Blackburn Rovers Transfer Rumours/ Discussion 2007-2008

Lemlin

Alright lads,

There was one of these a while back so I said I'd have a go at getting another one going because there are quite a few Rovers supporters on here, and maybe supporters of other clubs who fancy having a word or two about the blue 'n' whites.

Latest news:

Win in the Intertoto - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/6920630.stm

Good to see the lads have a comprehensive win. Even if it was against a piss poor team. Pedersen had an 'alright' season (poor by the season before's standards) last year and Bentley stole most of the limelight so it was good to see him score and set up two other goals.

The team lined out as I would expect them to this season:

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Friedel

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Ooijer

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Samba

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Nelsen

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Warnock

Bentley

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Savage

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Mokoena

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Pedersen

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Roberts

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McCarthy

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The only change I would expect is for Mokoena to be dropped for either Steven Reid or Dunn. Other than that, perhaps Santa Cruz, Rigters, Nonda or Derbyshire would be in there ahead of Roberts.

The other big news at the club - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/6918910.stm

Not sure about his signing to be honest. I was very happy with the players we had up front already. McCarthy is a top notch striker and he and Roberts were banging in goals when they got playing together at the end of last season.

As well as that, the team have Derbyshire on the bench. I think he will make a big impact this season. Nonda is half decent too and I'm hearing good things about Rigters. So why was Santa Cruz needed? He wasn't I feel.

That said, Hughes is a dab hand at plucking players from obscurity so I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's meant to be an aerial threat so maybe McCarthy will play well off him. He's certainly a better option than James Beattie, who Rovers were being linked to earlier in pre-season.

I'm hoping to see another player or two at Rovers before the season begins.

delta_bravo

im really excited about cruz. Typical shrewd hughes purchase. Once he doesnt turn into Corrado Grabbi ill be happy

KdjaCL

Lemlin

This guy any use?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Barker

Looks unfit atm but has a cracking left foot.


kdjac

Lemlin

KdjaCL wrote:

Lemlin

This guy any use?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Barker

Looks unfit atm but has a cracking left foot.


kdjac

Isn't he playing at St Pats now? He had a trial with Gretna before St Pats and they wouldn't take him. I wouldn't be too sure but I doubt it tbh. Never heard too much about him.

The next big hope from the academy is Joe Garner. He went on loan to Carlisle at the end of last season and scored 5 goals in 17 starts. Hardly prolific but he's only just gone 20.

Sergio Peter is another big hope who has already appeared for the first team. Some fans were even hoping that Blackburn would cash in on MGP to allow Peter to get his chance on the left wing he's rated that highly.

im really excited about cruz. Typical shrewd hughes purchase. Once he doesnt turn into Corrado Grabbi ill be happy

Is he really needed though? I would of preferred to see some more defensive cover or a central midfielder.

I've heard also that Rigters can play on the wing and I'm wondering if he has been bought to cover both up front and on the wing.

McCarthy and Roberts should be the first choice front pairing IMO. They were playing superbly together at the end of last season and seem to get on well off the pitch too.

I think Hughes is definitely building up the squad with the thought of a good European run in mind.

KdjaCL

he eh didnt make it with you.

http://www.stpatsfc.com/player.php?playerid=58

Signed for us last month, looks handy but not fit.

kdjac

Lemlin

KdjaCL wrote:

he eh didnt make it with you.

http://www.stpatsfc.com/player.php?playerid=58

Signed for us last month, looks handy but not fit.

kdjac

Just spotted that there and changed my post but you got in ahead of me

I thought he was at Gretna. He might do an alright job and he's a good free signing.

Lemlin

New away kit launched, I like it:

http://www.rovers-store.com/Product.pasp

ctrl-alt-delete

Lemlin wrote:

Not sure about his signing to be honest. I was very happy with the players we had up front already

. . .

Hughes is a dab hand at plucking players from obscurity so I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I am really excited myself about the purchase of Santa Cruz, and i certainly wouldn't describe him as being plucked from obscurity - given his international record and the fact he has been with Bayern Munich since he was 17

He is much more than just an aerial threat too, although that is the main reason Hughes signed him, looking at his hat trick goals against Columbia in the Coppa America shows what he is capable of.

Lemlin wrote:

Nonda is half decent too

Nonda has not being held onto by Blackburn as far as I am aware - he doesn't appear in the squad list anyways.

I do worry sometimes about Blackburns youth policy though, a good few decent strikers have came through during the years but whatever managers were in charge at the time seem to have signed others instead rather than giving them a decent role.

although im excited by Santa Cruz i would much rather see Derbyshire in action. Like Hughes though i believe you can never have too many strikers - and it is probably the position in which you can most see the benefits that competition for places brings.

delta_bravo

Lemlin wrote:

New away kit launched, I like it:

http://www.rovers-store.com/Product.pasp

Good the see the old black and red halves. Very annoying that it isnt launched till the 23rd of August. Thats very late on

Lemlin

ctrl-alt-delete wrote:

I am really excited myself about the purchase of Santa Cruz, and i certainly wouldn't describe him as being plucked from obscurity - given his international record and the fact he has been with Bayern Munich since he was 17

He is much more than just an aerial threat too, although that is the main reason Hughes signed him, looking at his hat trick goals against Columbia in the Coppa America shows what he is capable of.



Nonda has not being held onto by Blackburn as far as I am aware - he doesn't appear in the squad list anyways.

I do worry sometimes about Blackburns youth policy though, a good few decent strikers have came through during the years but whatever managers were in charge at the time seem to have signed others instead rather than giving them a decent role.

although im excited by Santa Cruz i would much rather see Derbyshire in action. Like Hughes though i believe you can never have too many strikers - and it is probably the position in which you can most see the benefits that competition for places brings.

Santa Cruz hasn't been plucked from obscurity alright but he hasn't had the career that was expected of him. Hughes says he may have as big an impact as Benni and, with him saying something like that that, I'd be excited.

I think he still has to break up the first choice partnership of Benni and Roberts. Benni has already come out and said that Cruz will face a big battle for a place because the two of them were working so well together at the end of last season.

It appears you may be right about Nonda, although no-one is sure exactly what happened to him. He is not on the list of players Rovers released, although that may be because he was on loan, and there was news earlier in the Summer that Newcastle were after him but Rovers signed him for 2 million.

What also throws me is that he's listed as a Rovers player on fantasy.premierleague.com? That said, he hasn't been training with the team or appeared in any of the pre-season friendlies so it looks like he's gone.

Word has it that Rovers are now after a defender and missed out on Steven Whittaker. This is definitely the area I'd like to see strengthened. Samba and Nelsen are definitely first choice but, after them, we only have Zhurab as cover now that Todd has left.

Speaking of which, the 'Blackeye Rovers' fraternity are now definitely out of the club. Bellamy, Neill, Dickov and Todd have all moved on, leaving only Savage as the only controversial figure at Ewood.

I'm really looking forward to a season of the great football that Hughes gets the team playing. Paramount to that though is a good start which is where Rovers usually struggle. However, they've won all of their pre-season friendlies bar one (where Hughes tried out an experimental 4-2-4 formation with two wing strikers) and the two 'competitive' games against Vetra should also give the team an edge.

astrofool

Funny, if someone on here had called them 'Blackeye Rovers' during that period, you'd have had a 5 page insult thread going back and forth

~Rebel~

Lemlin wrote:

What also throws me is that he's listed as a Rovers player on fantasy.premierleague.com? That said, he hasn't been training with the team or appeared in any of the pre-season friendlies so it looks like he's gone.

id say the loan deal just expired. fantasy.premierleague.com seems to be a bit behind the times in some cases, they still have Gonzalez as a Liverpool player as well.

I could see Blackburn doing really well this season, especially if Reid can keep fit. 2 quality wingers in Gamst and Bentley and a rake of decent strikers! I think Rigters could be a great buy (if he actually gets to play much!). Ive only seen him in the U-21's but he really had an eye for goal. it wasn't the prettiest at times but he had the whole "right place, right time" thing every good striker needs, and for the price he was a bargain. maybe a year on loan considering the competition might not be a bad idea.

Lemlin

~Rebel~ wrote:

id say the loan deal just expired. fantasy.premierleague.com seems to be a bit behind the times in some cases, they still have Gonzalez as a Liverpool player as well.

I could see Blackburn doing really well this season, especially if Reid can keep fit. 2 quality wingers in Gamst and Bentley and a rake of decent strikers! I think Rigters could be a great buy (if he actually gets to play much!). Ive only seen him in the U-21's but he really had an eye for goal. it wasn't the prettiest at times but he had the whole "right place, right time" thing every good striker needs, and for the price he was a bargain. maybe a year on loan considering the competition might not be a bad idea.

I have a feeling that Rigters will be used as backup for the wingers. Having strikers like him and Derbyshire on the bench is a massive plus point for the squad. Particularly with a UEFA Cup campaign this season.

Hopefully Reid will return soon enough but Rovers have ample cover at the moment in Mokoena and Dunn. Tugay is too old to start games now IMO but will make a great impact sub to throw on late in games. Bentley can also cover the centre if needed with Rigters or Emerton covering the right wing.

One player I expect to become a cult hero (if he isn't already) is Samba. He looks to have established a solid partnership with Nelsen in pre season and has headed in a few goals, including two against Preston in a friendly at the weekend.

smackbunnybaby

have you Rovers fans heard anything about Jeffers or Gallagher possibly leaving for Sheffield Wednesday this week?

Lemlin

smackbunnybaby wrote:

have you Rovers fans heard anything about Jeffers or Gallagher possibly leaving for Sheffield Wednesday this week?

Jeffers was hotly tipped with Ipswich at the start of pre-season but it is believed that his wages were the stumbling block.

I haven't heard anything about Gally leaving. Although he hasn't featured much in the pre-season games so maybe. I'd say a loan deal would be more likely though.

Lemlin

Woohoo!

What about the performance from the team with the best striking force in the PL?

The team's old achilles heel of poor defending let them down for the Boro goal but its great to see that when our star striker has to go off, we have two players who can come off the bench to make an impact.

Derbyshire's finish was sublime and he'd only been on the pitch 23 seconds or so. I'm expecting big things this season from this lad. I also gave Santa Cruz a bit of flak saying he was needed but fair play to him yesterday. Hopefully its a sign of things to come. And where did the two assists come from: Bentley and Pedersen of course.

Hopefully Benni's injury won't be too serious. It was thought he had swallowed his tongue but he has been sent for tests.

Now if Hughes can just shore up that defence Rovers will be motoring!

Energizer

Great win!!!

So happy to see Cruz get started. looks to be another brilliant buy for sparky.

Have to play arsenal next week and i think we have the best chance of beating them with this team than we have had before.

Pity about reid pulling his hamstring. guy has had the worst luck ever.

Lemlin

Energizer wrote:

Great win!!!

So happy to see Cruz get started. looks to be another brilliant buy for sparky.

Have to play arsenal next week and i think we have the best chance of beating them with this team than we have had before.

Pity about reid pulling his hamstring. guy has had the worst luck ever.

Now that Nonda is gone and there'll be no more "What's that coming over the hill, Shabani Nonda" chanting, the fans have come up with "Santz Cruz is coming to town"! Corny but good stuff.

Shame about Reid but the team have good cover in Mokoena and Dunn. I worry about Rovers against Arsenal. They are the one team who always seem to beat Blackburn 3-0 or 4-0 no matter what. At least its at Ewood.

Energizer

Lemlin wrote:

Now that Nonda is gone and there'll be no more "What's that coming over the hill, Shabani Nonda" chanting, the fans have come up with "Santz Cruz is coming to town"! Corny but good stuff.

Shame about Reid but the team have good cover in Mokoena and Dunn. I worry about Rovers against Arsenal. They are the one team who always seem to beat Blackburn 3-0 or 4-0 no matter what. At least its at Ewood.

Corny chants are the only way to go! lol

Reid will be very useful when he comes back as a powerful driving midfielder.

Last year arsenal trounced us in the last five minutes and made the matches look alot more one sided than the whole match. Will be a good match, lost alot of presence with Henry gone but also has made them a bit of an unknown quantity so i hope we can hold them.

We have our own unknown quantity with the Cruz missile! haha

ctrl-alt-delete

Great start to the season, the 2 goals were both quality - and just as well the strikers were on form as i don't think blackburn managed much more than 2 shots on target.

Important to get that win, considering the Uefa cup - with us not playing as many games in the league early on - we won't be in a "playing catch up" position now we have a win under the belt - Arsenal will be a tough game but we always cause them problems.

Somebody on here was questioning Roque but he has 2 in as many games now after the 1-0 win against MyPa this evening.

Lemlin

ctrl-alt-delete wrote:

Great start to the season, the 2 goals were both quality - and just as well the strikers were on form as i don't think blackburn managed much more than 2 shots on target.

Important to get that win, considering the Uefa cup - with us not playing as many games in the league early on - we won't be in a "playing catch up" position now we have a win under the belt - Arsenal will be a tough game but we always cause them problems.

Somebody on here was questioning Roque but he has 2 in as many games now after the 1-0 win against MyPa this evening.

I admit I was hugely wrong to question him but its early yet. I'm hoping he continues to prove me hugely wrong.

Nelsen has said he's an unbelievable player and Hughes has said he expects him to have as big an impact as McCarthy so if the manager and captain are saying things like that he should be a success.

The new jersey is out next Thursday. I've mine ordered from sportsdirect.com already.

Strange that it wasn't out for the start of the season though.

Lemlin

Good result yesterday thanks to Lehmann's howler, although I think Rovers deserved the draw anyway.

Interesting comments coming from Wenger but I think he'll find his own side were just as physical as Rovers. Two tackles that come to mind are van Persie's tackle on Nelsen and a high Bendtner tackle on Dunn who, fair play to him, got up straight away and didn't roll around like his neck was broken.

8 players booked and that was 4 from each team. Savage did his usual job of winding up the opposition but I wasn't happy to see him diving to try and win a penalty. That's not something that I like to see the club associated with and I don't think the team have any other players who would dive.

Nelsen was fairly cynical in pulling down van Persie at the end but I think any defender would have done the same. Chances are he would of scored so a point was rescued for the club.

Two tough games lie ahead now with Everton away next week and then Man City at home. These are two clubs who I feel the team will be competing with for a UEFA Cup spot so I think Hughes will be looking to take at least 4 points from the two matches.