Rumour: James Harper (talks with Wolves confirmed)

[Royal Lady]

cheers BR2.

[loyalroyal4life]

its wolves who turned down chance to sign harper why would he consider going there again being made to look like a bit of a mug really

[Dickie's Spear]

[quoteAnd he added: "We have not had the greatest start to the season and we need the patience and support of the fans. They understand that we have 19 and 20 year old players in the team who need that support. It has been a tough start for us and we just need to nick a win to get going][/quote]


I keep hearing this same line over and over again.

[BR2]

its wolves who turned down chance to sign harper why would he consider going there again being made to look like a bit of a mug really

Maybe because he has a couple of mates there and doesn't want to be the old guy in a Youth team?
Maybe the lure of Premiership football and higher wages are a bit tempting when compared with a season of mediocrity in The Championship?

[BR2]

[quoteAnd he added: "We have not had the greatest start to the season and we need the patience and support of the fans. They understand that we have 19 and 20 year old players in the team who need that support. It has been a tough start for us and we just need to nick a win to get going]

I keep hearing this same line over and over again.[/quote]

I don't like hearing people talking about nicking a win.
It always strikes me that it is an admission of inadequacy.
You might want to nick a win at Old Trafford or Anfield but surely not v Barnsley or Doncaster.

[Alan Partridge]

Would the last one out please turn the lights off.

[brendywendy]

He sounds hurt that rogers isnt playing him,and wants him to go. I never thought id see james harper forced out of this club.

[rabidbee]

"Forced out" seems a bit strong. Rodgers is being realistic. If the only way to free up cash for transfers and wages is to sell, then it makes sense to sell a player who is a) desired by another team and b) who plays in an area where you have strength in depth. I'm as big a Harper fan as Brendy, but I understand Rodgers' comments in the above context, it's just common sense. And, to be honest, Karacan and Tabb have looked OK. If selling Harper means that we can strengthen the team overall, then it's sad but that's just football.

[wolsey]

He sounds hurt that rogers isnt playing him,and wants him to go. I never thought id see james harper forced out of this club.

Agree totally - (sad) sign of the times.

[Terminal Boardom]

But the point of signing players is to bring in better than what you already have. How much would a realistic replacement for Harps cost? This club is a joke when it wants to get rid of one of its more consistent performers. I hear that Tommy Smith may be available.

[glass half full]

[quoteAnd he added: "We have not had the greatest start to the season and we need the patience and support of the fans. They understand that we have 19 and 20 year old players in the team who need that support. It has been a tough start for us and we just need to nick a win to get going]

I keep hearing this same line over and over again.

I don't like hearing people talking about nicking a win.
It always strikes me that it is an admission of inadequacy.
You might want to nick a win at Old Trafford or Anfield but surely not v Barnsley or Doncaster.[/quote]

Ever the optimist, I believe that we will 'nick' a win at Oakwell.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

It's alright we've got Cisse still.....

[brendywendy]

Agree it may be the right time. But forced out is right imo. He doesnt get in the side,and the manager says he wont bother to replace. Just think its been handled badly. Harps deserves better.

[Royal Lady]

Agree it may be the right time. But forced out is right imo. He doesnt get in the side,and the manager says he wont bother to replace. Just think its been handled badly. Harps deserves better.

Agreed. Shoddy man management imo. Rodgers has a lot to learn - whatever your private thoughts you don't relay them to the press for a start.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Unless the player has turned down two offers and you would rather see him go.

[Hoop Blah]

He sounds hurt that rogers isnt playing him,and wants him to go. I never thought id see james harper forced out of this club.

I would have said that, but Harper seems to be having real problems at the moment. I don't know if it's Wolves specualtions unsettling him, or if it's difficulty settling into the new style of play, but he seesm a real liability (sadly, as I've always been a fan of his.)

Several times at Swansea he was caught in possession, as well as for the deciding goal yesterday.

Obviously he has to be in there on merit too, and I think some of his poor form will be down to not being match fit and possibly not feeling wanted in the same way as he was before.

I'd guess he's a bit of a fragile character to be honest, and I'm not sure Rodgers handling of him (in public at least) will have made Harper feel the most settled and in the best frame of mind to perform. Confidence and the mental side of the game play such a massive part in getting the best out of some players.

I'd agree with rabid that forced is over stating it a bit, but, as I said yesterday, I think Harper is the kind of player that needs to be wanted and loved to get the best out of him. It doesn't look like he's gettig that at the moment.

Real shame if he leaves.

[Vision]

'greed. Although I'm not sure Mick McCarthy is too much of a "huggyfeely" kind of guy.

[Ian Royal]

All the other sales so far have been fine by me. Selling Harper would be a travesty.

Why oh why are we trying to sell one of our two best passers, when we want to play a passing game.

[Handsome Man]

We need Harper more than ever now and we have nobody here to replace him and would have to spend several million to buy a replacement.

[rabidbee]

I think there's a certain element to this that is actually the spin that the paper put on Rodgers' words. It is fair enough to say that, if Harper left, we would not sign a central midfielder. Why would we, when we have several already? If Harper leaves, as I said above, it is to enable us to sign players to other positions where we are weaker.

I rate Tabb and Karacan has been consistently improving over the last 12 months. I've been impressed by Davies and Siggurdsson, too, and Cissé is certainly good enough. The priority is elsewhere. Much as I love Harps, I see why this would make sense.

Although I'd still prefer him to stay.