Transfer Speculation / Gossip

[peter w]

Number 4 used to be a midfield position too. 8 the inside forward. Think the others are quite obvious.

[LeeB]

Number 4 used to be a midfield position too. 8 the inside forward. Think the others are quite obvious.

4 was the deeper midfielder, 7 out on the right, 11 on the left. In my mind anyway.

[Steve67]

Number 4 used to be a midfield position too. 8 the inside forward. Think the others are quite obvious.

4 was the deeper midfielder, 7 out on the right, 11 on the left. In my mind anyway.

Yup, 10 got forward, 6 (or 4) stayed back and won the ball. The good old days!

[Dave]

so even the great Van Gaal is using the term "number 10". I know Lambert got slated by some last year for using it.

Did he? It's pretty common as a concept no?

No, he didn't. He got slated for the rather embarrassing "specialist attacking midfielder - I call them 'number tens'" comment. Not using the term 'number ten', but for the implication that he was passing on some sort of inner-circle, mystic idea that the rank and file might not have heard of before.

If he'd missed out the words "I call them" then there was nothing even slightly noteworthy (apart from the fact that he'd realised we need one). He didn't, and therefore looked a bit cringey.

[peter w]

Or maybe he was just saying that he calls them number 10s? No deeper, sinister, cynical, mystical notion other than he just refers them to as number 10s. You don't hear the term about much nowadays in the media and maybe younger fans don't know what he is referring to. the same as you don't really hear managers say that they're after a number 9 very often but refer to the name of the position.

He didn't appear cringey to me at all. But there again each to their own.

[RussellC]

I'm with Dave. It was the "as I like to call them" aspect that lead to him being ridiculed.

[Chris Smith]

I'm with Dave. It was the "as I like to call them" aspect that lead to him being ridiculed.

So basically for using a figure of speech people decided it was worthy of ridicule? It's the type of cliche people drop into conversation all the time and in the artificial environment of a press conference they are ten a penny.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'm with Dave. It was the "as I like to call them" aspect that lead to him being ridiculed.

Innit.

It was a bit like saying "Yeah, that massive network of computers, or the internet as I like to call it".

I don't really think it's worth giving him too much of a hard time over, but I do think that anyone who thought it was the fact he used the term "number 10" (which is a universally understood term) that some people raised an eyebrow at, rather than the "I call them ...." bit that came before it is getting the 'joke' arse about tit.

[Chris Smith]

I'm with Dave. It was the "as I like to call them" aspect that lead to him being ridiculed.

Innit.

It was a bit like saying "Yeah, that massive network of computers, or the internet as I like to call it".

I don't really think it's worth giving him too much of a hard time over, but I do think that anyone who thought it was the fact he used the term "number 10" (which is a universally understood term) that some people raised an eyebrow at, rather than the "I call them ...." bit that came before it is getting the 'joke' arse about tit.

I don't think it is 'universally understood', to my dad it would be an inside left to my mom it would be a bus.

[Toronto Villa]

I'm with Dave. It was the "as I like to call them" aspect that lead to him being ridiculed.

So basically for using a figure of speech people decided it was worthy of ridicule? It's the type of cliche people drop into conversation all the time and in the artificial environment of a press conference they are ten a penny.

I agree. Instead of just acknowledging the fact that he also realized we needed someone in that position he was ridiculed for a couple of extra words in the sentence. In the grand scheme it didn't matter at all. In fact, had we been doing well, and the manager was enjoying popularity with the fans nobody would have noticed or deemed it cringeworthy.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'm with Dave. It was the "as I like to call them" aspect that lead to him being ridiculed.

Innit.

It was a bit like saying "Yeah, that massive network of computers, or the internet as I like to call it".

I don't really think it's worth giving him too much of a hard time over, but I do think that anyone who thought it was the fact he used the term "number 10" (which is a universally understood term) that some people raised an eyebrow at, rather than the "I call them ...." bit that came before it is getting the 'joke' arse about tit.

I don't think it is 'universally understood', to my dad it would be an inside left to my mom it would be a bus.

Well, anyone not really interested in football wouldn't have been paying much attention in the first place, but you know what I mean.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'm with Dave. It was the "as I like to call them" aspect that lead to him being ridiculed.

So basically for using a figure of speech people decided it was worthy of ridicule? It's the type of cliche people drop into conversation all the time and in the artificial environment of a press conference they are ten a penny.

I agree. Instead of just acknowledging the fact that he also realized we needed someone in that position he was ridiculed for a couple of extra words in the sentence. In the grand scheme it didn't matter at all. In fact, had we been doing well, and the manager was enjoying popularity with the fans nobody would have noticed or deemed it cringeworthy.

You make it sound as if the forum was in tumult over it.

As I remember it, Monty mentioned it being cringey, a few people nodded their heads and we all went on with our lives.

Whilst I think things like people banging on about Ian Taylor not being on the tour is making a mountain out of a mole hill, I think suggesting Lambert got some sort of avalanche of piss take over this is doing exactly the same thing.

You're right, if we'd been doing well people wouldn't have mentioned it. We weren't, though.

[tomd2103]

Dawson might have looked ropey a few times last season, but then so did Vlaar.  And I say that as someone who rated him even after his first season.  Vlaar isn't perhaps in the very top bracket of centre halves we've had over the years, but we miss him whenever he doesn't play. You just have to look at our record with compared to without him.

That said, Dawson has been one of the top centre halves in the country dating back the past 5/6 years.  Vlaar is probably the better footballer, but Dawson is better in the air.  There isn't much between them, even if it was a straight swap.  If it's Dawson and Holtby (and somehow cash on top of that) we'd be mad not to look at it. 

The concern that this might just be shite from Levy to get the player unsettled and then the real offer (if it comes in at all) is way down on that type of valuation.   

I'd happily dismiss this all this as the latest creative works of Alan Nixon, but other newspapers seem to be running with it too.

Probably has quite a bit to do with who came in for him when he was injured as well.  The defensive trio of Herd-Clark-Baker that conceded 15 goals in the space of three games in Lambert's first season still gives me shudders.  All three still at the club as well.   

[tomd2103]

Vlaar is ten times the player Dawson is and Holtby was pretty unspectacular for Fulham last season. If they were to sweeten the deal with £15m I'll think about it.

Didn't see too many of their games, but I thought he was the standout player on the pitch when they beat us at home towards the end of last season. 

[tomd2103]

I'm with Dave. It was the "as I like to call them" aspect that lead to him being ridiculed.

So basically for using a figure of speech people decided it was worthy of ridicule? It's the type of cliche people drop into conversation all the time and in the artificial environment of a press conference they are ten a penny.

I agree. Instead of just acknowledging the fact that he also realized we needed someone in that position he was ridiculed for a couple of extra words in the sentence. In the grand scheme it didn't matter at all. In fact, had we been doing well, and the manager was enjoying popularity with the fans nobody would have noticed or deemed it cringeworthy.

In the grand scheme of things, it still doesn't matter, does it?