On the free agent line of thought I heard the other day that Russia have changed their rules regarding imported players and some Clubs will have players who can't be used. I know even less about Russian football than I do about being a good husband but there might be a free agent solution there. I think Ron Vlaar is out until next year but if he gets fit again he would be a wonderful signing although bigger Clubs than ours probably feel the same.
Kerching! Roll up, roll up, who's next to play the player not the ball?! It's the Ad Hominem Shy! Throw every piece you can at Canary Rob, don't actually challenge his argument! Didn't you hear? It's EASY! All you have to do is point out that he'll keep responding if you keep responding with weak points! Then, guess what? YOU WIN! BIG PRIZES AT THIS STALL!!! Seriously, you guys need to come up with some new material to criticise me with, because the whole big bad Rob keeping up the argument doesn't really hold water any more. I'll repeat myself one last time: Jarvis was not brought in ahead of Johnson in the pecking order. He only arrived because Johnson left. So they were never in competition, they were never going to be in the squad at the same time. And Neil clearly did feel we needed someone in place of Johnson and our squad, IMO is weaker because of it (though I accept the club is nearly £6m richer, for what little that's worth) - Jarvis is a weaker squad member overall (though I accept not in his specific position).
Sorry 1950, I'm afraid we're going to have to agree to disagree - I think all the evidence points to Johnson playing regularly as he had already this season (even with Mulumbu returning, particularly because I anticipate other injuries or suspensions). I accept that the valuation is a matter of opinion, but I for one don't think we would have got any less in January (somewhat finger in the wind stuff, obviously, but that works for both of us). It's not my heart ruling my head at all (apart from not wanting him to go). All I am saying is that I don't see how people can say they understand why he has left. As RBF says, we don't know (and may never know). It's fair to challenge my point by saying there's likely nothing sinister about it. But all I'm saying is we simply don't know because what we do know simply doesn't add up. Not in the slightest. Whether we will ever know - fair enough, probably not. I accept, on that basis, it is worth not continuing this discussion on that basis.
Just looked up Max Haas, 16 appearances since leaving Bayern in 2007, and managed just 2 in the championship for Boro. I'll steer clear! Coelho was a starting CB in the Turkish league at the start of last season, then ruptured his cruciate ligaments and hasn't played since, with his club letting him go in January. I half wonder if that was a career ending injury. Mbokani has been given the number 9 shirt, Jarvis will wear 16.
You are making some reasonable points Rob and I agree about Jarvis and that BJ would still be an important player for us. I also feel, however, that he'd have difficulty displacing Brady or other CMs most of the time. In the end then, when the offer came in from Derby, he came to the conclusion that he'd be better off there and asked to leave and was 'allowed to go'. I was livid at the time, but it makes more sense to me now.
Thanks RER Sorry - I'm just bored of people telling me I should immediately back down when they disagree with me just because they've seen me argue with someone else. Fair enough - I guess the other thing that also doesn't add up for me is the idea that Johnson would just crumble and give up with the view he wasn't going to be able to fight for his place. That doesn't seem like him. But then I suppose I don't know him at all. None of it adds up to me, but if plenty of fans feel they understand it then fine
It's not a question of understanding it Rob, it's a case of if there was some sinister reason for it all, then we will never know! It's happened and we need to move on!
My personal opinion on the BJ issue is that he got an offer from Derby and decided that at this stage of his career it was the right move for him and his family and that he went through the proper channels, did things the right way and was given the club's blessing to leave at a price that suited all parties. I see no sense whatsoever in the club forcing him to leave - as has been pointed out ad infinitum on this thread if the club is to progress we need to be having £6m players on the bench rather than starting week in week out and I agree that Jarvis was brought in at the last minute as cover for the loss of BJ rather than pushing him further down the pecking order. I am disappointed he has chosen to leave as he has been an excellent servant to the club and regardless of his limitations he always gave 100% and worked at his game to improve. You don't have to look back too far for his shooting to be on a par with Tetty's but last season he had clearly worked on that aspect of his game and banged them in for us. Regardless of how the club have handled his departure I wish every success to him and hope that one day we will see him back at FCR and show him our collective appreciation for his efforts.
We won't sign another centre back Captain Marvel is undroppable in Neil's eyes by the looks of things.
Well we were supposedly making £8m or so bids for CBs, so the position is at least in Neil's mind to a certain extent. Obviously any free agents available aren't likely to be of the calibre to seriously challenge for a starting berth, but injuries could still put us in an awkward position.
I really didn't buy into any of those centre back rumours, Van Dijk, Sviatchenko, the closest we got was Cook from Bournemouth as part of the Grabban exchange, glad it didn't work as we don't need Bournemouths left overs.
I am just completely flabbergasted that so many seem to think there's nothing even remotely odd about him simply just accepting that he wasn't going to feature after just four games and jump ship, back down into the division he'd worked his arse off to get out rather than stay and fight for his place in the team. This is Bradley Johnson we are talking about - when has he ever shied or run away from anything? As far as I'm aware there is no precedent for this sort of thing ever happening before, not to a player of the season off the back of the best season of his career, at 28 years old in his absolute prime, settled in the area, true fan favourite and as popular in the dressing room as he seemingly is. It just doesn't add up - can somebody else give me another example of this happening in the past? Stewart Downing moving back to Boro this summer might be one example, but he's 31, three years older than Johnson and is a Boro lad so it does kinda makes sense. Johnson has no ties with Derby, they're not particularly some exciting bankrolled project where he's earning crazy money so why drop down a level - with no guarantee at all he'll be back in the top flight next season - at this stage of his career? Ok, he's not started this season yet, but it's not as if those ahead of him are Messi and Ronaldo, he surely wouldn't have been far away from the first XI at all and it would only take a couple of bad games from Dorrans, Brady, Tettey or Howson and he'd most likely get his chance. It's not as though we put in a great performance in the last game, and if we play as **** against Bournemouth then perhaps the gaffer will want a shake up and try something different - except now we don't have as many options, and we are going to have to find the equivalent of the 15 goals he scored for us last season from midfield from somewhere. I think the most ridiculous thing I've read in this debate is that Gladys would have been ahead of him in the pecking order! A player who has hardly kicked a ball for us and often struggled to make the bench even when fit ahead of our midfield talisman and comfortably most best player of season - you couldn't make it up! Honestly, I'd love to know what colour the grass is on some folk's planet! Rob is absolutely bang on throughout this, and I am quite frankly staggered that so many of you are being so belligerently naive not to see the wood for the trees. Ok we may never find out what the whole story is, but that doesn't mean we should simply accept something to be normal when it quite blatantly isn't.
Rob, Munky and me - three men in a boat, rowing furiously against the tide of popular opinion which sees the whole episode as one of sweetness and light and 'best for all concerned' Did anyone bring a hip-flask, Munky? Rob??
[ArgumentativeRobMode]Munky couldn't be more wrong. For starters, Johnson did start one match this season. [/ArgumentativeRobMode] Oh no wait. That's the only bit Munky got wrong. All the rest is absolutely spot on.
