Ben Brereton Diaz

[riverholmes]

27 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

A massive mistake not to cash in on him a multi million pounds mistake in fact. Fair play to the lad how he has turned it around from when he first came here but I would be staggered if he was a big success in La Liga. I find it bewildering that a club like Villarreal sitting 5th in La Liga and all but certain to be in the Europa League next season are signing him.

I can seeing him doing ok, as he has done for Chile. Maybe, like Michael Owen did in a season at Real Madrid. After that, maybe a transfer to the Premier League or bounce around on loan in La Liga. It's good publicity for Villareal, probably, and a fair chance of making some money on the player.

Personally, I'll say that I got it completely wrong about him. I thought he looked like he had talent but not the complete game to succeed at a higher level. To his credit, I think he has a level of self-belief which can go some way to overcoming technical shortcomings. I believe that Harry Chapman and BBD played together for England youth teams. When they were here together, I did not expect that their careers would diverge so extremely.

The turnaround that really astounds me is his shooting. If I think back to the highlights I saw of him during his Forest days and his early time at Rovers, he seemed to scuff every shot. Now he is striking the ball very impressively - comparable to how Adam Armstrong used to, if not better. And he's able to do so on the run.

Edited May 8, 2023 by riverholmes

[Mattyblue]

BBD vs Michael Owen, hmm…

[Waggy76]

He will be missed , having to replace his goals will be very difficult..

No faith in the recruitment or the hierarchy to sign the right player .

[davulsukur]

Now confirmed he's off.

https://twitter.com/Rovers/status/1655665360438173699?t=U_ed_oTbr6NH098C87bOWg&s=19

[RevidgeBlue]

Quite surprised at the amount of stick he gets, for all he might have been coasting recently he's still been far and away our most likely goal threat. Would have liked to have seen him utilised down the middle personally rather than isolated hugging the left touchline.

Don't think he owes us anything, was completely ignored for 18 mths by Mowbray and did well to resurrect his career. Don't think he owes us anything, wish him all the best abroad.

[AllRoverAsia]

I'll have forgotten the lazy gits name by next week. Piss off.

[DE.]

Didn't come through for us when it mattered, but then how many of Mowbray's lads have? They all have the same mentality problem.

His goals from the first part of our seasons will have to be replaced, regardless. Ideally we sign a striker who can keep form for an entire season. 

[JohnD]

30 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Quite surprised at the amount of stick he gets, for all he might have been coasting recently he's still been far and away our most likely goal threat. Would have liked to have seen him utilised down the middle personally rather than isolated hugging the left touchline.

Don't think he owes us anything, was completely ignored for 18 mths by Mowbray and did well to resurrect his career. Don't think he owes us anything, wish him all the best abroad.

Yes I wish him well too but fear he has very little to offer Villarreal.

We had him for 5 or 6 years and he did very little for us except a 4 month spell during which he scored 20 goals.

He did very little before or after that spell. Glad he's going if only because he gave the impression he was a decent striker and that seemed to prevent us from buying someone who actually is.

Edited May 8, 2023 by JohnD
correction

[Bethnal]

I enjoyed Diaz’s story, the post-Chile transformation/revelation and I’ll definitely watch out for him and wish him well going forward… unless he grows an extra finger on his trip east down the M65, at which point I will burn an effigy of him, of course.

 

[Miller11]

What a strange saga it’s been. I think a lot of the recent criticism has been harsh, that said I mocked him for 2 years.

Signed out of the blue, to all intents and purposes outside a transfer window, for an extortionate fee. Touted as a project signing that will generate a big profit by Mowbray and Waggott which appeared absolutely ridiculous due to his hopeless performances for 2 years. Finds some minor form, gets recommended to the Chile set up thanks to some football manager players and a throwaway comment on a Rovers TV interview, blags a passport, becomes a national hero, becomes a goal machine, wins a load of Rovers fans thousand of pounds, Rovers completely fail to capitalise on his newfound celebrity and literally knock back lucrative opportunities, fail to negotiate a new deal, reject offers for him, watch him walk away on a free.

Good luck to him, it’s been bizarre, enthralling and frustrating. He’ll probably go down as a cult hero to many. He has to go down as a dreadful piece of business too, but it could’ve been oh so different. This is “the project/model” at work.

[tomphil]

Not having a go at the player himself but the wisdom ( never a word associated with Venky owned Rovers ) in the whole scenario of signing him has proved to be utterly pointless.

Two good spells a year apart in 4 years plus at the club, no return on the 7 million or even a penny back towards it. No top 6 finishes and we are losing him anyway instead of having a player we've grown pay us back in time if not money.

That fee could and should have been so much better used, a pointless experiment and a costly one.

Good luck to him though seems a decent guy and when he's at it he was a joy to watch.

[Ozz]

27 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

What a strange saga it’s been. I think a lot of the recent criticism has been harsh, that said I mocked him for 2 years.

Signed out of the blue, to all intents and purposes outside a transfer window, for an extortionate fee. Touted as a project signing that will generate a big profit by Mowbray and Waggott which appeared absolutely ridiculous due to his hopeless performances for 2 years. Finds some minor form, gets recommended to the Chile set up thanks to some football manager players and a throwaway comment on a Rovers TV interview, blags a passport, becomes a national hero, becomes a goal machine, wins a load of Rovers fans thousand of pounds, Rovers completely fail to capitalise on his newfound celebrity and literally knock back lucrative opportunities, fail to negotiate a new deal, reject offers for him, watch him walk away on a free.

Good luck to him, it’s been bizarre, enthralling and frustrating. He’ll probably go down as a cult hero to many. He has to go down as a dreadful piece of business too, but it could’ve been oh so different. This is “the project/model” at work.

Great summary Dunc.

[Upside Down]

Good luck to him.

Its a shame he went awol for the last six months though. People are well within their right to be pissed off about that.

[Fraserkirky]

Nah…don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for his level of performance in the last couple of months. We needed him to step up, and he was absolutely dreadful. Then leaving on a free…

He can piss off, doesn’t need our thanks or our well wishes.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Fraserkirky

[yankfan]

Wish the lad luck. Don’t want to imagine where we’d have been without his goals the last 3  years. Complete bottle job how the club has handled his contract.  During his amazing 20 goal by new years run, the numbers indicated it was unsustainable.  Had a rough patch in the second half the last two seasons. 
 

honestly don’t think he fits the style JDT wants to play. Think we will see a proper number nine and hopefully wingers with more ability to create chances. 
 

but it will probably be Hedges, Dolan and Gally. 

Edited May 9, 2023 by yankfan
.

[cesus]

7 hours ago, Miller11 said:

What a strange saga it’s been. I think a lot of the recent criticism has been harsh, that said I mocked him for 2 years.

Signed out of the blue, to all intents and purposes outside a transfer window, for an extortionate fee. Touted as a project signing that will generate a big profit by Mowbray and Waggott which appeared absolutely ridiculous due to his hopeless performances for 2 years. Finds some minor form, gets recommended to the Chile set up thanks to some football manager players and a throwaway comment on a Rovers TV interview, blags a passport, becomes a national hero, becomes a goal machine, wins a load of Rovers fans thousand of pounds, Rovers completely fail to capitalise on his newfound celebrity and literally knock back lucrative opportunities, fail to negotiate a new deal, reject offers for him, watch him walk away on a free.

Good luck to him, it’s been bizarre, enthralling and frustrating. He’ll probably go down as a cult hero to many. He has to go down as a dreadful piece of business too, but it could’ve been oh so different. This is “the project/model” at work.

About the fairest summing up anybody could give. That second half performance yesterday was him at his very best, cutting in from outside and bending the ball in and making runs to the back post. The fact he couldn't do it at any point in the last 10 games other than the last 45 minutes, just adds to the what might have been on his Rovers career.

[neophox]

9 hours ago, JohnD said:

Yes I wish him well too but fear he has very little to offer Villarreal.

We had him for 5 or 6 years and he did very little for us except a 4 month spell during which he scored 20 goals.

He did very little before or after that spell. Glad he's going if only because he gave the impression he was a decent striker and that seemed to prevent us from buying someone who actually is.

With better players around him, he can put the pressure off. Will do well and a miss for us. Who will replace him? 

[Groundhog]

In the end, the irony is we've literally spent £7 million on getting Tony Mowbray's Sunderland promoted. Diaz came through for Big Tone the Lemon Drizzle King in the end. 

Can they chuck us a few million as a tip when they win the playoffs? 

[Mattyblue]

If he’d have put in a couple more performances like yesterday from Easter onwards we’d have done it…

[Ianrally]

The fact that we won’t be in the Premier League next term makes it all much easier for him to leave. Maybe that was a plan. 
If he becomes a cult hero to some,makes me laugh out loud when you consider the fantastic players we have had in the past.
A cult hero to a ten year old maybe. 

Edited May 9, 2023 by Ianrally

[47er]

He was absolutely brilliant yesterday. Best player on the pitch by a mile. Scored 2, made 1, (should have been 2 but Dolan missed a sitter), and hit the woodwork twice.

In between, his first touch was sublime, he passed and ran for the return all day, he was as good as i've ever seen him.

And we get nothing for him.

Oh and he won a lot of the headers!

[Groundhog]

He was good, can't fault his workrate as always. But those two goals he scored were down to the fact he finally had space to get a shot away, how many times has he tried to hit his trademark edge of the box curler and either spooned it out for a throw in or rushed it and had it blocked.

The run-in against Hull, Cov, PNE, B*rnley, Luton he's been closed down and taken out of the game. Then lo and behold, Millwall get tired, push on, start to struggle to close him down and he scores. He needs to do it against defenders who have now worked him out. 

[Groundhog]

43 minutes ago, 47er said:

Oh and he won a lot of the headers!

I wish he'd won that header at the front post for the Coventry equaliser, instead of turning his back on it.

I'm fed up of watching opposition forwards bust a gut to fly through the air and out jump and muscle their opponents.

[47er]

1 minute ago, Groundhog said:

I wish he'd won that header at the front post for the Coventry equaliser, instead of turning his back on it.

I'm fed up of watching opposition forwards bust a gut to fly through the air and out jump and muscle their opponents.

I'm in total accord with everybody who believe he went missing for weeks on end this season but yesterday showed us his best.

No coincidence that when we play well he plays well. The whole team and staff have to look at those games when we didn't turn up. JDT should spend summer looking at replays of every game!

(I'll bet he doesn't!)

[Groundhog]

6 minutes ago, 47er said:

I'm in total accord with everybody who believe he went missing for weeks on end this season but yesterday showed us his best.

No coincidence that when we play well he plays well. The whole team and staff have to look at those games when we didn't turn up. JDT should spend summer looking at replays of every game!

(I'll bet he doesn't!)

I just think he needs space to play, he can't bundle the ball past players who get tight on him and stand him up - he popped up with two goals when the game started to stretch. He keeps trying to score the same goal each time, but I suppose that's down to him coming in from the left. He must be so easy to play against.

I really do wish him well and I don't think he's actively been playing within himself, maybe there is a psychological aspect to it with not wanting to get injured, I don't know, it's hard for us as fans to not assume you can give 110% in every challenge, every moment. He still tracks back and works hard, he's in a rut and other teams have worked him out. Against a solid, pressing team who work hard, he has little choice but to spend the game in his own half with his back to goal. He's not a target man, he offers little out ball unless it's play over the top diagonally.

Anyway, onwards and upwards, let's find a new striker to get behind. Like I said before, he's paid Mowbray back handsomely, just not us...

Edited May 9, 2023 by Groundhog