bluebruce

They're guessing with large financial incentives and teams of professionals estimating the odds. Which, with due respect, probably has more chance of accuracy than your own assessment. Not saying it's gospel. Do what you like, I'm just saying he might be a more negatively minded fan. I'm not going 'deep into it', I'm continuing a conversation at a pretty standard level. I'm sure other fans of their club think differently. Having watched a few seasons of their documentary I know their fans have had wildly differing views on how they'll adjust to different leagues. Yes it's a different step up, that's why I'm not saying they'll get automatic promotion like they have been doing every season. I don't back them for the playoffs either. But I very much doubt they will be struggling come the final month of the season. You can't bet on someone not getting relegated. And even if you could, there wouldn't be odds for it worth betting on because they're expected to do well.

Did he believe that their squad would cope with the intensity of League One or League Two? Did he expect three successive promotions? By the same token we don't watch League One, your friend probably doesn't watch this league enough to make that assessment. And we are only what, halfway through the window? The bookies heavily disagree with your friend. Their owners may be inexperienced but they're a hundred times the owners ours are.

No, you really did. I wasn't actually attempting to respond to yours, the only point I was making is you avoided Wilsden's. Don't then come at me like I a) missed yours or b) frequently miss yours, when neither is remotely true. Please stop these pointlessly defensive arguing tactics you've adopted, and use the tools of rational debate. Now, I'll reiterate for the poster you were initially replying to - why is it ok to judge the signings of other teams, but too soon to judge ours?

You ignored the central point of the post.

I doubt you know their players well unless you watch League One a lot. They will continue to add to it. You also said it didn't matter who they bring in, which seems a strange stance, especially when your point is now who is in their squad. That manager has just taken them to three straight promotions. Why are you convinced he's a massive liability? Because of how he was as a manager years ago? They also have momentum.

Second tier European leagues are common targets for us of late, so I certainly wouldn't rule it out. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that. There are certainly gems to be found.

You'd be massively out of pocket. They won't come close to going down. I'd say they're more likely to go up than down (to be clear I don't think they're very likely to go up either). I can practically guarantee that within 3 years they'll be finishing higher in the league than us, if not this season.

He's trying to recruit so many of our personnel that you almost wonder why he left in the first place. Until you remember the one thing we would love him to take to Derby from Rovers - the owners.

If he goes Derby, we have to agree to compensation or it will go to a tribunal. That's probably what he means, we are setting compo higher than they want to pay. In which case fine, take it to fucking tribunal then. Maybe get your own scouting team too...

'Blackburn are being extremely difficult to deal with' - well if this story is all true, that would be 5 of our better players from last season after taking our manager who had us in the playoffs, so yeh, no shit we are being difficult to deal with!

Sadly, Jason Lowe was first choice not 3rd or 5th.

I was right then, you didn't read my post you were replying to.

Yes, the games he was available for. I feel like you either didn't properly read or misunderstood the previous post you were replying to.

Sounds even less like he could be Brittain's replacement then. The article is talking bollocks methinks.

The eye test. He played very well, consistently.

It's a small sample, and for that reason it's hard to really say he is categorically the best. But looking at it purely in terms of the quality we got on a game-for-game basis, and purely since relegation to the Championship (impossible to compare with Prem days really) IMO Beck comfortably wins that. Whether he all-round is the best LB as an overall player we have had in that period is a different question that would have needed more time to say. I hope the distinction I'm making is clear. That said I do think he'll go on to have a better career than any of the others in that period (again, since relegation rather than 15/20 years). I'm not really counting the Olssons in any of this, as they were bought in the Prem era, I'm talking about players we signed since coming down. I accept it's a different convo again if you include them, and not what the original question was.

So you suggest giving him game time, potentially costing us points, and hoping it convinces him to sign, rather than boosting his profile, attracting the big fish even more, resulting in him buggering off ASAP like Finneran and Phillips? Truthfully we don't have a great hit rate with this. I'd want him to sign before I give him any guarantees of playing time (and tell him he'll get game time if he signs it). Once he's securely our asset for the next 3+ years I'm happy to give him extra game time to develop him. Until then I'd only want to play him when the situation merits it purely on his current playing ability.

He has quite a bit of experience for a 21 year old CB. Over 100 games. I'd expect him to be pushing on now.

I think you might read too much into the friendly selections tbh. Certainly in previous seasons they haven't always reflected who is first choice.

I think he was pointing out we only got 18 million plus the add ons, whilst you're pointing out we get 22 million including the add ons (if they happen...one is a competitive England cap and as far as I'm aware they have only capped him in a friendly so far...if they sell him first I don't believe we would get that).

He's not on a free unless he moves abroad (well, even then there is compo but it's fairly mininal). Where there is usually less money for wages.

The LT usually has a live updates page.

He doesn't appear to have had a very serious injury, at least not since he joined them last summer. Transfermarkt shows him as missing 4 games on 2 occasions, and only one of them shows as injury (the other says not in squad...though I presume that was still an injury as he was a top player for them). He has played since the injury. I think it's more a case of something showed up on a scan that is of concern and could develop into a serious injury. Now the cat is out the bag, his club may well be prepared to accept a deal a bit more like that. Other buyers will be aware of the risk and we were already the best bid. They only paid 250k Euros for him last summer so I wouldn't be surprised if they'll take a bit less guaranteed. I believe the earlier rumours about this renegotiation suggested we were going back to the club to talk the fee down.

More than linked to, pretty sure we were close to signing him if memory serves.

I dunno, 2 years with a 1 year option doesn't sound too bad. I'd probably have preferred 3 years with a 1 year option knowing how we do things with renewals, but at low cost and aged 28, I don't think it's all that odd.