thunderball

Quiet game today for all our forwards and yet Benteke scores two in second gear against a good side.

We need another forward for my money, keep some competition.

Benteke is magnificent, this boy is going to tear up the prem this season, just the best forward I've seen since shearer or Drogba in this league, he is going to be a monster is few years. I hope we hang on to his coat tails for as long as we can.

Can't beleive the negativity!

Really positive, looking to make an impression and make things happen. He's hardly played with his team, give him a chance. Rather him get a chance than Albrighton on this showing. Good squad addition.

There is something clearly lacking in Bents game that means a lot of managers don't fancy taking a punt on him. You look at the clubs he has played for and us and Spurs are comfortably the biggest of those. However whilst at Spurs they finished 11th and 8th and saw getting rid of him as a chance to bag a few quid and move up a notch which they did. With us we have pretty much been in a constant state of struggle since he arrived and as part of us trying to look to progress we don't see him as part of that.

You look at Bent and purely focus on his goalscoring record in the top flight you could scrath your head and think why hasn't he played for top clubs and why isn't he attracting interest now, at around 5 mill, from any better than the likes of Fulham and Newcastle. Its when you look at Bents overall game and see that you have to set up the rest of your front six around him and realise that unless he is scoring he is doing f all and the answer becomes a little clearer.

This.

My sentiments entirely. We signed him when we had wide men, now they've gone he looks lost up top - you can't afford passengers in the Prem - Gabby, Benteke and Weimann can all pick up the ball from 40 yards and find their way to goal, Bent just gets on the end of goal mouth action.

We play a posession game now like many of the top clubs, we've moved on.

Alfred Finnbogason got 2 at weekend in Eredivisie, Celtic couldn't afford the 5million!! if Bent goes would love to see him brought in, he is a lethal goalscorer and watched a lot of him last season, he would fit the Lambert philosophy!! i know been linked with him past, but would love see him in C&B!! he can also play the hole behind the front 3 as well!!

 

Finnbogason has been linked with us in this window, would love to have him here, he's going to be some striker. Him, Kiyotake and another centre beck would make this a great transfer window and set us up for a great campaign.

 

I see that Kiyotake seems to be gaining momentum in terms of internet rumours (excluding those by you know who), I see we are supposed to have met him today although that sounds like BS if we haven't agreed a fee, but maybe no smoke without fire.....

Just watched the highlights, and KEA was the real surprise - a different player, lovely work last night.

Have read plenty about him but it never aligned with what we saw last season, he really needs to show this or he will be away at the end of the year. Great to see the midfield fighting for places. Sylla looked useful too - for me he gets the nod over Delph at the moment, but only just.

MONSTER!

Our Monster :-)

Agreed KSV, defence is the worst position in the PL for blooding youngsters as the standard is so high, even the smallest mistake gets punished, and that can be the difference between 3 points and 1 or worse - its suicide to go all season with youngsters, that was most of our problem last year (as well as the young and inexperienced midfield and young and inexperienced forward line). Natural ability as a defender can only take you so far because experience counts for so much at the back.

Hopefully signing a new CB will see Clark move into a more central midfield role, think he would be much better there

That's from the MON school of player deployment. No, let's hope Lambert uses midfielders for midfield roles.

 

But Clark is much better suited to midfield rather than defence as he is good with the ball at his feet and is very composed, but is liable to the odd mistake which is much less punishable in midfield. It's not the MON school of player development either, that's not playing youth players when needed, Clark has been played in midfield by both Houllier and McLeish IIRC and looked competent.

 

Barry started out as CB, he became our nailed central midfielder for about 7-8 years. Bale was a LB and almost sold by spurs 'cause he wasn't very good there, he's now one of the best players in the world on the left wing/behind the striker. Henry started out as a winger and became the best striker of his generation. I don't think Clark is in the same league as these players, but they are examples that mean just because you start your career in one position it doesn't mean it's your best position.

Valid points.

Hopefully signing a new CB will see Clark move into a more central midfield role, think he would be much better there

That's from the MON school of player deployment. No, let's hope Lambert uses midfielders for midfield roles.

Young - would improve us but no thanks, been there done that and Man U are getting rid for a reason.

Now Milner, there would be a real re-signing we would all love, worth 2 Ashley Youngs.

Why? Isn't it much more fun than being pessimistic? It'll mean nothing once we get into the season anyway.

I wasn't being pessimistic either, safe mid table (for me this includes 'just top half' and is anywhere from 12th to 9th) is cautiously optimistic after the past three seasons! I just hope that last seasons 2nd half doesn't flatter to deceive, even with cracking form we still relied on Wigan's misfortune last season to stay up.

I see our problem still at the other end, we cannot stop conceding goals and that is a terrible trait in the premier league - if we had a solid back 5 and Sylla, I would feel much more confident but I don't feel this has been fully addressed. No doubt when in the mood we are mouth watering going forward, but all that hard works was undone so easily and so many times last season (any stats on lost points from winning positions?) - I just hope we don't we don't end up relying on Benteke we need 3/4's of our goals coming from elsewhere.

I agree that we are not much better than last season which may mean a safe mid-table finish at best. Our strength in depth has improved but not the first team (I await Okore's progress) in any way other than experience. 

 

Would have liked to see a solid experienced left back, would like to see a solid experienced centre back as well as Okore.

 

We need: another forward and creative midfielder, especially when Bent and Ireland leave.

 

Would love to see Nacer Chadli (for more than one reason!), and Finnbogason or at a push Gomis. This would improve us immensely.

 

Over the moon about Benteke, its like signing a £40m player - this doesn't happen to the Villa!

On the Benteke thing then I think that Villa need to decide what price they think he's worth. If it's truly £25m, if they think he'll be worth than that next year, and will add a lot to the side in the mean-time then they should hang on to him. Personally having watched him a few times I wouldn't value him anywhere near that highly, and I'd be surprised if other clubs do either,

 

 

 

 

I stopped here.

Me too.

 

 Believe me, Benteke is worth £25m. He is defiantly worth that to Villa at the moment, and was worth it last season. I genuinely think he will be in the top 5 forwards in the world at 26, and could be worth £50m plus IF he knuckles down because he is occasionally too casual - he has everything in his locker except self belief, and that will only come with game time in a lesser club.

His agent is playing a blinder. Benteke gets his transfer & probably doubles his wages.

Villa offered to double his wages to £40k p.w., Spurs won't pay much more, but Chelsea and Arsenal would depending on his transfer fee. But we didn't have to pay him any more than his current £20k p.w. cause he has 3 years left - this is the point.

Truth is, he will sign for some club for another 4 years contract on maybe £50k p.w. and not get a pay rise again because he will be at a bigger club. If he'd waited until next summer after a good WC he could be worth £40m, and as a proven entity could easily command £100K p.w. for 4 years. Where's the agents sense here? It's short term greed.

Just cannot see Spurs paying £25m cash. They will be paying big money to Bale and Paulinho, plus Dafoe, Lennon and Adebayor, who wont be easy to move on (please God Faulkner don't help them out) and will need to pay CB at least £50k p.w. the have just broken their transfer record for Paulinho, but don't have Champions league.

Spurs 5th place was all down to Bale, they are nothing special so don't put ourselves down because of our recent form, we are not far away on second half of season form - if Lambert buys well again we could conceivably finish above Spurs, but Benteke would have been a big part in that.

Great pity but I blame Kismet 100%

Heard that he is having a medical at tottenham today

In God's name no!

Read somewhere on twitter that PL has lined up an alternative if CB leaves.

The club needs to stop this rot or we will forever be in this position. At £20k p.w. we can surely set an example nd sell for similar money next year.

Can't help but think he getting poor advice though. Silly boy. £30m and he can go but it won't be with my blessing.

According to talksport Swansea have made a bid of 8.5 mill which is yet to be accepted and up to 12 prem clubs are interested in this player

 

I cannot see us bidding anywhere near 8.5 mill

I agree, this lad is going to go for around 10m which is way out of our league

Seems a bit excessive...there are others out there

I reckon we would pay £10m for the right player, we paid £7m(?) for Benteke and that worked out?

WTF? I dare not go back a page to find what prompted this, as its taken 10 minutes for the page to load due to all the GIF action!

The Mail have no idea what's going on, most transfers in have been pretty much left field so far, and the club certainly have no reason to give info to the Mail or leak info out unless its a (useful) diversion tactic. If anything has been said I'd take it with a pinch of salt, I reckon Kendricks taken the bait and doing their bidding.

If the management believe he is the man for such an important role, they will pay what's needed, I think it's no coincidence that nothing is happening while Bent and Ireland remain in stasis.

One thing for sure with Kiyotake in the team, the defence would have to seriously step up their game.

Maybe PL will play 3 CB's and two wing backs?

My god, it's so embarrassing how the vultures circle, when we have a talent on our hands.

Dead right, but all it takes is a Levy-like hard line to show as a club we are back on track: The boy is NOT FOR SALE. We hold a strong contract and he needs 1st team football, it suits us this season.

Further, we don't need the money as we can pay the transfer fees on the players that fit the clubs financial model, and all PL clubs this season are seriously rich.

I wonder if people will now stop posting shite off twitter?

I bet you that we haven't been interested in him at all in the last month. I hate to think how much time some of you have wasted reading all those bullshit rumours

Mods should warn people for posting any of it tbf

There's no smoke without fire. Of course we were interested, just because he doesn't sign doesn't mean we were never in. A few said a week or so ago that PL put a take it or leave it offer to him, he left it.

He's obviously a mercenary, better off without - Ukrainian league........ Phhht! ;-)

It's anything but clear as day. If anything there are seemingly more ITK's suggesting there is something in this than not......

We can only wait and see.