[Archived] Going To Be A Long Cold Season

[bob fleming]

Forgot to add, dickov signed as an older head, ffs how many old heads do we need??? Are cole and yorke not old and experienced enough, can they not help train the younger members? Would you rather stead and cole learned from david speedies surrogate brother or a two players who won lots.....

I doubt Yorke will be here next season. I presume you mean Stead and Gallagher learning from "Speedies surrogate brother" rather than "stead and cole"? Either way my answer is yes. I'm looking forward to next season far more knowing that I'll be able to watch a player who actually gives a damn rather than "Sammy the sloths surrogate cousin" Dwight Yorke.

[rover6]

Well if it's any consolation, I think we'll have a good season next year.

I'm still dubious of whether Matteo will solve the centre back problem bearing in mind that we lack pace at the back.

However, the midfield should be strong, assuming Thommo and Ferguson are back to full fitness and starting in centre midfield. Emerton will be on the right and hopefully MGP providing the width.

[Prophet Of Doom]

Therefore, the Rovers are probably doing the very best thing financially for long term Prem existence by taking older players on short term contracts.

I did actually think you were talking sence till I read the last part.

I honestly can't see the point in taking these people.

If we are lucky we get one good season out of them.

But young players on loan from who ever are playing for the futures.

If they don't play well at the loan club it is noticed and they don't get a new contract or a place at their team.

For all I have read about the wonderfull Rovers training and Acadamy I think we have seen too litle return for the investment.

Having said all that I remember being at work when the fixtures came out a few years back and everyone was saying when have Utd in Dec and Liverpool in Feb.

I looked up the Rover fixtures and we had Port Vale at home.

The day came and Vale put 11 men behind the ball from kick off.

So maybe things aren't that bad. At least we have one season of Prem football.

[Tris]

Bloody ell, there's nothing like visiting this place to take the shine off looking forward to the weekend is there ? Euro Championships starting, long summer evenings, beer gardens and all that ? No ?

Bah humbug, I'm off to take some more Prozac

Boo, let's sign David May and Conan the Barbarian

[bob fleming]

Well if it's any consolation, I think we'll have a good season next year.

You alright 6? You go steady with those optimism pills

[broadsword]

Apart from Stead I can't see us doing much better this season than last.

Yes Bazza was coming good but Amo well less said about him the better.

Amo? The bloke who, once fit, helped us to four wins on the spin?

Bleeding 'eck!

Sox, crack open a tinny mate. Make mine a Guinness! :-)

[Blueboy Downunder]

we don't really need to buy that mich to improve the current squad...we have almost like two new signings in fergy and tommo coming back from injury...in matteo we have in my eyes a very experianced international, and although i still don't like the signing of dickov...i feel that all we need now is a left winger...and we don't really need anymore signings....because the squad is good enough.

moaning about next season when the first day of pre-season traning is weeks away.....i just knew that it would happen.

[John]

Heard Martin O'Neil last week talking about his transfer plans.

Basically he seems to have a similar strategy to ours. He will bring in players who have been there and done it on short-term deals. This will supplement the youngsters he has coming through. Talk is that Celtic's budget is not the biggest.

Most of his budget will go on Larsson's replacement.

Its about bringing in players who could do a job- Dickov and Matteo will provide that. Nethertheless, all that we will be doing is replacing Yorke and Todd with those signings.

Edited June 11, 2004 by John

[American]

Let's talk players under 30 (just using my best guess, not positive on all, but I'm sure most are well under 30)

Encks

LB-None

Nissa

McEveley

Neil

Trying to sign Pederson, not an older player

Ferguson

Thompson

Emerton

Stead

Gallagher

(Note that 4 (5 if Pederson) have been bought in the last year or so.)

Looks like a pretty good future to me. Take those players and play them as a starting team, might not stay up. Sprinkle in our experienced older players and you have bare minimum a team that is upper-mid table with a bright future (if healthy).

I look at the future of Rovers and am quite happy, especially considering we have one of the stronger youth programs in the world. If you brought them all up at the same time, we'd be in trouble, but by sprinkling them in with the veterans you give them experience and cover.

[ptholt]

yes Amo the bloke a two legged tortoise with piles and ingrowing toe nails could outrun even if it gave him a 100 metre head start.

[Rainmaker]

Why his Championship Manager mentality on these boards?

Almost all critics do the CM-chant:

Young = Good

Old = Bad

Why is that?

[owenrilla]

Where are all of these old codgers on short term contracts?

Players in the Rovers squad who are over 30:

Friedel

Amoruso

Short

Flitcroft

Tugay

Cole

Yorke

Dickov

Considering that Yorke will probably bugger off at some point during this summer, I personally wouldn't consider this excessive in terms of older players. Of the players we have signed last summer, in January and so far this summer (I make it 10) only 2 have been over 30. From the above list, Cole, Short and Tugay are all likely to disappear at the end of next season so I really don't see the problem, although I'm sure many will disagree.

Took a bit too long doing this and inadvertantly did the opposite of American - sorry.

Edited June 11, 2004 by owenrilla

[ptholt]

Encks

LB-None

Nissa

McEveley

Neil

Trying to sign Pederson, not an older player

Ferguson

Thompson

Emerton

Stead

Gallagher

Have to agree i like the look of that, but in reality whats the chances of that team taking to a park?

from your list and my port soaked memory -

Encks - only plays when brad out

Nissa - how many games last season?

McEveley - sent him to burnley to get injured rather than play at ewood

Trying to sign Pederson, not an older player

Thompson - missed large parts of both seasons with us

Emerton - hmmm give him the benefit of the doubt that he might cross.

Gallagher - needs to play more, fighting with dickov and cole for a place?

[Manchester Blue]

yes Amo the bloke a two legged tortoise with piles and ingrowing toe nails could outrun even if it gave him a 100 metre head start.

Did you watch any of the last 4 games that he played in? If not then how comment, and if you did then i'd just give up if I were you as you cleraly know nowt.

[American]

Encks

LB-None

Nissa

McEveley

Neil

Trying to sign Pederson, not an older player

Ferguson

Thompson

Emerton

Stead

Gallagher

Have to agree i like the look of that, but in reality whats the chances of that team taking to a park?

from your list and my port soaked memory -

Encks - only plays when brad out

Nissa - how many games last season?

McEveley - sent him to burnley to get injured rather than play at ewood

Trying to sign Pederson, not an older player

Thompson - missed large parts of both seasons with us

Emerton - hmmm give him the benefit of the doubt that he might cross.

Gallagher - needs to play more, fighting with dickov and cole for a place?

Exactly my point. You don't shove all those players in at once, you give them time to adjust by supplementing them with older players. If all of them did play, we'd be in "the championship" (though, I think Nissa should be playing more). And Gallagher does better at this point as a sub bringing energy in the last 20-30 minutes. I'm not the biggest Cole fan, but I'd rather see him or another veteran starting alongside Stead.

[ptholt]

I watch what i can as im in Portugal, and saw many more from before his nijury forced him out the team, and I saw him cut to pieces more often than victims in a freddie kruger film, i also saw his partner (be it short or babbel) have to bail him out several times.

I also saw him play for rangers often and could understand all to easily why we were allowed to <cough> capture him from rangers.

[broadsword]

Portugal or Sussex?!

[Dan Furness]

Well if it's any consolation, I think we'll have a good season next year.

I'm still dubious of whether Matteo will solve the centre back problem bearing in mind that we lack pace at the back.

However, the midfield should be strong, assuming Thommo and Ferguson are back to full fitness and starting in centre midfield. Emerton will be on the right and hopefully MGP providing the width.

What is it with you and pace? Did we need pace when Short and Berg made us finish 6th?

infact... name me one 'pacey' defender we have had in the past few years, or more importantly, when we needed one really bad.

As far as im concerned the players. Owen scores a lot against us granted, but I cant really remember the last time we were 'ripped' in half by pace, if anything its down the wings we seem to be vunerable to pace. I remember that genius Malbranque ripping us to bits down the right, Diouf down the left so if we can address that part of defence we should be ok.

[ptholt]

I'm english, born in blackburn, lived in sussex, left the uk and now live in Portugal.

[broadsword]

Well if it's any consolation, I think we'll have a good season next year.

I'm still dubious of whether Matteo will solve the centre back problem bearing in mind that we lack pace at the back.

However, the midfield should be strong, assuming Thommo and Ferguson are back to full fitness and starting in centre midfield. Emerton will be on the right and hopefully MGP providing the width.

What is it with you and pace? Did we need pace when Short and Berg made us finish 6th?

infact... name me one 'pacey' defender we have had in the past few years, or more importantly, when we needed one really bad.

As far as im concerned the players. Owen scores a lot against us granted, but I cant really remember the last time we were 'ripped' in half by pace, if anything its down the wings we seem to be vunerable to pace. I remember that genius Malbranque ripping us to bits down the right, Diouf down the left so if we can address that part of defence we should be ok.

How many centre backs have had real pace down the years?

Des Walker

Chris Perry

???

[ptholt]

who's asking for real pace, some would be nice!!

surely if you are having to push forward then its fairly obvious the def has to move up the park instead of leaving a massive gap between them and the mid. That then funnily enough leaves a space behind to exploit, easy enough when one of the long haired grannies needs two new hips and has to rely on bringing attackers down or holding or blocking, or did i just imagine him doing that every time i saw him.......

[Prophet Of Doom]

Oh dear I can't believe people still think that Amo is a good player.

Anyone who saw him play in Scotland would have seen he has no pace at all. He often has lapse of concentration and gets dragged out of position.

[FourLaneBlue]

It's about time we had a bit of discussion as I was very disappointed how dull the Matteo thread turned out to be. No handbags at all on there.

As for us having a bad season, it depends what you expect. Our wage bill is now only about the tenth highest in the league (down from eigth highest last summer, although that was before Duff leaving/Ferguson arriving etc apparently). Although I can't seem to find the link so sorry about that.

Anyway, if it is now tenth highest then anywhere midtable will do for me, as long as we don't have a relegation battle on our hands and actually have A BLOODY CUP RUN LONGER THAN ONE ROUND this season i'll be happy. Not ecstatic but happy. Especially if we some of the youngsters given a chance as well like Douglas and Gally have been.

[bob fleming]

Oh dear I can't believe people still think that Amo is a good player.

Tell you what Prophet of Doom your turning into a right Prophet of Doom.

You don't sit on the Riverside do you? Is that you with the scythe and that big black cloak thing?

Rovers Ticket Office:-

"There's a man here who wants to renew his season ticket."

"What's his name?"

"Prophet of Doom"

"Oh no. Not him again"

"He wants to pay cash - says we'll lose his cheque and any credit card transactions we'll process twice in error"

"It's the same every year"

"He says we've never been the same since we sold Oysterhausen and what are we going to do when he can't get in for the first game of the season when the new electronic turnstiles go faulty?"

"Give him a free season ticket and tell him to clear off"

"Will do Graeme"

[Kennys Magic Hat]

Get a grip you sad no lifers - hardly anyone has made any signings yet, give Souey a f'in chance!

As it is, Dickov is a great signing for the price, what is £100,000 these days? He's only going to be 4th choice striker anyway!

We do have a few over 30's in the sqaud but who doesn't? You need the old heads, especially in key positions like central defence. And how can anyone call Amo crap, he was an inspiration at the end of the season. Seem to remember he had one of the most exciting and skilful young players in the country, Wayne Rooney, in his pocket at Goodison.

We've signed Dickov but we also signed Stead last season, Gally was brought into the first team, Douglas has just signed a contract, Andy Taylor has signed professional terms recently, Jay McEvelely will be back as well as Thompson, Ferguson, Emerton, Johannsson and Neill who are all relatively young.

We've got a squad with an excellent blend od youth and experience, something which Souness has always strived for and will continue to do, and which got us 6th place and won us the League Cup. Last season we had to take a step back for various reasons but this will enable us to take two steps forward next season whith whal should be a great squad.

COME ON YOU BLUES!