Thursday deadline.

[tomphil]

1 minute ago, renrag said:

Fred Else 5’ 10” 

Roger Jones 5’ 11”

David Raya 6’ 0”

Frank Fielding 6’ 1”

 

Don't know about the first two but i'd be taking a tape measure to the last two ?

[chaddyrovers]

17 minutes ago, OnePhilT said:

No. That wasn't really my point, though. You're judging a player based on one game. Scouts will look at players over an extended period of time. I'm not saying they are even looking at Nsiala, simply responding to the speculation on here and stating that IF we are even interested, it will have been for a period of time with a close eye on him, and not just one play-off game. Bell didn't look like anyone I wanted us signing based on one game, but he looks a good 'un having seen him a number of times since.

Judging on few games ive seen him. Ive not been impressed. 

Ive seen their 4 live games on sky in past month plus 2 games against us. 

Not someone I would be looking at..

[blueboy3333]

16 minutes ago, renrag said:

Fred Else 5’ 10” 

Roger Jones 5’ 11”

David Raya 6’ 0”

Frank Fielding 6’ 1”

 

Shilton 6' 1"

Iker Casillas  6' 1"

Carry On Karius 6' 2"

Matt Dickins - 6' 4".

As I often tell my wife, size doesn't matter so stop pointing and laughing. It just isn't nice behaviour.

[blueboy3333]

Just now, OnePhilT said:

Hits
Bradley Dack
Amari'i Bell
Joe Nuttall
Richard Smallwood
Paul Downing
Adam Armstrong
Harry Chapman

Misses
Dominic Samuel
Peter Whittingham
Paul Caddis
Ben Gladwin
Rekeem Harper
Sam Hart

Can't Decide
Jayson Leutwiler
Jack Payne
Marcus Antonsson

Mowbray certainly brought in players who turned out to be quality for us, such as Dack, Smallwoord, and Arma, but it's still fair to say that for every one 'hit' there's one 'miss'. Still, that's better than some of our managers of times gone by! But 100% is a bit off the mark. You maybe only even need 50% of hits to make things a success.

A fair assessment although I think I'd put Antonsson in the hit category just because of the goals he scored. His injury did for him in the end rather than a lack of form,. He was never the same when he came back and I wouldn't sign him. Bell has it all to prove IMO, it will be interesting to see who starts the season at left-back.

[Vinjay]

Exactly. There's still stuff for Mowbray to prove when it comes to the building blocks for the future. People can argue if they like about tactics, etc but most of the key squad members were inherited. Chaddy's typically naive to say that he has 100% faith but for me it's one of the remaining question marks. Of course there's only so much anyone can do if there's limited backing (and at most it's not gonna eclipse most of the league like last year) but some managers make the most of what they get. Some even do better with lesser budgets. Let's see how Mowbray answers such questions with his actions.

Dack obviously was a success. Smallwood worked out but the others were loans (in Downing's case he performed well but you can hardly see it as some genius astute move because the loan was last minute) or signings which were inconsistent or fizzled out a bit. As for Nuttall I don't think Mowbray intended to play him last season. He signed more cover as soon as he could. With Chapman he probably used his contacts at Middlesbrough though not saying it isn't logical. I'm not going through each individual case but 100% faith at this point is ridiculous. Not to mention impossible anyway whoever the manager is.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Vinjay17

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

53 minutes ago, OnePhilT said:

Fabien Barthez, World Cup winner, European Championship winner, Champions League winner, 2 Premier League titles, 2 x French League titles, Confederations Cup winner... 4ft7.

Jorge Campos, the Mexican jumping bean, one of the most colourful goalkeepers in the game and never failed Mexico in getting through the group stages at the World Cup finals, 3ft6.

 

Brad used his size extremely well, but so did the above two in different ways. Even Kevin Pressman used his blubber to good effect, but wasn't particularly tall. I can think of tonnes of other big or tall goalkeepers who were garbage. I don't really see a correlation in one physical attribute. It's just how they use it. We will not find another Brad; no two players are ever identical.

Barthez 4ft 7...? I’m sure he was closer to 6ft??

[blueboy3333]

9 minutes ago, OnePhilT said:

Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose, and we are beggars again this season, rather than choosers. I'm pretty sure Leeds will want shut of him this time around, so there'd be a transfer/agent fee as well as potentially high wage demands. I'm just speculating.

Rich Sharpe confirmed in the LT that there was a '7-figure' transfer fee agreed as part of MA's loan arrangement. I'm not sure he's worth more than Dack and for a million we can do a lot better. I don't think we are as 'beggary' as we were last season. Ewood will be an attractive place for young talented lads who are out of contract elsewhere. We are certainly a more attractive proposition than we were this time last year.

[chaddyrovers]

35 minutes ago, OnePhilT said:

 

I think Mowbray still wants his 3-5-2. I think he's going to try it. Again. ?That being the case, I can see Bell going to the left wing-back position, and a centre three of Lenihan, Mulgrew, and Williams (right to left). I think Williams actually plays better as a central defender than he does at left-back, but since I bad-mouthed him earlier this year, he was great. ?

If we stick to 4-4-2, I'm not sure Bell is going to be best-pleased, as he won't get a look in, surely?

4-4-2? We mostly played 4-2-3-1 all season. 

If Mowbray switch to 3-5-2 formation I wouldnt have a problem as we have the players to suit us. Probably need right wing back and Armstrong to make this work. 

Isnt Antonsson on 6k week?

40 minutes ago, Vinjay17 said:

Chaddy's typically naive to say that he has 100% faith but for me it's one of the remaining question marks. 

Naive???  Haha. 

Or just believe in Mowbray totally. Big fan of his management, the way he talks to fans, open and honest communication and want the best for this club. 

50 minutes ago, OnePhilT said:

Hits
Bradley Dack
Amari'i Bell
Richard Smallwood
Paul Downing
Adam Armstrong
Harry Chapman

Misses
Dominic Samuel
Peter Whittingham
Paul Caddis
Ben Gladwin
Rekeem Harper
Sam Hart

Can't Decide
Jayson Leutwiler
Jack Payne
Marcus Antonsson
Joe Nuttall

Mowbray certainly brought in players who turned out to be quality for us, such as Dack, Smallwoord, and Arma, but it's still fair to say that for every one 'hit' there's one 'miss'. Still, that's better than some of our managers of times gone by! But 100% is a bit off the mark. You maybe only even need 50% of hits to make things a success.

Wouldnt say Samuel was a miss either. He scored goals that won us games. I probably say undecided. 

The other 5 miss you put in 4 were free and Harper was a loan. 

Edited May 28, 2018 by chaddyrovers

[toogs]

16 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

Barthez 4ft 7...? I’m sure he was closer to 6ft??

...the jumping bean was at least 3 ft 7 & 1/2 as well..

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

The Wagggot Q&A suggests we are looking at out of contract players -certainly initially. Fits.  Venkys seem happy to absorb wages but not fees. 

7 figures for Antonsson? Good grief.  Avoid.

[USABlue]

On 26/05/2018 at 03:35, DE. said:

Actually most of the money "blown" was on Jordan Rhodes - which has been well established as not a Kean signing - and the ridiculous influx of Portuguese players which was done at the behest of Venky's "global advisor" Shebby Singh. So, nice try, but as much as I love to criticise Steve Kean I'm pretty sure we ended up in net profit as far as his transfers are concerned. For every signing we sold somebody to at the very least cover the excess, either in transfer fee or wages. We also ended up with a @#/?ing shit squad but that was an inevitability.

Glen Mullan signing wasn't it.  Where is he nowadays?  don't see him on here anymore.

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

4-4-2? We mostly played 4-2-3-1 all season. 

If Mowbray switch to 3-5-2 formation I wouldnt have a problem as we have the players to suit us. Probably need right wing back and Armstrong to make this work. 

Isnt Antonsson on 6k week?

Naive???  Haha. 

Or just believe in Mowbray totally. Big fan of his management, the way he talks to fans, open and honest communication and want the best for this club. 

Wouldnt say Samuel was a miss either. He scored goals that won us games. I probably say undecided. 

The other 5 miss you put in 4 were free and Harper was a loan. 

I understood we paid undisclosed fees for Gladwin and Hart.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, OnePhilT said:

I put undecided for Antonsson because his first half of the season was great, and then he was a waste of space after his injury. Generally speaking, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and say he's a 'hit', but looking forward, I'm not sure what to think. If he could reproduce his first-half of the season form again, if only for half a season, I'd take him in a heartbeat. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose, and we are beggars again this season, rather than choosers. I'm pretty sure Leeds will want shut of him this time around, so there'd be a transfer/agent fee as well as potentially high wage demands. I'm just speculating.

I think Mowbray still wants his 3-5-2. I think he's going to try it. Again. ?That being the case, I can see Bell going to the left wing-back position, and a centre three of Lenihan, Mulgrew, and Williams (right to left). I think Williams actually plays better as a central defender than he does at left-back, but since I bad-mouthed him earlier this year, he was great. ?

If we stick to 4-4-2, I'm not sure Bell is going to be best-pleased, as he won't get a look in, surely?

Antonnson was poor throughout his stay at Ewood. Only the goals he scored in the half of the season papered over his lack of contributions to general play. Once the goals dried up he had nothing to offer. I wouldn't have him back on a free. If you don't shine at this level you won't do any better playing at a higher level.

[USABlue]

On 27/05/2018 at 01:01, bluefred said:

I think we need to bring in five or six players with championship experience 

if we don’t want to be in a relegation fight this coming season.

The squad that got us promoted is not good enough to hold its own in the championship.ima.

From watching the playoffs there’s a lot of quality in this league that we need to compete with .

Would have to agree, seems to be quite a few League One players names being bandied around.

[Admiral Nelsen]

Little surprised that Bristol City are interested in him after his season tailed off so badly at Shrewsbury. Might be worth it if it was a permanent deal but not a 12 month loan

[Stuart]

1 hour ago, OnePhilT said:

If you find a player who scores you goals, you keep him. Unfortunately, that only happened up until Christmas when he got injured. I thought your opinion was harsh on him at the time when he was one of our leading goalscorers - if not, THE leading goalscorer. It took us quite a while to get going in our season, but he was part of the drive that kept us going while we were still trying to find form.

Having said that... ? He was extremely poor in the few games I saw him for during the second half of the season. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I'd put that down to his injury and lack of game time. He could maybe rediscover his earlier season form for us once again, but at the risk of a 7-figure sum, that's too much! It would be a huge gamble for us.

Taking and missing that penalty seemed to be a turning point for him. Shame really. He seemed decent but he needed to be ready and consistent. He isn’t a young lad (in football terms) so won’t get time anywhere now. Needs to find his level and play regularly. Not convinced it’s at Rovers. From the very brief interaction I had with him, he seemed like a really nice, honest guy. Wish him well.

[Stuart]

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

4-4-2? We mostly played 4-2-3-1 all season. 

If Mowbray switch to 3-5-2 formation I wouldnt have a problem as we have the players to suit us. Probably need right wing back and Armstrong to make this work. 

How can we have the players for 3-5-2 if we need to buy/loan 2 players to make it work? I’m very concerned if Mowbray sees 3-5-2 as the future (which he seems to) as it requires three quality centre backs and 2 quality wing backs. We have one out of five - and his fitness is suspect at this level. And Lenihan has it all to prove in the Championship as a centre half. Potential 2/5 if Bell is up to it.

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Wouldnt say Samuel was a miss either. He scored goals that won us games. I probably say undecided. 

The other 5 miss you put in 4 were free and Harper was a loan. 

I would put Bell in the undecided group as well. Has pedigree but odd that he made L1 team of the year yet he can’t get into the side ahead of a very average left back in Williams.

[chaddyrovers]

2 hours ago, OnePhilT said:

4-2-3-1,  4-3-3, 4-5-1, 4-4-1-1... However it was. The key being 4 at the back.

4 at the back gave us a solid formation that won us promotion. Whenever we played 3 at the back, we were awful. The players clearly weren't comfortable with it, and if you're suggesting that we already have the players to fit a 3-5-2 (which I actually don't disagree with), then surely on the evidence so far of playing a 3-5-2, you can't be that keen on it?!

I simply prefer overlapping full-backs and allowing wingers to cover. The wing-back position in a 3-5-2 has always struck me as one with an identity crisis, along with the two outer central defenders. I'm not a professional, but I can imagine most players disliking it. To bring it back on topic, it's also just an odd formation to buy players for.

I'm keen on 2 different formations being used during a season. 

I am still keen on us using 3-5-2 deffo. 

 

2 hours ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

The Wagggot Q&A suggests we are looking at out of contract players -certainly initially. Fits.  Venkys seem happy to absorb wages but not fees. 

7 figures for Antonsson? Good grief.  Avoid.

suggest out of contract players does it?

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

I understood we paid undisclosed fees for Gladwin and Hart.

I heard both were free transfers with adds on if we got promotion and they played a part in us achieving promotion

41 minutes ago, OnePhilT said:

More on Frank Fielding being linked to Rovers.

Rovers keen to add goalkeeping competition as Fielding linked (Rich Sharpe, LT)

From the article, our buddy Dean Henderson looks set for a loan move to the Championship, and possible to Bristol City, which would free up Fielding to return to Rovers. Fisher would then go out on loan for first-team experience, probably in League Two.

He played 43 games last season for Bristol City. 

haven't Man Utd offered Henderson a new contract?

Just now, Stuart said:

How can we have the players for 3-5-2 if we need to buy/loan 2 players to make it work? I’m very concerned if Mowbray sees 3-5-2 as the future (which he seems to) as it requires three quality centre backs and 2 quality wing backs. We have one out of five - and his fitness is suspect at this level. And Lenihan has it all to prove in the Championship as a centre half. Potential 2/5 if Bell is up to it.

I would put Bell in the undecided group as well. Has pedigree but odd that he made L1 team of the year yet he can’t get into the side ahead of a very average left back in Williams.

I deffo wouldn't be concerned at all if Mowbray see 3-5-2/3-4-3 as the future. I would be happy with Lenihan, Mulgrew and Williams as 3 centre backs with Bell as left wing back and we need a right wing back to make this work along with Armstrong up front with Graham with Dack in the 10 role with Bennett and Smallwood in centre midfield. 

Lenihan has it proved championship as a centre half? 

[chaddyrovers]

Blackburn Rovers linked with Forest midfielder Ben Osborn

http://the72.co.uk/103663/stoke-blackburn-chasing-forest-midfielder/

[Tormund]

Osborn is a very good player. Can’t see him leaving Forest unless it’s a pretty good price. Would be surprised if we could afford him.

[Stuart]

14 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

I deffo wouldn't be concerned at all if Mowbray see 3-5-2/3-4-3 as the future. I would be happy with Lenihan, Mulgrew and Williams as 3 centre backs with Bell as left wing back and we need a right wing back to make this work along with Armstrong up front with Graham with Dack in the 10 role with Bennett and Smallwood in centre midfield. 

Lenihan has it proved championship as a centre half? 

You are looking at the Championship through a League One lens.

[Tormund]

If we are looking for another defender - I’d be looking at Jordan Willis the centre back who scored in the playoff final today for Coventry. Big, young and athletic. 

[tomphil]

Add to that the wages he'll want it's a no goer.

No wonder though when you think what Leeds paid for Antonsson and what they valued him at quoted when he was loaned to Rovers.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, OnePhilT said:

If you find a player who scores you goals, you keep him. Unfortunately, that only happened up until Christmas when he got injured. I thought your opinion was harsh on him at the time when he was one of our leading goalscorers - if not, THE leading goalscorer. It took us quite a while to get going in our season, but he was part of the drive that kept us going while we were still trying to find form.

Having said that... ? He was extremely poor in the few games I saw him for during the second half of the season. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I'd put that down to his injury and lack of game time. He could maybe rediscover his earlier season form for us once again, but at the risk of a 7-figure sum, that's too much! It would be a huge gamble for us.

What you saw in the second half of the season was the reality of the situation. He lacks the basic footballing requirements of a striker like pace, and aggression. He scored several goals cutting in from out on the left without ever looking like 1) a winger, 2) a central striker.

Let's see what he does next season with Leeds. I'll bet a pound to a penny that he doesn't start in the two games against Rovers.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[LDRover]

40 minutes ago, Tormund said:

If we are looking for another defender - I’d be looking at Jordan Willis the centre back who scored in the playoff final today for Coventry. Big, young and athletic. 

Good shout, he looks a proper player.

Seen the Shrews keeper Henderson mentioned earlier, he's very talented and will undoubtedly have a good career in the game. He made some outstanding saves in the playoff final and has a real presence about him.

Edited May 28, 2018 by LDRover