I remember his best goal as being one he scored after his injury (someone with better memory might correct me on either count). Liverpool. Sublime skill and smashed it into the corner from the edge of the box. I truly thought the real Matt Jansen was back that day and he would still go to the top. I was delighted for him and for us. I truly don't understand why it never happened. I guess the mental problems were too severe and it wasn't enough, or maybe as someone alluded to earlier, his brain physiologically couldn't do everything it used to, just little touches of genius like that, sporadically.

He has played a bit in the Championship.

We could also do better.

He tried that. Why doesn't Hanley play for Scotland anymore and Mulgrew does?

It's too much worse, the article seemed to imply. Definitely played a lot less games anyway.

Quite possibly. We are definitely slower out of the blocks than we should be due to the system of Pune approval. It does boggle my mind why those meetings aren't done sooner, especially this year where we knew our status next season very very early. But we can only speculate what went on behind the scenes in that transfer. His agent could easily have known at the time that Villa, and maybe other clubs like them, were also monitoring McGinn. If TM's comments are to be believed, agents in that situation ask for very high wages early in the summer until they see how the interest from various clubs pans out. You could be right though.

I do think weakness of management probably comes into it, in a sense, although some might argue it's just Mowbray's philosophy. He clearly likes to have a happy dressing room, and we shouldn't pretend that doesn't have its benefits. I feel like he goes a bit too far to maintain that though at times. I reckon there are players who would ask for more if we are paying a newcomer beyond what our wage structure suggests, or their agents would anyway. I think in TM's mind, when this happens, we either authorise better deals (and once you start that, others who were silent at first suddenly do expect more) or you piss those players off and upset the harmony. Not saying I agree with various aspects of his approach, I don't, but the point is it's a more complicated balancing act than just approving 5k (or 10k, etc) more. If it weren't, then yes it would always be the right call to pay one excellent player a bit more instead of using that bit more to buy a squad player. Not sure what you mean by stuff like that being written into contracts? I didn't mean player contracts stipulate wages have to go up if a new player's are high, that'd be madness. The only one I can think could potentially have a clause like that is Dack, but I hadn't even considered that until now and he probably doesn't. As for the last sentence there, we shouldn't underestimate the greed of players and their agents. Everyone in this league is on superb money relative to the real world but it never stops them trying for more.

Precisely why we shouldn't do that lol...hopefully if we do sign him, it's on a lot less than that (doubtful though). Madness to pay him that whilst turning our nose up at the 25k or so I assume McGinn would have wanted. Although I suppose the short termism comes into play. It's a bit easier to say 'Look lads, this guy has a ton of pedigree and experience and will give us some class for one season to hopefully push us to promotion and improve your careers, plus he's free. That's why we're giving him pay parity with our top earners, and next season he'll be gone'. As opposed to 'We're signing this 23-year old defensive midfielder from Hibs and paying him more than any of you for the next four years. Yes Dacky, more than you too. What? No he has zero experience in the English leagues.' (Note - not that I think Downing would get us promotion)

Agree we are carrying some dross (the recent contract offers for Conway and Gladwin, and the Leutwiler extension epitomised this) that we need to be shifting to make room on the wage bill. However I don't think it's quite as simple as not being willing to stump up 5k per week more for a player than you were originally willing. The problem is once you're paying certain players a certain amount, the rest want a bigger slice too. If we assume that paying that player 5k per week more results in the rest of the squad thinking they're worth, let's say on average another 1k per week (you'd maybe have the Dacks expecting more like another 5k, but fringe players would be more modest). Then you're looking at maybe what, 20k per week? Obviously not everyone demands more right away (they might wait for their next extension talks, or be sensible and realise they're not on the same level as the new star player and never ask for it), and these figures are hypothetical, but it's just to illustrate the knock-on effect can be a lot more than 5k per week in the long term. In the time between any further pay rises, it also risks deharmonising the squad to a degree. It's about the overall wage structure and maintaining that so we are sustainable going forward. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as frustrated when we miss out on the McGinns etc over a few grand a week, but I don't believe it's as simple as that.

I've seen this mentioned a few times, so it's worth pointing out that Bauer does have Championship experience. They bought him when they were in the Championship, then got relegated that season. He played 19 games in the league and a couple of cup games, so sayeth the Wiki. It's not tons of experience of course (less than Brereton's before he signed, but also more than say, Joe Rothwell before he signed), and only making about half the games for a team that got relegated might mean he wasn't up to much, or could just mean he had injuries, but it's factually inaccurate to say he doesn't have Championship experience. Assuming you and others meant 'any' rather than 'substantial' Championship experience.

We were linked with him last summer I seem to recall. Or might have been the Jan window?

He turned 20 in April according to Wiki. Finally, an aspect of the Brereton debate can change! I suspect we will still be spending most of the next transfer window (or two? three?) still talking about him.

Read your own, also read mine and others who are speaking to you, and you'll neither be completely inconsistent in your own arguments, nor make ridiculous comparisons to gladiators.

A real waste. A mate of mine who is an Arsenal fan used to really want him - in fact still says they should have got him back then. We are both bemused how things worked out. Just down to him making the wrong move in his impatience to get out/desire for more money. Unless you're Russian, playing in Russia seems to be a career graveyard.

Are you really obtuse enough to miss the point twice, even when I spelt it out so clearly? If that's all you've got then it really would be pointless having a discussion with you, so I will just leave it here.

Think he's just asking you to be consistent with your own arguments, instead of shifting them with the wind when it suits.

You don't know how the deal breaks down in numbers. Nobody outside the top people in the clubs involved does. Even the LT has reported inconsistent figures.

In that first season at this level (not the case for Grealish) he scored 9 more goals and got the same number of assists. They're very different types of players, and I've not seen a lot of Grealish to say who I think is better, but the stats suggest 'not a patch' is a bit harsh on Dack.

Good point, hadn't considered that. It does have to be equal to or better than his existing deal though, which you'd think means there's a chance he'll sign it. Not that I particularly care, it's not a prospective signing that hugely whets the appetite (though you never know how these ones will turn out).

Sambou, striker target (probably for the youth team) offered new deal by Everton. https://www.google.com/amp/s/the72.co.uk/134069/blackburn-rovers-striker-target-offered-new-deal-at-premier-league-club/amp/

Interesting, a big black mark against the LT's reliability then, with them having phrased our supposed enquiry as fact.

Sorry to have committed the grievous sin of showing you're most likely wrong. I made two posts about it, prior to this one. So at the point of you making that post, you'd made the same number.

Or 1.08 million. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/maceo-rigters/transfers/spieler/27701 Or 350-400k https://www.footballtransferleague.co.uk/players/maceo_rigters https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/2289445.blackburn-striker-heading-for-the-exit/ I'd tend to go with the LT version usually, but who knows? Or who cares at this point...

He thinks he is better, allegedly. (I'd normally preserve the term allegedly for something with pretty much criminal implications...I'd say Gladwin claiming he is better than Dack more or less is criminal)

Nah it was nothing like that. Fairly cheap deal. Don't remember the reported fee but it was a lot less than that.