Transfer Speculation / Gossip

[boboonthecorner]

I would let Gabby go on a free now if it makes saving 12 months of £55k a week wages.
As for replacing him, I am sure we could find a player who does it 3 games a season down my local goals.

Utter load of bollocks, clearly a wind up.

[Villafirst]

Gabby hasn't had much service from a poor midfield in the last few seasons - perhaps Cole will be a creative spark and provide more opportunities for the forwards?

[bobdylan]

With better midfield service I'd back all 4 of our other strikers to score more than Gabby, his positioning is woeful and his finishing poor.

[Tuscans]

Hearing from various voices on the net that the Atsu loan deal between Chelsea and Everton has broken down due to a fear of lack of playing time.

We could offer him games surely.

[edgysatsuma89]

Imo these important goals only stand out because they are now only one of very few goals he scores. Nowhere near good enough. I have no alternative mind.

[Namlod]

Christ!....a couple of weeks to go before we start the new season and there are so many people moaning about how shite our players are? And to think our fans were called Fickle……

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

I'd rather have Agbonlahor in the team than out of it. Even a below par Gabby is better than the other options in the squad, and would you really trust Lambert to spend the transfer fee received wisely?

Aside from that, what would a few million get you in todays market anyway?

Sod all.
Agbonlahor chips in with very important goals as well, and boy will we need them next season.

Seconded. The last-minute winner at Norwich two years ago was vital.

He also scored a vital one down at West Ham under Houiller i think it was. Unfortunately, he dose'nt' do it enough nowadays which is a shame.

If he was a better striker, who scored more consistently throughout the season, then perhaps he wouldn't have to score 'vital' goals, as we'd be comfortably mid-table.

[paul_e]

Gabby hasn't had much service from a poor midfield in the last few seasons - perhaps Cole will be a creative spark and provide more opportunities for the forwards?

The counter argument to this is that, in the position he's played for the last 2 years, Gabby should be one of the players who's providing opportunities, either by beating his man out wide and getting good service into the box or by running intelligent lines and dragging defenders out of position.  He did both of those well for a spell at the end of L12/13 and for a couple of games last season, but since then he's stopped making the runs and he's rarely looked like he has the beating of the fullback.  With Weimann coming too deep on the other side and therefore not occupying defenders either and attack that worked well together by making space for each other just broke down, losing Benteke (the first time) was the key but more application form Gabby to step up and 'be the man' would've stopped it being such a serious issue.  When Benteke came back Gabby in particular did nothing like enough to take the pressure off the big man in his run of games without a goal where he was clearly still not fully fit.

[edgysatsuma89]

I hate 'fickle' being used. Fickle: changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties or affections. I can guarantee my views haven't changed much over the last 3 seasons.

[Fasth56]

Alonso is available from Real, if only.

[JPartington]

As a small note of critique on Gabby, the element that has frustrated me the most across his whole career has been his reluctance/ability to make a run in between the full back and centre backs (or between the centre backs) and go through one on one. With his pace it should be a much more regular ocurrence. In his younger days, when perhaps his pace was a touch more 'electric' he might accidentally find himself in that position, but still not enough.

In recent years he hardly ever going through one on one, being much happier receiving ball with his back to goal and having a wrestle with the defender. He simply doesn't make the right runs, preferring to act the big man and knock the defenders around. Of course, this delights the defenders, as they would be petrified if he tried to run in behind them. Michael Owen went through on goal pretty much every game I ever saw him play. He loved using his pace to make those runs, with no interest in getting tangled up with the defenders.

Caveats, he DOES run the channels quite well, providing a useful outlet, and we do lack a midfielder who can play those defence splitting passes, but again, Gabby simply doesn't make the relevant runs through the middle.

He has other strengths and weaknesses, but I just wanted to pick up on this point. He could add a number of goals to his game if he could ever develop this skill, as, despite age and laziness he still has some proper gas.

[JPartington]

Forgot to add that playing as a wide forward shouldn't stop him from making these runs instead of always having a wrestle.

[Clark W Griswold]

Christ!....a couple of weeks to go before we start the new season and there are so many people moaning about how shite our players are???? And to think our fans were called Fickle……

I know, it's incredible isn't it, anyone would think that most of them have put us through three consecutive relegation battles.......oh hang on.

Seriously though, the manager worries me more than the squad, a good manager would get enough out of what we have to make us comfortable. Not that I'm particularly happy that's the most we can hope for btw.

[Gregorys Boy]

Gabby hasn't had much service from a poor midfield in the last few seasons - perhaps Cole will be a creative spark and provide more opportunities for the forwards?

The counter argument to this is that, in the position he's played for the last 2 years, Gabby should be one of the players who's providing opportunities, either by beating his man out wide and getting good service into the box or by running intelligent lines and dragging defenders out of position.  He did both of those well for a spell at the end of L12/13 and for a couple of games last season, but since then he's stopped making the runs and he's rarely looked like he has the beating of the fullback.  With Weimann coming too deep on the other side and therefore not occupying defenders either and attack that worked well together by making space for each other just broke down, losing Benteke (the first time) was the key but more application form Gabby to step up and 'be the man' would've stopped it being such a serious issue.  When Benteke came back Gabby in particular did nothing like enough to take the pressure off the big man in his run of games without a goal where he was clearly still not fully fit.

That is just the point I was going to make.  His game really has little to do with the service he gets, but with making good runs and causing problems with his pace and by chasing things down.  As long as we have someone else doing the goal scoring I can live with Gabby just getting three a season if he was doing those other things.

I have already said that I don't think there is much wrong with our strike force.  If we were a team aiming for the top six or higher then it would not be good enough, but competing at our current level we have more than enough we just don't have the quailty on the wings or in midfield.  With Benteke and Kozak expected back quite soon I can live with Bent/Weimann for the opening games, with Gabby on the bench.

[Damo70]

Christ!....a couple of weeks to go before we start the new season and there are so many people moaning about how shite our players are? And to think our fans were called Fickle……

I know, it's incredible isn't it, anyone would think that most of them have put us through three consecutive relegation battles.......oh hang on.

Seriously though, the manager worries me more than the squad, a good manager would get enough out of what we have to make us comfortable. Not that I'm particularly happy that's the most we can hope for btw.

I totally agree about the manager point. I think another manager would get a bit more out of the squad. I will throw in an example. Tony Pulis. Before anybody has a go at that example, anyone who thinks that we are not in the bracket of considering that kind of manager at the moment is deluding themselves. If anything, in a hypothetical situation of offering him the job he may well choose to stay at Palace as things stand with us at the moment.