The forgotten man
Posted by: roversreturn on 
Jul 20th, 2010 | 
Filed under: Transfers
Having sold Matt Derbyshire and Benni McCarthy (no great loss) we’ve been left with two recognised strikers in Niko Kalinic and Jason Roberts.
But a transfer budget of just £2.5 million has seen Allardyce struggle to get anywhere in the market.
This could force him to look at the resources he already has available. Junior Hoilett may be able to play up front, and he could use Diouf. He’s already used Chris Samba in a forward role in the past as well.
There is one other, though, in Maceo Rigters.
Remember him? He’s that Dutch lad that scored a wonder goal in the Euro under-21s against England a few years ago, then Mark Hughes signed him, only for him never to be seen again.
With the situation as it is, this could be Rigters’s last chance to make it at Rovers and in the Premier League.
He scored for us at Southport on Saturday, but he needs to be able to do it at the top level.
Rigters is one of those ever so frustrating cases of a player not living up to huge promise. Having started his career well at Dutch side Dordrecht, and going on to score six in nine for Holland under-21s, he never got going at NAC Breda and Rovers offered him a route out.
Unfortunately for us, and him, it’s never really worked at Ewood and the striker has made just two appearances without breaking his duck.
But at 26, there’s still plenty of time for Rigters to turn things around. He’s confident he can prove his ability, as he said in today’s Lancashire Telegraph, but it’s on the pitch, not in the paper, that he needs to prove this.
In other news, speculation has been rife that Rovers are in full takeover talks with Indian Saurin Shah and all transfer activity is on hold until those negotiations are finished.
This is not true. Shah and his massive consortium are nowhere near a deal and we are free to sign as many players as we want – although we haven’t because of our tight budget.
In fact, as I said before, Shah is unlikely to take over Rovers, with other parties in discussions with the club who are much more likely.
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July 21st, 2010 at 2:16 am
You obviously trust your source but can your source trust his/her sources?
The club have already looked at alternative transfer scenarios so this indicates they consider it a serious possibility. Though of course this could be related to one of the other interested groups. If Shah really is such an unlikely candidate then Andy Cryer should know about it and say so. Nixon as far as I know isn’t sure which way it might go.
Other than perhaps trialists I don’t expect the club to sign anyone before deadline. If it really is “business as usual” then its about time the club sign someone and prove it.
Nobody in higher management can claim its business as usual when they might not even have jobs in a month. I’m sure lower level staff (i.e roverstore, cleaners, etc) have nothing to worry about but there will perhaps be changes in higher management.
July 21st, 2010 at 4:39 am
As I said, there are other parties interested in a bid. The nationals broke the Shah story, hence why it is getting so much coverage.
The man’s a chancer.
July 21st, 2010 at 9:59 am
Rovers return we all know you are something to do with the other consortiums and want your own client to buy rovers so if they are interested they should make a bid for the club or hide away in the backgrounds. As of now Mr Shah is the only one who has come out and confirmed his interest and that fact has been backed up by many nationals,Mr Nixon of the People/ Mirror paper & on BRFCS.com & the LET. We should obviously let the process carry on the mentioned people can’t mention anything about the process due to the NDA and see what happens. Might I say unless a takeover does happen this once great club could head into oblivion, because according to reports today on how Blackburn Rovers stay afloat, if we get relegated we will almost definitely be heading towards administration. That would be disastrous. If with the existing squad we finish lower than budgeted e.g. 11th or lower we will have to sell more players to balance the books. The upshot being weakening the squad further, to be honest we will get to a point where there is nothing left to sell. What do we do then?. So I have to say like or not a takeover is essential for the club to even move a little in the right direction. Also with the sums being mentioned all over of what we have to spend on the squad can you honestly say we will get a proven striker for 2.5M?. The only striker you could maybe get for that amount would be a Benjani that’s after all the good ones have gone!. He will be after all avenues have been exhausted, & he’s hardly likely to score 20 goals per season. Even Beattie at 1M would never get 20 goals per season. soz did not intend to upset anyone just being realistic.
Rant Over!.
July 21st, 2010 at 11:17 am
Savio I desperately wish I was in a position to buy Rovers, but unfortunately I’m not.
I know what you mean re: needing a takeover, though, and I agree we need to be bought to secure our long term future in the Premier League.
The thing is, we have to make sure we sell to someone who has the interests of the club at heart, and the means to own and finance a successful football club that can compete at the top level.
We can’t be another Pompey/West Ham club that gambles on a chancer and nearly goes bust!
You’re right, we will struggle to get a proven striker for £2.5m, but we have to live with that for now.
PS – It is a FACT that there are other people interested in buying the club.
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