Delph

[PeterWithesShin]

Wenger paid £12m for Lucozade-Chamberlain. If you want a player and have the money then you pay it. As we did with Benteke.

[N'Zimidy]

Another great game from him. Up there with the West Brom game. He's becoming quite the player and reminded me a lot of Stan today. Intercepted the ball a lot and was very smart with the ball. He has a bit more movement to his game than Petrov and if he refines his game just a touch more he will be an excellent player.

[Greg N'Ash]

He's the same age as the likes of clark, bannon, albrighton and co but they didn't cost 7m

So despite him currently being better than any of them it's because he cost £6million that you don't rate him?

I think he's playing better but yes as i said in my original post for 7m i'd want someome special not a promising youngster

He cost £6m rising to £8m, not £7million. When you take a punt on a quality youngster you pay a premium more often than not. How quickly, or even how far, they develop is always a gamble. Obviously doing his cruciates set him back a long way.

6.8m i seem to remember, but 6m or 8m it was still a transfer fee that hinted at more than we've got even when he plays well We could have got nearly a benteke for that. Or most of Lambchop's signings combined :0)

[not3bad]

What Delph needs to add is a goal or two.

[PeterWithesShin]

He cost £6m rising to £8m, not £7million. When you take a punt on a quality youngster you pay a premium more often than not. How quickly, or even how far, they develop is always a gamble. Obviously doing his cruciates set him back a long way.

6.8m i seem to remember, but 6m or 8m it was still a transfer fee that hinted at more than we've got even when he plays well We could have got nearly a benteke for that. Or most of Lambchop's signings combined :0)

Or a Steve Stone or a Steven Warnock.

[mr-villa]

He's the same age as the likes of clark, bannon, albrighton and co but they didn't cost 7m

So despite him currently being better than any of them it's because he cost £6million that you don't rate him?

I think he's playing better but yes as i said in my original post for 7m i'd want someome special not a promising youngster

Why do you insist on quoting the wrong figure for the transfer fee, does it give you a little thrill and make you feel better?

[Greg N'Ash]

He's the same age as the likes of clark, bannon, albrighton and co but they didn't cost 7m

So despite him currently being better than any of them it's because he cost £6million that you don't rate him?

I think he's playing better but yes as i said in my original post for 7m i'd want someome special not a promising youngster

Why do you insist on quoting the wrong figure for the transfer fee, does it give you a little thrill and make you feel better?

ok 6.8m. Point still stands

[OCD]

What Delph needs to add is a goal or two.

That could be said of quite a few players. I dread to think when the last time one of our midfielders scored for us before N'Zogbia' freekick today.

[sonlyme]

Delph racked up some very impressive stats today. 91% passing accuracy from 47 attempts. Backed up with the most tackles (5) and interceptions (6).

Jockey - don't get all factual me old china - they'll be blaming you for the headaches if you keep this scientific stuff up - a hater is a hater in the face of evidence or indeed the lack of evidence.  'Stats is a load of shit' is a statement I once encountered during such a discussion.  It's opinion that counts every time - and the more vehement the better.  Unless of course you get diagnosed with something nasty.  Then science is brilliant and the facts and figures (especially regarding survival rates) seem to matter a great deal more.

The fee we paid can't be held against the lad - he was after all signed by the guru of talent spotters, that model of value, prudence and commitment, Mr Martin O'Neill.  Lambert would have paid £2million and still got him.

Delph was good today - if someone can't see that - they weren't at the game.  Ooops.

[peter w]

he's been doing better recently. however, I thought he was poor yesterday overll because of his very poor first touch, or how he overran the ball often and had to lunge in. Although the positives outweighed the negatives, and his touch usually was more good than bad, he and we were lucky that West ham didn't make more fof his errors. But, at least he's starting to look a player. If he an N/Zog carry on like this then relegation will have to be won ratehr than just accepted. I hope we're at shit at that as we have been at trying to avoid it recently.

[Mortimer's Bear]

I thought he had one of his better games yesterday, he was always looking to get on the ball and he drove forward whenever he could. On the downside his tackling leaves a bit to be desired and someone needs to tell him he has a right foot!

Like most of our midfielders you get the impression there's a good player in there somewhere, he just needs to add consistency to his game.

[Risso]

Lambert would have paid £2million and still got him.

Doubtful as Redknapp and Spurs were sniffing round him as well.  He may have got him, but it wouldn't have been for £2m.

[paul_e]

It's not really fair to complain that's he's not been worth his fee, he was worth 6m at the time because that's what we had to pay to get him.  He then had 2 seasons where he was barely available and last year he kept picking up niggly injuries and couldn't get a run of games.

I've long thought that, given a run of games, he could be a very good box-to-box midfielder.  A lot of the diving in to tackles he's been accused of has been a fitness issue for me, now that he looks fully fit he's not having to throw himself in anymore and he looks better for it.

I'll admit to writing him off a little earlier this season when him and KEA were in there together, but with Westwood anchoring things in there he looks a much better player.

We have the makings of a good midfield (Westwood, Delph, Banan, Gardner and KEA are all potentially very good, Sylla I haven't seen enough to know just yet), but there's no experience there for them to mentally fall back on if things don't go to plan.  When (I'm convinced we're going to be ok) they stay up this year it will help them all.  They'll have been down as low as you can get as a premier league footballer and shown they have the will and talent to get things back on track.

I'd guess this response is what Lambert was banking on when he didn't get an experienced midfielder or defender in.  It was a big show of confidence in the likes of Clark, Baker, Delph and Westwood to do what he did and he's put his reputation (and the clubs status) on the line to give them this shot.  I actually think that faith in them is partly the reason we've improved in recent games.

[LeeB]

It's not really fair to complain that's he's not been worth his fee, he was worth 6m at the time because that's what we had to pay to get him.  He then had 2 seasons where he was barely available and last year he kept picking up niggly injuries and couldn't get a run of games.

I've long thought that, given a run of games, he could be a very good box-to-box midfielder.  A lot of the diving in to tackles he's been accused of has been a fitness issue for me, now that he looks fully fit he's not having to throw himself in anymore and he looks better for it.

I'll admit to writing him off a little earlier this season when him and KEA were in there together, but with Westwood anchoring things in there he looks a much better player.

We have the makings of a good midfield (Westwood, Delph, Banan, Gardner and KEA are all potentially very good, Sylla I haven't seen enough to know just yet), but there's no experience there for them to mentally fall back on if things don't go to plan.  When (I'm convinced we're going to be ok) they stay up this year it will help them all.  They'll have been down as low as you can get as a premier league footballer and shown they have the will and talent to get things back on track.

I'd guess this response is what Lambert was banking on when he didn't get an experienced midfielder or defender in.  It was a big show of confidence in the likes of Clark, Baker, Delph and Westwood to do what he did and he's put his reputation (and the clubs status) on the line to give them this shot.  I actually think that faith in them is partly the reason we've improved in recent games.

I agree with that, especially that last line.

[N'ZMAV]

Delph has matured lately. Maybe he's been given more responsibility?