warehamgas
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Post by warehamgas on Feb 1, 2023 19:49:55 GMT
Teaming up with Ellis - DC's getting the band back together! Ellis and Matty have got 258 goals from 845 games between them, DC might have just got the oomph that is needed for a play-off place. I liked the look of another Matty, Stevens from FGR, back after a long injury out. Good luck to him after the lay off but looks like things have changed at FGR!! Stevens off on loan to Walsall. UTG!
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Feb 2, 2023 8:45:30 GMT
Bristol Rovers January transfer verdict: Five arrive but best business involved no deal at all..
They left it late, but Joey B***** and Bristol Rovers found defensive reinforcements in the final minutes of the January transfer window. Deals were announced for Aston Villa prospect Lamare Bogarde and Stockport County defender Calum Macdonald as the 11pm deadline struck.
The pair increased Rovers' January incomings to five, joining Jarell Quansah, Ellery Balcombe and Grant Ward. Meanwhile, five players exited the club across the month, with Bobby Thomas being the only true surprise departure, heading elsewhere alongside Harvey Saunders, Trevor Clarke, Alfie Kilgour and Zain Westbrooke.
So five in and five out for the Gas, and B***** hopes that will equate to a strengthened squad over the final 17 games of the season for the Gas, who hold aspirations of challenging for a top-six place despite successive league defeats.
Those poor results at Accrington and Morecambe exposed the existing flaws that the Gas had been surviving through beforehand, with a potent attack covering for a leaky defence, and the deadline day additions will help address that problem if all goes to plan.
Gasheads were made to wait and some felt a bit underwhelmed by the club's dealings on deadline day, but the reality is Rovers' best business throughout the January window involved no deal at all...
Unpredictability was the only certainty going into the day and that proved to be the case; for a long time it looked like B***** would be left frustrated, but the Gas got a couple of deals done in the end.
It was anticipated a much busier deadline day was in store, with B***** talking up the prospect of up to five incomings and multiple departures after Saturday's bruising defeat at Morecambe.
In the end, some things on his wishlist proved elusive, and it appears his suggestion that he had "made his mind up" on certain players leaving was more a final warning rather than a statement of his true intent.
Indeed, there is no suggestion that the Gas were actively working on shipping players out throughout the day, with the focus on incomings.
Ahead of deadline day, B***** declared he wanted a centre-back, left-back, centre-midfielder and a winger before the end of trading, and two – or possibly three – of those boxes were checked with the pair of arrivals on Tuesday. Macdonald will compete with Lewis Gordon for the left-back spot and Bogarde is billed as a central defender, bringing much-needed depth in that area, but he can also operate in the heart of midfield.
B***** admitted he had a hunch that a winger would prove elusive and that proved to be the case. The Gas wanted a right-sided player who is left-footed, which is a very desirable skillset with the novelty of inverted wingers in the modern game. This will be a priority position for the Gas to fill in the summer when they will likely pursue a permanent move for the then out-of-contract Luke Thomas.
In terms of the numbers, the Gas are one or two short of what would have been ideal. In terms of quality, we will have to wait and see.
Gasheads wanted to see more new faces brought in late in the window, but the truth is it may have been impossible for Rovers to have done better business this month than keeping hold of star man Aaron Collins.
Throughout the day, there were panicked suggestions on social media that the 14-goal striker was off, fuelled by an unfortunately-timed Instagram story (Welcome to 2023). First Middlesbrough were mentioned, then Swansea City. There was no credibility to either suggestion.
The Gas are in a strong position when it comes to the 25-year-old's future. When the time is right, they will certainly not stand in his way, but the fact he has two and a half years remaining on a contract that has no release clause means they are in a good bargaining position.
The several million Rovers would have demanded for the Welshman, as a result, would have been prohibitive for almost any potential suitor. Still, B***** admitted he was fearful Rovers could be "raided" late in the window – with Collins surely on the radar of every scout in the country.
With 10 assists to go with his 14 goals, Collins has contributed to more than half of Rovers' 43 league goals this season and his dual threat as a scorer and a creator makes him almost irreplaceable; he is two players in one and no realistic signing would have been more important than he is to the team.
Coupled with the fact Josh Coburn's loan from Middlesbrough remains intact and will run to the end of the season, Rovers' best asset – their strikeforce – remains.
The next five months will reveal how much Rovers have gained from these deals, with most of them unknown and unproven quantities, but they have lost relatively little production in the departed players.
Looking ahead, all five players signed have something to prove. Of course, that to an extent is always the case when joining a new club, but it is particularly true in this case.
Ward is a respected and experienced midfielder who performed pretty well off the bench on his debut despite it being a dismal afternoon for the Gas. But he is coming off very little competitive football after a serious ankle injury that marred the end of his time at Blackpool. The 28-year-old has proven he has the ability, but he will need to prove his robustness in the weeks ahead.
Goalkeeper Balcombe looks the part and there are good reviews from his loan spell at Crawley Town in the first half of the season, but the decision to drop James Belshaw has been met with some scepticism from fans and the Brentford loanee had a difficult debut at Morecambe. He will be eager to show his command between the sticks in the coming games.
Both Quansah and Bogarde are talented prospects who have represented their countries at various youth levels, and Quansah's debut was impressive despite the mess occurring around him, but they are untried in the senior game and we will see how they fare in the deep end until the end of the season.
And Macdonald has made plenty of senior appearances for a 25-year-old, closing in on 150, but just 12 of them have been in League One. The majority of his football has been played at the level below and he will want to prove he can cut it in the third tier after leaving Stockport.
With all this context taken into account, it means the theme of deadline day – unpredictability – is carried forward, so reserving judgements until we've seen these lads play a few games is advised.
One year on, there may have been no Elliot Anderson on deadline day for the Gas. But we didn't know Elliot Anderson was going to be Elliot Anderson until we found out he was Elliot Anderson.
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Feb 3, 2023 11:54:32 GMT
Joey B***** opens up on Bristol Rovers' attempts to re-sign Stoke City's Connor Taylor..upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Connor_Taylor_at_Bristol_Rovers.jpg/220px-Connor_Taylor_at_Bristol_Rovers.jpgJoey B***** has revealed Rovers unsuccessfully tried to re-sign Stoke City defender Connor Taylor on a permanent transfer as he graded the Gas' business across the January window as a disappointing 5/10. Rovers recruited five new players - goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe, defenders Jarell Quansah and Calum Macdonald, midfielder Grant Ward plus the versatile Lamare Bogarde - but B***** reflected on their business as one of opportunities that got away from them. Loan targets Bashir Humphreys (Chelsea to Paderborn) and another unnamed talent from a Category 1 Premier League academy went elsewhere, while their fresh attempts to bring Taylor back failed. Bristol Live also understands the Gas were confident of a late deadline day move for an experienced centre-back in League One, only for his club to then offer him a new contract amid the interest. Taylor was a huge success during his season on loan in League Two last term and the Gas wanted a similar arrangement for the 2022/23 campaign but former manager Michael O’Neill elected to keep hold of the centre-back. But since O’Neill’s dismissal in August, and the appointment of Alex Neil as his successor, Taylor has played just 227 minutes for the Potters, indicating the opportunity would arise in the New Year. The 21-year-old is understood to have been open to the idea of a Rovers reunion but circumstances were against the Gas due to Stoke’s wish to off-load Aden Flint, with the veteran joining Sheffield Wednesday, while Leicester City paid an initial £15m to sign Harry Souttar on deadline day, leaving the Championship club short in the position. B***** says he was also conscious of the club’s financial position in light of the investment into the squad and the amount of of new contracts that have been signed since promotion, which limited their flexibility in January. “We made a couple of offers, we felt we could get big Connor out of Stoke but they were trying to move Aden Flint on, they had Harry Souttar bubbling away,” B***** told BBC Radio Bristol. “We thought if we made an offer at least they’d know how serious we were about it. They didn’t want to sell him, so that’s tricky. There’s no amount of money we can offer Stoke that’s ever going to turn their eye to selling a prospect of theirs but we had to be active in the market. “We haven’t got an abundance of money to splash around because we’ve got to do it in a sustainable manner. I don’t want to get the owner to chip loads of money in that won’t sustain the football club, medium and long term. Because very, very quickly you find yourself out of this division and it won’t allow ourselves to consolidate the gains we’ve made. “Two years in February, the club’s in such a different spot and it has a solid foundation to work at. Just because we feel we have an outside chance of promotion this year… you go and blow the summer’s budget out of it and I think that’d be stupid of me to do so. I’m only a custodian of the club and I have to look after the well-being of the club.” Rovers host MK Dons at the Mem on Saturday as they look towards the final 18 games of what has mainly been a promising return to League One with the Gas 12th in the table, although back-to-back defeats and the transfer window has slightly tempered optimism about a play-off drive. As well as securing top-scorer Aaron Collins for at least another six months, B***** was pleased to have freshened up the group which included the departures of fringe squad members Alfie Kilgour, Trevor Clarke, Zain Westbrooke and the loan return of Bobby Thomas to Burnley, while they also regrettably sold Harvey Saunders to Tranmere Rovers. “5, I think,” B***** said, when asked to grade their window. “We could have done a bit more, that’s for sure. Hit the bar on a few. Cat 1 lads who decided to go abroad; one to a Scottish Premier side and another to a Bundesliga 2 side. “It’s tough, you do feel this is the best place for them but you do understand there’s a bit more at play, teams that can offer a bigger salary or a bigger stage to play on than division three in England. “I felt they would have really given us a bit of a boost into the second half of the season but, as it is, we got five in and five out and allows us to clear out a little of the, and it sounds horrible to say about footballers, deadwood; lads who are not pushing the first team.”
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Feb 6, 2023 10:41:28 GMT
Joey B***** makes free transfer admission as Bristol Rovers try to discover lost confidence..
Joey B***** has ruled out the prospect of Bristol Rovers signing any free agents between now and the end of the season insisting he’s happy with the squad at his disposal despite what he considered was a disappointing January window for the Gas.
Rovers fell to their third straight league defeat on Saturday, losing 2-0 at home to MK Dons four days after deadline day in which B***** admits they were unable to secure some of their key targets, particularly in defence, and graded the window 5/10.
Rovers made five signings across January with defender Jarell Quansah and goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe having started the last two games while midfielder Grant Ward played 86 minutes against MK Dons and Lamare Bogarde made his debut off the bench. Full-back Calum Macdonald is the only new arrival yet to be involved.
Clubs can still bring in players out of contract - as the Gas did with Scott Sinclair in October after the summer window had closed - and first-team coach Andy Mangan last week denied claims that former Nottingham Forest and Reading defender Tyler Blackett, a free agent after being released by FC Cincinnati, has been training at The Quarters.
Mangan did insist Rovers were still open in the market, should the right opportunity present itself to try and improve the squad, but speaking in the aftermath of the weekend defeat, B***** appears to have now closed that door.
“No," B***** said, when asked if he’ll be adding a free agent to the squad. “I haven’t seen who’s out there but I can’t see it. I’m happy with what we’ve got. I was quite vocal with what I wanted (in the window), it didn’t materialise that way but I’m happy the window is closed because we’ve still got Collins and Coburn in the building.
“We’ve had a few good additions. I think you’ve all seen what Jarell is, he’s a real quality player. Young Lamare is a real top player as well. He’s only a baby but I think he’s going to be a really good player; well thought of at Villa.
“So, to add them to our group is key. What you get out of young players who knows, but just the little cameo from what we’ve seen of them we know they’ve got quality. Ellery and Grant, who are a little bit older, have come into that.
“But we’ve flipped a few lads out, who just wanted to go and play, to freshen the group up. That’ll now settle down.
“February, the window’s closed, everyone knows where we are, we know the group we’ve got and we just have to get to work, and make sure we get three points out of the next opportunity which is a tough game at Lincoln away.”
With four straight defeats in all competitions, it’s the worst losing run of B*****’s reign since the conclusion to the 2020/21 campaign and Rovers are understandably playing like a team low on confidence. Given so many elements of his squad are fundamentally young and inexperienced, the ebbing away of self-belief can have a more profound effect than on senior players able to play their way back into form.
Next on the agenda for the Gas is an away trip to Lincoln City, who won for the first time in eight league games on Saturday, beating Accrington 3-0, before they host third-placed Ipswich Town at the Mem the following Tuesday.
“It’s natural, when you win, everybody’s happy and confident; you can win 5, 6, 7 games on the spin but if you lose three that affects confidence levels,” B***** added. “We’ve all played football and you play much better when you’re confident than when you’re apprehensive. The only way out of that is getting results and winning games.
“We can moan about it and we can talk about it - the only way to change the feel is to only produce on a matchday. So all the work we do in the build-up is only training, and training only takes you so far.
“When you get out there on the pitch, if you’ve had a great week’s training, it doesn’t count for anything unless you produce on the Saturday. So we’ve got to get back to playing as a team and being hard to beat and with the match-winners we have in our team, if we do that then we have a chance of beating anyone.
“We can beat anyone in this division - that’s the most frustrating thing because we’ve lost three games to bottom six teams. But it’s a great learning for our younger players in terms of, if you come off of it by just a couple of per cent, anyone in this division can beat you. Similarly, if you’re at it and as close to 100 per cent as you can get, then you can beat anyone.”
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eppinggas
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Ian Alexander
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Post by eppinggas on Feb 6, 2023 11:53:40 GMT
Update. Wael has shut the cheque book until summer. B***** got the memo, but Mangan didn't.
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warehamgas
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Post by warehamgas on Feb 6, 2023 12:32:14 GMT
In the end JB now has to work with what he’s got. No excuses. JB, on the pitch has shown he can organise a team to do well. Now he can get on and do it without any distractions of trying to get others in. He knows what he’s got and has to make do.
UTG!
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Feb 6, 2023 18:10:35 GMT
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Post by emperorsuperbus on Feb 21, 2023 0:49:43 GMT
So is the new goalie here for all next seasons title push? If not, what’s he even doing here? Surely we want people playing now whose going to be the spine next season - not helping someone else out given their players game time?
We’ve had so many young loan goalies in last couple of decades, not of them really kicked on in their careers. So often they look the part, excel in a discipline or two, but have Achilles Heel in another discipline or two.
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Post by Colyton Gas. on Feb 21, 2023 18:49:47 GMT
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
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Post by kingswood Polak on Feb 22, 2023 11:29:32 GMT
Do nut understand why he has not been progressed into our first team as can have periods of scoring for fun
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Post by Bath Gas on Feb 22, 2023 12:42:19 GMT
So is the new goalie here for all next seasons title push? If not, what’s he even doing here? Surely we want people playing now whose going to be the spine next season - not helping someone else out given their players game time? We’ve had so many young loan goalies in last couple of decades, not of them really kicked on in their careers. So often they look the part, excel in a discipline or two, but have Achilles Heel in another discipline or two. Read somewhere that we may have the opportunity to sign him at the end of the season - no idea how accurate this is. No guarantee that Belshaw will be the spine of team next season either, we may sign somebody new, same as we did when Belly arrived a couple of years ago. Joe Lumley is playing in the Championship, and Fraser Forster has played for Southampton, Celtic, and now Spurs - not too shabby.
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kentgas
Archie Stephens
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Post by kentgas on Feb 22, 2023 14:12:02 GMT
And Lee Nichols at Huddersfield in the Championship
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Feb 22, 2023 14:15:35 GMT
So is the new goalie here for all next seasons title push? If not, what’s he even doing here? Surely we want people playing now whose going to be the spine next season - not helping someone else out given their players game time? We’ve had so many young loan goalies in last couple of decades, not of them really kicked on in their careers. So often they look the part, excel in a discipline or two, but have Achilles Heel in another discipline or two. Read somewhere that we may have the opportunity to sign him at the end of the season - no idea how accurate this is. No guarantee that Belshaw will be the spine of team next season either, we may sign somebody new, same as we did when Belly arrived a couple of years ago. Joe Lumley is playing in the Championship, and Fraser Forster has played for Southampton, Celtic, and now Spurs - not too shabby. Agree, Will Belshaw who will be 33 on October 12th want to play 2nd fiddle to Balcombe who will be 24 on October 15th, they both need 1st team football.
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Post by Colyton Gas. on Mar 5, 2023 16:00:50 GMT
Fraser Forster who was in goal for Spurs yesterday at Molineux was on loan to us but I simply don't ever recall seeing him play.We did go through a period when we loaned keepers constantly until Paul Buckle signed a Permanent one from his old club Torquay, Scott Bevan. Also recall the ten foot twelve Dutchman Jordi,doing a spectacular dive at the Thatcher's end ten minutes after the ball had bit the back of the net although he was not a loanee.
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dido
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Post by dido on Mar 5, 2023 16:17:20 GMT
Fraser Forster who was in goal for Spurs yesterday at Molineux was on loan to us but I simply don't ever recall seeing him play.We did go through a period when we loaned keepers constantly until Paul Buckle signed a Permanent one from his old club Torquay, Scott Bevan. Also recall the ten foot twelve Dutchman Jordi,doing a spectacular dive at the Thatcher's end ten minutes after the ball had bit the back of the net although he was not a loanee. You're well wrong on Jordi. No way was he ten foot twelve - he was actually eleven foot in his bedsocks. (Although, in effect he was ''one-footed'')
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Mar 5, 2023 17:56:24 GMT
Fraser Forster who was in goal for Spurs yesterday at Molineux was on loan to us but I simply don't ever recall seeing him play.We did go through a period when we loaned keepers constantly until Paul Buckle signed a Permanent one from his old club Torquay, Scott Bevan. Also recall the ten foot twelve Dutchman Jordi,doing a spectacular dive at the Thatcher's end ten minutes after the ball had bit the back of the net although he was not a loanee. Loan to Bristol Rovers
Forster 21, having been on the bench for Newcastle on over 20 occasions in the Premier League, needed regular playing experience and subsequently signed a month-loan deal with Bristol Rovers on 31st July 2009, He kept two clean sheets in the four league matches he played for them. Bristol Rovers asked to extend the loan but Norwich City made a counter offer which was accepted by Newcastle. Manager Paul Trollope was disappointed and commented that the team wanted Forster between the sticks. He stated "Fraser has a great career ahead of him".
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Post by Colyton Gas. on Mar 5, 2023 20:03:48 GMT
Looking through my old programmes when we played;Huddersfield,Stoke and Brighton at their previous stadiums. All three subsequently made the Prem and Stoke and Huddersfield's old grounds (now long gone), were far superior to the Mem.Recall when we thought the UWE would happen,it was said we were having the same builders that built Brighton's new AMEX stadium. More recently,we played Oldham who were in the top division once but now falling like a stone.Notts County too with their fab stadium and massive crowds seem destined for the play-offs with only one club promoted directly. In many ways the uncertainty of it all makes the odd big moment even more enjoyable. Recall us winning at Telford in their very neat stadium but they look likely to drop further. Lots of people in Devon claim to follow Man U.Now you could never imagine them losing 7-0 could you?
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on Mar 10, 2023 15:51:12 GMT
Aston Villa prospect growing in confidence at Bristol Rovers as he looks to 'follow footsteps'..by Sam Frost
After four consecutive starts, Lamare Bogarde can feel his confidence growing at Bristol Rovers and the Aston Villa prospect want to make sure he stays in the XI for the rest of the season.
The 19-year-old Dutchman joined the Gas on loan on January deadline day, impressing since in the heart of midfield in six appearances for Joey B*****'s side.
After amassing extensive experience of youth football both with Villa – and his country at under-19s level – Bogarde is getting his first taste of the senior game. He says he was convinced to join the Gas after speaking to B***** amid interest from other clubs keen to take him on loan.
And now he is in the team, he wants to make the most of his loan stay as possible by cementing his place in the team.
"I was thinking 'What is it going to be like' when I went out on my first loan, but I wanted to show everyone what I can do on a bigger stage. Under-21s football is nice, but this is real football.
"It happened in the last hours of deadline day so I was really pleased to come and play for Bristol Rovers. I wanted to get out and there were a few other clubs.
"I spoke to the manager before and I chose Bristol Rovers. He told me what his philosophy was, the way he wants to play and what he wants for this season and I thought 'This is where I want to play'."
"When I first came in, the standards were really high in training. There are a lot of good players here.
"I've spoken to people around me and they are seeing my confidence going higher. I just want to keep going and play games; I just want to be important for the team and play where the manager wants me to play."
Bogarde has played as a holding midfielder and in a box-to-box role so far. True to his schooling at Feyenoord in his homeland, the teenager wants to be on the ball as much as possible and he says he has the best chance to influence games in a deeper role.
While it may be premature for him to play in defence at his age, Bogarde has played a lot at centre-back in Villa's youth setup and that is where he could end up playing as he gets older.
"I just want to get on the ball and in the six role, I can get on the ball more, so I think the six is the position where I want to play, but I can play in different roles and I will play where the manager wants me to play," he said.
"In recent years, I have played centre-back as well and that has helped me a lot now I'm playing in midfield. I have always been good on the ball, but in the centre-back role you have to get a tackle in and it's helped me a lot.
"Playing centre-back is an option as well (in the future), so it is good I've got two positions I can play. That's good for me."
His performances have been strong and he has been particularly influential in Rovers' past two games, beating Oxford United 3-0 before a goalless draw with promotion-chasing Barnsley last time out. In the Oxford game, he won the penalty that Scott Sinclair converted to open the scoring and against the Tykes, he screened the back four well in the absence of captain Paul Coutts.
Every budding footballer has their idols and inspirations in the game, but rarely are they within the same family. Bogarde has the benefit of that, with his uncle Winston earning 20 caps for his country as a full-back and playing for the likes of Ajax, AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea in the 1990s and 2000s.
"I have contact with my uncle," Bogarde added. "Obviously, he played for Ajax, Barcelona and a few big clubs. He spoke to me before and said 'Keep doing your thing'. His journey was really good and I want to follow in his footsteps."
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eppinggas
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Ian Alexander
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Post by eppinggas on Mar 11, 2023 9:01:22 GMT
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
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Post by kingswood Polak on Mar 23, 2023 9:17:14 GMT
I dislike the way that lower league clubs have been let down by the greed of the FA and PL and have reservations about the loan system but BRFC have to use the system that’s in place. To fight against the system would be stupid as it would be us that suffers. We are not really like Yeovil who many seem to be using as an example of what not to do. Yeovil are a very extreme example. Difficult to attract players to the club because of where it is and at the time of their success and the loans many are talking about I believe there was a club policy under Gary J of requiring players to live within Yeovil and the area which made recruitment even harder. Instead of being held up as an example of how not to use loans Yeovil made a real success of using the loan system and well done to them. They over-achieved for many years before sinking back to perhaps their natural level. Yeovil have never had the financial support that other “small” clubs like Salford, Crawley originally, Stevenage, FGR, Rushden and Diamonds have had going back. And so had to find another way to succeed and they did, so well done to them. Loans were not the reason why Yeovil sank back, there were plenty of other reasons for their demise. As has been said Plymouth have plenty of loans, as do Bolton and their fans are pretty happy with their progress. Whatever, I hope JB is able to get some decent players in before Wednesday either permanently or on loan. UTG! You're pretty much spot on with everything you say, WG. When GJ won the Conference title, he did it with players that lived a maximum of twenty minutes from the ground, in fact most of them lived on the housing estate across from the stadium. It worked perfectly in that a lot of players of a similar age lived together, worked together, played together and won together. As we climbed the League and GJ left, Terry Skiverton used his contacts like Alex Inglethorpe and John McDermott to furnish the teams with loans, predominantly from Tottenham. They loaned us Steven Caulker, Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend among others which worked perfectly for us, we were paying peanuts for these players. We also had the likes of Shaun MacDonald, Asmir Begovic, Jed Steer, Steven Henderson, Alex McCarthy... all top players. When Jon Goddard-Watts sold his shares in the club, Fry & Hayward couldn't back the club with the same sort of money yet somehow we fluked our way into the Championship, again under GJ using a similar method of keeping the players close. Again, we had current Newcastle star Dan Burn on loan but also had Luke Ayling on a permanent too. However since then, (and probably much to your enjoyment too!), we've slid down the leagues in near unstoppable fashion; this has meant that we are now fishing in a different pool than before. No Premier League team will loan a youngster to a basket case club like Yeovil. IMO GJ was always underestimated. Decent guy, great links to many clubs, brought our attention to the Latvian and, i think, could still do a fair job as a scout/intermediary. Always found it odd that many take umbrage with someone with his accent. I think he was very poorly treated by the 82 also. Many now full of nostalgia and regret.
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