[Archived] Nicko's Thread

[tcj_jones]

I don't understand why people think so little of Bent. He scored more than McCarthy in his first year in the Premiership and had a very good goal to game ratio last season for a team that was eventually relegated. He has really impressed me every time I've watched him and he has a very good all round game. McCarthy is a good goal scorer, as is Bent, but Bent offers so much more in the air and is pretty pacey. If it were a straight swap, I'd take Bent over McCarthy any day.

[USRoverME]

Because Bent's team got relelgated, end of. It is too easy to forget the fact that his team gave up the most goals in the prem last season (tied), that no-one else on his side scroed more than a quarter of what he did in the league. People just see a striker on a relelgated team and immediately think that the guy is no good, if he was he would have scored enough to keep his team up.

[Rover down South]

Nicko, apart from the obvious long term speculation about Benni McCarthy does it look likely that any of our players may be leaving this transfer window? I'm hoping not (apart from Jeffers) as I think the squad is now quite balanced, with maybe just a right back required.

[nicko]

There can always be surprises in August is probably the best and safest thing to say.

Some news though...

The Danish/Algerian kid Djeziri is still about and doing OK. There should be a decision on him this week.

[Rover down South]

There can always be surprises in August is probably the best and safest thing to say.

Some news though...

The Danish/Algerian kid Djeziri is still about and doing OK. There should be a decision on him this week.

Did you say last week he was a midfielder??

[frosty]

Did you say last week he was a midfielder??

Left midfielder if I remember correctly. Anyone confirm this?

[nicko]

Left winger, skillful.

[Eddie]

I don't understand why people think so little of Bent. He scored more than McCarthy in his first year in the Premiership and had a very good goal to game ratio last season for a team that was eventually relegated. He has really impressed me every time I've watched him and he has a very good all round game. McCarthy is a good goal scorer, as is Bent, but Bent offers so much more in the air and is pretty pacey. If it were a straight swap, I'd take Bent over McCarthy any day.

Basically because he doesn't play for us. If he played for us he would either be considered the best player ever (Bellamy) or a great player but one we need to regularly slate (Benni).

[brfc_jonesy]

on the topic of benni mac, i cant see him going to be honest (famous last words) he just seems like his english he isnt great and the quotes come out bad. eg uses the wrong words or mixes words up. Only people i can see going is jeffers and some pieces of crap like that

[mark]

on the topic of benni mac, i cant see him going to be honest (famous last words) he just seems like his english he isnt great and the quotes come out bad. eg uses the wrong words or mixes words up. Only people i can see going is jeffers and some pieces of crap like that

I don't know, English is his first language. I've got the jitters on this one. it's nicko's cautious vibes - who said the media doesn't have an influence??

[Rover 'til I die]

I don't know, English is his first language. I've got the jitters on this one. it's nicko's cautious vibes - who said the media doesn't have an influence??

I would have thought that Afrikaans was his first language......

[thenodrog]

Wonder if Reid can adapt to Mokoena's deep destroying role? Mokoena does what is expected of him in the deep defensive role but his distribution is awful and on yesterdays evidence worsening fast.

I remember seeing Reid playing that role I think against Portsmouth the season before last. I thought then he could grow into the Tugay role.

I said Mokoena Simon .... not Tugay. There's absolutely not a snowflakes chance in hell of Reid 'growing into the Tugay role'!

[thenodrog]

Boringly predictable

The only member of the press pack to talk about transfers out speculation after seeing 5 reports... is Alan Nixon

Really? I'd say that after the signing of RSC was announced at ht the talk of the terraces was 'wonder whose leaving'? Somehow I just cannot see lil ol brfc starting next season with McCarthy, Roberts, Derbyshire and Santa Cruz. Stranger things do happen but I'd be happy for the window to snap shut tomorrow.

[thenodrog]

I like Gally but he has not come through the way I thought.

Unfortunately Paul Gallagher has come through precisely the way I thought! Thats cos he simply hasn't enough to offer to be a top half of the Prem striker!

Be mindful you don't tarnish your credibility on here alan. Look at it another way.... if we were to put him up for sale who do you think would come in for him?

[b12_simon]

I said Mokoena Simon .... not Tugay.

Righto

There's absolutely not a snowflakes chance in hell of Reid 'growing into the Tugay role'!

Players with Tugay's panache are rare as rocking horse and it's possible we'll never have anyone like him in any of our lifetimes. But Reid looks like the best replacement in the current squad (assuming his recovery is complete).

[daren]

Unfortunately Paul Gallagher has come through precisely the way I thought! Thats cos he simply hasn't enough to offer to be a top half of the Prem striker!

Gally's not good enough to be a top half of the Prem striker, at least not now. He has ability and seems to find the net quite well, but he's not exciting enough to take the step from the reserves to the first team. On the other hand, I could see him as a very good, maybe even top, Championship striker, and with that experience pushing into the premiership later. I suppose only time will tell. And the championship's rather competitive these days so it would have to be a team that's willing to take a risk or having trouble getting people elsewhere.

I wouldn't be surprised to see players promoted/marginalised this year. There's a few (such as Taylor) who've been hanging around for a while but not quite made it, and the club (or they themselves) will have to decide whether or not to move on. It's difficult to bring players through - everyone's looking for the next Rooney. Not so easy to spot them though, and some players don't hit their potential until a little later. And because we're an impatient pack of angry wolves looking for the next person to tear into, when times are lean they're easy pickings!

[USABlue]

on the topic of benni mac, i cant see him going to be honest (famous last words) he just seems like his english he isnt great and the quotes come out bad. eg uses the wrong words or mixes words up. Only people i can see going is jeffers and some pieces of crap like that

Doesn't matter what language it's in refusing a new contract means he's refused a new contract.

[Rover 'til I die]

Doesn't matter what language it's in refusing a new contract means he's refused a new contract.

But has he though? Seems like the Daily Mail made it up to me as no one else reported it. Why would we offer a 30 year old who's current deal runs until he's 34 a new contract?

[Roost]

A fringe player, what does he mean by that??, not suprised with Todd though.

How many players have we got with a fringe?

One love - BRFC

[nicko]

Unfortunately Paul Gallagher has come through precisely the way I thought! Thats cos he simply hasn't enough to offer to be a top half of the Prem striker!

I like Gally, but he needs to play to become all he could be. I saw him in the ressies as a kid and thought he was going to be something special. I wasn't alone. Every time I talked to a scout about him they agreed.

Remember he played for Scotland and was in the Premier when he was younger. Not that the first qualifcation says much these days sadly.

The trouble is he may not have that toughness needed to be at the very top.

If he was sold it would be to the Championship now, you are correct.

But just two names to conjure with in that thought - Michael Chopra and David Nugent.

Gallagher has the ability to be as good as those at that level and score as many goals. So that is probably why Rovers keep him, wary that he will go off and turn into a £5 million player.

[thenodrog]

But has he though? Seems like the Daily Mail made it up to me as no one else reported it. Why would we offer a 30 year old who's current deal runs until he's 34 a new contract?

I think 'improved' will be the operative word. We will simply have offered to up his remuneration in line with the 'industry norm' imo.

[rover6]

Gallagher has the ability to be as good as those at that level and score as many goals. So that is probably why Rovers keep him, wary that he will go off and turn into a £5 million player.

Sell-on clause?

Does anyone know if there's been interest in Gally - apart from the monthly rumours from Stoke? He would make a cracking Champ player and if he got his act together, would probably get a good move, which could earn Rovers money via a sell-on clause. Or perhaps Hughes is intending to send him on loan to give him one last chance to prove himself worthy of Rovers...

Gally was decent at Stoke, so I'm surprise that there haven't been more rumours linking him with the Championship.

[LeftWinger]

Can't we send him on loan to someone like Blackpool? Sure they'd be delighted to get a player of his quality. If he had a great season with them it would push his value up if nothing else. He's not going to get many chances at Rovers this year - but who knows in the future.

[Antgrad]

But just two names to conjure with in that thought - Michael Chopra and David Nugent.

Gallagher has the ability to be as good as those at that level and score as many goals. So that is probably why Rovers keep him, wary that he will go off and turn into a £5 million player.

Precisely what i said to a mate the other day. If Preston came and gave us half the Nugent money for Gally he would get them 20 goals next season. He can do it a Championship level as he proved with Stoke. Premiership level? Not so sure. But then again we don't know yet if Nugent or Chopra would make it at Premiership level and my money would be on neither of them being good enough.

[Rover 'til I die]

I think 'improved' will be the operative word. We will simply have offered to up his remuneration in line with the 'industry norm' imo.

But why? Why would we offer him more money when we don't have to?

At the end of his contract he will be 34, so there's no point offering an extension. The only way I can see us offering him a new contract after just one year is IF he has a clause next year and we were offering more money to remove the clause but the same people who are saying there is a clause are saying it is set at £5m which if he did activate it next year we would have made double our money and got 2 years out of a very good striker.

My business brain just doesn't see any sense in this story and the fact that only one source is saying it makes me think it is just the media tryin to unsettle him again. We can't have the silver boot winner playing for Blackburn can we?