Is less, more?

[New York Red]

Talk of a clearout.

 

Talk of the rotation not working.

 

So let me ask this. Would we be better off with this strategy. Three players in each position, and have the kids fill in if we have a long term injury?

 

G -- Reina, etc

FB -- Arbeloa, Alves, Auerelio

CB -- Carra, Agger, Skrtel

LM -- Quaresma

CM -- Marscher, Gerrard, Leiva

RM -- ?

F -- Torres, Babel, Benzema

Utility player -- Chivu (who is about the most versatile player I can think of).

 

Insua could well come in and play a fair amount.

Arbeloa can cover both sides.

Hobbs could get a few games too.

Babel could cover at LM if necessary.

Gerrard could cover at RM.

 

It means buying 5 players and selling/releasing 10.

 

It basically means that each plaer would get 40-45 games each per season.

 

Could that work and get us some continuity or would it be cutting things a bit thin?

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Quaresma's s**** though

[Rimbeux]

I think 22 inc keepers is plenty, and of those perhaps one defender, one midfielder and one forward should be young developing players coming through from the academy in an idealised version, but 22 is adequate.

[Cooger]

Is less, more?

 

I think in our chase yes it should be.

 

I think most of the following should leave:

 

Kewell, Crouch, Kuyt, Riise, Carson, Guthrie, Voronin, Aurelio, Le Tallec.

 

Would rather see 2 or 3 top players rather than 6, 7 or 8 players with less quality.

[dorgie]

I hope we see Jay Spearing coming through next season.

[alias75]

Thats the route id take quality over quantity maybe not to the extent you have there but a core squad of maybe 17-18 players and the rest young reserves.

 

Id say Insua is ready to be given a chance, Hobbs can take the 4th CB position if/when Sami calls it a day, personally id give Paul Anderson a chance and cash in on Pennant, bring in a top quality right winger or even sign someone like Alves that can cover right back right midfield. Spearing is good enough to be 4th/5th choice central midfield and i think he could try and base his game on Mascherano.

 

We dont need this many players, for one you have players on huge wages that hardly play, when you go for quantity it usually means you have to compromise in quality which as we're seeing doesn't work. It also gives Rafa too many options which isnt a good thing, i think it would be a blessing in disguise if lack of money from the owners meant he was forced to cut his squad a little, that would force him to be more consistent with his team selection.

 

For all the talk of rotation though i do think a big reason he changes certain positions so often is because no player has made those positions their own, if we had a top quality right or left winger im sure they'd play most weeks, the same for the 2nd striker position. Our best players don't get rotated, if we had more players of the same level as Reina, Gerrard, Mascherano, Torres they wouldnt get rotated so that should be the aim.

Edited February 3, 2008 by alias75

[Guest Linton]

We can change the team all we like. But I'm sorry to say this but we need to change manager as well. Rafa will not win the PL.

[New York Red]

Quaresma's s**** though

 

All I could think of to try and make the point. Bottom line is, on the left and the right we'd have world class signings.

 

By my reckoning, we'd raise about 50 million.

 

Hyypia (I'd actually like to keep him around for emergencies and definitely for coaching)

Riise (6.0)

Finnan (3.0)

Kewell (0.0)

Benayoun (6.0)

Pennant (5.0)

Guthrie (4.0)

Xabi (12.0)

Kuyt (8.0)

Crouch (8.0)

Vornonin (2.0)

[alias75]

All I could think of to try and make the point. Bottom line is, on the left and the right we'd have world class signings.

 

By my reckoning, we'd raise about 50 million.

 

Hyypia (I'd actually like to keep him around for emergencies and definitely for coaching)

Riise (6.0)

Finnan (3.0)

Kewell (0.0)

Benayoun (6.0)

Pennant (5.0)

Guthrie (4.0)

Xabi (12.0)

Kuyt (8.0)

Crouch (8.0)

Vornonin (2.0)

 

Think we'd get a bit more for Xabi your also forgetting Carson im sure some PL team will pay 6-8 million for him. Personally id keep Benayou because hes a clever player and i think hes the type of player that will do better when hes surrounded by better players. Don't think we'd get 8 million for Kuyt now and id be tempted to keep him too just because his sell on value means we'd lose money on him, he can play better than hes showing at the moment, but his attitude is spot on for being 3rd/4th choice.

[MFletcher]

We started the season with three centre backs. When Agger was injured, we were forced to play Hobbs who quite clearly wasn't good enough.

 

Would you like to go into an important game with a young reserve thrown in and completely embarrassed by a good player?

 

Two for every position is the way forward, with a clear pecking order established.

[alias75]

We started the season with three centre backs. When Agger was injured, we were forced to play Hobbs who quite clearly wasn't good enough.

 

Would you like to go into an important game with a young reserve thrown in and completely embarrassed by a good player?

 

Two for every position is the way forward, with a clear pecking order established.

 

2 for every position yes but not every player needs to be an international on big money, if theres an injury you work around it, at some point these young players have to be given a chance to see whether they're up to it or not, theres no point in having them here if you dont trust them.

 

Obviously in key games you'd hope there were enough options to go with players that have experience at the top level but as long as your not throwing 2 or 3 youngsters into the same side i think its fine. I think a big problem has been when people like Hobbs have been given a chance its usually in a weakened side.

[Guz]

Two for every position is the way forward, with a clear pecking order established.

 

That's fine. But we have too many positions where there is no pecking order. There is no obvious first choice and then backup for left back, left wing, right wing, 2nd striker or maybe even right back now. The players who are there now in those positions I would say are definitley good enough to be squad players there but they're not good enough for a whole season to be first choice there (Riise, Aurelio, maybe Finnan, Pennant, Yossi, Kuyt, Crouch, Voronin)

[Cheesecake]

All I could think of to try and make the point. Bottom line is, on the left and the right we'd have world class signings.

 

By my reckoning, we'd raise about 50 million.

 

Hyypia (I'd actually like to keep him around for emergencies and definitely for coaching)

Riise (6.0) 4

Finnan (3.0) 1.5

Kewell (0.0)

Benayoun (6.0) 4

Pennant (5.0) 4

Guthrie (4.0) 2

Xabi (12.0) 15

Kuyt (8.0) 5

Crouch (8.0) will only have 1 yr on his contract come the summer. based on that I'd be suprise if we get more than 6m for him.

Vornonin (2.0) 1

 

I think youre being a bit unrealistic in terms of the valuations there. Finnan is 32 in April. Bolton are talking of paying £2m for Guthrie. No one is going to pay 8m for Kuyt!

 

Riise, Benayoun, Pennant and Crouch are saleable with Xabi being the one to bring in a substantial amount of cash.

Dont fall into the trap of thinking our players are worth more then they are!

[Sion]

All I could think of to try and make the point. Bottom line is, on the left and the right we'd have world class signings.

 

By my reckoning, we'd raise about 50 million.

 

Hyypia (I'd actually like to keep him around for emergencies and definitely for coaching)

Riise (6.0)

Finnan (3.0)

Kewell (0.0)

Benayoun (6.0)

Pennant (5.0)

Guthrie (4.0)

Xabi (12.0)

Kuyt (8.0)

Crouch (8.0)

Vornonin (2.0)

 

Why would you sell Benayoun you nutter, he's been one of our better players this year.

Same goes for Pennant.

I'm all for getting class in the wing positions but back up players like the aforementioned are always useful.

[New York Red]

I think youre being a bit unrealistic in terms of the valuations there. Finnan is 32 in April. Bolton are talking of paying £2m for Guthrie. No one is going to pay 8m for Kuyt!

 

Riise, Benayoun, Pennant and Crouch are saleable with Xabi being the one to bring in a substantial amount of cash.

Dont fall into the trap of thinking our players are worth more then they are!

 

I'd never have guessed that we'd get what we would for Momo either.

[Alonso]

Get a RB, LB, RW, LW and partner for Torres and I'd like to see the squad looking somethjing like this for next season:

 

Reina

Itandje

 

RB Carragher Agger LB

Arbeloa Skrtel Hyypia/Hobbs Insua

 

RW Gerrard Mascherano LW

Benayoun Lucas Xabi Babel

 

Torres ST

Crouch Nemeth

[Chili Palmer]

Why would you sell Benayoun you nutter, he's been one of our better players this year.

Same goes for Pennant.

I'm all for getting class in the wing positions but back up players like the aforementioned are always useful.

 

Pennant has been no where near one of our better players, and considering we have been s*** for the majority of the season that says something!!

[charlie clown]

We started the season with three centre backs. When Agger was injured, we were forced to play Hobbs who quite clearly wasn't good enough.

 

Would you like to go into an important game with a young reserve thrown in and completely embarrassed by a good player?

 

Two for every position is the way forward, with a clear pecking order established.

 

Don't talk rubbish. Hobbs played perfectly well in every single game he played in considering he was coming into the side for the first time.

[Sion]

Pennant has been no where near one of our better players, and considering we have been s*** for the majority of the season that says something!!

 

Since he came back from injury I have been impressed personally. Likes to take on his man, something nobody else in the squad seemingly knows how to do.

[Chili Palmer]

Since he came back from injury I have been impressed personally. Likes to take on his man, something nobody else in the squad seemingly knows how to do.

 

you think? I actually think if he took a his man on more he would improve dramatically, too much cutting back inside and playing the easy ball...now if the lack of players in the box means he has no other option but to play the ball back, thats another debate...

[MFletcher]

Don't talk rubbish. Hobbs played perfectly well in every single game he played in considering he was coming into the side for the first time.

 

He quite clearly isn't good enough at the present time. He was rash and indecisive against Reading.

 

I would be extremely wary of playing him any prolonged period of time for us - hence my reservations about relying on a reserve player anywhere in defence unless all other avenues have been exhausted.

 

He will improve - and he needs playing time to do that. But we can't afford to let him make mistakes here, so a loan period for such players is beneficial to both the player in question and ourselves.

[Maldini]

He quite clearly isn't good enough at the present time. He was rash and indecisive against Reading.

 

I would be extremely wary of playing him any prolonged period of time for us - hence my reservations about relying on a reserve player anywhere in defence unless all other avenues have been exhausted.

 

He will improve - and he needs playing time to do that. But we can't afford to let him make mistakes here, so a loan period for such players is beneficial to both the player in question and ourselves.

 

He did nothing wrong against Reading.

[MFletcher]

He did nothing wrong against Reading.

 

For their third goal, he came flying out to try and win the ball and left a huge gap that Harper exploited to score.

[growler]

for me, any wide player should be compared to Ronaldo as the bench mark. Therefore Pennant isn't there and doesn't have the potential either.

 

Get rid.

[Sion]

for me, any wide player should be compared to Ronaldo as the bench mark. Therefore Pennant isn't there and doesn't have the potential either.

 

Get rid.

 

By that logic we need to get rid of 80% of our squad as they're nowhere near as good as the leaders in their position.