The Summer Transfer Rumour Round-up Thread

[ian1964 10,723]

Any interest should not be based on a single performance!!!

 

Agreed,he has been around the lower divisions in Scotland his whole career,see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_McGovern , he is a decent keeper but the excitement surrounding him due to that one game is scary!,he shouldn't be dismissed either on that one game though

[calscot 0]

Seems those who are overly concerned with average age are going to be disappointed with the transfers so far. For me, I've always thought there should be a balance between youth, experience and those in between.

 

I'm believing that MW thinks similarly and the irony is that signing 30 somethings is less of a threat to developing our youngsters than signing teenage loan players. If you have a strategy of playing 2 or 3 older players as well as 2 or 3 youngsters, with the rest in between, then the older signings are pretty much competing with each other for those few places.

 

The young loanees are competing with the limited opportunities for our U20 players and tend to take precedence over them due to the very nature of them - to attract top youngsters from top clubs they need to get plenty of game time. That's the way it went last season and the result was probably by far the worse season in modern times for first team game time for our U20 prospects.

 

Personally, I don't think under 40 is particularly old, you just have to look at the likes of Jens Voigt who retired about 42 from a very fitness related sport (cycling), and set the hour record just before his 43rd birthday. Then there's Contador, who won the Giro last year at 32 and is still a contender for the TdF at 33. Roger Federer is 3rd in the world at 34 and will be 35 in a couple of months. Bernard Hopkins defended a WBO title at age 49...

 

I think to play at a reasonably high level as an older player there are certain criteria you need to meet:

 

1. Taking care of yourself.

This is a must and means a professional and expert attention to diet and training while avoiding too much drink (and drugs) etc as well as debilitating illnesses.

 

2. Genetics

The better start you have here the better chance of playing later in life, there must be genes that mean you are slower to age and decline in phyical ability as well as avoiding congenital diseases and complications.

 

3. Avoiding injury

I think one of the biggest aspects of ageing before your late 40's is the accumulation of bad or repeated injuries. These restrict flexibility, muscle growth and recovery from knocks and muscle tears. They also add in pain with extreme exercise that restricts training. New injuries also tend to take longer to heal and have more complications.

 

4. Intelligence

I think the best older players are the ones who use their heads as much as their physical ability, reading games, and opposition players, a deep understanding of tactics, all contribute to raising your game to another level that isn't diminished by age, we keep on learning so it only adds to it.

 

5. Motivation

Players need to relish new challenges and avoid becoming jaded and bored with the non-stop training and game after game where they need to be fully focused and give 100% every time. This also means still having that despite perhaps dropping down a level or two from where they have peaked which can be hard to take. There's also the short term contracts where they have to move to a new city and remake their life which can be difficult when it's an age where many just want to settle down.

 

There's probably loads of other factors but that's the main ones that come readily to my mind. The main thing is to choose the players that fit all those attributes - David Weir is an obvious example - the likes of Maniero, obviously had absolutely no motivation no matter how much of the rest he had in spades.

Edited June 22, 2016 by calscot

[Darthter 542]

Interesting page showing average ages @ the World cup over the years....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28254123

 

About 27 appears to been the average overall.....

[ian1964 10,723]

The Plymouth Argyle defender has real interest in his signature from both Rangers and Barnsley according to the Stoke Sentinel.

 

The Argyle skipper has been linked with the Ibrox side in the past few weeks and reports suggest that Championship side Barnsley will look to make a move for the former Stoke City youngster

 

Read more at http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/transfer-news-live-latest-rumours-8253505#iSKcaAeYHcwar0yu.99

[colinstein 294]

Niko Kranjcar has landed in Glasgow ahead of undergoing a medical at Rangers.

 

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers midfielder is a free agent after leaving New York Cosmos earlier this month and looks set to become Mark Warburton's sixth summer signing.

 

Kranjcar will have a medical with the Ibrox outfit today after arriving in Glasgow earlier and could team up with former QPR teammates Clint Hill and Joey Barton at the Gers

.http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/14573232.Niko_Kranjcar_touches_down_in_Glasgow_for_Rangers_medical/

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Shaping up pretty well I would say.

[ian1964 10,723]

Rangers target Niko Kranjcar has arrived in Glasgow to undergo a medical with the Ibrox side.

 

The midfielder, who spent three years at Spurs, hopes to join Mark Warburton's squad ahead of their step up to the Scottish Premiership next season.

 

Warburton first held talks with the 31-year old former Croatian internationalist in May over a move from New York Cosmos.

 

Upon arriving in Scotland, he said: "It's great being here.

 

"Anyone who plays or follows football knows what a massive club it is. I'm honoured to be in talks with Rangers and hopefully we can find a way for both us to sit down and agree a deal.

 

"I'm really good friends with Nikica Jelavic so I've heard a lot about it [Rangers] from him."

 

If he puts pen to paper he will join summer signings Joey Barton, Clint Hill, Jordan Rossiter and Accrington Stanley duo Josh Windass and Matt Crooks at Murray Park where they have returned for pre-season training.

 

Kranjcar won 81 caps for Croatia between 2004-2013 and once scored against Scotland in a 1-1 friendly in 2008.

 

He also scored one of the goals which stopped England from qualifying for Euro 2008.

 

Kranjcar spent two seasons at Queen's Park Rangers between 2013-15 where he played with fellow new boys at Ibrox, Barton and Hill.

 

Wee video - http://stv.tv/sport/football/1358263-rangers-target-niko-kranjcar-lands-in-glasgow-ahead-of-medical/

[colinstein 294]

centre half and centre forward and we're done

[JFK-1 1,693]

Regarding Curtis Nelson I asked for an opinion of him on an Argyle forum and got this reply.

 

Many on here rate him very highly as a centre-half and believe he could play at a higher level. For me, there are good reasons why that hasn't happened in his career so far.

 

His main attributes are pace, tackling ability and reading of the game. However, he can be error prone and can also be dominated in the air - you will have seen this if you took in the Play-off Final but has also happened in other games this season. As with most centre-halves at this level he is also vulnerable when squared up facing an attacker.

 

Some believe he could do a job in centre-midfield - I don't.

 

So, for me he's a very good pro who has genuinely ability and has served us very well, but hasn't been able to iron out certain flaws that I suspect have held back his career to date. I'd be very happy to keep him in League 2, but not devastated if he decided it was time to move on.

Edited June 22, 2016 by JFK-1

[craig 5,199]

Give him the choice. Stay or leave both are fine. If he stays he will be in contention. If he goes he goes with our blessing.

 

If you offer a third choice where he gets paid to go then of course he will take that and so will every other player from now on.

 

we will win some and lose some. Some will stay some will go. Some that stay will contribute.

 

No one will take the piss though.

 

How do you reconcile those two statements ?

 

If the manager doesn't want him but he is under contract then obviously that IS his choice, you are correct. However, that doesn't reconcile with the 2nd statement that he will "be in contention" if the manager doesn't want him.

 

You seem to be ignoring that all of this could result in costing the Club money and/or not being able to get a player that the manager actually wants.

 

Take Bell's situation.... We could perhaps pay him off a portion of his wages, thus seeing a keeper leave that clearly is not in contention. And, as a replacement, we could bring in McGovern who most likely WILL be in contention. Or.... we tell Bell we wont be paying him off, Bell says "Fine, I will sit out a year on these current wages", the Club then probably wouldn't want to go and get yet another keeper that they would have fighting for a place.

 

All so we can tell players "Sign for Rangers on a contract, but when we don't want you we wont be giving you a pay off - if you have to rot in the reserves, so be it".

 

Still smacks of cutting noses off to spite faces to me.