So near and yet so far away

[roverandout]

I am generally enthused by the quality and potential of our new signings. However, I think that the effectiveness of these recent additions will be determined in some ways by our ability or inability to source a big, commanding central defender (a Burnsy type with mobility). It was evident last season that we lacked both a vociferous leader and an organiser on the park.
I fully accept that there is a dearth of this type of player, and that every club is looking for someone of this ilk. However this does not diminish our need. Without a strong spine in the team, our flair players will not have a chance to flourish. Perhaps moves are already afoot to address this situation, if so, great. I sincerely hope that the club are not tempted in to a ‘make do’ scenario such as Ventre or Keane. To be fair to both players they spared nothing in effort last time around but neither is a specialist central defender. Personally I would push the boat out to secure such a pivotal player, should one be on the horizon.
The fact that Blinkhorn and Amond are our only two strikers of any quality at present would be another cause for concern. I would welcome your thoughts

[roverandout]

Peers is only one central defender. Great player, but he's not overly big, quick, or a leader. However he would be in my team every time, but he needs someone to play alongside.

[roversforever]

who's Almond?

[roverandout]

mis-type should read AMOND

[CF1989]

hes a leader with everything he does. leads by example. he dosnt have to be captain to be a leader

[redbuli]

would love to see us get Murray, need a right winger and right back tho imo

[sligored]

I think we are underestimating alan keane. anyone that appreciates our upturn in form in the second half of 2009 will recognise that him and gavin peers were central to our improvement. His performance in the brandywell was imo the best individual performance by a rovers player in a long number of years. he got caught out by a long ball in the wind in tallaght i agree but if you look at wes brown for united on 50000 sterling per week, these things happen to more distinguished man marking defenders. I dont think that any real rovers fan with a history of supporting rovers on here(ie non wums) would be disappointed with his signature.
And a nice guy as well.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

I think we are underestimating alan keane. anyone that appreciates our upturn in form in the second half of 2009 will recognise that him and gavin peers were central to our improvement. His performance in the brandywell was imo the best individual performance by a rovers player in a long number of years. he got caught out by a long ball in the wind in tallaght i agree but if you look at wes brown for united on 50000 sterling per week, these things happen to more distinguished man marking defenders. I dont think that any real rovers fan with a history of supporting rovers on here(ie non wums) would be disappointed with his signature.
And a nice guy as well.

Nice guy alright and not a bad player but we should still be trying to get a better centre back then him if possible. Certainly not disappointed that he signed. After last season I think everyone should realise we need a decent squad and not just a 1 - 11

[sligorover]

would love to see us get Murray, need a right winger and right back tho imo
The little we saw of Marshall last year excites me, could turn out to be a very good player. I think he'll get a lot of game time this season. McCabe plays there too yeah?
Should we sign the likes of Murray I'd imagine Keane would be first choice at right back (assuming boco doesn't come back). Danny would provide cover accross the back.
For me a left back is essential, going into the season with Butler as the only proven player in that position would be a huge risk.
Theres the guts of a very good team there, get another quality centre back in aswell as some strenght in depth and we should be in the top three...at least, might just win the thing...;)

[RoversInn]

The little we saw of Marshall last year excites me, could turn out to be a very good player. I think he'll get a lot of game time this season. McCabe plays there too yeah?
Should we sign the likes of Murray I'd imagine Keane would be first choice at right back (assuming boco doesn't come back). Danny would provide cover accross the back.
For me a left back is essential, going into the season with Butler as the only proven player in that position would be a huge risk.
Theres the guts of a very good team there, get another quality centre back in aswell as some strenght in depth and we should be in the top three...at least, might just win the thing...;)

Marshall is an impact sub imo, Remember when we were beating Pats 2-0 last season on his debut, came on and did very well against tired legs. Against Cork in the Setanta Cup he contributed little in the first half, But when the legs were tired he nicked the ball of yerman and scored. Very good player to have on the bench.

[CF1989]

i think the signings of meenan and marsall are good, wont be on too much money, good squad players, both impressed me alot in both setanta cup matches. and i actually think meenan was one of our better players in the last 20 mins in the final.

heard a few names mentioned, no point saying much about and rumors until they get finalised really. always speculation. i think keanes a good defender, theres better ones out there, but we're no world beaters. we have to reman realistic. just because teams around us are losing players due to financial restraints dosnt mean we have to buy them all just because we seem to be okay money wise

[Blowin_Rover]

all very well calling Deano an impact player but id like him given more starts to prove he can do it,with a good few games under his belt i think it will prove dividends,he has the speed and accuracy of crosses to frighten defenders

[roversforever]

he has the speed and accuracy of crosses to frighten defenders

Thats one thing he doesn't have,his end product needs a lot of work. Plenty of pace and potential but has a long way to go yet.

[Well Red]

I am generally enthused by the quality and potential of our new signings. However, I think that the effectiveness of these recent additions will be determined in some ways by our ability or inability to source a big, commanding central defender (a Burnsy type with mobility). It was evident last season that we lacked both a vociferous leader and an organiser on the park.
I fully accept that there is a dearth of this type of player, and that every club is looking for someone of this ilk. However this does not diminish our need. Without a strong spine in the team, our flair players will not have a chance to flourish. Perhaps moves are already afoot to address this situation, if so, great. I sincerely hope that the club are not tempted in to a ‘make do’ scenario such as Ventre or Keane. To be fair to both players they spared nothing in effort last time around but neither is a specialist central defender. Personally I would push the boat out to secure such a pivotal player, should one be on the horizon.
The fact that Blinkhorn and Amond are our only two strikers of any quality at present would be another cause for concern. I would welcome your thoughts

Agree with a lot you say but there are several players to come in, there is still a good pool of players available and apart from Bohs and Shams, Sligo must be seen as the next best option for ambitious players. Playing that poor Spanish centre back last year will have shown the manager that he cannot end up with that type of player at the centre of defence again. If our financial position holds up, then I think it will be a very exciting season. Its tough times for everyone but supporting all the fund raising schemes is a must for us and especially those not linving near Sligo, they can be part of the weekly on line draw, paying 6 months for this in advance is a great help to the club.

[Knappagh Red]

I think we are underestimating alan keane. anyone that appreciates our upturn in form in the second half of 2009 will recognise that him and gavin peers were central to our improvement. His performance in the brandywell was imo the best individual performance by a rovers player in a long number of years. he got caught out by a long ball in the wind in tallaght i agree but if you look at wes brown for united on 50000 sterling per week, these things happen to more distinguished man marking defenders. I dont think that any real rovers fan with a history of supporting rovers on here(ie non wums) would be disappointed with his signature.
And a nice guy as well.

I don't care how "nice" he is, he cost us the European tie, the cup final and turned several wins in the league into defeats, a good player for 85 minutes a game, his stupid mistakes will always cost us, look at his marking for the second goal in Tallaght. He tries hard but if Cook can't find a better defender than him we will again have one of the worst defences in the league

[sligofan4ever]

I don't care how "nice" he is, he cost us the European tie, the cup final and turned several wins in the league into defeats, a good player for 85 minutes a game, his stupid mistakes will always cost us, look at his marking for the second goal in Tallaght. He tries hard but if Cook can't find a better defender than him we will again have one of the worst defences in the league

1) Keane atleast got us an away goal, but the 2 long range ones were far too easy for them, no one went in for a tackle, while we didn't take our chances either.

2)Keane didn't cost us the Cup Final, he was one of few players who actually was interested in winning. Keane,Peers,Doyle,Blinkhorn and Meenan were the only ones who played it like a cup final, the rest were just muck, not to mention the midfield battle was lost without O' Grady.

How will we have one of the worst defences in the league with Keane ? he'll most likely play right back if Boco dosen't stay with Rovers, and he would improve the right back position for us as Boco never really done much defensively, oh how I wish he got rid of the ball before it could be put in for Fingal's second :(

[red metal]

I don't care how "nice" he is, he cost us the European tie, the cup final and turned several wins in the league into defeats, a good player for 85 minutes a game, his stupid mistakes will always cost us, look at his marking for the second goal in Tallaght. He tries hard but if Cook can't find a better defender than him we will again have one of the worst defences in the league

I agree with a lot of what you are saying about Alan Keane.We need someone with a better concentration span he always seems to make a few boo boo,s in the course of 90 mins that are always costly.But the only thing i will say is Boco was terrible in the lead up to the second goal.First of all boco,s bad clerance straight into the middle of the park when he should have sticking it across the side line our even takling a touch. Then he lets Bayly keep the ball in play take about 5 or 6 touches cut back inside and cross for tere winning goal.But keane had enough time to get tight with O neill.If and i know its only an if! but if it was coleman.Bayly would still be still picking himself out of the stand.A lot of school boy mistakes have cost us a lot of points last season.And i just hope the manager brings in a few good defensive players!Like of Dan Murray our Jamie Harris would partner Peers well!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-8MPOMRzn8&feature=related

[sligofan4ever]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying about Alan Keane.We need someone with a better concentration span he always seems to make a few boo boo,s in the course of 90 mins that are always costly.But the only thing i will say is Boco was terrible in the lead up to the second goal.First of all boco,s bad clerance straight into the middle of the park when he should have sticking it across the side line our even takling a touch. Then he lets Bayly keep the ball in play take about 5 or 6 touches cut back inside and cross for tere winning goal.But keane had enough time to get tight with O neill.If and i know its only an if! but if it was coleman.Bayly would still be still picking himself out of the stand.A lot of school boy mistakes have cost us a lot of points last season.And i just hope the manager brings in a few good defensive players!Like of Dan Murray our Jamie Harris would partner Peers well!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-8MPOMRzn8&feature=related

Even if you want to show Boco made a bad clearance, you still shouldn't post that particular highlight :(

[roverandout]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying about Alan Keane.We need someone with a better concentration span he always seems to make a few boo boo,s in the course of 90 mins that are always costly.

I totally agree with your sentiments and that's the reason I started this thread. There are some positions where you simply cannot improvise and central defender is one of them. It is imperative that the club finds someone to partner Gavin Peers at the heart of the defence. I have nothing against the likes of Keane and Ventre (they both play for the shirt), but in an ideal world (which I know it isn't) those two lads would be squad players at best.

[roverandout]

I imagine Cook isn't happy with 13 players and one established central defender so safe to say we'll be signing another.

I sincerely hope you are right Rory H, but defenders of the type we require are like hens teeth. Also there must be a sizeable hole in the budget at this stage, given that almost every club in the League is cutting back.

[Well Red]

I sincerely hope you are right Rory H, but defenders of the type we require are like hens teeth. Also there must be a sizeable hole in the budget at this stage, given that almost every club in the League is cutting back.

Not sure I understand your second point

[roverandout]

Not sure I understand your second point

The point I'm making Well Red is that the defender the club requires will probably not come cheaply (assuming that there is one out there). To my way of thinking we also need another proven striker, if only to put pressure on Blinkhorn and Amond. If I'm not mistaken someone else on this thread has made the case for a left back as doubts linger about Butler's ability to recapture full fitness (I really hope he makes it). Given that the budget is not infinite and that the core of the players from last season have resigned, plus the recent additions to the squad, I'm suggesting that there may not be a great deal of scope left to us in respect of further quality signings. We will obviously be operating off a smallish squad in terms of numbers.

[redbuli]

personally think we need a centre back, another striker, and another centre midfielder cause if Turners was to get injured we'd only have Ventre O'Grady.. we're also bit thin on the right side, Keanes our only right back option at the monent and think Meenan is left sided, doyle played on the left and mccabe is a left winger as well, so maybe cook plans to use one of them on the right, otherwise we have no one for that position

dont think we can afford it all though, if we got Murray, Faz and a proper centre midfielder,i'd be happy.. think if we get the spine of the team right we would have enough to take care of the full back and winger positions albeit with some improv

had to laugh at this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eoin_Doyle

[dong]

We will obviously be operating off a smallish squad in terms of numbers.

I would say so. Once again, if we are unlucky with injuries we will be scrapping at the bottom. Our first eleven is always very competitive but we have no depth in our squad. Say Blinkhorn, Peers, O Grady and Turner get injured/suspended at the same time (not beyond the realms of possibility) then we will be very average and will drop points. A top four place could be achieved but only if we avoid such a scenario. Fingers crossed we get a bit of luck on that front.

[CF1989]

i agree with that, but imo our first 11 will be top quality, and of course they all wont be available for every game for whatever reason, but theres going to be a spell ,as there is every season, that we will be at full strength for a period and we will be better than every team in the league bar shamrock and bohs
fingals money grabbing , ambitionless players will fade away as they did in the FD

[Peachey]

I imagine Cook isn't happy with 13 players and one established central defender so safe to say we'll be signing another.

Cooke was quite happy to play the second half of last season with one established central defender

[avvenalaf]

Cooke was quite happy to play the second half of last season with one established central defender

Yes, but as Sligoman will be quick to point out, Cook wasn't.

[dong]

Cooke was quite happy to play the second half of last season with one established central defender

Can you not even spell the man's name right at this stage?
Bit difficult to take you seriously when you make a balls out of something so simple.

[sligorover]

Cooke was quite happy to play the second half of last season with one established central defender
Incorrect actually, he signed Camano during the window.

[avvenalaf]

I miss Martin, taught we seen him in the velvet rooms last night


FFS, Sligoman, are you on holidays or in jail or something?

[Rovers1]

FFS, Sligoman, are you on holidays or in jail or something?

Sligoman is having a few technical difficulties at the moment. We hope to have him up and running by Tuesday. Moderation, will then resume.

[CarrickFan]

I miss Martin, taught we seen him in the velvet rooms last night


Is he working there now?:)

[Peachey]

Incorrect actually, he signed Camano during the window.

But not an established LOI center-half, seven years sweeping up ticket stubbs in the Bernabau is not good form, our own Stevie Feeney is a better center-half

[sligorover]

But not an established LOI center-half, seven years sweeping up ticket stubbs in the Bernabau is not good form, our own Stevie Feeney is a better center-half
Proven LOI players are hard come by, particularly at the midway point in the season, so clubs sometimes have to gamble on players from overseas that they may or may not know too well. By your reckoning we never should have signed Blinkhorn either, or the likes of Peers for that matter, neither of whom set the world alight in England.

Being kept on at Madrid til he was nineteen suggests the lad should be more than capable of being a leading player in the LOI. On paper he was a savage signing...just a pity footballs not played on paper.

[CarrickFan]

I think we have a lot to look foward to...i'd be pretty happy with the players we have in the squad for next season so far,obviously we need to get a few more but we are defo going in the right direction....apart from the obvious two of Bohs and Shams i dont see much else to be scared of...Still dont know what will happen with Cork and maybe Fingal could be up there but we should aim to be finishing in top 3 or 4.....the standard of player St Pats are signing just shows how far back they have gone and with the greatest of respect we should be looking to finish ahead of Drogs,UCD,Galway and Dundalk..with a few more good signings and a decent start to the season it could be a good season.

[Rovers1]

I think Pat's might be a bit stronger this season than you think Carrickfan.

[avvenalaf]

Is it just me or does o'grady do nothin for us these days? Im sick of hearing all the bull that i hear when this topic is brought up. Its simple in my opinion. We need someone better.

Totally agree. Hasn't done a feckin' thing for us since the cup semi final.:p

[Peachey]

Is it just me or does o'grady do nothin for us these days? Im sick of hearing all the bull that i hear when this topic is brought up. Its simple in my opinion. We need someone better.

Connor O'Grady is a hero to the young people of the town, when he is not playing we are half a team

[sligorover]

Is it just me or does o'grady do nothin for us these days? Im sick of hearing all the bull that i hear when this topic is brought up. Its simple in my opinion. We need someone better.
O'Grady is our worst player when the team is playing well. For some reason hes the best man on the pitch when we play badly though.

[sligorover]

Connor O'Grady is a hero to the young people of the town, when he is not playing we are half a team
A positive post Peachey?:eek: Didn't think there was anyone at the club you actually liked.