Bradshaw a gamble worth taking ???

[block5upper]

On my delivery round I speak to a guy who is close to the Walsall setup via a relative who plays for them and he thinks that Bradshaw could very easily be the next Stevie May. His reasons for this is due to maybe finding his level at league 1 and not being able to handle the phisical nature of the championship with defenders generally of better quality. He also says he's not very big so may get bullied out of the ball. We will have to wait and see I suppose.

[CAMiller]

So you are a milkman who delivers gold top to a bloke whose 2nd cousin twice removed plays the electric organ in the WFC Social Club on Friday nights and he thinks that Bradshaw could be a Stevie May doppelganger

RUFC need you as chief scout. Give TS a call

(BTW Don't take offence - just having a lighthearted moment with all the crap that's going on in the world these days)

[CTMilller]

That's very interesting feedback, b5u. Having read up about him, he is potentially a risk in terms of the likelihood that he will be bullied off the ball by the physically bigger and better set-up defences he'll find in the Championship.

Of course, he may well prove to be more that capable of holding his own and be sold for several million in a couple of years to a Premiership side. However, I personally feel Stubbs and Stewart may have dodged an expensive bullet by sticking to their guns on price.

If he fails to make the grade, he will be a fairly high impact mistake financially for a smaller club in this division (whether his real value was 300k or 600k or more.) For Rotherham the higher end of those numbers would be a major mistake and I can understand the management team turning their back on a bidding war.

[Donald_Valley]

Every signing is a risk. Many will not make the step up but it's clear we can't afford proven championship players. So what to do eh? I know they're only rumours but signing 35 year olds like Whitehead surely can't be the way forward?

[CTMilller]

I don't disagree, D_V. There is no easy answer since we can't afford what we really need. We can only keep trying to get the best value for the money we can afford whether that's in the league below or elsewhere in the UK or overseas.

I would still maintain that Bradshaw would have been overpriced for what he is likely to deliver and stepping back may be seen to be prudent. Yes, there is a strong element of wanting to help justify the decision in my point of view, I'll admit, but my gut feel is also that it will turn out to be a prudent step. In any event, it doesn't mean we shouldn't keep looking.

[Monkey46]

And we could also have missed out on a gem, thats the gamble i guess.

[caytonmiller]

Depends what he does at barnsley. If he carries the team and scores 20 plus goals he's a bargain. If he scores 5 goals and 20 assists he's still a bargain. Only time will tell.
Not to long ago we had revell. Didn't score many but was a pivotal cos in our system.
BTW. Don't write Steve may off too soon.

[hotun]

Any signing is a gamble,the difference is what money you put on the bet,Tom Pope an expensive gamble,JCH not paid back any dividends yet,Alf a bargain with hindsight.Is Stubbs the man,only time will tell.Football never ceases to amaze me even after 60+ years of watching.

[PeteWaller]

The gamble is taking a L1 player and hoping he can do it at a higher level. There is plenty of evidence both ways and thus a gamble. Can be the opposite as well.

Take Kieran Agard for example. Was he as good at BC as he was for us? I don't think so. That's maybe because with us he enjoyed a team spirit not replicated at BC or even a team system here that was better suited to his style of play. He didn't get consistent game time at BC. Dare I say it, maybe Steve Evans got the best out of him.

I would have thought Bradshaw might have like to have joined up with his team mate Forde but no, he has gone for the money. Can't blame him for that perhaps but I will follow his progress with interest. Barnsley say he will fit in with their style of play. We shall see. Whatever the reason I think we did well not to get involved in a bidding war with a player that has a current worth. We shouldn't be paying over the odds for a potential higher value that comes years down the line. We perhaps were guilty of that with JCH. RUFC do not have the type of resource to gamble this way imo.

[millers88]

Getting a bit tired now on commenting why we should have signed Bradshaw but here is why. Hes young and scores goals, there wasn't anybody else out there going cheaper who is any better and him being a top league 1 striker would have gave us that security if we got relegated. If he cuts at this level he becomes a multi million pound player and the profit on that deal would have been amazing.