Summer Transfer Thread: Speculation, Lies, Absolute Cr*p and Bosman Rumours

[Monty]

Re Petrov in affect he has been moved on he will never play again and we are insured so his wages are covered . Just hope the bloke makes a full recovery in time

That's very sad. I hope, if in time he does make that recovery, we can put on a testimonial in which he's able to make a proper farewell.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Let's face the facts - Darrent Bent is a prolific goal scorer. He can quite easily net 20 a season as he has proven in the past, thanks to his intelligent poaching ability.

The fact he hasn't done that in the last 18 months is not a surpise - our two wingers (Downing and Young) left and, whether you like it or not, they provided DB with the service he needed. In 11/12 we did not have the same service which is why DB didn't score (mind you, the injury didn't help either).

I think Young and Downing were involved in a few of Bent's goals. Both wasted plenty of opportunities to serve him though. The poor bloke really has been starved of service but if Lambert can focus our play on providing Bent opportunities from all different angles, not just the wing, he really could be score over 20 goals this coming season. We need to drop this MON reliance of everything going down the wing. A smart pass with Bent on the defender's shoulder seems to be a prefered option and something all our midfield should be looking for, hopefully starting on Saturday.

[Monty]

Totally agreed Rudy. Bent's best attribute is not actually his finishing, it's his movement, which often gets him into positions where his chances are virtually unmissable (his finishing is above average, Premier League standard, but not world class - his movement is world class). Focusing everything down the wings utilises only one or two parts of his movement game. If we played more possession-based, through-the-middle football we could get more out of him and therefore more chances - not just for him, but for those in the space his movement has created.

[Ian.]

Yes I agree too. The MON years should have taught us one thing and that is you need more than Plan A which is give it a winger, cross it in and hope it goes in. We need to start to create goals from all areas. If we do Bent will score and so might others and we do need more players chipping in too.

[garyshawsknee]

If Ireland can ever get back to near his best,he could be the perfect fit for Bent,threading passes through the middle,maybe Holman can do something similar.

Bents movement is underated i think,the reason he gets so many chances is down to this. I really hope he gets of to a scoring start on Saturday,and break our 20 a goal season voodoo.

[ozzjim]

Petrov would of been moved on this season.People have short memories.

Not too sure, to be honest. I thought he was having his best season for us until his illness.

I was a big critic of his ability to last, but not his importance to the side, he is a very good player and was excellent last season.

[ciggiesnbeer]

If Ireland can ever get back to near his best,he could be the perfect fit for Bent,threading passes through the middle,maybe Holman can do something similar.

Bents movement is underated i think,the reason he gets so many chances is down to this. I really hope he gets of to a scoring start on Saturday,and break our 20 a goal season voodoo.

Agree about this. Ireland has had some of his best moments ever as a Villa player in pre season. Some of his one touch passing and blistering runs have been a joy to watch. if he can do that in the season proper then we will have a genuine star on our hands.

[ozzjim]

Makoun to Rennes is being talked of as if done in the Mirror. Maybe we could get the young winger/ attacking mid as a swap.

[Irish villain]

Petrov would of been moved on this season.People have short memories.

Not too sure, to be honest. I thought he was having his best season for us until his illness.

He was scoring screamers, setting up chances, getting into dangerous positions and just generally acting as a calming influence. Had he been fully healthy all season I am quite sure we would have had a few extra points on the board come the end of the season.

[LeeB]

I love Darren Bent and I'm backing him to deliver this season

Absolutely. The bloke has got a record of 1 in 2 across 38 games for us.

We haven't had a forward like him in 20 years.

I like to share the man love here.

Darren Bent is king, and had scored loads playing under insipid tosspots for years.

He'll have his best seasons under Lambert, no doubt.

[Ian.]

Petrov would of been moved on this season.People have short memories.

Not too sure, to be honest. I thought he was having his best season for us until his illness.

He was scoring screamers, setting up chances, getting into dangerous positions and just generally acting as a calming influence. Had he been fully healthy all season I am quite sure we would have had a few extra points on the board come the end of the season.

Petrov was one of our only players on form when he was playing last season.

[VinnieChase84]

On the Boro fan site one of their ITK's is saying that Joe Bennett (lb) is coming to us. fee somewhere between 2-4m.
Never really seen him myself but heard he's a promising young left back so it certain fits PL mould of player

[mazrimsbruv]

His true worth would be about £12-14m for me. His nationality and club stature of Sunderland compared to us contributed to the rest of the fee, IMO.

One of the daftest posts I've seen on here in a while.

What in God's name is a players 'true worth'? The only figure that counts is his current market value.

As has been widely reported, even on SSN, Bent's scoring record is on a par with Rooney & Drogba.

We payed the going rate which was £18M rising to 24. As I remember it, he signed a four-and-a-half year deal which means he's got 3 years left on his contract.
 
He has since established himself in the England squad so I would estimate his current market value as between 20 and 25 million.

[JUAN PABLO]

I just know Im so bloody happy we have Darren Bent

[JJ-AV]

No need to say it like that, it's all about opinions. He's good at what he does, I rate him, I'm happy he's here, I just don't think he's as high quality a player as some make out (i.e. the class of Laursen, Mellberg, Milner and Young who we've had over the past few years).

Like you say, in the current market 'worth' is relative, but we were desperate, Sunderland were doing way better than us and it was mid-season. It was an astronomical fee at the time (not knocking Randy at all, I'd rather overpay for someone with guaranteed quality than some of the shite we have done). I just think we pin our hopes on him a little too much, Laursen, Milner and Young have been worth points on their own, we've won games we probably didn't have the better of through their consistency and moments of brilliance. Bent without service is like playing with 10 men at times.

He's scored a few corkers he had no right to get in, but he's missed a lot of chances, especially last season. I think it was Monty who said he's nothing special as a finisher (something I agree with). But yeh, maybe it's something he'll sort out when chances come more regularly.

Sunderland fans did warn of his erratic finishing though, and I'm sure Bruce criticised the way he operates (when he tried to get him wide ride a few times). As well as Capello saying he needed to leave Sunderland to improve his game.