POLL - Stronger squad?

[den]

9 hours since the transfer window closed.

[krislu]

Are you talking about the recent signings of MGP and Bothroyd, or is the likes of Dickov, Matteo and De Pedro included?

Anyway, in the closing stages of the transfer window we have signed Gamst Pedersen and Bothroyd, and we have sold Yorke, so IMO we now have a better squad. (doesnt say much though, we would still have had a better squad if we sold Yorke and got B.Deane)

[samtheozzy]

Hell yeah. WE've got rid of some money-hungry @#/?s desperate for their final paycheck and brought in some really solid, proven workaholics in Matteo, Dickov, and De Pedro (with the jury still out on De Pedro) and some keen young players in MGP and Bothroyd. I'm very happy, although if this poll had been run a week ago i would have said a very loud and definitie NO!

[SAS]

I think we do, we have got some good players,

dickov: great signing, works his socks off.

de pedro: Not sure as he is not match fit and hasnt made an impact.

matteo: put in some solid performances

mgp: no comment

bothroyd: no comment.

[AussieinUk]

Hell yeah. WE've got rid of some money-hungry @#/?s desperate for their final paycheck and brought in some really solid, proven workaholics in Matteo, Dickov, and De Pedro (with the jury still out on De Pedro) and some keen young players in MGP and Bothroyd. I'm very happy, although if this poll had been run a week ago i would have said a very loud and definitie NO!

Wraps up what i was going to say in a nutshell!

[JAL]

Rovers are embarrasingly weak in the attack department at the moment and are crying out for someone to lead the attack and make a name for themselves.

This moment in time presents an ideal opportunity for one of the youth players to come in and make a name for themselves but only.... if they have the ability.

Bothroyd has ability but lacks that key ingredient application, if some of the post we are led to believe are correct.

So the answer to have we got a stronger squad has to assessed by our position in the league versus our realistic view of can we win most premier league games we play in judging the strength of the opposition against ours - the answer has to be an emphatic NO !

[dave birch]

Stronger or weaker?

What does it matter, there's nothing that can be done now, is there?

[emerton]

the fact that we he 2 left sided midfielders says it all.

definately a stronger squad

[evukovic]

dave birch Posted on Sep 1 2004, 12:04 

  Stronger or weaker?

What does it matter, there's nothing that can be done now, is there? 

Sure there is, we can all bitch and moan and prophesise about the fortunes of players we know virtually nothing about. Or... we can sit back, cheer our boys on and give them all the support that we can, hoping that lady luck, that fat cow hiding in a shed full of Smith's Crisps, decides to smile on us and grant us our duty bound first win.

[dave birch]

Tell me evukovic, how can we make our team stronger now that the transfer window has been closed?

No amount of your cheering is going to improve the team. It will only get better from within, players that are already there, improving their skills, becoming more confident of their own abilities.

Don't get me wrong, I think that we have some talented players. We have to use them in the right way.

Is the team stronger than 12 months ago? Only time will tell.

[DP]

Yes, I think we have a better squad of players. We've added balance to the team and we probably have more options now in terms of style of play and formation.

I don't however, think we have a stronger first 11 than we had previously.

[modes98]

Dickov is probally our best singing! (so far) MGP will be a great addition! Bothroyd will score goals, and add depth! Matteo looks lost so far, would be good to see him in his proper place. De pedro i think will come good when he reachs full fitness!

Got to say selling yorke to brum was a masterstroke! cole i am not so happy about but its probally for the best!

[tchocky]

Overall it is a better squad, naturally, as we have signed 5 players and sold 2, but we are weaker up front.

[The Producer]

Definitely a better squad. Especially nice to have not one, but two left-wingers (one of them must turn out ok) and some pace in the team with Boothroyd's arrival (although who knows about the rest of his game...I don't). Nice to have Yorke out of the way.

I'd preferred us to have a decent, quick centre-back though. If Short gets injured - which he will - we're in trouble. Matteo may do ok there, but will he ever get a chance...?

Edited September 1, 2004 by The Producer

[CAPT KAYOS]

Dickov is probally our best singing! (so far) MGP will be a great addition!

Is our best singing what Modes98 - Is this part of the new training regime?

Maybe MGP can add the yodeling

[JMD]

Wasn't it only a few months ago we were complaining that we needed a decent left midfielder and to strengthen our defence?

Well we've done both and some people still aren't happy.

I think we have to accept we are not gonna get the best players. What we have to do is get a team of really good players though and give them time to settle.

I must admit I like the fact that we now have a lot of younger players so over the next 2 - 3 years we should be quit stable and starting to move places.

[frosty]

It's obvious now Yorke's gone ( not to mention the signing of bothroyd ) we have a stronger squad. Despite Cole going, we have brought Dickov in and we won't miss Cole. Matteo provides strength at the back while Pedersen will be a star. As for De Pedro, I think he's got to get match fit before he fights pedersen for the left wing spot.

[philipl]

There have been howls of protest about the Rovers not splashing the cash in the transfer market this summer. Below, I have simply taken the crude numbers from the BBC web site to compile the following league table of Premiership spenders this summer.

By net expenditure reported (incoming player fees paid less outgoing player fees received):

1. Chelsea £88.95m

2. Man U £31.40m

3. Liverpool £26.70m (excludes Owen- not disclosed)

4. West Brom £ 9.47m

5. Charlton £ 7.57m

6. Brum £ 4.65m

7. Palace £ 4.55m

8=Spurs £ 4.35m (hides eight not disclosed inwards transfers)

8=Soton £ 4.35m

10. Pompey £ 4.05m

11. Boro £ 3.25m

12. Villa £ 2.45m

13. Rovers £ 1.65m

14. Norwich £ 1.50m

15. Bolton £ 0.50m

16. Arsenal £ 0.15m

17. Man City £ 0.50m profit

18. Fulham £ 1.75m profit

19. Newcastle £ 9.40m profit

20. Everton £17.60m profit

[CAPT KAYOS]

Personally I don't think we can answer this question at the moment as we are in another about change situation with new players.

And with the possibility of Souness MAYBE now realising our strength is surprisingly playing players in their normal positions in a 442 formation perhaps we should now probably ask the question after the next run of 5/6 games.

So for me I am going to be humpty dumpty and sit on the concrete fence (wall)

[vindaloobob]

Tell me evukovic, how can we make our team stronger now that the transfer window has been closed?

How could we make it better when it was open?

[vindaloobob]

And with the possibility of Souness MAYBE now realising our strength is surprisingly playing players in their normal positions in a 442 formation perhaps we should now probably ask the question after the next run of 5/6 games.

hopefully he now has the squad in place to put out a balanced team and wont have to resort to playing people out of position... we'll see tho...

i am glad we've finally got someone (or two) to fit in on the left, hopefully both will start to show signs of class. i was a bit dissapointed that cole went, especially after the partnership he was forming with towards the end of last year. i like dickov's workrate and his willingness to get among them but i'm not sure he has cole's class. i would say the squad is probably looking slightly better than last year, but it really depends how the new players perform, and how stead and gallacher develop

[Jan]

You're all absolutely barking.

We had this daft poll last season as well when you ALL agreed that we had a stronger squad than the year before and look how well THAT turned out.

Our squad has been weakened beyond belief in the past 2 seasons. At least this time we've managed to put in a couple of left-footers, but we couldn't even say that the two of them COMBINED are fit to lace Duff's bootlaces.

Similarly we lose out on the Bothroyd and Dickov v Cole analysis. I know you all like a "rush around" WHITE striker rather than an infinitely more skilful Black one, but hey- that's YOUR problem. Bringing in Amoruso for Berg last season weakened that position beyond belief, and even replacing the useless Gillespie has been done with the even MORE useless Emerton.

All you can say is that this lot are HIS poor choices of personnel rather than someone else's. He'll have to live (or die) metaphorically at least, by this bunch. Looking forward to the resignation Graeme.

Edited September 3, 2004 by Jan

[bob fleming]

So that was a "No" then Jan?

[dave birch]

Jan, as someone I've met; as someone, as a person I like, I can't understand why you hate Souness so much?

The only thing that I can come up with is the hatred of the Rangers versus the Celtic.

Would you be happy with KD to come back again (him being "proddy" and all that) or would you want to get O'Neill as the saviour.

Jan, Souness has done much for the Rovers, give him the benefit of the doubt for a few more matches, give him the credit for the things that he has done for the Rovers. For without him, we would still be in or below the "Championship"

[Jan]

Dave

I found much of that last post to come from ignorance. You're not an ignorant man, so read on

I dislike Souness first and foremost because he is bad for the club. He drives good players away- as a group you sneer at the ones who have gone, but they are better than what we have now- not all admittedly, but a lot.

As for quoting past history- that's silly. we would still be etc......... How do you know? Who's to say that some other manager wouldn't have managed to get us out of the problems we were in AND not alienated the talent? IS that really relevant now?

Give more time? How much more? Till he takes us down again? We've been USELESS for more than a season now, but you don't seem to recognise that.

And just to put you right- your assumption that I'm catholic is as wrong as all of your other assumptions. I've said there are many managers I'd accept in the job. The four I wouldn't are: Souness, Keegan,Graham Taylor and Walter Smith (the last three because they're awful managers the first because he's already failed in the job)

Edited September 3, 2004 by Jan