste of everyone's time. Why sack Bowyer and appoint Lambert if the owners aren't prepared to spend to achieve promotion?

There's absolutely no chance that Lambert would have put his reputation at serious risk of further damage after Villa if he wasn't convinced things were right. He hasn't come here to be mid table, he's come to try and get promoted, and he knows that the only chance he has is by spending money to strengthen.

I might be foolish to do so after the last 5 years but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt at the moment, which I think they have earned after the surprisingly sensible decision to appoint Lambert and get out of the embargo.

We have to spend money if we're going to improve significantly. Venkys have that money if they want to spend it. Therefore the club has that money if the owners want to spend it. They've just appointed a proven manager who is talking about promotion and have paid to get out of the embargo. My interpretation is that they will spend to support him.

[Damien]

Agree 100%

[tonygreenbank]

Hard to put my finger on it. I wasn't implying anything sinister but he seems quite odd to me. He is the sort of player I like to watch so he is someone I observe closely at half time etc. Perhaps he is just eccentric or immature but I commented to my companion that he looked like a drunken fan who had conned his way onto the pitch for a warm up.

He is a non conformist during drills and looks the rebellious type. I perceive some underlying reason as to his lack of game time recently and I suspect he won't be here much longer.

Just a hunch...

I read the Sunday Observer yesterday for the first time ever and in the SportsSection I came upon this curious statistic about Watt. It appears that in the Championship this season Watt is second in the table of what the paper describes as "Tricksters"; players who attempt dribbles during a match. This would suggest some level of skill, not to mention a good helping of self confidence. Perhaps you are right Colt that he lacks focus and the right attitude. Maybe PL is working on that at Brockhall.

As for the Chris Brown debate I also checked up on his career to date and that also makes interesting reading.I dont think he`s the nonfootballer that many posters are claiming on here. Hes had big money moves to Norwich and PNE in the past but he does seem very injury prone. It looks to me that his injuries here have affected his confidence.and we`re not seeing the Chris Brown that was destined for big things at Sunderland as a youngster.

You have to ask why Lambert is playing him ahead of Trickster Watt!

[ABBEY]

Www.headstillinsand.com/oops/gonnagetreportedagain

Jhrover post

I read the Sunday Observer yesterday for the first time ever and in the SportsSection I came upon this curious statistic about Watt. It appears that in the Championship this season Watt is second in the table of what the paper describes as "Tricksters"; players who attempt dribbles during a match. This would suggest some level of skill, not to mention a good helping of self confidence. Perhaps you are right Colt that he lacks focus and the right attitude. Maybe PL is working on that at Brockhall.

As for the Chris Brown debate I also checked up on his career to date and that also makes interesting reading.I dont think he`s the nonfootballer that many posters are claiming on here. Hes had big money moves to Norwich and PNE in the past but he does seem very injury prone. It looks to me that his injuries here have affected his confidence.and we`re not seeing the Chris Brown that was destined for big things at Sunderland as a youngster.

You have to ask why Lambert is playing him ahead of Trickster Watt!

One nobber I know rates brown as up there with the worst nobbers to wear the willy wipe shirt

[JHRover]

Www.headstillinsand.com/oops/gonnagetreportedagain

Jhrover post

One nobber I know rates brown as up there with the worst nobbers to wear the willy wipe shirt

OK then, i'll get my head out of the sand then.

We're a small club, all our supporters are deserting us, Lambert's only here for a quick wage, he'll be gone by September, we've not got any money, Venkys are going to continue to wreak destruction upon the club, we're inevitably going into League One with gates of 5,000 a week, Blackburn Rovers are destined for an eternity of poor crowds, lower league football, struggling to make ends meet, but hey, that's 'our level' as a club.

Is that better?

[ABBEY]

More real ..

[tomphil]

OK then, i'll get my head out of the sand then.

We're a small club, all our supporters are deserting us, Lambert's only here for a quick wage, he'll be gone by September, we've not got any money, Venkys are going to continue to wreak destruction upon the club, we're inevitably going into League One with gates of 5,000 a week, Blackburn Rovers are destined for an eternity of poor crowds, lower league football, struggling to make ends meet, but hey, that's 'our level' as a club.

Is that better?

You're learning

[JAL]

People saying the opposite have said why they think that is the case. Is there any danger of you doing the same, JAL?

Where's this money then show it please.

[K-Hod]

Where's this money then show it please.

It's not my money..... Buckshaw Rover explained where he heard his story, how about you?

[ABBEY]

Ask nick of 50 million times

[tomphil]

It was 50 mill but there's been no revolving door of managers for a few years so they've had nowt to bet on. Down to 15 mill now after a poor run at the bookies

[yoda]

It was 50 mill but there's been no revolving door of managers for a few years so they've had nowt to bet on. Down to 15 mill now after a poor run at the bookies

Is there a futures market for handbags ?

[mustard]

We could spend a penny short of £15mill in summer and Jal would still be complaining.

[yoda]

Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves

[aletheia]

Curious game. No one mentioned MKD yet. Thought they were excellent to watch in many areas –played 2 touch stuff from back to front –very few, if any long balls. All comfortable on the ball on a difficult pitch. They controlled large parts of this game and gave us the run around. However, they have a couple of issues. They lack any cutting edge in front of goal and look suspect to set pieces/corners etc. A kind of pleasing, easy on the eye team but one that won’t deliver in terms of points-which kind of matters :-)

As for us. Thank god for a touch of class with that free kick. Woeful first half, leggy, formation/selection all wrong, fully deserving the crowd’s pessimism and ire. Second half changes delivered a better shape and performance. Agree with JHRover on Grimes, slight but skilful. And Jackson introduced pace. Lord their 2^nd goal was a slo mo car crash. Henley like a rabbit in the headlights and Duffers slicing in his own net.

On the booing –would never do it myself to a lad who is clearly giving 100%. Perhaps it was the only way for fans to signal to Lambert that enough is enough. On Graham, he’s certainly not the player he thinks he is that’s for sure. But then, as we are beggars at the moment, he is needed.

Lewis

Steele
Marshall Duffy Hanley Spurr
Lenihan Evans
Bennett Gomez Conway
Graham

That looks a much better shape/selection to me –more secure but with attacking options.