[Archived] Transfers Part 2

[tomphil]

They are keeping the powder dry

[Parsonblue]

Loans loans loans. What's happened to the £7 million we received? £5.5 million for 'reluctantly' selling our captain and £1.5 million bonus for Rochina's sale and we're still shopping in the loan market.

Which basically means even if we manage to cobble together enough points to survive this season we'll end up in the same or worse situation in 12 months - going into another Championship season with next to no players, no quality, no depth, another huge turnover of playing staff, throwing a squad together in late August with other teams cast offs and youngsters. No stability, no base to build upon. Never ever going to be successful living on cycles of 6-12 months before starting again.

Loan players should be used to complement a squad of 21 or more and provide options in the short term. Not as a way of putting a squad together on the cheap without having to pay any fees and without having to offer a permanent contract.

Unfortunately, JHR, we are stuck between the proverbial 'rock and a hard place'. The owners don't want to sell and they don't want to invest in the club and so we totter around the bottom of the table waiting for the inevitable relegation to League One. I suspect the money raised is simply being used to replace the parachute payments and being used for running costs and wages - not to mention repayments to the Bank of India. Hence, we are looking for loans and freebies to bring the squad up to merely a basic level in terms of numbers - but quality there is none. The attendance on Saturday was the lowest since 1991 and without significant signings to attract supporters back to Ewood, I can see us returning to 1980s levels of attendances. With more and more money being poured into Championship clubs I fear that we are going to be left behind and the Jack Walker era, like the earlier successful one of Lawrence Cotton, will be something that future generations merely read about in dusty history books with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief that the club could ever have been that successful.

[K-Hod]

Talking of strippers at Ewood, did my eyes deceive when I walked past the old Pub on the way to Ewood from Mill Hill looking like its becoming a lapdancing bar?

The old Ewood Arms? Affirmative.

[Jock]

They are keeping the powder dry

Fat Barry snorted it.

[tomphil]

Fat Barry snorted it.

Which then ignited his brainwave of appointing Owen Coyle !

[McClarky]

We should forget about these young PL loanees and concentrate on bringing in people who are tried and trusted and can do a job from day 1. The youngsters are only loaned out to give them some games or to run their contracts down so we don't benefit at all from that. There must be loads of decent players in squads who aren't in first team plans and that's who we should be looking at. Danny Graham being the best recent example. If only we had a fit for purpose scouting network.......

[tomphil]

I think at Ewood it all comes down to who certain contacts can bring in first and foremost and that's why we don't even look in the direction of a lot of the decent ones floating about. That's how it seems to work and Coyle is another who seems to only look at the same not very effective players he's signed for other clubs in terms of established guys.

[JHRover]

Unfortunately, JHR, we are stuck between the proverbial 'rock and a hard place'. The owners don't want to sell and they don't want to invest in the club and so we totter around the bottom of the table waiting for the inevitable relegation to League One. I suspect the money raised is simply being used to replace the parachute payments and being used for running costs and wages - not to mention repayments to the Bank of India. Hence, we are looking for loans and freebies to bring the squad up to merely a basic level in terms of numbers - but quality there is none. The attendance on Saturday was the lowest since 1991 and without significant signings to attract supporters back to Ewood, I can see us returning to 1980s levels of attendances. With more and more money being poured into Championship clubs I fear that we are going to be left behind and the Jack Walker era, like the earlier successful one of Lawrence Cotton, will be something that future generations merely read about in dusty history books with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief that the club could ever have been that successful.

Indeed, however I don't accept this cycle of decline is or was inevitable. I don't accept that League One is inevitable for a club of our size. I strongly believe this club can and should compete at this level if managed properly. These owners have reduced us to this, nothing else. For some unknown and suspicious reason they still don't seem to want to let the club go, and that is what is going to condemn us to the 3rd tier and possibly worse to come. It is their decision to invest no more, their decision to cash in on our best players and not reinvest any of the proceeds, and therefore the responsibility lies solely at their feet.

There's only one way we can avoid being left behind by other clubs and that's to get new owners, and until that day arrives we will continue to flounder. Our status/size as a club, whether we get 8000 a week, 18000 a week or 28000 a week becomes almost irrelevant. The only difference it would really make is a few million a year difference on the balance sheet, which when you consider the £25 million received in transfer fees alone in the last 12 months is loose change in the grand scheme. These people have shown now for almost 6 years that they will not run the club properly and we are therefore destined to fail.

Huddersfield are a club we should look at with some envy, which is something I never thought I would say. Owned by a local businessman who has grown and improved the club sensibly over the last 5-6 years. He doesn't have bucket loads of money and Huddersfield aren't classed as a big or attractive club, but he's got a vision and a strategy, has gone and appointed a bright young manager and come up with a pioneering ticketing initiative, they've sold 15,000 season tickets and are looking upwards. Meanwhile its groundhog day at Ewood and the party line from Cheston and the club is to prepare us for failure.

Even super positive Coyle's first 'aim' when he took the job was to 'make us competitive'!

[McClarky]

I see we're after Sam Gallagher. Another 1. Three years ago he was a promising PL youngster, now he's a not good enough 20 year old with a contract to run down before he gets released. We should be looking elsewhere, check out his stats.

[Iceman]

so we cant find any players outside of England/Scotland... oh wait, we have no scouts, and we have nobody to work with paperwork or check on work permits etc.

[Tom]

O'Sullivan confirmed back to Accy till January

[Parsonblue]

O'Sullivan confirmed back to Accy till January

Whilst not really good enough the fact remains that his departure further weakens the first team squad in terms of numbers and back up players.

[Neal]

Whilst not really good enough the fact remains that his departure further weakens the first team squad in terms of numbers and back up players.

Seem well stocked out wide, perhaps the lad Doyle who you were speaking of could step up and perhaps the left back you mentioned too?

[JHRover]

Looking at the squad list then that's another one gone. I reckon that leaves us with 2 goalkeepers, 17 senior outfield players, and 5 kids in Wharton, Nyambe, Tomlinson, Mahoney and Doyle all assigned squad numbers despite major question marks over their ability to compete in the Championship.

I can't see O'Sullivan ever 'making' it with Rovers first team. If he's deemed surplus to requirements at this stage then he's unlikely to ever be a first teamer, unless he gets another chance when we're in League One and can stake a claim there.

[davulsukur]

O'Sullivan confirmed back to Accy till January

W@nkys are not shy about sanctioning departures.

Incoming transfers however...............

[Parsonblue]

Looking at the squad list then that's another one gone. I reckon that leaves us with 2 goalkeepers, 17 senior outfield players, and 5 kids in Wharton, Nyambe, Tomlinson, Mahoney and Doyle all assigned squad numbers despite major question marks over their ability to compete in the Championship.

I can't see O'Sullivan ever 'making' it with Rovers first team. If he's deemed surplus to requirements at this stage then he's unlikely to ever be a first teamer, unless he gets another chance when we're in League One and can stake a claim there.

Totally agree that there are still huge question marks about some of those who have been assigned squad numbers. Nobody knows if they are good enough for the Championship but come September we will find out because we don't seem to be interested in bringing in senior players.

[gazsimm]

Why do we keep sending O'Sullivan out on loan, if he is not good enough sell him.

[davulsukur]

Why do we keep sending O'Sullivan out on loan, if he is not good enough sell him.

I think Bowyer gave him a new 2 year contract (could be wrong) and then sent him out on loan straight away.

I'm guessing it was giving him a chance to get some games in and then come back to Rovers and prove he is good enough. Obviously he's failed but i'd rather we operated like that with our young players rather than just cutting them loose from the off.

But yer, in O'Sullivan's case he's clearly not taken his chance, so he should be sold really.

[Neal]

Why do we keep sending O'Sullivan out on loan, if he is not good enough sell him.

Could have sold him for 250k to Barnsley.

[Iceman]

Could have sold him for 250k to Barnsley.

nah might as well give the players away for free. any fee goes straight to Venkys, never to be seen again

[JHRover]

O'Sullivan was given a new contract shortly after Paul Lambert's appointment. Quite an odd one really.

[booth]

O'Sullivan was given a new contract shortly after Paul Lambert's appointment. Quite an odd one really.

It's because they've got this ridiculous notion that they can sell every academy player on for a profit. Why do you think Lowe has been made captain?

[tomphil]

Indeed, however I don't accept this cycle of decline is or was inevitable. I don't accept that League One is inevitable for a club of our size. I strongly believe this club can and should compete at this level if managed properly. These owners have reduced us to this, nothing else. For some unknown and suspicious reason they still don't seem to want to let the club go, and that is what is going to condemn us to the 3rd tier and possibly worse to come. It is their decision to invest no more, their decision to cash in on our best players and not reinvest any of the proceeds, and therefore the responsibility lies solely at their feet.

There's only one way we can avoid being left behind by other clubs and that's to get new owners, and until that day arrives we will continue to flounder. Our status/size as a club, whether we get 8000 a week, 18000 a week or 28000 a week becomes almost irrelevant. The only difference it would really make is a few million a year difference on the balance sheet, which when you consider the £25 million received in transfer fees alone in the last 12 months is loose change in the grand scheme. These people have shown now for almost 6 years that they will not run the club properly and we are therefore destined to fail.

Huddersfield are a club we should look at with some envy, which is something I never thought I would say. Owned by a local businessman who has grown and improved the club sensibly over the last 5-6 years. He doesn't have bucket loads of money and Huddersfield aren't classed as a big or attractive club, but he's got a vision and a strategy, has gone and appointed a bright young manager and come up with a pioneering ticketing initiative, they've sold 15,000 season tickets and are looking upwards. Meanwhile its groundhog day at Ewood and the party line from Cheston and the club is to prepare us for failure.

Even super positive Coyle's first 'aim' when he took the job was to 'make us competitive'!

Funnily enough I keep a close eye on Huddersfield and always thought they were a good little club. I know a few of them and they used to use us as a bench mark of how to do it in the past and now Christ all mighty we are having to look at them as a roll model.

They do things the right way of course and Hoyle hasn't been without his critics so as a result of that he talks to fans regularly and is one of the most transparent chairmen around. Like you said he can't bank roll them to great heights but he won't put them in big debt either and they know there that they have to sell now and again to survive but a portion always goes back into the squad properly.

Real concerns not long ago when their fans were getting fed up of just lower table stability and they were looking at the prospect of sub 10k home gates. So Hoyle addressed that and what we see now is them with 15 thousand plus season ticket holders an ambitious manager, buzzing fans cracking matchday atmosphere and a team who might not get anywhere but they give it a go.

So easy to implement especially when you have wealthy, ahem, owners and big assets being cashed bringing in big money and so called squaring off the debt.

[JBiz]

It's because they've got this ridiculous notion that they can sell every academy player on for a profit. Why do you think Lowe has been made captain?

Because weve nobody else?

[booth]

Because weve nobody else?

No one else to be captain but Lowe?