January Transfer Window.

[roversfan99]

No one has ever doubted that Giles was misused and Hedges was perhaps underused, but the bigger problem is the lack of spending and even the lack of flexibility to sell a player running his contract down to reinvest from owners who have said in the past that they want to get back to the Premier League.

The fact that a loanee and a 200k signing could have done a bit more feels like splitting hairs in the grand scheme of things.

[Mattyblue]

Giles could’ve, possibly should’ve worked. 

But on the whole it was not a window of a club with actual aspirations of promotion - unforgivable considering just how strong our position was at that stage, a position we may never see again.

 

[ben_the_beast]

The funny thing about Giles is that Tony insisted on playing Gallagher wide right for years. A bit of work on the training ground and I'm sure he could have made a nuisance of himself coming in from the right with quality balls in from Giles from the left. 

Tony knew better though...

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

21 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

No one has ever doubted that Giles was misused and Hedges was perhaps underused, but the bigger problem is the lack of spending and even the lack of flexibility to sell a player running his contract down to reinvest from owners who have said in the past that they want to get back to the Premier League.

The fact that a loanee and a 200k signing could have done a bit more feels like splitting hairs in the grand scheme of things.

Last Jan, the primary concern was that the owners were going to cash in on Lenihan, Rothwell and BBD. The fact that we retained all three and signed several (Giles, Zeefuik, Markanday and Hedges) was more than most expected. In hindsight, it didn’t work out, but I don’t blame a lack of ambition. 

[simongarnerisgod]

5 minutes ago, ben_the_beast said:

The funny thing about Giles is that Tony insisted on playing Gallagher wide right for years. A bit of work on the training ground and I'm sure he could have made a nuisance of himself coming in from the right with quality balls in from Giles from the left. 

Tony knew better though...

one of mowbrays biggest crimes imo,swansea away,giles put in some delicious crosses in from the left to no avail because tony decided we did`nt need a centre forward🥵 to put the ball in the net,after that giles was shifted to the right and gradually he looked like he`d rather be in kyiv than on a football field,can`t blame him for being completely p*****d off

[roversfan99]

3 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

Last Jan, the primary concern was that the owners were going to cash in on Lenihan, Rothwell and BBD. The fact that we retained all three and signed several (Giles, Zeefuik, Markanday and Hedges) was more than most expected. In hindsight, it didn’t work out, but I don’t blame a lack of ambition. 

I think it tells you a lot about the lowering of expectations under Venkys when merely not selling your players when in such a good position is considered ambitious.

That being said, we could have sold one and potentially improved short and longer term. 

[Mattyblue]

Sorry not selling your players when well primed for promotion is not ‘ambition’.

Neither was signing a teenager with zero professional minutes, a loanee with zero minutes in English football, a lad from Scotland and another (badly utilised, granted) loanee.

In a normal season when in our standard mid table? Fine. In a summer window? Fine. But when sitting in pole position and just three months from transforming the club entirely? It stunk of a lack of ambition and summed up this nonsensical decade perfectly.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Mattyblue

[pick32]

Birmingham released a Spanish 20 year old in the summer, tonight he scored a Hat-trick against Barcelona in the cup. That’s bad business 

Edited January 4, 2023 by pick32

[Miller11]

The problem last year was lack of any sort of coherent, logical plan. The apparent lack of ambition is just a symptom of complete ineptitude - the story of the last 12 years.

Winding down a managers contract but still allowing him to make “project” signings, and fail to reinvent loanees as something they aren’t. Then paying a fee for someone coming on a free in a few months anyway, but never playing him. Then there’s refusing to let him move on and replace a wantaway player. All topped of nicely with a shrug of their shoulders while all the potential rapidly evaporates before their eyes.

Idiot manager, supported by idiots at all levels, employed by idiot owners.

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, simongarnerisgod said:

one of mowbrays biggest crimes imo,swansea away,giles put in some delicious crosses in from the left to no avail because tony decided we did`nt need a centre forward🥵 to put the ball in the net,after that giles was shifted to the right and gradually he looked like he`d rather be in kyiv than on a football field,can`t blame him for being completely p*****d off

I was going to mention that game as he looked like a really good signing then but like you say his instinct was balls in and cut backs but no one to get on the end.

Once they drilled that out of him on the training ground he looked shoite then after professor yaffle decided he was actually a left footed right sider his confidence was shot to pieces.

When you want to play with wing backs then you sign one of the best in the div why not play him at fucking wing back ?

Going on about Mowbray again i know but the guy boiled my blood if ever there was a manager who shot his own team in the foot as much as that guy i'd like to see him.  Fact is without his caught in two minds over complicating things for the sake of it because he thinks it follows his own principles he'd be a fine manager at this level.

[SuperBrfc]

24 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

The problem last year was lack of any sort of coherent, logical plan. The apparent lack of ambition is just a symptom of complete ineptitude - the story of the last 12 years.

Winding down a managers contract but still allowing him to make “project” signings, and fail to reinvent loanees as something they aren’t. Then paying a fee for someone coming on a free in a few months anyway, but never playing him. Then there’s refusing to let him move on and replace a wantaway player. All topped of nicely with a shrug of their shoulders while all the potential rapidly evaporates before their eyes.

Idiot manager, supported by idiots at all levels, employed by idiot owners.

I think Mowbray's comments upon leaving said it all about the state of play at the club. He talked about hoping the club didn't appoint a "bully who just wanted to win all the time". I found that to be ridiculous in and of itself and a pointer to his own lack of a winning mentality, as well as to the losing culture within the club. However, it was what he said after that which showed how he felt.

He went on to say, "if you just want to win you need to spend some money OR you can develop the younger lads, educate them, help them to grow and develop as humans and footballers".

The logical interpretation of that, for me, is you have two options at this club:

a) Spend some money on some proper players if you want to win (promotion) or in the absence of such funds:

b) Develop the youngsters and see what happens.

Now, he didn't say the following, but he might as well have been saying "I didn't have the money to spend to go for promotion, therefore I had to play and develop the younger lads", as that's how it came across to me.

The current project falls under option (b), IMO, where winning and promotion is of secondary importance. The blame for that though goes right to the top and owners who aren't the least bit bothered about the club being successful.

[Upside Down]

There has been a systematic lack of ambition for the last twelve years at this club.

[inflikted]

16 hours ago, nbdelboy said:

looking like louie annesley will be leaving this window before his contract's up. what a weird signing he's been? i know it's only gibraltar, but when you consider his age, the load of international games he's played, and just how long he's been here (five seasons now!) it's quite odd there's never once been anything whatsoever about him coming through into the first team, or even heading out on loan to develop? seems odd we'd bother keeping him for so long if we think so little of him? i saw him play for the u21s a few times, and he always seemed decent enough, no worse than many others on the pitch. odd!

Dundalk could be a good destination for him. A potential European campaign next season (they're in the ECL and Irish clubs are becoming regulars in that competition) will be a good experience at least.

[damo100]

5 hours ago, Upside Down said:

There has been a systematic lack of ambition for the last twelve years at this club.

Just a question, when did you begin watching Rovers?

[rover23]

What happened to staying on topic eh? 🤔

[AllRoverAsia]

8 hours ago, Miller11 said:

The problem last year was lack of any sort of coherent, logical plan. The apparent lack of ambition is just a symptom of complete ineptitude - the story of the last 12 years.

Winding down a managers contract but still allowing him to make “project” signings, and fail to reinvent loanees as something they aren’t. Then paying a fee for someone coming on a free in a few months anyway, but never playing him. Then there’s refusing to let him move on and replace a wantaway player. All topped of nicely with a shrug of their shoulders while all the potential rapidly evaporates before their eyes.

Idiot manager, supported by idiots at all levels, employed by idiot owners.

Just maybe the actual project worked and we stayed comfortably in "their" favoured less scrutinised league run by the totally inept EFL 

[AllRoverAsia]

40 minutes ago, rover23 said:

What happened to staying on topic eh? 🤔

Just treading water until the club show some initiative in the market. Could be a while longer 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Upside Down said:

There has been a systematic lack of ambition for the last twelve years at this club.

The writing was on the wall from day 1 when 'Madame' Desai talked about their intention of spending 'up to £5 million a season' on transfers...  clear evidence of confused and inappropriately engaged owners. The baffling thing is how on earth we are still owned by these buffoons, and to what purpose (for any stakeholder)?

[Upside Down]

3 hours ago, damo100 said:

Just a question, when did you begin watching Rovers?

93. When I was 4.

[JHRover]

They're busy bracing the fans for another low key window IMO. All the talk in the press about a need to be patient, need to be creative, no major changes etc. It all points to being reactive rather than proactive. Probably waiting and seeing what cheap loans come available or what interest materialises in our players first rather than grabbing the bull by the horns and moving quickly to capitalise on our position.

Interesting to see a play-off rival Middlesbrough straight into the market lining up Cameron Archer - a player who could make an immediate difference to them. When have we ever done similar?

It all reinforces my long held view that an annual budget is set in the summer, Pasha and Waggott are sent on their way to run the club with it, there's little plan or ambition above or beyond ensuring the club functions on budget. We get to January and the budgets are tight meaning we have to tread carefully on signings and focus on loans. The owners don't know nor care about our position in the table and won't be making funds available to properly strengthen.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

11 minutes ago, JHRover said:

They're busy bracing the fans for another low key window IMO. All the talk in the press about a need to be patient, need to be creative, no major changes etc. It all points to being reactive rather than proactive. Probably waiting and seeing what cheap loans come available or what interest materialises in our players first rather than grabbing the bull by the horns and moving quickly to capitalise on our position.

Interesting to see a play-off rival Middlesbrough straight into the market lining up Cameron Archer - a player who could make an immediate difference to them. When have we ever done similar?

It all reinforces my long held view that an annual budget is set in the summer, Pasha and Waggott are sent on their way to run the club with it, there's little plan or ambition above or beyond ensuring the club functions on budget. We get to January and the budgets are tight meaning we have to tread carefully on signings and focus on loans. The owners don't know nor care about our position in the table and won't be making funds available to properly strengthen.

 

They run the club as a loss making arm of an otherwise profitable industry. They are quite comfortable with that situation and obviously don’t see any need for it to change. Promotion would only bring more hassle for them and, more importantly, more scrutiny from the media. I can’t see them ever relinquishing the death grip they have on Rovers.

[Sweaty Gussets]

 'The club don't want promotion' conspiracy theory was trotted out regularly in the 1980's too. 

Crazy talk. 

[Guest]

Tayo Edun wanted on loan by Sheff Wed and Charlton.

[47er]

4 minutes ago, Mellor Rover said:

Tayo Edun wanted on loan by Sheff Wed and Charlton.

Good!

At the very least, we need---a genuine striker and a real mid-fielder (tougher the better!)

[davulsukur]

16 minutes ago, Mellor Rover said:

Tayo Edun wanted on loan by Sheff Wed and Charlton.

Happy to let him go.