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

[PaulWinch again]

I really don't understand this. We waited over ten years to get a top-class goalscorer then as soon as we signed one some of us can't wait to get rid of him.

Neither do I. Do people think we'd be spending the money on a top class replacement if we sold Bent?

We wouldn't. Lerner might be happy to see him replaced with a promising 12 year old from Carlisle, but I know I wouldn't.

This is the issue for me. We should be adding to our best players, not getting rid of them.

But Bent is only world-class with the right players around him. Lambert may have calculated that it'll cost a lot more to buy and build a team around one player than it will to buy a few cheaper options that gives us better balance as a team.

But we don't actually need him to be world class, there are plenty of points along the quality scale before you hit that level which would do for us.

Has he ever had world class players around him? As Clampy mentioned, he had mediocrity around him at Sunderland, and he had 9 in 16 for us under Houllier, despite us being largely shit.

I read somewhere last season, towards the end, that the season so far, statistically, he had fewer touches of the ball than any other outfield player in the top flight, and he still had 10 goals in 28 games for us, despite us being the least attacking side on the planet.

The best thing for us to do is surely get Bent the ball and get him scoring goals, not sell him. I'd sooner flog Gabby, personally.

Agreed there is genuinely no logical reason why Bent should not be in the side.

[fredm]

Unfortunately Benteke (and Weimann) have been away with their national teams otherwise this would have given PL an ideal opportunity in training (and perhaps a behind closed doors match) to see how Bent links in with them or not, as the case may be.

[not3bad]

Makoun being let out on loan and replaced by Westwood.  We appear to be marginalising the high earners all over the place, it probably wont affect us when it relates to Warnock and Hutton, but the likes of Given, Dunne, N'Zogbia, Ireland and in particular Bent could have a big influence on us this season if given a fair crack of the whip, unfortunately I dont think they will get that opportunity.

Makoun made it pretty clear he didn't want to come back so you can hardly say he was marginalised.  The decision to replace Given with Guzan was purely down to form amd you can hardly say Ireland hasn't been given a fair crack of the whip because he was hardly out of the side before he got injured.

[Percy McCarthy]

Yes he will always score, but its not about Bent scoring its about Aston Villa winning games.

Surely one will make the other?

I dunno. Check out the results when it's happened.

[Percy McCarthy]

I really don't understand this. We waited over ten years to get a top-class goalscorer then as soon as we signed one some of us can't wait to get rid of him.

Neither do I. Do people think we'd be spending the money on a top class replacement if we sold Bent?

We wouldn't. Lerner might be happy to see him replaced with a promising 12 year old from Carlisle, but I know I wouldn't.

This is the issue for me. We should be adding to our best players, not getting rid of them.

But Bent is only world-class with the right players around him. Lambert may have calculated that it'll cost a lot more to buy and build a team around one player than it will to buy a few cheaper options that gives us better balance as a team.

But we don't actually need him to be world class, there are plenty of points along the quality scale before you hit that level which would do for us.

Has he ever had world class players around him? As Clampy mentioned, he had mediocrity around him at Sunderland, and he had 9 in 16 for us under Houllier, despite us being largely shit.

I read somewhere last season, towards the end, that the season so far, statistically, he had fewer touches of the ball than any other outfield player in the top flight, and he still had 10 goals in 28 games for us, despite us being the least attacking side on the planet.

The best thing for us to do is surely get Bent the ball and get him scoring goals, not sell him. I'd sooner flog Gabby, personally.

Agreed there is genuinely no logical reason why Bent should not be in the side.

It's not a difficult concept. With Bent in the team, we usually look disjointed, have very little possession in the final third, and create hardly any chances. Therefore he scores the odd goal in low-scoring (for us) games. The other team has more chance of scoring more because they usually have the lion's share of possession.

Being a better team without him seems pretty logical to me.

[Concrete John]

It shouldn't be an 'either or' senario though.  The manager needs to find a balance to the side that allows us to play our most dangerous player and still achieve decent levels possession in the final third.

[Clampy]

I understand what Percy is saying, but are we going to wait until we're behind in a game until we throw him on? I can see why Lambert prefers playing Benteke and Gabby, especially away from home, but we need to start picking up points and that means putting our chances away.

I'd start with Benteke and Bent this saturday personally. They seemed to gel quite well at times in the Swansea game.

[JUAN PABLO]

Its important we pick up some points now . So If I was PL , I would forget about playing Gabby and Benteke together at the moment. Bent has to start . Ngzobia, Albrighton and Gabby are more of a problem than Bent.

[Rigadon]

I can't say I've seen many saying they want rid of Bent, certainly in January.  It seems more that they wouldn't be devastated if he left at some point.  I haven't taken to him in any big way despite his goals record, I can't really explain why.  Maybe it's his effect on the team as Percy states above, or the way he left Sunderland perhaps? 

Anyway, selling him in January, especially if we're still struggling points wise aint gonna happen and if it did would be a massive, reckless gamble.

[pedro25]

I'd like to see Gabby and Bent up top and N'Zogbia in behind, with a midfield 3 of Holman, KEA and probably Bannan or Ireland when he returns.

[Percy McCarthy]

Its important we pick up some points now . So If I was PL , I would forget about playing Gabby and Benteke together at the moment. Bent has to start . Ngzobia, Albrighton and Gabby are more of a problem than Bent.

Yeah, they were shit at Man City. When was the last time we scored four with Bent in the team?

[PeterWithesShin]

Its important we pick up some points now . So If I was PL , I would forget about playing Gabby and Benteke together at the moment. Bent has to start . Ngzobia, Albrighton and Gabby are more of a problem than Bent.

Yeah, they were shit at Man City. When was the last time we scored four with Bent in the team?

How many games has Bent played for us that lasted 120 minutes?

[Percy McCarthy]

Its important we pick up some points now . So If I was PL , I would forget about playing Gabby and Benteke together at the moment. Bent has to start . Ngzobia, Albrighton and Gabby are more of a problem than Bent.

Yeah, they were shit at Man City. When was the last time we scored four with Bent in the team?

How many games has Bent played for us that lasted 120 minutes?

It's probably a similar answer for both questions. Never and none. Only guessing mind.

[PeterWithesShin]

Depressingly we never scored 4 in a game last season. Although he played in every game we scored 3 in. Even more depressingly only once last season did we score twice when he didn't play, which I work out as 16 games.

And having looked further we only scored 4 once the previous season. Bent played.

[1874]

Although he played in every game we scored 3 in.

How many times did we score 3 last season? Off the top of my head I can think of Blackburn, Chelsea and Wolves. Must be some sort of record low whatever it was.