January Transfer window 2022

[Fraserkirky]

1 minute ago, ItsRoverZ said:

Ejaria is the correct spelling 

Good player

[glen9mullan]

8 minutes ago, riverholmes said:

Apologies, to repeat myself but the club and management have only themselves to blame. I see Rothwell's possible departure as potentially damaging promotion prospects - barring a great, late signing. We're struggling for goals and rely heavily on Rothwell to create.

There was always the risk Rothwell would leave or get injured. Back in the summer, we let go Holtby, Trybull, Evans and lost Elliot. (Holtby went on paid leave at the end of last season as a favour from Mowbray, to avoid injury to help with his next move, apparently. I could see Rothwell and other potential departees citing that favour in his right  safeguard his future - though Holtby was reaching the end of his career).

We needed a new CM or, for Mowbray to nurture Garrett or another from the U23s to add competition. Instead, we signed Clarkson on loan and mainly played him AM, relied on Johnson as back-up and didn't promote internally.

Now, we face losing Rothwell and a possible panic buy, or relying on Johnson for the rest of the season. I suppose there may be a remote chance that Hedges will be moulded as a CM.

Letting Rothwell's contract run down to the last year was potentially poor planning. Having Johnson as his deputy  definitely was, given his age and mobility, albeit, he is good in the air and experienced.

I wouldn't panic about a potential loss of Rothwell. We have a lot of attackers when fit. However, he adds that dimension that can relieve pressure and also break down a team defending deep. The emphasis really shifts to Buckley and, possibly, playing him deeper.

I like this post,

History is repeating itself too.

Armstrong sold in summer because of contract running down,

Club relying on 1 year option on Brereton and Kaminski, rather than tieing them both down now to longer.

Lots left for nothing in summer, others out of contract this summer, its really poor from the clubs administration that we are having so many contract issues, and not learning from it.

Don't get me started on sell on clauses either, clueless comes to mind

[Eddie]

A lot of people on here are talking about mismanagement when it comes to the contract situations that we find themselves in. Many have even alluded to the fact that they don't believe that we would have found ourselves in such a situation under the stewardship of Williams et al. 

What people are failing to take into account is how the modern game has changed. Players run down their contracts. They look to put themselves in the greatest position of power by becoming free agents. Heck, just look at the Mbappé situation at PSG.

We've made a lot of mistakes over the last decade and our ownership and management can take a lot of the blame, but they can't be held responsible for the fact that there has been a shift when it comes to how players approach contracts. They want short contracts and they want to reach the end of them. 

What's more, given the current financial climate in football, you will have every agent telling a player to run their contract down so that they aren't denied a dream move by a transfer fee. 

It's the world we're in now. We've benefited from it and will continue to take advantage of it, but we will also lose good players for smaller fees as a result.

That being said, I'm not going to overestimate Rothwell's ability and consistency based on the fact that he's been good here for about 1/4 of his appearances. If it truly is 6m then we should take it and move on.

[Vilesinner]

8 hours ago, imy9 said:

He would have been offered life changing sums of money and he has to look after his family first. 
 

Awful for us but I get it from Rothwells perspective.

And he can't wait until the summer?

He is in a stronger position then FFS.

[Vilesinner]

53 minutes ago, ItsRoverZ said:

Someone on twitter said we are very close to sealing the signing of a player from reading? Said someone had deleted the info but I can't spell the players name it's like elijha? 

Definitely very skilled, though like Rothwell not affecting the game as much as he should. 

 

[bigbrandjohn]

This got the old ticker going. 

[bluebruce]

25 minutes ago, Vilesinner said:

Definitely very skilled, though like Rothwell not affecting the game as much as he should. 

 

(From the video, not a regular watcher of him) Turns fantastically well, which could be useful for starting counter attacks. Good close control, first touch and a bit of flair. Guessing he has an inconsistent side, or would probably be beyond our reach. Meant to have cost them around 3.5 million from Liverpool.

[yankfan]

1 hour ago, Fraserkirky said:

Good player

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2021/12/2/22812947/midweek-musings-whats-up-with-ovie-ejaria-reading-fc-royals

 

honest write up on his abilities and why he might be available. 

[joey_big_nose]

3 hours ago, RV Blue said:

Can we stop pretending that Rothwell isn’t absolutely integral to this side and the way we play, it’s cringeworthy.

Well he has been since the Fulham game... That's just the truth really.

Not saying we can't move on but hes a big player.

[joey_big_nose]

1 hour ago, yankfan said:

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2021/12/2/22812947/midweek-musings-whats-up-with-ovie-ejaria-reading-fc-royals

 

honest write up on his abilities and why he might be available. 

Swap his name for Rothwell and it sounds almost exactly like Joe for us up until this season.

[lraC]

3 hours ago, Eddie said:

A lot of people on here are talking about mismanagement when it comes to the contract situations that we find themselves in. Many have even alluded to the fact that they don't believe that we would have found ourselves in such a situation under the stewardship of Williams et al. 

What people are failing to take into account is how the modern game has changed. Players run down their contracts. They look to put themselves in the greatest position of power by becoming free agents. Heck, just look at the Mbappé situation at PSG.

We've made a lot of mistakes over the last decade and our ownership and management can take a lot of the blame, but they can't be held responsible for the fact that there has been a shift when it comes to how players approach contracts. They want short contracts and they want to reach the end of them. 

What's more, given the current financial climate in football, you will have every agent telling a player to run their contract down so that they aren't denied a dream move by a transfer fee. 

It's the world we're in now. We've benefited from it and will continue to take advantage of it, but we will also lose good players for smaller fees as a result.

That being said, I'm not going to overestimate Rothwell's ability and consistency based on the fact that he's been good here for about 1/4 of his appearances. If it truly is 6m then we should take it and move on.

It works both ways really and we are just as likely to let a player like Bell for example, run his contract down and let him move on for free. As well as the Bosman ruling, FFP is another big factor at work  here. We have to know the rolling budget over a 3 year term and adding a few million to it, by increasing and extending contracts, can easily leave us in breach and paying the consequences.

I would not defend the current regime, by any stretch of the imagination, but those two rules, make for a difficult job.

Edited January 30, 2022 by lraC

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

3 hours ago, riverholmes said:

Apologies, to repeat myself but the club and management have only themselves to blame. I see Rothwell's possible departure as potentially damaging promotion prospects - barring a great, late signing. We're struggling for goals and rely heavily on Rothwell to create.

There was always the risk Rothwell would leave or get injured. Back in the summer, we let go Holtby, Trybull, Evans and lost Elliot. (Holtby went on paid leave at the end of last season as a favour from Mowbray, to avoid injury to help with his next move, apparently. I could see Rothwell and other potential departees citing that favour in his right  safeguard his future - though Holtby was reaching the end of his career).

We needed a new CM or, for Mowbray to nurture Garrett or another from the U23s to add competition. Instead, we signed Clarkson on loan and mainly played him AM, relied on Johnson as back-up and didn't promote internally.

Now, we face losing Rothwell and a possible panic buy, or relying on Johnson for the rest of the season. I suppose there may be a remote chance that Hedges will be moulded as a CM.

Letting Rothwell's contract run down to the last year was potentially poor planning. Having Johnson as his deputy  definitely was, given his age and mobility, albeit, he is good in the air and experienced.

I wouldn't panic about a potential loss of Rothwell, though. We have a lot of attackers when fit. However, he adds that dimension that can relieve pressure and also break down a team defending deep. The emphasis really shifts to Buckley and, possibly, playing him deeper - and Mowbray re-jigging the team.

I disagree with the notion that we’re ‘letting’ the players contracts run down as if we’re not attempting to do something about it. Clearly Rothwell, Lenihan, BBD, Nyambe all think they can attract PL interest and have refused to sign improved contracts. Apparently we offered Armstrong the best deal we could possibly afford and he turned it down, understandably because he wanted a prem move.

We don’t know the numbers involved but if the players mentioned above are determined to hold out for a big move (Rothwell’s antics this week seem to confirm that..), there’s next to nothing we can do about it.

If you were in Brereton’s position, would you sign a new deal with us on any terms?? No, obviously not, he’d just be making it harder to get out in the summer. Is that our fault too? Or should we have tied him down 18 months ago when he still had 3 years left on his deal and could barely get in the team? Fans would have been furious.

It’s easy to blame the club but if the players are refusing to sign new contracts, what more can we do??

[Iceman]

11 hours ago, West Yorks Rover said:

Never mind folks Dacky will be back in a few weeks, that'll cheer us all up.

If he can stay fit until the end of the season well be fine.

IT will be like having a new £ 10m pound player on the books.

Who? 🤪

[Iceman]

39 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

I disagree with the notion that we’re ‘letting’ the players contracts run down as if we’re not attempting to do something about it. Clearly Rothwell, Lenihan, BBD, Nyambe all think they can attract PL interest and have refused to sign improved contracts. Apparently we offered Armstrong the best deal we could possibly afford and he turned it down, understandably because he wanted a prem move.

We don’t know the numbers involved but if the players mentioned above are determined to hold out for a big move (Rothwell’s antics this week seem to confirm that..), there’s next to nothing we can do about it.

If you were in Brereton’s position, would you sign a new deal with us on any terms?? No, obviously not, he’d just be making it harder to get out in the summer. Is that our fault too? Or should we have tied him down 18 months ago when he still had 3 years left on his deal and could barely get in the team? Fans would have been furious.

It’s easy to blame the club but if the players are refusing to sign new contracts, what more can we do??

Those players refusing to sign, are pretty selfish if you ask me.. 

Signing a new deal, doesnt mean they need to stay with us next season. But at least it allows the club, to generate some money, instead of losing them for nothing. Sign a 1or 2 year deal, and give us at least an opportunity to generate some funds. But by not signing, they putting us in a position, where we stood by them, gave them opportunities to show their worth, helped through the youth system etc and not making anything off them. 

 

 

[Mattyblue]

51 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

I disagree with the notion that we’re ‘letting’ the players contracts run down as if we’re not attempting to do something about it. Clearly Rothwell, Lenihan, BBD, Nyambe all think they can attract PL interest and have refused to sign improved contracts. Apparently we offered Armstrong the best deal we could possibly afford and he turned it down, understandably because he wanted a prem move.

We don’t know the numbers involved but if the players mentioned above are determined to hold out for a big move (Rothwell’s antics this week seem to confirm that..), there’s next to nothing we can do about it.

If you were in Brereton’s position, would you sign a new deal with us on any terms?? No, obviously not, he’d just be making it harder to get out in the summer. Is that our fault too? Or should we have tied him down 18 months ago when he still had 3 years left on his deal and could barely get in the team? Fans would have been furious.

It’s easy to blame the club but if the players are refusing to sign new contracts, what more can we do??

So what if fans wouldn’t have been happy at the time?

The fans weren’t exactly delighted that a not particularly firing SG got a new deal the other week, but the club are protecting their asset, and that’s that, what I or Rev or you or ‘@RoverzLad95’ on Twitter think about SG (or BB in 2020) matters not one jot.

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by Mattyblue

[TruRover]

Ejaria on his day is an excellent player, and is certainly different to anyone we have. I was at the Fulham v Reading game when they won 2-1 and he got both: that was the best individual performance by a championship player that I had seen in years.

 

Has had a season interrupted by injury and certainly not been consistent however I very much get the feeling at a new club who are fighting for promotion he would step up and make a difference. 
 

He doesn’t strike me as a Mowbray player though and I can’t necessarily see it happening with what I would imagine be an at least 5m price

[cesus]

5 hours ago, Eddie said:

A lot of people on here are talking about mismanagement when it comes to the contract situations that we find themselves in. Many have even alluded to the fact that they don't believe that we would have found ourselves in such a situation under the stewardship of Williams et al. 

What people are failing to take into account is how the modern game has changed. Players run down their contracts. They look to put themselves in the greatest position of power by becoming free agents. Heck, just look at the Mbappé situation at PSG.

We've made a lot of mistakes over the last decade and our ownership and management can take a lot of the blame, but they can't be held responsible for the fact that there has been a shift when it comes to how players approach contracts. They want short contracts and they want to reach the end of them. 

What's more, given the current financial climate in football, you will have every agent telling a player to run their contract down so that they aren't denied a dream move by a transfer fee. 

It's the world we're in now. We've benefited from it and will continue to take advantage of it, but we will also lose good players for smaller fees as a result.

That being said, I'm not going to overestimate Rothwell's ability and consistency based on the fact that he's been good here for about 1/4 of his appearances. If it truly is 6m then we should take it and move on.

Great post, completely fair on all parties. We have absolutely no idea what has gone on behind closed doors, the tapping up rule is not followed by any agent, so as soon as we make an offer the shithouse agents set to work and fill a players head with their "worth". 

Let's not forget whilst we are in a great position in the league we are also staring down the barrel of a transfer embargo too. We clearly can't offer as much in wages as a lot of clubs.

[Mattyblue]

3 minutes ago, cesus said:

 

Let's not forget whilst we are in a great position in the league we are also staring down the barrel of a transfer embargo too. 

Are we?

[cesus]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

Are we?

We literally sold our training ground to our owners a few months ago to save ourselves from going into one. We haven't sold a player, started gaining 30k weekly crowds or gained a huge new sponsor infact our sponsorship collapsed last week. So yes I very much think we are in transfer embargo territory in the near future.

[Rochdale_rover]

So according to sharp we want 3 (including hedges) in before the deadline before anyone leaves 

Plus rothwell ,davenport and butterworth could leave so would require more signings

So looking at 5 signings and promoting garett to replace davenport

Lwb 

Cm 

Dcm

Hedges

Striker/ wide forward 

 Busy 39 hours

[Mattyblue]

12 minutes ago, cesus said:

We literally sold our training ground to our owners a few months ago to save ourselves from going into one. We haven't sold a player, started gaining 30k weekly crowds or gained a huge new sponsor infact our sponsorship collapsed last week. So yes I very much think we are in transfer embargo territory in the near future.

Well we aren’t, are we, as that sale has put us a fair distance away for the next cycle. What we sell next time, or the time after that, is obviously a different matter 

P.S. maybe having half a team with contracts running out, ergo rapidly depreciating assets isn’t an ideal way to avoid FFP!

Edited January 30, 2022 by Mattyblue

[Lancs Rover]

9 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

rothwell is going to get his head shoved down the toilet on tuesday morning🙂

Tony has been flushing Rothwell's head down the toilet for a long time.

It was always going to end up this way.

Amongst all this speculation, there is one fact: we only know Tony's point of view.

He's been manipulating opinion on Joe for some time.

It seems to be his management style. Pick on a few easy targets to send a message. That rottweiler Nyambe, for example.

If our season falls apart - let's hope not - Tony will need to share some blame.

Should never have come to this.

You reap what you sow.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Of all the players I've seen this season, Dembele at Posh is the attacking version of Rothwell.  Pace to burn and can carry the ball from deep.  May not put the work in defensively (not seen enough of him but neither did JR initially). He can play across the front 3 as well. 

If we want to keep a  similar system and drop in a like for like player, he could be the closest. 

25yr old, available (He's turned down a move to big club apparently).  Wants Bournemouth but they won't meet the price (apparently). 

Knows the championship and you'd hope he would view us as a decent step up. 

Would be a good fit for this current rovers side.

 

[JBiz]

2 minutes ago, Tabula Rasa said:

Tony has been flushing Rothwell's head down the toilet for a long time.

It was always going to end up this way.

Amongst all this speculation, there is one fact: we only know Tony's point of view.

He's been manipulating opinion on Joe for some time.

It seems to be his management style. Pick on a few easy targets to send a message. That rottweiler Nyambe, for example.

If our season falls apart - let's hope not - Tony will need to share some blame.

Should never have come to this.

You reap what you sow.

Sorry, but I can’t understand any of this, sounds ridiculous to me.

Mowbray, signing him, building him up in training and helping his development to the point he is in (an actual JR quote from less than a month ago) “the form of his life”… is flushing his head down the toilet?

Manipulating opinion? People have eyes pal, they make their own mind up on his performances.

27 year old, has the first consistent spell of his career at this level and he wants to leave?

He is the problem.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

2 hours ago, lraC said:

It works both ways really and we are just as likely to let a player like Bell for example, run his contract down and let him move on for free. As well as the Bosman ruling, FFP is another big factor at work  here. We have to know the rolling budget over a 3 year term and adding a few million to it, by increasing and extending contracts, can easily leave us in breach and paying the consequences.

I would not defend the current regime, by any stretch of the imagination, but those two rules, make for a difficult job.

Isn't FFP changing?  I'm sure I read that they are looking at changing rules across europe (although it may only effect the prem teams)

Something about clubs being fined for going over ffp but no other deduction or sanction. That way teams with wealthy owners can decide the level of investment.

So hypothetically Rovers could go over by £10 mil and be fined another £10 mil.  As long as that is met by the owners, no further sanctions.  The owner wealth/commitment basically dictates your FFP limit. 

Something along those lines - sounds like it would benefit elite clubs so probably something in it. 

Would also probably benefit the likes of us.  It would certainly mean the owners can't hide behind ffp - if they wanted to go for it - they could. 

*Sorry for off topic post.