Kanji Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Based off of the fact that he's 5'11 and its assumed that his height will be a problem when nobody has really seen much of him to know of his leaping ability or if he actually players larger or than he looks? That's all I'm saying. Lubo Satka is 6'2 and played like a tiny CM the other night. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 FWIW, I still want us to sign a towering CB like Matip or Abdennour. But whatever... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggs Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Based off of the fact that he's 5'11 and its assumed that his height will be a problem when nobody has really seen much of him to know of his leaping ability or if he actually players larger or than he looks? That's all I'm saying. Lubo Satka is 6'2 and played like a tiny CM the other night. Aye I agree but preferably you would have another 6'2+ centre half who also has those positioning and leaping skills. You definitely need at least one, probably two at least 6'2 players in your team or you'll concede a lot from set pieces. You are going to meet defenders and strikers that are massive and know how to use their strength and height effectively and you need someone big enough to at least put them off when they go for a header Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I agree all CBs need to be good in the air IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madras Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Based off of the fact that he's 5'11 and its assumed that his height will be a problem when nobody has really seen much of him to know of his leaping ability or if he actually players larger or than he looks? That's all I'm saying. Lubo Satka is 6'2 and played like a tiny CM the other night. Aye I agree but preferably you would have another 6'2+ centre half who also has those positioning and leaping skills. You definitely need at least one, probably two at least 6'2 players in your team or you'll concede a lot from set pieces. You are going to meet defenders and strikers that are massive and know how to use their strength and height effectively and you need someone big enough to at least put them off when they go for a header Shearer, at 6ft scored most of his headers for us from set pieces, against those 6'2 and 6'3 defenders. I buy these "we need 6'2 centre halves" as much as I buy the "we need wingers" argument. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasy Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Can't hurt to have a bit more height as long as it doesn't sacrifice mobility. But I'll reserve judgement on how good Mbemba is in the air until I see him play. He's basically the same height as Shearer (1.82m vs 1.83m) and taller than Ferdinand, two of the best headers of a ball I've ever seen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Geordie Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Oscar Cordoba (of Inter fame) was also short for a DC. He read the game superbly and also had a great leap, for his size (5'8) Don't write Mbemba off before the kid's even had a chance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole_Toonfan Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 No one is writing him off tbf, just that most would prefer to see him paired with someone tall. Let's be honest no matter how good he is it's going to take some doing to actually be worse than the shite we currently have. Can't wait to see him play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikon Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Never gonna happen but a left footed CB like Abdennour would be absolutely perfect! He's not a slow mothafucka either from what i've seen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggs Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Based off of the fact that he's 5'11 and its assumed that his height will be a problem when nobody has really seen much of him to know of his leaping ability or if he actually players larger or than he looks? That's all I'm saying. Lubo Satka is 6'2 and played like a tiny CM the other night. Aye I agree but preferably you would have another 6'2+ centre half who also has those positioning and leaping skills. You definitely need at least one, probably two at least 6'2 players in your team or you'll concede a lot from set pieces. You are going to meet defenders and strikers that are massive and know how to use their strength and height effectively and you need someone big enough to at least put them off when they go for a header Shearer, at 6ft scored most of his headers for us from set pieces, against those 6'2 and 6'3 defenders. I buy these "we need 6'2 centre halves" as much as I buy the "we need wingers" argument. Comparing strikers and defenders with heading doesn't really work IMO. A striker can take a risk on a defender making a mistake sometimes or can make a move to where they want the ball to be played while a defender has to win every ball. I do understand your point though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1988 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 *fingers crossed* please just not another Williamson/Boumsong/Cacapa/Bramble/etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Nobody's writing him off at all. It's just that I can't think of a single CB under 6' who's been a success in the PL. Obviously it sounds like he's a really athletic kid so if he's partnered right it shouldn't be any issue whatsoever. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I do miss a diagonal long ball belted by Titus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
summerof69 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-new-boy-chancel-9708395 good article, and nice to see his determination When Chancel Mbemba first broke into the first team at Anderlecht as a teenager, he got into a nightly routine. At 10pm, after watching a movie as part of his ongoing attempts to master conversational French, he would slip out of his apartment near the beautiful Astrid Park in Brussels in disguise. With a hat pulled tight over his head and dressed in dark clothes to blend in with the late-evening crowds – and long after team-mates had gone to bed or hit the cafes or bars of the Belgian capital – he would embark on a series of punishing shuttle runs, a brutal regime that he credits partly with sharpening the electric pace which caught Newcastle’s eye. His explanation? “Without work,” he reflected in a 2013 interview, “we get nowhere. I devote all my spare time to training.” This little anecdote is just a sub-plot in the first few remarkable chapters in Mbemba’s incredible life story. Like his former team-mate Aleksandar Mitrovic, the central defender arrives on Tyneside via the route less travelled. Mbemba will be announced as a Newcastle player either on Thursday or early Friday, Newcastle having beaten competition from Borussia Monchengladbach and Atletico Madrid to the £8.5million man’s signing. But he is no ordinary summer capture. His progression from street football in the dusty streets of war-torn Kinshasa to the Premier League is a remarkable one – an incredible story of resilience, hard work, determination and drive. One of eight siblings – his mother was a professional basketball player – Mbemba’s dedication is partly explained by seeing football as a route out of potential poverty. “We were very, very poor,” he has said of his background in Congo. But if there was not money or a formal education, there was certainly drive instilled in Mbemba from an early age. “Even though my mom was a professional basketball player, a member of the national team of Congo, she always encouraged me to play football,” he told L’Avenir. “Today, everything I do is for my parents but also my four sisters and four brothers. I have the chance to make a career as a top athlete and I to help my family. Only after doing that will I think of myself.” With a hat pulled tight over his head and dressed in dark clothes to blend in with the late-evening crowds – and long after team-mates had gone to bed or hit the cafes or bars of the Belgian capital – he would embark on a series of punishing shuttle runs, a brutal regime that he credits partly with sharpening the electric pace which caught Newcastle’s eye. His explanation? “Without work,” he reflected in a 2013 interview, “we get nowhere. I devote all my spare time to training.” This little anecdote is just a sub-plot in the first few remarkable chapters in Mbemba’s incredible life story. Like his former team-mate Aleksandar Mitrovic, the central defender arrives on Tyneside via the route less travelled. Mbemba will be announced as a Newcastle player either on Thursday or early Friday, Newcastle having beaten competition from Borussia Monchengladbach and Atletico Madrid to the £8.5million man’s signing. But he is no ordinary summer capture. His progression from street football in the dusty streets of war-torn Kinshasa to the Premier League is a remarkable one – an incredible story of resilience, hard work, determination and drive. One of eight siblings – his mother was a professional basketball player – Mbemba’s dedication is partly explained by seeing football as a route out of potential poverty. “We were very, very poor,” he has said of his background in Congo. But if there was not money or a formal education, there was certainly drive instilled in Mbemba from an early age. “Even though my mom was a professional basketball player, a member of the national team of Congo, she always encouraged me to play football,” he told L’Avenir. “Today, everything I do is for my parents but also my four sisters and four brothers. I have the chance to make a career as a top athlete and I to help my family. Only after doing that will I think of myself.” Faith is one constant in his life. He claims that when he first arrived in Congo it was praying, rather than an operation, which healed a troublesome back injury. “It helps me tremendously,” he says. “I pray every day and I go to a Catholic church every weekend. During my first months in Anderlecht, I suffered a serious back injury. The doctor spoke of an operation but I did not want to hear about it. By dint of prayers and the help of (club) physiotherapist Jochen De Coene, the pain disappeared.” His rise has not been without controversy. Mbemba has four birthdays: his first two clubs in the Congo had his birth year as 1988 but when he played for Congo in 2011, he was registered as having been born in 1991. Anderlecht have registered his birth year as 1994 – hence his age of 21. United are said to be relaxed about the controversy, and Mbemba has dismissed the allegations as “defamatory” and made up. “I have given evidence to Anderlecht to make sure they’re not taking any risks,” he has said of the controversy. “I even passed scientific tests to determine my exact age. In Africa, when people do not have money, they are ready to invent anything to make money.” His appeal to Newcastle is clear: his experience at Champions League level makes him a cut above the other defenders out there. His pace and power are complimented by extraordinary technique for a defender. Strong in the air and with excellent acceleration, Newcastle see a player who will get better and better. And they like his attitude and desire to get better, too. Another quirky story reveals more about his determination to avoid the trappings of football fame and fortune. He says: “When I am done with professional football, I want to become an electrician. God gave me a gift for manual trades, it must bear fruit.” If he lights up St James’ Park this year, few will be complaining about the Kinshasa kid-come-good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Segun Oluwaniyi Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Nobody's writing him off at all. It's just that I can't think of a single CB under 6' who's been a success in the PL. Obviously it sounds like he's a really athletic kid so if he's partnered right it shouldn't be any issue whatsoever. I don't believe Kolo Toure is any taller than Mbemba. Yobo will claim to be 6'1+, but this is an outright lie. He was nowhere near this when I met him. Height is important in that position, but it can easily be overcome by pace and athleticism. There have been many successful African defenders in that mould. I agree he should be partnered with someone quite tall ideally, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. TC Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Who did this to his wiki? Full name Alan Mbemba pardew Date of birth 8 August 2012 (age 2)[1] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpolic Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Seems like a Lee Nelson job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Five o Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I sounds like jesus reincarnated if we can go by the article above. Hope we get this lad now, he sounds mint. In a few years "Chancel Electric company" will be registered in Newcastle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varadi Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Nobody's writing him off at all. It's just that I can't think of a single CB under 6' who's been a success in the PL. Obviously it sounds like he's a really athletic kid so if he's partnered right it shouldn't be any issue whatsoever. Going back a little while but I think Desailly is a shade under 6' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledGeordie Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Nobody's writing him off at all. It's just that I can't think of a single CB under 6' who's been a success in the PL. Obviously it sounds like he's a really athletic kid so if he's partnered right it shouldn't be any issue whatsoever. Going back a little while but I think Desailly is a shade under 6' Gallas was quality and he's listed at 5'11. If the lad is strong and athletic then I don't see his height being a major issue. The fact he's super quick is a massive plus factor. It would be good however to have a tall CB to play with him (not Williamson, lol). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deckard 13 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Nobody's writing him off at all. It's just that I can't think of a single CB under 6' who's been a success in the PL. Obviously it sounds like he's a really athletic kid so if he's partnered right it shouldn't be any issue whatsoever. Both Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams scrape six foot and I'd be happy with either. If we're using Wiki to gauge his height then he is the same as Williams and 1cm shorter than Jagielka. Just put a 1cm lift in his shoe and he'll be fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ste Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 As long as he's got a good leap and his timing is ok, he'll be absolutely fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Has the pic of him holding the shirt with number 4 been posted? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Going further back, I can remember Paul Parker being an effective central defender at 5'7". Some players have an abnormally good leap on them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
healthyaddiction Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Has the pic of him holding the shirt with number 4 been posted? The picture of WIjnaldum with Mbemba's head photoshopped on? Yes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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