We all know that News International are trying to get inside your and my grey matter. The 24 hour a day sports news channel is the HD equivalent of crack cocaine and solvent sniffing. I’m sure they are working out a way to hack your phone when your sitting there dribbling over who Stevenage have signed.
The ‘explosive’ news that QPR had signed Jay Bothroyd came as no great surprise when they reported it. It wasn’t worth Jim White eating his crayons in excitement.
QPR and the player are perfect bedfellows. Casual gratification that will suit both parties for a period before one gets serious and the other makes flirtatious glances at an other.
The club need to be seen that they are making an effort to stay in the division. While sacking Neil Warnock would be a start for most they had the opportunity to sign a player that is described as a ‘current England internationalist’,a tag that doesn’t take into account the strange Jim’ll Fix It type circumstances that surrounded his one and only appearance.
The player had a choice to make. When our interest was confirmed and the rumours that it was a ‘done deal’ he tweeted that he was considering options.
At that point he wasn’t coming. His options were simple and we were never one of them.
At 29 (when the season starts) and having seen him drift from Coventry, Perugia, Blackburn, Charlton, Wolves, Stoke and Cardiff after being kicked out of Arsenal for attitude this was his last chance for a shot in the EPL.
He wasn’t some 23/24 year old with his best years ahead of him. He was an impressive lower league player who eventually had caught the eye of the EPL’s lower lights. He was a bosman. This was a pension move but one that had a hint of ambition.
Hence he started the bidding for his at a reported services at £3m per season. I don’t know if he got that but I can tell you that our offer that he was said to be considering wasn’t anything near that amount.
QPR have paid him what he thought he is worth. They have got a decent player but unproven at EPL level. The player has got a three year contract which will need to be paid in full if relegation or failure darkens the relationship door.
Good luck to both of them.
Every season sees plenty of Jay Bothroyds. I’m sure that we will see Jay linked with us sometime in the near future. He will be available in the maximum of two seasons time.
Probably damaged goods and cheaper. The new ‘James Beattie’ anybody.
Previously on the celtic blog (click on the image)
Extra Time
Just three minutes into the pre-season friendly game between the San Jose Earthquakes and West Brom, the San Jose goalkeeper scores from 80m. David Bingham’s long range effort bounced over the head of West Brom keeper Boaz Myhill. It was also Bingham’s debut for San Jose.