West Brom in deadlock over Liam Ridgewell
Wednesday 25th January 2012, 10:59AM GMT.
West Brom hope to resurrect their bid for defender Liam Ridgewell this week – but talks with Birmingham are currently deadlocked.
The Baggies have yet to reach an agreement with Blues on a fee for the former Villa man and Hawthorns boss Roy Hodgson today insisted he is happy with his current defenders.
Albion have had two offers for Ridgewell rejected by the St Andrew’s club but have made no fresh bid for more than a week – and the clubs remain some distance apart in negotiations.
And Hodgson insisted: “I don’t think the depth of our squad is that bad.
“The reason Ridgewell became interesting to us is because he fills two positions and is a good player, so if it became possible to sign him at the price we think is the right one for him, who would say no to that?
“But I’m not sitting here thinking ‘if we don’t get this player or that player we’re not going to be able to see ourselves through the season’. So our situation is a happy one.
“If something comes up that we think could help us either in the short term or the longer term with a transfer we would be foolish not to do it.”
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
For the sake of our defence Albion, pay the money for Liam Ridgewell! We also need cover for right back and a proven goalscorer. I can’t see why we are haggling over the price for LR, as the only alternative is Nicky Shortey!
Report abuse
Blues will undoubtedly try and play hardball over this to maximise what they can get out of us, but Albion have a distinct advantage here as we don’t NEED him as such yet Blues are in financial turmoil and a deal of some sort must be desirable for them.
Also, Hughton has admitted an interest in Cox. Whether that be permanent or on loan (could they pay his wages?), Albion have a good bargaining position for both Ridgewell and hopefully putting some sort of deal in place for Foster too.
P.S. For the moaning minnies regarding our transfer activity. Only Newcastle, Everton and Chelsea to my mind have so far spent more……..
Report abuse
Brum need a striker so do a swop for odemwingie …
Report abuse
WBA trying to get him on the cheap, I wouldnt sell on principle, pay the going rate !!
Report abuse
We’ll just have to wait for Ridgewell to ASK for a transfer (then the Blues would keep ALL of the transfer fee).
Report abuse
1 – I disagree, I don’t think we *need* anything. There’s no point panic buying when we’re doing ok. Sure, a winger and a forward and a versatile defender would be nice, but we’re not in a position where we need to pay over the odds because we’re desperate.
2 – Spot on mate.
3 – Give Odemwingie’s a break. He’s a victim of his own success and fans critisising him and wanting rid are doing nothing for his confidence.
Report abuse
Can’t believe we would even consider involving Cox in a deal for Ridgewell, keep Cox, Ridgewell is very ordinary.
Report abuse
1.Jara can play LB too,he does for Chile at international level.Looks decent there too.Shorey is in good form,so i don’t think theres any rush to cover that position.
JJ,i agree.So many people still moaning about PO.He is top quality and has already scored vital goals this year.
As for swapping cox for LR,no way should we.Cox is only just startin g to get games in his natural position.Another player who needs support,not constant criticism.
Report abuse
Football clubs put an evaluation on players; so the concept of “going rate” doesn’t enter into the discussion.
As for getting things “on the cheap”, I would’ve thought that was the common practice in Small Heath …
I still doubt Ridgewell’s value …
Report abuse
Steve No.4
I don’t think Albion are trying to get Ridgewell on the cheap. Whilst everyone knows that he is a good player , he also has continual problems with his fitness. He’s currently not playing because of his hamstring and before that it was his back. He also had problems last season. We already have players who keep getting injured and the last thing we need is another regular in the treatment room, unless the price is right.
Report abuse
Ridgewell will NOT improve our defence, Blues being my second team I have seen him live a number of times, my dad’s a bluenose and he hopes for this deal just so he doesn’t have to see him again!
As for loans, I believe with N’daw gone to Africa, Thorne and Mutch would be a very interesting partnership- Mutch at Molineux the other night was very impressive.
I think it would be good for Cox to go to a Championship club round the corner, pushing for promotion- he would get plenty of game time and so score plenty of goals.
Then again, apparently Foster has said if Blues get promoted, he will go back to St. Andrews. In which case, do we WANT to be helping Blues?….
Report abuse
JJ & New Broseley
Agree re: Odemwingie. Despite having put it out there on previous threads, I’m yet to hear a realistic replacement in the same class for the £2-3m we’d be likely to get for a 30-year-old. Still a big-hitter when he’s on his game.
JonBaggie
I didn’t mean swap Cox for Ridgewell, but say if Blues wanted him on loan, then it’d strengthen our bargaining position i.e. Blues might be less willing to play stubborn. If they wanted him permanently, a makeweight in the Foster deal perhaps?
I should say I don’t necessarily dislike Cox or want him gone, just speculating……
Report abuse
warren
got to carry on with the odemwingie situation
at the start of the season,after scoring the goals he did,would you have been disappointed with Albion if we,d accepted £3 million for him? i certainly would. if he,d gone to arsenal for example,for £10 million i,d accept that he was after european football.
its because his form is as it is, your valuation is £3 million tops
as for replacements,should he go, Hooper(celtic),Sordell(watford)and Rhodes(H,Field)
i,m sure you,ll ridicule these lol
Report abuse
I’m a bit worried that Blues fans don’t seem that bothered about losing Ridgwell. How good is he? We do need cover at left back but Shorey was very good on Saturday.
We definatly need a winger if Hodgson won’t play Tchoyi wide. Victor Moses and Wilfred Zaha look great options but I don’t think we would get them till the end of the season. Rodallega seems like he wants to leave Wigan and could do a job up front or out wide. Jordan Rhodes at Huddersfield looks outstanding but won’t be available till the end of the season.
I think we should think about doing a deal for Foster now as Blues creep into the play offs, I rate him very highly and would like to get him permanently.
Report abuse
The Ridgewell deal looks like one of those typical JP deals where he haggles over the price to the very last minute and then gets us a real bargain. I trust him to do the right thing for the club.
Left back is the only position where we NEED reinforcements although there are others where it wouldn’t go amiss. Shorey and Jones are both small defenders by modern day standards so having a greater physical presence in one of those positions, particularly against certain opposition, would be an advantage. If we can sign Ridgewell then that also means Mattock can go, although it looks like a loan given Portsmouth’s financial position.
Report abuse
Warren,New Broseley Baggie and JJ.
I don’t think you should criticise fans for moaning about any of our players or JP after all they are fans as well as you and it’s their right to say what they want when they want.
Adéu
Report abuse
if ”on the cheap” is to be defined as trying to make a purchase for a realistic price, then i’m happy that we do everything ”on the cheap”
4, steve,
what’s the ‘going rate’ for an ordinary Championship left-back these days?
oh, i do apologise! he’s an ordinary Championship centre-half as well ain’t he?
Report abuse
Glenn Hussey
Cheers for your response. I’d personally argue that no 30-year-old carries a transfer value of £10m. I accept form sways a transfer value but personally I can’t see for a 30-year-old him carrying a value of more than £3m, goals or no goals. I could well be wrong.
As for your replacements, I’m not going to ridicule them but none of them is proven at the level we’re playing at, so essentially each is a risk IMO, whereas we know what PO’s capable of.
Hooper scored goals for Scunny. I indeed work with a Scunny fan who tells me he knows where the net is, but isn’t the most mobile. Wouldn’t Simon Cox score goals in the Champ or for Celtic?
Marvin Sordell- admittedly I don’t know a lot about him, but I read he’s averaging a goal every 3 games in the Championship?
Jordan Rhodes has played all but a handful of games at League One level?
You may be 100% right and these 3 could be gems, but for pedigree, are we really talking about these as genuine replacements (for now, not the future) for a man (Odemwingie) with 54 international caps, who’s played Champions League football, scored in the San Siro and won PL Player of the Month twice?
Kev
I haven’t criticised anybody mate or got personal with anyone, just given an opinion, which I’ve tried to be constructive with and back up my argument with relevant statistics and suggestions.
If people choose to disagree then that’s entirely up to them.
Report abuse
B90
Victor Moses is certainly an interesting suggestion- he looked Wigan’s only genuine threat when we played them, he’s been on our radar before and it looks as though they could well be on their way down (if we stay up that is!!).
Report abuse
Warren,yes i agree with that too.i could not name a single player better than,or as proven as PO for 2-3 million.Someone mentioned jordan rhodes,great prospect,but 2 leagues lower,and out of our price range.
Kev.yes,fans should give their opinions,and nothing wrong with constructive criticism.I just have not seen any of that with PO.It just feels some are making him this years carson.As for critics of JP,i am 50/50 on the guy.He believes he is worth far more to us than he is.His yearly wage of 750k plus he decides his own bonus is ludicrous.He has never put a penny of his own money into us and just takes from us.But,he never lets players or other clubs treat us as easy pickings,so in that respect i like him.
Report abuse
What shockwaves there will be if Portsmouth go out of existence. All because they ran the club like we are running the country, up to its neck in debt. Remember this when one or two are begging JP to ‘slosh the dosh’. Our set up may have a few flaws, but overall, it’s there and with our Board, will stay there. If I were Foster, I would not dream of leaving WBA unless Arsenal, Man.City, etc., came in for me. Why? Easy, my mortgage would be paid every month and my future secure at the very least because my wages are there every month too. Eventually, sanity will return to football as it will to the E.U. and U.K., although nothing would induce me to stay in the E.U.
Ridgewell I always saw as a hardworking defender, nothing special, just reliable, something which might be questioned now for injury reasons. However, having seen two blokes we’d never heard of in Jones and McAuley step into our line up and look like they belong there, who am I, who are we, to question our scouting network?
If one player of ours NEEDS loaning out, it has to be Bednar who was once considered a good centre forward. Or has he completely lost it?
Report abuse
16.Kev. I’ve just mixed two paracetomol with a large glass of brandy after reading that post. That’s SHOCK for you!
Report abuse
16 Kev must say it was very noble of you to offer your ticket it just so happens im a bit short meself and could do with a few bob infact im so skint i had to get the wife to sell one of her kidneys just to see us over christmas ive told her if things get any worse i will have to cancel sky sports …
Adeu
Report abuse
Whatever you think of him you can be sure it will come out on JPs terms …
Report abuse
Woy doesn’t have a great pedigree when it comes to signings – don’t forget who he brought from us – J Greening and D Kamara were hardly value for money buys
Report abuse
Liam Ridgewell is a championship player – an ordinary one at that. The idea of swapping him for Odemwingie was brilliant……!!!
Agree with looking at Rhodes (hsfield) but lets be honest we probably have – the scouting system at albion has not done too badly has it?
Report abuse
BTW Kev in Mallorca- brilliant “they are fans and its their right to say what they want when they want’…… Does that include discussing Robbie Keane on a Saturday? Genius post.
Report abuse
How long was he in the prem until blues got relegated,and prem teams currently linked with him as he can hack it and do a decent job in the prem for poor teams, ordinary player he is! that still has a valuation that wba have now tried twice and failed, the offers must be way off. WBA cheapskates £25 he is worth and your offering £2.50.
Report abuse
New Broseley
I completely agree with you on Odemwingie and Rhodes.
On the subject of JP’s salary, you’re right it’s a fairly steep salary for a Premier League chairman, I think it’s about the 4th or 5th highest in the league, although that statistic is distorted by so many chairmen being wealthy billionaires or supporters who won’t be taking a salary.
However £750k a year is still a splash in the water of our club’s overall turnover (around 1-2%?), it won’t immeasurably affect the running of the club and it’s less money that what Luke Moore would’ve been taking home.
In that respect, and given where we are as a club in comparison to where we were 10 years ago and also in terms of net debt when you look at every other club, I don’t particularly begrudge it as he has done/is doing a good job.
Finally, anybody who thinks JP is milking us. JP’s big winner, his money-spinner, is the day he sells his shares at a multi-million profit (assuming we’re a top flight club). However that profit comes from the pocket of the buyer. He wants that as much as us, so I think we’re in good hands.
Report abuse
Tan, welcome back Sir Terry!
Boing Boing!!
Report abuse
ok stevie boy, £2.50 it is then and not a penny more. you lot were on here in the summer saying all the same things about roger johnson. one of you even said that the quoted 14 million was a fair price for such a magnificent centre-back. shall i remind you what happened next?
Report abuse
warren
its a good c.v you,ve wrote for PO but fact is…he aint doing it on the pitch and,more worryingly,doesnt look interested.
i,m not doubting his quality when on form but apart from a few occassions, we,ve carried him.
my choices may lack the pedigree but like shane long, i,m sure the effort would be there
remember,before we signed them, werent PO and Mulumbu considered gambles?
in Roy we have to trust!!!
Report abuse
Got to say, in response to some posts above, i’m a fan of Hooper. I was on these pages suggesting (as if RDM was reading!)that we should go for him around the time Celtic were sniffing. He’s a footballer, like Fortune but gets goals like Cox, a natural goalscorer. If you watch the lower leagues round up you will have seen him score all manner of goals (tap-ins, clinical finishes, clever chips, etc…)i recall he had a very good spell with Hereford around the time we loaned them Shervil McDonald, i know, i know, its not prem standard but i always think a natural finisher will score goals at any level if they get a fair run in the team. This applies to Cox also, but like Earnshaw (another natural finisher) he doesn’t always offer much else other than work rate. I think Hooper would offer more than just goals.
Report abuse
…not unlike a certain KP!
Report abuse
I don’t really hold with players being labelled, premiership championship or whatever as only time within a new team of any division can reflect on if a player can cut it or not. just remember McCauley came from the championship as did others who have proved themselves capable
Report abuse
21 – Cyril
Bednar never had it!!!
Report abuse
We will not be ripped off and can understand Jeremy Peace not wanting to do business in the January window. How many of us wait for the January sales when we could easily buy before (Discount X-mas presents). Whittingham from Cardiff please. This player can really weight a ball and covers the ground as midfielder,striker and can also defend. Birmingham obviously don’t wish to sell Ridgewell, draw a line and move on. I agree with Roy, we are not pushed.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
Firstly, to all the JP knockers – how would you feel if he ran the club like Pompey board members? We would all like him to splash the cash but we are progressing year on year and I am all for that continuing.
I cannot understand why people are trying to offload PO and now Cox is on the next to go list. It cannot be easy for either of these players when they have not had a run of games in the team. It must be very difficult for Coxy in particular as he seldom starts and just gets a few minutes per game in different positions. Only in the last few weeks as Dorrans been given a run and all of sudden he is starting to recapture his form. Remember, class is permanent.
On the subject of Ridgewell, if Roy wants him and feels he can improve the squad then I would be happy with that.
I saw a few posts suggesting Moses from Wigan. He would be a good signing sd I think this lad has real ability.
I saw Onuha from Man City was reported to be asking £80k p/wk. No thanks.
Yes, I think that we may need some but the nucleus of what we have is more than capable.
Come on you baggies!
Report abuse
18 Warren/Lenny.
Excellent post as usual. It’s like the negative of a photo, in the close season everybody was on here saying we must get PO to stay whatever the cost. Then he signs for what is by PL standards not a king’s ransom, in fact he could probably have got more elsewhere such was his stock at the time.
He wasn’t a grafter last year, he floated around the pitch and when he got the ball he scared the pants off defenders. But because he picked up a couple of injuries he’s been branded a shirker. The other thing is we’ve changed our style which means he’s adapting to a new role.
Glenn.
It’s great chucking names in the pot that might come off, especially when you’re not answerable if it all goes belly up but Roy isn’t in that position. PO cost 1.5 Mill and Youssuf 1.5 K and so neither of them were really gambles. Simon Cox was prolific in the same division Rhodes is in and it’s taken him a long time to come through. Any of the ones you mention are good prospects but not for first team places at present.
New Brosely.
I think after what JP has done for us he’d be cheap at twice the price. Find me another club with our financial clout doing half as well as us. I know it’s not totally altruistic on his part but while his prospects are linked to ours I’m more than happy to be hitched to his bandwagon.
Report abuse
Mancbaggie
Thanks,I thought so as well.
Adéu
Report abuse
Cyril.
Don’t blame me for making you hit the bottle.
Adéu
Report abuse
38 Steve.
I agree about Moses, he would fit the bill exactly for what we need. Trouble is I think QPR are after him and could blitz us on fee and wages, I think Moses is a London lad as well.
Report abuse
Glenn Hussey
PO was a gamble because we desperately needed a striker at the time- we had to gamble, and Mulumbu wasn’t because he wasn’t bought for the 1st team. Either way we now have 2 strikers and are probably 3/4 wins from safety, why do we need to gamble again??
For all this suggestion that Odemwingie’s had a dreadful season, if he’d scored his penalty vs Norwich and Long had missed his, they’d be on same number of goals. As Steve Poole Baggie says above, class is permanent. We could sign a hundred strikers to replace PO and know that on form, none could reach the level Odemwingie can. Tell me a good player that hasn’t had a bad run of form. If his sellable value was £15m, then maybe, but for £2-3m it seems we’re only weakening ourselves by selling him.
If the guys you mention are good prospects, then why not try and offload another of our strikers? Cox perhaps? Or wait until the summer when Bednar leaves? That way there’s no pressure on them to come and perform immediately, but they can grow into a first-teamer?
Report abuse
Man of MysTERRY
Leave it out mate!I’ve offered to keep you in drink now want me to pay for yowa
entertainment,next yow’ll be wantin’ a plane load of donkey s??? for yu Veg patch.
Just cause I live in Mallorca dow mean I’m a millionaire!
Adéu
Report abuse
TRBH
i mentioned the names as i was asked to name replacements should we lose PO.
in Cox,i thought at swindon he was like a lower league defoe….now if we signed defoe would we play him right wing or centre midfield?
and all the talk of midfield players, we,ve just signed a very good player for £400k!!!
all in all, transfers are gamble. valero cost us nearly £5 million but i think mowbray used him wrong as he,s showing his true worth in la liga.
anyway…roll on saturday and another step nearer to wembley!!!
Report abuse
I see that Tim Ream, The New York Red Bulls defender, who the Baggies trialled and had an apparent interest in, has signed for Bolton.
Report abuse
6 Hes a victim of of his own greed and lazyness and selfishness on the pitch …
Report abuse
To all the JP lovers did you love him when he wouldent give one of the most prolific goalscorers in history (KP) an extention to his contract…
Report abuse
30 SB thanks mate but i think you mite be on your own …
Report abuse
45 Glenn.
Sorry I misunderstood and thought you were suggesting we should get rid of PO and that any of the mentioned could come in and replace him. You’re right they’re all good prospects but the PL sorts the men from the boys and you can never be sure who can hack it. Shane Long is a good example of a player that’s taken to it like a duck to water whereas SEB down the road has struggled despite scoring loads in the championship.
Report abuse
47 TAN.
If that’s your opinion then fine, we’ll have to agree to disagree,
48 TAN.
I don’t think that’s exactly how it was. He was offered pretty much what he wanted but the manager at the time could not guarantee him first team starts. He would have got enough appearances to trigger the extension clause that he wanted. It was more down to Blues being able to offer him first team football which was what he wanted rather than time on the bench. Can’t blame KP for wanting as much on field time as he could get. Also can’t blame our management at the time either. But that’s just my opinion.
Report abuse
Kev to keep me in drink you need to be a millionaire …
Report abuse
Kev in Mallorca – nice one. Cheers.
Report abuse