| Armando Broja 19:28 - Nov 4 with 2913 views | Dubtractor |
Has a bigger bullet ever been dodged?
1 goal in 36 appearances for Burnley, including no goals in 10 games this season.
We seemed very keen to spend serious money on him. |  |
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| Armando Broja on 20:00 - Nov 4 | The_Flashing_Smile |
We were keen... but then pulled the plug on injury concerns. I seem to remember plenty on here criticising the club for not just gambling and getting it done, just because they were so desperate to get a striker in. Those people seem quiet now. |  |
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| Armando Broja on 06:20 - Nov 5 | Blue_Heath |
He was a great prospect at the time but good that we didn't gamble yes.
On injured players anyone know Cajuste's stats this season? |  |
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| Armando Broja on 07:00 - Nov 5 | Len_Brennan |
| Armando Broja on 20:00 - Nov 4 by The_Flashing_Smile |
We were keen... but then pulled the plug on injury concerns. I seem to remember plenty on here criticising the club for not just gambling and getting it done, just because they were so desperate to get a striker in. Those people seem quiet now. |
I don't think too many were saying that the club should gamble with him, once the medical uncovered what it did, under the terms that Chelsea were offering.
If memory serves me correctly, we were only being offered a 'loan with an obligation to buy' for £30m deal, should we stay up. The club quiet rightly rejected that deal, but then Everton came in & signed him, having been given the far better deal of a 'loan with an option to buy' for £30m, on top of an agreement to continue paying his wages in full, until he was fit and available to play for them.
We were heading into a PL season, as a promoted club, with no recognised senior centre forward of any experience at that level. Hirst was injured & we had no idea that Delap, a young Man City reserve who had only really played half a season of games in the Championship, mainly as a right-sided attacker, was going to burst onto the scene, or even stay fit himself until the January window.
Again, my memory of it was that Broja was going to be missing for the end of August & September, but due back for October, and so would be a far better option to alternate with Delap than Ali Al Hamadi, for the last 3 months of the year. I think he was doing alright for Everton, but then did himself another injury late on in a game, while stretching to get something on a dangerous ball, & thus spent further weeks on the sidelines.
As I say, there was absolutely no way the club could have taken the risk with him under the original terms we had agreed, but had Chelsea offered us the same deal that Everton ultimately got him on, I think we would have signed him on loan with AN OPTION, plus the covering of his wages early on. Had he come good & stayed injury free, he could be our player for a 'reasonable' fee (he was valued at £50m the previous year), and if the injuries continued or we were relegated, we would have said thank you & goodbye, as Everton did.
I think people forget just how good a player he was, particularly at Southampton in the PL, before his first bad injury, and also how he was exactly the profile of player than McKenna was looking for (see Ioannidis also) to lead the line in his 4-2-3-1 formation.
We went into that PL season with the completely unproven Delap & Al Hamadi as our only strikers for most of the period up to the January window, with the also unproven Hirst playing a few games among 2 injury spells of his own.
Burnley, of course, seem to have agreed a terribly reckless deal for him. | |
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| Armando Broja on 08:56 - Nov 5 | Steve_M |
Curtis Tilt was a whole load cheaper at least. |  |
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| Armando Broja on 09:00 - Nov 5 | The_Flashing_Smile |
| Armando Broja on 07:00 - Nov 5 by Len_Brennan |
I don't think too many were saying that the club should gamble with him, once the medical uncovered what it did, under the terms that Chelsea were offering.
If memory serves me correctly, we were only being offered a 'loan with an obligation to buy' for £30m deal, should we stay up. The club quiet rightly rejected that deal, but then Everton came in & signed him, having been given the far better deal of a 'loan with an option to buy' for £30m, on top of an agreement to continue paying his wages in full, until he was fit and available to play for them.
We were heading into a PL season, as a promoted club, with no recognised senior centre forward of any experience at that level. Hirst was injured & we had no idea that Delap, a young Man City reserve who had only really played half a season of games in the Championship, mainly as a right-sided attacker, was going to burst onto the scene, or even stay fit himself until the January window.
Again, my memory of it was that Broja was going to be missing for the end of August & September, but due back for October, and so would be a far better option to alternate with Delap than Ali Al Hamadi, for the last 3 months of the year. I think he was doing alright for Everton, but then did himself another injury late on in a game, while stretching to get something on a dangerous ball, & thus spent further weeks on the sidelines.
As I say, there was absolutely no way the club could have taken the risk with him under the original terms we had agreed, but had Chelsea offered us the same deal that Everton ultimately got him on, I think we would have signed him on loan with AN OPTION, plus the covering of his wages early on. Had he come good & stayed injury free, he could be our player for a 'reasonable' fee (he was valued at £50m the previous year), and if the injuries continued or we were relegated, we would have said thank you & goodbye, as Everton did.
I think people forget just how good a player he was, particularly at Southampton in the PL, before his first bad injury, and also how he was exactly the profile of player than McKenna was looking for (see Ioannidis also) to lead the line in his 4-2-3-1 formation.
We went into that PL season with the completely unproven Delap & Al Hamadi as our only strikers for most of the period up to the January window, with the also unproven Hirst playing a few games among 2 injury spells of his own.
Burnley, of course, seem to have agreed a terribly reckless deal for him. |
Doing alright for Everton? 11 appearances, zero goals.
You seem to still be pining for him and/or defending people who wanted to still go for him. Maybe you were one? Regardless of our need for a striker, and regardless of how good he once was, as the OP shows it was a good job we swerved that one. You can argue the ifs and buts all you like, the facts are right there. | |
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| Armando Broja on 09:24 - Nov 5 | _CliveBaker_ |
One I remember being really against at the time, both his injury record and the fact I've never actually seen him have a good game. Same with Guiu at Chelsea, the young striker we seemed really keen on. Although he went to Leipzig for about £15m so there must be something I'm missing there.
They might have worked out for us though, McKenna does have a good track record of getting a tune out of his forwards where others fail. |  | | |
| Armando Broja on 09:31 - Nov 5 | Len_Brennan |
| Armando Broja on 09:00 - Nov 5 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Doing alright for Everton? 11 appearances, zero goals.
You seem to still be pining for him and/or defending people who wanted to still go for him. Maybe you were one? Regardless of our need for a striker, and regardless of how good he once was, as the OP shows it was a good job we swerved that one. You can argue the ifs and buts all you like, the facts are right there. |
"You seem to still be pining for him and/or defending people who wanted to still go for him. Maybe you were one?"
The hallmarks of a quality debate!
You can think whatever you like; I've outlined above exactly what I thought of the situation at the time & my memories of the actual facts of it; something you chose not to go into for your own reasons. He did actually come back from injury & play some decent football for Everton, albeit without the goals as you say - I did keep an eye out for him & have an Everton supporting mate who I talked to about him.
But ultimately he was never our player so I don't give a damn now, any differently to having a vague or passing interest in any other players we almost/could have signed; it's clearly more important to you to be right & even moreso to tell others 'I told you so', and I wouldn't want to take that away from you & your life. | |
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| Armando Broja on 10:17 - Nov 5 | quad |
| Armando Broja on 09:31 - Nov 5 by Len_Brennan |
"You seem to still be pining for him and/or defending people who wanted to still go for him. Maybe you were one?"
The hallmarks of a quality debate!
You can think whatever you like; I've outlined above exactly what I thought of the situation at the time & my memories of the actual facts of it; something you chose not to go into for your own reasons. He did actually come back from injury & play some decent football for Everton, albeit without the goals as you say - I did keep an eye out for him & have an Everton supporting mate who I talked to about him.
But ultimately he was never our player so I don't give a damn now, any differently to having a vague or passing interest in any other players we almost/could have signed; it's clearly more important to you to be right & even moreso to tell others 'I told you so', and I wouldn't want to take that away from you & your life. |
Of course he wants to be right and tell everybody I told you so | | | |
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| Armando Broja on 10:33 - Nov 5 | Dubtractor |
| Armando Broja on 09:24 - Nov 5 by _CliveBaker_ |
One I remember being really against at the time, both his injury record and the fact I've never actually seen him have a good game. Same with Guiu at Chelsea, the young striker we seemed really keen on. Although he went to Leipzig for about £15m so there must be something I'm missing there.
They might have worked out for us though, McKenna does have a good track record of getting a tune out of his forwards where others fail. |
I was very much against the signing too, but the thread was really just about hindsight showing that we dodged one. | |
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| Armando Broja on 10:41 - Nov 5 | FrimleyBlue |
| Armando Broja on 20:00 - Nov 4 by The_Flashing_Smile |
We were keen... but then pulled the plug on injury concerns. I seem to remember plenty on here criticising the club for not just gambling and getting it done, just because they were so desperate to get a striker in. Those people seem quiet now. |
Any evidence of that flash? Its not how i remember it. Most people were bemoaning the club for wasting so much time on him. Cant remember plenty wanting us to just get on with it. |  |
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| Armando Broja on 10:45 - Nov 5 | mellowblue |
| Armando Broja on 09:24 - Nov 5 by _CliveBaker_ |
One I remember being really against at the time, both his injury record and the fact I've never actually seen him have a good game. Same with Guiu at Chelsea, the young striker we seemed really keen on. Although he went to Leipzig for about £15m so there must be something I'm missing there.
They might have worked out for us though, McKenna does have a good track record of getting a tune out of his forwards where others fail. |
Marc Guiu would have been a really good fit at the time. Fast, combative and hard-working. 17 games in 3 years does not do him justice. Only 20 but is being stifled with the back-up striker role. Shades of Walle. | | | |
| Armando Broja on 10:55 - Nov 5 | _CliveBaker_ |
| Armando Broja on 10:45 - Nov 5 by mellowblue |
Marc Guiu would have been a really good fit at the time. Fast, combative and hard-working. 17 games in 3 years does not do him justice. Only 20 but is being stifled with the back-up striker role. Shades of Walle. |
I think his style would've suited us, in the Azon mould as the physical #9. Thinking about it, Azon might've been our alternative after we were linked with Guiu in the summer last year. Would've been a good one to get in the Champ under McKenna perhaps, I don't think he cuts the mustard as a Premier League option though. | | | |
| Armando Broja on 12:37 - Nov 5 | The_Flashing_Smile |
| Armando Broja on 09:31 - Nov 5 by Len_Brennan |
"You seem to still be pining for him and/or defending people who wanted to still go for him. Maybe you were one?"
The hallmarks of a quality debate!
You can think whatever you like; I've outlined above exactly what I thought of the situation at the time & my memories of the actual facts of it; something you chose not to go into for your own reasons. He did actually come back from injury & play some decent football for Everton, albeit without the goals as you say - I did keep an eye out for him & have an Everton supporting mate who I talked to about him.
But ultimately he was never our player so I don't give a damn now, any differently to having a vague or passing interest in any other players we almost/could have signed; it's clearly more important to you to be right & even moreso to tell others 'I told you so', and I wouldn't want to take that away from you & your life. |
Blimey, touched a nerve!
I read all of your opinions and found them interesting. I had to take issue for the reasons given - such as saying he was alright for Everton, when he never actually scored. But no biggie. I wasn't trying to be right about anything, just looking at the facts. | |
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| Armando Broja on 12:40 - Nov 5 | The_Flashing_Smile |
| Armando Broja on 10:41 - Nov 5 by FrimleyBlue |
Any evidence of that flash? Its not how i remember it. Most people were bemoaning the club for wasting so much time on him. Cant remember plenty wanting us to just get on with it. |
Like how when you never provide evidence, no I'm not going to trawl back and find quotes. I remember both. I remember people thinking we wasted too much time on it and I remember others bemoaning the club for not taking the risk. I also remember others bringing them up on it not long after when he was contstantly injured and not scoring for Everton. | |
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| Armando Broja on 12:52 - Nov 5 | mutters |
Looks like it however it's always hard to know what could have been. He might have come here and smashed it under KMK tutaledge... |  |
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| Armando Broja on 12:55 - Nov 5 | ITFC_Essex |
| Armando Broja on 20:00 - Nov 4 by The_Flashing_Smile |
We were keen... but then pulled the plug on injury concerns. I seem to remember plenty on here criticising the club for not just gambling and getting it done, just because they were so desperate to get a striker in. Those people seem quiet now. |
Same with Francis Jeffers! |  |
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| Armando Broja on 13:08 - Nov 5 | The_Flashing_Smile |
| Armando Broja on 12:55 - Nov 5 by ITFC_Essex |
Same with Francis Jeffers! |
Hmm, I'm not sure how. We did get Francis Jeffers, and he did score some goals for us. | |
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| Armando Broja on 13:09 - Nov 5 | The_Flashing_Smile |
| Armando Broja on 12:52 - Nov 5 by mutters |
Looks like it however it's always hard to know what could have been. He might have come here and smashed it under KMK tutaledge... |
Great as McKenna was, I don't think he had healing hands! | |
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| Armando Broja (n/t) on 14:54 - Nov 5 | mutters |
| Armando Broja on 13:09 - Nov 5 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Great as McKenna was, I don't think he had healing hands! |
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| Armando Broja on 14:56 - Nov 5 | mutters |
| Armando Broja on 13:09 - Nov 5 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Great as McKenna was, I don't think he had healing hands! |
Good point though it could have been a sliding door moment, maybe he came here and his injuries lessoned.
Some players thrive in some places whilst crashing and burning in others. Always remember Torres at Liverpool was an absolute machine, and then went to Chelsea and was the complete opposite. Dozzey was never the same when he went to Spurs | |
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| Armando Broja on 15:53 - Nov 5 | Churchman |
| Armando Broja on 06:20 - Nov 5 by Blue_Heath |
He was a great prospect at the time but good that we didn't gamble yes.
On injured players anyone know Cajuste's stats this season? |
My view at the time was that he was no prospect at all unless you wanted to keep the medical team busy. He had done well for a short period for Chelsea before injury. By the time Chelsea were trying to unload him it was clear his body wasn’t up to the demands of professional football.
My memory also says, without looking back, that the majority on here were in favour of signing him and the toys for some went out of the pram when we didn’t. I thought it ludicrous at the time to even entertain it and said so and when Chelsea were clearly found out trying to mug us off (‘we don’t see any injury problems etc’) that to me proved it.
As for the idea he did well for Everton - well they weren’t exactly falling over themselves to buy him after 11 appearances and no goals for a team better than ours. Hirst scored 3 in 26 appearances (mostly sub) for a poor team that season yet this man who did so much to get us promoted got slaughtered by many.
Maybe people are star struck by big names. Burnley were. £millions for him plus a five year contract for a one leg Broja? Chelsea must still be rolling in the aisles at that deal. Deal of the century. For them.
So yes, dodged a bullet but for me I hope the club has learned its lesson when considering new players. |  | | |
| Armando Broja on 23:10 - Nov 6 | Nthsuffolkblue |
The bullet was dodged because of the injury. It wouldn't really matter if he was scoring goals for fun now because we needed a striker fit and performing that season and he never did that. We were right to end the deal as soon as the injury was known.
Had he never got injured who knows what he would have been. The bigger issue for us was that by the time we knew about the injury we stood no chance of finding another realistic target of any real quality. |  |
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