Often Partisan

Gossip Folks Week Three

We’re just over a week into the transfer window now, and I’m starting to build up some hits on the spreadsheet of transfer rumours regarding Blues players.

The spreadsheet can be found here, and as you can see it still seems to be focussed on one or two players that are leaving – which either shows Blues are at a level where most of the main national media ignores it, or the supposed fire sale that was coming hasn’t yet arrived – or a combination of the two. Google also shows some disparity when looking for individual player rumours; using the keywords Nathan Redmond transfer generated me about 38,200 hits from the past week, Liam Ridgewell transfer generated about 9,850 hits from the past week whilst Nikola Zigic transfer generated only 663 hits from the past week.

I’ve deliberately not added messageboard rumours and “transfer rumour” website rumours to the spreadsheet because of a) their lack of veracity and b) because there is too damn many of them to count. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t look – I’m quite surprised at the amount of West Ham fans who think they’re going to go for Liam Ridgewell for instance. There are lots of flights of fantasy about who Blues are going to bring in on some sites – I can only imagine that some got carried away whilst playing the latest release of Football Manager.

The only confirmed story on the spreadsheet is one of Colin Tattum’s, who said a few days ahead of confirmation that Guirane N’Daw was likely to stay – something that we know has now happened. As we well know, Chris Wood has now returned to the Albion (he was on their bench for their FA Cup tie against Cardiff) and I think it’s interesting to point out how differing journalists work using Chris Wood as an example.

Tattum asked the question of Chris Hughton at a press conference about Chris Wood, who replied that he was hopeful of the deal being done. James Nursey of the Mirror (one of the few journos who seems to be publishing Blues stories in the national media) however was adamant Chris Wood was going back to WBA, to be loaned elsewhere – and from the words he was using on Twitter it seemed to me he’d been talking to Chris Wood’s agent (Base Soccer Agency Ltd). Some people saw that as a versus battle, as though the stories were diametrically opposed – however, they’re not. Like anything, a story can be seen from several perspectives; Tattum reported from a press conference what the manager said, and I have no doubt Chris Hughton was hopeful of extending the Kiwi’s loan spell – but that doesn’t mean that he would definitely be able to. Likewise, I have no doubt that an agent will have told James Nursey that he was looking for a better deal for Wood (which as an agent he’s duty-bound to do) and thus Nursey has reported that. As it happens, it appears Chris Wood isn’t coming back after all; Roy Hodgson is taking a proper look at the Kiwi before deciding what to do next.

With the transfer window closing in just over three weeks there is still plenty of time for business to be done; however I have no doubt that if Blues really do need to bring cash in that they will be starting to get anxious at the lack of movement so far.

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27 Responses to “Gossip Folks Week Three”

  • Azzurri says:

    wasn’t it chris woods (keeper) on the baggies bench on saturday ?

  • BigDave says:

    I think you have hit the nail on the head here. Nursey has no contact with and cannot be trusted by Blues so he goes to agents to get all his ‘stories’ and we all know that agents have an agenda and will want stuff put out there that is to their advantage. Nursey tweeted that Albion had made offers for Ridgewell in that superior smug style of his and Hughton tells the press that they have not even had an inquiry. It’s the same every window with journos like Nursey. He has no one to answer to and him and his paper are not bothered about fact

  • Bluenose87 says:

    I’m gutted that Wood has gone back to Albion. We already have a problem with goal scoring. King is now our only striker who has goals in him. Zigic and Rooney are quite frankly useless! We need to somehow secure another striker in the transfer window which I can’t see happening. Our promotion hopes have been dealt with a massive blow!

    • John says:

      You can’t believe a word that footballers agents say. Pre-season, the agent of Zigic,said Man. City and Spurs were after him. I think he meant their ladies teams !

  • Trevor Honnor says:

    I’ve just read on Twitter (@JamesNursey) that Newcastle may have found an alternative Centre Back to Curtis Davies – He thinks James Tomkins.

    Purely guesswork on his part but as speculation goes, it’s better than constantly reading about who IS on their way out of Blues.

  • Alex Turton says:

    Dont be so down Bluenose87… I cant remember the last time Wood actually scored! He was on a roll at the start of the season but in the last few games that he played it hasn’t even been noticable that he was on the pitch. People get on Zigic’s back, but he does alot more for the team than people give him credit for…. and he actually wants to stick it out at Blues, which is more than can be said for some of the other mercenaries we’ve had here.
    The major plus points for me are that, a.) we have kept N’Daw for the rest of the season. Centre Mid was our main weakness at the start of the season, now with Fahey clicking with N’Daw and Mutch having returned, this area looks strong. And, b.) As I was saying during the last transfer window, no one has been sold yet. If we sell Beausejour, Ridge and Zigic then we can get or already have cover for their positions. As long as no one else goes then we are in with a good shout for the playoffs

  • Bluenosesol says:

    Any money received for outgoing players will be frittered away on financial shannanigans, so as far as the SUPPORTERS are concerned there is no advantage to selling players. Not concerned about losing Ridgwell and Zigic or the return of Wood, but would be about losing Beausejour, Davies, Redmond, Burke etc. If we keep what we have, I am happy!!

    • almajir says:

      Financial shenanigans?

      You’re wrong. It might just be sales are required to keep the club going.

      • Bluenosesol says:

        You can not possibly know I am wrong. If I am wrong, show me the balance book which shows that the millions we have received in player sales, TV etc has gone to pay for the running of the club to date. if you can not, then you can not say that any further income from player sales will keep the club running – as I say, financial shannanigans!

        • almajir says:

          Eh?

          Financial shenanigans implies something illicit is happening, which isn’t true – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – not one penny has left these shores for BIH.

          The fact is (and this is what many people seem to fail to understand) is that the club is a business and requires money to run it. The money to run it has to come from somewhere, and the only available source of income currently is player sales. Before you even start on “what about the parachute payment/sky money/previous player sales” etc, another unavoidable fact is we’re now having to cover the debts incurred from the previous season, where player wages alone were pretty much all the money we turned over. The club incurs more costs than player wages so there is going to be a debt carried over to this year which needs to be paid off – especially as the bank have denied us an overdraft now.

          • Bluenosesol says:

            Almajir, my point is that without any published accounts, we can only speculate. I can only base my opinions on logical assumption. Namely that we do not understand the extent of the club or BIH’s debt. Therefore, we do not know where we delineate between runnings costs and debt reduction. If the debt reduction is unassailable, then the current financials are destined to failure along with the current management. If this is the case, then the debt becomes a bottomless financial obligation and hence no amount of player sale income will save the current structure. If the club is escalating towards a certain financial demise, then as supporters and players, our best short term option is to retain all of our players. We need to be viable as an operationally functional and competitive club when the inevitable sale scenario is invoked. Just because money is not leaving for distant shores does not mean that it is not being “retained” for future requirements. The net result is identical.

  • BluePenguin 76 says:

    I agree with Bluenose87. …If the Blues can’t manage to sign another forward this window our promotion hopes are pretty much dead in the water. I know they’re slight as they are but I feel with a bit of variety up front we could sneak into the playoffs.
    As regards to Wood, he did well but I don’t think it would be a huge loss…we have forwards of the same ilk at the minute (King, Rooney….to a lesser extent Ziggy) and maybe we need someone with a bit of pace who can finish (DJ Campbell style).
    Of course without any funds at all it will be a near impossible task to bring a player of the right quality in!.
    I do feel for CH, capable manager who has worked miracles keeping us there or there about’s!!!.
    Roll on Yeungs court case, I fear we are stuck in limbo until this mess is resolved. Hopefully by the summer we will be a much clearer position on where we stand in the transfer market!.
    KRO

  • Ben says:

    I think we will keep all the current crop of players; we are day dreaming if we think the likes of Zigic, Ridgewell and similar will find clubs willing to pay the fees + their wages;
    Best case for birmingham is Albion decided to make Foster deal perminant early for say £4-5m;
    Zigic goes on loan to a club in spain; and Ridgewell or Davies moves on for a small fee.
    All in all around £5 into the club and around 50,000 a week on wages saved.
    Most of which will go to help clubs debts – and then 15-30k left for players wages etc – for loans to cover those players.

    Worst case – we keep current crop and have a decent chance of making the play offs.
    Ok times may get tough and we all just need to KRO
    and back chris as he has worked wonders – I expect us to finish with around 70-75points and if i’m right then we have a good chance at the play offs

  • BCFC4life says:

    chris wood wasnt on WBA’s bench at all, it was chris woods there keeper, listed on there website as having the same shirt number

  • skareggae72 says:

    Looks like a mistake on the WBA website,someone added a s on to Chris Wood,there is nobody of that name at the club or reserves,Chris Woods(the ex England keeper)is now 52!!!.
    Personally i dont think we will be getting Chris Wood back,as WBA would probably prefer to loan to a club where he is guaranteed 1st team football,which would help his progress as a player.
    We can always look elsewhere.

  • Roy Flowers says:

    What about giving Jarvis a try when his loan to Preston has finished. Same age as Wood and seems to be able to score at league 2 and league 1 level. A no cost option.

  • parkp says:

    I wonder if CH is still interested in bringin Nile Ranger to Blues? Im sure he is due back at Newcastle in the window. CH was once trying to sign him before Chris Wood came in.

  • Bluehobba says:

    I would be very surprised that if we did sell anyone in the transfer window, that CH did not replace that player be it down the loan market route or for a small fee. Although I can’t really see any business done in the window by Blues, the likelyhood of a player coming in without having to sell first is pretty much nil. I wont lose sleep over that One !! KRO

    • NooBloo says:

      No point in reading transfer gossip. Blues are not signing anyone unless they lose someone and they need to be replaced and thats assuming they dont lose someone at midnight on transfer deadline day in which case there wouldnt even be time to replace them and in that case, they are still not signing anyone.

      Confused – Dont be thats a fact


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