Another defender linked is Bristol city defender Taylor Moore.
As stated about grant Hanley,he would be a good addition only if its alongside lenihan not to replace.
Printable View
Another defender linked is Bristol city defender Taylor Moore.
As stated about grant Hanley,he would be a good addition only if its alongside lenihan not to replace.
I think the one who will go this summer is Lenihan. I think Dack will stay another season. I think that Lenihan is interesting quite a few sides, and doesn't cost the world. He and Hanley are very similar, size, stature etc. So he could be an ok replacement. But we would then have to go sign another.
Assuming Lenihan stays, does all of our interest in centre-backs, regardless, mean that none of the following are going to be good enough to play alongside him, as the regular second central defender?
Williams, (Rodwell), (Nyambe), Wharton, Magloire, Grayson, Platt, Carter, Charley Doyle, Annesley.
If that's the case, we will certainly have to let some of those go.
Wharton and Platt, in particular, are getting past the stage where they can be considered as "promising youngsters".
Clearly, things are altered if Lenihan leaves and one of Hanley/Bauer/Moore arrives, but we would still be left with the same issue of who is number two in that position.
At a bit of a tangent, I bet Williams isn't particularly relishing the prospect of being regularly on the bench as cover for centre-back or left-back!
Robin - I see that Moore is only six feet tall and 80kg. That doesn't quite place him in the "bruiser" class!
All the same, he can also cover the right-back slot, so I can see why he would be a possibility.
A late extra: he doesn't seem to have played a single game for their 1st XI, in the last two seasons! How do we know he's better than any of our own youngsters?!
Really?I could of swore he played on and off quite regularly,maybe I am getting mixed up with another player.
Not for the first time I might add.
Robin - I've double-checked. He HAS been playing regularly, but last season, it was 34 games for Southend in D.1, and the one before, 35 matches for Cheltenham in D.2.
Before that, he had a few games for Lens in the French Second Division.
One big advantage he has over our lads is that he has played loads more senior football, which might make him a reasonable proposition - especially, as I said, because he can cover Nyambe.
Good question. The one thing we know about TM is he wont play a young player for a sustained period who simply isn't ready. They may get a game or 2 in isolation, like Magloire last season. But they won't be thrown in.
Maglorie isn't quite ready. No different to Butterworth etc etc. He's knocking on the door, pushing for a place.
But we found out last season, especially when we went a very long time without winning, what a tough league this is. A younger inexperienced player would get destroyed. He had to take Nyambe out of the side (and Bell) as they both suffered at times.
Not sure about Grayson & Platt.
But I'd feel happier knowing we had Hanley next season. If we kept hold of Lenihan. If we lost him, then we'd need to get 2 new centre halves.
I can't see any prospect of Rovers being able to afford TWO quality, Championship-ready centre-backs. It's hard enough to get hold of one. I really hope this Lenihan story comes to nothing, therefore. (I wonder if Cahill could be persuaded to choose us over Inter Milan!)
There still seems to be virtually no activity in the Championship transfer-market. When's it going to happen?
The start of July,will explode into life.
The agents are playing the waiting game with their players,but when there is just a month to go,then the panic sets in.
We need 4 centre backs. Plain and simple. If we lost Lenihan, we'd likely get Hanley anyway, but then we'd go buy Lenihans replacement. Which Hanley isn't. I do still consider Mulgrew as a viable option, as I'm convinced we will change formation to 3 centre halves. Charlie could still play, but he needs more cover as he was badly exposed last season. He can't play in a back 4 Any more. But he could in a 3. And our 2 full backs are probably better employed as wing backs. I'd be quite happy with Lenihan Mulgrew Hanley (with Williams and Magloire as cover)