BobbyBiscuit Posted March 22, 2011 Report Posted March 22, 2011 Blackburn Rovers' dealings with influential agent Jerome Anderson comes under scrutiny Links between Jerome Anderson and Blackburn Rovers are facing fresh scrutiny with the football agent’s son, Myles, signing a precontract agreement with the club. Anderson, who has represented the likes of Ian Wright, Thierry Henry and Charlie Nicholas, is head of the sports management company SEM which, in conjunction with media rights company Kentaro, advised Venky’s, Blackburn’s Indian owners, during their Ewood Park takeover last November. And Telegraph Sport can disclose that Myles, 21, was given a pre-contract at Ewood Park in January prior to signing a six-month contract with Aberdeen. Blackburn would not confirm the contract on Monday, but sources at the Premier League are aware of the pre-contract agreement, which will enable the player to sign a permanent deal this summer. The links between Blackburn and SEM have been widely reported and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson alluded publicly to the perceived situation at the club following Sam Allardyce’s dismissal as manager in December. Ferguson said: “You’ve got that issue at Blackburn of an agent involved and deciding the future of the club, Jerome Anderson, he couldn’t pick his nose. It’s baffling and it’s a serious threat to how clubs get run and how they conduct themselves.” Sources close to Anderson have insisted, however, that he has no day-to-day involvement at Blackburn, claiming that his role was merely to identify new owners to buy-out the controlling stake of the Walker Family Trust. It has also been stressed that transfer acquisitions are driven by manager Steve Kean. It is understood that a gentlemen’s agreement is in place between Aberdeen manager Craig Brown and Kean that will see Anderson leave Pittodrie for Ewood Park at the end of the season. Having failed to earn a contract at Blackburn following a trial last summer, which saw him play for 13 minutes in a 3-0 victory at Southport, Anderson was given a lengthier opportunity to impress under Brown at Motherwell, prior to the former Scotland manager moving to Aberdeen last December. Having failed to earn a contract at Blackburn following a trial last summer, which saw him play for 13 minutes in a 3-0 victory at Southport, Anderson was given a lengthier opportunity to impress under Brown at Motherwell, prior to the former Scotland manager moving to Aberdeen last December. Brown was keen to sign Anderson on a permanent basis while in charge of Motherwell and, within a month of taking over at Pittodrie, moved to sign the player until the end of the this campaign. Described on SEM’s website as a “tough-tackling defender who can play at centre-back or left-back”, Anderson has made just one brief appearance as a substitute for Aberdeen – a two-minute outing in the 5-0 victory against Kilmarnock last month. But despite his limited exposure to senior football, Kean believes that Anderson possesses the raw potential to develop in an established Premier League player, with hopes among the coaching staff at Blackburn that his late development can mirror that of Chris Smalling, who has become a first-team regular at Manchester United less than three years after playing for non-League Maidstone. Kean, who is represented by SEM, has been aware of Anderson’s ability for more than a year and moved to secure him to his pre-contract less than a month after succeeding Allardyce as manager in December. Anderson’s lack of a professional background in the game is understood to be due to his desire to pursue his education rather than accept offers of an apprenticeship at the age of 16. But his proposed arrival at Blackburn will only add to questions of SEM’s influence over transfer strategy at the club. Allardyce voiced his concern at the possibility of some outside influences dictating his transfer plans shortly before his departure from the club and he was followed through the exit door at Ewood Park last month by long-serving chairman John Williams. The club were accused of publicity-seeking during the failed attempt to sign Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho in January, but the decisions of key first-team players such as Chris Samba and Phil Jones to sign new contracts in recent weeks has added an element of stability, despite the threat of relegation. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/8396748/Blackburn-Rovers-dealings-with-influential-agent-Jerome-Anderson-comes-under-scrutiny.html Quote
tsr Posted March 22, 2011 Report Posted March 22, 2011 Sad timess, actually had no idea this guy had even signed for us. Quote
Harcus Posted March 22, 2011 Report Posted March 22, 2011 Strange one. Don't really see the benefit to AFC, other than establishing contacts at Blackburn? Quote
baggy89 Posted March 22, 2011 Report Posted March 22, 2011 Sweep for summer signings?? http://www.semplc.com/football Quote
RDU_64 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/9432795.stm Signed a pre contract. Strange one indeed, possibly something to help signing Blackman and that young boy we were going to sign, Lowe? Either way, he doesn't seem to have had a look in and I actually forgot that he had signed. Quote
coopy100 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 Is this not the defender we signed and Craig Brown said he would not start and that he was one for the future? As others have said i seems a strange one to sign a prospect for only 6 months. Quote
caledonia Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 I don't know where you find all this stuff but its interesting to read. Quote
BrownyBrown Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 I don't know where you find all this stuff but its interesting to read. Erm, it's in the Telegraph. Quote
BigAl Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 Totally bizarre this one. The more I read it the more I can't help but think there is more to this than meets the eye. Thought Craig Brown's comments upon announcing the signing in Jan were strange, about not being ready for first team action, being one for the future, and then only giving him a contract until the end of the season. I'm sure the truth will out eventually. Quote
Madbadteacher Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 I don't know where you find all this stuff but its interesting to read. The interweb thingy. Quote
baggy89 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Posted March 23, 2011 He was Mikel's agent when he signed for Man U/Chelsea. Connor Okus is on his book's and he was responsible for the Charlie Nicholas (Arsenal to us) transfer. Quote
Jute Posted March 24, 2011 Report Posted March 24, 2011 Totally bizarre this one. The more I read it the more I can't help but think there is more to this than meets the eye. Thought Craig Brown's comments upon announcing the signing in Jan were strange, about not being ready for first team action, being one for the future, and then only giving him a contract until the end of the season. I'm sure the truth will out eventually. They were. He is quoted in today's Daily Retard however saying Anderson was only ever signed as short term cover and it was always the intention that he would sign for Blackburn in the summer. A very odd signing if true. Quote
Kowalski Posted March 24, 2011 Report Posted March 24, 2011 Just went through the original Myles Anderson thread (which incidentally is a pun fest!) and there were no quotes from Brown, but the EE said he was seen as one for the future and wouldn't be getting many first team opportunities initially! Quote
tsr Posted March 25, 2011 Report Posted March 25, 2011 They were. He is quoted in today's Daily Retard however saying Anderson was only ever signed as short term cover and it was always the intention that he would sign for Blackburn in the summer. A very odd signing if true. It begs the obvious question as to why Blackburn didn't sign him in January? Quote
Stewart Posted March 25, 2011 Report Posted March 25, 2011 It begs the obvious question as to why Blackburn didn't sign him in January? Maybe they thought he'd get some game time and experience up here. Only reason I can think of anyway. Quote
glasgowdon Posted March 25, 2011 Report Posted March 25, 2011 I'm sure I mentioned he was told when he signed that he wouldn't be playing. Quote
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