Darren Bent

[kippaxvilla2]

Can't even believe we are questioning this.  Stay obviously, and build a team around him.  It doesn't seem to have dawned on this clueless, defensive minded manager that if you have the balls to supply well balls to him he scores more often than not.  He is a goal poacher, he's what we need, he is what every team is looking for, and for this reason a number of teams want him in their side.  Ludicrous debate really in my view.

[glasses]

For me, we got the system right for the three games prior to this. We got the ball down and played. We had two good wingers, with good movement linking up with a creative presence in behind the lone striker. We looked like a team. We played as a team. Bent is not a team player. He is a great finisher, but is useless anywhere else on the pitch, bar the penalty area.

I think it comes down to a straight choice. Play Gabby in the lone striker role, or Bent. Gabby had a great game against Chelsea. He led the line brilliantly and brought players into play. However, I would have fancied Bent to put that one on one away over Gabby every day of the week.

I think it was right to play Bent today, but one of the supply lines was cut, and I feel the in-form Albrighton should have played instead of the out of position Gabby.

As for selling him, I said on the transfer thread that if we were to get £30 million for him and invested it in quality around the squad and bought a decent striker, I wouldn't be against it. So long as it was invested well.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Sorry!
In the spirit of the thread, I thought DB was awful today, but we seem to be determined to only attempt to score through him if he is playing.
We've played well and scored without him being at the centre of everything we do.
Variety AM, please.

[hawkeye]

Our problem this season as it was last season is the defence, you know that between Collins Warnock and Dunne there is going to be at least one goal conceding fuck up, today it was 2.

[villadelph]

Our problem this season as it was last season is the defence, you know that between Collins Warnock and Dunne there is going to be at least one goal conceding fuck up, today it was 2.

But when you are on defense all game, every game.. it can only be the defenses fault.

We need to coordinate an efficient offense and score some goals. A task McLeish is not apt for.

[tarzansbrother]

Our problem this season as it was last season is the defence, you know that between Collins Warnock and Dunne there is going to be at least one goal conceding fuck up, today it was 2.

Correct, add to that the 2 centre halfs have stopped scoring from set pieces aswell.

[Jimmy Smash]

But when you are on defense all game, every game.. it can only be the defenses fault.
We need to coordinate an efficient offense and score some goals. A task McLeish is not apt for.

To be honest if the defence are under pressure constantly their failure rate is going to be higher. The midfield has to stop the ball getting to the defence. This hasn't been happening all season so far.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Our problem this season as it was last season is the defence, you know that between Collins Warnock and Dunne there is going to be at least one goal conceding fuck up, today it was 2.

Sorry to disagree hawkeye, but we are consistently shit going forward and have been for some time.
No ideas, creativity, movement.
eg: the situation at one point in the 1st half today when Dunne played the ball to other players at least 5 times and they simply gave it back to him. No one ran into space, created an opening or came to get the ball off him.
Compare that to the way Swansea ran their bollocks off for each other.
Their defence looked a bit shaky but we didn't really test it.
Other teams test ours far too easily!!!!
Every game. Irrespective of the opposition.

[villadelph]

But when you are on defense all game, every game.. it can only be the defenses fault.
We need to coordinate an efficient offense and score some goals. A task McLeish is not apt for.

To be honest if the defence are under pressure constantly their failure rate is going to be higher. The midfield has to stop the ball getting to the defence. This hasn't been happening all season so far.

Oh, I totally agree with you. The defensive effort has to come from the squad as a whole, not just the players labeled 'defenders'. It doesn't matter how well our defense plays, if we don't score we wont win.. simple as. Our offense must be more potent, and that includes Darren Bent.

[TheSandman]

I can see it both ways TBH. On the whole I think we are better off keeping him but I'm not going to shoot anyone down for thinking we should get shot as I can understand why they feel it that way.

I agree that to sell Bent would be a deeply depressing move from us. The only thing that would prove more distressing than that would be to see him ambling around getting one or two touches a game and contributing little. If he keeps having such quiet games, seeing so little service he'll probably be agitating for a move by the summer just like he ended up doing at Sunderland at which time we will receive less than we paid for him.

We have a choice. Either we try to build our team around Bent and let him get the goals he can, or we sell him and give McLeish the money to get the players he wants and needs to lay out the team his way in a fashion more successfully than he has managed to do so far.

[Witton Warrior]

We wait years for a top goal scorer to come to VP and consider selling him in 12 months?
That would be madness.

BTW I don't understand the voting...

[Jimmy Smash]

Try looking at him as £20 million pounds, and then look at our current predicament. It suddenly doesnt look so straight forward.

[hawkeye]

Our problem this season as it was last season is the defence, you know that between Collins Warnock and Dunne there is going to be at least one goal conceding fuck up, today it was 2.

Sorry to disagree hawkeye, but we are consistently shit going forward and have been for some time.
No ideas, creativity, movement.
eg: the situation at one point in the 1st half today when Dunne played the ball to other players at least 5 times and they simply gave it back to him. No one ran into space, created an opening or came to get the ball off him.
Compare that to the way Swansea ran their bollocks off for each other.
Their defence looked a bit shaky but we didn't really test it.
Other teams test ours far too easily!!!!
Every game. Irrespective of the opposition.

good point mate, decent teams are based on a good defence, once we had given them a goal they could sit back, because we give goals away so easily we dont have a lot to build on.

[villadelph]

Try looking at him as £20 million pounds, and then look at our current predicament. It suddenly doesnt look so straight forward.

If we do accept a bid for him, we cannot accept taking him at a loss.

[pauliewalnuts]

Try looking at him as £20 million pounds, and then look at our current predicament. It suddenly doesnt look so straight forward.

People assume we can sell Bent and get four or five players in, without thinking that we're constantly told wages are the issue.

Four or five players might be achievable on 20m fees, but what about the wages?