Wouldn't surprise me at all, I'm sorry but (in my opinion) there just has to be more to it. The thing I don't get though is why the gaffer would want to side with the guy who has let him down, is potentially going to turn the atmosphere at Carrow Road toxic when he next shows his face , wants out of the club and is basically **** rather than a guy who was voted player of the season by a country mile, contributed 15 goals from midfield, would run through walls for the shirt and was a real fan favourite? I understand there's more to why we didn't sell Grabban at the last minute, but why not shift him last week and nip the problem in the bud then? I know I keep going on about it (tried to stay offline today at least!) but I am still just completely flummoxed by the whole thing, never saw it coming in a million years - does anybody know anyone who had even suggested we move Bradders on in this window? I'm amazed at some of the comments I've read about him, about how he's nowhere near good enough for this level and such stuff. Folk have such short memories, how long ago was it he was being touted for the England squad? Two years ago? And that was as a central midfielder, and I'd say he's undoubtedly a better player than he was then, certainly last season's evidence suggests that, admittedly albeit at a lower standard. It's a long season with lots of games and ups and downs and injuries and suspensions and losses of form and need for "something a bit different" so I personally just think it's incredibly short sighted to accept this idea that just because he's not started the first four games he would hardly feature all season. And even more ridiculous is the notion that because he had such an astonishing season last year he'll never be able to repeat it as if that was his purple patch over. Don't get that at all. He's 28, not 33, and improving year on year so he should be coming into his prime so as much as some of you think this is great business, look at it from a Derby perspective - they must be absolutely over the bloody moon! It just can't have been a purely footballing decision, it just can't have, though if it truly was then I have to say from where I'm sitting it looks to be a bad one.
For those who haven't seen them. The probably fabricated rumour is Johnson slept with Mrs Grabban, with Grabban finding out at Rotherham. Grabban storms off as he can't bear to be around Johnson. He has to be suspended for the misconduct, but only until the transfer window ends to keep him away from Johnson until either can be sold. Johnson now gone, Grabban hopefully comes back into the fold and things are rosier. I guess you could imagine a split in the camp over those who think Grabban was out of order abandoning his team at the last minute, and those who side with him versus Johnson.
This all sounds a bit Footballers' Wives to me. Makes more sense to apply Ockham's Razor (Grabban could do with a razor) and go for the simplest solution. Grabban is a self-centred, self-important prima donna with delusions of adequacy.
Mine was just a joke, you sound more cutting. He's a practising Muslim isn't he? So beard not that unusual. If the rumours, such as they are, are true, maybe he has a case. fact is, we don't know, do we.
Yes, some Muslims believe that they should not cut or trim their beards. It doesn't mean we're not allowed to say we hate the look. Religious people have demanded everyone be 'sensitive' about their religion. Shame they generally don't display the same sensitivity towards others (e.g. 'Kill a queer for Christ').
I don't like it particularly either, and for the record I'm a religion-hating lapsed Catholic who's not racist or homophobic (phew, that's off my chest). My point, and it's my only one, is that you don't know what has gone on, so cut him some slack until you do. I didn't like the sound of what he'd done either, but I don't make judgements that easily.
Point taken and accepted. However, I still think moving him on would have been the wisest move. If there is a good reason for his behaviour, we'll never officially know it, and many people will still probably doubt its veracity. Simpler all round to ship him on. He is not good enough as a footballer to merit the possible negative consequences of keeping him around.
So why keep him and move on a fan favourite player of the season who would undoubtedly have more to offer this season? All these overly simplistic reasons just don't wash with me I'm afraid.
Surely nobody here believes BJ would start on a regular basis this season? Clearly he didn't and, as it was phrased he was, "allowed to move on". He should be applauded for wanting to play football on a regular basis and not sitting on our bench taking his fat cheque every week. Good for him, and good for the club. On top of that it was good business. If as rumoured there is general support for Grabban amongst the players, then fair enough, you've shown you've got principles, you've stamped your little boots, now get on with your jobs or **** off. Lots of **** hitting fans over the international break, let's hope it's done by the time the next 6 pointer comes into town.
I'm sorry, but to me this is just naive in the extreme if you honestly, truthfully believe that. Ryan Bennett isn't going to start games and I'm sure he'd like to be a first team regular so should we shift him as well? Don't know how many times I need to say this but it's a squad game these days, there is no such thing as a first XI that is going to start all season - or even the majority of games - it just doesn't work like that any more. Part of the skills of being a successful managemer these days is good squad management, keeping players who aren't playing regularly happy so they are up for it when you need them to. Just because he's not going to start every match doesn't mean he wouldn't have had a big part to play over the course of a 38 game season - you don't go from being a 15 goal, player of the season who was the heartbeat of our success last year to "fringe player" who would just be making up the numbers overnight, not at the age of 28 when you should be coming into your prime unless something really has gone wrong that we don't know about - can anyone think of another example of a club selling their player of the season at the peak of his powers in such fashion, particularly during such a vital season in the club's history? Why would we applaud the club for weakening our squad based on all the information we have publically available to us? How can it be a good thing if there really isn't more to it and there isn't some kind of personality clash going on? Two days on and it still makes no sense to me at all. I also think the silence from the club since Monday has been deafening, it's all just bizarre.
I have to say that I'm still troubled about BJ leaving, though for me it comes down to footballing reasons, mainly to do with the way AN wants to play in the PL. I certainly think that we will miss his goal-scoring ability and much will depend on how many goals and assists Brady and Jarvis can manage between them. IMO it also involves allowing Redmond to have a freer role rather than just being a winger putting in crosses and that hopefully goes for Brady as well to create much more movement up front, while still having players with the pace to track back when the ball is lost. Those are roles BJ isn't as well suited to. I do think that there is a gamble involved but AN clearly sees Brady as a key player, having spent £7m on him. Time will tell as to whether he's right or not.
If going into the season AN had just one plan for how he wants to set us up to play this year with no alternative options that could have involved Bradders and utilised his goalscoring threat from midfield when we need it then in my opition we're not going to be very successful and we're going to be found out very quickly. I don't think this is the case though, AN has appeared to be very astute, pragmatic and with an excellent footballing brain so far so with all that considered it still makes no sense to me to move on a player at the peak of his powers from a purely footballing perspective - and we're definitely not a charity letting players go just because they want to play more somewhere else!
Whilst the likelihood is that this is purely a load of made up rubbish with absolutely no substance, like so many football rumours, I have to say it is the scenario that would make the most sense of BJ being moved on from the club as I still can't get my head around any other reason for the gaffer to want to keep Grabban but move on our player of the year.
The thing is though, if there is any truth in the rumour regarding Mrs Grabban, then surely the club needs to say something? Right now Grabban's name is mud, he will likely be public enemy number one (Whittaker breaths a sigh of relief!), he was not hugely popular before anyway, so why not help him out? I know this is a matter of privacy for the Grabban's but, can rumours and hatred be better than - truth, a degree of sympathy and the slightly lesser dislike of him because no one still seems to rate him? Bah!
The club never said anything when the Tierney/Morison rumours surfaced, and that rumour seemed a lot stronger than this one. I'm struggling to think of any case of a club commenting on the private affairs of players, unless it's a family bereavement.
