Does he look like a £5m Premiership player to you? I reckon that Roy Keane was lucky last year in that when he came in at Sunderland he was given the money to buy his way up the league and to promotion, but now he's in the Premiership and has been given a bigger pot he doesn't seem to be spending it very wisely. Feel free to remind me of this in a few months when Chopra has become next season's success story, but I just don't reckon it will happen.
£5m doesn't buy you that much in the premier league due to the silly amount of inflation going about - Darren Bent £16 million quid for example. I think that Chopra will be more than capable at Premier League level - it remains to be seen how much more than that he has to offer. Fair deal if you ask me.
Chopra looked different class in lots of games last year and it wasn't just down to his goalscoring. In fact, he missed as many "easy" chances, if not more, than he scored. He put this down to being "too comfortable". He also went 14 games without scoring. One of the few stand-out players in the Championship along with Jason Koumas and Gareth Bale. Koumas was better than Chops in the year he had with us btw. £5m is a great piece of business by us (and Peter Ridsdale in particular) and if you consider that Chris Baird of Southampton has just gone to Fulham for over £3m then Chopra HAS to be worth more. The only annoying thing from our (CCFC's) point of view is that we didn't already have a replacement in and the fact that PR and Dave Jones have actively been trying to off-load him ever since he signed his improved and extended contract.
I don't think you'll find it easy to replace Chopra, even with £5 million quid. If you're serious about wanting promotion, I'd have kept him.
Tell me about it. At the moment we've got Warren Feeney who looks as deadly as a cluster of butterflies, Jason Byrne who was top scorer in the league of Ireland for 3 seasons but looks ineffective and Steve McLean. Steve Thomson is on the transfer list and is out for 6 months anyway after a freak "banana boat" accident on holidays! We are, apparently, favourites to sign Robbie Fowler and Rowan Vine has been mentioned in various circles. We'll wait and see. Incidentally, I don't believe for one second that we're seriously interested in promotion until we get into our new stadium - which will be ready approx. Jan 2009.
Do you think that the fact they have been trying to offload quite openly might suggest that your finances aren't as rosy at Pete is making out? Think Chops is easily worth £5million in todays market.
Nothing to do with it Finances are fine since our take-over in January and we actually made a £1m profit for trading on last year! We couldn't raise money in the January window to strengthen our great start because our stadium got "unconditional" planning status and we agreed a fixed price for it's construction of £43m - £5m more than originally quoted - and that had to be found then. The playing budget went out of the window then :'(
RE: Nothing to do with it Still don't trust PR. leopard doesn't change it's spots. You won't know it's gone tits up until it is too late - that's his style. Hope it doesn't happen to you. Not sure about Robbie Fowler either - not sure he has the appetite for success any more.
RE: Nothing to do with it Don't worry, following the dealings of Sam Hammam, Ridsdale's a pussycat. Believe me everyone, and I mean everyone, is keeping a close eye on things - things that no-one would have contemplated or even known about a few years ago. As for Fowler, I can't see it happening myself. But what I would say is that IF he were to come, he's been making all the right noises with regards to his future ambitions/hunger and has been given glowing tributes concerning his fitness and sharpness from Rafa Benitez and Ian Rush. Oh and his agent - well he would, wouldn't he? Rushie has also spoken to Fowler and told him that Cardiff would be the ideal move for him at this stage of his career. We'll see.
RE: Nothing to do with it I think the connections are there for you to land Fowler - he'd never come to Barnsley for example - but I'm still not sure you'd want him. I'm no surprised that Liverpool are giving him good references, no less impartial than his agent for me. I think you could do better.
Bluebird, answer me this.......... After his fantastic goal scoring exploits last year, and the way he became top scorer in the league, why the hell have Ridsdale and Jones been actively trying to sell him?</p> Surely a goalscorer of his stature, you would be fighting tooth and nail to hang on to.</p> These type of goalscoresrs and natural finishers aka Chopra, are hard to come by and not 'two a penny'.</p> If you want to get out of this Division, why the hell sell the best striker in the league - and a proven one at that?</p> I don't get it!</p>
But Ade, look... £5 million is now peanuts compared to what is on offer if you arrive at the promised land of the Premiership!</p> Look at Sheff Utd, fighting a lost cause, because of thr £50 million they stand to lose through not being in the Premiership.</p> If Cardiff are serious about getting out of the Championship, you don't get rid of plasyers of Chopra's calibre do you.?</p> He's worth 20 plus goals a season and a potential ticket to the Prem.</p> It simply doesn't make sense to me at all.</p> Who could take his place for less that they are selling for ? (chinny) S) </p>
All managers are trying to sell their best players They're always talking up their value in the papers - making comments like "i can't understand why they haven't had an international call up". Take Warnock & Jagielka for example ....
