I can feel this being the day Telalovic gets his first goal.

Even though he probably won't even make it onto the pitch. 

8 minutes ago, Mike E said:

What a horrible outlook you have.

You're correct.

My lack of empathy for professional athletes getting raises is one of my least desirable character traits.

Just now, OldEwoodBlue said:

We are awful.

Being bossed at home by 3rd bottom.

Siggy shit as usual. Gally back to being Gally.

Awful bench. Not a single game changer. Can only get worse after subs.

Bossed is a little strong. They've edged it, but not by a ton. 

This is a particularly awful half of football. From both sides. 

Can we stop feeling sorry for Wharton.

He's earning tons and living his dream. He wouldn't swap places with you. Leave it be. 

4 minutes ago, Mars Rover said:

We're very fortunate that their forward can't make a good decision to save his life.

Maybe, but he does show how dangerous a bit of pace up front can be. 

Just now, jim mk2 said:

If Tomasson does go I hope Broughton goes with him. I don’t like the dual role model and would prefer a traditional manager in charge of player recruitment and the team. Broughton as far as I can see had added little extra value, one or two good ones but plenty of duds too. 

That model doesn't really exist anymore. We'd struggle to find a manager who wants or expects to also be running player recruitment. 

I hope JDT doesn't go as I think there have been enough positives to think that he could be part of a rebuild next season. He also comes across as someone who genuinely cares about his job and delivers a fair amount of honesty in the messages that he sends to supporters. 

That being said, this season has been more negatives than positives. As others mentioned, if we removed that likeability (which isn't really part of the job description) he would be under a lot more pressure. 

Overall, I don't think it was the worst window that we've seen in recent years, but the real test will be what money is available in the summer and how it is used. We can only hope that the funding issues will have been resolved, the coffers will have been topped up, and, with no FFP excuses, that we have a good shortlist of players to go after in the summer.

Hope springs eternal, but I won't hold my breath. 

We made a couple of sensible additions and added a potential goalscoring threat who will have to be judged in the next 6-18 months. It's not like we're knocking on the door of the playoffs, so I take no real issue with saving some of the spending power for the summer.

Losing Wharton is a real shame, but we all knew it would happen eventually. It happened sooner than we may have hoped, but I do think we got a good fee for him (assuming that there's a decent sell-on clause in there).

It's impossible to not feel saddened by losing a talented player who clearly cared for the club. That is a rare thing these days. We've lost more talented players, but it's been long time since we lost talent who actually had an affinity for Blackburn Rovers and who probably didn't want to jump ship quite as quickly as he did. 

All that being said, last night's performance from Kobbie Mainoo also provided a timely reminder. There's lots of talent out there and those thinking that we've just sold a future England international who will grace multiple Champions League knock-out stages may find that we've overestimated how unique his ability is.

Wharton is replaceable in terms of the actual impact he was having on our squad and performances. He may not be replaceable in terms of a player with that much upside and room for development.

Over to the owners and our CEO to prove that a sensible business model can be achieved at this club. Over to GB and the scouting department to prove that they can make good use of money when it is available.

I don't buy the loyalty bonus story for a second.

Like most of the things surrounding this saga, it makes no sense.

First of all, I doubt that Wharton had the leverage to negotiate that kind of percentage (or to have that type of unpaid bonus).

Secondly, are we really supposed to believe that would expect to be paid before we are? And that this would hold the transfer up? 

16 minutes ago, J*B said:

I don’t believe the local media reports for a second. They stink of reporting the Rovers PR line.

Think about it - why do you inform people at midnight that a transfer isn’t happening, for a flight that lands at 8AM if there’s a potential hiccup in the Wharton deal? You don’t! You wait until the morning when you get clarification on the Wharton situation because the player is on a plane regardless. The plane isn’t turning around, there’s no need to inform anyone the deal isn’t happening until the player is at Brockhall with a pen in his hand. 

I'm not sure I believe it either, but there is a reason that I can see.

Orlando is 5 hours behind, so he's landing in the middle of the night local time for them. That means that it would be difficult for us to give them any update between about midnight and noon (when likely our admin are fully signing off for the day and when there's might be starting their day if people are paying extra attention given deadline day here).

It would actually be honourable to communicate a potential snag before he lands, but it still doesn't make some of the other information line up.  

I actually don't mind us keeping most of our powder dry - assuming that there is any powder.

There are a couple areas of the squad that desperately need to be addressed, but good deals are rarely done in January. I'd like us to get some key pieces in to keep things from falling apart and to plan to really shape the squad this summer. 

Why is everyone so adamant that Wharton was forced out?

I don't think he was actively looking for a move, but I also doubt that he took too much convincing.

Because of the podcast I'm part of, I know that his agent has been very actively promoting him over the past 6 months and things really increased in January.

Could just be described as an agent doing a good job, or it could be that they decided that a move was likely in the next 6-12 months and they needed to raise his profile.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, about this seems bizarre or makes the club look poorly run. I'll judge them on how we use the money now, not for the fact that we sold a 19-year-old for our club record fee. 

Never mind all of these 'to Crystal Palace' comments. How do you think other fans have felt when Blackburn Rovers have stepped in to snap up their talent? 

On 25/01/2024 at 15:42, den said:

I’m trying to remember when selling your best players ever worked for us. Buying good players certainly does. Selling them to pay a tax bill has no chance of working.

'Worked out' is a bit difficult to define.

I can certainly think of several times when we've sold our best player at absolutely their top market value and when their subsequent career has been disappointing. 

Did we miss them? Almost always. Might their careers have been different had they stayed? Quite possibly. But history would tell you that selling a player when a big bid comes in is rarely a dumb decision.

Now, in spite of all that, we've consistently failed to wisely reinvest windfalls (if we even reinvest them these days). 

2 minutes ago, den said:

Had an idea.

Instead of selling every youngster worth anything at the drop of a hat, why not keep hold of them for as long as possible, they would give us a better chance of reaching the PL - then we could keep them and even add to them with even better players?

How does that plan compare to the plan since JW died?

We've tried the keep them as long as possible route.

They leave on frees. 

14 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Given Dunn didn't really fulfil his potential Wharton "should" far surpass what he achieved.

Not entirely sure how that logic really works.

1 minute ago, Paul Mani said:

I’d put good money right now that Adam Wharton will go further than David Dunn.

AW is raw and inconsistent but there’s elements of his game that are breathtaking. Like, much better than even just ‘Premier League’ standard.

There are moments in games where he gives me ‘peak’ Tugay vibes. No higher praise than that..imo Tugay would’ve been running City’s midfield if he were playing in this era.

 

I'll take that bet.

Peak Tugay vibes? Come on. That's an insult to Tugay. 

26 minutes ago, rog of the rovers said:

I agree with the overall sentiment Duncan, but is Adam ''levels above'' what David Dunn ever was? Probably for another thread 👀😂 but Dunny did make his debut in the Premier League at 19, was England u21 captain at 20 and almost exclusively spent a career in the top flight.

Dunn was better at the same age. By a young age he was a driving force in a genuinely good side. Wharton makes some nice passes and had a lot of talent, but he drifts in and out of matches and isn't the type of player who can really grab a match by the scruff of the neck.

6 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

So.....We've flogged off the crown jewels (Phillips and Wharton) for the grand sum of £24m.

What do we do in 12 to 18 months Time?

No, because we have a substantial sell-on fee with Phillips and we will likely have something similar with Wharton.

If either one of them fulfills their potential and the 'crown jewel' status, then we will probably have brought in closer to 40m+. That's a lot of money for two relatively unproven players from the Championship.

3 minutes ago, lraC said:

I have to admit, I rate him very highly and it that's too highly in some people eye's I will hold my hands up.

He is the real deal in my opinion and will shine for Palace.

My guess is he will be there no more than 2 full seasons and he will get a mega move.

Maybe he will, but the certainty with which people say it is, quite frankly, insane.

He's very talented for his age, but still fails to make an impact for us consistently. Now he has to do that at a much higher level. The higher level might suit him. He may benefit from having more talented players around him, but it's still a big step.

We can sometimes have blinders on when viewing our own talent. That player x is definitely the best in a certain position in the league or the type of talent we haven't seen in years.

We're not long removed from serious debates of 'Dack or Grealish?'.

I wish him all the best, but there's a very good chance that he never comes close to the heights that many on here are expecting. A good Premier League career would still be incredible and a testament to his talent and our academy, but people talk about him as if he is a world-class talent.

We could go through a fairly long list of players of a similar age who are already proving themselves at a much higher level. 

I'm not sure this is the best timing for Wharton to leave (for us or for him) and I'm not sure it's the best move, but do wish him luck.

Some on here regard him a little too highly. It's a fair price, he's talented, but a lot of development ahead if he is to establish himself in the Premier League. 

1 minute ago, RoversClitheroe said:

£2.3m? 

Wharton money incoming, Gallagher off too I assume.

Gallagher seems likely. Wharton not necessarily.

There's also the Raya money. And technically there should have been this famous 'war chest'. 

6 hours ago, tomphil said:

If he doesn't really want to go yet, which i suspect, but the club have little choice but to sell then that is is the reality of our mess not the reality of football.

I'd wager if it goes through that is the more likely deciding factor.

All of that is conjecture. Don't frame it as fact. 

We'll be putting in a fresh set of unrelated merch next week. So, if you want to get one and you haven't ordered, you should place your order today or tomorrow. 

2 hours ago, Upside Down said:

When the club has come out numerous times stating that they have absolutely no ambition, why would anyone want to stay here?

I don't necessarily disagree and I'm not saying that the problems we all complain about won't be motivating factors for someone to leave.

But, we could be absolutely flying and a Premier League club could still tempt Wharton. We could be promoted and next season a more established Premier League club (which Palace would be) could still tempt Wharton.

There are our problems. There are the realities of football. They may both play a part, but the realities of football will be far more of a factor. 

3 hours ago, Mercer said:

So it it seems Palace have had encouragement from the Wharton family / agent to make a play for Adam and Gallagher is 'frustrated' with Rovers turning down Ipswich bids.

Suggests to me all is far from well in the Ewood dressing room and 'key' players recognise we are going nowhere and want away.  When this happens with a Blackburn born and bred lad like Wharton then alarm bells should be ringing.

 

Why?

It has happened many times before. Dunn eventually wanted away. Duff wasn't born and bred, but was very much Blackburn through-and-through until he very quickly wasn't. 

Even when the club is doing well, heads will be turned by bigger clubs.

Palace are in the Premier League and will not only offer Wharton more money, but the Premier League exposure makes them a much better stepping stone for a move to a genuinely big club for the future - and helps his England prospects. 

We can ignore the reality of being a Championship club. Not only being a Championship club, but a club that Wharton will barely even remember ever having been in the Premier League.

Many on here talk like 1995 was yesterday, it's approaching 30 years ago. 

Of course Wharton would want to at least consider a Palace move. Even if he wants to stay he'd be a fool not to either be flattered by the interest or curious about what he might get.

I've had moments where I'd loved my job, but I would never turn down a job interview somewhere else. Why would a footballer be any different?

There's plenty to be depressed about when it comes to Rovers, but one of our players being potentially interested in a Premier League move should not be one of them. Especially not when he's on a long-term contract and we actually have some control over the matter.