Full backs next season

[Karjala]

Think it was just typical wank press. In the week we play spurs we are supposed to be signing Lennon and Dawson, while N'Zogbia and Owen are going to spuds.

[ShearMagic]

Beye is in the top 5 right backs in the league.

 

Enrique is looking better and better.

 

To be honest, the problem with our defence this season hasn't been the personnel, it's been the constant chopping and changing.

 

Hardly a surprise that they've looked at their best in the last 5 games, where it's remained the same.

[SUPERTOON]

They are doing well but if they were to get injured we would struggle so we need to back them up

[hallihg]

Hutton was s*** today and hes not that consistent.

 

Beye is far better imo. Wish he had scored today, that would have been a brilliant goal and all of you would be worshipping him.

 

Wrong, Hutton was one of Spurs' only good players. Looked very good I thought.

 

We tore up their defense from his side a couple of times. Maybe he wasnt as shitty as the rest of their defense, but still, the whole tottenham team was shit, especially the defense.

[Thorpinho]

Whilst we will probably have a substantial amount of money to spend, i really dont see the point in wasting millions of pounds on a position that does not need strengthening compared to the rest of the team. We need to be spending big on the midfield, not the full backs.

[AlanSkÃrare]

If we are going to continue with this 4-3-3, I think Enrique and Beye are more than enough for next season. Beye has got it all figured out, and obviously knows how to burst up and down that right flank all day long. Enrique is still learning, but he's improving every game. We need to replace Butt and Viduka long term, and there's room for improvment on Geremi and one of the centerhalves too. Barton deserves some more time to prove himself, showed yesterday what he's capable of.

[Guest marky555]

Brown and Bridge are both decent players. People may laugh but Bridge's crossing ability is second to none and as good as many in the Prem.

However, I do think that if they did come to us they would automatically turn shit. Brown is playing for his postion big time at Man Utd with Nevilles return imminent, and i feel this is one of the main reasons he's having a good season.

I have a slight suspicion if Brown or Bridge, (or both) were to come to us they wouldn't have the passion and wouldnt really be arsed about playing, and just end up fizzling out.

 

But I would still take them both on the hope that this wouldnt happen and that they would carry on playing like they are now, which lets be fair is very good. (When Bridge gets a game)

[NE5]

all the back four should be kept at the club.

 

We have certain priorities, which are not the back four. Those priorities are the same as last summer, irrespective of the fact that Allardyce has signed 3 better defenders we haven't done any better in fact have been worryingly worse until last week.

 

Which proves the point that the wrong priorities were looked at last summer.

 

We are now going to stay up. If we want to get into the top 4 we have to start matching them in the transfer market again.

 

For talented forward players and not these journeymen johnny averages.

 

 

 

 

agreed but i'd like to see a top quality centre half brought in to add to the centre halves we already have.

 

aye, I'm not saying there aren't better players of course there is, but the need for forward players is paramount and far more important.

 

If it meant one of the current 4 being the "spare" man then fair enough thats what you need. I don't necessarily mean a replacement for Taylor like some people. Remember we also have Edgar who should be looking to get into the first team now.

 

 

[buzza]

1)I think a top quality central defender is the highest priority we have, to partner whoever is playing better or whoever plays better together. Two full backs as cover, selling carr, and Zoggy will most probably leave us.

2)Top class striker to replace Viduka. As good as he may play he is very injury prone and doesn't seem to have the "hunger" if we want to go places. We have back up in Carrol (more minutes next season) and Smith if necessary to hold onto a lead (prefer to sell him TBH).

3)Playmaking midfielder of the Deco mould (can defend and create attacks) and possibly a midfielder (or two) with pace to replace duff and zog.

4)Young developing defensive midfielder to get minutes when Butt's knackered.

 

3 top class players & 4-5 "squad" players.

Players out: Shola, Duff, Zoggy (prefer not...), Carr, Ramage, Emre (too many injuries)

[Zero]

I would be very happy if we can buy a quality central defender, but even if we didn't sign anyone it's ok. Taylor and Faye looks like a good partnership and we can give chances to Kadar/Tozer/Edgar, and in important matches we still got Cacapa.

 

The difficult question for the defense line...is the goalkeeper. Harper or Given? Or even Krul? May be a new established GK? I couldn't think of a really dominate answer for this.

[Guest marky555]

I'd like to see Krul coming through next season. Loved how Eriksson has given Joe Hart his chance and he is doing very well, i reckon Krul could emulate him. I know the Palermo game was a long time ago but he was simply outstanding in that game, stood up to the occasion and proved he is a quality keeper.

 

[NE5]

1)I think a top quality central defender is the highest priority we have , to partner whoever is playing better or whoever plays better together. Two full backs as cover, selling carr, and Zoggy will most probably leave us.

2)Top class striker to replace Viduka. As good as he may play he is very injury prone and doesn't seem to have the "hunger" if we want to go places. We have back up in Carrol (more minutes next season) and Smith if necessary to hold onto a lead (prefer to sell him TBH).

3)Playmaking midfielder of the Deco mould (can defend and create attacks) and possibly a midfielder (or two) with pace to replace duff and zog.

4)Young developing defensive midfielder to get minutes when Butt's knackered.

 

3 top class players & 4-5 "squad" players.

Players out: Shola, Duff, Zoggy (prefer not...), Carr, Ramage, Emre (too many injuries)

 

I think its absolutely staggering to say what you do in the first paragraph that I've put in bold.

 

Anybody who has watched this season can see where we are lacking, and despite bringing in 3 good defenders last summer we are no further forward than before this. As I said last summer, the policy we adopted was not one that would move the club forward. We qualified for the Champions League with a back 4 of Hughes, Bramble, O'Brien and Bernard. Shearer, Bellamy, Robert and Solano shot us into the Champions League. We have never replaced these players apart from zoggy who if used properly and encouraged properly is a top class player, different to Robert and Ginola but more than capable of filling their boots. 

 

You need quality footballers who dictate possession,passing and the pace of the game. This is how a good team is put together.

 

The best teams have the best forwards. ManU have 4 forwards who cost 60m quid, value rising. Signing a centre half will never get close to this or put the club on the way to matching it in a hundred years. We have to match this by doing the same.

 

End of story.

 

 

[Mick]

 

I think its absolutely staggering to say what you do in the first paragraph that I've put in bold.

 

Anybody who has watched this season can see where we are lacking, and despite bringing in 3 good defenders last summer we are no further forward than before this. As I said last summer, the policy we adopted was not one that would move the club forward. We qualified for the Champions League with a back 4 of Hughes, Bramble, O'Brien and Bernard. Shearer, Bellamy, Robert and Solano shot us into the Champions League. We have never replaced these players apart from zoggy who if used properly and encouraged properly is a top class player, different to Robert and Ginola but more than capable of filling their boots. 

 

You need quality footballers who dictate possession,passing and the pace of the game. This is how a good team is put together.

 

The best teams have the best forwards. ManU have 4 forwards who cost 60m quid, value rising. Signing a centre half will never get close to this or put the club on the way to matching it in a hundred years. We have to match this by doing the same.

 

End of story.

 

 

 

The best teams also have the best midfielders and defenders, to say they have the best forwards is slightly short sighted.

[NE5]

 

I think its absolutely staggering to say what you do in the first paragraph that I've put in bold.

 

Anybody who has watched this season can see where we are lacking, and despite bringing in 3 good defenders last summer we are no further forward than before this. As I said last summer, the policy we adopted was not one that would move the club forward. We qualified for the Champions League with a back 4 of Hughes, Bramble, O'Brien and Bernard. Shearer, Bellamy, Robert and Solano shot us into the Champions League. We have never replaced these players apart from zoggy who if used properly and encouraged properly is a top class player, different to Robert and Ginola but more than capable of filling their boots. 

 

You need quality footballers who dictate possession,passing and the pace of the game. This is how a good team is put together.

 

 

 

The best teams have the best forwards. ManU have 4 forwards who cost 60m quid, value rising. Signing a centre half will never get close to this or put the club on the way to matching it in a hundred years. We have to match this by doing the same.

 

End of story.

 

 

 

The best teams also have the best midfielders and defenders, to say they have the best forwards is slightly short sighted.

 

thats your opinion. I think that forwards win games, this has been proven. As I pointed out, we bought 3 defenders last summer who are all now first choice and we have still struggled.

 

I bet you that if we had bought 3 forwards we would have done a damn sight better, but a. they would have cost more money and I realise you will not say anything that puts the old board in a favourable light and b. you are only saying what you say because you foolishly believe that we can be successful on the cheap, thus also condemning the fact that so far the old board have showed far more ambition than the new board but again you can't bring yourself to admit it.

 

Sad.

 

The top football teams have the talented forward players to control games and win games. They don't have the best defenders with shit players in front of them that cause them to defend like the Battle of the Alamo. But again, I don't expect you to do anything else than spin things to say the old board were the worstest there has even been.

 

The only short sighted person around here is you, because you put personalities before cold hard judgements, which is why you simply can't bring yourself to admit the old board gave us a very good 15 years, the best of the last 50 years in fact.

 

PS I also reckon you should let Buzza answer for himself. You seem to have a habit of butting into my debates with other people, that is, if you want to see and end to me showing you are wrong, and spout total rubbish too, to be honest.

 

 

[johnnypd]

 

I think its absolutely staggering to say what you do in the first paragraph that I've put in bold.

 

Anybody who has watched this season can see where we are lacking, and despite bringing in 3 good defenders last summer we are no further forward than before this. As I said last summer, the policy we adopted was not one that would move the club forward. We qualified for the Champions League with a back 4 of Hughes, Bramble, O'Brien and Bernard. Shearer, Bellamy, Robert and Solano shot us into the Champions League. We have never replaced these players apart from zoggy who if used properly and encouraged properly is a top class player, different to Robert and Ginola but more than capable of filling their boots. 

 

You need quality footballers who dictate possession,passing and the pace of the game. This is how a good team is put together.

 

The best teams have the best forwards. ManU have 4 forwards who cost 60m quid, value rising. Signing a centre half will never get close to this or put the club on the way to matching it in a hundred years. We have to match this by doing the same.

 

End of story.

 

 

 

The best teams also have the best midfielders and defenders, to say they have the best forwards is slightly short sighted.

 

yeah they spent £33m alone to capture Ferdinand (still a british transfer fee record if you include agent's fees), which eclipses anything spent on rooney or ronaldo. also spent sizeable fees on Evra and Vidic who are massively important players.

 

obviously the best teams have excellent forward players as well, but even lesser clubs have excellent centre-half pairings this season. look at Everton - Yobo and Lescott. Pompey - Distin and Campbell. Villa - Davies and Laursen. City - Richards and Dunne. Blackburn - Samba and Nelsen. Only West Ham of top-half teams have a suspect pairing here and even then Upson is a good player. Our best centre-half, Faye, is not as good as some of those players and the others aren't good enough or not suited for our league. so buying a player for this position is undeniably ONE of our priorities.

 

Spurs have better attacking ability than any of those teams but are floundering below them because the defensive side of their game is suspect, they have laughable shite like Dawson and Robinson constantly in their side. Woodgate and King is another example of our rivals having excellent strength in this position, their problem is not getting them out on the pitch together enough.

 

part of the reason we've not done as well as perhaps we should, given we signed three new defenders for the first team (not including rozzie and cacapa), was that they had to adjust to the premiership, and the fact that Enrique hardly ever played and we foolishly had a left-winger in his position, and that Beye and Faye were off to ACN, and that Faye was injured at the start of the season, and has had to play alongside crap for every game, and that one of our keepers has suddenly lost the ability to play as he used to or be fit, etc etc. some of these issues will (hopefully) address themselves next season, but the one about Faye needing a reliable partner, needs to be rectified in the transfer market.

[Ronaldo]

Bridge is quality going forward and a very very solid defender. Always prefered him to Ashley Cole. Brown is so underrated is actually quite ridiculous

 

Beye and Enrique along with Martins are my favourite players at the club but Beye is 30 and Enrique is still learning the english game, we need a couple of solid full-backs in the summer imo and we could do a hundred times worse than Bridge or Brown

[alpal78]

 

I think its absolutely staggering to say what you do in the first paragraph that I've put in bold.

 

Anybody who has watched this season can see where we are lacking, and despite bringing in 3 good defenders last summer we are no further forward than before this. As I said last summer, the policy we adopted was not one that would move the club forward. We qualified for the Champions League with a back 4 of Hughes, Bramble, O'Brien and Bernard. Shearer, Bellamy, Robert and Solano shot us into the Champions League. We have never replaced these players apart from zoggy who if used properly and encouraged properly is a top class player, different to Robert and Ginola but more than capable of filling their boots. 

 

You need quality footballers who dictate possession,passing and the pace of the game. This is how a good team is put together.

 

The best teams have the best forwards. ManU have 4 forwards who cost 60m quid, value rising. Signing a centre half will never get close to this or put the club on the way to matching it in a hundred years. We have to match this by doing the same.

 

End of story.

 

 

 

The best teams also have the best midfielders and defenders, to say they have the best forwards is slightly short sighted.

 

yeah they spent £33m alone to capture Ferdinand (still a british transfer fee record if you include agent's fees), which eclipses anything spent on rooney or ronaldo. also spent sizeable fees on Evra and Vidic who are massively important players.

 

obviously the best teams have excellent forward players as well, but even lesser clubs have excellent centre-half pairings this season. look at Everton - Yobo and Lescott. Pompey - Distin and Campbell. Villa - Davies and Laursen. City - Richards and Dunne. Blackburn - Samba and Nelsen. Only West Ham of top-half teams have a suspect pairing here and even then Upson is a good player. Our best centre-half, Faye, is not as good as some of those players and the others aren't good enough or not suited for our league. so buying a player for this position is undeniably ONE of our priorities.

 

Spurs have better attacking ability than any of those teams but are floundering below them because the defensive side of their game is suspect, they have laughable s**** like Dawson and Robinson constantly in their side. Woodgate and King is another example of our rivals having excellent strength in this position, their problem is not getting them out on the pitch together enough.

 

part of the reason we've not done as well as perhaps we should, given we signed three new defenders for the first team (not including rozzie and cacapa), was that they had to adjust to the premiership, and the fact that Enrique hardly ever played and we foolishly had a left-winger in his position, and that Beye and Faye were off to ACN, and that Faye was injured at the start of the season, and has had to play alongside crap for every game, and that one of our keepers has suddenly lost the ability to play as he used to or be fit, etc etc. some of these issues will (hopefully) address themselves next season, but the one about Faye needing a reliable partner, needs to be rectified in the transfer market.

 

Spot on, forwards are important, but it is laughable and naive that good teams only focus on getting good forwards. It's a balance game, no point scoring 2 if you are going to concede 3!

 

All the top teams have top pairings at CB at least

 

Man Utd - Ferdinand and Vidic

 

Arsenal - Gallas and Toure

 

Chelsea - Carvalho & Terry....and the list goes on.

 

We only have Faye whom I consider good enough to be playing in a top 6 team.

 

In fact relative to our CB, we at least have 2 quality forwards in Owen and Martins. Viduka is not too bad either though he will need to be replaced sooner than later.

 

As for the argument, that we’ve bought defenders and are still cack......well maybe that has something to do with the fact that out of the 3 CBs we bought, only Faye seem to have the ability and temperament to play in the EPL. Rozza does not have the first and Cacapa is still learning the second. The fact is measured against the criteria of ability and adaptability, Sam did not get us the best of defenders.

 

It didn't help also that Zoggy played at LB for most of Sam's time and that Beye was away for a whole month, which essentially meant that we did not really get to play our defenders consistently

 

There are so many other reasons why we have been crap....maybe a stubborn manager who tried to employ everything Bolton immediately into Newcastle without understanding the specific circumstances of the team or personnel.

 

There are just too many variables for our poor performances. To suggest that we've tried buying defenders and that somehow because what we've bought are not good enough and has not worked out, we should stop buying defenders and buy a new forward line even when we already have Owen and Martins is so incredibly naive that it can only come from NE5. To prove a cause and effect, you need to show the causation, not just carelessly pick a cause and an effect and claim causation to fit into your narrow agenda or brown kissing the old board. 

 

We need a playmaker, a top CB and a target man in that order to do better next season.   

 

[thewellander]

Personally, I hope that Ashley gives Keegan enough cash to get a new CB, new midfielders, and a new striker. But, yeah, we need to strengthen the midfield first and foremost. I would also like to see a new striker come before a new CB.

[Ronaldo]

I'd like to see Krul coming through next season. Loved how Eriksson has given Joe Hart his chance and he is doing very well, i reckon Krul could emulate him. I know the Palermo game was a long time ago but he was simply outstanding in that game, stood up to the occasion and proved he is a quality keeper.

 

 

one good game doesn't prove he' s a quality keeper. Fucking Pattison got motm in his debut

[Yorkie]

I'd like to see Krul coming through next season. Loved how Eriksson has given Joe Hart his chance and he is doing very well, i reckon Krul could emulate him. I know the Palermo game was a long time ago but he was simply outstanding in that game, stood up to the occasion and proved he is a quality keeper.

 

 

one good game doesn't prove he' s a quality keeper. Fucking Pattison got motm in his debut

 

And the fact that he's done very little since then doesn't prove he's a shit one either. I'd be very happy to see him given a chance in the cup games, depending on the importance/quality of the opponent, obviously.

[TRon]

I'd like to see Krul coming through next season. Loved how Eriksson has given Joe Hart his chance and he is doing very well, i reckon Krul could emulate him. I know the Palermo game was a long time ago but he was simply outstanding in that game, stood up to the occasion and proved he is a quality keeper.

 

 

one good game doesn't prove he' s a quality keeper. Fucking Pattison got motm in his debut

 

And the fact that he's done very little since then doesn't prove he's a shit one either. I'd be very happy to see him given a chance in the cup games, depending on the importance/quality of the opponent, obviously.

 

Krul looked outstanding in nearly every department in that game. Unless he's looked shit elsewhere since then, I could only rate him as a fantastic prospect.

[Mick]

 

thats your opinion. I think that forwards win games, this has been proven. As I pointed out, we bought 3 defenders last summer who are all now first choice and we have still struggled.

 

I bet you that if we had bought 3 forwards we would have done a damn sight better, but a. they would have cost more money and I realise you will not say anything that puts the old board in a favourable light and b. you are only saying what you say because you foolishly believe that we can be successful on the cheap, thus also condemning the fact that so far the old board have showed far more ambition than the new board but again you can't bring yourself to admit it.

 

Sad.

 

The top football teams have the talented forward players to control games and win games. They don't have the best defenders with s*** players in front of them that cause them to defend like the Battle of the Alamo. But again, I don't expect you to do anything else than spin things to say the old board were the worstest there has even been.

 

The only short sighted person around here is you, because you put personalities before cold hard judgements, which is why you simply can't bring yourself to admit the old board gave us a very good 15 years, the best of the last 50 years in fact.

 

PS I also reckon you should let Buzza answer for himself. You seem to have a habit of butting into my debates with other people, that is, if you want to see and end to me showing you are wrong, and spout total rubbish too, to be honest.

 

 

 

Of course forwards win games, all 11 players in the team are capable of winning games if you have the right players.  We did buy 3 defenders and you're right that we've struggled, we've struggled as a team though, not just at the back or just up front, we've struggled in most positions.

 

As for your comment "that if we had bought 3 forwards we would have done a damn sight better," laughable, we didn't give the forwards the service that they needed to do any better, we've done that over the last couple of games and they look like the quality of player most thought that they were.  It doesn't matter who you have up front, if you don't give them chances they're not going to score many goals.  We have good forwards who need something to work with, something they've been without for most of the season.

 

My comments had nothing to do with the new or old board, you're obsessed, you've got some ship on your shoulders.  Well done though, you did manage 2 out of 5 paragraphs which didn't mention the board on a totally unrelated subject.

 

Forward players don't usually control games, that's normally done by the midfield  who protect the defence and then play the ball to the forwards to finish off the move, forwards rarely control games.

 

PS The purpose of a forum is to debate, you might not have noticed but somebody starts a thread then people respond.  

[Mick]

Whilst we will probably have a substantial amount of money to spend, i really dont see the point in wasting millions of pounds on a position that does not need strengthening compared to the rest of the team. We need to be spending big on the midfield, not the full backs.

 

Agreed, we've got good enough players in both defence and up front, we need players who can break up the play in front of the defence and we need players who can then take the ball forward and create openings for the forwards.

[Baggio]

 

I think its absolutely staggering to say what you do in the first paragraph that I've put in bold.

 

Anybody who has watched this season can see where we are lacking, and despite bringing in 3 good defenders last summer we are no further forward than before this. As I said last summer, the policy we adopted was not one that would move the club forward. We qualified for the Champions League with a back 4 of Hughes, Bramble, O'Brien and Bernard. Shearer, Bellamy, Robert and Solano shot us into the Champions League. We have never replaced these players apart from zoggy who if used properly and encouraged properly is a top class player, different to Robert and Ginola but more than capable of filling their boots. 

 

You need quality footballers who dictate possession,passing and the pace of the game. This is how a good team is put together.

 

 

 

The best teams have the best forwards. ManU have 4 forwards who cost 60m quid, value rising. Signing a centre half will never get close to this or put the club on the way to matching it in a hundred years. We have to match this by doing the same.

 

End of story.

 

 

 

The best teams also have the best midfielders and defenders, to say they have the best forwards is slightly short sighted.

 

thats your opinion. I think that forwards win games, this has been proven. As I pointed out, we bought 3 defenders last summer who are all now first choice and we have still struggled.

 

I bet you that if we had bought 3 forwards we would have done a damn sight better, but a. they would have cost more money and I realise you will not say anything that puts the old board in a favourable light and b. you are only saying what you say because you foolishly believe that we can be successful on the cheap, thus also condemning the fact that so far the old board have showed far more ambition than the new board but again you can't bring yourself to admit it.

 

Sad.

 

The top football teams have the talented forward players to control games and win games. They don't have the best defenders with shit players in front of them that cause them to defend like the Battle of the Alamo. But again, I don't expect you to do anything else than spin things to say the old board were the worstest there has even been.

 

The only short sighted person around here is you, because you put personalities before cold hard judgements, which is why you simply can't bring yourself to admit the old board gave us a very good 15 years, the best of the last 50 years in fact.

 

PS I also reckon you should let Buzza answer for himself. You seem to have a habit of butting into my debates with other people, that is, if you want to see and end to me showing you are wrong, and spout total rubbish too, to be honest.

 

 

 

We signed 2 strikers, one of them being Alan Smith who you said was a top player.

[Baggio]

Whilst we will probably have a substantial amount of money to spend, i really dont see the point in wasting millions of pounds on a position that does not need strengthening compared to the rest of the team. We need to be spending big on the midfield, not the full backs.

 

Agreed, we've got good enough players in both defence and up front, we need players who can break up the play in front of the defence and we need players who can then take the ball forward and create openings for the forwards.

 

Defenders will still come in, we've only got one left back at the club and one right back unless Carr gets a new contract, we also need to replace Rozehnal if he doesn't come back, most of our attention needs to be switched to midfield though whatever formation we play, hopefully Smith will go too and be replaced with a big targetman that can compete with Viduka.