That *was* the January Window

[Torgeir]

7 hours ago, JHRover said:

3 weeks ago we loaned our captain out to a league rival. An inexplicable and unforgivable move that appears only more and more foolish now we are set to lose Adam Wharton to the inevitable PL interest.

If anyone was under any illusions as to just what a desperate financial state these owners (not FFP, covid, Indian government etc) have created at this club that decision illustrates it perfectly.

Of course selling Adam Wharton hurts and I'm sure within a few years as with Raya and Cairney we will be wishing we had held on for more, but fundamentally £20 million is a lot of cash (that should be a game changer to the club) and Palace are a PL club. The move therefore makes sense, it can be justified as much as we can debate and discuss the figures and timings.

The Travis one cannot be because we jumped into it to desperately get his wages off the books, leaving ourselves short on numbers and with no money to reinvest into replacements. 

So yeah, they were always going to jump at the chance to rake in millions, we're in such a state we can't even meet our existing wage obligations and are turfing out the captain to a rival to save cash. 

 

 

I would love to see how the Travis deal is drawn up. If they're only covering his wages then it's borderline criminal, and yes, that's extremely concerning that we struggle to cover the wage bill over a longer period of time. Which is also why we can only continue to shop in the bargain basement because most players that demand higher fees, will also demand higher wages. 

[Mattyblue]

‘Let’s see how they use the money now’. Well it hasn’t even gone through yet and there’s about 40 hours to go to the window shuts… and if anyone thinks the team will be seeing any of it in five months time, well, must have been a nice cave you’ve just spent 13 years in.

[Torgeir]

6 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Tomasson mentioned Travis' wages (admittedly along with other things) when he left and also mentioned Buckley's being back on the payroll.

When Travis went, he specifically said that Ayari was not his replacement. So if we dont sign a central midfielder that is 2 outgoing midfielders unreplaced. 

Nobody at the club is listening to JDT when it comes to recruitment. You can tell he's fed up by now, and having to answer to journalists when he's not the one responsible.

[islander200]

Obviously the club need money and that was part of Travis leaving but Sigurrdson was on a reported 18k a week at CSKA Moscow I dont think his wage will be on the lower side for us probably why just a one year deal 

[wilsdenrover]

7 hours ago, bluebruce said:

Yeh that's the EFL rules. UEFA's rules for continental competition are different, or they were last time I checked...ie, last edition of FM I played! FM20...it was always quite annoying that I'd be completely compliant in the league but have to drop someone from my European side, which they'd then moan about so sometimes I'd have to sell them.

There was also a rule that your U21 players were free hits in your squad registration in the league, but in European comps they had to have also been at your club for 2 years or else you'd have to use a squad space...and loaning them out stopped them accumulating time at your club. Very annoying when you want to develop a player who isn't ready for your first team yet. The loaning out thing might just be a quirk of the game, but the rest I'm confident reflects the real rules as FM are very very good at that sort of thing. But it may have changed in the last 4 years.

I’ve never looked at the euro rules but I see no reason why you’d be wrong.

Hopefully one day the euro rules will be important to us again 🤞

[roverblue]

I said we would regret letting Travis go and it’s already looking likely.

We are now left with a central midfield of Tronstad and Garrett with anyone else filling in out of their natural position. Also neither have had injuries yet this season which means it’s probably due.

Unless Broughton has the most spectacular 24 hours of his career we are totally screwed for the rest of the season.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

1 hour ago, K-Hod said:

Re the bold bit…..

You just woken up after a solid 13 year nap there pal?

Cant stop grinning there K-Hod!

[wilsdenrover]

8 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Didn't realise he was playing for free.

Performance related pay? 🤔

[Torgeir]

15 minutes ago, roverblue said:

I said we would regret letting Travis go and it’s already looking likely.

We are now left with a central midfield of Tronstad and Garrett with anyone else filling in out of their natural position. Also neither have had injuries yet this season which means it’s probably due.

Unless Broughton has the most spectacular 24 hours of his career we are totally screwed for the rest of the season.

JRC can fill in, and Ayari as well, though he has looked lightweight so far. But yeah, squad is more stretched now than in the beginning of January when we were crying out for signings. Unfortunate.

[martonrover]

5 hours ago, Eddie said:

Why is everyone so adamant that Wharton was forced out?

I don't think he was actively looking for a move, but I also doubt that he took too much convincing.

Because of the podcast I'm part of, I know that his agent has been very actively promoting him over the past 6 months and things really increased in January.

Could just be described as an agent doing a good job, or it could be that they decided that a move was likely in the next 6-12 months and they needed to raise his profile.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, about this seems bizarre or makes the club look poorly run. I'll judge them on how we use the money now, not for the fact that we sold a 19-year-old for our club record fee. 

Never mind all of these 'to Crystal Palace' comments. How do you think other fans have felt when Blackburn Rovers have stepped in to snap up their talent? 

I wouldn't be surprised if they have told Adam that by agreeing to the move he is helping the club he supports to stay afloat.

Edited January 31 by martonrover

[RevidgeBlue]

49 minutes ago, alex l said:

Update on potentially signing a player's mum/family member/fan with the same surname: they've liked a couple of goal highlights from Monday night and someone asking a journo for updates on McGuire's move to Rovers. No owls related likes I can see. 

I was actually going to post in jest yesterday about the stalking of his mum on BRFC related media being fairly shoddy work because the poster in question hadn't checked to see if she was following SWFC sites as well.

But you've actually gone and done it. And care.

The world's gone.

[RevidgeBlue]

57 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

‘Let’s see how they use the money now’. Well it hasn’t even gone through yet and there’s about 40 hours to go to the window shuts… and if anyone thinks the team will be seeing any of it in five months time, well, must have been a nice cave you’ve just spent 13 years in.

With the best will in the world and a far slicker recruitment set up than we have you'd think that logistically it would still be a bit of a push to get a player that's in Mexico over and signed up in time for tomorrow night.

Another near miss incoming like 12 months ago or just a bit of fluff in the press to make it look like we've been doing something?

[Old Codger]

25 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

JRC can fill in, and Ayari as well, though he has looked lightweight so far. But yeah, squad is more stretched now than in the beginning of January when we were crying out for signings. Unfortunate.

 

9 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

With the best will in the world and a far slicker recruitment set up than we have you'd think that logistically it would still be a bit of a push to get a player that's in Mexico over and signed up in time for tomorrow night.

Another near miss incoming like 12 months ago or just a bit of fluff in the press to make it look like we've been doing something?

Clowns. And worse than that, Dangerous Clowns.

[Bbrovers2288]

56 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Obviously the club need money and that was part of Travis leaving but Sigurrdson was on a reported 18k a week at CSKA Moscow I dont think his wage will be on the lower side for us probably why just a one year deal 

Not sure it’s worth it tbf, might look at just not renewing that one 

[BG1492]

I liked Broughton at the beginning. He opened communication up a bit more than usual and tied some players down to long contracts.

But after the O’Brien scenario, signings such as Ennis, he needs a massive 24/36 hours to change my mind that he’s out of his depth. I understand the financial restraints but letting Travis & Wharton go and replacing with two loanees who don’t improve us at all is just crap decision making.

[Wheelton Blue]

The loss of Wharton shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, least of all Broughton.

If he hasn't already got replacement/additional deals lined up, then that's incompetence at the very least.

If he doesn't know what budget he has to play with, and hasn't been pushing the owners for an answer, again that is incompetence.

If the owners are not forthcoming with said budget, then his job is untenable.

[superniko]

McGuires mum liking multiple Rovers posts, including random fans. He’s coming to us surely otherwise that’s a bit weird. 

Flight from Cancun landed in Manchester this morning - odds on he was on it. 

Edited January 31 by superniko

[Mattyblue]

Nobody ever seems to think their job is untenable here, everyone just plods along with what they’ve got to work with until they retire or end up out of contract.

Edited January 31 by Mattyblue

[JHRover]

8 hours ago, M_B said:

I don't believe for one minute that Travis went to save his wages, how much is he on, half a million a week? 

You know that the club is in a financial straitjacket. You know the owners are having to go to Court to meet obligations. Yet you don't think offloading one of our most experienced players might have financial motivations? 

Surely you are past the point of believing that it was all because "JDT didn't rate him"?

He will have been top earner or certainly close to it. Maybe Gallagher higher that's all and he wasn't fit at the time.

Let's say £8-£10k a week. 

Ipswich pay it all, we resume paying Buckley's wage in full whilst injured and take on the nominal costs of the two loans from Villa and Brighton

Money saved

That's the name of the game here, nothing more.

[Upside Down]

I've still got those magic beans for sale, just for those who are interested.

[jim mk2]

Talking of retirement, Waggott is in his late 60s. How long before he voluntarily steps off the £300,000 / year gravy train or is he going to do a Gordon Taylor and hang on grimly into his 70s?

Not that his replacement would be any better

[JHRover]

7 hours ago, M_B said:

Slight exaggeration admittedly, but come on, how much can he possibly be on? 

You don't banish your captain to save his wage, it isn't remotely plausible. 

I bet other than Gallagher he's top earner. At very least in the top 4-5. 

They sensed an easy opportunity to offload and save.

Travis was miffed at not playing, so they thought it would be all so simple to just usher him off to Ipswich who were willing to pay the wages in full, we'd make do with what we have or find another loan / cheap option and on it goes.

Short sighted, dangerous, idiotic, but increasingly common under this regime.

Buckley was the same. He was sacrificed so they could add Moran and Telalovic to the wages. 

They'll have loved that. One out, two in for the same cash or less. Problem when Sheff Wed sent him back - too much on the wages and someone substantial had to leave to cover it.

[RoverDom]

13 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

I've still got those magic beans for sale, just for those who are interested.

Keep that quiet will you, waggot might get wind of it and has £20m sloshing around 

 

Edit: that said he'd probably try and buy the magic beans, fuck it up and come back with a tin of sainsburys basics baked beans. 

Edited January 31 by RoverDom

[superniko]

On the other end of the spectrum - why would we want to keep a top earner if JDT doesn’t think he’s good enough to start?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, superniko said:

On the other end of the spectrum - why would we want to keep a top earner if JDT doesn’t think he’s good enough to start?

It’s not just about the 11 that starts the game anymore. It’s about what you have on the bench that can come on and influence the game. Bench full of kids = losing games in the last quarter of the match. Ring any bells ?