JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW

[DE.]

Cole was certainly up for Yorke coming to join him here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/1966835.stm

At the time bringing in Yorke was considered a bit of a bargain: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/jul/26/newsstory.blackburn

Interesting that Fergie actually wanted to shift Yorke before Cole, but was "forced" by the United board to sell Cole instead: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/3019509/Blackburn-sign-Cole-for-8m.html

Tottenham 0-4 Blackburn Rovers - Yorke and Cole send Rovers into Europe: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/yorke-and-cole-send-blackburn-into-europe-590420.html

Good times. 

 

[gumboots]

3 hours ago, Parsonblue said:

Now the window is closed we can get back to football.  Personally, and I know many on here will disagree, I think this window has more or less fitted in with what we were told at the consultation meeting in the summer.  Both Mowbray and Waggott said they had told the owners that throwing money at it was not the way to go.  That it had to be a gradual process in which the foundations were built on in a progressive way.  That seems to be the approach we have adopted.  I'm sure if he could have got Gallagher on loan he would - but Southampton didn't want to release him which is fair enough.

We only have to look at Brereton to see how every deal is a gamble.  Hopefully, the lad will come good given time - although personally I have my doubts.

 

 

There's the quote from PB, saying he has doubts over whether Brereton will make it at this level.

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Posted 1 hour ago

  2 hours ago, gumboots 

I have the same doubts but it’s not time to say “he’s garbage” or “a waste of money”. I also don’t recall PB saying he doesn’t think he will make the grade either.

I also watched the same game. You couldn’t single him out as someone not showing effort or desire from what I saw. He doesn’t look confident or exactly sure his role, but that’s a bit different to the lazy/attitude problem you just suggested.

Im not sure why you’d pick that to disagree with either? Am I to assume that you think we should’ve completely blown the wage budget and the fact we aren’t spending any more is “unambitious?”

 

I don't think I said Brereton was garbage or a waste of money. In fact I never once referred to the fee paid, and I didn't mention the words lazy attitude. I simply stated that he looked short of desire to make an impression in the one game I watched him in, and as it was a cup tie, I do feel he should have been busting a gut, chasing lost causes and hoping he could be an instant hero. I also clearly said I wouldn't write him off on the basis of that one game as it was all I'd seen.

For your information I don't think I've expressed any opinion whatsoever on how much we should have spent this window on either fees or wages. I never do. I've never mentioned ambition in any post on our club in many years. I do feel that we could perhaps have found a striker we could bring in who could play immediately and give us better options than we seem to have atm, but we didn't and I'll not be crying about it. Every club should be as ambitious as they can afford to be without compromising their future, but I neither know anything about the budget we were operating on nor do I know who was potentially available within that budget or what they might have brought to the team, so I wouldn't be castigating the manager for the lack of a new striker. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

9 minutes ago, DE. said:

Cole was certainly up for Yorke coming to join him here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/1966835.stm

At the time bringing in Yorke was considered a bit of a bargain: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/jul/26/newsstory.blackburn

Interesting that Fergie actually wanted to shift Yorke before Cole, but was "forced" by the United board to sell Cole instead: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/3019509/Blackburn-sign-Cole-for-8m.html

Tottenham 0-4 Blackburn Rovers - Yorke and Cole send Rovers into Europe: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/yorke-and-cole-send-blackburn-into-europe-590420.html

Good times. 

 

I thought Cole was a very  good signing, until we replaced Jansen with Yorke. Once Souey teamed those two up it wasn't long before they were in a competition to see who could run the least.

[tomphil]

8 minutes ago, DE. said:

Cole was certainly up for Yorke coming to join him here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/1966835.stm

At the time bringing in Yorke was considered a bit of a bargain: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/jul/26/newsstory.blackburn

Interesting that Fergie actually wanted to shift Yorke before Cole, but was "forced" by the United board to sell Cole instead: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/3019509/Blackburn-sign-Cole-for-8m.html

Tottenham 0-4 Blackburn Rovers - Yorke and Cole send Rovers into Europe: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/yorke-and-cole-send-blackburn-into-europe-590420.html

Good times. 

 

When they clicked they did well but I just don't think the way we played then was set up to get the best out of those two just lurking about upfront. Yorke was a class act as a player as well just a world renowned lazy git and they've never gone down well up here.

At Rovers I think it' a fair to say they had their best games without each other,

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, tomphil said:

When they clicked they did well but I just don't think the way we played then was set up to get the best out of those two just lurking about upfront. Yorke was a class act as a player as well just a world renowned lazy git and they've never gone down well up here.

At Rovers I think it' a fair to say they had their best games without each other,

I agree with that, you could say they brought out the worst in each other.

[Miller11]

If Brereton was to break his duck playing in Bradley Dack’s testemonial against a Gillingham side 2 divisions above us in 2027, there’d be some people saying ‘I told you so’.

[OJRovers]

I never understood why we ended up selling Cole so cheaply to Fulham. Still had years left in him.

[OJRovers]

Just now, Miller11 said:

If Brereton was to break his duck playing in Bradley Dack’s testemonial against a Gillingham side 2 divisions above us in 2027, there’d be some people saying ‘I told you so’.

I'm expecting much the same if he even wins a header.

[DE.]

3 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I thought Cole was a very  good signing, until we replaced Jansen with Yorke. Once Souey teamed those two up it wasn't long before they were in a competition to see who could run the least.

 

2 minutes ago, tomphil said:

When they clicked they did well but I just don't think the way we played then was set up to get the best out of those two just lurking about upfront. Yorke was a class act as a player as well just a world renowned lazy git and they've never gone down well up here.

At Rovers I think it' a fair to say they had their best games without each other,

 

Agreed with both, it's just interesting looking back. At the time I think most of us would have been pretty excited at reuniting the Cole/Yorke partnership, when both were still only in their early 30's. Unfortunately other than a few bright moments (like that Spurs match) it seemed to bring out the worst in both of them and by 2004 both were totally frozen out. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, OJRovers said:

I never understood why we ended up selling Cole so cheaply to Fulham. Still had years left in him.

Yeah that was a bit of a mystery. He'd be on mega bucks at Rovers I imagine.

[DE.]

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yeah that was a bit of a mystery. He'd be on mega bucks at Rovers I imagine.

According to this we at least matched the 45k p/w he was getting at United: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/3019509/Blackburn-sign-Cole-for-8m.html

Can't imagine Cole would have taken a pay cut to come here, anyway. £45k doesn't seem like much nowadays in footballing terms, but back then that was a lot of money! 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, DE. said:

 

 

Agreed with both, it's just interesting looking back. At the time I think most of us would have been pretty excited at reuniting the Cole/Yorke partnership, when both were still only in their early 30's. Unfortunately other than a few bright moments (like that Spurs match) it seemed to bring out the worst in both of them and by 2004 both were totally frozen out. 

Makes you wonder what would have happened if Matty had't have had that accident. Cole and Jansen was a good partnership. I know were lucky to have Jack financing the club but we were bloody unlucky with injuries in that period.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, DE. said:

According to this we at least matched the 45k p/w he was getting at United: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/3019509/Blackburn-sign-Cole-for-8m.html

Can't imagine Cole would have taken a pay cut to come here, anyway. £45k doesn't seem like much nowadays in footballing terms, but back then that was a lot of money! 

Weren't we paying that to Rhodes back in the day ?

[BlackburnEnd75]

Lacina Traore on a free transfer?

[JacknOry]

Just now, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Lacina Traore on a free transfer?

Too foreign.

[Hasta]

52 minutes ago, Biz said:

 

 

PB is as welcome to his opinion as you are, and in the same way I am.

Nobody has convinced me that this signing is a complete "blunder" (Mercer Jan 2019) or has ended up costing us an "obscene" (Blueboy Jan 2019) amount of money. Without going over this AGAIN in detail, I am still firmly in the camp that his wages mean more was available for the fee (Waggott September 2018), it is highly structured, appearance and performance related (many news reports since).

OH and I forgot to answer the question about needing a backup striker, I agree we need another hold up/wily style forward like Graham as he is getting on a bit. That said, I think we have shown recently we can play 442, and even if Graham is injured for a long time - we've got a mixture of Dack, Armstrong, Nuttall, and Brereton who can play up top. Obviously, none of them can do the job that Danny can do, but that is probably why it would be a very expensive signing to get someone else who can, to sit on the bench. I have no qualms with waiting till the summer to find a better fit, and I guess it comes down to trusting the managers judgement too - he hasn't got much wrong in my book.

 

I'm torn here. Your making a stern defence but as you have already pointed out, he hasn't shown enough behind the scenes or in games for him to make 2 consecutive starts yet regardless of the competition.

That's because on what he has show so far he has looked very poor.

Therefore, whilst I don't agree that the money has been definitely wasted as he surely must be better than he currently appears to be,  on what we have seen so far it looks like it could have been wasted.

If he's so good in training, he should be starting games. If not, he will fall down the pecking order (as has happened) and when we do eventually bring somebody in he's going to get pushed further back. We'll never know because the TM will not say anything remotely to back it up, but I'd be amazed if Mowbray isn't regretting what appeared a knee-jerk reaction.

We have had two transfer windows to find backup for Danny Graham without success and yet, regardless of how much the actual deal costs us, we've spent more money on BB than we have on any player in the last 5 years and he's made no impact.

As for your last sentence, the vast majority of the times we start a game without Graham with somebody else up top we look poor. Mowbray hasn't got a lot wrong but he's still firmly to blame with his tinkering and team selection for the Preston debacle when he tried one of his weird striking combo's.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Hasta

[DE.]

7 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Weren't we paying that to Rhodes back in the day ?

I would guess closer to £35k, but who knows what Shebby ended up offering him. If there were goal bonuses in his contract then overall he was probably earning a very nice annual wage for a Championship player. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I wasn't too impressed with the last minute 3 at the back against Newcastle. I knew we were stuck for bodies but I think Bennett-Nyambe-Lenihan-Bell as a 4 would have been a better bet. As it was we looked lost and only got into the game after about 1/2 hr and by then it was much too late.

[AAK]

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

It's a scary figure for Rovers for sure but I thought Cole cost 8m but anyway to say he was a waste of money is utter bollocks he was a class act throughout his time here. His legs were going a bit compared to what they were as time wore on and he began to tailor his game a little differently. By doing this he also had a big hand in helping the development of Duff and Jansen.

I'd say Souness and the signing of Yorke had more to do with Coley sulking than anything else but he was still a class act on the pitch but silly Souness let him go for nowt.

Over 3 seasons I thought 27 goals (13 nearly 50% of those goals were in his first 6 months). wasn't a great return for the money we paid, I didn't mean HE was crap, I just think it was a waste of £8 million apart from the first 12 months, mate. I think after he left he scored something like 30 goals in around 110 games, but to be fair he was well into his 30's then. Stuart Pearce said when he had him at city that "he was great to bring off the bench if we needed a goal" - maybe we could have used him more in that way.

Edited February 1, 2019 by AAK

[Bigdoggsteel]

I think Rhodes was on £40,000 

[Crimpshrine]

I think our lack of infrastructure has a big affect on our ability to utilise these transfer windows successfully. Mowbray has a football team to run, Waggott is looking after every other aspect of the club. They need backup and the club needs a fully functioning board and employees who can do the leg work and research and talk to agents etc.  Mowbray has admitted that the scouting network is not up to scratch.

If the decisions over transfers during this window were completely down to Mowbray and Waggott then maybe they have taken the easy option and refused take any risks after the (so far) disappointment of Brereton.  Another big money flop may have had implications for both of them.

When a new manager arrives there is always the 'see where we are after 3 or 4 windows' attitude - which is fair enough - but we've just seen a window slam shut with very little in the way of positive progress.  I don't really blame Mowbray. If he had some backup we could have been ready with a list of potential players / budgets and offers all lined up ready to go when the window opened. I just don't think we are organised enough behind the scenes. Mowbray can't do everything himself.

It's a shame. We are on a good run and in a good league position. A couple of impact signings could have given us real impetus for the run in.  

Mowbray has admitted there was money available! - Opportunity missed 

 

 

 

[ChrisPriceBaldSpot]

43 minutes ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Lacina Traore on a free transfer?

Artist or soldier? 

[Bigdoggsteel]

6 minutes ago, Crimpshrine said:

I think our lack of infrastructure has a big affect on our ability to utilise these transfer windows successfully. Mowbray has a football team to run, Waggott is looking after every other aspect of the club. They need backup and the club needs a fully functioning board and employees who can do the leg work and research and talk to agents etc.  Mowbray has admitted that the scouting network is not up to scratch.

If the decisions over transfers during this window were completely down to Mowbray and Waggott then maybe they have taken the easy option and refused take any risks after the (so far) disappointment of Brereton.  Another big money flop may have had implications for both of them.

When a new manager arrives there is always the 'see where we are after 3 or 4 windows' attitude - which is fair enough - but we've just seen a window slam shut with very little in the way of positive progress.  I don't really blame Mowbray. If he had some backup we could have been ready with a list of potential players / budgets and offers all lined up ready to go when the window opened. I just don't think we are organised enough behind the scenes. Mowbray can't do everything himself.

It's a shame. We are on a good run and in a good league position. A couple of impact signings could have given us real impetus for the run in.  

Mowbray has admitted there was money available! - Opportunity missed 

 

 

 

All true and I think Mowbray admitted as much himself. Fair play to him for being patient and not just spending the money for the sake of it. Plenty of managers would have. 

[JHRover]

I think it is probably time that we look to recruit a sporting director (a proven competent one) who would come in and handle things like scouting and transfer strategy and report back to Waggott or the owners. Let Mowbray get on with coaching and managing the team and let someone else focus on scouting and negotiating deals. Of course leave the final decision to the manager but take that burden off his shoulders and come up with a medium term strategy for recruitment. At the moment it just seems to be a window-by-window job depending on what comes up and whether we get favourable deals coming our way.

Leeds, Norwich, Stoke, Forest, WBA, Villa, Brentford, Bristol City have all gone down this route and most of those are foreign owned or have owners who want to take a back seat as opposed to clubs like Bolton, Rotherham and Middlesbrough where the owner is quite heavily involved in the running of the club.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Can we still loan players and sign free agents?