JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW

[Trinidad Rover]

1 hour 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. 

 

Heady days for a Trinidadian based Rover! I chat to Dwight sometimes and he said Souness was an absolute lunatic on the training field. 

We had some team in those days.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, Trinidad Rover said:

hHeady days for a Trinidadian based Rover! I chat to Dwight sometimes and he said Souness was an absolute lunatic on the training field. 

We had some team in those days.

Souey was a lunatic on the pitch in his day - pre massed TV cameras. Didn't he break a blokes jaw with an off the ball punch ?

Edited February 1, 2019 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[JHRover]

I remember being on holiday in Greece at the time we signed Yorke, think it was 2002, in the days before much internet access abroad in holiday resorts and no smartphones so the only way of keeping tabs on football activity really was to walk to the shop and buy a paper. I was quite excited about the prospect of signing Yorke and reuniting him with Cole, shame it never really worked out. Think it happened around the same time as Ferdinand left Leeds to go to United for that mega money record transfer.

[Bigdoggsteel]

We are in a funny position though. If we did go all out and sign Assamobolonga on loan and then proceeded to go on a bad run. We would have a very costly and ultimately pointless player on our hands til the end of the season. If we were Leeds, Sheffield United or West Brom it would be a different story as they are, at a minimum going to make the play offs. 

[FGS5635]

31 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Can we still loan players and sign free agents? 

No they changed it this year so the loan window closed at the same time as the transfer window

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, AAK said:

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.

Fair enough opinions differ I suppose and I didn't realise his goals return was only 27 ?

The 8 million though when weighed against going back down was covered I think similar to 8 million now on someone who might fire us up.  Looks worse because of what followed with him and Souness and them letting him go for nothing when someone would've paid a couple of million or so for him.  Think I recall a rumour Souness gave it the old 'him or me' so they just released him without demanding a fee but without having to pay him off.

Imagine that being now ?

[JHRover]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

We are in a funny position though. If we did go all out and sign Assamobolonga on loan and then proceeded to go on a bad run. We would have a very costly and ultimately pointless player on our hands til the end of the season. If we were Leeds, Sheffield United or West Brom it would be a different story as they are, at a minimum going to make the play offs. 

Such concerns don't seem to have prevented Notts Forest or Villa from spending heavily despite being below us in the table and already having bigger squads. I'm still waiting to see what punishment they eventually get should they not get promoted.

Derby, Sheff Utd and Boro have also strengthened despite none being guaranteed a play-off position and likely only one of them at most will end up getting promoted.

Have to speculate from time to time. Seize the moment when the wind is in your sails. Prospective players more likely to fancy joining us when we're winning games and looking upwards.

Next January we might well not be in as healthy a position. No doubt there will then be another excuse as to why we can't or shouldn't make any signings.

Don't think anyone is suggesting gambling the club's future or paying Premier League wages.

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I think Rhodes was on £40,000 

Eventually, several pay rises in his time here allegedly starting off around 20k

[Bbrovers2288]

Not bothered that we haven’t paid over the odds for domestic based players, what I’m amazed at is that we had no overseas players looked at or lined up. Mowbray makes a statement saying it’s a market that we must now look at like it’s a new thing, playing us for fools I fear. Scouting network needs improving massively if it’s just been domestic based.

[Ewood Ace]

6 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

We are in a funny position though. If we did go all out and sign Assamobolonga on loan and then proceeded to go on a bad run. We would have a very costly and ultimately pointless player on our hands til the end of the season. If we were Leeds, Sheffield United or West Brom it would be a different story as they are, at a minimum going to make the play offs. 

And you take that attitude in the transfer market you aren't ever going to get where the likes of Leeds and WBA are.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, JHRover said:

Such concerns don't seem to have prevented Notts Forest or Villa from spending heavily despite being below us in the table and already having bigger squads. I'm still waiting to see what punishment they eventually get should they not get promoted.

Derby, Sheff Utd and Boro have also strengthened despite none being guaranteed a play-off position and likely only one of them at most will end up getting promoted.

Have to speculate from time to time. Seize the moment when the wind is in your sails. Prospective players more likely to fancy joining us when we're winning games and looking upwards.

Next January we might well not be in as healthy a position. No doubt there will then be another excuse as to why we can't or shouldn't make any signings.

Don't think anyone is suggesting gambling the club's future or paying Premier League wages.

Time will tell, if villa don't go up this year, there will surely be consequences. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

2 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

And you take that attitude in the transfer market you aren't ever going to get where the likes of Leeds and WBA are.

Well Leeds have made plenty of mistakes since they went down and West Brom have parachute money, so we couldn't expect to compete with them. 

Swansea didn't stenghten, nor Bristol City. I would have liked to see us sign a striker, but not for crazy money, particularly on a loan. We need to buff up the European recruitment. We could have went out and signed a striker for maybe £2 million who could have done a job. When you are relying on signing players from England, you will be robbed. Sunderland paid £4 million for Will Grigg

We aren't weaker after the window anyway, which isn't the case for all of our rivals 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Bigdoggsteel

[JHRover]

3 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Well Leeds have made plenty of mistakes since they went down and West Brom have parachute money, so we couldn't expect to compete with them. 

Swansea didn't stenghten, nor Bristol City. I would have liked to see us sign a striker, but not for crazy money, particularly on a loan. We need to buff up the European recruitment. We could have went out and signed a striker for maybe £2 million who could have done a job. When you are relying on signing players from England, you will be robbed. Sunderland paid £4 million for Will Grigg

We aren't weaker after the window anyway, which isn't the case for all of our rivals 

which of our rivals would you say are weaker now than on 1st January? I'd argue Bristol City have strengthened by adding Palmer who has scored, assisted and won a MOTM in the 3 games he's played since joining them.

I think Sunderland are doing with Grigg what we did when signing Payne and Armstrong last January. Just adding that final piece of the jigsaw in a bid to get over the line and secure promotion. They've probably overpaid for him but he'll score goals and if they go up it will be worth it.

[Bigdoggsteel]

And ye know yerselves if we did sign Assamobolonga the line here ALL summer would be that we must not be signing anyone as we splunked all our money on him! 

[Stuart]

5 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Well you were wrong.

I seen the LT article after Rich Sharpe posted it on twitter. 

So an apology would be nice but I wont hold out for one

For you I’m sorry.

 

 

[Ewood Ace]

8 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Well Leeds have made plenty of mistakes since they went down and West Brom have parachute money, so we couldn't expect to compete with them. 

Swansea didn't stenghten, nor Bristol City. I would have liked to see us sign a striker, but not for crazy money, particularly on a loan. We need to buff up the European recruitment. We could have went out and signed a striker for maybe £2 million who could have done a job. When you are relying on signing players from England, you will be robbed. Sunderland paid £4 million for Will Grigg



We aren't weaker after the window anyway, which isn't the case for all of our rivals 

Bristol City didn't strengthen?  What about Kasey Palmer who is already proving a big hit for them. Of the top 10 we are the only team not to have strengthened. And before anyone says Chapman, It's hard to include Chapman as someone who will improve us this season as Mowbray himself has said that he is at least a month away from just being fit enough to have an impact. 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Ewood Ace

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, JHRover said:

which of our rivals would you say are weaker now than on 1st January? I'd argue Bristol City have strengthened by adding Palmer who has scored, assisted and won a MOTM in the 3 games he's played since joining them.

I think Sunderland are doing with Grigg what we did when signing Payne and Armstrong last January. Just adding that final piece of the jigsaw in a bid to get over the line and secure promotion. They've probably overpaid for him but he'll score goals and if they go up it will be worth it.

Probably over paid? Come on now  Armstrong and Payne were 2 loan signings, so from a financial point of view, there is no comparison. He was over priced and will look even more so if they don't go up. This isn't a dig, but if we signed a striker for £4 million while in league 1 I think you would have been extremely concerned by the financial risk. 

Swansea, QPR, Birmingham and Hull are no better off. 

Forrest did OK, but I'm not sure O'Neill and Keane will prove to be good signings. 

Boro fans on twitter are fuming over their window. A lot saying they needed wingers and shouldn't have let Chapman go. 

Villa signed a few, but no one I would be jealous of. They already strike me as a team with too many individuals. Now the new players will need to gel too. I would have my doubts. 

 

[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

4 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

Bristol City didn't strengthen?  What about Kasey Palmer who is already proving a big hit for them. Of the top 10 we are the only team not to have strengthened. And before anyone says Chapman, It's hard to include Chapman as someone who will improve us this season as Mowbray himself has said that he is at least a month away from just being fit enough to have an impact. 

Fake news

[Ewood Ace]

Just now, CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber said:

Fake news

Which other top 10 team hasn't strengthened then?

[Bigdoggsteel]

3 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

Bristol City didn't strengthen?  What about Kasey Palmer who is already proving a big hit for them. Of the top 10 we are the only team not to have strengthened. And before anyone says Chapman, It's hard to include Chapman as someone who will improve us this season as Mowbray himself has said that he is at least a month away from just being fit enough to have an impact. 

Plenty of the season left in a month! 

From what I have seen, I would prefer Chapman coming off the bench than Palmer. 

 

[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

Just now, Ewood Ace said:

Which other top 10 team hasn't strengthened then?

You made it subjective when you removed Chapman from the strengthened category. I can go and name a load of players that I think are muck that our rivals have bought and claim they haven't strengthened either but then I am lowering myself to your level. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

And for those fawning over West broms window. They lost their best player in Barnes. 

[Ewood Ace]

7 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

And for those fawning over West broms window. They lost their best player in Barnes. 

I think the signings of Murphy and Montero will make sure that he isn't missed.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Ewood Ace

[Ewood Ace]

Just now, CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber said:

You made it subjective when you removed Chapman from the strengthened category. I can go and name a load of players that I think are muck that our rivals have bought and claim they haven't strengthened either but then I am lowering myself to your level. 

It's not me talking down Chapman's ability to have an impact this season but the manager. It's not me but the manager that has said things such as 'He has a bit to do physically to get himself in to a shape ready to play in our first team, he’s not physically, so will have a bit of work to do over the next month or two to get himself ready'. 

'He needs to do a lot of work on his body, so I don’t think we’ll see him for a while. I don’t think he’s even fit enough to go out on loan. We will be getting him ready for the intensity to play for us.'

'I’m delighted he’s here and here for the long-term. Let’s not rush him, so when he is right he can contribute at his maximum.'

I know it would suit your argument better if I said it but I didn't. Whatever you think of the business the other sides in the top ten have done the simple fact is they will be ready to play now whereas our signing won't. Also I'm not sure that losing Palmer (a player proven in the Championship) and signing Chapman (who's never played above League 1 and hasn't started a competitive game in 16 months after multiple injuries) is strengthening. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

3 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

I'm think the signings of Murphy and Montero will make sure that he isn't missed.

I dunno, time will tell. Barnes was arguably the best player in the Championship before he was recalled. Murphy is good, Montero might be, jury very much out on him though.