Darren Bent

[PaulWinch again]

It's clear to me that we need a creative spark and we should also be utilising Bent. We simply have to start scoring a lot more goals.

[Monty]

It's clear to me that we need a creative spark and we should also be utilising Bent. We simply have to start scoring a lot more goals.

But when playing against massed defences Bent actually makes it harder for creative players, not easier.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm not sure we played against that many massed defences though. There's very few teams(Stoke excepted) who will shut up shop against Villa and we need to use that to our advantage.

[PeterWithesShin]

The 6 games Bent started this season we took 4 points, 0.66 points per game. The 10 games he didn't start we've taken 11 points, 1.1 points per game.

Doesn't really prove anything but possibly QI for some folks.

still terrible either way

and going to be worse after the next 3 games

Indeed, but extrapolated over a 38 game season one leads to relegation the other survival.

If only predictions were actually this simple.

[JUAN PABLO]

Haha, what about that midfielder Mozart who plays in Austria? Anyway yeah, imagine if we'd signed him. Mind you, this was when MON was about, and signing a player like Falcao is among the most unlikely things I could imagine him doing.

true he got offered that french striker for 4 million and hesitated and then when he wanted him , he had gone up to 10 million.  Mind, he ended up crap I think  , but couldnt be worse than Heskey. Forgot his name , gignac or something .

Proberly thought he was a bottle of spirit

[Monty]

I'm not sure we played against that many massed defences though. There's very few teams(Stoke excepted) who will shut up shop against Villa and we need to use that to our advantage.

Stoke do make everyone else look like they're playing 1-0-9, true. I think a better piece of terminology would be defences in position - not everyone crowds 11 in their own box, but everyone plays the game by putting all their players in their half when defending, having solid layers of midfield and defence and attempting to break, and if the break doesn't work they have to attack more slowly as the opposition get all their men in position. Bent can only do one of these types of attacks, and we need to attack in more than one way.

Haha, what about that midfielder Mozart who plays in Austria? Anyway yeah, imagine if we'd signed him. Mind you, this was when MON was about, and signing a player like Falcao is among the most unlikely things I could imagine him doing.

true he got offered that french striker for 4 million and hesitated and then when he wanted him , he had gone up to 10 million.  Mind, he ended up crap I think  , but couldnt be worse than Heskey. Forgot his name , gignac or something .

Proberly thought he was a bottle of spirit

Haha, I have a friend who lives in Marseille, and says that Gignac is well known as one of the worst, most flashy, vulgar, dislikable people in France.

[JUAN PABLO]

The 6 games Bent started this season we took 4 points, 0.66 points per game. The 10 games he didn't start we've taken 11 points, 1.1 points per game.

Doesn't really prove anything but possibly QI for some folks.

still terrible either way

and going to be worse after the next 3 games

Indeed, but extrapolated over a 38 game season one leads to relegation the other survival.

If only predictions were actually this simple.

true . we will be lucky there is some worse teams than us , as both statistics are relegation form.

[JUAN PABLO]

I'm not sure we played against that many massed defences though. There's very few teams(Stoke excepted) who will shut up shop against Villa and we need to use that to our advantage.

Stoke do make everyone else look like they're playing 1-0-9, true. I think a better piece of terminology would be defences in position - not everyone crowds 11 in their own box, but everyone plays the game by putting all their players in their half when defending, having solid layers of midfield and defence and attempting to break, and if the break doesn't work they have to attack more slowly as the opposition get all their men in position. Bent can only do one of these types of attacks, and we need to attack in more than one way.

Haha, what about that midfielder Mozart who plays in Austria? Anyway yeah, imagine if we'd signed him. Mind you, this was when MON was about, and signing a player like Falcao is among the most unlikely things I could imagine him doing.

true he got offered that french striker for 4 million and hesitated and then when he wanted him , he had gone up to 10 million.  Mind, he ended up crap I think  , but couldnt be worse than Heskey. Forgot his name , gignac or something .

Proberly thought he was a bottle of spirit

Haha, I have a friend who lives in Marseille, and says that Gignac is well known as one of the worst, most flashy, vulgar, dislikable people in France.

It just shows that MON nearly brought him for 10 million when a few months before he could have had him for 4 .

I think Luke Young was similar . Like double the money?

[timeoutbigbar]

I thought Luke Young was a decent enough buy for the money.  He wasn't spectacular i'll admit, but I reckon he could do a reasonable job at LB even now.

[PaulWinch again]

I think the point was he moved for about £3 million the previous summer and we could have bought him then.

[pauliewalnuts]

Anyone remember MON's reaction when there was talking about Radamel Falcao coming here - his agent having tried to get the deal to happen, as he had done with JPA?

[Monty]

Anyone remember MON's reaction when there was talking about Radamel Falcao coming here - his agent having tried to get the deal to happen, as he had done with JPA?

MON said at the time: "It’s news to me. I think we’d be looking a little closer to home."

Says it all really.

[Drummond]

Darren Bent does well in low-scoring, poor teams that are in relegation battles. He wasn't particularly successful at Tottenham, in my opinion for that very reason.

If you build a team to furnish him with chances he'll score goals but to the detriment of the rest of the team's ability to do the same. His goal scoring rati at Spurs was worse than anywhere, his record at Villa is next best and then come the rest, all poor teams fighting relegation.

[timeoutbigbar]

Anyone remember MON's reaction when there was talking about Radamel Falcao coming here - his agent having tried to get the deal to happen, as he had done with JPA?

I realise the point that was being made, I just don't think the error was particularly catastrophic.  He was worth the 6m we paid for him and he didn't let us down.  He may have had the option to come to us when the price was 3m and turned it down, who knows?  It's difficult to know what goes on behind the scenes.

[ez]

Haha, what about that midfielder Mozart who plays in Austria? Anyway yeah, imagine if we'd signed him. Mind you, this was when MON was about, and signing a player like Falcao is among the most unlikely things I could imagine him doing.

Could do with someone making overtures down the wing