January Transfer Deadline Day 2022

[roverandout]

1 hour ago, Miker said:

I think we’ve made 3 top signings in this window in Giles, Zeefuik and Markanday. It’s unfortunate Markanday has been injured though. I don’t know much about Hedges so will reserve judgment until I see more of him.

Did any club make better signings than us? Bournemouth, Stoke and Boro are the only ones that have arguably had better windows.

I wouldn’t class any of those players top signings.  Markanday is potential nothing more same as zeefiuk. Giles has only done it half a season 

[Irish_Rover]

So it looks like we did make a bid for Dembele but the player himself wanted to go to Bournemouth for presumably much bigger cash. If we were the only team in for him I would be fairly certain he would have joined us, and I think the vast bulk of us would be more than happy with the window if he landed (with just the CM position being the only one not addressed).

Have a proper dislike of Bournemouth after yesterday though. I have a feeling they went in for Dembele purely to keep him away from their rivals for promotion, I honestly cant see him having a big impact there, especially from the starting X1 (watch him prove me wrong now!). That combined with their pure d**khead pursuit of Rothwell which it seems the main aim was to unsettle him has rightly peed me off!!

I would find it hilarious if it all backfired on them, which it may well do with trying to get all those players integrated. If it was the start of the season then yeh would say no problems there but with only 17/18 games left you wonder how long will it take them all to get on the same page.

[davulsukur]

1 hour ago, booth said:

I think Hedges and Giles will be on the bench and Zeefuick at left back.

I reckon Giles will start. Wolves rate him loads and there will have been a few clubs after him. 

We must have given a guarantee of game time.

[roversfan99]

2 hours ago, SuperBrfc said:

That's how I see it too. Something doesn't add up. Mowbray's words the other day made it sound like the sale of Rothwell was needed to bring in a couple of new signings. Now we are hearing that we had a bid accepted for Dembele.

I would like to know how much Bournemouth paid for Dembele as the Posh chairman was saying the other day that he won't be leaving for less than £5m. Are we saying that we bid £5m for him yesterday? Even if that wasn't the fee in the end, it's clear that a certain amount of money was made available to spend on Dembele. Is it a case of the owners only making funds available if they like the player or the idea themselves? What happened with this Dembele money once he chose to sign for Bournemouth?

It leaves me questioning what the true position was. It's a bit of a jump to go from the "Rothwell money can be reinvested" to now having offers in for players and playing the hard luck story. We have heard similar in past windows too I.e. "we had offers in for players but it's very difficult" etc.

One thing is for sure, the negotiators at Rovers aren't good enough. It took ages to seal one loan deal yesterday. Leaving signings until the last minute to save a few quid is one thing, but then factor in that we've got Waggott and Venus trying to seal deals in a race against the clock. No wonder we are often left disappointed on deadline day.

There is no way that we bid 5m for Dembele. Their chairman was no doubt posturing as ever when he said that, seems like £1.5m is closer to the mark:

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/transfer-news/blackburn-rovers-bournemouth-dembele-transfer-22940383

[rovers11]

A poor deadline day for us but a good window overall. We kept all of our best players which was the absolutely key bit of business for us. 

We've had a real coup in getting Markanday permanently, Zeefuik looks a good player and a permanent deal is there if we want it, Hedges I'm not so sure about but let's see what he can do, and Giles will be a good addition on loan with his set pieces. 

Think we're a bit light up front and we have to hope Diaz can keep scoring. If he gets injured then we're in real trouble.

My main concern is CM though. Take out Rothwell or Travis and we don't have any real quality to come in. Johnson can plug some gaps for 20 minutes here and there but doesn't really impact a game. Davenport and Edun are just not that good imo. Buckley doesn't have the same impact in a deeper position.

Top 2 will be a stretch too far I think but play offs is very realistic. In fact, I'd be disappointed if we didn't get top 6 at this point and that would be an outstanding season.

Let's not even think about next season yet with no Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell, Diaz, Khadra, Van Hecke...

Edited February 1, 2022 by rovers11

[garnersfags]

So, the debate around what we might and should have done will rage to a whimper.

For what it's worth, all points made have some validity. We may make one out of contract signing, to mitigate for a Brotherston scenario (brilliant post that, btw), but all we can now do is be the 12th man, at home and away. The support has been good since Sheff United, and it will need to be as passionate, and patient, when we lose a few games. 

We are now less sure about top 2, but we achieved priority one, keeping ALL the squad together.

Now we are the 12th man, but how will we perform??? Like Gally, or like Shearer???

C O Y B

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by garnersfags

[Crimpshrine]

Like most people, I have been ecstatic with the progress we've made this season Credit to Mowbray and the players. I don't know any Rovers fans who expected to be in 2nd position in February. It's been a fantastic effort all round.

The results so far have provided an unexpected opportunity which we could have grabbed with both hands if the owners had shown a bit of ambition but I am afraid they haven't. Some of the players we have signed are fine but we needed more in order to push on. Clubs that are successful spend money when they are already at the top. 

We lack experience and that is what you need to get over in these situations. A proven striker and a Berkovic type signing would have made all the difference. We obviously had money for Dembele but I doubt the owners would have sanctioned the purchase of experienced older players - short sighted really.

I see it as a massive opportunity squandered. If we miss out on promotion and then lose the end-of-contract players shortly followed by Brereton, Travis and Kaminski then we are back on the never ending 'journey'. 

I hope we can stay the distance but we really haven't made much of an effort to ensure we do.

 

  

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

9 minutes ago, Crimpshrine said:

Like most people, I have been ecstatic with the progress we've made this season Credit to Mowbray and the players. I don't know any Rovers fans who expected to be in 2nd position in February. It's been a fantastic effort all round.

The results so far have provided an unexpected opportunity which we could have grabbed with both hands if the owners had shown a bit of ambition but I am afraid they haven't. Some of the players we have signed are fine but we needed more in order to push on. Clubs that are successful spend money when they are already at the top. 

We lack experience and that is what you need to get over in these situations. A proven striker and a Berkovic type signing would have made all the difference. We obviously had money for Dembele but I doubt the owners would have sanctioned the purchase of experienced older players - short sighted really.

I see it as a massive opportunity squandered. If we miss out on promotion and then lose the end-of-contract players shortly followed by Brereton, Travis and Kaminski then we are back on the never ending 'journey'. 

I hope we can stay the distance but we really haven't made much of an effort to ensure we do.

 

  

That’s before we go into what we do about the manager.

Edited February 1, 2022 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Vilesinner]

21 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

A poor deadline day for us but a good window overall. We kept all of our best players which was the absolutely key bit of business for us. 

We've had a real coup in getting Markanday permanently, Zeefuik looks a good player and a permanent deal is there if we want it, Hedges I'm not so sure about but let's see what he can do, and Giles will be a good addition on loan with his set pieces. 

Think we're a bit light up front and we have to hope Diaz can keep scoring. If he gets injured then we're in real trouble.

My main concern is CM though. Take out Rothwell or Travis and we don't have any real quality to come in. Johnson can plug some gaps for 20 minutes here and there but doesn't really impact a game. Davenport and Edun are just not that good imo. Buckley doesn't have the same impact in a deeper position.

Top 2 will be a stretch too far I think but play offs is very realistic. In fact, I'd be disappointed if we didn't get top 6 at this point and that would be an outstanding season.

Let's not even think about next season yet with no Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell, Diaz, Khadra, Van Hecke...

Hedges, Giles and Zeefuik could all play in a central midfield position. Also Edun when he returns.

[Vilesinner]

24 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

A poor deadline day for us but a good window overall. We kept all of our best players which was the absolutely key bit of business for us. 

We've had a real coup in getting Markanday permanently, Zeefuik looks a good player and a permanent deal is there if we want it, Hedges I'm not so sure about but let's see what he can do, and Giles will be a good addition on loan with his set pieces. 

Think we're a bit light up front and we have to hope Diaz can keep scoring. If he gets injured then we're in real trouble.

My main concern is CM though. Take out Rothwell or Travis and we don't have any real quality to come in. Johnson can plug some gaps for 20 minutes here and there but doesn't really impact a game. Davenport and Edun are just not that good imo. Buckley doesn't have the same impact in a deeper position.

Top 2 will be a stretch too far I think but play offs is very realistic. In fact, I'd be disappointed if we didn't get top 6 at this point and that would be an outstanding season.

Let's not even think about next season yet with no Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell, Diaz, Khadra, Van Hecke...

I think with our defence we are favourites for 2nd place. And the reason Bournemouth were panicking. 🙂

[roversfan99]

1 minute ago, Vilesinner said:

Hedges, Giles and Zeefuik could all play in a central midfield position. Also Edun when he returns.

Seems like beyond square pegs in round holes with some of those. Zeefuik is a right back/right wing back, has he ever played in central midfield? Hedges is an attacking winger, has he ever played in a central midfield 2? Giles is a wing back/winger, has he ever played in a central midfield 2? How long will Edun be out does anyone know as he would be the obvious one out of those 4.

[Vilesinner]

39 minutes ago, Irish_Rover said:

So it looks like we did make a bid for Dembele but the player himself wanted to go to Bournemouth for presumably much bigger cash. If we were the only team in for him I would be fairly certain he would have joined us, and I think the vast bulk of us would be more than happy with the window if he landed (with just the CM position being the only one not addressed).

Have a proper dislike of Bournemouth after yesterday though. I have a feeling they went in for Dembele purely to keep him away from their rivals for promotion, I honestly cant see him having a big impact there, especially from the starting X1 (watch him prove me wrong now!). That combined with their pure d**khead pursuit of Rothwell which it seems the main aim was to unsettle him has rightly peed me off!!

I would find it hilarious if it all backfired on them, which it may well do with trying to get all those players integrated. If it was the start of the season then yeh would say no problems there but with only 17/18 games left you wonder how long will it take them all to get on the same page.

When Parker is such a poor manager that is pretty likely. Remember a great manager like King Kenny even struggled with a lot of great players at his disposal in the Championship.

If our defence stays strong we can do it.

 

[Vilesinner]

44 minutes ago, roverandout said:

I wouldn’t class any of those players top signings.  Markanday is potential nothing more same as zeefiuk. Giles has only done it half a season 

I would say we have made 4 fantastic signings. Hedges looked great in training the other day.

Remember we are not Liverpool. We must cut our cloth accordingly. 

[Vilesinner]

1 hour ago, Mellor Rover said:

Against other 18 year olds.

I remember Wayne Rooney coming through pretty quickly at Everton. Ash Phillips and Adam Wharton are definitely going to be in our squad before the season is out. Possibly Leonard too. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

6 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Seems like beyond square pegs in round holes with some of those. Zeefuik is a right back/right wing back, has he ever played in central midfield? Hedges is an attacking winger, has he ever played in a central midfield 2? Giles is a wing back/winger, has he ever played in a central midfield 2? How long will Edun be out does anyone know as he would be the obvious one out of those 4.

I could be wrong, no inside information, but the injury to Edun didn’t good going off his demeanour as he left the pitch.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, Vilesinner said:

I remember Wayne Rooney coming through pretty quickly at Everton. Ash Phillips and Adam Wharton are definitely going to be in our squad before the season is out. Possibly Leonard too. 

Wayne Rooney’s come along about once every 10 to 15 years. Like Gazza. 

[1864roverite]

2 hours ago, DE. said:

Snodgrass has been on pretty high wages wherever he's been, hasn't he? I don't know if we'd be able to come close on terms. He has also left clubs more than once for supposedly being a disruptive influence, and with our current team spirit I'd rather avoid something like that.

Snodgrass can never command high wages again that’s why he is unemployed

[rovers11]

19 minutes ago, Vilesinner said:

Hedges, Giles and Zeefuik could all play in a central midfield position. Also Edun when he returns.

Square pegs? 

[rovers11]

13 minutes ago, Vilesinner said:

I would say we have made 4 fantastic signings. Hedges looked great in training the other day.

Remember we are not Liverpool. We must cut our cloth accordingly. 

I hope Hedges does really well but looking good in training is completely different to looking good in a competitive game. But he's obviously got some talent. 

[Herbie6590]

3 hours ago, Glosrover said:

So appears Snodgrass a free agent now? similar player to Rothwell and while probably mid-thirties, might be worth a punt as a bit of nous and experience in the squad?

Not so sure…WBA fan

[darrenrover]

2 hours ago, JHRover said:

I don't think there is any money unless certain strict criteria are met. I also believe that Mowbray's power and influence have been reduced over the last 12-18 months in terms of flexibility on players - previously he had the ability to bring in established experienced players, often ones he had encountered previously, whereas recently they have been younger players with seemingly no link to him. We have seen fees paid out in the last few windows on Pickering, Edun, Markandy - but these fees are generally only very small and all are done with high confidence that the outlay will be covered quickly.

All in all not a bad way to do business as ideally all transfers would grow in value but it places severe limitations on what can be done. It is clear there has been a shift in policy.

I think Mowbray says a lot but a lot of it turns out to be grossly exaggerated or simply doesn't happen. I don't really blame him for that as there are so many components and cogs turning that him saying one thing one week and then a short time later things have changed.

The days of him getting multi-millions to invest in a Gallagher, Brereton or Armstrong seem to have gone, replaced by a focus on loans and a few hundred grand deals here and there.

In my view that change sits directly with the inability of Mowbray to head off to India and sit around a table with the head honchos,  losing his direct line to them and instead having to deal through Pasha who by most accounts is a Balaji man.

Mowbray himself has admitted that communications have changed and that they have been difficult at times.

No coicidence that the only 3 managers to last under Venkys - Kean, Bowyer and Mowbray - early on in their times jumped on a plane to Pune - it not only secures their position but also is the best, perhaps only, way of getting approval on significant backing. Back in the days of Kean we thought it bizarre that he would put himself through that difficult journey several times a year and wondered why it was so important to keep them sweet in Pune. I think we can see now why he did that.

I agree with all of that and the change in policy is extremely sensible as far as the club is concerned.....it's about value for money now and future potential re-sale value, with emphasis on youth.

It may not satisfy everyone, who still expect us to be making multimillion pound signings still but those days have gone for now. Who knows, in the future they could well return.

But to quote Souness of old, "we have to wee with the willy we've got" (and that was under Walker Trust)!

[CambridgeRover]

My favourite signing is Hedges, really think he can kick on now and help.us in the second half of the season

[Fraserkirky]

I reckon Hedges will prove to be the signing of the window, will get plenty of game time, over the last 17 games. 

My little bro is a season ticket holder at Aberdeen, and everytime I have asked him about Hedges for the last few months, he ignored me 😄

He cracked yesterday and said he is a quality player, can get roughed up a bit in the SPL, but has a brilliant left foot and is a really good finisher. 

He confirmed a wide right forward position would be hedges ideal position, cutting in on his left. Will play up top with Breo, maybe be even on Sat, depending on Khadra and Gallys conditon.

[darrenrover]

Ryan Giles will become a cult hero at Ewood IMO...a fantastic signing and I hope it's on a temp to perm basis and not just a loan.

He can play anywhere down the left, has a great engine, a free-kick specialist, can pick a pass and has a wand of a left foot.

[booth]

1 hour ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

We don’t tend to play with out and out strikers, they’re more advanced forwards. Dolan, Khadra, Gallagher, Brereton and Hedges can all play there. We don’t necessarily need another conventional number 9. 

By advanced forwards, do you mean players who don't score many goals?