Sell Bent?

[Monty]

It is useful, but if your entire strategy is about counter-attacking (under TSM, counter-attacking at best) setting up a goalscorer, it's obviously going to fall down if that goalscorer isn't playing. I would suggest that we need to decrease Bent's share of the goals and, indeed, decrease our reliance on him, particularly if he's missed a season's worth of games in a year and a half.

[PeterWithesShin]

Well obviously he hasn't missed that many as he didn't join until Jan 2011. The 2011 stats are the 22 games we played before he signed and the 16 games after he signed (he played in all of them).

[Monty]

I see, fair enough on that front. Still, injuries must be a concern if you set your entire team and squad around one man. Again, I stress that I'm not saying Bent can't play in this new style, just that he'll have to adapt like everyone else - and on Saturday, by the way, I don't think he did particularly. Work to do all around.

[PeterWithesShin]

I agree, he was shit on Saturday.

One other (possibly interesting) stat from the last 2 years. With Bent in the side we scored 51 league goals with Bent scoring 18. Meaning the rest of the side (or OG) scored 33 in those 38 games. In the 38 games he didn't play they scored 34. So the rest of the side scores the same whether he plays or not.

[Monty]

Which doesn't particularly suggest anything either, as if our side is set up for him in particular you could say they were equally inadequately set up to score with or without him! In many ways the particular player is irrelevant: it's the style and set-up he can encourage if managers get too obsessed with him scoring rather than the team.

[Steve R]

Get Keane back. A proper footballer who wants to win. No attitude, just go out and win!
Old?? he has years on him yet. Peter Broadbent was 35 when he came to the Villa. Andy Lochead similar. Old duffers who made Villa what it is. Great! Ron Wylie. Derek Dougan, all forgotten now..so s*d off. Keane back NOW!
...

Excellent rant, but Andy Lochhead was just short of 29 when he joined us. Interestingly enough that's virtually the same age as Peter Withe when he signed.

Lochhead had scored more top flight goals at a better goals/game ratio too.

Ron Wylie was 25 when he signed, Dougan 23.

Andy Lochhead's wiki entry ends with the line "Lochhead now looks after the sponsors on match days for Burnley as well as being a member of the Dave Clark Five fan club."

[ciggiesnbeer]

I would rather not sell our star players, but bring in more stars along side them.

[Holte L2]

Sell our 20 goal a season striker. No chance. We need to concentrate on how to supply him. End of chat.

It's a discussion, not a chat. There should be no 'end' to this. FACT! (sic)

Apologies Legion. Was slightly wound up after a bad day at work.

I just don't understand why we're discussing selling our £18m pound striker.  He has a proven track record of scoring, given the service. Ok, him movement out of the box isnt fantastic, but if we give him the sevice he will score.

This takes me back to summer '98 with the "Should We Sell Yorke" Debate. We should be lucky we've got a goalscorer, and should be concentrating on how to make it easy for him to do his job.

[Risso]

Sell our 20 goal a season striker. No chance. We need to concentrate on how to supply him. End of chat.

It's a discussion, not a chat. There should be no 'end' to this. FACT! (sic)

Apologies Legion. Was slightly wound up after a bad day at work.

I just don't understand why we're discussing selling our £18m pound striker.  He has a proven track record of scoring, given the service.

Because there are other strikers out there who might possibly be just as good at scoring, but who have a better all round game?

[PaulTheVillan]

There are probably out there.

But I don't think we have one.

[Monty]

Sell our 20 goal a season striker. No chance. We need to concentrate on how to supply him. End of chat.

It's a discussion, not a chat. There should be no 'end' to this. FACT! (sic)

Apologies Legion. Was slightly wound up after a bad day at work.

I just don't understand why we're discussing selling our £18m pound striker.  He has a proven track record of scoring, given the service.

Because there are other strikers out there who might possibly be just as good at scoring, but who have a better all round game?

Or even less good at scoring, but whose better all-round game is better for the team. So, Bent may score 20 but set up none, but if we sign someone who scores 15 and sets up 5 he's equalled that already, and that's not to include the knock-on benefits of having a player better at build-up in the attack.

Not that I'd sell Bent yet, but I do understand the argument.

[Ad@m]

There's a reason Bent hasn't ended up at one of the really big boys, despite his very good goalscoring record, and it's likely to be that, for the want of a better phrase, he's a one trick pony.

However, with the squad we've got, it's an invaluable trick to have and we'll do much better with an appropriately supported Bent than we would with a couple of players instead of him.

[Rick_avfc]

There's a reason Bent hasn't ended up at one of the really big boys, despite his very good goalscoring record, and it's likely to be that, for the want of a better phrase, he's a one trick pony.

However, with the squad we've got, it's an invaluable trick to have and we'll do much better with an appropriately supported Bent than we would with a couple of players instead of him.

Wasn't Ruud Van Nistlerooy a one trick pony? But didnt Utd play to his strengths and look what happened there - goal after goal after goal.  Im not directly comparing Bent and RVN in terms of the quality of the player or scoring record but they are/were similar in their style of play no?  Goal poachers?  dangerous in the box?  Need service to get goals?  I'm pretty sure Ruud didnt create THAT many on his own ( i could be wrong as i have a shite memory but im sure alot of his goals came from the help of his team mates).

Like I said, I could be wrong and a number of you could probably put me in my place but what im trying to get at is that Bent requires the service and he will find the net.  People saying we should sell him and replace with  someone else are not looking at the fact that really, our midfielders are to blame for not penertrating the opposition defence enough to make it count. 

[Monty]

It's not so much about creating goals for yourself as it is about what you contribute aside from movement and finishing. Van Nistelrooy contributed more than Bent tends to, and even he was sold because Ferguson (you know, that guy who wins everything) said "apart from scoring goals, he doesn't do much".

[Rick_avfc]

It's not so much about creating goals for yourself as it is about what you contribute aside from movement and finishing. Van Nistelrooy contributed more than Bent tends to, and even he was sold because Ferguson (you know, that guy who wins everything) said "apart from scoring goals, he doesn't do much".

Yes but in that time he was scoring goals, they were winning trophies.  Fergie got rid of him as he was a disruption in the dressing room.
I can remember one occasion where Ruud made a goal for himself as in he picked up the ball near the half way line and then went on an amazing run and scored.  It was at OT but cant remember who it was against but generally his goals came from the services of his team mates.