Skysports.com understands that Blackpool have signed former Charlton defender Miguel Llera.
Llera: On his way to BlackpoolThe Spaniard's contract with the Addicks expired at the end of last season and a number of clubs were interested in securing his services.It is now understood that Blackpool have won the chase for his signature and will announce news of his arrival in the near future.Llera will arrive on a free transfer and is believed to have agreed a one-year deal with the Seasiders, who are preparing for life in the Championship following relegation from the Premier League.The experienced centre-back moved to England in 2008, spending time with Milton Keynes Dons before moving to Charlton a year later.
He does make errors, but if he had a pacy and positionally aware player either side of him, i.e. at left back and right centre back, he'd look a better player imo. He does know how to attack a ball, and whilst he does over hit as many passes as he delivers accurately, he is comfortable enough on the ball to take a touch and get his head up, rather than just punting anywhere in a vaguley forward direction as many centre backs do.
For him to be part of a good defence he'll need partnering with the right players but he's not a total liability like so many have made him out to be and you know you're going to get commitment from him. Olly is no mug in the transfer market and if he sees something in him then there is something there and if anyone can get a journeyman pro to produce the best form of his career it would seem to be Olly as he's done it with many others over the years.
Good luck Mig, I hope you prove a few of the black and white brigade on here wrong.
He does make errors, but if he had a pacy and positionally aware player either side of him, i.e. at left back and right centre back, he'd look a better player imo. He does know how to attack a ball, and whilst he does over hit as many passes as he delivers accurately, he is comfortable enough on the ball to take a touch and get his head up, rather than just punting anywhere in a vaguley forward direction as many centre backs do.
For him to be part of a good defence he'll need partnering with the right players but he's not a total liability like so many have made him out to be and you know you're going to get commitment from him. Olly is no mug in the transfer market and if he sees something in him then there is something there and if anyone can get a journeyman pro to produce the best form of his career it would seem to be Olly as he's done it with many others over the years.
Good luck Mig, I hope you prove a few of the black and white brigade on here wrong.
Blackpool will be in the bottom half of the table all season and Holloway will be gone by Christmas. They were a two-man team (Vaughan and Adam) and both of them have gone.
Don't agree Leroy, Vaughan and Adam were very important players but Olly knows what he's doing, especially at that level as his time at QPR and Plymouth confirms. I would be amazed if they sacked him, even if they were bottom half at Christmas but I don't think they will be, although I wouldn't have them amoungst the favourites for promotion either.
I'm not expecting Mig to be a massive success for them, but it gets on my tits how, to so many fans, players are either terrific or shite when the truth, for 99 % of players, is that they're somewhere in between. I don't think an honest pro like Mig who gave his all whenever he played and got his head down and worked hard while waiting for his next chance deserves some of the pretty disrespectful stuff that's been posted about him.
That's an honest opinion, and fair enough. Can I ask though, how many games you've seen Llera play? Not trying to be a smart-arse, genuinely interested, as, far from being a boo-boy, I'm one of those people who thinks you should get behind the team, and when players are having a bad game, encourage instead of coating them off. Despite that, Llera is one of the shittest footballers I've ever seen play for us - and we've had plenty of dross. Footballers need to be able to do more than head a high ball into the box to safety (he didn't even do that consistently well) and knock seventy yard balls crossfield (although the one in ten of those that came off looked good)
Dunno exactly how many times I've seen Llera, but until May this year, when I moved to Canada, I've always got to about 15 to 20 homes games a season and 5 to 10 away so as many times as most probably. I wasn't at the famous Colchester or Millwall games which seemed to do so much to cement Migs reputation but I was a Saints last season and I thought he was shit that night!
I'm under no illusions, he's a limited player and well down my list of all time greats, as pretty much all of the last couple of season's squads would be, but that not to say he's totally incable of doing anything positive. Who knows, in the right team and used in the right way he may be able to enjoy a season or two of peak years in the Championship. He'll probably end up a reserve for Blackpool truth be known, perhaps even back out on loan in the lower leagues, but I've been watching football long enough to know that there are no certainties. Crap players suddenly find career high form and great players suddenly lose it all. It hard to put your finger on why it happens, but it definitely happens.
Inconsistancy rather than lack of ability was Big Migs achilles heel....... sometimes when he made a mistake that cost us a goal, he could go to pieces emotionally (Colchester and Millwall, away for example).
But there is a player in there - and as Exiled says above, partner him with complimentary players and you'll get some good performances from him. He's got a decent touch on the ball compared to your typical lumbering centre back, good vision in attempting his trademark long diagonal pass - and his attitude and hunger to play is first class.
Great pro. If only other players consistantly had Llera's attitude.
Ollie at Blackpool no doubt recognises Llera's qualities, but he'll be aware of weaknesses also. But what Ollie is good at is playing to a player's strengths, and bigging him up so that he feels a world beater.
It's the way Bill Shankly and Brian Cough used to manage.
Has he been signed as a regular starting CB or to play off the bench/make the occasional start but really be a reserve?
If Holloway intends playing him as a regular CB then he may as well start writing out his resignation now, but as an occasional starter and someone to stick on the bench and play 20/30 minutes he'll do a good job. Especially if you're down to ten men and need a suicidal volunteer to get in the way of every cross and shot. Plus I think he makes a good squad player - I can't see him agaitating for a transfer if he's not starting every match, though maybe he will once he sees Blackpool.
I just can't and won't denigrate a player who tried, and quite obviously always attempted to give his best. Whilst in League One we improved a little on protecting our two cd's, we still were poor attacking secondary balls or covering on counters. With a committed energetic team, I think he has more than enough to cope in the champ. Far superior say than someone like Darren Powell who repeatedly got champ contracts, whilst being utterly shite.
I know he had weaknesses, as in being pulled into channels, but even that say with Charlie Austin he still tried to do the right thing for the team. If 95% of the over-paid footballers we had in the Pardew era did that we would have at least made champ mediocrity. Good luck to big Mig, not quite up on the real Big Mig, but someone I'd always hope will do well. I hope he finally finds a club where he can earn some decent money and have a career defining stay.
Not the best centre back we ever had but I always felt he cared and gave everything. If his confidence went then his performance followed. But for that sublime moment against Swindon I'll forgive him his lapses. Now if only Marcus Bent had shown the same level of skill...or indeed ANY level of skill.
I wish Migs well and if he ever comes back to the Valley I hope he will get the applause (not boos) he deserves.
I think he is still disliked for 3 games Millwall, Colchester and Swindon play off.
But IMO 3 games out of however many played isn't too bad and he did what was required vs Swindon stop the opposition player getting forward when it was just the keeper back (a bit like when Barry forgot to defend vs Germany in the world cup) you take the bullet for the team. Bailey cost us that game with his sky high and wide penalty.
When did we collectively become so ungenerous about any player who leaves us?
when we've just gone thru the wankiest playing period in all of our living history
good attitude can only get you so far otherwise all of us would be playing and bexley dan our skipper
the failure to apply and lack of ability of recent years and pathtetic football is why we're not gonna be crying too much about many,if any, of these players who are are associated with these miserable times, well im not anyway
Of the four centre backs that ended the season for us Llera was the one I would have hoped would stay. Lot of rubbish been written on here about how bad he was. Hope he goes on to prove a lot of you wrong about his ability. Good luck to him from me.
Good luck to him if true. When did we collectively become so ungenerous about any player who leaves us?
when we've just gone thru the wankiest playing period in all of our living history
good attitude can only get you so far otherwise all of us would be playing and bexley dan our skipper
the failure to apply and lack of ability of recent years and pathtetic football is why we're not gonna be crying too much about many,if any, of these players who are are associated with these miserable times, well im not anyway
Not asking you to cry, just accept that some of our ex-players do have some talent and can even play at a higher level. Ambrose, Varney, iwelumo, Racon, Llera - all going to be playing a league higher next year.
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Skysports.com understands that Blackpool have signed former Charlton defender Miguel Llera.
For him to be part of a good defence he'll need partnering with the right players but he's not a total liability like so many have made him out to be and you know you're going to get commitment from him. Olly is no mug in the transfer market and if he sees something in him then there is something there and if anyone can get a journeyman pro to produce the best form of his career it would seem to be Olly as he's done it with many others over the years.
Good luck Mig, I hope you prove a few of the black and white brigade on here wrong.
I'm not expecting Mig to be a massive success for them, but it gets on my tits how, to so many fans, players are either terrific or shite when the truth, for 99 % of players, is that they're somewhere in between. I don't think an honest pro like Mig who gave his all whenever he played and got his head down and worked hard while waiting for his next chance deserves some of the pretty disrespectful stuff that's been posted about him.
I'm under no illusions, he's a limited player and well down my list of all time greats, as pretty much all of the last couple of season's squads would be, but that not to say he's totally incable of doing anything positive. Who knows, in the right team and used in the right way he may be able to enjoy a season or two of peak years in the Championship. He'll probably end up a reserve for Blackpool truth be known, perhaps even back out on loan in the lower leagues, but I've been watching football long enough to know that there are no certainties. Crap players suddenly find career high form and great players suddenly lose it all. It hard to put your finger on why it happens, but it definitely happens.
But there is a player in there - and as Exiled says above, partner him with complimentary players and you'll get some good performances from him. He's got a decent touch on the ball compared to your typical lumbering centre back, good vision in attempting his trademark long diagonal pass - and his attitude and hunger to play is first class.
Great pro. If only other players consistantly had Llera's attitude.
Ollie at Blackpool no doubt recognises Llera's qualities, but he'll be aware of weaknesses also.
But what Ollie is good at is playing to a player's strengths, and bigging him up so that he feels a world beater.
It's the way Bill Shankly and Brian Cough used to manage.
Has he been signed as a regular starting CB or to play off the bench/make the occasional start but really be a reserve?
If Holloway intends playing him as a regular CB then he may as well start writing out his resignation now, but as an occasional starter and someone to stick on the bench and play 20/30 minutes he'll do a good job. Especially if you're down to ten men and need a suicidal volunteer to get in the way of every cross and shot. Plus I think he makes a good squad player - I can't see him agaitating for a transfer if he's not starting every match, though maybe he will once he sees Blackpool.
Like lots of Northern birds day tripping in Blackpool; a bag of chips and a beer and they're looking for adventure.
When did we collectively become so ungenerous about any player who leaves us?
I know he had weaknesses, as in being pulled into channels, but even that say with Charlie Austin he still tried to do the right thing for the team. If 95% of the over-paid footballers we had in the Pardew era did that we would have at least made champ mediocrity. Good luck to big Mig, not quite up on the real Big Mig, but someone I'd always hope will do well. I hope he finally finds a club where he can earn some decent money and have a career defining stay.
I wish Migs well and if he ever comes back to the Valley I hope he will get the applause (not boos) he deserves.
But IMO 3 games out of however many played isn't too bad and he did what was required vs Swindon stop the opposition player getting forward when it was just the keeper back (a bit like when Barry forgot to defend vs Germany in the world cup) you take the bullet for the team. Bailey cost us that game with his sky high and wide penalty.
Not asking you to cry, just accept that some of our ex-players do have some talent and can even play at a higher level. Ambrose, Varney, iwelumo, Racon, Llera - all going to be playing a league higher next year.
Yeah, yeah, "Charltonised" yawn yawn
As a partnership they could be very good. Morrison in particular looks a real find but that doesn't mean that Llera lacked any talent at all.