What happened the last time we heard that about a Charlton player we were after ? Either sign Philips and stump up the cash if they really want him otherwise move on. It's the dithering that ends up costing more in the long run.

Ill fated signings him and Agnew although i remember the fanfare, then the flop. Dawson was another yet i don't recall seeing him play yet do recall the tales of regular sightings of him and Andy Kennedy on the piss everywhere.

But they've already stretched the rules if they did it the way the reports say so how does he give some of his billions to Charlie buoy without breaking them ? It's still bunging money in to fund signings so they might as well just let him get paid normally.

So if Mulgrew is on 12 grand per week here ( it's probably more ) then they can only pay 1.5pwk. The rest is allowed to be covered in a loan fee. A) Already clubs finding loopholes B ) How do Pompey come up with over half a million quid in one go for a 34 year old ? And surely if that's in installments it's just like paying him directly anyway ? Chip paper !

As usual it gets 'broke' after it's broke ? Means nothing unless it's actually concrete in as far as bids and talks but fills the pages i suppose.

Is that the invasion game ? About 4-2 to them ?

Do Indian lads like doughnuts and table tennis ?

It seems the TM way is to make early enquries to decent players but just half hearted ones. Then sit back and see if that player doesn't get any better offers and we are able we'll jump in late on and do something. 9 times out of ten they do or we just outright can't afford it anyway so that leaves us scrabbling around from list c or d. The same kind of non urgent laid back plodding approach we see and hear week in week out. If we can do it we'll do it, if we can't then fine no big deal. This might be way off the mark but i think we've been through enough windows now to gauge how they work. Horses for courses first and foremost is definitely not in the script.

To go backwards like that so quickly no i wouldn't tough him with a barge pole now. It was another experiment, its failed. Next.

Dalglish carved himself out a lower league career i think. Miles kickaball isn't even non league standard.

Where does that leave the Lee Williamsons of the world and the other dross we signed on thousands per week under embargo ? Guys way down the food chain earning 6 - 8k per week at the likes of Salford is nearly as bad as the top guys earning 50k pwk. Some realism needed all the way through the pyramid. They aren't all going to fit onto the Chelseas of the worlds books nor will they get poached by Dutch and Belgian second tier clubs.

There's someone sat in a PR office somewhere being paid to post in there and other places.

I guess it just shows you how desperate the then owners were to get rid. I'm sure the wheels were well greased all along the chain. Often wondered if Williams reluctance to get involved after he'd gone and it was all going to shit was down to a bit of a guilt trip. His fingerprints were on it if he hired Anderson and ok'd the Venkys although in truth the big decisions then were higher up the food chain.

He can take all the training and pick the team for me, Tony can sit upstairs and watch ?

They hired Anderson to find a buyer not run the club himself but essentially that's what happened.

Oh he was limited alright but surprisingly a 110 goals in 388 appearances. Just a B side Kevin Davies really, Allardyce would've loved him.

They probably did, Trust/Walkers really really wanted rid and they or rather one of them really wanted a football club. He was the ultimate middleman it seems but we are just dealing with it on face value. How it all came about may be far more interesting yet it seems the twohat stayed one step ahead of any potential recourse.

He put himself about, was quite physical and tried to get on the end of stuff. Not much more you can ask of a limited forward. The fact he barely resembled an actual footballer with the ball not withstanding.

Seems to me it was the perfect storm. The Trust were getting desperate after nearly allowing themselves to be conned the first time round. Then he digs up a firm and family that checks out financially on the face of it. From the Indian side he presents them a club whose saleable assets on the books match the asking price and whose wage bill is all but covered by Prem income. The nitty gritty will be far more interesting but he certainly did a snake oil job on both sides so iv'e no doubt they were happy to tip up their million quid each.

The fact he manages to stay in office drawing millions per year says to me he knows too much.

There was absolutely crystal clear conflict of interest going on at Ewood but the snake seemed to have it stitched up legally. I'm sure a real investigation would have thrown up enough evidence to undermine that but they didn't want to know. Who knows who he had in his pockets and also once you do that with one club then several others come forward demanding the same. That shouldn't be a problem it's what the authorities are there for. Sadly they just set a few guidelines that allow a multitude of grey areas in between. That it seems then allows those running the game to remain absolved of any real responsibility.

The release clause is probably the be all and end all in some of these types of situations. Ludicrous to expect a player to sign without insuring himself against his present club holding him hostage asking unreasonable money. Just like saying give a manager a 10 year contract after promotion from lge 1 with a Championship budget but that's the world we live in.

A finders fee went into his pockets from both sides..... The gist of it Rovers were looking for a buyer, that lot were looking for a football club.

He would be now as well, poor player but good target man. Likes of him will always plunder their fair share of goals at their level. I'm going to say Stokes has to be one of if not THE worst signing although he didn't cost big money. He cost in wages, signing on fee and pay off and i'm 99.9% convinced that was a put up job. Him coming here to get his much wanted move to HIbs, who's actually to blame i wouldn't be sure. Rovers may just be the dumb side show as usual but if ever a move warranted an internal investigation it was that one, that b#st#rd had no intention of doing anything here. Complete set up job he's a dodgy as they come.

Just shows what they can achieve when they invest wisely. About early 00's me and the gf at the time met him at an auction in Cheshire of all places, both of us had on some kind Rovers related gear. He clocked us and smiled and nodded then stopped for a chat when our paths crossed. Couldn't meet a nicer guy genuinely still interested in Rovers knew what was going on. I felt a bit guilty for some of the comments i'd no doubt said previously. End of the day though he was just out of his depth at top level, by some way. Never could it be said he didn't graft though or shirk a challenge, fair play to him for spending his money wisely.